The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-05 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1863.

It is curious to note how the recent defeat
of the Imperial Government at Paris is
regarded just now by one especially among
the Paris journals. Le Constituttonnel after

commenting at some length to-day, and with
a good deal of evident chagrin upon the circum.
stance, consoles itself immediately afterwards by
publishing at considerable length—making the
most of it, while it does so, by giving a single
name to a line—a list of the principal candi-
dates of the Opposition who have " succumbed"
(that is the polite equivalent for "being defeated ")
during the late Elections. Eighty-five names
altogether are given in this ostentatiously paraded
catalogue of defeated Opposition candidates. And
these only are given as the principal amongst those
same defeated candidates of the Opposition. There is
no companion list of the thirty who have on the con-
trary triumphed—and whose names might very
well have been put side by side with the eighty-
five notabilities who have—succumbed. As to
the notability of the whole eighty -five, that would
hardly be recognised in this country were we to
repeat the string of names from the first to the
eighty-filth downwards. MM. ODILON BARROT,
CASIMIR PERRIER, DE REMUSAT, DEFAURE, and
MONTALEMBERT lead off, as they well may, as
men who are indeed notabilities—and men, too, whose
defeat we cannot but seriously regret, viewing their
recent discomfiture even from this distance quite dis-
passionately. Lower down, among a crowd of
obscure names we notice these certainly of MM.
JULES DE LASTEYRIE, BARTLEMY SAINT-
"[MARIE, PREVOST PARADOL, and a very few others
eminent more or less, among our contemporaries.
But the majority of the principal candidates of the
Opposition, as here given byte Constitutionnel, does
certainly appear to us to be compounded for the
most part of nobodies. Speaking of the success which
has recently attended the Opposition in the capital,
the Constitutionnel says, with an appearance of mak-
ing the best of it (the best of a bad job as we say),
that for a moment people fancied they saw
in this incident a manifestation having about it a
l t
ertain gravity. No doubt they did—and do.
tolls the Conshtutiond, with a charming air
of ranee, the inquie
tude [thus momentarily
hes not taken long in calming itself, and
the reflection,
Government aided by the striking success of the
room enongh,1:::1_"1 the Departments, has
prehension's." deed, to dissipate these ap-
thi o one intportantulinredlY the event shows
—that Paris: stands cone ml be indisputable
lated in declaring "for" the o y and ll°
almost iso-
the Government. It is interesl7agll"uld"ftgainat"
n toboo as affording an opportunity yet fo in mind,
where possibly
of one r otheroftrhtete7itlli. °it!:
men who have been rejected by other
undialnatlni7,,-8
constituencies, that new elections have cera
to take
place in e:ght departments, those eight departments
being the Aisne, Charente, Gironde, Haut-Rhin,
L zero, Nord Mope, and Seine-Inferieure_ These
same re elections being fixed, we observe for
the 14th and 15th instant. M. td,,,IN
surely may plume himself upon that double
triumph of his--here at Paris, there in the
Manche—which, throughout all France, is purely
exceptional. It is a success unachieved even
by M. TRIERS—and that, moreover, with M
TRIERS' own celebrity, the prestige of his fame
his genius, and his antecedents enhanced and fur-
thered wondrously as they were by that most fatal
and ill-advised circular of M. DE PERSIGNY, the
EmrElton's bungling Minister of the Interior.

The Vciltinteer Bill was considered in Com-
mittee-last' evening, and as might have been ex-
pected, a sucatvvtat animated discussion took
place upon ae,feral of the clauses. The clause

authorising the employment of Volunteers in the
suppression of civil disorders was very wisely
struck out. It would be far better, in cases of
extreme urgency, to call in the assistance of the
militia or t'ne regular soldiery than to engage
the volunteers in such an ungracious office. In
the first place it is doubtful whether they would
be as successful in restoring tranquillity as the
ordinary civil force, who are used to deal with
the disorderly classes. _ .

