The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-03 00:00:00

BONNET'S SILKS a LYON.—Every Article of 1 Conservative Opposition confronting them, whether
commerce takes its title either from the inventor or I they will ibe good enough, frank and manly
manufacturer, and the more perfect the production the
grater is the credit which attaches to the originator. enough, loyal and patriotic enough, to indicate
BONNET'S SILKS are said to be incapable of identifica-
it .
s that they, the Opposition, would wish
I
tion in England ; but the fallacy of such an assertion is ex-
what
pos • d by the very trade mark of the firm, as exhibited by
Messrs. JAY, of Regent-street. to see done in this emergency. A course more
unworthy of a great Government has hardly ever
The following, interwoven mark may be seen at the end
ofeach piece :—" Manufacture de C. J. Bonnet et Cie., is Lyon
eta Injurieux." Wear guaranteed. we should supposed been wituessed ! has cer-

tainly never once 'been witnessed in our
recollection. Why, even in the first be-
wildered stage of Lord ABERDEEN'S Govern-
ment, before the country had actually drifted into
the Russian war, but was beginning to give
ominous signs and tokens of such drifting
Ministers then had the gropings after,
and the glimmerings of, a policy. Such as it was—
they had a policy. They saw before them, confusedly,
if you will, and through a mist, the course it would
be incumbent upon them to pursue. But not so,
assuredly is it at this present juncture, with the
actual occupants of the Treasury Bench. They
are manifestly at this present moment on the look
out for a policy and their one endeavour
now to postpone everything that can be postponed
(even an explanation of their conduct) as long as
may be in any way practicableor possible, in the hope
that somehow somewhere something may come of
it all, that will help them to the discovery of a
Policy that they are clearly unable to contrive for
themselves.

1861.
ELOPEMENT EXTRAORDINARY
1861.

The Marquis of CLANRICARDE was fully justi-
fied in moving for a return of any " reports that
might have been received by her MAJESTY'S Go-
vernment respecting recruiting in Ireland for the
North American army." The noble Marquis ex-
plained the reasons which induced him so to do.
For the last two years recruiting for the Federal
States had been carried on in Ireland, and her
MAJESTY'S Government did not appear to take
any notice of the proceeding. Besides other proofs,
there was the incontrovertible evidence of the
noble Earl the Secretary for Foreign Affairs him-
self having adverted to the fact in his despatches
to the Government of the United States. He men-
tioned that "if a balance were slruck of the
assistance given by British subjects and by the
supply of the munitions of war to the contending
parties in Americs, the balance would be found to
be greatly in favour of the Federal States." Lord
CLANRICARDE mentioned a case in point, in which
he himself was engaged as a magistrate. A man
was brought before him by the police who had
been going about various parts of Ireland and
giving out that he wanted some hundreds of men
to employ in America, but it was well known that
they were meant to serve es soldiers when they
arrived there. This man had very little money
Itt
about him, and when he was asked how he would
pay those he engaged, he referred to no railway
contractor but to the American Consul. He was an
Irishman who had served in the American army.
Lord CLANRICARDE very aptly reminded the House
of the very inconsistent conduct on the part of the
United States, when, in 1855, they refused to per-
mit British subjects in America to return home
for the purpose of serving in the army or navy of
their country, Earl RUSSELL, with that consum-
mate assurance which is alike irritating to his
opponents in debate, and insulting to the House
in which he sits, declared his intention at the out-
set of his speech not to advert to the point as to
whether the conduct of the American Government
in 1855 was proper or not. He further had the
impertinence to say that he thought the drift of
the argument of the noble lord was, that we are to
act improperly now, because the American Go-
vernment acted improperly in 1855. Can anything
be more preposterous than this mode of argument.
It, is totally unworthy of a Minister of the Crown,
and cannot possibly serve the cause of the mis-
taken politicians who adopt it. It would be more
consistent if Lord Russell, had said that her Ma-
jesty' Government approved of the enlistment, and
did not consider it incumbent upon them to check
it, than to make fair•sounding excuses which no one
of any acuteness or observation can possibly crelit for
a moment. If the noble lord was so anxious 55
he declared himself to be, why did he not at once
accede to the request of the noble lord and agree to
his motion. Also, further, what can be more
outrageous than for the Foreign Secretary to state
that he wished to act the same to both sides engaged
in the Ameiican contest. It is seldom in the annals
of our country that such assurance has been mani-
fested by those in authority, as has been unblush-
ingly displayed by Earl RUSSELL since the com-
mencement of this session. The man who is all on
the alert at the least whisper of a rumour concerning
Confederate agents in this country, is blind, deaf,
and totally impervious to conviction, when the most
flagrant cases of Federal attempts to enlist British
subjects are brought under his notice. The days
are over when Ministerial clap-trap and the Govern-
ment affecting virtuous indignation can take in
Parliament or the people either. There is too much
communication going on all around, news is trans-
mitted too quickly, end the general intelligence of
the nation is too much awakened to relapse into the
shadow of that ignorance, or the false safety of that
confidence which, in earlier times of our history,
men were wont to rest content in. Lord RUSSELL
sees no reason for taking part either with the North
or the South, and he and his colleagues are determined
to maintain a course of impartial neutrality. This
will not do when the evidence of the:last two years
flatly contradicts that assertion, when the tyranny
and oppression that a Cabinet can exercise aro being
used against British subjects, on the suspicion of
their being engaged in Confederate interests. The
law of the land has exonerated them from the
charge, but the Ministers of the Crown refuse to
submit to the anthoiity they themselves appealed
to. Now we discover that if the subjects of this
country are supposed to have compromised them-
selves with the Confederates their doom is sealed,
Nothing bat commercial ruin awaits him, and they
can expect neither justice or mercy from their Go.
Yernment, but if they are wise enough to make the
proper selection, and to enter the ranks of the
Federals, nothing will hinder them, but difficulties
will be smoothed out of their way. This is what
the Ministers of the foremost country in the world,
in the most enlightened age that the world has
seen, call strict and impartial neutrality. It has
often been said that truth is itranger than fiction,
and really Earl RUSSELL seems determined to verify
the adage.

The Report of the joint
committee of the two
Houses on the Railway projects for the Metropolis
will be looked to with great interest by all classes.
A"
-good many of us have been living in anticipation
of having our homes or our places of business
pulled about our ears, or of seeing our property
in some way seriously affected by the innumerable
lines and counter-lines. A natural curiosity is
also felt with regard to the report by those not
immediately concerned in its verdict since it is a
matter of public interest, and if ve
the new li
really in the proper localities they will of courseare
facilitate traffic greatly. We have no longer cause
to apprehend that one-fourth of the city will be
swallowd up by railways and termini ; tor need
tionally inhabitants of London fear, as they might ra,
tionally have done at one time, that they will be
compelled to take refuge in the remote suburbs,
and leave the streets and squares of the mighty
Babylon to the undisputed possessio) of guards and