The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON,

TILT PAPAL STATES.

(tnou out OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

ROME, FEB. W.
Rome is full of notabilities. Longfellow is spending his
winter here, and Gounod, the composer of "Faust," has
arrived, and intends, it is said, to settle here, and conse-
crate his talent to the cultivation of sacred music. He
has been received with especial kindness by the Pope.
The Marquis of Bute, with Mgr. Capel, left Rome for
Civita Vecchia on Monday, where they embarked on board
a yacht for the East, and intend returning to Rome for
the Holy Week.

The celebrated Abbess of Mintk, the victim of Russian
cruelty, who sought a refuge in Rome in the time of
Gregory XVI., died a few days since in her convent of
exiled Polish Basilican nuns on the Esquiline, of which she
had been for many years superioress. The Pope sent her
his benediction on her death-bed. The name of Makrina
Mieroslawski was once intimately associated with that of
the Czar Nicholas, from the reproof administered to him
apropos of the affair of his visit to Rome in 1844.

A very large quantity of warlike stores, including 60,000
cartouches, have been disembarked at Civita Vecchia for
the use of the French garrison. There does not appear to
be any intention whatever of a change of policy on the
part of France—at least before the March elections—
as the clerical influence in the departments goes
too thoroughly hand in hand with the national feeling
to admit of the Emperor's ignoring it. The Archbishops
of Rouen and of Rheims have each remitted about £3,200
to Rome this week, and immense sums are, arriving from
all the departments and great religious centres in France,
and I may add Germany, where a complete revival of
devotion to the Holy See is taking the form of public sub-
scriptions to an immense value for the coming 11th of
April, the anniversary of the day when Pius IX.
celebrated his first mass in the poor schools of Tata
Giovanni, of which he was then a great benefactor.
The French Ambassador, M. De Banneville, delivered
his letters of credit to the Pope on Tuesday, and after-
wards received the Roman and foreign aristocracy in the
Palazzo Coloilta. Nothing could be more brilliant-than
the reception. Few noble names in Europe were with-
out a representative, and the uniforms, official
costumes, and magnificent jewels of the guests,
rendered the scene a most imposing one. The
great affluence of guests is regarded by the friends of
the Temporal Power as an important demonstration in its
favour, as the Marquis de Banneville has lost no occasion
of publishing his sentiments, and of declaring his resolution
of resigning his post, if the Foreign Office at Paris sent
him instructions in an adverse sense. Madame de
Banneville wore a magnificent gold-coloured train over
white, and a coiffure, also of the Pontifical colours—a very
strong measure in Rome for a French ambassadress.

Archbishop Manning preached on Wednesday at San
Marcello in aid of the Opera Apostolica, a pious society,
presided over by the Princess Orsini, for the purpose of
furnishing poor foreign missions with plate and vestments.
The Pope continues perfectly well.

A horrible accident occurred yesterday at the Villa
Borghese. A landau, containing Mrs. Firnim and her
two daughters, and driven, it is supposed, by a coachman
the worse for liquor, was seen advancing at full speed
along the principal alley, drawn by two runaway
horses. A French nobleman, well known for his courage
and coolnE.s, the Comte do Christen, happened
to be on the spot, and threw himself before the
horses in hopes of stopping them. Before he was able,
however, to reach the reins a square stone in the road
caused the overturn of the carriage, and the ladies were
precipitated with the greatest violence to the ground.
Mrs. Firnim was taken up senseless, having received
several dreadful contusions on the head and body, and her
life is despaired of. Her elder daughter is also in a dan-
gerous condition from her bruises, which were also on the
head. The younger lady was more slightly injured, and
it is hoped the accident may, for her at least, be devuid of
serious consequences.

METROPOLITAN GOSSlP.—Thursduy.

