The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-17 00:00:00

; much, seeing that, as he explained the other day,
he does not read the newspapers. And if he is
' content to know so little, how vain and idle, how
L truly reprehensible, must be the unofficial curiosity
L which is always asking for more. It is true the ques-
tion may be asked—if Lord Palmerston does not
know what our bankers and merchants are so
•aus to learn, does not know whether the work
one``
of the -'ference is advancing steadily and slowly
an, or is likely to break up in utter
to a safe coucluaa. ' •
charge of our affairs ? The
helplessnEas, who is
at
House of Commons laugh, the illustrious know
obert Cecil
nothing, and in that laughte, _Lord
'which his party
may see the fate of any movemen,.
,tl°ll remains
may make as long as the Danieh que.el asure of
undecided. Certainly, in this case the I), Cow
being cheated is not small. The House 01
tit
mons, curious as it can be at times, does not we',
the knowledge that brings responsibility. It
when the Head of the Government declares he):
ignorant of the most important political facto f th.;
day ; laughs, not simply as a man might laugh vv°
shou'd see at the window the master whom the ser-
vant has declared to be not at home, but with t'''o
superadded satisfaction of one who has escapee' g
bore. The House may well love a Minister who 8,..°
cheerfully reieves it of heavy responsibilities whieL,
it desires tc evade, and the laughter which expresses
its profoundest satisfaction ought not to be cous
founded with the ebullition of a light and frivolo?
temper. When the country is committed irreveeel)lsr
to a course, when either our ally and protege
bt i 8 Ghee'
stroyed or England is at war, then no dou thee'
House will rise to the level of the occasion, and for
grave, statesmanlike, eloquent. And yet, if not
its own sake, for the sake of those whom it rep
cents, it may be wished that it were the habit of the
Premier to deal more faithfully with the House °ls
Commons. The temper of that House will alvilait
be to a great extent what its leaders make it, bace
its obligations cannot be relaxed by the indulge,
of a Minister. The engagements which the url's
vernment of the day contracts with foreign P°W„est
in the name of the country are matters of the hig of
concern, and the functions of the Grand Council d
the nation cannot be in any measure transferred
to a Conference, or its rights be impaired of
the agreements or disagreements of a 10°m%
foreign diplomatists, Perhaps Lord Palmer,l3`;d
was not called last night to make a formal 110
solemn statement on a casual question put by 1-30
opponent. But if he had thought proper there
candid with the representatives of the nation, en
is no ground to believe that he would not have be
`e
met in a reasonable spirit. It would, no doubt,hThe
been disappointing to the House to be told that t
Queen's Government, after having proposed A ,ce"
tain division of Sleswig, in which the Danish u°,,-
vernment had brought itself with much diffieltilia'
to acquiesce, had subsequently thought it right, '99
the er deavour to appease the Germans, to prop to
another line of division much less advantagentl6l„ii
Denmark, and that the necessity of referring tu'd
proposition to the Government most concerned Ile
caused delays and postponements. On the I°,ll,
there is a strong disposition in the House of u°3
mons, which in this respect at least represeqs tnit
country, to make every allowance for the did is
situation in which the Queen's Government
placed. It is only necessary to glance at the foreigo;
and especially the French semi-official papers,
Te
perceive that Lords Palmerston and Russell 210
more to consider than simply how German anliv',:;,-h
may be checked. But the obstacles with W"';';3,
Ministers have to contend are known to thew Oirbf
and the elements of national policy are discus,,seu„;o
the newspapers, and it is not fitting that the o°''',o
of Commons, which has spent so much tilde id
foreign affairs for which it is not answerable,shouli
remain a silent spectator of transactions desePfar
concerning the honour of England, and reserve o,
itself nothing but the right of approving or oto
demning an arrangement that has become come
and irrevocable.