The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-23 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, FEB. 23, 1864.

The very serious doubts still entertained as to
the accuracy of the telegraphic rumours prevalent
yesterday, to the effect that the Prussians had, upon
second thought 2, evacuated Jutland, sink into abso-
lute insignificance as affording matter for public
solicitude, when compared with thelar more serious
doubts reawakened in the House of Commons last
evening by a scrambled discussion, and an ill-con-
sidered division, as to the general character of the
Foreign Policy of her MAJESTY'S present Govern-
ment. The division, precipitated by the impetuosity
of the hen. member for Lisheard, was one brought
about by one of his not unfrequent spur-of-the-
moment propositions. Indignant, in common with
what we believe will soon enough manifest itself to
be a very considerable majority of the House of
Commons, thoroughly indignant with the course
pursued by_ her MAJESTY'S Ministers, in keeping
both Parliament and the country as much as
possible in the dark as to the nature cf
certain vitally important diplomatic negotiations,
Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE jumps to the conciusion at
once that the beat remedy that can possibly be
applied is to surprise the House into a vote of want
of confidence. Actuated by this suddenly conceived
design, he enticevours to realize it by moving—
without any previous notice whatever having seen
given by him bcforchand--daring the tmexp2cted
and regretted alyxnee, moreover, through indispo.
sition of the noble lord at the Head of the Govern-

meat—that instead of going last evening into com-
mittee of eupply, the consideration of the naval
estimates should be postponed for three weeks, that
is, until Easter. And, this—in order to enable
ail the premised papers in regard to th© war
Ulf raging in the north of Europe, between

Den mark and the two leading powers of Germany,
to be in the band 3 of members before those said
members should be called upon to vote estimates
reducing the naval force of England for the year by
five thousand men and boys. As to the angry feel-
ing of the House of Commons with regard to the
Administration, because of the reticence of the
Cabinet in the matter of its Foreign Policy, there
cannot be any doubt whatever about that. It is
a feeling that has been growing and intensifying
ever since Parliament met at the commencement
of the Session. And the angry feeling, here re-
ferred to, is not by any means confined to the Con-
servative mejority of the House ranged in formid-
able array upon the benches of the Opposition.
The motion brought forward last night as the first
needlessly blurted out expression of that angry
feeling, emanated, as already intimated, by no
means from the side of the Opposition. It was
abruptly proposed by ono of the former col-
leagues (in a subordinate position, of course)
of the noble lord at the head of the
Government and his brother Ministers. It was
another indication of the rash gallantry by
which the member for Liskeard has been so often
before now carried away, ever since the date when,
with the " wild shriek of Liberty," he escaped from
the thraldom incident to his position as Secretary
of the Board of Admiralty. So far from
the division of last night being due in any-
way whatever to, what used formerly to be
so often designated, a factious Opposition, the
leader of the Opposition deprecated the notion
of it altogether. Mr. DISRAELI, indeed, while
deprecating it, went so far even as to say—
" It appears to me of the utmost importance that
theme should be fair notice of the intention of the
House, and that a verdict should not be taken with-
out it, especially in the absence of the head of the
Government." If the division list, moreover, be
glanced at, it will be seen that the right hon. gen-
tleman refrained from voted at all. Only one of his
colleagues, only one of the ex-Ministers of the
Crown, Lord JOHN MANNERS, voted in the minority.
Whereas in the majority will be found among the
members of the Cabinet and their supporters Con-
servative statesmen as eminent as Mr. HENLEY and
Mr. WALPOLE. The voting in that majority (as
became them), because the motion was really and
truly informal, because it was precipitately brought
forward on the spur of she moment, and would
have borne all the appearance of a tricky surprise
of the Government, and that, too, upon an occasion
when the veteran Premier was unable to attend the
House, by:reason of a passing indisposition. The re-
jection of Mr. OSBORNE'S motion, therefore, by
way of amendment, cannot but be matter for very
general satisfaction.

