The Press.
London, England, 1858-02-13 00:00:00

THE PRESS, FEBRUARY 13, 1858.

cies upon them a beneficial influence. (" Hear, hear,"
and laughter.) What happened in 1853 ? What hap-
pened under the Government of which the noble lord who
has just spoken—and who would feel himself so much
humiliated by voting for the introduction of this bill—was
an eminent member—indeed, I believe, the leader in this
house? Why, sir, we then had some of the most eminent
statesmen of England denouncing the Emperor of the
French as being a tyrant, a usurper, and a perjurer.
(Cheers and laughter.) We had a Cabinet Minister
quitting the Cabinet, proceeding to the hustings, amusing
his constituents by depicting to them the daugeni which
menaced their country owing to the impending and pira-
tical invasion of England by the French people—(cheers)
—and saying to them, " What protection have you for
your wives and daughters—(renewed laughter)—with such
an ally as the Emperor of France ?" ( Hear, hear.) I
had to bring these circumstances and many similar ones
under the consideration of the House of Commons, and I
did so because I felt they would, if we passed them over
unnoticed, be calculated seriously to impair, if not to de-
stroy, the amicable relations which subsisted between the
two countries. (Hear, hear.) And what, let me ask, was
the result of the course which I upou that occasion
adopted? Why, sir, we were in consequence afforded the
gratifying spectacle of seeing statesman after statesman,
and Cabinet Minister after Cabinet Minister, rising in his
place and apologising for the offensive expressions which
he had used in reference to the Emperor of the French.
(Cheers and laughter.) That was, I cannot help think-
ing, a very salutary spectacle. (Renewed laughter.) It
effected much good. It conduced to the maintenance of
the peace of Europe, but it conduced to that end only be-
cause the Emperor of the French happened to he a for-
giving and a forbearing man. ( Hear, hear.) Now, let
me ask, were the statesmen of England less offensive in
their observations than the colonels of France ? (Hear,
bear.) If the French Emperor and the French nation
could endure with equanimity the insults heaped upon
them by English Cabinet Ministers, the people of Eng-
land might, I think, afford to pocket the insults of the
French colonels. (Cheers.)

With regard to the measure before the house, the
relative position of England and France should be
considered. Tho great body of the English nation,
ho believed, looked upon the French nation with a
feeling of sincere friendship ; but he did not think
that in tho great body of the French people there
was a reciprocity of sentiment towards this
country :

What, I would ask you, must, under these circumstances,
be the position of the ruler of that country, who has the
good sense to feel thst the maintenance of the alliance
with England is eminently conducive to the welfare of the
people over whom he reigns ? What difficulties must he
not have to encounter? We must bear in mind that
although he himself may, from his personal experience ,
and owing to the character of his mind, as well as the
thousand influences which operate on a person of his
elevated intellect in his high position, have formed a
strong conviction as to the advantages resulting from an
alliance with us —and that although in times of prolonged
tranquillity he may, by virtue of his commanding abilities,
succeed in cherishing that nascent and gradually spreading
sympathy with England which is beginning to pervade
France, yet that in times of excitement, when the minds
of the ingenious and speculative people of that country
become agitated by passing events, the difficulties of his
position become great in the extreme. ( Hear, hear.) He
comes to us a faithful and generous ally—( Hear, hear)—
he comes to us, not with threats—he may have spoken
or may have acted with some appearance of passion, but
he may well afford to act in such a manner who can afford
to make a noble apology, as he has done. ( Hear, hear.)
I say, the ruler of France in a moment of great difficulty,
in recurring moments of great difficulty, this faithful and
generous ally comes to the Government of this country,
and says, " I do not disguise the difficulties I have to con-
tend with. Assist me consistently with your laws, con-
sistently with your privileges and rights, for I have lived
too long in your country not to know that no British
Minister dare for a moment even whisper that those laws,
those rights, those privileges, should be violated or di-
minished —( Hear, hear I—butt aid me at this moment.
Show to France, (where the hostile factions are rising their
heads and jeering me with the vanity of the English
alliance, upon which I hare wished to build my policy,
show tel France that my confidence has not been mis•
placed." ( Hear, hear.)

Under these circumstances it was the duty of the
Government not to turn a deaf ear to such an appeal.
But what had her Majesty's Ministers proposed
to do :

I admit—l make a full and frank admission that a pro-
position more unsatisfactory never was offered to the con-
sideration of Parliament. (Hear, hear.) That an Eng•
lish Minister should have told the French nation that
their ruler had placed before us a clear exposition of their
fancied or alleged grievances ; that an English Minister
should also in some immortal State paper, written with
the fire and logical power of Canning, have answered that
despatch, and have placed upon this table a manifesto of
our rights and privileges, at the same time combining with
it a glowing expression of sympathy with our faithful and
powerful ully,—that is what I expected, and the English
Minister who has missed that opportunity has missed a
great occasion.

If we had the despatch of Count Walewaki on the table,
and at the same time the answer of the British Minister
worthy of the opportunity, in my opinion the Government
would have met with no difficulty, and the feelings of the
two nations would have been discussed in the temper
which we all desire. Such a despatch would have been
the key-note to the country, and a generous Parliament
would have granted what the Emperor wanted; what he