The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-16 00:00:00

ITALY.

FLORENCE, April 16.
The Prefect Colucci has been appointed Director-
General of the Department of Public Safety.
The Italian Government has given very stringent
orders to prevent or repress any attempt to violate
Pontifical territory.

THE MAURITIUS MAILS.
MARSEILLES, April 15.
•
The Messageries Itnperiales steamer Peluse, with
,he above mails, arrived here to-night (midnight).

THE MEDITERRANEAN SQUADRON.

LA VALETTA, April 15.

11. M. S. iron-clad Ocean has left for Gibraltar.
The Resistance is expected here from Athens. The
Victoria and Arethusa are awaiting sailing orders.

THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT.
FLORENCE, April 16.

In yesterday evening's sitting of the Chamber of
Deputies Signor Ferraris requested information
from the Government relative to the late Ministerial
crisis, and also upon the intentions of the Ministry
respecting the composition of the Cabinet, the Ro-
man question, -the finances, the administrative
decentralisation, and the ecclesiasacal property.

Signor Rattazzi replied that he did not feel justi-
fied in giving information respecting the late Minis-
terial crisis. The present Cabinet, he said, is
guided by the same
general principles as its pre-
decessor, these principles being also shared by
nearly all the parties in Parliament.

The Ministry will bring forward administrative
and financial measures upon the first opportunitT.
Relative to the ecclesiastical property, Signor Rat-
tazzi stated that he should firmly
maintain the
ideas which he had expressed to his electors on this
question. Referring to the
Roman question the
Minister said—.

" The Government will loyally execute the Sep-
tetnber Convention, and will prevent any attempt
that might compromise the future of this question."

With regard to administrative decentralisation the
Minister declared his ideas to be. Radical. He pro-
posed to leave to the Government solely that inter-
vention which was necessary to good administration,

Signor Rattazzi observed, respecting the composition
of the Cabinet, that no one could say that one pro-
vince of Italy more than another was represented
Upon the conclusion of Signor itattazzi's
speech the subject dropped.

in it.

Deputy Monzani has been nominated Secretary-
General of the Ministry of the Interior, and Com-
mander Sacchi to the same post in the Ministry of
Finance. No Secretaries-General are to be appointed
to the Ministers of War or Marine.

Garibaldi arrived at Florence last night.

FRANCE.
BOURSE, April 15, Three o'clock.—The mark°
closed as follows:

44 per Cents 96 10
Do. end month
3 per Cents. 67 10
Do. end mouth 66 95
Credit Mobilier 375
Do. end month
Credit Fonder —
Do. end month 1310

Bank Shares 3415
Italian Loan 49
Do. end month 49
Mexican Loan
Do. Bonds
Spanish Threes
Home Debt
Deferred
rats.

For Account.
Orleans
Northern 1135
Lyons and Mediterranean....
Southern 545
Western 540
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard 3BO
North of Spain —
Saragossa —
Ditto to Barcelona —
Roman. —

The Episode in Friday's Debate.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

SlR,—Having read in your paper of this date
letters from Colonel Taylor, Mr. Stanley, and Mr.
Dillwyn touching the " Episode in Friday's Debate,"
I beg to supply the missing link of the chain
through which the statement read by Mr. Osborne
was communicated to him.

On Friday last Mr. Stanley called upon me and

informed me that he had seen on the previous even-
ing in the House of Commons a memorandum,
drawn up by ➢lr. Dillwyn, stating, on the authority
of Colonel Taylor, that " Lord Derby and Mr.
Disraeli were iu favour of accepting Mr. Hibbert's
amendment."

Ile added that the memorandum had been freely
shown to many members, and expressed surprise
that I had not heard of it.

It struck me that this statement was of the
greatest importance as affecting the question before
the House, and I accordingly asked Mr. Stanley
whether he could give me the terms of the memor-
andum.

He thereupon dictated the memorandum, which
was afterwards read by Mr. Osborne, and he assured
me that it was substantially correct.
He declined to moot the question himself, but was
willing that it should be raised in the House, and
would be prepared, if appealed to, to vouch for the
substantial accuracy of the memorandum.
I showed the memorandum to several members,
who, without exception, concurred with me in
thinking that the matter should be cleared up
openly in the House. Among those I showed it to
Mr. Osborne, and invited him to raise the question
in the House.
He said that he would consider the matter, and
communicate with Mr. Stanley, to whom I referred
him.
So much for the facts of the case. I may be
allowed to add a few words as to the grounds upon
which I acted.

I was well aware of the desire felt by many mem-
bers of the Opposition that the Government should
accept Mr. Ilibbert's amendment. Col. Taylor, in
his letter in your columns, franky declares that this
desire was shared by members on both sides of the
House.

It is obvious that the acceptance of the amend-
ment by the Government must have had a material
effect upon the course to be taken by the House.
It seemed to me that if Lord Derby and Mr. Dis-
raeli were in favour of the concession, it was not
right that the knowledge of that most important fact
should be confined to those members to whom Mr.
Dillwyn might exhibit the memorandum ; and ]
thought that the House was entitled to a public de-
claration from the Government upon a question of
such vital importance.

Hence Mr. Osborne's inquiry. It is deeply to be
regretted that the House has been, and still is, kept
in the dark as to the views of the Government with
regard to Mr. Hibbert's amendment ; for the timely
announcement of concession on this point would
have gone far to settle the vexed question of the
and to have avoided the conflict
borough franchise,
of Friday last.--I am, &c., H. BRAND.
2, Upper Belgrave-street, April 15.
P.S.—I take this opportunity of repeating my
regret, already expressed in the House, that I was
precluded, through Col. Taylor's unfortunate acci
dent, from
giving him notice, as Mr. Osborne re-
quested, that the matter was about to be brought
forward. -