The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-27 00:00:00

ERIAL P.ARLIATIENT

ROI 'SE OF LORDS—Last Evening,
The Lo RD C HANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at
five a clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
Th e following bills were read a third time and passed :
St. Helen's Canal and Railway—South Wales Mineral
Rail, ray—Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Rail-
way (Steamboats)—Dublin Trunk Connecting Railway—
Shef ield Waterworks (Bradfield Inundation)—North
Web tern and Charing-cross Railway—Metropolitan Dis-

triet :Railways.
Load REDESDALE moved that the standing orders
'g to private bills be dispensed with for the remainder

of the session.

The motion was agreed to.
WEI( iIiTS AND MEASURES (METRIC SYSTEM)
LL.
The .house went into committee on this bill.
The Earl of DONOUGUMORE appealed to the noble

earl (Ft Lrtescue) who had charge of the bill, not to press it
at this l viriod of the session. It would not, in his opinion,
simplify matters, but would tend to make inexplicable con-

fusion.
Earl G RANVILLE did not see that the peculiar period
of the set 3sion should be considered as a reason for not pro-
ceeding with the bill. The house was well attended, and
he thought they could properly consider the clauses of the
measure. The principle of the bill had already been fully

diiscuseed.
The bill then passed through committee, and was reported
with amendments.
CIVIL BILL COURTS (IRELAND) BILL.
The Commons' reasons for disagreeing with certain
amendments made in this house to the bill were considered,
a. id their lordships determined not to persevere with their

an Lendments.
AND ACT 1864 BILL,
IMPROVEMENT OF L
The Commons' amendment to this bill were considered
as disagreed with.
HAIL lIA.B.BOUR ACT AMENDMENT BILL.
T his bill passed through committee.
JI7DaMENTS, &3., LAW AMENDMENT BILL.
Lais bill passed through committee and was reported
with an amendment. The standing orders were then
suspended, and the bill was read a third time and passed,
in. order that it might be sent down to the other house to
consider the amendment.
;LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPLEMENTAL co.-N 2)

BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
cIUI‘IINAL JUSTICES' ACT (1855) CONTINUANCE

BILL.
'This bill passed through committee.
A MAGH ARCHIEPISCOPAL REV ENUE BILL,
This bill passed through committee.
I;;ONSOLIDATED FUND (APPROPRIATION)
BILL.
bill was read a third time and passed.
NEW ZEALAND LOAN BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
PUBLIC WORKS (MANUFACTURING DIS-
TRICTS BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
POOR REMOVAL BILL,
This bill passed through committee.
EXPIRING LAWS CONTINUANCE BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
PIER AND HARBOURS BILL.

The report of amendments to this bill was brought up
pa Id agreed to.
HIGHWAY ACTS AMENDMENT BILL.
'The amendments to this bill were agreed to, and the bill
was then read a third time and passed.
RAILWAY COMPANIES POWERS BILL.
'This bill was read a third time and passed.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

