The Press.
London, England, 1857-04-11 00:00:00

foreign 6orrtspoitDcutt.

BRUSSELS, April 8.
THE English papers have given an account of the
riot at Tourney by the protectionists of native in-
dustry, and of the abuse of the English as commercial
rivals, by whom they insist that they are directly
injured. This tumultuous and anti-Anglican demon-
stration afforded an opportunity to M. Vilain XIV.,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, to expatiate cn the
relative position of the two countries, and to blame
an animosity injurious to those who fostered such
untoward prejudices. The Minister asserted the
right of all to offer their produce in the markets
most profitable to the seller, and further remarked
that the purchase of English goods was voluntary,
since Belgium was not fettered by treaty to accord a
preference to British merchandise. He likewise re-
verted to the goodwill and friendliness of England at
all times, in support of Belgium, since the establish-
ment of the kingdom in its constitutional state, and
terminated his speech amidst the loud cheers of the
Chamber, by calling upon his countrymen to con-
demn au hostility neither serviceable to their
interests nor redounding to their credit. Of this
amicable disposition on the part of England in IfB3o
and 1831, no one can speak with greater certainty
than the present Minister of Belgium in England.
The reputation of M. Vilain XIV. as a statesman
is coeval with the independence of his country.
Firm in his principles of political Liberalism, and
attached to Catholicism from education and faith,
he offers to the ultras of both parties an example for
their imitation and a subject for profitable reflection.
Violent partisans are the common instruments with
which astute statesmen work out their end 3. They
never possess power without damage alike to their
country and to themselves, invariably becoming the
victims of au improvident fanaticism and the agents
of an unwise policy. The ultra Romans in Belgium
would subvert the Constitution and retrogade to a
medieval subjection to a despotic priest, whilst on
the other hand the ultra Liberals would extend par-
liamentary and democratic p ewer to such an extent
as to render constitutional monarchy an empty
name. In these times of onward tendencies, re-
sulting from generalised education, it is essentially
necessaty that the governmental executive should be
intrusted to men whose large and regulated minds
exempt them from the control of vulgar passion, and
who legislate alone upon the principle of right and
from the integrity of conviction. Such a one is M.
Vilain XIV., nor is it now only that he has given
proof of his Ministerial value.
A letter from M. de Rayneval, the French Minis-
ter at Rome, addressed to M. do Walewsld, on the
present state of Italy, and more particularly of the
Pontifical Government, is a document worthy of
attention. As I see that it has been comtnente.l on
in your columns, I shall not notice it further than to
point out how strangely M. de Layneval errs when
be praises the laws, juridical and executive, and
the administration of them by sacerdotal and
lay functionaries. The canons of the Pontifical
digest may be exceedingly good, but the men
selected to enforce them are unequivocally bad. It
is administrative ineffi.iency, from the personal im-
propriety of the magistrate, that. ruins Italy. And
the besetting sin of these magistrates of the tonsure
is corruption. It is their rule of conduct. Here is a
tariff of transgressions that under a Pope of a former
it4e might be committed with impunity under the
secret sanction of the sacerdotal Government—
provided always the trespass were not made inju-
diciously public :

Ducati.
For Plenary• Indulgence to Counts( Signori Conti—
from fasting generally
Permission to said Counts to eat meat and eggs
on fast days l2
Permission tocornmit, and absolution iron', usury 7
concubinage 6
It It
rape ti
incest A
It
perjury 6
It SI
homicide It
(If the person killed or murdered he au eccle-
siastic the olf.mder is obliged to repair to
Home to ransom this crime, which is held
to be more heiuous thau parricide or Ira.
Weide.)