The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-08 00:00:00

tienally incapacitated. A man of such personal
arrogance can never hope to bring any great politi-
cal party into sufficient subordination to his master-
ship. He deals about him language of too much vio-
lence. He it was, in effect, who was at the bottom of
the whole of these proceedings. He it was who had
the coarseness, the grossness, the vulgarity to accuse
the right hon. gentleman the Leader of the Opposi•
tion of falsifying the despatches by his (Mr.
DISRAELI'S) mode of quoting them. When the
insinuation was originally thrown out, it was felt to
be an outrage to the gentlemanly bearing of the
House. It was passed by, however, at the moment
with a sort of scorn—after eliciting from the
House itself one ejaculatory burst of indignation.
The third night of discussion, however, that
is to say, last evening, found the vulgar taunt,
picked up—like a stale piece of mud that had
caked and fallen to the ground—found it picked
up anew by congenial fingers and hurled,
to all appearance, against the Opposition gene.
rally, but, in reality, still individually against
the Leader of the Opposition. The Under-Secre-
tary for Foreign Affairs, when undertaking the
vindication of the policy of his chief, had the
effrontery to assert that "his noble friend had been
greatly misrepresented and wrongfully accused
—that against him had been brought garbled
extracts, and to use the words of his right hon.
friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, falsified
extracts from despatches." (Cries of " Oh, oh,"
from the Opposition benches.) Hence, in fact, later
on in the sitting--during a very brilliant speech of
the hon. gentleman the member forLeominster—the
shameful scene which disgraced the Hoagie of Com-

mons last evening.
Twice during the early part of Mr. HARDY'S
speech that gentleman was grossly interrupted by
a point blank denial of the accuracy of his state-
ments. First, by Mr. HORSMAN. Secondly, by Mr.
'ATARI). In justification of Mr. HARDY, it Will be
sufficient, however, to direct attention here to the
simple fact that later on in the evening both Mr.
HORSMAN and Mr. LAYARD found it necessary to
apologise. The right hon. gentleman, the mem-
ber for Stroud, as became him, apologising like a
man, frankly, and in terms as point blank, an l
as unconditional as the statement for the
utterance of which he found it neces-
sary thus to apologise ! The Under Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, contented
himself with a merely partial, evasive, or conditional
semblance of an apology altar all ! Before even this
could be elicited, occurred the incident already cha-
racterised by us as nothing less than disgraceful to
the House, discreditable to the Government, and
disrespectful to the Speaker—especially disrespect-
ful on the part of the Government-4 but: most of
all, on the part of the Leader of the Government
and his principal lieutenant—on the part, namely,
of Lord PALMERSTUN and Mr. GLADSTONE.

That the Under Secretiry for Foreign Affairs,
himself violated the rules of the House, himself vio-
:ated the rules of Debate, the Speaker defined as
plainly as Speaker of the House could define any.
thing, when he (Mr. SPEAKER) decided that " A des-
patch must be on the table of the House before it can
be quoted." That by the way. But this insubordi-
nate stickler for the maintenance of the rules of
the House, for the conforming of every one to the
laws of debate, the rules and the laws he himself
was conspicuously and pertinaciously violating—Mr
LiYAra) must needs fling out second-hend the
shameful taunt hurled, in defiance of all the rules
of courtesy, against a formidable opponent by a
man of as rash a tongue and of as irritable a
temper as himself, a man, however, of much greater

namely, by the Right Hen. the Chancellor of the
Exchequer. It was in reference to this that the
member for Leominster remarked last evening,
"The hon. gentleman has used language with
respect to gentlemen on this side of the House
that does no credit either to him or the Government
he represents, and now when the hon. gentleman
is convicted of a misstatement which has been
made in the hearing of the House—a calumnious
statement " (oh, oh, and Conservative cheers)—
Hereupon, interjez:s Mr. LAYARD, "I rise to order.
I move that the words just used by the hon. gentle-
man be taken down. I refer to the words, 'calum-
nious statement " (cries of " order," " chair;') Mr.
HARDY added, " If I am not oat of order I shall be
'very"—But here interposes no less a personage than
S PEA ZER himself with, "There did not appear
to me to be anything calling for my interference"
Whereupon—and no wonder !—(tremendous cheer-

ing from the Opposition.) Remember, the decision
here, was the decision of the Speaker of the House
of Commons—of the Liberal Speaker of the House
of Commons ! And it was against this decision that
first of all Lord PALMERSTON, and afterwards Mr.
GLADSTONE, had the crowning indecorum to rise to
order ! A more outrageous incident than this has
perhaps never blotted with its record the pages of
Hansard. It will in no way advance the failing
fortunes, elevate the lowered reputation, or brighten
the sullied honour of the Government.

