The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-12 00:00:00

EMI OF
_THE PVBLIC_JOURNALS.

The Saturday _Review thinks there is reason to hope that
.the risk of a collision between the two Houses may still be
averted. The time which has been afforded for reflection

las certainly not in all instances been wasted, and it is
believed that some eminent prelates are disposed to restrain
the ardour of impetuous laymen. If the majority, under
the rash guidance of Lord Derby, persists in its intention
'of throwing out the Irish Church Bill, the general duty of

'the Government will be clear, although there may be some

difference of opinion as to the course which ought to be
immediately adopted. Some of the volunteer advisers
who disguise their counsels to Mr. Gladstone in the
form of imaginary rumours of his intentions, suggest
the extravagant course of a fresh appeal to the
country, not on the abolition of the Irish Establishment,
but on the existence or constitution of the House of Lords.

It is difficult to say whether the dissolution of a devoted
House of Commons on a revolutionary issue would be
more criminal or imbecile. The figment of a reaction
would be for the first time accredited by a wanton repeti-
tion of the question which was so distinctly answered at

the last election. Violent language in the House, or out-
of-doors disturbances, would enlist the sympathies of the
great body of Conservatives on the aide of Lord Derby
and his adherents, although their policy has hitherto been
almost universally condemned. When the party which
haa right on its side happens also to be the stronger, it
would commit a great mistake it it were deliberately to
put itself in the wrong. An extraordinary session held
for the peremptory adoption of the Irish Church Bill
would provide a pretextto hesitating members of the party
for refusing to follow Lord Derby a second time to the
breach. As the Ministers are not exposed to the
• temptation of chewing deficient firmness, they can
well afford to be temperate and courteous, and not even
to bare too ostentatiously the steel gauntlet which their
;adversaries well know to underlie the velvet glove. It has
probably not occurred to any politician that the doomed
Establishment of Ireland is in the smallest degree inte-
rested in the efforts of the House of Lords to prevent or
delay its extinction.
In the event of an autumn session- taking place
through the rejection of the Irish Church Bill, the
Spectator believes that the true course would be to summon
Parliament to meet for that extra session not in London,
but in Dublin. Mr. John Bright long ago suggested that
some one session of Parliament should be devoted chiefly
to Irish affairs, and that it might be desirable to call
together such a session, by way of special exception, and
in order to assist the Legislature in forming a more accu-
rate conception of the condition, character, and wishes of
Ireland, in Dublin. To this, however, there are, of
course, almost insurmountable objections. But the grave
objections which would render it simply impossible to
carry out Mr. Bright's idea, would none of them apply to
holding an extra long vacation session in Dublin simply for a
single legislative object, and that object an Irish one. It
would be only due to the enthusiastic old gentlemen
who have convinced themselves by a sort of intel-
lectual coup d' eat, that a majority of near I'2o
in a Household-Suffrage Parliament, for an opinion,
means that the nation has suddenly decided
against it, to give them the amplest means of
studying the question on its merits, since they seem so
entirely unable to judge of the wish for it by the second.
hand testimony of representatives. Ireland would gain a
slight pecuniary advantage by the inundation—just
enough to put it in good humour. The Irish politicians
would gain more, for they would have proved to their
constituents the full strength of their influence, without
doing anything injurious to the permanent progress of
Ireland. And English politicians would gain most of all,
for they could not meet in Dublin, even for the few weeks
necessary for such a purpose, without realising far more
vividly than they bad ever done before the difference
between the genius of the English and Irish peoples, and
understanding the hopelessness of making both peoples
happy by identical processes either of administration or
legislation.
The John Bull asks whether the Conservative peers
could with any sense of self-respect adopt at this early
period of the struggle any other course than that of sober,
deliberate, and unflinching opposition to the Irish Church
Bill. " But the Lords will yield after all, and they know
they must." But is this either clear -err •even probable?
It is always unwise, either in war or in politics, to assume
anything but the highest intelligence and most clever
strategies on the part of the enemy. Are we to suppose
that the leader of the Government is ever likely to follow
such childish tactics as some of our contemporaries sug-
gest? To try and swamp the House with new peers, or,
even worse, with mere irritated pugnacity, to send up the
bill again after a fortnight's prorogation, and so to call
out that very sympathy for the bayed lords which would
nerve them again to reject the measure, are courses which
no leader who had not lost either head or temper would
ever dream of. What we must consider as before us is an
autumn session. If the country during the vacation
plainly makes it manifest that it adopts this bill and
nothing but this bill—that it is for spoliation and

