Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-02-18 00:00:00

Government had not made any arrangement

with France to meet the possibility of the
Commercial Treaty being disapproved of by

Parliament.

In answer to Mr. Roebuck,

Lord John Russell stated that it was intended

to bring in a bill to strengthen our law for the
prevention of forgery of trade marks of our

manufacturers, and then we could with better

grace go to foreign nations and ask them to
enforce penalties for a similar end. o,n the sub-
ject of the French treaty, Lord John Russell said
"he looked upon commercial treaties as a means
to an end. He disapproved of them when hostile

to free-trade, and approved of them when favour-
able thereto." The Foreign Secretary made a
statement as to France and Savoy similar to
that made by Lord Granville in the Lords,
as noticed above. Some discussion took place

as to the form and mode in which the French

treaty should be brought before the house, so as
to give a full opportunity for pronouncing upon

its merits.

Mr. Disraeli and others urged that

unless this were done before going into committee
on the Customs Acts, on Monday, they might
perhaps be guilty of the inconsistency of parting
with a large portion of the revenue before agree-

ing to the treaty upon which those remissions
were based. Lord Palmerston said the house

should have ample opportunity to say yes or no
to the treaty, but denied that it ought to come

on for consideration before the Customs Acts ;

otherwise " they would be met with the objection,
that they asked for one vote on a matter
comprising many details which ought to be first
considered and determined." Mr. Laing stated
that the provision of the budget, affecting licenses
of eating-houses, would be essentially modified
before it was formally presented to the House.
Some remarks were made on the article of the
treaty respecting coal ; and the House went into
Committee, when Mr. S. Herbert moved the army
estimates, the details of which have already been
published. With reference to the Volunteer move-
ment, he said nothing could exceed its importance,
and that it was of more consequence the corps
should be permanent than that they should
be numerous. Good training, he said, was of
more importance than good shooting ; in illus-
tration of which he cited the case of the French
tirailleurs, who were " the best skirmishers, but
the worst shots." The House voted 143,362
men, and £4,499,636 for pay and allowances.
According to the latest advices from Morocco,
the war has run so disastrously against the Moors,
that they are said to be very desirous of peace;
and, indeed, to have already opened negotiations
with Marshal O'Donnell with the view of ascer-
taining on what conditions peace would be con-
cluded. Judging from the state of feeling in Spain,
where the people are said to be much excited by
the Spanish victories in Morocco, it is scarcely to
be expected that the Moors will obtain very
favourable terms.

The brief statement which Lord John Russell
made in the House of Commons on Thursday
night, respecting the annexation of Savoy to
France, was not regarded. as satisfactory by any
means. It may be quite true, that both Sardinia
and Switzerland are opposed to it,—Sardinia to
its being part of the bargain for her Italian
acquisitions ; and Switzerland as preferring
Sardinia to France. But the French Emperor,
it seems, has formally intimated, that if the power
of Sardinia was increased to any very consider-
able extent, by annexations in Central Italy, he
would not think his frontier secure without the
annexation of some part of Savoy. And if Louis
Napoleon has thus set his mind upon having
Savoy, it is aot very probable that the wishes of
Sardinia and Switzerland to the contrary will
eventually be allowed to stand in his way.

The French press continues to be gagged. Not
only has the Gazette de France just been warned,
but even a provincial paper, called the Bretagne,
and published at St. Breux, has been thought
worthy of imperial surveillance. The provincial
journal had dared to question the policy of the
French Government as regards the Roman ques-
tion, and it is immediately pounced upon and
declared a disturber of the loyalty and devotion
of the Bretons, and put down accordingly. It
cannot be a good cause that is thus afraid of
every free expression of opinion.

It will be seen by the notices of public meet-
ings of various interests that are affected by the
treaty and the budget, that the opposition to this
measure is becoming very prominent and powerful
in various parts of the country. We understand
that a great number of deputations from different
towns, and representing a variety of interests
are now in London, with the view of remon-
strating against those parts of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer's financial proposition which con-
cern their respective businesses. The right
honourable gentleman has, doubtless, had his time
completely occupied with these representations ;
and he has by this time, it is probable, become
fully alive to the difficulties that are before him.
We understand that the course which the Con-

servatives are prepared to take, in opposition to
the Ministerial scheme of finance, will be, in the
first place to require a separate consideration of
the treaty and the budget. The treaty, it must
be remembered, involves political considerations
of the utmost moment at the present conjuncture,
independently altogether of its fiscal bearings.
There are objections to it, therefore, of a two-fold
character ; and these certainly would seem to
demand attention by themselves, and as preli-
minary to the discussion of the budget, so mach
of which is evidently based upon that treaty.
Should the treaty be condemned, of course the
budget would fall to the ground, involving, no
doubt very serious issues, both in a political and