The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-02 00:00:00

LONDON. MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 2. 1867.

FRANCE

(room oua owi

PARIS, SATURDAY Emma.

The parliamentary campaign extraordinary, for
a winter session is very exceptional, was opened
yesterday in the Senate. The first speaker was
Baron Charles Dupin, the last, and certainly the
least, of those three upins whose mother, only
recently deceased, desired to have mire des tress
Depitts engraved upon her tombstone. It is very
remarkable that the official report in the Moniteur
does not give the text of the so-called " interpella-
tion." It merely says that the order of
the day brought on was, "the interpellation rela-
tive to the affairs of Rome." The reason of this
reticence is that the senators who signed the inter-
pellation congratulated the government on what it
had done for the protection of the Holy See, and
that although M. Troplong, knowing that the
senators are the Emperor's obedient humble ser-
vants to command, let it pass, the ministers feel
that the precedent is a bad one, because it would
justify the opposition in the Corps Legialatif in
propounding &resolution under the pretext of ask-
ing a question. As for Baron Dupin, he merely ap-
plauded all that the government had done, hoped
that it would go further in the good way of
unreserved eatholicism, and asked no question
at all. His extremely diffuse speech contains an
attack upon Italy and. Italian unity which, though
virulent, pales before the yet more fierce and far
more eloquent attacks made by the Cardinal Arch-
bishop who spoke after him. The most sa-
lient point of his speech was the reading
of a letter from an anonymous friend in
Italy, who told him that the only thing
for Victor Emmanuel to do was to dissolve
parliament, "and do without a parliament for a
very long time." Ho went the "whole figure"
for the eldest son of the church, who,
he said, should remember that he was
the successor of Charlemagne. He dwelt on the
revolutionary character of the Italian movement
towards Rome, and said that the only way for the
Emperor to save himself from the revolution was
to place himself resolutely at the head of the
200,000,000 of catholica in Europe and fight their
battles. In conclusion, he flattered himself that the
first speaker on the interpellations had said nothing
annoying to government.
Cardinal de Bonnechose, Archbishop of Rouen,who
was the next speaker, very soon restored the "in-
terpellations " to their etymological signification.
Ho asked questions of the government, which will
severely tax M. Rouher's ingenuity to answer.
Like Baron Dupin, he accused the Italian govern-
ment, the King as well as M. Rattazzi, of having
connived at Garibaldi's escape from Caprera, and
like Baron Dupin, he described the pretensions of
Italy, represented by M. Rattazzi's successor,
General Menabrea, se wholly incompatible with
the rights of the Holy See. He asserted—and I
have not seen this so positively stated anywhere—
that many of Garibaldi's killed and wounded soldiers
had upon them certificates bearing the words,
" Soldier on extraordinary leave," or " Soldier on
leave to join Garibaldi." The arms, shoes, and
clothing of the majority of Garibaldi's soldiers
wore furnished, according to the Archbishop of
Rouen, from the arsenals of Florence. The enthu-
siasm of the Cardinal Archbishop led him on to say
that the battle of Montana was one of the most
splendid martial achievements of which history had
ever spoken. This of a combat of which
the French government so well knew France
would feel ashamed that it kept the fact of the
co-operation of the French troops with the Pon-
tifical army concealed for five days. The
Archbishop, hoping that English protestant-
him is no better than that of M. Guizot, tried
to frighten England. If ever, he said, " which God
avert," the Popes no longer sovereigns should be sub-
jects of a King of Italy, protestantism would lose the
only bulwark which protects it against modern im-
piety, and every vestige of Christianity would dis-
appear. [This assertion that English Christianity
depended entirely on the maintenance of the
Pope's temporal power was hailed by
frantic applause in the French Senate.]
And now the Cardinal Archbishop comes to the
interpellations. The victory of Mentana, he admits,
relieved the catholic world from an immense
anxiety ; but why, he asks M. Rouher, is there a
talk of the French troops at Rome coming away ?
Why say that they may leave very soon ? What is
the basis of this calculation 7 What new guaran-
tees are you prepared to give that the Italian go-
vernment, which has hitherto so impudently de-
ceived you, will conduct itself better in future?
ft is not enough to reproach Rattazzi with
his treason. General Menabrea, though person-
ally a more honest man, is constrained to con-
tinue M. Rattazzi's policy. M. Rattazzi, though
out of office, is still well received at the Pitti Palace,
and the King after his resignation proclaimed that he
was "an honest man and his friend." Fromall this
the cardinal inferred that the King of Italy was just
as bad as Rattazzi or Garibaldi, and that
so long sa the French Emperor gives any
countenance whatever to the King of Italy,
or to " that monstrosity," Italian unity,
he will support the enemies of Christianity, of
civilisation, and the Pope. Under these circum-
stances, the cardinal asks the government where it
i sees a single hopeful point n the horizon. He
does not mean to say in principle that the French
' occupation of Rome should be perpetual, but he
calls for the continuance of the occupation until
the peril is over. After these preliminaries
he expresses himself disappointed that France
should have made any appeal at all to Europe. He
would rather have seen France play out her part
as " eldest son of the church," and protect the
Holy See without any help, or, at any rate, with
only the help of the catholic powers, Austria and
Spain, and not that of any " protestant or bete-
-1 rodox powers" who might be induced to join.
Italian unity he regarded as "a miserable conceit,
of which nobody thought twenty years ago. It was
a conception contrary to the traditions of history,
to the nature of things, to the geographical group-
ing of the Italian States, to the various origins of
the populations, and the idea originated in dark
conspiracies, fraud, corruption, venality, intimida-
tion, violence, and crime."