Sooner or later—probably sooner than later—
the very doubtful Foreign Policy of Her MAJESTY'S
Ministers will be brought, with all due decorum,
deliberation, and formality, under discussion in the
House of Commons. The estimate formed of that
Foreign Policy by a large majority of the House
of Commons is by this time, we may pretty con-
fidently assert, sufficiently notorious.. Numerically
small though the minority upon last night's divi-
sion, that comparatively trifling minority is N ery
large, indeed, in its significance. In it, among that
less than fifty members, were independent Liberals
like Mr. OSBORNE and Mr. ROEBUCK, the former,
the originator of the motion of amendment,
-s here before recalled to recollection, having been
himself once upon a time one of the subordinate
members of the Government. The conduct of
Ministers towards the House. of Commons in the
matter of its foreign policy, could not possibly have
been reprobated in stronger language than it was
last evening. In the matter of the Danish papers
the House, according to Mr. Disnaut's strong way
of expressing ityesterday, had been nothing less than
"scurvily treated." In another portion of his remarks
he said, in scornful reference to the noble earl, the
Foreign Secretary, "I congratulate the noble lord
in establishing a name that bears terror to no coun-
try but his own." Perhaps, because of the galling
character of these poignant thrusts of ridicule—
otherwise we cannot but think most ungenerously
and disingenuously under the actual circumstances
of the case—the crgan of the Prime Minister
this morning, when commenting upon the motion
of the hon. member for Liskeard, observes, " The
Leader of the Opposition, notwithstanding his
habitual readiness to join in any proceeding calcu-
lated to embarrass the Government, counselled the
withdrawal of an amendment of which no notice
was given, and on which the opinion of the House,
if obtained by a division, would be entirely value-
less." Surely the unfairest taunt that could
possibly have been uttered under the circumstances.
Here was the Leader of the Opposition doing, as is
indeed acknowledged, the very thing the Govern-
ment and its supporters would most desiderate, and
while referring to the fact of his so doing it,
the organ of the Premier goes out of
its way to taunt him with being habitually
ready to join in any proceedings calculated to
embarrass the Government ! Never has any
Ministry, we take it, had so easy a time of it, as
this present Ministry has had during its tenure of
office—so easy a time of it we mean in the way
of immunity from party attacks from the side of the
Opposition. The "'readiness to embarrass the Go-
vernment" with which Mr. DISRAELI is taunted
by the Morning Post, as the organ of Lord
PALMERSTON, can hardly be said to be
borne out by the facts recorded in the past history of
that noble Lord's still existing, or Second Adminis-
tration. There is every indication, however, that
an entirety new leaf is to be turned over in that
Particular by Mr. DISRAELI as a great party leader,
at the head of one of the most thoroughly well•dis-
ciplined and formidable Oppositions the House of
Commons has seen confronting any Government.

At length the last act in the tragedy is over,
and the unwonted scene which took place in the
Old Bailey yesterday morning has closed the career
of those unhappy men who have so justly paid the
forfeit of their crimes with their lives. Not for
many a long year has London witnessed such an
execution, and, as was reasonably anticipated, the
crowd that hurried to witness the spectacle was of
surpassing number. Men and women hurried
from all parts of the metropolis eager to gratify
their morbid curiosity, and so strong was this feel-
ing that the usuld extravagant sums are stated to
have been paid for a seat in the neighbouring
windows. It is estimated that the number of per-
sons present could not have been less than from
30,000 to 40,000, yet, thanks to the extraordinary
precautions which had been taken to prevent acci-
dents, there was no serious disaster. From Ludgate-
hill to Susithfitld, and from Newgate to Snow-hill,
the dense throngs extended, many of NI horn, despite
the intense severity of the weather, had been in the
streets all night. It is a strange and lamentable
thing that so appalling a sight should possess such
a fascination over many minds, and the great event
of yesterday morning was certainty not allowed to
pass without spectators. For the men themselves
there was from the first no hope. Their crime
was so cold-blceded, so savage and relentless in
its character, that there were few found to plead
for lenity on their beltalf. had mercy been s'lown
to them it would indeed have been cruel injustice to
our men at see. There Are few cries 3 which it is