secularisation of religiens funds, why. then, as
regards this measure, the great Conservative host
must resolve itself into its individual elements, each
member must adopt his own conscientious convictions
independently of party ; it must in the end be a soldier's
battle, and, like many a soldier's battle, not without many
a probability of ultimate victory. If however, on the
other band, the country spews itself languid, as is not
improbable, or, as we rather think, increasingly averse to
many provisions of the bill, why then the future is easily
forseen. The autumnal legislators in the Commons will be
much more reasonable than the vernal legislators ; impor-
tant concessions will be made ; the Lords will be able to
tolerate, and then to do that which is now, as the Times
honestly warns them they cannot do—amend the measure.
The Economist considers that the present crisis in the
House of Lords is in one respect without a precedent,
because the influence of no single peer now predominates,
and many of the lords will have thus to act on they own
judgment who have before deferred to their leader. It
reminds the moderate peers that the rejection of the bill
will throw the present power and the management of this
controversy into the very last hands in which the rejectors
could wish to see it. There are "no moderate people," it
is said, " in a revolution," and though the rejection will
not bring on a revolution, it will cause a great crisis in
which loud voices only can be heard, and where all half-
and-half opinions will come to an end. In At word, if the
quiet peers, with whom the power is, want to help Mr.
Bright, they will reject the bill, for then his' 'words will
again move multitudes and his genius be supreme, for it
is a genius that suits a storm, and he will have the power
to settle what shall happen. But now the quiet peers have
much power themselves, and we cannot think they will
be so infatuated as to transfer it to their oldest, their
strongest, and most dangest opponents.
The Saturday Review, in discussing the strength and
unreasonableness of national antipathies, observes that no
one can say that the difference between civilised nations
is so marked as to justify one in regarding another with
simple contempt, If civilised nations are on the whole
approximately at the same level, we feel it to be as foolish
to hate savages or the semi-civilised ...races as to dislike
animals or children. They are at an imperfect stage of
development, and, in fact, excite no antipathy, unless in
some few unexceptional cases. And this suggests what
is the real cause of such national antipathies. It is not
that we seriously believe another race to be less moral or
less intelligent than ourselves ; for in that case we should
hate the Chinese or the negroes more than Frenchmen or
Americans. t We really bate nations because they are so
nearly our equals. It is felt to be intolerable that people
who do not enjoy the blessings of the British Constitution,
and who cannot even talk intelligibly, should be in many
ways as good as ourselves. A wretched being who,
with unaccountable perversity, says oui when he
means yes, spews himself to be capable of building
towns and making railways, and even fighting battles, as
well as we could do it ourselves. This is the inexpressibly
provoking thing about foreigners ; and it is to relieve our-
selves from the uncomfortable sensations which the
circumstance produces, that we brag so loudly about our
supposed points of superiority. Our ostensible reason for
the antipathies we cherish is the belief that our neigh-
bours are really degraded beings ; but the real cause of
the antipathies is the uncomfortable sensation that, how-
ever superior we may be in some points, they manage to
keep tolerably abreast of us in the race for national excel-
lence. Englishmen were hated on the Continent so long as
they presumed to interfere in continental matters, and
were hated by their allies at least as much as by their
enemies. If we consent to reduce ourselves to insular
insignificance, and allow our commercial supremacy to be
entirely upset, we may take such ccmfoSt as may be in the
thought that people will begin to do us justice, as they
would to specimens in a museum, or monkeys in a zoolo-
gical,. garden. Even the Americans, when they have
taken Canada, exacted four hundred millions of compen.
sation from us, and set up an independent Republic in
Ireland, will begin to be a little sentimental about the old
country, or such fraction of it as may still Le left on its
legs.

Lord Stanley of Alderley has had a relapse
these last few days, arid is in a very weak condition.

THE MURDER IN MONMOUTHSHIRE. —Tile ad-
journed inquest on the body of William Nichols, who, as
well as a man named Davies, was shot by John Lane, the
son of a farmer, near Chepstow, on Saturday last, termin-
ated in the jury finding a verdict of Wilful Murder
against Lane. Davies, who was shot in the arm by the
prisoner while looking at the body of the deceased man
Nichols, has had the injured member amputated. The
gun with which the murder was committed was found in a
hedge, reloaded and capped, about five miles from the spot
where the man. was shot.