:he Earl of ELLENBOROUGH, on rising to call the
atti intion of the house to the changes which have taken
plate in the state of foreign affairs since Parliament met,
aaia that he took that opportunity to endeavour to draw at-
tention to our present position. There had been a change,
which affected not only the integrity of the Danish domi-
nions, but the sacredness of the obligations of the treaties
by which the Stares of Europe were bound together, the
.security of the smaller States, and the steady progress of
onstitutional government on the continent of Europe,
hich for some years we had witnessed with the greatest
see 'defection. When ho last addressed them he had no hope
of .doing good; ho had no hope now, and only spoke because
he Jett it right to do so. liar Majesty's Government de-
clared that they would afford no assistance to Denmark,
after the failure of the Conference. At the commencement
of the session the Opposition declared that it was not their
du.t7 to find any foreign policy ; and they had ended by
ado:eting the foreign policy ef the Government, while they
had commented severely upon the mode in which it had
been carried out by the Foreign Secretary. He regretted
ibis determination of the two great parties in the State ;
nor did he think that such a course would have been
adopted by the great statesman whom England declined to
honour. He believed, moreover, that there was not more
titan one reign—that of James I.—in which such a policy
w ould have been acceptable to the country. Lot them ob-
sc:ve in what state Denmark was now. She lay prostrate
at the feet of her despoilers, and had none to protect her,
exttept, perhaps the Emperor of France, who might have,
perchance, come forward to defend her. At the beginning
of the present year Denmark possessed all the provinces
secured to her by the treaty of Vienna; and would have
continued to do so had it net been for the lawless inva-
sion of the German Powers. In the first place, they
called their invasion a Federal execution, and based it
upon certain letters patent issued by the late King.
'Defers, however, Federal execution was levied, those
letters patent were withdrawn. Austria and Prussia
then declared their intention to occupy Schleswig as a ma-
terial guarantee for the fulfilment of a certain diplomatic
engagement entered into by Denmark in 1850.51—and they
did this, although they had made no objection, until it was
passed, to the constitution of November, 1863, which united
.Schleswig to Denmark. But after that constitution had
been agreed to, and the Parliament dissolved, Austria and
Prussia desired the King to repeal that constitution, which
he could not do without violating his oath. M, Bismark,
indeed, observed that he might do so by establishing a state
of siege. But had he done so, the King of Denmark would
have deserved to forfeit his throne, and have lost the cha-
racter which he had hitherto maintained. The constitution
was not repealed, and first Schleswig and then Jutland were
occupied. He inferred from this that this war was not
commenced uno irguitu by Austria and Prussia, but that
they proceeded step by step from one wrong to another
when they saw that the.r aggressions met with no resist-
ance. Although he believed that there was no treaty of
Holy Alliance, he thought that there was an understand-
ing—not only one—between Austria, Prussia, and Russia,
which was indeed far worse than the Holy Alliance. The
Sovereigns of the former alliance declared, and they kept
to their word, that they would not check territorial aggran-
disement for themselves, but would limit their action to
giving assistance to any sovereign who might be threaten.
eued by the revolutionary party, and might ask their aid
in maintaining his authority. But Austria and Prussia had
not been content with this. Not confining themselves to
support the authority of the King of Denmark, they had
forbidden him to extend constitutional Government to
Schleswig. It was not merely the declarations of her
Majesty's Government which had given these German
Powers an insight into the pacific policy of the Govern-
ment. Reduced estimates were introduced at the com-
mencement of the year, and they were ostentatiously de-
scribed as peace estimates. Now he quite adu.itted that
we were not entitled to demand success in all his under-
takings from a British Minister—but we were certainly
entitled to ask that he should not take measures which
rendered success impossible. Now a Government which
declared that its strength should never be used, did in
the most direct manner deprive itself of all influence. He
thought it of the deepest importance that the several sove-
reigns of Europe should have decided not to maintain the
Treaty of 1852 as the basis of their policy, He saw no
reason for such a departure. The only ground that could
be given was founded on the new doctrine that nations were
to decide on their own tats ; but this doctrine had no appli-
cation to Schleswig and Holstein. In the case of a large
homogeneous population, like that of France, no doubt the
doctrine of nationality was well founded. Nor did it affect
the balance of power in Europe by whom that race might
be ruled. Under any dynasty their policy and their action
would be the same. But when the people of a particular
province desired to withdraw themselves from a State to
which they had belonged they disturbed the balance of
power in Europe by bringing about the dismemberment of
the State to which they had belonged. He did not see how
or why any treaty should be respected after that of 1852
had been set aside. There would in future be no such
thing as international right in Europe, and there would be
to security for any State in Europe except that which de-
pended on her strength. There was not a weak State in
Europe which did not feel that its security was sensibly
diminished by what had taken placiin regard to Denmark.
If Kiel might he claimed and taken possession of by Austria
and Prussia, what was there to prevent other Powers from
seizing the Texel, or France from marching upon Bel-
? What tad recently occurred must sensibly
diminish the tense of independence of all secondary States.
But, besides the regret and indignation which he felt on
tuts -;core, he regarded the conduct of the German Powers
4 declaration td war against constitutional government.
No doubt their behaviour towards Denmark was part of a
wickedly-laid plot to destroy liberty in Prussia and
Austria also, Ile dreaded this, net because it would
last, but because it would interrupt the peaceful progress
of constitutional freedom, which, but a few montlis'ae.a,
so'rned geing en in those States. A dam had been thro;z,
across the rtreere, which was certain to rifle and over-
whelm the Governments which hail interrupted its course.
It was because these things could not be done without re-
tribution, and a terrible retribution too, that he viewed
them with so much alarm. Then comes the question,
what are we to do ? We could not disguise from ourselves
that there was much mystery in these recent transactions
—that there was something behind which we could net see
—that there was ;something we could not explain in the
conduct of Austria, Prussia, and Russia. We must look,
*en, to our own strength, We must increase that strength