Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-26 00:00:00

THE DAYS NEWS

In the House of Lords last night, the bill for
the suppression of obscene books and prints was
read a second time, not, however, until Lord Camp-
bell had promised that the bill should be amended'
while going through committee, so that what were
obscene works should be defined. The attention
of the House was drawn to the numerous evils
arising out of litigation in our law courts, by Lord
Brougham, who proposed the second reading of
the bill, which had for its object the creation of
courts of reconciliation, to which contending

parties should have recourse to. The Lord
Chancellor and Lord Campbell took another view
of the question, and were afraid that the remedy
proposed by Lord Brougham was worse than the
evil, and the latter nobleman, not wishing to press
it upon the attention of the House when it was
evidently against it, the debate was adjourned sine
In the House of Commons Mr. Lowe stated that
he regretted that the state of public business would
prevent him from introducing in the present session
the bill for the abolition of passing tolls. There is
some hope for the Established Church after all.
Mr. Labouchere stated that the bill passed by the
Canadian Legislature to enable the members of
the Established Church to meet in Synod, and
there enjoy the same privileges granted to other
religions bodies, had received the Queen's sanction.
By this bill the bishops will be appointed by the
Synod, and not, as heretofore, by the Queen. This
is a rather democratic, though very just, measure
The Catholics are dead set against the bill having
for its object the admissiOn of Jews into parliament.
The Marquis of Blandford, on the motion that the
Oaths Bill be read a third time, moved that it be
read a third time that day six months. Amongst
his objections to the bill was the fact that
that portion of the oath which Roman
Catholics are obliged to take viz., that
they would not act against the Church, was not
included in the oath for the admission of Jews.
Mr. Drummond seconded the motion, and said
that the bill could never pass a house that was un
christianised. Mr. O'Donoghue, Mr. Bowyer, Mr.
Deasy, and several other prominent members of
the Roman Catholic Church, also protested against
the bill, but the opposition was of no avail,
as it passed a second reading by a vote of 291 to
168, showing a majority of 123. The result was
reseived with loud cheers.
At the weekly meeting of the Health Committee
yesterday, the medical officer of health reported
that the mortality of the borough was unusually
lore, the deaths last week being fifty less than the
corrected average for the previous seven years.
A report from the sub-committee on the
expediency of removing the public office from
Cornwallis-street to Dale-street was read. The
report was decidedly in its favour, and
a discussion took place, the result of which
was that the committee unanimously adopted
the report. Land enough on the site of
the public-offices will be reserved for the
erection of a post-office. A report was also sub-
mitted to the committee, respecting the treatment
of the sanitary officers of Liverpool, who went out
to the Crimea by request of the government.
The Dock Commitiee's weekly meeting was
held yesterday. A communication was read from
Mr. M`lver respecting the statements of the last
weekly meeting. Mr. Alver took them as per-
sonal ; but Mr. Mondell denied that they were so—
he only used the expressions that he made in a
public sense, and he considered that he was quite
justified in doing so. He did not run down the
performances of the Cunard Line of Steamers ; in
fact, he had from the first been foremost in ap-
plauding them when applause was deserved. A
letter was read from a number of firms complain
ing of the want of accommodation for discharging
timber, and also suggesting some alterations.
The home news this morning is not of the least
importance. The defence of the Liverpool Town
Dues, in opposition to the Mersey Conservancy
Bill has not yet concluded. Mr. Hope
Scott's speech seems to be a crusher. An
epitome of the proceedings of the several election
commitees, yesterday, will be found in another
column. We to-day publish an article from the
Times, on the subject of the Cotton supplies, the
gist of which is, that Government can render no
other aid than that of removing obstacles, after
which the manufacturers of Lancashire must do
the rest for themselves.
It would appear from all accounts that the
result of the elections at Paris are a moral blow
to the Government. At Lille, Bordeaux and
Lyons it is said that Opposition candidates
have triumphed. The result is officially known in
226 out of 267 cases. With the exception of about
six or seven, the returns may be all considered
favourable to Government.
A most important piece of private news, received
at Vienna from Constantinople, states that the
attempt of the Porte to free itself from the

abnormal jurisdiction exercised in Turkey by tha
European embassies, has failed, against the resist.
ance of the European Powers.
A meeting of the Sovereigns of Austria ar_id
Prussia is announced.

If the Flyvepost newspaper at Copenhagen is
to be believed, the Danish ultimatum has been
despatched, and must already have arrived at
Berlin.

