The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TPURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 17, 1869.

credulous people believing in the EMPEROR'S cre-
dence in that absurd prediction, that he would show
himself to be the most wantonly misguided of mor
tals, if—so thinking—he laid himself open to its ful-
filment by ever courting the catastrophe. Ludicrous,
however, though all these lying rumours have been in
respect to the French EMPEROR, the absurdest that
has ever yet sprung into existence in his regard is
this, that he himself, through his own police agents,
got up these recent insurrectionary movements in Paris
in order that he might put them down immediately
afterwards. The notion is nothing less than abso-
lutely preposterous. The astutest Sovereign in
Chris'enclom is the unlikeliest man in the
whole world to be playing with those edged tools !
He, if any man, has studied French History with an
eye, and a judgment, and a conscientious scrutiny of
the keenest investigation. If he understands any-
thing upon earth it is the French character. Born in
the purple—the first of all the Imperial Princes—in
the old Bourbon Palace of the Tuileries, whither he
was to return home, upwards of forty years after the
dAte of his birth, himself as Emperor—NAPOLEON 111.
acquired the wisdom of experience and of observation
in the best school of all, that of adversity, for a very
long interval in exile, for six years together as a
student-prisoner in the Fortress of Ham—a wisdom
the stores of which he has more recently had the op-
portunity of wonderfully enhancing in more than a
score of years of supreme power as ruler of France,
since the time when that supreme responsibi-
lity first passed into ' his hands. The notion of
the successor of Louis PHILIPPE, wantonly
and wilfully, provoking a collision in the streets of
Paris, between the mob and the police, is beyonl a
moment's question of it the most extrayagaut impu-
tation yet directed by the enemies of the EMPEROR
against his character, and against his capacity as a
ruler of men. It is not simply a denial of his good
faith, but of his common sense.

WHATEVER be the fate of the Irish Church] Bill,
the debate upon it in the Upper House has afforded
one of the strongest arguments ever urged for the
retention of the bishops in the House of Lords.
No one, whatever be his views upon the
great question now before the country,
whatever be the religious communion to which
he belongs, can read without a glow of pride the
speeches which have been delivered by the Arch-
bishop of CANTERBURY and the Bishop of St. DAVID'S
on the one side, and by the Bishop of DERRY and
the Bishop of PETERBOROUGH on the other. The
first were fine specimens of cogent logic ; the second
were even finer specimens of magnificent rhetoric.
In truth, nothing grander than the speech of the last-
named prelate has been heard since this question
was first raised, nothing grander, we had almost ven-
tured to say, has ever been heard in either
House of Parliament. It is impossible not to
feel that the House of Lords, nay, the whole nation,
would have sustained a heavy loss if it had been
deprived of these speeches ; it is impossible not to
regret that one result of the Irish Church Bill will be
the exclusion of Bishop ALEXANDER, from Parliament
or to rejoice that the bill does not involve the exclu-
sion of Bishop MAGEE. Altogetherit must be admitted
that the reputation of the Upper House as a debating
assembly has not only been maintained, but greatly
enhanced this week. There is something, after all, in
" blood and culture."

One of the most satiscaeory features of this great
debate is the unanimity with which the leading peers
on both sides of the House have agreed to repudiate
the antiquated objections respecting the Coronation
Oath and the Act of Union. The Bishop of PETER-
BOROUGH—by far the most effective debater against
the bill—commenced his speech by referring to
these objections with a candour that was only
just short of being contemptuous. Considering the
vehemence with which they were urged on the hustings
and have since been urged at the " demonstrations,
considering too that there are still one or two peers
who believe that these objections have weight, the
plainness with which Dr. MAGEE spewed the absurdity
of them is worthy of all praise. He could well
afford to dispense with such lumbering weapons as
those. As well might the modern artillerist resort to
the old fashioned hooped guns of three hundred years
ago, as an orator of the Bishop of PETERBOROUGH'S
type insist that an Act of Parliament passed nearly
seventy years ago was binding for all time, or that the
QUEEN, having promised Parliament not to alter the
laws, is not free to accept any alterationof them when
Parliament sanctions it. There was, however, one
fallacy which ran through the whole of the Bishop
of PETERBOROUGH'S speech, and also through those
of the Archbishop of DUBLIN and other members of
the Opposition. They spoke of the Church being
sent forth stripped and naked, and waxed elo-
quent and pathetic over the pitiable spec-
tacle. We need hardly remind our readers
that it exists only in the imagination of the speakers.
A Church which starts upon its new career with
btnhee taawtr
letyhe led%
Englishsevenit
ble andhe
chuei.i
incomeih tnp
per
rw he enjoys millions
ja.odys
of sftiretorsilni nge
membersdwo iwt
1-
ments—can hardly ba in the deplorable plight
that these two prelates represented. Another
incident worth notice is that there is still
a strong feeling among individual peers of
both parties in favour of a concurrent endow-
ment of the Roman Catholic Church. We all
know that Lord RUSSELL desires this, and Bishop
THIRLIVALL, Lord PENZANCE, and even Bishop
-MAGEE himself would seem to prefer it. But the
second and the third of these frankly admit that the
nation will not have it, and that the time is, there-
fore, gone by for proposing it.
While the Conservative Cave grows larger every
day, while Lord DERBY'S old Cabinet colleagues
entreat him not to reject the bill, and so throw away
the opportunity which now offers for amending it,
the talked-of Liberal Cave has come to nothing.
Earl GREY has too often called down upon himself
Hoon's sarcasm that

