The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-20 00:00:00

SPrRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

THE MORNING POST" ON THE CONFERENCE.—
On Saturday the Centerenee again met, and, after
a sitting of nearly tour hours, separated without
having arrived at any positive result. Indeed, so
far as we can ascertain, the resumption of hostilities
on the 26th may be considere I at this moment quite
as probable as it was before the meeting. A pro-
posal was made to submit the question of the frontier
line to arbitratio❑ ; and we believe it met with the
same success that has hitherto attended other sug-
gestions—it was referred to the belligerent Govern-
ments, by whom there seems little prospect of its
being entertained. Our readers will not fail to
observe that the mere fact of this proposal having
been made is a virtual departure from that of a
boundary line of the Sehlei and Dannewerke, as
submitted by England on the 28th ©f May, and
accepted by the other neutrals, and by Denmark
itself. The German Plenipotentiaries at the meet-
ing on Saturday threatened to have recourse to
privateering against Denmark if the blockade
should be renewed on the expected recommencement
of hostilities. The feeling appears to become more
embittered at each succeeding assembly of the
Congress.
" THE OBSERVER" ON THE CONFERENCE.—The
London Conference has given rise to hot and cold
fits on the part of the susceptible public—alternate
days of hope and of despair. In spite of all the
desperate aspirations of irresponsible writers and
speakers after war, the party of peace is still the
must numerous. The friends of peace are by no
means confined to the Stock Markets and criunting
houses of Europe. The clamourers for a more
" spirited" coarse of foreign policy have always the
best of the declamation ; but the friends of calm and
prudential action are likely to last the longest, and
to get the best of the argument in the end. When
it was found the Conference was put off from Thurs-
day to Saturday all sorts of alarming and suspicious
reasons were given for the delay, although some—
perhaps more sagaotous—argued that the delay was
arranged to give a batter chance of coming to a pre-
liminary agreement. The thermometer fell lower
and lower when it was given out that the Conference
would not meet on Saturday. It was even said to
have been put off indefinitely. Most of the papers
in Paris, and some in London, continued up to yes-
terday morning to assert that the meeting was again
postponed. The Stock Exchange was, therefore,
reassured when it was known that the Conference
met at the appointed hour of oue o'clock yesterday,
and that it was attended by all the members accre-
dited from the several courts. There seems to be
some ground for this favourable view, for it would
appear as if the delay had been turned to good ac-
count, and that the Conference had really been
reassembled for the despatch of business. We are
glad to be able to raise higher the hopes of those
who are inclined to draw this not unnatural or
strained inference when we inform them that the
sitting of the Conference was unusually long. They
met at one o'clock, and did not break up till nearly
six in the afrernooa, about the same time that the
Cabinet rose, which had assembled at three o'clock.
l'be Conference ia summoned to meet again on Wed-
nesday, at three o'clock. From all these circum-
stances it is not difficult to infer that some arrange-
ment is likely to be arrived at in spite of the mis-
givings of those who, for reasons sufficiently ob-
vious, desired a contrary conclusion. There wer.
wanting persons who predicted the breaking off of
the negotiations, and busied themselves rather pre-
maturely ig discussing the consequences of the re-
newal of hostilities, it is not improbable that some
of these consequences may have had their effect in
producing, at all events, a more grave considera•
lion of the means for bringing about the settle-
ment of these troublesome questions, and withdraw-
ing from the market the difficulties that have hung
over the whole condition of Europe for so long a
period.

" THE STANDARD" ON THE CONFERENCE,—The
Conferences of London are virtually at an end.
incT war will be resumed next Monday. The
plenipotentiaries met on Saturday only to prove
that there was no possibility of their coming to
an agreement, and they meet on Wednesday
only to set their hands to a formal certificate of
that impossibility. We understand that Earl
Russell, abandoning, as we intimated that he
would do, his own frontier line, proposed that
the division should be left to arbitration ; that
this proposal was rejected most decisively by both
the Danish and German plenipotentiaries, the
Germans 'insisting upon the line from Apenrade
to Tondern, the Danes adhering to that by
the Schlei and the Dannewerke. The English
proposal was, indeed, taken ad referendum,
but all parties declared their certain conviction
that their respective Governments would not
entertain it for a moment. The significance of
the sitting of Saturday does not, however, Con_
sist so much in the rejection of this absurd scheme
of the English Government as in the general tone
of the discussion and the nature of the pretensions
raised in it. We are informed that the German
representatives, in compliance, of course, with their
instructions, adopted a most arrogant and over-
bearing manner, as well towards England as Den-
mark, and that the deliberations, which were pro•
tracted over five hours, ought rather to be termed
recrimination 3.

THE " SATURDAY REVIEW" ON THE POSITION
OF THE GOVERNMENT.—The weakness of the Go-
vernment is so apparent, and produces so much con-
fusion in the transaction of the ordinary business
of Parliament, that the Opposition naturally asks
with eagerness whether the time is not come to
make a great, effort for place and power. There
can be no doubt that the country is suffering from
the inability of the Government to devise and carry
out a definite policy. It is not only that a cloud
rests over all our foreign relations, and that we
spend week after week of uncertainty whether war
may not end the negotiations on which we have
wasted so many well-meant endeavours for half a
year, but there is nothing done at home. The Go-
vernment cannot carry any measures of its own, it
cannot secure the success of the independent mem-
bers whom it supports, and it cannot shape the
course and economise the time of Parliament so as
to afford a proper opportunity for the passing of
measures of local importance. It is only the per-
sonal reputation of the Cabinet, and a sense that
it has done some thing. well in former sessions,
that saves the Government from sinking into a
position like that which was held by the Melbourne
Ministry in the last years of its existence. Lord
Palmerston has not quite reached that level of
humiliation at which the head of the Government
is treated with a patronising contempt by the
head of the Opposition. But this is principally
because he is Lord Palmerston, and because his chief
opponent is, not Sir It. Peel, but Mr Disraeli. In
every step the Ministry takes, in its whole attitude
to the country and the House, there is felt the want
of a strong and a guiding hand. Lord Palmerston
has gained much experience; he is more moderate
and farsighted than he was 20 years ago; but it is
impossible to believe that the Danish business would
be in the state in which it is now if the diplomatists
of Europe had had to do with the Palmerston of
1841. But a country cannot for ever retain its
statesmen in the prime of their days, and the nation
has shown beyond question that it thinks the
ties which the Premier has certainly gained more
than compensation for those which he may possibly
have lost. England is the most faithful of all nations
to its political favourites, and when it has once given
its esteem and confidence it is very slow to with-
draw them. It would be very untrue to say that
the country is tired of Lord Palmerston, or wishes
to get rid of him. But there is a general feeling
that the position which Lord Palmerston now holds
is not the proper position for him, nor one that be-
comes his reputation or is on a level with the expec-
tations of his countrymen. It was hoped that,
whatever other shortcomings he might display, he
would at least be free from the indecision which
leaves the country and the House of Commons with-
out the ru' that both need. Long sufferin_
thega
England is, and steadfast in its admiration of
men it once raises to eminence, it cannot be expected
that Lord Palmerston could go through another
Session like the present and nut throw something of
a shadow over the brightness of his fame.
THE " SPECTATOR" ON THE OPPOSITION.—All
through the week there have been rumours

of coming disasters, and that dissonant gong
the _Herald has bun struck to a jangling note
of triumph, and in all clubs every body with a
promise of sonattLi-ng to be given " whenever