The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-18 00:00:00

EXCHEQUER BONDS.

Mr. DISRAELI asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
for what period he proposed to postpone the payment of the
£1,000,000 Exchequer Bonds.
Mr. LAING said that the last procedure in reference to
the subject had been laid down by the right hon. gentleman
himself when Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1858, who
renewed these bonds for three and a halt and four years.
Perhaps a similar power would be asked.

THE TREATY WITH FRANCE.
On the motion of the adjournment of the house at its
rising till Monday,
Mr. BENTINCK asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether any understanding had been come to between the
Governments of France and this country, in the event of
the commercial treaty not being sanctioned by Parlia-
ment ?
Lord PALMERSTON said that the Government
proceeded on the assumption that the treaty would receive
the approval of Parliament. (Hear, hear.) They had
been sanguine iu the estimate they had formed of the
benefits that would result from the adoption of
that treaty, both with reference to the ex-
tension of the commerce of this country, and ana
ce-
menting
in closer bonds the two countries. rr
Govern-
ment confided too much in the good feeling and good
sense of the house and the counwofurym_.
n (hear,
—to suppose that the treaty b hear, hear)
e approved,
notwithstanding the opinion of certain hon.t members, and
of certain sections of politicians in the country. Not con-
templating the rejection of the treaty no understanding

Mr. STIRLING sulked the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs if he would make a statement to the house explaining
why it was necessary or expedient that the fiscal arrange-
ments between Great Britain and France, proposed in the
budget, should be made the subject of a treaty, seeing that
there existed no apparent censtitutional obstacle to the
adoption of those arrangements by the ordinary legislation
of the two countries respectively; and whether any corms-
pondenee bearing on this point existed between her Majesty's
Foreign Secretary and Earl Cowley and Mr. Cobden, or
between any other official personages who took part in the
late negotiations ; and if such correspondence could be laid
on the table of the house P The hon. gentleman proceeded
to observe that nothing could be more opposite to the recent
policy of the Government of the noble lord the Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs delivered in that :louse on the
22d of July last. (Hear, hear.) In that speech those who
were listeners would not fail to remember that no man could
express himselfmore decidedly egainst commercial treaties
than the noble lord. (Hear, hear.) When they found that a
Government which prided itself upon its frec-trade principles
negotiated a treaty in direct violation of those principles, it
was surely time for the House of Commons to see what was
being done. (Hear, hear.) How could it be explained that
that which was wrong in July was right in December. (Hear,
hear.) Neither in the treaty itself, nor in the speech of the
right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was
there the slightest solution of this difficulty. In July the noble
lord said that it was competent for each country te make suck
alterations as those subsequently proposed. The present ex-
planation was that the constitution of France required a
treaty in order to carry out the proposed changes. He (Mr.
Stirling) had looked into the treaty, and did not see any-
thing in it which bore out that assertion. The hon. gen-
tleman concluded with his question.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that the opinion of the law offi-
cers had been taken on the,subject, and that sufficient penal-
ties were not attached to the forging of trade marks. It
would be obvious that the British Government could not
ask any foreign Government to do anything in the matter
until our own manufacturers had received that guarantee
against improper trade marks which they did not at present
enjoy. For this reason a bill would be shortly introduced,
in which such punishment would be enacted for the forging
of trade marks as would, he hoped, prevent the commission
of the offence. When that bill became law the Government
would apply to negotiate with foreign countries, in order to
obtain the object which his hon. and learned friend had in
view. In reply to the question of the hon. gentleman (Mr.
Stifling), he thought the hon. gentleman must see it was
a question of so large a nature that he could scarcely expect
him to answer it upon that evening. If he desired to put
forward these remarks as an argument against the commer-
cial treaty it was certainly at • his option to do so, but he
(Lord J. Russell) thought he would be consulting the wishes
of the house by not entering into this discussion at the pre-
sent moment. He despaired of convincing the hon. mem-
ber if he were net convinced by the speech of his right
hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but promised
' him he would take part in the discussion upon Monday
next, when the whole question of protection and free trade
would be brought before the house—(hear, hear)—and it
would be his argument on that occasion that when com-
mercial treaties wore adverse to free trade he would be
against commercial treaties, but when they tended to esta-
blish the principles of free trade he would be in their favour.
(Cheers.) The Treaty of Commerce must be looked upon
as a means to an end.

SAVOY.

The same noble lord proceeded further to say—l think it
right to add, for the information of the house, some state-
ments in regard to questions put to me last evening. Her
.Majesty's ambassador in France having addressed the Em-
peror upon this subject of the annexation of Savoy, was
answered that the Emperor of France would not proceed to
any final decision upon this matter of Savoy without con-
sulting the great Powers of Europe ; and he stated, more-
over, that he would never think of any annexation on the
part of Savoy, unless the people of Savoy were desirous of
annexation. (Ironical cheering.) Our ambassador after-
wards wards was desired by the Emperor of the French to make
this this communication to her Majesty's Goverament n
b
same communication was subsequentlyrepeatedy M.
. I
Touvenel, the Minister for Foreign Affairs in F
ranceat
don't know that I can state anything
further on this sub-
ject, but it will appear from what
i eion be come to.
have
stated that there
must be more negotiation before afinald
THE BTIDGET.
subject of general and press-
Mr. DISRAELI—This
k can be postponed. (Hear.)
enroll. I believe I am only ex-
ilnagniundteerteostihwehtircehatlldoofnlcionotinigthal
• of the house when I say that
pressing the general
we want to knobwe
bfrroomafegehthtebGefoovreerrenTthheohwoutsheewtirllezooj
commerce is to
1787 the Ministers brought down the treaty b
the noble lord did the other day, and
tliercettthhaattoinual certain day the treaty would be taken ginatvoecon-
sideration,command and would move resolutions which would in fact
embody
Crown.
passed
ht hTeehrprovisions of the
iso,
us therewer
et
wouldretahtey T
sent
entahnteo house
atdhder
eHs
sohutaosveti
the
n
Lords, which also passed them. A similar address was.
presented to the Crown, S gracious answer was received
from the thron-, and then the House of Commons pro-
ceeded topass a bill for the purpose of carrying the treaty
into effect. Ido nut see that the Government is
now pursuing a similar course— (hear, hear, and el.eers)-ss
and it seems to me that by not pursuing thr.t course
the House of Commons will be deprived of its 'privileges in a
most important matter. (Hear, hear.) The A7mister for
Foreign Affairs has not given notice of his inter tion of call-
ing on the house to consider the treaty, or to / agislate so as
to carry the treaty into effect ; but we hear tilt At on Monday
we are to proceed by resolution, in a commit, cee on the cus-
toms duties, moved by the right hon. gentle, nan the r.'hau•
cellor of the Exchequer. It may be said—and I beg the
house to observe this—that when we go into coren*...ittee upon.
the Customs Acts, we shall be called up on to r educe the
duties—those duties the reduction of wl• Joh is p rovided for
in the treaty of commerce—snd that the:refore the resolution
is a preliminary step for carrying the treaty into effect. But