The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-24 00:00:00

before they could repeal it they must be prepared with
some subetitute for it.—(Hear, hear.) Well, then, he
was at a loss to utederstaad what tax could be suggested
which the people would accept as a substitute for
the malt-tax, for there was a large class who
advocated the tax on the ground that it had the effect
of diminishing drunkenness, and they certainly would
oppose its abolition —(dear, beer.) The hop-tax, how-
ever, was not viewed in that light; it was a tax in fact
upon the wholesome beverege of the poor man,
and having had some experience in the House of the
difficulty of carrying large questions. he could tell those
who advocated the repeal of the tax they must per-
severe, in spite of the temporary difficulty which it
might impose upon the Government.—(Elear.)
lle
therefore hoped this motion would be pushed to a divi-
sion, and then the poor man would see who were his
friends and who were not.—(Hear.)
Mr. FREWEN was quite satisfied with the answer
that had been made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
and under those circumstances he should not put the
House to the trouble of going to a division.—(Hear.)
Mr. BASS admitted that a good deal of distress bad
prevailed of late years amongst the farmers of Kent and
Worcestershire, bat it did not result from the growing of
hops, but of wheat, and he recommended them to devote
more attention to hops than corn. He denied that the
use of gentian bad increased in proportion to the
recent increase in the consumption of bitter ale, as was
alleged by one Hon. Gentleman who bad taken part in
this debate.—(Hear, hear.)
After a few words from Sir E. FILMER, the motion
was withdrawn.
FOREIGN REFUGEES.
Mr. M. MILNES rose to move for an address for
copies of the correspondence between her Majesty's
Government and Foreign States, respecting the protec-
tion afforded to refugees (in continuation .of the corre-
spondence already presented to Parliament). The Hon.
Member said, that at the commencement of the session
he had applied to the Noble Lord who had then been at
the head of the Government for the purpose of ascer-
taining whether he intended to lay before the House the
correspondence between the British Government and the
Governments of certain foreign States with respect to
foreign refugees; and the Noble Lord said that he would
produce that correspondence, and it had accordingly
been submitted to the House. Those papers concluded
with a dispatch of Earl Granville and certain communi-
cations which had arisen out of that dispatch. The
Earl of Westmoreland had stated that Prince Schwart-
z inberg, at the time Earl Granville's dispatch bad
reached him, had been occupied with important business.
and that he could not therefore give an immediate re-
ply. But a short time after the date of Lord Weatmore-.
land's letter, it had been stated in the public press that
a certain dispatch had been forwarded by Prince
Schwartzenberg to the Foreign-office in this country.
Now he (Mr. Mimes) thought it very important that
that dispatch should be laid before the House, for the
tone of it, as it bad appeared in the public journals, was,
to say the least of it, of a very peculiar and painful
character. He had asked his Right Hon. F, iend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer shortly after the accession
of the present Government to office, whether he would
have any objection to lay those papers before the House,
but his Right Hon. Friend was unwilling to produce
them, on the plea that the correspondence had not at
that time been complete. But he would permit his
Right Hon. Friend to say that such a plea merely meant
that he did not find it convenient to produce the papers.
lle would again ask his Right Hon. Friend whether he
had any objection to produce the dispatch addressed to
Lord Granville by Prince Schwartzenberg, and any
answer which Lord Granville might have made to that
dispatch? If his Right Hon. Friend should find it con-
venient to produce, also, any correspondence which
might have taken place on the same subject since the
accession of the present Government to office, the House
would, no doubt, gratefully receive that addition to its
stores of information.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said his
Hon. Friend seemed to belong to than school of politics
which believed that the essence of diplomacy was mys-
tery; for he evidently thought it quite impossible that
whenever a diplomatic interest was concerned a Minister
could give a straightforward answer. His Honourable
Friend had some partial knowledge of the correspond.
ence to which he bad referred; and he had the other
day asked him (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) when
he would lay some further papers before the House.
He had then told his HOD. Friend that the correspond-
ence was not complete, but that when it should be com-
plete he would produce it. He had at present to inform
his Hon. Friend that the correspondence was not only
complete, but that it was nearly printed, and that when
it should be fully printed, which would probably be in a
day or two, it should be laid before the douse.—(Hear,
hear.) He could assure his Hon. Friend that his ques-
tion was in no way embarrassing. He could not sup•
pose that his Hon. Friend would then press his motion
to a division; and he believed that be had himself en-
tirely fulfilled the promise he bad given upon the subject.
Mr. M. MILNES said he did not accuse his Right
800, Friend of having indulged in any mystery in that
case. He only hoped that on every other subject
the answer of the Right Hon. Gentleman would be
equally distinct.
Lord J. RUSSELL said he took it for granted that his
Hon. Friend would not press his motion to a division
after the statement of the Right Hon. Gentleman.
The motion was then withdrawn.
EGYPT AND THE PORTE.