It cannot always be with feelings of doubt and
suspicion that any initiated observer of events re-
gards any communication that bears the signature
of Herr TON BIsMARK. That crafty politician has
so often exhibited himself as the friend of despo-
tism, the enemy of freedom, and the uncompro-
mising upholder of those wily acts of policy
which often do more to undermine the welfare of
a State than more open and exposed actions. As if
conscious of the bad repute which be bears, and
desirous of disarming the criticism which the carry.
ing out of his designs has brought upon his country,
his despatches are almost always on the defensive.
It is quite evident that his addresses are meant as
explanations, defences, or accounts to pacify or con-
fuse those who may have expressed themselves
strongly on the subject referred to, or whose
opinions are well known without any avowal
having been lately made. In this instance an
identical note," has been addressed by the Cabi-
nets of Vienna and Berlin to the representatives
of I..ustria and Prussia at the Courts of London,
Paris, St. Petersburg, and Stockholm. Its object
is to explain the conduct of the States alluded to
at the Conference. It cannot be said that the bad
cause is made much better by the very flimsy dis-
guise which is thus thrown over its real purpose,
but it is most likely that the concocters of this
despatch are persuaded that they have done a great
deal to do away with awkward impressions, and to
vindicate their own characters from the charges
brought against their policy, and the imputations
that
made against their objects
have been so freely
from the first. It has often been said diplomacy is
conducted on very fallacious principles, and it needs
but to peruse one of these documents at a crisis like
the present to confirm stzch on opinion. Hero is all
Europe in a state of just
indignation at the perfidy
displayed by Prussia and her ally, the cruel mode
insin-
cerity
in which they prosecuted the war, and the
that they 1..;
ez-tbited at the Conference, After
all this, it seems a perfect mockery
for 31. BISMARK
to tell us that the Government of the KING went
to the Conference " animated by the earnest desire's
to put an end to the conflict. When all the policy
of Berlin up to the present moment has been one of
aggression throughout, what, in the name of corn- I
mQn smile, is the use of this persistence in deceit.

It amounts to downright impertinence, to.say the
least of it. The whole of this despatch is a tissue
of absurdities from beginning to end, and there is
no real explanation given throughout its course as
to the motives of the Government it affects to re-
present•
*Ali that the mediating Powers proposed
was impracticable, and the representatives of the
KING could not perforce agree to them. " The
honour and interest of Prussia" were the objects
for which they went into the conclave; but it
would puzzle anyone to explain why and wherefore
the preservation ef these most important attributes
required the cession of territories which did not
belong to the Sovereign who claimed them virtually
for his own, although he affected to regard them as
independent States. The fact is that the case of
M. BISMARK is so intrinsically bad, that at last he
is obliged to give up his defence, and turn round
upon his adversaries, throwing the onus of the
failure upon them, and casting the odium of the re.
preach on their actions. Bat this pretext will not
serve his turn among straightforward people, and
among those who are willing to uphold his tyrannous
doctrines he had better speak out like a man, in-
steed ef persisting in craft and subterfuge. It is
now quite evident that Prussia meant the Confer•
ence to be a failure, and that the representatives o:
the Cabinet went into the debate with instructions
to differ from all the propositions made by the divers
members. Tbe whole affair wa■ meant to give the
Ministers of England an opportunity of hoodwink-
ing the people who complained of their policy. The
best reproof that can be given to such a shameful
course of trickery and deceit wih be the vote of
censure that it !ices in the power of the members to
pass to-night. It will be a proud thing ,to reflect
upon, that the Parliament of this country has thus
given an answer to the unworthy attempts that
have been so long made to draw us into combina-
tion and collusion with the retrograde policy
of the German Powers, and which Efforts our
Micisters have done their best to ieoond.