Surely never did Session open more tamely than this.
Yet it is expected to be the stormiest for many
a year past ; and remembering those of the last three year!
that is saying a good deal. By common consent there is
to be no preliminary skirmishing, but the strength of both
armies will be reserved for the great battle close at hand.
This rigid rule of self-restraint which the Conservative
leaders have laid down was amusingly illustrated a few
nights ago. Sir John Hay, a Lord of the Admiralty
in the last Administration, got up proprio mote
to ask whether Sir Sidney Waterlow meant
to vacate his seat, on the ground that he bad a
Government contract. Sir John did not content himself
with asking a question, he tendered advice, which, coming
from a political opponent, the London alderman was not
at all likely to accept. Hon. members were beginning
to get excited, and there was every appearance of
a division, when Mr. Ward Hunt rose, and snubbing
his colleague so effectually that Sir John left the
House in a pet, agreed to the proposal from the
Ministerial side of the House that a committee should
be appointed to inquire into the matter. Sir John, in his
eager partizanship, had forgotten the old proverb about
sauce being equally appropriate for the goose and the
gander, that if he succeeded in ejecting the Liberal member
for Dumfriesshire, be would also eject the Conservative
member for Manchester, who is in exactly the same
position, and that while the Liberals would
probably retain the first seat on a fresh election, the
Conservatives would certainly lose the second. So Mr.
Hunt interposed to good purpose, and up to the time I
write the Conservative managers have done their work so
well that they have not taken a single division, have not
once given visible proof of their arithmetical inferiority.
It would be absurd to trouble you with long speculations
as to the measure which is to be introduced on Monday.
A few hours now will shew whether the Government
has mastered or bungled the most difficult question pre-
sented to Parliament within the lifetime of most of us.
If the hints given by journals supposed to enjoy a certain
amount of inspiration be worth anything, the measure
will be "a very simple one," in which case it can scarcely
be very thorough. On the other hand, the numerous
meetings of the Cabinet, and the long sittings, extending,
it is said, to seven hours, would certainly imply that some-
thing more than abstract principles are under discussion,
that it is details of a very numerous and complex kind
which are under consideration.

Mr. Bright seems to feel the collar a good deal. His
speech at Fishmongers' Hall about the bishops was indis-
creet, to say the least; his speech last evening at the dinner
of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, shewed also how
restless he is in harness. During Tuesday's debate on local
taxation he kept his mouth with a bridle, even though the
country squires were before him; and, being apparently
better informed than Mr. Goschen as to the intentions of
the Premier, he did not attempt to answer the arguments
which came from the Opposition bench. But all the time
that he was musing the fire burned. He could not restrain
himself for more than 24 hours. The Westminster Palace
Hotel gave him an opportunity for kicking over the tract,
which bad been denied him at Westminster Palace, and
he proceeeded to deliver himself of all the reasons
against granting the country gentlemen's request
which he had kept in petto on the previous
night. Considering that his chief had granted this request,
and pledged his Government to effecting the required
changes, this was scarcely fair to Mr. Gladstone. If Mr.
Bright thinks it necessary to prove that be still retains his
independence by criticising outside the House the mea-
sures which by his silence he sanctions inside, he will find
himself attempting to perform a feat long considered dan-
gerous, if not impossible—sitting between two stools.

- So Scotland is to set us an example in bankruptcy as
well as in banking. Scotch banking has long been the
asrceadboaluoutstofailre
learnu
fromon n° d thisetl
bs seyi sdst eee moo
tf t
howhane dT
wt afteroe e
wd ,
imnwad en Syn
poyu etahrrs ono sf an
t estates. The
revelations which Sir Robert Collier made at the Chamber
of Commerce dinner were, though out of regard to the
respect due to Parliament, brief, eminently satisfactory.
The present Government is not going to waste time in
Pottering over that conspicuous failure of a very clever
but most unsuccessful man, Lord Westbury's Bankruptcy
Bill of 1861, but will reform the system altogether.
stohen almostm
keenr
o mi
extinctri .
na John
eng te
M.P.s and frequenters of the lobbies of St. Stephens
will miss the face of a gentleman very well known to
many of the
Curling, who died a few days
ago. He was the son of a Surrey country gentleman, who
had taken
no
a lessp
general
parterrace
e politician. ino f local
old Whigs, politics,u e belonged
believedan t hiso
n was
Gladstone. devoutly
in
ie
Lordi wasßu kssenllo,
w t
ail?
oa
dreaded,largenumber
not to say
hated, Mr.
and even the stern janitors at the door of the House
deigned to talk with him as an equal. His great
ambition was to pass that door, and he made several
attempts to go through the preliminary ordeal of election,
offering himself to Dartmouth, Tavistock, and Devizes ;
but in vain. By profession he was a solicitor, and was
employed chiefly in parliamentary work. He drew up
several bills, amongst them some eccentric measures intro-
duced by the Marquis Tovrnshend. Between the Mar-
quis and Mr. Curling there was a bond of sympathy in
their love of animals. Mr. Curling was one of the pro-
moters of the refuge for dogs,, and he never stirred out
without carrying a supply of Hscuits for distressed dogs
and cats. He was a remarkaNy handsome man, and
dressed in the fashion of the beaux of thirty years ago—a
fashion which some of the young swelio in the War Office
are attempting to revive.

There is one new member of the present House whereof
great things are expected. It is Mr. Charles Wentworth
Dille, M. P. for Chelsea, ana son of the proprietor of the