The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-23 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES.

The Bishop of OXFORD presented a number of peti-
tions against the abolition of church rates, and against any
alteration in the law of marriage.

COMMISSIONS IN THE ARMY.
Lord VIVI AN said a question stood upon the paper in
his name for that evening, but as the question had been
so fully answered in another place he should
not further trouble their lordships. The discovery
of the illegal sale of examination papers fop candidates for
commissions in the army had been made, and ho hoped
stringent steps would be adopted to prevent such a circum•
stance again occurring.
PRIVATE DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE.
The Marquis of NORMANBY rose to move the follow-
ing resolution :—That it appears by the papers lately laid
before Parliament, and especially by a despatch from Earl
Cowley to Lord John Russell, dated sth February, that
the French minister had stated, and truly, that the intention
of the Emperor of the French to take possession of Savoy
under certain contingencies had been made known to her
Majesty's ambassador at Paris, and by him communicated
to her Majesty's Secretary of State on more than one occa-
sion between the 12th of July, 1859, and the 25th of
January, 1860, in private letters. That while this house
fully recognises the necessity of a private correspondence
between the Secretary of State and her Majesty's represen-
tatives abroad, it is of opinion that all facts of international
importance ought to be made matter of official correspon-
dence, and as such to remain on record for the use
not only of the Government of the day but of their succes-
sors in office, to be produced to or withheld from Parlia-
ment by the ministers of the Crown on their responsi-
bility. That the absence of any such record, more " espe-
cially if such private correspondence is referred to in public
despatches," is injurious to the public service, unjust alike
to the Foreign Minister who made the communication
and to official colleagues at home, and calculated to withhold
important matter from the full and free control of Parliament.
The noble marquis having alluded to the circumstances
which had induced him to place the resolution on the
paper of their lordships' house, said he did not intend it as
a vote of censure upon any party, but merely as
a declaration of a principle. He had since he had
given his motion taken the opportunity of examining
the papers that had been presented to Parliament, but
Oin the subject the information was so meagre that he
felt right to proceed with his resolution ; and, in doing so,
it was not his intention to raise another debate upon the
Italian war. His lordship then alluded to the correspon-
dence between the Governments of England and France, and
also to certain despatches written by Lord John Russell on
the annexation of Nice and Savoy to France, and read
extracts from them, and went on to refer to the different
questions he had put to the Government in the early part
of the session on the subject. He had been blamed for
wasting their lordships' time, but the facts
now showed that the information on which
he had acted was true in every particular. On one
occasion he had asked the Government whether any
information had been received relative to a secret
treaty between France and Sardinia for the annexation
of Nice and Savoy, and ho had been told that no such
information had been received, when it now appeared that
Lord Cowley had in a private letter to Lord John Russell,
;he Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, sent him infor-
metion on the subject. On the sth of February /1 despatch
had been written by Lord Cowley, but it was endorsed as
having been received on the Bth, and he should like
lettersenle
explanation of the extraordinary circumstance of a
taking three days to travel from London to Paris, unless
there was some object to gain by the letter not arriving at
its destination before that time.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--(MIS EVENING.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
- NEW MEMBER.
Mr. CALCUT took the oaths and his seat for the county
of Claie.