The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-22 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1854.

The Foreigners Enlistment Bill has passed
through Committee without alteration, and the
grand struggle will take place this evening on
the third reading. This certainly does not look

like factious opposition, or a desire on the part

of the opponents of the measure to avail them•

selves of the forms of the House to obstruct and

delay its progress, although they could not hope
to reject it altogether. Never did any bill so
obnoxious to the country pass so easily through
both ousts: It was regarded as unconstitu-
tional, impolitic, and dintionoln-able to the Bri-

tish name ; and yet, although its crpponents felt
that, in justice to their own characters, they were
precluded from suffering it to pass sub silentio, or
without exposing the numerous and, as they con-

ceived, insuperable objections to its further
progress, they were satisfied with a single
division in the Upper House. It was currently,

and we believe truly, reported, that Lord DERBY
held sufficient proxies to swamp the bill on the
third reading ; but in place of doing so he con-
tented himself with expressing an energetic pro-
test against the obnoxious principle, leaving to
the chosen Representatives of the people the re-
sponsibility of deciding whether it should finally
receive the legislative sanction. The consequence
was that the bill, which was only explained on
Friday evening to the Lords, was brought down
to the Commons and read a first time on Monday
evening. There was certainly nothing "factious"

up to that time. Complaints might more reason-
ably have been preferred against the more than

railway speed with which it was hurried through
the House before the voice of public, opinion
could be fully expressed, or the popular indigna-
tion -eculd penetrate into the secret recesses of
Downing-street.

Nor has there been hitherto greater justice in
the complaint against the Commons. Brought
down from the Lords a few minutes before the
rising of the Commons on Monday evening it was
forthwith read the first time.. On Tuesday the
discussion took place, and a division was had, at
the same sitting. On Wednesday it was suffered
to go into committee, but was necessarily post-
poned in accordance with the rule as to time that
exists on that day ; but last night it passed
through committee without a single division
taking place—all further opposition being re-
served for the third reading. That point will be
decided one way or the other this evening ; so
that, in point of fact, if the Commons should again
decide in its favour, it will have passed through
both Houses of Parliament within a single
week from the time when its nature
and objects were first explained. What renders
this extraordinary speed the more remarkable is,
that the matter had not been previously yen ti-
lated, but took the House and country completely
by surprise. It was, in fact, first heard of on
this day week—the'secret previously having been
so strictly kept that not the slightest hint was
suffered to leek out, even through the columns of
the favoured organ or organs.
Let us for a moment consider the effects to be
produced, should the measure pass into a law.
Row are we to obtain trained and experienced
soldiers, who are expected to prove so much more
efficient than our own raw recruits? and, secondly,
how will they be treated, should they chance to
Dee"l"'l prisoners of war, and fall into the
halide -ot the g.ussians? Mrs. GLASSE recommends
that we
..uonid first catch our hare before the
mode of dressing it be taken into consideration.
It would be well if Ministers had profited by the
hint, and consrdered how they were to enlist the
new auxiliaries. The only hint as yet given is,
that they expect to tempt
a considerable propor-
tion of the thirty thousandGerman adults who
annually pass through this country en route to
America. In this, however, they may possibly
be mistaken. In the first place, this is not the
season of emigration. We should
have to wait
until the emergency had passed away, and all the
reasons. that led to the adoption of the measure
had been removed. So that even if the emis
grants who, generally speaking, are married men,
with familieS; could be induced to abandon their
wives and children, they would not have the opportn-
nity of being tempted by the QUEEN'S shilling to the
adoption of so cruel and heartless a course. We
must then go abroad to beg at the footstools of
petty princes for their sanction or endeavour to
a3duce their subjects without their permission
first had aad obtained.
It is manifest that the permission of the SoYZ.
REIGN cannot be expected unless he can be per-