CSrdinal Dc'innet, Archbishop of Bordeaux, to save
time, desired to express his unqualified assent to
everything that had been said by Baron Dupin and
Cardinal de Bonnechose. So ended the first debate
in the Senate on the Roman question.
The church party, you will perceive, is impla-
cable, and offers the Emperor no hope of any com-
promise on the part of the Pope. The difficulty
which M. Rouher, in replying, has to face is, that
the only hope, and a forlorn hope indeed it is, of
the conference meeting lies in the possibility of a
general understanding to relieve the Pope from his
temporal power. I continue not to believe in the
conference at all ; but a conference to give the Pope
an European guarantee for his temporalty is most
certainly not upon the cards.
The rumour of the day is that Victor Emmanuel,
on the dictation of France, will make a coup d'Etat
in Italy, govern sine die without a parliament,
and agree to join France and Austria in an offensive
and defensive alliance, on the promise that when
the present Pope dies Italy shall have Rome.
If this be true, the clerical party will have just
reason to say that it has been infamously betrayed.
' Politically, this course would be easier for the
French government than any other ; but morally,
it would be the lowest depth of infamy.
The settlement in the Renter was altogether
in favour of the bulls. The latest quotations,
69.10 and 69.2 i, showed a rise of 15 and 12i. Other
securities were rather lower.

The Snnday Gazette, after a gallant but unsuc-
cessful effort to establish itself, diaap eased from the role
of Loodoo weekly novoimporo

DDITRESEI AT THE EAST-END.

COSTERMONOERS.

