The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-27 00:00:00

LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE.

At the meeting of directors of this company
held yesterday in Manchester, it was decided to
recommend to the proprietors at their next
meeting, to a declare a dividend for the half-year,
at the rate of 6.1 per cent. per annum, less income
tax.

PARIS CORRESPONDENCE.
WEDNTADIT.
The curtain has fallen on the first act of the great
Commercial Treaties debate. M. de Farce de continued
his speech yesterday, Baron Lesperut spoke, M. Thiers
had a little haggling over one or two of his
darling fallacies, and then the "general discus-
sion" closed. After all this speechifying, the
astonished English reader may like to know the difference
between the " general " and the " particular " discussions.
Ho may not unnaturally ask himself when the end of the
real business will arrive, if all this time has been occupied
by the preliminaries. The fact is, that the good people of
this country, so lively on most matters, are particularly
solemn and formal when debates are going on. The free
and easy style adopted in the English Parliament would
shock French legislators. They regard parliamentary
talk as a really serious and heavy business. It is a very
poor subject that does not get a moderately good house.
Mostly the attendance is very large. The members sit the
talk out manfully; they do not run about, and chatter,
end enter and re-enter like your own M.P.'s Each repro-
senta.tifOrllts at the desk which is provided for him,
paper knife in hand, ready to "batter down"
an obnoxious speaker. If the talk is dull,
the French deputy, instead of making an uncere-
monious bolt, will commence writing his letters—a pleasing
occupation, for which the desk system affords ample faci-
lities. The stream of talk rolls on in majesty from two
until about six, when the sitting is closed. Scarcely any
subject, no matter what its importance, can keep the
anxious patriot after dinner hour. Is a great speech on
the way ? It is broken off and continued the neat mor-
ning. Is important business waiting for the end of the
discussion? No greater haste is made on that account.
This system of short hours, the tolerance allowed
to every speaker, and the sang froid with which the most
lengthy yarns aro spun at the most critical moments,
greatly impedes the progress of business. But, in
addition, our Parliament adopts the system of having
a talk about things in general before proceeding to the
subject in hand. Thus, all these free-trade speeches have
been on the merits of the subject generally. We have but
just arrived at the particular business. At the end of the
sitting yesterday, the proposition that the Legislative Body
name in a public sitting a committee of 2; members to
conduct an inquiry into the working of the Anglo-French
Treaty was brought up. All the substantial work, it will
be seen, has yet to be done. The Chamber has to nomi-
nate the committee, the inquiry has to take place, and
then the Parliament will decide what is to be the policy of
the country.
There was not much in yesterday's debate that calls for
notice. M. de Forcade finished an excellent speech. He
is one of those orators whose addresses are better to read
than to hear, for though he has a fair voice, his
gestures are ungainly and his attitude awkward.
Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that the ex-Minister
of the Interior is one of the leading men in the Chamber,
and, with M. Jules Simon, decidedly the best champion of
free trade. Yesterday, taking the subject of the cotton
manufacture, he pointed out that the distress did not arise
from the competition of England,but from two other causes—
the fluctuations in prices caused by the American War,
from which England suffered as much as France, and,
secondly( the concentration of the manufacture in the great
establishments, owing to the disappearance of the smaller
ones. Flax was subject to precisely the same influences. In the
wool trade the exports of France had immensely increased.
As to calico and chintz, the public taste had simply
altered, and therefore that branch of manufacture had
very severely suffered. M. de Forcade hoped the Parlia-
mentary inquiry would be as thorough as possible. He
was satisfied that the triumph of free trade would be com-
plete.
The Right and Left Centre parties each held their
meetings yesterday, and a somewhat suspicious resolution
did they arrive at. It has been decided that neither of
these bodies is justified in regarding the Treaties of Com-
merce as a party question. Both the Right and the Loft
are of opinion that the subject "is a special and purely
technical " one, to be decided by each deputy according to
his own convictions. 'Whether he vote for free trade
or protection will not matter as regards his
status in either of the Liberal camps. Thus
we shall still have that strange confusion of political
sections which has hitherto marked the dis-
cussion of the great question. The Right and Left Centre
are of course at liberty to decide what are, and what are
not, questions of vital party importance ; but assuredly
if one decision involves more vital consequenoes to the
country than any other, it is this decision as to whether
France is to be a protectionist or a free
trade state. However, there is one good reason
why the two Centres should have arrived at this
decision. It is simply impossible to obtain anything like
unanimity on this subject. I may add here that the Left
Centre—the more advanced Liberals of the Government
supporters—has secured the adhesion of several more
deputies of late. Amongst these the chief is M. Thiers.
This politician, who has been wandering about without a
party ever since he found himself unable to agree with the
Left, is now enrolled in the ranks of the Left Centre.
After the Minister of the Interior came Baron Lesperut
who spoke in favour of Protection. M. Thiers made the
extravagant assertion that " everyone is aware that in
England the Treaty is condemned, and that the
Ministers defend themselves by saying that there
was no other means of binding France, for if
the natiezehad been consulted, it would •neyer have con-
sented to the arrangement. This will be news to your
readers. The debate closed, after the statement from the
Minister of Commerce that the Government wished an
inquiry, which would, he said, remove many errors
and prejudices, besides accustoming the country to
the management of its own affairs. In order to chew how,
thoroughly the control of trade matters is now in the
hands of I'arliauient, the Minister said that a bill for a
general Customs' tariff would shortly be brought up. This
would be nothing more than a list of the present rates,
which the Chamber could modify at pleasure.
From Creusot the news is " toujours lien," The strike
may be regarded at an end. It is well, for the district
was both prosperous end generally contented. Wages
there have risen fifty per cent. since 1318.
Morality at Creusot is excellent ; the number
of illegitimate children bears the astonishingly
small proportion of 47 to 1,030, and the condemnations
for criminal offences are very few. Every precaution is
taken against pauperism, and the workmen are famous
for their economy. Fur fifteen years no women have been
allowed to work in the mines at Creusot. Altogether, thi?
iron district has been one of the happiest in France, and
it is satisfactory to hear that peace has been restored. Id.
Schneider will Pt dionies any of the men.