Constables are usually well acquainted with the
best means of reducing a turbulent crowd to
order, and are often able to disperse a riotous as-
semblage peacably, when the presence of soldiers of '
any kind would tend to further excitement. But
supposing an occasion to arise, when military help
was really necessary, the employment of the Volun-
teers against the people would bring upon them
undeserved odium, and would greatly lessen the
popular estimation in which they are now held.
They would be looked upon as a force at
the command of the Government, and not as the
band of independent Englishmen who have enrolled
themselves with no other aim or object than that
of securing the immunity of their country from
foreign invasion. We regret to find, however, that
the house, after striking out clause 19, suffered
clause 21 to remain part of the bill, This is the
clause which empowers a commanding officer to
dismiss any member of the corps on his own autho-
rity. Sir R. CLIFTON, in moving an amendment,
said that his object was to provide that the com-
manding officer of a volunteer corps should not be
constituted, as the clause proposed, the sore judge
of the existence and sufficiency of the causes which
would justify him in discharging a volunteer from
his corps. " Members of a volunteer corps," con-
tinued the hon. gentleman, " ought, at all events,
:n his opinion, to be allowed at least the privileges
of private soldiers, for it could not be shown that
they were either more unruly or had less common
sense." Mr. LEWIS, in seconding the amendment,
which constituted a kind of court of five members of
the regiment to judge the alleged causes, observed
that the power given by the clause was a
dangerous one to entrust to any officer,
and was likely to destroy the general harmony
hitherto existing between officers and men. Several
other members while questioning the form of the
amendment, spoke strongly against the adoption of
the clause, and declared their conviction that it
would have a very bad effect in tending to disgust
men with the service. The answers to all the argu-
ments were by no means conclusive. It was insisted
that commanding officers must have some means of
enforcing discipline, and that without this clause
they would be at the mercy of unruly or refractory
members. But if a member's conduct was sufficiently
irregular to warrant his dismissal it is not likely
that five officers of various degrees in the corps se-
lected by the commanding officer himself would fail
to ratify the sentence. Such a proceeding would
be more in accordance with the spirit of English
law and with the public sense of justice. The ob-
jections raised by the Marquis of HARTINGTON to
the court of inquiry were not altogether well
founded. As Colonel SYKES remarked, the Court
of Lieutenancy in the City of London had expe-
rienced no difficulty from courts of inquiry, and
there is no manifest reason why a similar arrange-
ment would not be satisfactory to the volunteeers.
The power given by this clause, it was urged, was
only the same as that given by the former Volunteer
Act, and an appeal to the War-office was always
possible. But who does not know the result of ap-
pealing to a public office ? Mr. CoNix GUAM
quietly reminded the House that this provision
would not allay the suspicion with which Volun-
teers regarded this arbitrary power, for, in dealing
' with questions between commanding officers and
' other parties, the Horse-Guards always supported
the officer. Notwithstanding the strong arguments
brought forward against it, and the fact that seve-
ral cases of harsh treatment were cited, the clause
was finally adopted by a majority of 87; a result
which would scarci ly have been the same, said Sir
ROBERT CLIFTON significantly, had the Volunteer
privates been represented in the House, as well as
the officers. We regret that the clause was not, at
least, modified in its passage through the Commit-
tee, but all that remains to be done is to hope that
the commanding officers will be sufficiently anxious
to maintain the number and efficiency of their corps
to show discretion and temperance in the exercise
of their arbitrary powers.

Mr. GLADSTONE is particularly unfortunate in
his manner of late years. He seems to think him-
self privileged to say what he likes at all times,
and to be indifferent as to the opinions of those
about whom he expresses himself so freely. Last
night, however, he found himself in a very awk-
ward position. Mr. TOLLEMACHE and Colonel PEN-
NANT both signified their intention to withdraw
from the Holyhead Harbour Committee if the
Chancellor of the Exchequer persisted in the re-
marks he made last Friday. Mr. ToLLEmACHE
said he had been absent from the House on Friday,
and was told that an observation then fell from
Mr. GLADSTONE that was not complimentary to
the committee. The Chancellor of the Exchequer,
in fact, had implied " that the committee was
not fairly constituted—indeed, that it was so un-
fairly constituted that its decision, whatever it be,
ought to have, and therefore would have, no
weight with the Government." After stating that
he had no personal interest in the affair, Mr. TOL-
LEMACHE put the right hon. gentleman to a fair
test as to the validity of his insinuations by pro-
posing "if not yet satisfied let him take the
straightforward course and move that I be dis-
charged from the committee, and if he does
so I promise him that I will second it."
Colonel PENNANT also spoke strongly, and said
that he disclaimed any interest at Holyhead ; he
had been asked to serve on the committee because he
was acquainted with the locality ; he had been
member for Carnarvon for 22 years, and was old
enough to remember the struggle that took place
between Holyhead and Carnarvon ; and, if any-
thing, "he took a greater interest on the side of
Carnarvon than that of Holyhead." Mr.GLADSTONE
was thus placed in a very difficult
with his customary position, out of
which he did not succeed in extricating himself
circumstance, h
omary dexterity. He said he meant
nothing Personal and tried
ed
hrat.st.h e
't
he was not allowed to escape so
to turn off the awkward
had used strong right hon. gentleman
laistilayiltnlitelisisenteenßequences of his hastiness. Mr.
nuttee, and said I°ll6concerning
the
com-
words with that ha had
greater re never listened to
that he must ". Mr. R
say, Nyhe, BERT add*?
said he was Ohl" the
II" 110 ti• 4
iged to make those • gentleman
sequence of the c • °se
remarks
onstatutio Con_
he entirely disagreed la of the ~,,
with u: --earaittee
honourable members of e• , a"ra Mid 42
hi standing
man
have told me I was entirely • 1 the right in th 88e
Mr. GLADSTONE went further at opinioh.„
after this p
and "entirely disclaimed the intention
usingfetch;
re
word painful to anybody." Yet he still reiterated
"-
iterated
his offensive remark that the committee was not
impartially constituted. Mr. DISRAELI took the
cnlttc-r up T.t-ly pror,,,,Jr h" rninting ut the rrrors
of the course that had been pursti,cl by the Go-
vernment. He said—" But in vindication of the
proper mansgement of the business L r this house

think it right to say that it is not the duty of a
Government to consent to the appointment of a com-
mittee which they at the same time announce that
they believe is not an impartially constituted com-
mittee. If that was the opinion of the Government
they ought to have opposed the appointment of a
committee so proposed." If this simple rule had
been adopted much confusion would have been
avoided, but Mr. GLADSTONE likes to have matters
arranged so that he may find a flaw in the proceed-
ings. Lord JOHN MANNERS very truly remarked that
the proper thing to do if a member on a committee
was disapproved of was to divide the house upon
the subject by proposing the insertion of other
names.

