The Press.
London, England, 1856-05-24 00:00:00

THE SARDINIAN LOAN.

Mr. DISRAELI, on Thursday, said some misanpre-
hension appeared to exist upon what bad fallen from
the right hon. gentleman on a former evening with
respect to the intention of the Government con-
corning the Sardinian loan. It was supposed that
the right hon. gentleman had stated that a bill
would be introduced in order to remove any doubts
respecting the payment of the balance of the loan.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied, that
the apprehension described by the right hon. gentle•
man was correct. As soon as the matter could be
reduced to a convention, or some formal shape, a bill
would be founded upon it, and introduced into that
house as speedily as possible.

THE SARDINIAN NOTES.
Lord PALMERSTON, on Tuesday, in reply to Viscount
Goderich, said he would have no objection to lay

SAtURDAY,

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.
before the house the two Sardinian notes of 27th
March and 16th April so soon as an answer had
been returned to the latter.
COSTA RICA.

The Earl of Etaiw, on Monday, read the letter
signed by Mr. Hammond, and recently published,
purporting to be a promise of a supply of anus
being made by the Government of this country to
the Government of Costa Rica, and asked the Earl
of Clarendon if that letter were genuine.
The Earl of CLARENDON said the letter of Mr.
Hammond was a genuine letter, and its statement
of a supply of arms having been asked for by
Costa Rica and promised by the English Govern-
ment correct. He had since communicated with
the United States Government on the subject,
and Mr. Crampton reported a conversation with
Mr. Marcy, on the 15th of March, to the effect
that the United States Government entirely disap.
proved of General Walker's proceedings. In answer
to that, he had suggf sted that there could be no
better plan than for the English and United States
Governments to unite for the protection of their re-
spective subjects.

The Earl of CLA.RENDuN, on Monday, in answer lo
the Earl of Malrnesbury, said it was true that a depu-
tation from the Circassians had come to the Porte,
headed by Sefer Pacha, not a Circassian himself.
and who was anything but friendly to the allies. re
did not think that they had any particular claim on
the allied Governments, and no answer had been
sent to the representation addressed to this Govern-
ment. There was no objection to lay before the
house the notes presented to the Paris Conference
by the Sardinian Government.

The Earl of ALBEMARLE, on Monday, moved the
reappointment of the select committee on the govern-
ment of our Indian territories.

The Earl of El LENROROUOH, in the course of the
conversation which arose, strongly expressed his
opinion of the necessity of investigating the internal
administration of India, particularly with reference
to the management of the Indian finances. The
appointment of an independent board of audit was
imperatively called for.
Lord GRANVILLE hoped the motion would not be
pressed, and it was negatived without a division.

THE INDIAN BUDGET.

Mr. V. SMITH, in an answer to Mr. J. G. Philli-
more, on Thursday, said he would bring forward the
Indian Budget as soon as he could get a day.

THE CASE OF

SOBINER.

Sir GEORGE GREY, in reply to Mr. Warren, on
Tuesday, declined to lay the confidential opinion of
the judge in this case before Parliament.

lortign 6orrrsponbtutt.

BRUSSELS, May 21.
THE capital of Belgium has not wholly recovered
from its political excitement. But the sentiments
omitted in the Chambers by a wise precaution have
found vent in the journals without let or hindrance.
One, more prepotent than the rest, throws down the
gauntlet of defiance—" La preponderance occupee
par le Bonapartisme est une menace," which would
lead to the supposition that a Belgian column of
troops might be ready to march on Givet. The
Indipendance hazards, with something like a modest
doubt of its academic truth, and as an original
axiom, " Rien n'est parfait ici bas." Whether the
avowed imperfection refers to the French Minister,
the Belgian Constitution, or the immoral article of
Belgian press, is not made clear. Setting aside the
somewhat burlesqued exaltation of the public in its
declaration of constitutional perfection, the demon-
stration in the Belgian Chambers was highly credit-
able. There was nothing wilfully exaggerated in its
proc"edings, neither were they got up for the occasion.
M. Orts put his questions to the Minister of Foreign
Affairs concisely, and with proper observations, and
they were answered by M. Vilain XIV. in the same
spirit. When the Minister, in reply to the demand
whether a change in the Constitution was contem-
plated, replied, " Jarnais," the outburst of applause,
or rather the spontaneous ovation to M. Vilain XIV.,
prevented the conclusion of his speech, and rendered
it necessary to adjourn the Chamber. But throughout
this political pruriency there has been a mistake as
to facts. The attack on the liberty of the press is i
one thing, and the licence of that same press s
another. It must be remembered that the evil com-
plained of by the French Minister has not been
denied, and more, it has been admitted. Had M.
Vilain XIV. concluded his speech he might possibly
have suggested that a reform in a land avowedly itu•
perfect is not contrary to constitutional princi;
The change of the Belgian law in 1852, to a certain
degree, has protected foreign Governments from