There is a report, requiring confirmation, of a
soldier having unsuccessfully attempted the life of
the King of Naples.
We have a report that the Russians have met
with another disastrous defeat in Circassia, by
which they lost 1000 men.
By the arrival of the Teutonia at Southampton,
we have a few days' later news from the Brazils,
but it is unimportant, politically and commer-
cially.

The European and American screw steamer
Indiana, from New York, has also arrived at

Southampton.

THE result of the French Elections is not yet
known, but enough has already transpired to
occasion some uneasiness to the Emperor, and to

ruffle the smooth surface of despotism. It is

only, of course, conjecturally that we can ap-
proach to know the real sentiments of thousands

and millions of people, but if straws show how
the wind blows, then broad facts may indicate
what the many think. We may easily believe
that no effort has been spared to induce the

people to vote for the Government Candidates.

All governments are naturally conservative of
their own existence ; the government of the
Emperor is probably no exception. Yet, what
is the result in Paris, the metropolis, where
government influence may be supposed to be

strongest Why, that the Government Candi-

dates recommended by the Emperor, and backed

by local influence, have mustered no more than
110,000 votes to 95,000 given for the opposition

candidates. But this is not all. There are said

to be, in Paris, 350,000 electors. Adding then
all the votes on both sides we have 205,000,

which, substracted from 3.50,000, leave in round

numbers 145,000 who have taken no share

in the election. Assigning to the government
110,000 voters we find that not so many as one

man in three testifies his zeal in support of the

existing mode of ruling France. Less than one
third of all the electors of the metropolis have
recorded their suffrage in favour of the present
state of things. This is not quite what was
expected and must occasion anxiety in high
quarters. For it will be remembered that
recently the French Prefets, acting as the instru-
ments of higher authority, made it distinctly
to be understood that satisfaction or dissatisfac-
tion with the present dynasty was the quession
to be answered at the ballot box. The answer
is equivocal but hardly satisfactory—nearly one
third saying " yes," nearly another third saying
"no," and the remainder, more than a third, giving
no answer, taking no part in the matter. Perhaps
we should not be far wrong if we said that two
thirds of the Parisian electors are unfavourable to
the present mode of conducting things in France.
And this is a result of universal suffrage and the
ballot. No doubt, in ninety-nine cases out of a
hundred, the government candidates will be re-
turned. This is quite a matter of course. But
the majority may often be slender, and the
minority powerful and increasing. It has often
been said that Paris is France; and if the metro-
polis is a sample of the whole country in this
election it looks rather omenous. So astute and
sagacious a person as the present ruler of the
French cannot fail to put the natural interpreta-
tion upon the facts. They are not very reassur-
ing. Among the opposition candidates three
eminent Republicans are reported as returned—
CAVAIGNAC, CARNOT. and GOUDCHAUX. These
are determined antagonists of the empire. More-
over they are still members of that National
Assembly which broke up under protest on the
well known 2nd of December, but is yet undis-
solved. It is doubtful if those three men will
take their seats, and the oath, and yet more
doubtful if they could effect anything suppose
they were to enter the Legislative Chamber. But
these things, slight as they are, indicate the
direction which political feeling is taking in
France. The Republicans have not yet decided
what course to adopt in reference to the oath of
fidelity to the empire—and when Cavaignai was
asked definitely what he would do in this case he
requested time to consult and consider the
answer. It is not easy to say what is most
expedient and right in this matter.
The rule of the Emperor has certainly secured
internal repose to France, with a great develop-
ment of material prosperity. Now despotism is
better than anarchy. It was the unfortunate
feuds, dissensions, factions, and rivalries, that
gave Lours NAPOLEON the best pretext for dis-
persing the National Assembly by force. If
moderate and enlightened patriotism had ani-
mated that Assembly it might have been existing
now. It broke up into innumerable angry fac-
tions, and was put out of doors by one man.
The one man has ruled firmly, sternly, with an
iron rule, which, however, has been constant,
and in that constancy is tolerated by the middle
classes because it gives them a guarantee against
anarchy. CAVAIGNAC and others, by entering
the Chambers, if they can do so conscientiously,
might get the thin edge of the wedge inserted,
and thus begin a more hopeful state of things,
and bring back some portion of constitutional
government. But this seems at present very
remote. A government resting on half a million
of bayonets is not easily subverted. And little
is to be hoped from violent revolutions at the
best. Moral victories alone are permanent. The
gradual and progressive improvement of the