Although Mr. GLADSTONE contrived to word his
apology or explanation in the most ungracious way
possible, still this episode was certainly a lesson to
him that it is to be hoped he will not forget. Courtesy
and consideration are of more consequence in the
carrying on of public business than brilliant
eloquence or sarcastic powers of debate. Mr.
GLADSTONE appears to have purposely ignored the
rules of the house in respect to Committees, in order
that he may make some ambiguous remarks he
cannot and will not explain, and then he takes
refuge in saying he meant nothing. This is trifling
with the question, because he knows that he is in
too high a position for his words to be of no conse-
quence, and it is unworthy conduct for a Minister
to make a sweeping condemnation and then to refuse
all explanation concerning the data upon which he
founds his remarks. The gentlemen who spoke
out last night on the question of the Committee
have certainly had the best of it, and there is no
doubt that all the members present thought the
Chancellor of the Exchequer had placed himself in
a very strange position. This awkward incident
will not be without some good effect, however, if it
can possibly induce Mr. GLADSTONE to be a little
more careful for the future in regard to the tone he
adopts and the manner he employs in these personal
discussions. If he do not take heed and accept
this timely warning, he will find some day that he
has overrated his influence in the House, great as
it most unquestionably is. lion. members on both
sides consider that he carries his overbearing
demeanour to a limit quite out of character with
the prescribed rules of courtesy which should
govern all assemblies and discussions.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

MADLLE. ARTOT.

After a second performance of the " Figlia,"
which abundantly confirmed the brilliant impres-
sion of the first—Madlle. Artot, last evening, made
her debut in serious opera, and achieved a triumph
quite as decisive as that which marked her first
appearance. The opera was the " Traviata," and
her version of this unhappy heroine must be re-
garded in many respects as one of the most ori-
ginal it has yet received. It was not only
one of the most pathetic—for which the cony/en
partir of her Maria had sufficiently prepared us—
but with the sole exception of Madlle. Bosios' it was
the most graceful and refined rendering which this
character has enjoyed in London. Madlle. Artot
stamped it with an elegance and even a dignity
which did much to enlarge its interest, and which
were not more unusual than they were welcome to
the tastes of the patrons of this theatre.
Her merits in other respects were quite on a
ievel with those we have named. Her acting was
marked throughout by the deepest tenderness as
well as taste, and rose in the last act to a point
of excellence which we have never seen exceeded.
The dying struggles of the "Lost one" were traced
by the powers of a true artist. Whilst markea
by all the traits required to ensure its due reality,
this scene was so refined as to be divested of the
hideousness so often considered essential to
its effect, and thus, whilst founded upon
truth, was harmonised with beauty. Madlle.
Artot has too much genius to rely on the
mere resource of force; she feels it may repel
even more than excite, unless duly subjected to the
graceful. Of her treatment of the music no praise
can be too great. Every air obtained its expres-
sion from the defiant and despairing gaiety of the
" Sempre Libera" (preceded by a most exquisite
rendering of the preceding " Ah Fors Lui), to the
touching pathos of the scene with Germont—the
confession of her love for Alfred, " Non sapete
qual affetto"—the duet " Dite ali Giovani," in which
she resigns him to another, and, still more strik-
ingly, the delivery of the " Morro, la mitt memoria,"
in which she foresees that his surrender
must be at the cost of her own life. In
none of these could the emoti9n have been
more affectingly depicted. Of a like character was
the rendering of the entire music of the last act,
which—from the tender pathos of the " Addio del
Passato," in which she bids adieu to the dream of
life and turns to heaven for forgiveness to the pas-
sionate burst of the " Gran Dio morir si Giovani,"
in which, blest with the presence and love of Alfred,
she implores heaven yet to spare her—was stamped
with a truth as well as power that could not pos-
sibly be exceeded.

Madlle. Artot excited the greatest enthusiasm by
this performance, receiving the honour of a call at
the close of the first two acts, and of a double sum-
mons at the end. Her acceptance, therefore, by the
public is now triumphantly established, and her
popularity will only be limited by the opportuni-
ties afforded her. She was admirably sustained on
this occasion by Signor Giuglini in Alfredo, whose
delivery of the " De Miei Bollenti" and " Parigi
0 Cara," was as perfect as it could be, the latter win-
ning the well merited distinction of an encore; and
by Mr. Santley in the Elder Germont, who sang all
its music charmingly, and more especially the " Di
Provenza," which was also redemanded. The band
and chorus were excellent as usual, The house was
full.

very