The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-26 00:00:00

I) iJ SUN, LON D(LN, SATU 11 DA , NO 96 1870.

appropriations and revenues were either vested
in the Crown or a*arded to Subjects, *ho
thus beeame appropriators, or as they were
more frequently designated, lay appropriators.
Ecclesiastical property was thenceforth ili ne way re-
garded as inalienable. The appropriation of it was
no longer in any way deemed to be sacrilegious.
Custom merged into a rule, and the daring system
inaugurated by the great Tudor King, to use the lan-
guage of the present Poet Laureate, "elewly broadened
down from preeedent to pkecedtint." The ancient
laws regulating the rights of ecclesiastical property
became obsolete—fell into disnetude—here and
there were boldly and unscrupulously abrogated..
The State reverted thenceforth, not in one
country_ alone, but more or less throughout all
countries, to what the late Poet Laureate defined as--
" The good old rule, the simple plan
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can."
Hence the decree of the National Assembly in
Paris, on the 2nd of November, 1789, 'formally con-
' fibcating tie whole of the Church property: Ilene°
the decrees promulgated in Italy during the last few
years, first at Turin and afterwards at Florence,
transferring ecclesiastical property from the posses-
sien of the Church to the possession of the State.
Hence, now, the most recently of all, the cool,
unhesitating appropriation we are here referring to
as having occurred at name ou the Bth of this
preEent month of November.
4. corn municatio from delieral IJht3i.A. 310 A,

dated the 7th instant, intimated to the Cardinal Sec-
rotary of State that the Palace of the Quirinal
ought to be considered as belonging to the pro-
perty pf the State, and thereupon required him
to enable the State to enter into possession by de-
livering up the keys and delegating someone to
attend for the purpose of assisting in running through
the inventory of the furniture and other objects of
value there collected together. "It is really sur-
prising," says Cardinal ANTONELLI, in his official
protest published in the Unita Cattolica, " that a
Council of Ministers should set themselves up for
judges to determine the right of other people's
property, and particularly that of a palace which
belonging to thezltOman Pontiffs, and being a resi-
dence of- theirs, is called Apostolic, which has

for three centuries been their summer residence,
and which for so very lcng a time has
been consecrated to the use of the Conclave and
Apostolic secretaries." Impressed with a knowledge
of theie liacts—" Feeling himself quite secure,"
writes Cardinal ANTONELLI, "by the strong and
irrefragable arguments which permitted him to
refute the demand, and fulfilling, besides, the duty
of his office—for he is still Prefect of the Holy
Apostolical Palaces—the undersigned has not hesi-
_ _

tilted to declare that he would never ascent to any
act which could give ever so remote an appearance
of consent to a spoliation of this kind, and conse-
quently has refused to deliver the keys of
the apartments of the HOLY FATHER, the
doors of which had already been arbitrarily
sealed." The sequel. ;is exactly, of course,
what might have been expected under the circum-
_

stances. Failing to receive the keys of the Apostolic
Palace, the delegates of General LAMARMORA had

the locks of the doors broken open, and, penetrating
into the interior, summarily and formally took posses-
sion of the Quirinal. The Rule of Might is
evidently now the'Law of Europe. Prussia wanted
Hanover in 1866 and took it. Prussia wants to keep
Alsacd and Lorraine, and quite naturally therefore
declines to give them up, now that they have, by the
fortunes of war, fallen into her possession. Under

existing circumutance,s, therefore, it is hardly
surprising that the Autocrat of all the Russian, see-
ing before him something very much like an

opportunity to realise at last the hereditary
ambition of his house, should announce his determi-
nation to throw aside the treaty of 1856 as the first
step evidently towards a Muscovite seizure of Con-
stantinople.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

THE RUSSIAN MILITARY MOVEMENTS.

It is reported, with what truth wo know not, that
Le Emperor of Russia, in signing the decree for the

new system of recruiting, wrote across it the words
"In view of present circumstances to be carried into
effect immediately." Certain it is that only a week
or two ago the German plan of recruitment, which
is now so demanded, was the n spoken of by the

newspapers as utterly impossible at the
present time in Russia. The Goloss and
other official journals are attempting to show that
the Imperial order has nothing to do with Prince
Gortchakoff's circular, but that in principle it is a
natural consequence of the other reforms of the
present reign. It is somewhat difficult to reconcile
all these views, and to believe that the raising
of the Eastern Question for • the fourth tiwe
has not really had some important influence in
making the Czar direct his army to be thoroughly
strengthened and concentrated under a wonderful
organisation. We in England may at least rest satis-
fied that the Prussian system, if introduced into
Russia, will probably at first render the Russian
soldiery more defective on the whole, and that it
will take five years before the troops could be
disciplined and drilled like their great exemplars.
In spite of this consideration, however, we can with
authority state that military circles at Aldershot
view with suspicion the activity respecting the army
in Russia, and one officer, rather high in command,
has given it as his opinion that the British army
will be on the Danube in less than three months.

the BeigianClunnber of Deputies. The members had
been discuhsihg peaceitilly enough the desirability of
certain constittiticnal reforms, when AL Barn, one of
the et-Ministers, demanded from M. Cornesso, the
present Minister of Jtistice,. an explanation of the
reprieve granted to a certain criminal named Hessols.
This worthy, it seems, was a baker, and was con-
iicted of mixing sulphate of copper with
bread, but obtained a reprieve front the
pkesent Ministbk. M. Bard Maintained that an appeal
for pardon had been made to him when in office,
but he had refused it. M. Cornesse declared ho found
no mention of M. Barn's share of the business in the

Ministerial records. M. Bara reiterate I his state-
ment,.and contended that influential persons inter-
ceded for the unscrupulous broadmaker, among them
the burgomaster of a Dutch village, his relation.
Conversations with the judges who had taken part
in the affair convinced M. Bara that they were op-
posed to a reprieve, and he accordingly refused it.
His successor must have heard of his refusal, and its
' reasons, from the culprit's own advocates, but the
fact of the matter Was he had granted the reprieve
from political motives. Matters having reached this
stage, the excitement was difficult to appease. One
member asked for the documents respecting Dessous
le Moustier—a poisoner, the commutation of whose
sentence. created great dissatisfaction in Belgium last
rear, and another meekly remarked that mixing sul-
phate of copper in bread Was undoubtedly a horrible
Crime. The matter, says the Belgian press, demands
explanation.