The official returns furnished by the different
East London parishes continue to display an in-
crease of pauperism considerably in excess of the
exceptionally high figures of last year. At a re-
cent meeting of the Poplar guardians it was for-
mally announced that the present number of indi-
viduals in that parish receiving out-door relief was
no lees than 6,874, being an increase of 1,540 over
the number relieved during the corresponding week
in 1866, and of 4,261 over the number during the
same period in 1865. During the last-named year
the weekly coat of out-door relief was 2281. ; at pre-
sent it exceeds 5001. The deficiency of pauper
accommodation in Poplar led the parochial autho-
rities ~to make an ment some time since
cr.r with the parish arrangement
fangepney for boarding
and lodging, at a certain stipulated price,
a number of the Poplar poor in Stepney work-
house ; but the amount of pauperism in Stepney
being largely on the increase, and the whole of the
workhouse accommodation in the latter pariah
being required for the use of the Stepney poor,
the arrangement between the two parishes has been
abruptly terminated, and in a few days the Poplar
guardisms will have on their hands the poor-60 in
nuiplagy—now lodged by them in Stepney work-
house. This is a most perplexing difficulty for the
Poplar authorities, their workhouse already being
completely full. The chief proportion of the in-
creased pauperism comes from the Isle of Dogs,
which forms part of the Poplar district. Last
year the Poplar poor's-rate was 2s. 2d. in the
pound—this year it is only 11d. This, combined
with the distinct assurance of the pariah officials
that they are unmistakably in a position to cope
successfully with the immense mass of pauperism
daily confronting them, has had much influence in
inducing the various gentlemen who last year con-
stituted themselves into the "East London Central
Relief Committee," to refrain—at any rate for the
present—from reviving that useful association, ex-
cept for the receipt and proper disposal of unso-
licited contributions on the part of the public for
the relief of special cases, of which there are, un-
fortunately, not a few. This ie a very necessary
precaution, the numerous applications for relief
made in the papers having had the effect of causing
a large flow of money assistance into the
hands of irresponsible individuals, whose
indiscriminate charity has been too often
productive of more harm than good. The
decision of the Relief Committee not to resume
operations at present has been severely commented
upon in portions of the distressed districts ; but it
is difficult to perceive what other course its mem-
bers could have adopted in the present state of
affairs. Mr. Ravenhill, the well-known engineer,
states that things are less hopeless than they ap-
pear; that there is now more chance of a revival of
the Thames ship-building trade than was the case
twelve months ago. He has also publicly asserted
that he will be enabled himself to employ more
hands than he found work for during last winter.
This is cheering ; but it should be mentioned, how-
ever, that Mr. Wigram and other gentlemen, whose
experience is undoubted, are far less sanguine, and
have expressed themselves doubtful as to the
ability of the guardians to grapple with the dis-
tress when things come to the wont--say in January
next. In fixing the amount of relief to be ad-
ministered the officials have wisely determined
not to adhere to a certain arbitrary scale, but to
consider on its own merits each case which may
come before them, their wish being, by a liberal
interpretation of the relief clauses of the Poor
Law Act, to enable their suffering poor to tide
over the present critical period safely, and thus be
prevented from sinking into the dismal abyss of
perpetual pauperism. In the other East-end
parishes the state of affairs is equally far from re-
aasuring. At Mile-end, 1,935 persons are receiving
out-door relief, in place of 1,527 during the cor-
responding period in 1866. There is not a parish in
this part of the metropolis which does not tell the
same ominous and disheartening tale. In Hackney
the workhouse contains 701 inmates. During the
same week in last year it had only 644. The
number of casuals this year was 161 ; last year it
was only 56. Where will it end
It is a matter for congratulation that Mr. Hardy
has determined upon amending the obnoxious 6th
clause of the New Streets Act. Had it been
practically enforced, the amount of pauperism at
the East-end would have been fearfully increased.
Not only would hundreds of industrious and
peaceable street-traders have been deprived
of the means of obtaining a livelihood,
but the price of the cheaper descriptions of fish,
vegetables, and fruit would have been considerably
enhanced, to the great discomfort of the labouring
poor. It is impossible to estimate with anything
like correctness the actual number of the East-end
street-traders, but in Whitechapel they are supposed
to number about 2,000, exclusive of their families.
Many of them are quiet, decent people. They re-
side principally in the dense labyrinth of narrow
courts and squalid lanes which flanks the northern
side of Whitechapel and Mile-end. Their receipts
fluctuate considerably, according to the period of
the year and the state of the weather, a wet Satur-
day night often bringing a dinnerless Sunday
to the costermonger and his family. On Sundays
the coetermonger finds his way to Epping Forest
or to Hackney Marshes, the morning being
generally devoted to a stroll through Victoria-
park. As a body, the street-traders are popularly
supposed to furnish a considerable proportion of
the terrible "rough" element so conspicuous when
park-railings are to be broken down, or club
windows unmercifully smashed, but this is not
exactly the case. The street-traders are divided
into three classes—those possessing stalls in cer-
tain fixed localities, those who regularly peram-
bulate particular districts, and those who take to
street-trading as an occasional means of obtaining
a livin. It is among these last that the
" rough " class is chiefly to be found ; amongst
the regular stall keepers it is almost un-
known. Some of them have occupied the
same site for several years. There is a second-
hand bookstall in the Whitechapel-road which has
existed for more than thirty years. Others of
equally venerable date are to be found in the City-
road, in Hoxton, and elsewhere. As a rule, the
amount of competition existing between the shop-
keepers and the street-traders is comparatively
slight, being confined almost entirely to those
dealing in fish, vegetables, and fruit. For instance,
between Aldgate and Mile-end, a distance of con-
siderably more than a mile, there are only two or
three shops devoted to the sale of vegetables and
fruit, and perhaps as many in which fish is sold.
Now the number of street-traders dealing in
these articles is not less than one•third, it
may be one-half, of all who are to be found
occupying stalls in that busy thoroughfare.
In fact, the street-traders do not come into com-
petition with nineteen-twentieths of the White-
chapel shopkeepers. Their real competitors are
the small dealers in the back streets. So far as
the leading thoroughfares are concerned, the pre-
sence of the street-traders tends to attract cus-
tom. Whenever the street-traders have been
removed from any district, as was the case some
time ago in Leather-lane, a corresponding diminu-
tion of traffic has invariably followed. In
Shoreditch, Islington, Spitalfields, Whitechapel,
Limehouse, and other places, the crowded
and busy aspect of those portions of
the thoroughfares where the street-traders are
allowed to congregate, always forms a marked
contrast to the comparatively deserted appearance
of the spots where their presence is forbidden.
The suggestion has been made that suitable mar-
kets should be established on the model of that
now erecting by Miss Burdett Coutts in Bethnal-
green, in various districts for the use of the street-
I traders, who thenceforth would have no valid