The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-09 00:00:00

partment upon as evidencing the great credit

he deserves for his assiduity in revising, in sup-

pressing (at this there was loud cheering), and in
clipping them to what might be said to be the Par-
liamentary mind ! Those papers, in fact,.he felici-

tously spoke of as having been put, according to a
graphic vulgarism, through the mill, until they had
assumed the shape of Elegant Extracts! He re-
ferred to Nos. 1,2, 3, and 4 of the despatches from

the Foreign Office as remarkable for their leonine
vigour ; whereas No. 5, said he, concluded with a
most lamb-like bleating. Altogether, he said, the
despatches were such that a more remarkable
evidence of feasting upon humble pie had never
been displayed by any Government, or any
Minister, who had ever swayed the foreign
destinies of this country It was whim-
sical enough, his speaking of the German Diet
as having been always treated by the noble lord as
very much like a poor relation ! And, for
that matter, let us ask, could anything be
better than his definition of the coming Conference
itself, where he remarked—" It is nothing more or
less than a political pie-nic—(loud laughter)—given
by the noble lord, at which every one of the digna-
taries will be allowed to bring his own basket of
suggestions—(roars of laughter)—but at which
there will be no piece de resistance in the shape of
a basis, but they will be all unanimous, and be
allowed to be so in one thing—in their determina-
tion to differ on every other point." All this is far
more than merely so much "excellent fooling." It is
another very vivid illustration indeed, of the wisdom
of the good old proverb about many atrue word being
spoken in jest. Yet, Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE'S speech of
yesterday in the matter of this projected Confer-
ence was not by any means, all of it, a simply
humorous speech. The laugh vanished out of the
eyes, out of the voice, out of the utterance of the
witty speaker, more than once, as he breathed forth
words and thoughts and convictions of (coming from
him) unwonted earnestness. Instance this, his
almost impassioned allusion to what he defined as
" that most ill-omened, that unfortunate, that unjust
treaty of 1852—(cheers)—that treaty which," said
he, " Iwill prove was made at the instigation of Rus-
sia, which compromised the interests of Denmarit—
(cheers)—and I think also compromised the hon•
our of this country—(cheers)—without taking into
account the rights and liberties of a free people."
In making this extract we purposely retain
the indications of applause recorded by the
reporter, as testifying the full appreciation by the
House itself of Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE'S unaccustomed
earnestness. It was thus, again, that he was in-
terrupted in his incidental references to " those un-
fortunate Danes who," said he, " have been led
away all through by false hopes—(loud cheers)—and
then deserted in their extremity." (Renewed cheers.)
with equal fervour, and seriousness, and emphasis,
he remarked, as the closing sentence of his very able
speech last evening, "Of this I am sure, whatever
may be the opinion of the country hereafter, in igno-
rance of what has taken place,we shall have to regret
that Germany has been irritated, Denmark cud-
gelled, and England humiliated." Words that the
House greeted, upon the instant after their utterance,
while the hon. and gallant member (not, recollect,
of the Opposition, but of the Government side of the
House) was resuming his seat—with that loud and
prolonged cheering which they so eminently de-
served.

There is no member of the House of Lords who
displays more zeal in the cause of the oppressed
than Lord SHAFTESBURY. In this he is thoroughly
sincere and entirely unprejudiced. Clime, creed,
or rank are alike to him, and it is enough to engage
his attention that a wrong has been perpetrated
and an injustice committed, His thoughts are
centred in every question of cruelty and tyranny,
and it is most appropriate to describe the sphere of
his enterprisigg undertakings by mentioning the
spots " where'er mankind and mieery are found."
On Thursday evening the noble lord called the at-
tention of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
to the bombardment of Sonderborg. He was fully
justified in this course, for the nature of the details
referred to are sufficient in themselves to excuse any
departure from routine, and to sanction any out-of-
the-way step being taken. Truly might Lord SHAF
TESBURY call this" a very sad occarrence,"and, in his
brief speech, comment as strongly on the monstrosity
of the proceedings that have been chronicled as

follows :—" The Prussians have bombarded Sonder-
borg for 48 hours, without any previous intimation ;
80 townspeople, women and children, have been
killed and wounded, fifty horses in the centre
of the town were burnt, and one thousand five hun-
dred shells thrown into the town, which is nowde-
serted." Such an extract speaks for itself when it
is addressed to a civilised community, and the first
assembly in the world, as our House of Lords has
been not inappropiately styled, must have been
justly indignant at the recital, although, of course,
it only recapitulated what was before known to all
present. Lord SHAFTESBURY did not come before

his hearers as the advocate of Danmark, bound to

attack Prussia at any cost, but on the contrary he
made every allowance and suggested every
plausible plea that an opponent might put
forth. He said that this statement might chance
to be unfounded, but still, he added, they must
remember that, if it was true, it was one of the

most outrageous acts ever perpetrated in an un-
civilised country. He asked Lord RUSSELL if the
Government could not give them any authentic
details as to what had in reality taken place.
What was the reply to this simple and straight-
forward question ? A tissue of absurdities and a
string of platitudes, which meant, if he had dared
to say so, that he had rather not know the
particulars, and that if he did he would not divulge
them. Seldom has a more strange and inconsistent
statement been put forth by a Minister of the Crown
in reply to a demand of such vast importance, and 1
whose consequences might compromise such vital
interests both at home and abroad. It is hardly to
be credited that a leading statesman of the age could
make such remarks as appear in his speech. In the
first place, he zays he saw the account in the news
papers. This is strange, as if he had not other modes
of ascertaining intelligence, and more substantial
means of ascertaining the truth or falsity of reports
than such as those out of the charmed circle of official
existence can aspire to. The next statement is really
singular. To settle the matter in dispute Earl
ItussELL dispatched a telegram to our Minister at
1 Berlin to seek the desired confirmation or refutation
of the ominous report that had electrified Europe,
and made men pause and wonder what could hap-
pen next. Unfortunately Sir A. BUCHANAN was
the wrong man in the wrong place, and it is most
unfair that he should be the victim of his chief's
folly and infatuation. He could give no intelli-
gence on the s'ibject. Wno knows but that
this ignorance and inability may not be more
valuable and precious in the sight of his querist
than the most determined zeal, or the most profuse
communication. Is it likely that he could nave
known the exact particulars ? Some might say that
a telegram to our Minister at Copenhagen would
Ihave produced more effect, and been more likely to
be fruitful in intelligence in reply. Allowing, for the
sake of argument, that the grievous ,ntelligence is
really correct, is it likely that at Ber,in it is trum-
peted forth that the armies of the nat-on have made