While our foreign affairs are just no v perplexing
and exciting all parties we have good teaeon to be
thankful that a very important matter &lecting the
internal wellbeing and tranquillity:of EaLland is in
a very satisfactory condition. We could act reason-
ably anticipate after a period of such eevere and
protracted distress as has fallen upon Lancashire,
that plenty and prosperity would be rkpidly
restored. The catastrophe was not of a nature that
could be promptly remedied. The destruction of
cotton plantations and the turning of the industry
of the Southern States to other purposes dictmed
by the national necessities,added to the stoppageof
trade produced by the blockade, combined to forlnd
us to look with any confidence to an immediate
renewal of our American supply. Even had the
war been promptly terminated, or had our Govern-
ment possessed sufficient spirit and sagacity to have
refused the recognition of a blockade whieli,though
injurious, was never effectual, the delay must
have been very distressing ; but when all that was
to be looked for to set the silent mills going was
the produce of a crop not" yet sown in now and
untried districts, then the prospects were gloomy
indeed. Cunning minds and stout hearts were alike
fain to acknowledge the heavy burden of the
calamity, and to own that for the time, at least
they were poweriess to lighten it. It was not to
be wondered at that many openly declared their
belief that the case was hopeless, that it would be
impossible to keep Lancashire's hundreds of
thousands from starvation, pestilence, or rebellion,
while the long neglected capabilities of India, of
Egypt, of Africa, of Australia were called to the

"Wane tnn

tries would ever fulfil the sanguine expecta-
tions, which those best acquainted with the
subject had formed of them, and it was
gravely suggested that the industry of
Lancashire had better be turned into other channels,
for the cotton trade would never regain its former
prosperity. The best answer to the melancholy
anticipations is to be found in the report of Mr.
MACLURE, the honorary secretary of the committee
for the relief of the manufacturing distress, to whose
sagacious and liberal expenditure of the funds
placed at their disposal we owe so muc of the
national escape from the dangers of famine, of
popular outbreaks, and of epidemic disease. The
behaviour of the people of Lancashire has through-
out this prolonged crisis been beyond praise; but
it would have been more than human had they not
felt that their claims on the sympathy and assistano
of the nation met with full and prompt acknowledg-
ment. Had they seen their homes aismantled, their
wives and little ones famishing, and the grim wolf
at the door, end reflected that thousands of their
fellow-countrymen had " bread enough and to
spare," without lending them a helping hand, even
English endurance might have given way. But the
outburst of national feeling was as spontaneous as
it was universal—it knew no distinction of rank, of
class, of creed, of occupation. The thousands of the
peer and the shillings of the peasant all proceed
from willing hands, while Englishmen across the
seas, the moment the first whisper of the great
calamity reached them, despatched their mite to the
relief. And although a task of vast responsibilhy
and difficulty remained in the administration of the
sums collected among families numbered by thou-
sands, and personally unknown to the relievers, so
that every care was necessary to distinguish want

from imposture, enforced idleness from thriftless
dissipation, yet the fulfilment of that task has not
left a shadow of eimplaint behind. We may
therefore freely accept Mr. MeeLulu's report, rely-

ing on the accuracy which has always distinguished
his statistics, and rejoice with him over the good
news that, since the opening of the current year,
more than 100,000 persons have been taken off the
unemployed list—those 100,000 persons, of course,
representing the actual relief of a good many more,
reckoning their families. There are now only 43
districts out of 170 where it is still considered ne-
cessary to continue the distribution of relief, and
we may hope, under PROVIDENCE, that even those
43 will soon melt away. The account of the intel-

gence received by the Cotton Supply Association
encourages this hope—since in many parts experi-
ments with cotton have been attended with unex-
pected success. A sample of Sea Island cotton from
Queensland was valued at from 33. 9d. to 4s, per lb.
It is to be regretted that the extensive rains have
damaged the Queensland crop to some extent, and
it is feared may prove a hindrance to the cultivation
in future seasons. Other parts of the colony, how-
ever, promise well. The first person who has made
the experiment at Pert Denison announces it to be
a success. Sine acres planted with c:tton near the
South Pine River are producing the second year.
From Buenos Ayres we learn that next year's crop
in Paraguay is estimated at 100,000 bales. Other
parts of the South American Republics are
in a highly satisfactory condition, an' the
authorities are fully sensible of th.e great
importance of the trade, encot,:raging the
cultivation by every means in their power. In some
parts of Greece cotton is for the first time being
grown; and in southern Africa it is becoming a
regular investment, The new Cotton Company
have already planted 700 acres, and in other direc
tions there are 600 more, so that there is a reason-
able prospect of a good supply from the neighbour-
hood of Niotal. This season's crop is now c*miog to