The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-08 00:00:00

The determination of the Conservative party to oppose
the second reading of the Irish Church Bill is a serious
matter. Not, of course, that they have the least chance
of throwing it out in the Commons. The gravity of the
movement consists in the indication which it gives of the
intention to obstruct the bill at all hazards, even at the
risk of bringing about a collision between the Upper
House and the nation. The notice of amendment was
agreed to at Lord Derby's house in St. James's-square,
on Thursday afternoon, when the leaders of the
party, including Mr. Disraeli, Lord Cairns, Lord
Stanley, Sir Stafford Northcote, and Mr. Hardy
had a conference. So that it is not a mere House of
Commons move ; it is a move sanctioned by the Conserva.
tive party generally, and must therefore be supported in
the House of Lords. There, as evezyone knows, the
Government are in a minority; in fact, their minority is
just abort the same as their majority in the Lower House,
from 100 to 115 votes. Clearly, therefore, the Peers can,
if they please, throw out the bill ; and Lord Derby's
sanction of Mr. Disraeli's amendment implies that their
present intention is to throw it out. The course which Mr.
Gladstone lvill adopt will then be a matterof intense interest
and importance. Resignation will be out of the question. No
Minister with a decent majority in the Lower House curt
thinks it necessary to resign because of a defeat in th 3
Upper. He might either submit to the defeat as a temporary
check and reintroduce the bill next session, trusting to the
popular clamour which the opposition of the Lords would
be certain of exciting, to deter them from repeating their
veto ; or he might appeal to the people against the Peers ;
with what result it is easy to guess. Thus the party really
endangered by the resolution adopted at Lord Derby's is
not the Ministerialists, but the Peers. These are delibe-
rately putting themselves into the same perilous position.
that they assumed so unwisely in 1831, and from
which they were obliged to retreat in such an undignified
manner. I ought to add that some of the Conservative
party believe that they will be able so to impede the
passage of the bill in the Lower House as to prevent ill
reaching the Upper this session.

There are likely to be some lively debates even before
Thursday week. Mr. Childers moves the Navy Estimates
on Monday, and a very interesting speech is expected from
him, and a long discussion respecting our naval policy.
On Wednesday the Contagious Diseases (Anneals)
Bill is down for a second reading, and will
be opposed by Mr. Headlam, whose constituents
are greatly interested in the matter. The second
order of the day is the Solicitor-General's University
Tests Bill, which Mr. Mowbray, in his new capacity as
M.P. for Oxford University, will move be read that
day six months. I need scarcely say that if this measure
is thrown out at all, this will not happen in the Lower
House. There is to be a fight raised by Mr. Seely, on the
Post-office Packet Contracts with the Cunard and Inman
lines, which are supposed to be somewhat of
a Conservative job. One of the most Tory members in
the House, Sir Lawrence Palk, is going to move
for a return which was moved for some forty years ago by a
tremendous Radical, Admiral Cochrane (afterwards the
Earl of Dundonald), viz., " a return of the names of all
recipients of pensions under the Crown." The times are
changed, and a motion which was deemed absolutely revo-
lutionary when made by the member for Westminster may
now be made with impunity and without remark by the
member for East Devon.

I am glad to say that Mr. Stapleton, M.P. for Berwick.
on-Tweed, means to ask the Postmaster-General if there
is any intention to reduce the postage on newspapers. For
a long time past it has been felt that to lay a tax of 100
per cent, upon a newspaper for the transmission of it, is
monstrously unjust. The burden has become more glaringly
intolerable by reason of the establishment of several half.
penny journals. I have reason to know that the
matter has been under the attention of Mr. Scudamore,
and that in all probability some reduction would have
been made before this if it had not been that he has been
entirely occupied with the arrangements for purchasing
the telegraphs.

