The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-23 00:00:00

RIO DE LA PLATA.

In reply to Mr. SMYTHE,
Lord PALMERSTON said he thought it not advis•
able to make any statement with respect to Rio de la Plata,
in the present state of the negotiations. He, however,
might state that communications were passing between
the Argentine Government and the Governments of
England and France, and he was induced to hope that
the negotiations would end in a satisfactory manner.
ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS.

Mr. HORSAAN said, as he did not wish to stand in

the way of the financial statement, he would with-
draw his motion with respect to the present
state of legislation on ecclesiastical affairs.—(Hear.)
The question of which he had given notice had reference
to an order in Council, and emanated from the circum-
stances which arose from a petition, signed by upward,
of 50,000 of the inhabitants of Sunderland. The Noble
Lord had favoured him with a communication stating
that the matter would be disposed of under the
orders of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and by the
authority of an order in Council. Now, an order
in Council was a secret thing, and the particular
question which he hats to ask was, whether the
Noble Lord would, in the event of the decision being
ogainst them, allow the petitioners time to appeal to
Parliament.

Lord J. RUSSELL said that the Hon. Gentleman
was perfectly correct in the surmise which he had thrown
out, that the matter had been referred to the Ecclesias-
tical Commissioners, and though it was impossible for
him to say that the decision of those Commissioners
might be or that it might not be very
diffrrent from the scheme which bad been propounded
by the petitioners, yet this muoh he would assure him,
that the matter should not be settled without an oppor-
tunity being afforded to them of being heard before the
Queen in Council.
SCOTCH MARRIAGES BILL.
_ _

In reply to a complaint from Mr. HU ME, saying
that this Bill was passed against the will of the whole
people of Scotland, at three o'clock in the morning,
Sir G. GREY stated that the Bill passed through
Committee a ith the consent of all the Scotch Members,
and with the understanding that a full opportunity for
discussion should be allowed on the third reading.
HEALTH OF TOWNS (IRELAND) BILL.

In reply to Sir H. W. BARRON',
Sir W. SOMERVILLE said that the provisions to
which the Hon. Baronet had referred would be carefully
made in the Bill.

IRELAND (REGISTRATION).
Sir H. W. BARRON inquired if it as the intention
of the Government to introduce a Bill for the registration
of births, deaths, and marriages in Ireland.
t Sir W. SO M ERV ILLS was understood to say that
he Government had no such intention.

I TRANSPORTATION FOR FELONY BILL.
Mr. ANSTEY inquired when the Bill was appointed
for the next stage, as he intended to oppose it.
Sir GEORGE GREY was understood to say that he
would mention when he intended to take it later in the
evening.

ROME.
Mr. ROEBUCK rose to ask the Noble Lord the Se-
cretary of State for Foreign Affairs a question respecting
our diplomatic correspondence with France on the sub-
ject of Rome, in order to ascertain whether any disap-
probation has been expressed by her Majesty's Govern-
ment of the proposed bombardment of Rome by the
French. He said the position of this country was
such, that from time to time their interference was asked
by other countries. Knowing our power--the high posi-
tion which we occupied in the world— theywere often called
upon to be arbitrators between contending Powers, an evi•
deuce of which was to be found in the papers he held in
his hand. But the application to which they related
was a most remarkable one. Unfortunately for
Europe and this country, a rupture occurred
between the Pope and his subjects. With these
disputes they had nothing to do, except so far as other
nations had chosen to interfere. Early in the present
year the Pope thought it wise to leave his dominions, and
take up his residence at Gaeta. He applit dto foreign na-
tions for their interference, and amongst them was England.
The mode in which this was done was most remarkable.
A letter from the Minister of the King of the Two Sici -
lies was sent to the Noble Lord, asking him to take a
part in the negotiations that were Oa int to take place
for the restoration of the Pope. Two modes were
mentioned—by negotiation, or by force of arms.
While theso negotiations were going on France
interfered, and not only interfered by way of
negotiation, but by arms. Now, considering the
position in which England now stood, con-
Nidering that her atmosphere was serene, and
that she was now in the proudest position that any
nation could be placed, her opinion going forth to
the world through the regular channel, the
Minister of the Crown, must have the greatest
weight. What, therefore, he desired to obtain
from the Noble Lord was his unqualified, marked, and
plain disapprobation of the interference on the part of
France with the Roman people.— (Hear, hear.) For
himself he c iuld not but express his astonishment,
and that astonishment included his disapprobation, of the
course that had been pursued by France. What had the
French done? They had girted Rome with their armies,
in order to prevent the Roman people from carrying
out such a revolution as France had effected for herself.
He said he wanted England not to participate even by
its silence in this matter, but that the Noble Lard should
come forth boldly, and plainly state that England did not
at all approve of this interference with Rome, and that
when Rome had appealed to her, to state that England had
nothing on earth to do with the matter. That was
not the language for England to hold. He asked this
plain question of the Noble Lord, whether he had al-
ready by any of the papers in his hand explained defi-
nitively to the Government of France that the transac-
tions now going on before the walls of Rome
were not only by the whole people of England, but in
the opinion of her Majesty's Government, worthy of se-
vere reprobation ? (Hear, hear.) Rome was at
this moment being bombarded by French troops,
and they could not throw a shell into that city
without destroying some beautiful relic of art—(Hear,
hear)—and even on that ground he would
ask that England should come forward and employ its
high authority and its moral influence, of which the
Noble Lord spoke, not simply for the sake of peace, but
for the maintenance of all that was precious in art, and
for the sake of those very principles on which the revolu-
lion of France itself depended, and stay this atrocious
outrage.—(Cbeers.)
conduct of a Governmentn
Lord PALMEnHt
royti.
(would r see t
hear.)h
e
to pronounce
i judgment on the
delicacyTheyW e
roe
called
t Minister•S'o T O N
of said
the the
co
business, he apprehended, olreaFrance. It was ant the
become the
of the Crown
standing in this House, to
proceedings of the French Goeve
rnefender of the
matter on which the British Governmentnient hadon
declined altogether to be a party.—Mear, bee )
He could certainly say that we had not been parties to
such circumstances as those complained of by the
Honourable and Learned Member. It would be seen by
the papers that we had always deprecated anything like
armed intervention. We had declined to participate in
t
the negotiations which had been carded on in Milan, and
herefore he could not be expected to be acquainted with
the whole of the circumstances which had led to the pre-
sent state of affairs.
Mr. HUME thought the House would be glad to see
that this country had not been a party to the interven-
tion at Rome. Ile wished to know if the Noble Lord
had any objection to produce the
papers which he had
lately asked for.
Lord PALMERSTON said that the papers had come
to him in the form of a dispatch to a French
Ambassador, but the French Government not having
expressed any objection to it being laid before the
House, he would not decline to do so.
Mr. HUME, amidst loud cries from all sides, rose to
ask whether this Government, having acknowledged the
Government of France as a de fade Government, had
also acknowledged the Roman Government.

Lord PALAERSTON said that this country had
not acknowledged the French Government until it had

obtained a firm and settled standing; nor would they
do that of Rome until it had acquired the same.