The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-13 00:00:00

marks no ordinary epoch either in regard to_the
interests of this nation alone, or in regard to the
combined interests of all the other portions of
Christendom. Our Ministers are brought together
this day, alike upon the morrow, and upon the eve
manifestly of events, some of them at least alto-
gether unprecedented. In respect merely to what
has been termed, not altogether inaptly, and cer-
tainly, in the absence of any better phrase, very ex-
pressively the Balance of Power in Europe, what
is the latest and most remarkable spectacle that we
have been called to witness, that we are actually
now witnessing, in furtherance of the great work
of its readjustment ? The spectacle of Another
Great Power rising into existence out of the chaos
of many small and hitherto bitterly antagonistic
principalities ! And assuredly, in reference to the
rise and consolidation of the New Kingdom of Italy,
her MAJESTY'S Ministers have nothing what-
ever to reproach themselves with—their whole
' policy in regard to the self-solution of the Italian
Difficulty being expressed in the one simple and
comprehensible and, by this time, perfectly familiar
phrase of non-intervention. In respect, again, to
another matter of exceeding delicacy that might
not unreasonably have been expected to embarrass
if it did not, in fact, absolutely bewilder, the Coun-
cils of the Administration—in respect, we wean,
to the manly reconcilment of an unbroken alliance
with France, of the reconcilment of this unbroken
alliance with the development and rapid reorganisa-
tion of our national defences, military and maritime,
and not one of these defences only, but all
of them, as General PEEL finely, because truly,
says, VOLUNTEERED! In respect to the al-
most problematic reconcilment of those two
apparent opposites—here, too, Ministers have
nothing whatever to reproach themselves with,
on. the contrary, they have every reason to indulge
in self-gratulations, they have every cause, at this
moment, to exult in the happy issue as yet of their
judicious and hitherto most successful policy. The
blessings predicated so very abundantly from the
operation of the Commercial Treaty between our-
selves and our French neighbours have certainly
yet to begin dropping in upon us—and we are still
left to the last, dazed by the wholly unlooked for,
and even now entirely enigmatical phenomenon of
the Great Apostle of Free Trade sojourning, during
the best part of a year in an obscure office some-
where in a back street of Paris negotiating
—what in the name of fortune ?
why, nothing less than a Treaty of
Reciprocity, and what is more, one that turns out,
when it is looked at more closely, only nominally
and not actually a Treaty of Reciprocity ! The
Reciprocity being—(we are reduced to the neces-
sity of the Bull in order to define what is other wise
altogether indefinable)—the Reciprocity here being
all on one side ! and as we have again and again
shown, that side (the wrong side of the hedge for
us) ours ! Admitting all which, however, one must
allow even here, even in regard to the Treaty—as one
admits in regard to the blunder of any well-inten-
tioned but indiscreet friend that one is yet sincerely
interested in and attached to, in spite of his blun-
dering—it was all no doubt meant well ! Nay,
we will even go so far as to admit, it may turn
out to be the small end of the wedge, the
very small end of the wedge of Free Trade
that time may eventually drive ." home," so as to
topple down at last the giant Blunderbore of French
Monopoly. However this may be in regard to the
Treaty, nevertheless, there still remains intact the
Anglo-French Alliance—so wholly uninterrupted
that our soldiers have been advancing together,
side by side upon the battle-fields of China, carrying
the Royal banners of VICTORIA and the Imperial
Eagles of NAPOLEON up to the very gates of Pekin
—while at home here, our National Defences are
already so far developed in their progress towards
a more perfect organisation that already we may
laugh to scorn the notion of any invasion being
attempted, even by a world in arms. Not without
effect have we spent in a year of peace upwards of
thirty millions upon our War Establishments. Not
without effect, has that clarion of patriotism been
sounded which has called together within a few
months our National Guard of 170,000 Rifle
Volunteers.

While Ministers have thus been enabled, happily,
during their Cabinet Council this afternoon, to look
towards the future without any excessive solici-
tude, and to look back to the past not without
a very reasonable sense of complacency or self
gratulation—let us hope still that they will Rot
have separated before resolving that all due honour
shall to-morrow morning be paid to the
glorious and imperishable memory of one
of the most heroic citizens who ever reflected
honour upon the annals of England. Let us hope
that Ministers will have resolved this afternoon,
before the close of their Cabinet Council, that the
Guards, both foot and horse, shall attend the coffin
of the Great Sailor from Kensington to West-
minster Abbey, and that the park guns shall fire
a salute in Farewell as the grave receives all that
is mortal of that grand old Earl of DUNDONALD.

While the other notabilities of the day are pub-
lishing their views on public matters, in ovations
at Agricultural Meetings, Mechanics' Institutes,
Volunteer Prize Meetings, and hospitable gather•
ings at the Mansion-House, Mr. JOHN BRIGHT,
long silent, slips quietly into print through a
private letter, which we must suppose he permitted
to become public. We must sympathise with the
Hon. Member in finding that he cannot do the
work of a talking and long session, and repeat also
his Autumn Reform crusade in the provinces. It
cannot be denied that he pleaded the cause of revi-
sion of the constituencies with extraordinary
ability and vigour; and that he advocated well a
large extension of the franchise. But the members
for the small boroughs were too many for him.
Whigs and Tories gladly availed themselves of
their numerical strength, and the petty boroughs
by favour of Mr. DISRAELI, and of Lord JOHN
RUSSELL too, held their own. As to the suffrage,
it was too plain that the great body of the opera-
tives cared nothing about it. An effective move-
ment on their part would have been the easiest thing
in the world ; but they moved not. If they were poli-
tical serfs they at least wore their chains unwillingly;
and a futile strike for one hour a day less work was
of more interest to them than to become full
citizens of their country. For the hour, which
they could not get, thousands subscribed money
and thousands starved. For the right to vote in the
election of Representatives to Parliament hardly a
voice was raised, hardly a meeting was held !
Could we believe the negroes of New Orleans so
indifferent to their rights, it would not be easy to
get up the steam for emancipation.
Then, not only were the operatives indifferent to
the offered privilege, hut those who possessed it
were but too glad to find them so, Employers of
labour, above all, shrunk from seeing their single
vote overwhelmed by those of the tens and hundreds
whom they employed. We have little doubt that
even such Radical and benevolent masters as Mr.
F the member for the West Riding,
ariRdA;II: C.TRS
ITT SALT, YRiding, the member for Bradford, were
not ill-pleased that the cry for universal suffrage,
very near it, did not take. They, to
orb in
e ssoumree,tehveng
with the ballot, would be pretty cer-