The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-17 00:00:00

accept or refuse a throne which was not yet in
existence. When rival factions in Mexico were put
down, the wrongs of the contracting Powers re-
dressed or avenged, brigandage crushed, and public
tranquillity restored, then, indeed, if the Mexican
people turned towards him and invited him to rule
over them as a constitutional Sovereign, he did not
think he should hesitate."

With such views actuating the chief per- I
sonage concerned, England has little to say
in the matter. Her rulers would all of them be
well pleased enough to serve Austria if Aus-
tria thought the acquisition of any service,
and we imagine the people of this country would
be most -profoundly indifferent to the question,
whether the Archduke, or the Arch-anything
was at the head of Mexico. They would be glad
to see the Central American Empire well governed,
freely governed if possible—civil and religious
liberty there, as everywhere, would be most
pleasing to them ; but after we had got what is due
to our subjects we certainly would not tolerate
the expenditure of a cartridge to give this per-
son or that, one party or the other, the supre-
macy in Mexico. We should not like to see the
priest party triumph, nor should we like
to see this :fair country delivered over
to the Confederate States, and slavery ; all we
desire is, that the Mexicans sheuld freely
choose what Government they will, provided it be
a real Government, not a faction and its leaders.
The Vienna papers have all along scouted the
notion of an honourable banishment of one of their
invaluable Archdukes. They have, however, sup-
posed that a Mexican throne was to purchase the
surrender of Venetia to Italy. This adjustment has
not yet been mentioned in any way to lead to the
supposition that it is any part of the bargain: It
would be a pleasant way of squaring things,
but Austria has got quite another idea into
her head. She proposes, we are now told,
to offer to the Italian Government recognition
and Rome itself, so far as she can give it, in ex-
change for Italian recognition of her right to Venetia.
This latter proposal can, however, never be accep-
ted. VICTOR EMMANUEL would cease to be King of
ITALY from the day that he gave up the Italian
claim on Venetia. The hearts of all Northern and
Central Italy would be alienated from him at
once. Be the cost what it may he must create and
maintain an army, which at the first favourable
opportunity should be able to commence the great
work of driving out the justly detested oppressors
of Venice and the Quadrilateral, and of uniting in
one kingdom all who claim to be brother Italians.
The French and Spaniards are taking the course
to make themselves jointly masters of Mexico ;
England refuses to have anything to do with the
work of internal pacification, the EMPEROR refuses
to be behind Spain, and the Mexicans decidedly
prefer the French to the Spaniards. The EMPEROR
has sent to the scene of action some of his
ablest men, and we shall be little surprised
to see that French counsels are far more accep-
table to the Mexicans. The establishment of
the ruler and kind of rule, therefore, in
Mexico, which the EMPEROR sees fit graciously to
recommend, is one of the likeliest results of the in-
tervention. The Washington Government, with
their silly and arrogant MUNROE doctrine, are com-
pelled, under their circumstances, to bite their lips
and witness European intervention on the sacred
soil of America. And, whether they like it or not,
I European aid will probably settle the case.

The principal enactment of last session, as we
all very well remember, was the one relating to
Bankruptcy and Insolvency. The probability is,
already, that the principal enactment for the pre-
seLt session--that is to say, if the sittings in Lords
and Commons be only adequately propitious—will
be an act regulating anew the Transfer of Land.
This evening the Lord Chancellor, the ablest
lawyer living, will bring before the Legislature the
whole of this carefully elaborated scheme as pre-
pared (under the supervision of the chief officers of
the Crown) by her MAJESTY'S Government.
It is perhaps as well, all things considered, that the
bill should work its way downwards from the Lords
to the Commons instead of vice versa—if only for
three several reasons very readily to be particularised.
Firstly, because the scheme cannot by reason of the
late Lord CAMPBELL'S death be brought nowadays
under the consideration of the House of Commons
by the Attorney-General of last year, Sir RICHARD
BETHELL, as orignally designed. Sir RICHARD
having been advanced to the Upper House as
Baron WESTBURY, and to the Woolsack as Lord
Chancellor, if he is to bring it before the Legis-
lature in the first instance (as is in every way
desirable) must perforce do so from his supreme
position at the head of the hereditary legislators of
the United Kingdom. That is the first of these
three reasons. And it is visibly so good a reason

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THE, SUN.