" He lies like a hedgehog rolled up the wrong way,
Tormenting himself with his prickles."
and it was generally supposed that he would be found
going against the party with whom he is nominally
associated. But he has done the opposite.
His speech was one of the most argumentative
and logical that has been delivered against the policy
of Lord DERBY and his friends. He pointed
out, as the Duke of RICHMOND did after him, that
while it may be doubtful how far the nation has ap-
proved the details of Mr. GLADSTONE'S measure, it
has unquestionably approved the main principles,
and that there is not the smallest reason to
suppose that a fresh appeal to the country
would produce a different response. He pointed
out, too, how good an opportunity the Peers would
have of altering the bill if it went into committee, an
opportunity that would never recur if the bill were
rejected. He reminded his fellow peers that in
yielding to the will of the House of Commons in this
matterthat
enuoswe,
when, hen
,woud b
thirty-one
l ut follow
years thea
ago,
exampleit
yielded of
to the will of
atOisofonntih etbhelecia:llllssereis
hotf
hceLhOurndracsthi 1-01
iplaOnnds
utihlfiewo
ryr et
el:a
tsashill-nenielUarpper as it now supports the Lower House.
These judicious remarks, and the approving " Hear,
hear " of Lord RUSSELL, shew that all hope from
any divisions among the Liberal parties is now ,eut
away from the Conservatives. In speaking tl ms,
Lord GREY did such good service that lie
may well be pardoned for the ill-natured remt .rks
which he made as to the origin of the pies .ent
controversy. In fact, he answered them himse If ;
lie himself refuted his own accusations. Finally, All
those who love the Constitution, and deprecate arr:
violent change, such as would result from a. conflict
between the two Houses and between the Lords and.
the nation, cannot sufficiently express their gratitude,
to the Peers who, like the Duke of RicirgoNo, the,
Archbishop of CANTERBURY, and the Earl of
CARNARVON, have separated from th.air part y or
their order in the hope of sparing thin count ,ry a
great calamity,

LATEST INTELI MENU

(REU'ER'S TELEGRAM.)

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, WEDNESDAY, June 10.

The examination of the prisoners at Bicetre goes on
rapidly. Four hundred and eighty have already been
set at liberty, and the Patrie expects that
the vast majority of the remainder will follow.
The semi-official paper remarks that the persons arrested
are easily separated into two classes, those who were
mixed up with the rioting mob, sight-seers, and the like,
who were arrested en masse ; and the really culpable dis-
turbers of the peace. When the wheat is thus separated
from the chaff, there will, says the Patrie, be only about
200 left. As to the imprudent and foolish folk who, with-
out being rioters themselves, yet mingled with those who
were, the Patrie thinks that the arrest and detention will
be sufficient punishment for their indiscretion. No doubt
it will. The board and lodging at Bicetre is so indiffe-
rent, not to speak of the inconvenience and ignominy of
several days' detention, that the m ore respectable portion of
the martyrs will beware of riotous crowds for the future.
The majority of the individuals arrested consists of the
dregsof the Parisian population ; almost all are under age,
and many have undergone previous condemnations. The
bar is greatly excited at the arrest of two of its
members, MM. Bocquet and Laferriere. A petition
has been drawn up at the Palais de Justice, and receives
numerous signatures. The petitioners offer to become
bail for their fellow-barristers, and ask for their
provisional liberation. Some journalists who were incar-
cerated have been set at liberty ; but the press prosecu-
tions arising out of these disturbances will be yen,
numerous.

Meanwhile certain individuals have been reaping the
reward of the folly of which they were guilty about a
month ago. Three students have been tried by the Cor-
rectional Tribunal for resisting the police during the
disorders of May 13th. One had thrown a leather case filled
with papers in the face of one agent, another had struck a
sergent twice in the head, a third had incited his compa-
nions to rescue some students who had been taken prisoners.
They were very lightly dealt with, the highest penalty
inflicted being a fine of £4. Three workmen were likewise
charged with seditious proceedings. Their offence con-
sisted in posting up a song entitled " Nommons Raspail,"
the name of which explains its nature. Two of
them were sentenced to a fortnight's imprisonment, and
the other, who was the author of the delightful production,
to two months'.

The strike in the neighbourhood of St. Etienne con-
tinues. The earlier accounts gave the impression that the
turn-out had been a riot provoked by the news that Paris
had risen and overturned the Government ; but the affair
has since developed into a regular strike. Very exten-
sive, too, are the demands of the miners, comprising both
a reduction of the hours of labour and an increase of
wages, besides lesser changes. The suspension of work
continues in all the region of the Loire, but some isolated
mines are recommencing business. These have to be pro-
tected by detachments of soldiers.
The Duc de Persigny is very little satisfied with the
reception accorded to his epistle. The journals of all
shades unite in condemning it, on the ground that it is
indefinite and purposeless, complaining of the present
situation, and yet suggesting nothing. The Duc promises
a second epistle, in which be will be much more explicit.
To make Paris a seaport has been one of the
hobbies of several French sovereigns. The only possible
means of realising this idea is by a ship canal, for the,
Seine is so shallow that nothing with greater draught than
a barge can get up it. But still the Parisians like to
imagine that they are a seafaring people. They
have built a curious vessel with three masts,
entitled the Paris-Port•de-Mer. This ship, which of
course is of very small draught, has been lying some time
off one of the quays. Yesterday, however, she was towed
down the river, and is about to adventure with a full
freight of goods to China.
One of the most remarkable instances of religious
monomania I ever met with is recorded in a Rouen
paper. A working stove•fitter of ChAteau-Thierry
(Aisne), aged about 40, a married man and father of a
family, was found a few days back in his garret, lying on
a cross, which he bad himself constructed out of old
rafters, and to which, in imitation of the death of
Jesus Christ, he had actually nailed his two feet and
one of his hands. He was removed to the hospital.
Lord Lyons has left Paris for London, to be present in
the House of Lords at the debate on the Irish Church
Bill.