■

7. •

MAY 24, 1856.

unseemly treatment under the shadow of constitu-
tional freedom, ye t is clearly not sufficient for the
object. Foreign Governments, however foully at-
tackel, and menaced by complot, together with the
prompting for the assassination of their rulers, have
only the rights of private individuals in their appeal,
and the punishment is wholly inadequate to the
offence. This licentious journalism has been made
unpleasantly manifest, and brought home to the
Belgians, by a dastardly libel upon the Duchess of
Brabant. A princess of a more amiable character
and benevolent temper it would be difficult to find;
and it may be said, without the accusation of flattery,
that it is hardly possible to conceive how that a
person so replete with tho loving kindness of
humanity in its best sense could have a detractor.
Yet so it has been almost within the precincts of the
palace. The Duchess of Brabant has been happily
favoured by Nature. Is comeliness a crime in Bel-
gium? The Princess has a winning graciousness.
Is courtesy contrary to Belgian usage ? Is generosity
of nature displeasing to the Belgian? Moreover, her
Royal Highness is a fearless and accomplished rider.
Is this mark of nerve and skill distasteful ? In the
meantime this incomparable lady has been traduced
by a press that urges and justifies assassination,—and
yet a Belgian journal has the assur..,
" Qai s'en plaint ?"
The doings of the "part pretre " largely occupy
public attention. It insists in the Chambers for
electoral reform, and a proposal is made to do away
with the electoral colleges, in order that the votes
may be taken in the villages and "communes." This
would place the lower class of voters under the
immediate superintendence of the priest; therefore
it may be seen that, elsewhere than in England, the
Roman party has its Brass Band. Neither are the
members less eager than the Roman John Sadleir
to acquire the " proprietes foncieres," although in
this case tha patient acts come within the legal pale.
A lady of station and wealth, under priestly guidance,
lately left a large fortune from her family to certain
persons of straw in trust for ecclesiastical purposes,
and her disinherited relations have no redress. It
was a work of piety. The Nollet family also have
instituted civil actions against certain clerical estab-
lishments of Namur and Tournay for having pos-
sessed themselves of the property of a relative by
fraudulent means. Again, a rich widow of Antwerp
has beggared her family to bequeath her wealth to
priests for special purposes under their control.
There is a feature belonging to these transactions
that cannot fail shortly to attract notice. The
" biens d'eglise" are exempt, for the most part, from
taxation; and when these accumulated appropria-
tions shall have attained a certain amount of fiscal
respectability, the Minister of Finance will be made
sensible, of a grievance not at present anticipated.

to remark,

At the close of the Prussian Chambers the Minis.
try was in a large and declared majority, yet the
latter events of the session have given cause for un-
easiness. The debate on the affairs of Prussian
Poland was disagreeably significant. Public no-
tices and official declarations in Prussian Poland
appear t have been occasionally promulgated in the
Polish language, and hitherto with a certain degree
of authority—that is to say, without obstruction.
The practice, very decidedly, has not been in con-
travention of the law, but the Manteuffel Ministry
proposed that the custom should be discontinued,
and that, in a national point of view, the Polish lan-
guage should be thoroughly ignored, and cease to
have governmental cogn'sance. It, was an exceed-
ingly daring act, and was vigorously opposed. Both
the entire L- ft and a part of the Right in the Cham-
bers expostulated upon the proposed law as uncalled
for and contrary to the spirit of the constitutional
p mt. The debate was stormy, according to the
iCreutz Zeitung and the Zeit, and the Minister was
greatly embarrassed (vivement emu). When taken
in conjunction with the attack on the local privileges
of the Rhenish provinces, it is clearly proved to be a
link in a predetermined chain of policy. A measure
has been carried, or rather forced, through the Prus-
sin Chambers, destructive of some of the particular
h vrties of the Rhenish provinces. Petitions have
b !en addressed to the Throne, remonstrances have
b ee made to the Chambers, and Count Fiirstenberg
Stinnnheim has personally protested to his Sove•
r:ern against this act of impolitic legislation. Nei •
tier does the opposition stop here. The Prince
Royal of Prussia has firmly signified his disapproba-
tion of the Ministerial conduct, and Coblentz, Co-
-1 ,gne, Dusseldorf, and other Rhenish towns, have
expressed themselves constitutionally against the
abrogation of privileges upon which they set an
especial value. M. de Kleitz Retzon and M. West.
nhalen are at variance in the Ministry upon this
$ ibiect. The frail tenure of Prussia upon the olden
C mfederation of the Rhine should have suggested
a more prudent course. This is not the time when
popular rights can be rescinded summarily without
regard to justice or equity ; still less is it opportune
to revive the memory of a bygone epoch connected
with the name of Napoleon, when a titular designa-
tion
_conveyed at least a nominal independence.

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