The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-26 00:00:00

A STARTLING TREATY.

Mr. DISRAELI, who expressed his surprise that the
papers relating to the continental crisis had not yet been
placed in the hands of members, said a document had
appeared that day, and with respect to it he wished to
make inquiries. That document appeared in the form of
a projected treaty between France and Prussia, and it
involved considerable modifications of the settlement of
Europe, and among other provisions it contemplated
military occupation and final extinction of Belgium by the
French. He looked upon the extinction of Belgium as an
injury to England, and he hoped the attempt would not
be made ; nor could he forget that were it made the en-
gagements into which the sovereign of this country
had entered with respect to the kingdom
would demand the gravest consideration—(applause).
He wished to know whether Her Majesty's Government
could throw any light upon the projected treaty, and
whether they were in possession of any information which
would enable them to inform Parliament whether it indi-
cated a policy which in their opinion might still influence
the belligerents, and whether they would give the House
such information as was in their power with respect to
the subject which he ventured to say had occasioned
the greatest disquietude in the public mind. (Hear,
hear.)
Mr. GLADSTONE : I will first refer to what has been
stated by the right hon. gentleman with regard to the
anxiety of the House—the very natural anxiety—to be in
possession of papers which may more or less illustrate the
origin of the present unhappy war. Of course I need
hardly remind the House that the simple fact of
the outbreak of a great war in Europe does not of itself
imply that it should be in the power of the Government,
however they may desire it, either to obtain for them-
selves or place in possession of the House of Commons
full information. Their means of information must
depend entirely upon the degree in which
they themselves have been made party to
any transaction connected with the outbreak
of war. So far as we have been made parties
to any of those transactions, we have the means, and we
have of course the disposition, to afford information. I
join with the right hon. gentleman in regretting that the
papers have not been in the hands of members. And the
truth, as I think he will find, is that when they are in
his hands they contain information , down un-
til the period, perhaps to the very day, or
if not the day before they were laid upon the table of this
House. Possibly the right honourable gentleman may
think that the earlier part of the communications which
preceded the final rupture might have been separated
from those connected with later days. But I mentioned
on a former occasion that every effort was made
on the part of the Government for presenting
these papers, but the rapidity of the whole
of the transaction was so extreme, that
it was absolutely necessary, in conformity with usage
and obvious motives of policy, that we should give oppor-
tunities of communicating with some of our chief repre-
sentatives abroad, a process which necessarily occupies
some time. That is all I can say. I would, however,
express a hope that when the papers arelaid upon the table
of tL e House the right hon. gentleman will see that they
will tend to support the statement, I ventured to make,
that there would be no voluntary or nee Iless delay.
Now, with regard to the document to which the right
hon. gentleman has specially referred, and addressed the
close of his remarks. I regret to sly that it is not in my
power to give the House the information in reply to the
detailed question of the right hon. gentleman. I
will make to him such answer, after listening
to his inquiry, as in the opinion of her Ma-
jesty's Government may be made under the cir-
cumstances. We, like others have read the document to
which the right hon. gentleman refers, the gravity of the
subject matter of which he has not in the smallest degree
overstated in his remarks to this House. It is of a nature,
no doubt, to excite attention, and even astonishment,
and I can give no information to the right . hon. gentle-
man or to the House as to the mode in which it
has come to be communicated to the world by the Times
newspaper. It may be deemed incredible, but it pur-
ports to have reached a certain stage of progress. Upon
its actual contents at present it is not within the limits
of my duty to offer an opinion; but I will venture to point
out to the House that we consider the publication of such
a paper as this professed project of a treaty between
France and Prussia, for the objects that are set forth in it
must immediately draw forth from the spontaneous action
of the two governments, concerned all the declarations
that can be necessary for the fullest elucidation of the

subject. They are not in our possession, but we have no
doubt that the next few days must place them
at the command of the world. This is a
grave matter, and there I think, although I am
not at liberty to enter upon it, nor can any
one discuss it with any advantage at the present
stage, The time must be close at hand when
the surprise which hon. gentlemen may have felt this
morning will be cleared up, and cleared up effec-
tually, by full information; and that being so,
I think I should best perform my duty by
confining myself for the present moment to these brief
remarks, fully admitting that when the explanations, the
declaration to which I look, shall be given, the right hon.
gentleman or members of this House will be perfectly in
the right in addressing any question they may think fit
to her Majesty's Government on the subject. (Ap-
plause.)

• THE ESTIMATES.
On the order for going into committee of supply! a
variety of. subjects was broUght under the notice of the
House, but although they occasioned considerable discu:;-
sion, the proceedings for the most part were very dull.
In committee, Mr. Lush, the member for Finsbury, moved
the omission-of nit item 8f £1,562, k respect of the Queen's
Plates for Ireland. The hon. member, referring to the
origin of the vote, said that racing did not improve the
breed of- horses. He created some merriment by declaring
that a racehorse was an exaggerated greyhound. On a
division the amendment was lost by 81 votes to 61.
At a quarter past twelve progress was reported.
TURNPIKE ACTS CONTINUANCE, &c., BILL.
This bill passed through committee, and other orders
having been disposed of the House adjourned at fifteen
minutes past two o'clock.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

GOODWOOD MEETING--Tars DAY.
ADDITIONAL SCRATCHING§.
Racing Stakes—Salamis.
Sweepstakes—Stray, Merry Wife filly.
Bentinck Memorial Fairminster, Hispanolia, and
Evenement.
Nineteenth Memorial—Osterius.
Twentieth Memorial—Sir Thomas.
Chichester Stakes—Squib, Emerald, Stephanotis, Mal-
colm, Stockwater, Mahomed, Dancing Girl, Stray, Beech
Nut colt, and Bay Celia filly.
Nursery—Feronia and High Pressure.
Chesterfield Cup—Sarsfielci and Prince Henry.

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THE Church Association have had a rebuff.
Having succeeded in preventing the celebrant in the
Holy Communion from touching the ground with
his knees, having accomplished the notable feat of
extinguishing the two altar lights which used to burn
for one hour in order to substitute seven which
burn for twenty-four, it might be thought that

they had done all that was to be
done, all that human energies, oven though
stimulated by theological hatred, could hope
to effect. But they were not content. Experience
taught them that it was of small avail to cut off thin
or that piece of ritual so long as the doctrine which
the ritual symbolised continued to be taught. In
fact their success in the St. Alban's case only made
matters worse. High Church clergymen felt bound
in proportion as they were checked in the
outward manifestation of the dogma in ques-

tion to preach it more emphatically from
the pulpit. So the Association, having plenty of
money at their control, enough to build fifteen
churches where they might have preached their own
doctrines, and thinking that it might be better spent
on proctors 'and-doctors than in evangelising the two
million heathen of London, instituted a suit against
a Somersetshire clergyman in order to try the ques-
tion of 'the Real Presence. There is something