LONDON, MONDAY, FEB. 17, 1862.

in its way, that it might be regarded at once
as all-sufficient. But there are two others almost
equally good and forcible in their way also. For
example, in the second place—there, in the House
of Lords, are assembled together the chief landed
proprietors in the realm. It is their property espe-
cially that the projected enactment will affect the
most directly, by facilitating upon all future occa-
sions (if the bill only be passed into an enactment)
its transference. Again, there is a third and final
reason, which is so —merely by addressing
itself to the sense of good taste, or the sentiment
of delicacy, or however we may phrase it, in
either House, is still a reason that ought to have
some weight among our legislators, whether
hereditary or representative as bearing simply upon
the order of procedure in regard to the supervision
of the new Government Transfer Bill to the two
Houses of Parliament. It is a third and final rea-
son this, that many will doubtless, upon the instant,
have already guessed at, and that if they have
guessed at they will, as a matter of course, have

It may seem of small consequence to England
whether an Austrian Archduke be installed Emperor
of Mexico or not. Lord RUSSELL was, however,
perfectly right in making inquiry as to the truth
of the alleged rumours, which assigned to France
so large a share in the proposed scheme. The only
thing in his Lordship's way was that such negotia-
tions as had taken place lay in such a form that a
French Foreign Secretary could easily give them
an official denial. M. THOUVENEL could doubtless
reply with perfect truth that no negotiations were
pending between the French Government and that of
Austria. Had he been asked whether any conver-
sations had occurred on the subject between the
French EMPEROR and the Archduke MAXIMILIAN,
be might not, it appears, have been able to reply
with so unconditional a negative; unless, indeed,
official etiquette enabled him to answer on behalf
of the EMPEROR with the same amount of literal
truth as is contained in the very frequent words
" not at home."

It - --- a
well-informed " correspondent" be right, instantly appreciated the force of. By introducing
the somewhat whimsical as well as clever Emperor the new Transfer of Land Bill to the Lords first
of the through the authoritative mediation of the Lord
FRENCH, has long cherished the idea of
C
waking a Mexican Emperor of the Archduke. It Chancellor WESTBURY, the Government allow of
appears he was personally pleased with the man, their scheme being calmly taken into considera-
and, according to M. THOUVENEL, Mexicans have
tion by the Upper House before it can, in
come to Europe and gone to Vienna with this the natural course of things, come under
object. Whether the Mexicans suggested the the eagle glance of the projector of this great legal
idea to the EMPEROR, or he to the Mexicans, I improvement, the Solicitor - General, in Lord
can, of course, never be known till one DERBY'S last Government. In effect it were almost
of the parties chooses
those
tell
us. Certain it invidious to introduce the scheme proposed by the
bis that it were better for „e
who wished to attain
present Cabinet in the presence and hearing of the
the object, that the Mexicans should appear pro- hon. and learned member for Belfast, Not that any
minent in the business. M. T
ROUVENEL well
RUSSELL, one can anticipate for an instant that Sir HUGH
knows that when, through LordCAIRNS could by any possibility treat a theme of
put before the diplomatic world the statementhe
such magnitude and complexity, as well as of such
that the negotiations had been carried
on by severe and grave importance, in anything like a
Mexicans only who had come over for thpur_ party spirit, or with any perverse predetermination
pose and gone to Vienna, he was best eery.
to be antagonistic. Only with measures in them-
ing the object. What the French Foreign selves remarkable, as this one incontestibly must be
Secretary would have said could a reply instantly recognised to be, for its enormous diffi-
have been obtained from him to the question—at culty and
all but bewildering complication—
whose suggestion did the Mexicans come over for there are, we may
say
inevitably, numerous flaws
purpose, or was it a purely spontaneous journey— and blurs, and errors of almost all kinds, errors of
we may easily guess ; but of course we are not in omission and commission that have to be got rid of
by careful revision
_ to be discussed and
eby
a position to assert.
is ed e
le u the bill
clause
comesin
One thing seems to be certain that the Arch
duke found some very reasonable difficulties in con-
committee) before the draft of the enactment can
senting. He did not reply to the offer without hest*_ fairly be recognised, so to speak, in its integrity.
tation. b And all things considered, we
He properly observed, ~ That he could not cannot but feel as it