The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-25 00:00:00

INFANTICIDE.

Mr. Cox and Mr. HUNT noticed the increase of infanti-
tickle in England and Wales, and urged the pressing ne-
cessity which existed for legislation on the subject.
Mr. MONSELL asked whether there was any objection
to produce the correspondence which took place in 1825
and 1826 between the Government of this country and that
of Russia with reference to the affairs of Greece. _ _

Sir G. GREY referring first to the observations of Mr.
Ayrton, said the grievances of the compound householders
arose from the provisions of local enactments, and that it
was his intention to consider the subject with a view to
future legislation. With regard to the crime of infanticide,
there could be no doubt that it existed to a great degree,
but he was not sure that it was on the increase, regard
being had to the increased ratio of population. No sug-
gestion of a remedy had yet been made, and his own opi•
nion was that the real check to the crime was to be looked
for in the improved education and morality of the people.
On the subject of monuments in Westminster Abbey, the
house had already been informed that the Government had
no control in the matter, and that the charge for liberty to
place:busts in the sacred building was regulated by a desire
on the part of the authorities to prevent any undue in-
fringement upon the space intended for worshippers.
POLAND.
Mr. KINGLAKE, returning to the subject of Po-
land, said that the tone of the reply of Russia to
the six points was most extraordinary, and calculated to
irritate the European Powers. He hoped that England
would give a plain and categorical answer to that sarcastic
despatch, and that she would act in all respects in concert
with Franco. The hon. gentleman eulogised the conduct of
Austria in refusing to be drawn into another holy alliance at
the bidding of Russia, and observed with satisfaction that
she had now taken that place in the councils of Europe
which her position as a first-rate Power entitled her to
assume.

Some observations were also made on this subject by
Mr. Hennessy, Mr. Somerset Beaumont, and Lord Rayn-
ham.

Lord ELCHO asked what were the intentions of the Go-
vernment in reference to the land they had lately acquired
at South Kensington ?
Lord PALMERSTON, having stated that he understood
that the contractors for the Exhibition building of 1862 had
sold that curious structure for £20,000 more than the sum
for which it had been offered to the public, said that the
Government would, between now and next session, consider
the proper disposition of the land lately purchased. With
regard to the cession of the lonian Islands to Greece, it was
intended, with the concurrence of the protecting Powers, to
give them the option of union if they pleased, but not to
force it upon them. His right hon. friend the member for
Limerick had asked whether they were willing to lay before
Parliament the correspondence which had taken place in
the years 1825 and 1826 between this Government and
Russia with regard to the interference which took place in
Greece, and which resulted in the independence of that
kingdom. His right hon. friend had certainly established
a very strong resemblance, in some points, between that
transaction and the affairs which were now under discussion
with regard to Poland. There was an insurrection which
went on for some time without interference from the
other Powers, but at last the sacrifice of human life,
and the atrocities which were committed, attracted the
attention of Europe, and interference was the result, first
friendly and then of a more forcible nature. The ultimate
cause of the interference was the intention avowed by
Ibrahim Pacha of removing the whole population of the
Mores and replacing them by Fellahs from Egypt. Thar
led to an immediate decision on the part of the three Powers
to interfere to prevent such an outrage. But he had not
heard of anything like that having as yet taken place in
Poland. (Hear, hear.) Still there was no disguising the
fact that the present state of things in Poland was most
lamentable—(hear)—and not only the condition of Poland,
but of Lithuania—(hear, hear)—for, whilst on the one hand
the Russian Government stated that if the proprietors did
not actually assist the government, they would be subject
to every sort of penalty that could be inflicted on them, on
the other hand, the revolutionary government at Warsaw
threatened that if they did not assist in the insurrection they
would be subject to all the penalties it was in their power to
inflict. (Hear.) So that between these two their condition
was most pitiable. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the
correspondence, which was very voluminous, he would un-
dertake that it should be looked into with a view of select-
ing those parts which were appropriate to the present occa-
sion, and as to such parts of it as had any interesting bear-

ing on the present question there would be no difficulty as
to their production. (Hear, hear•) So far as the cases had
any resemblance, the principles that would be found to
have been maintained by Russia with regard to Greece
might possibly have a certain effect upon the grounds to be
taken by the other Powers with regard to Poland. With
regard to the Polish question itself, the housa would not
expect him to enter into any discussion. (Hear.) But he
would say one word as to the Russian despatch. In the
former correspondence on the subject of Poland the ground
taken by the Russian Government had always been that the
quelling of the insurrection in 1831 and 1832 emancipated
Russia from all the obligations of the treaty of Vienna, and
that she at that time held the country as a conquered pro-
vince, to do with it as she pleased, as part of the Russian
empire ; and hence she denied the right of any of the
parties to the treaty of Vienna to question her treatment of
Poland. But in this despatch a great step had been
gained, for Russia now admitted that the parties that con-
curred in the treaty of Vienna were entitled to discuss with
her the state of Poland within the limits of the treaty.
(Hear, hear.) With regard to what course her Majesty's
Government intend to take in these matters, it was far too
important a matter to be the subject of an off-hand answer

in that house. (Hear, hear.) All that it was compatible
with his (Lord Palmerston's) duty to state was this—that
her Majesty's Government would continue to act with
France and Austria in these matters, upon which they were
under an engagement to act in consort with those two
powers. (Hear, hear.)
Sir J. FERGUSSON said he thought the course of the
debate showed the great inconvenience of discussing these
matters in any other than a regular way. He would only
observe that one result of an occasion when the three powers,
Russia, France, and England, were in alliance, was the oc-
currence of an "outward event" of which they had all heard.
He affirmed that Great Britain had never undertaken a war
except where her own individual interests wele concerned.
(Oh, oh.) The Crimean was undertaken to prevent the
overthrow of a balance of war in the 'Mediterranean. But
Poland was not sufficiently bound up with our interests as
that we should be parties for her sake to the renewal of a
great European struggle. A man would be unworthy of a
seat in the house if he did not sympathise with the Poles in
their present struggle, but it was another thing to be
anxious for this country to go to war for a cause in which
neither its interest nor its honour were concerned.
Sir J. SHELLEY could only excuse the observations of
the hon. gentleman from the fact, that he had not read the
speeches delivered at the meeting to which those observa-
tions had reference. He denied that there had been reckless
speeches, or speeches unworthy of a member of that house
made there, and all that he had said as president of the
meeting he was prepared to repeat in his place in Parlia-
ment.
Tho motion for adjournment till Monday was then with-
drawn.
The Lords' amendments to the Alkali. Works Regulation
Bill were agreed to.
The house then adjourned.

THE CUCKOO is in appearance about the size of
a small pigeon, from the quantity of feathers with
which it is covered. If robbed of these, it is not nearly so
large. It has handsome plumage, its head, breast, neck,
and back being bluish grey, the thighs and under-tail
feathers greyish-white, marked with black bars, tail black
spotted with white, legs and feet pale yellow, the irids awl
tip of the beak rich orange.