Mr. ANDERSON moved an address to the Crown for
copies of all correspondence between her Majesty's Go-
vernment, her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople,
and her Majesty's agent and Consul-General in Egypt,
since the Ist day of January, 1850, relative to the at-
tempted interference of the Sublime Porte in the internal
administration of Egypt, by proposing to deprive the
Pasha of the power to inflict capital punishment on ca-
pitally convicted criminals, to construct railways for the
internal improvement of and facility of transit through
that country, and otherwise, and of all representations
made by British subjects in reference thereto. He ob-
served that the country had a deep interest in the ques-
tion now pending between the Ottoman Porte and the
Pasha of Egypt. It was a favourite saying of the late
Mehemet Ali, that Egypt had become the bridge
between Europe and Asia. The centre of that bridge
was a desert a few years since, but now it was converted
into a great highway of traffic, and numbers of camels
laden with merchandise, specie, and letters, private,
commercial, and governmental, regularly traversed the
route. The importance of this correspondence in a po-
litical, commercial, and social light, the House would
readily appreciate; and he might also observe that the
distaece between Europe aid the East was by
this route shortened about one- fourth in time.
Let the House consider the inconveniences
which would be felt if all the advantages
of this route should be lost to this country. He
believed that the British iSeople would never submit to
such a state of things; yet, it the proceedings of the
Porte were allowed to go on unchecked, ho anticipated
that the traffic along it would be nearly stopped, or, at
all events, seriously impeded. He would refer to the
origin of the pretensions put forward by the Porte since
the accession of the present Pasha of Egypt. The latter
commenced some rather sweeping reforms, believing that
many abuses existed under the former Administration.
He found many (State) manufactories established,which
be thought of no use; being of opinion that the proper
manufacture of Egypt was corn, which might be ex-
changed for the commodities of other countries. The.
Pasha consequently broke up several of those manufac-
turing establishments and dismissed a number of ern-
ployes, many of whom were Frenchmen, who went to
Constantinople, and there organized a conspiracy, hav-
ing for its object to deprive the Pasha of the govern-
ment of Egypt, and reduce that country to the condi-
tion of an ordinary pathetic. Among other pretensions
of
government Porte was one which struck at the root of all
ein Egypt; and that was an attempt to de-
prive
punishments.—(
Pasha of the power of inflicting capital
[Tear, hear.) Without such a power
it would be utterly impossible
to maintain subordina-
tion in the 'count!).
or to secure safety to life or pro-
perty. To carry
out the objects
the Pasha had at heart dissensions had beets industri-
ously fomented between the different members of his
family, which, if further excited must lead to civil war,
because those relatives p
had
ea: t
large
been
0 e n districts
of land,
agricultural un
der
their had. great numbers of
al tenantry
their control. Emissaries
sent to Egypt,
and they had created a considerable feeling of insubor-
dination by persuading the people that the pasha had
no authority, as the Sultan had taken all Power awry
from him. It might be asked, why could not Egypt beY
governed as well by Turkey as by the Pasha?
u in
reply, he would say that he thought the national honour
of this country was pledged to maintain the present
Pasha in the position in which Mehemet Ali bad been
Placed from 1841. To show how impotent the Turk-
ish Government was to protect property and person,
he would read an extract from a letter received that day
from Constantinople :—" The weak administration
of the Turkish Government 88 to affordiug protection
to life or property, is made manifest by facts
out of number. Even in this capital we are scarcely
more secure from murder and theft than persons
residing in the provinces; the only difference being, that
here the acts are perpetrated during the night and by
gangs of organized thieves, whereas those in the country
take place during the day and in sight and call of the
houses of the victims, and frequently within gunshot of
Men who are called guards. At Smyrna two cases
cturred not long since of a particularly glaring descrip-
'en : tion, viz.: 1. that of thee Dutch Consul, who was taken
Atrez Ott of his own vineyard at-3, Pall, and within call of his
`di';. house, and kept by the banditti who infest the neigh-
bourhood of that city until his friends ransomed him fer
a Sum equal to about 5001.; and that of Mr. De Youngh,
the Danish Consul-General, who was actually taken
s , from his house in the centre of a village of upwards of
500 houses, having a so-called military force of 200
strong quartered in it. The payment of a sort of black
et mail by the Smyrna merchants to these robbers for per-
mission to get the fruit and other produce brought there
if s Fax or shipment exempted from plunder is well known." lie
also recalled to the recollection of the House the mas-
s. 'acre of the Christians at Aleppo not long since. With
Such a state of things let the House contrast the safety
Qq, ,:and security which existed in Egypt, and then decide
whether there was any good reason for transferring the
do
of that country to Turkey. He regretted
in say that there was a general idea prevailing that the
gfltea4,l)asha was not supported in a manner consistent with
'the guarantee which this country had given, and in con-
%a elusion observed, that though people had been talking of
‘eye. a French invasion of this country, they might possibly
• see, unless due attention was bestowed on the matters he
bad submitted to the House, a French invasion on the
eastern shores of the Mediterranean and on the banks of
• the Nile.
. _ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated

that the motion of the Honourable Member really had
reference to one of the most important and delicate
Points of foreign politics, 'namely, the relations, between
arkey and Etopt;, and he, could Auer!) the lionowitble.
hationsinharthe'coadusit of tile Pe gent Voienuovitt