Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-22 00:00:00

n justly sealed. IR

is left for execution on this day fortnight

Let us

hope that his example will not be without its whole-

The amnesty which the Emperor of the French has
resolved to grant will extend, it is computed, to at
least ten thousand persons, who have been tyrannically
transported within the last ten years for political
offences. Now it is pleasant, no doubt, to contemplate
such an act of clemency as this. But then there arises
the thought, why were so many thousands of his sub-
jects sent as convicts into ignominious exile, with all
its sufferings, mental and bodily ? Why, they had
resisted his attempts to establish a despotism in
their country. This, we believe, was the head and
front of their offending. And the question there-
fore very naturally arises, can one be fit to reign
over an intelligent people, who will not scruple
thus to deal with those who are unwilling to be his
slaves ? Besides, he was not content, it will be
remembered, to send ten thousand citizens of France
into penal servitude in a foreign land. He did not
hesitate to slaughter in the streets of the capital two or
three thousand people, whom he merely suspected of
All those, we

being there in defence of their liberties
cannot but think, ought in reason to be taken into
account in judging of an act which, we are told, has
made the people of Par
frantic with joy

of all Franc

almost

The Government of the Duchy of Parma more than
suspects, it would appear, that after all they will have
to fight for their independence. They have given orders,
it is stated, for 4,000 muskets, and are adopting measures

for organising a strong military armament
y attempt to rest
said that the Emperor of Austria's impatience at tl

in resistance
It is

me the old state of things

ae delay

in the restoration of the ex-rulers of the Duchies, has
impelled the Parmese Government to take these steps. But
it is more probable that the presence of the son of the
Grand Duke of Tuscany in Paris, and the kindness
shown by the French Emperor, may have had some-
thing to do in exciting their fears, and inducing them
to prepare for the assertion of their independence at the
point of the bayonet. As to their power of resistance,
it may be more than questioned whether it would be of
any avail against either Austria or France—
indeed, the jealousy of Louis Napoleon at Au.
interference should bring him round to their support.
The French Emperor is seeking the intervention of
our government, it is rumoured, in the affairs of the
Popedom. The French Minister at Rome has returned
to Paris for the purpose of conferring with the French
Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the reforms which the
Pope is called upon to introduce into his temporal
government; and it is understood that Louis Napoleon
is as anxious to draw England into the arrangement, as he
is into that of the Italian question generally. We humbly
think, however, that this country will be wise to have as
little connection as possible with the present Emperor of
the French in these matters. It is doubtless very desirable
that a diplomatic intercourse should be established
between England and Rome, as there is between Eng-
land and the other states of the Continent; but such a
desideratum by no means involves our intervention in
the concerns of the Popedom. It would be quite time
enough to enter into negotiations with the Pope, as the
temporal ruler of the States of the Church, when he
has himself succeeded in adjusting the affairs of his

-unless,

sovereignty.
The remarks we have extracted elsewhere, from a
London paper, on the report of the Select Committee of
the House of Commons on the subject of what is called
the Bible-printing monopoly, prepare us to expect that
the enquiry will result in at least removing a great deal
of popular misconception as to the effect of that mono-
poly. The opinion of an eminent Cambridge scholar
and divine, as given to the committee, " That the with-
drawal of the patent for printing Bibles would raise
their price, and cause them to be far less accurate," is
of itself calculated to correct the strong prejudices
against the present restriction. There is another
striking fact, too,—viz., that the English Bibles of the
Queen's printer can compete successfully with American
Bibles in the United States. The report recommends
the re-appointment of the committee next year ; so that
we shall, no doubt, have a thorough investigation of
the subject.

Messrs. Frisby and Dyke, of Liverpool, have offered
to present two drinking fountains to the borough of
Northampton, and the corporation has accepted the
offer.