There is this amount of truth in the report that the
Saurin trial will be heard over again, that the Lord Chief
Justice, when trying the case, said that he should reserve
the point raised by Mr. Mellish as to there being no ground
of action at all. It is argued in legal circles that Miss
Sarnia having failed to avail herself of the remedy which
lay open to her—an appeal to Archbishop Manning, and
from him to the Pope—she had no right to appear in court.
The only ground that she could have had was that she had
received a wrong for which there was no remedy. But
there was a remedy, and she did not use it. This will
probably be the ground taken before the judges at West-
minster, and it is thought by many persons that
the verdict of the jury will be set aside. The
costs of the defendants were not less than £6,000,
and should the appeal go against them there will
be the plaintiff's costs to pay as well. I need scarcely
say that Mrs. Starr will not be able to pay them. There
is some talk of a subscription among Roman Catholics,
and of course the Marquis of Bute's broad shoulders are
expected to bear a large portion of the heavy load. An
attempt has been made to estimate the cost of this
unwieldy trial. Thus there is the Lord Chief Justice,
who gets £32 a day, which for twenty days would be £640,
then there is the pay of all the officials and policemen, and
the use of the building. But the hsaviest item of all
would be that incurred by the postponing of 190 suits,
which could not be heard because this monster trial
stopped the way.
Mr. Millais, I am glad to say, is convalescent ; but I
fear he will not have anything at this year's Royal
Academy. Mr. William Gilbert, author of " Shirley
Hall Asylum," and the lately-published " Lucrezia
Borgia," is talked of as the new editor of Tinsley'a
Magazine, in succession to Mr. Yates. Mr. Sala is
writing a new book on Spain, to be illustrated by Gustave
Dore.

PAPAL AFFAIRS.

FLORENCE, MAnca 1.

The special services of the War and Home Depart.
meats, which during the past week have occupied almost
exclusively the attention of the Chamber, offer only one
point of the slightest general interest—namely, the restora-
tion of the territorial military commands. There were
five of these in Italy up to their abolition under the late
Government. They were supposed to savour too much of
a despotic and Napoleonic regime, and were, in fact, nearly
identical in nature with the corresponding institutions in
vigour in France. It has been found, however, that the
geographical conformation of Italy renders them indis.
pensable. Its elongated form, and the great distance of
the large centres, such as Milan and Naples,
demand a certain amount of decentralisation in
its military organisation. The hostility which was
evinced to the measure was more or less appeased
by a slight change in the appellation of the new
posts, and by the reduction of their number from five to
three. To the surprise of all parties, the last difficulty
was removed by a proposition of Ratazzi to refer the
item to the category of extraordinary expenses, by which
manmuvre votes were obtained from those members who
were disinclined to prejudge the principle of the institution
previously to the consideration of the promised law on
army reorganisation. The leader of the Opposition, in
fact, helped Government out of a scrape in the teeth of
his own party. The division by " appel nominal"
shewed a change of opinion in several members who
voted for the suppression of these commands in 1857.
The War Budget was got over in four sittings, and since
then that of the Interior has been under discussion. It is
dmme nei
tlntel Itr
to
havetoof
preside thett hh the
to be hoped that the expedition with which. the former
has been passed is the commencement of an improvement
in the transaction of business ; unnecessary prolixity in
debate having been hitherto one of the greatest among the
minor sins of the Italian Parliament.
D'Ondes Rezzio's bill has been taken into consideration.
by the House, and has consequently gone back into corn.
mitteee to be reported upon. Its aim is twofold : to open,
the university diplomas to non-resident students who
may present themselves for examination, and to permit
the establishment of free schools. There is little or no
chance of its passing, its principle being at variance with
the theories on State control which are in fashion among
most continental Liberals. The Minister of Public
Instruction indeed went so far as to say that, when the
measure came to be discussed, he would be prepared to
shew that a more direct and stringent control over educa.
tioi‘nr.worueldruzhazive
htaosbeavnensotuenciciendthaenGoavmeernn
overeffct tothe
e taking
p Administrativeprovincial
ianlcviaaylfßeorganisation
councils.
th ep
prefects
Bill,fTe chtes
th which Minister
nwi
rights,
Interior, M. .
Cantelli, has expressed an opinion that there
is no objection in principle to the suggestion. If carried,
even if it goes no further, it will be a
anstep h
e towards
obtaining elective municipal magistrates,
advo-
cates of that institution are confident in theuinrehs ”opesof
getting the principle extended to the " comm

A lecture was delivered at Cooper Institute, New
York, on the 18th Feb., by Professor W. A. P. Martin,
in of
the Imperial College of Peking, China, giving a very in-
teresting account of a visit to a colony of Jews the
Province of llonan, and to the tomb of Confucius.

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