'OIIBNALS. -- STIOCIZIAG RAILWAY -ApCIDENT. - ,
aeon to hope that
About one o'clock on Thursday afternoon a fearful accident
oases may still be
occurred on the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, when two
rded for reflection
men were killed in a dreadful manner, and three others
wasted, and it is
isposed to restrain were very seriously injured. It appeared that about one
3 majority, under o'clock in the afternoon a trial trip was taken on the
is in its intention Antelope engine, which was started from Newport to
Bargoed on this line. The engine had been undergoing
2e general duty of
here may be some some repairs, and additions had been made to the fitting
vhich ought to be up, and this trial was for the purpose of testing them. On
olunteer advisers
the engine were five persons, Mr. J. Kendall, the superin-
•
Gladstone in the tendent of the locomotive department on the Rhymney
atentions, suggest Railway; Mr. C. Simpson, the superintendent of the
i appeal to the locomotive department on the Brecon and Merthyr
,sh Establishment, Railway ; and the driver, named Stokes, who lives
ie House of Lords, at Maesycwmmer ; together with Mr. Crane, the
ution of a devoted traffic manager of the Brecon line, and a fitter
y issue would be named Pollard. Several waggons were attached con-
rent of a reaction taining iron ore. All went well until they neared a
y a wanton repeti-
bridge crossing the turnpike road at Maesycwmmer.
inctly answered at
Here there is a curve towards Bargoed, but the engine,
he House, or out- instead of turning, went straight over the rails against
sympathies of the the girder on one side of the bridge. The girder gave way,
ide of Lord Derby 1 and was thrown, together with the engine, tender, and
has hitherto been waggons, into the road beneath, a distance of 16 feet.
•
the party which Stokes was buried beneath the wreck, no part of him
i
be the stronger, it being visible, while the limbs of Mr. Kendall were pro.
ere deliberately to jecting from the mass of iron. Mr. Simpson and others,
nary session held , being more fortunate, were thrown out of the debris,
[rich Church Bill the former breaking his leg, and being also severely
Imbers of the party
scalded. The others were more or less severely injured
'
second time to the by the shock and the falling fragments. Assistance was
exposed to the obtained, and the injured men removed, and efforts were
:mess, they can made to recover the bodies of the two who had been killed.
:ow, and not even Kendall was found frightfully mutilated. Stokes was in
a similar condition.
nutlet which their '
!lvet glove. It has - , ~
n that the doomed ' A STRANGE TRIAL FOR MURDER
ugliest degree lute- ---o---
aords to prevent or A trial for a remarkable double murder has just con-
.. ~.....,.. , .
.. eluded at Tours, in France. A husband was charged with

A trial for a remarkable double murder has just con-
cluded at Tours, in France. A husband was charged with
murdering his wife, and his son was accused of attempting
to murder her paramour. Owing to the good position of
the prisoners and the peculiar circumstances of the case
the trial has excited great interest throughout the country.
The elder accused, Mousier Patry, a banker in Tours, was
married twenty years ago to a young lady possessed of
a fortune of 160,000 f. (26,400). Five children were born
of the marriage—Arthur and Theodore, now aged 19
and 17 years, and three daughters, of which the
eldest is under 13. About ten years ago M. Patry
observed too much intimacy between his wife and M.
Baillou, a friend of his partner in the bank. After some
violent altercations between husband and wife on this sub-
ject, both of them went to Auvergne to visit her father,
and returned to Tours after a year's absence. Soon the
intimacy between M. Baillou and Madame Patry was
renewed, and her light conduct became the town scandal.
During the temporary absence of the husband, Baillou
was frequently seen by the neighbours and the children
visiting the wife. Patry was aware of the state of affairs,
and sought to deaden his sorrow by stupefying drinks.
On the 23rd of February last, at nine o'clock, the
father and two sons retired to their rooms on the first
floor. The mother went to hers on the ground floor,
where her daughters also slept, the youngest being then
absent. At the end of her chamber was a door opening
on a staircase of five steps, leading into the garden.
The accused tells his own story. Not being able to
sleep, he happened to look out of the window
about eleven o'clock, and saw a light in his
wife's apartment. Going down softly he listened
at the door, and distinguished the sounds of two voices.
He then went upstairs, took a gun and loaded it,
awakened his son Arthur, and bringing him to the
window looking out on the garden, desired him to
watch there and fire at the man who would endeavour
to escape. Then he took another gun and went and
knocked at his wife's door and demanded admittance ;
she refused to open ; with a violent effort he burst in
the door, and, as he did so, heard two shots fired by
his son upon the man in the garden. Madame Patry
was nut in the room. Mad with grief and rage, the unfor-
tunate man rushed to the stairs, and tired at his wife, who
had fled to the garden. Then he returned to his son and
daughter, and wept and prayed with them. Madame
Patry died instantly, one ball having penetrated her
brain and the other her heart.

Much sympathy was felt for the unhappy murderer,
whose domestic troubles were well known, and whose repu-
tation was unimpeachable. The case concluded as such
trials in France always do—both prisoners were acquitted,
the verdict being received with loud applause.