The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, 140N110S, TUESDAY EVENING_ DECEMBER 10, lkt.

iu reply to Herr LOEWE, he stated that the Prus-
! sian Government was not pursuing the policy of a
satellite of Russia. O❑ the contrary, Prussia acted
in concert with Russia. On the whole, there is no
improvement visible in the state of politics in
Prussia, for it is the old story still of arbitrary
conduct and of manoeuvring devices. It is
stated that in the eventuality of a war
between France and Prussia the South German
States have declared, though against their
representatives at the Military Conference, that
they will take the part of Prussia, but it does
not follow that the support would be hearty or
genuine. If these auspicious promises were more
real there would be less fuss made about them,
and the world would be allowed to find out for
itself that Prussia was the centre of liberty and
progress, and that all surrounding States were
anxious to be joined with her in the march
of progress and enlightenment ; but one feels
naturally sceptical when so much is forced upon
the understanding without any evidence thereof
being adduced.
The affairs of France are rather complicated just
now, and the relations of the French Government
with the nations of the Continent are not so satis-
factory as might be. In the sitting of the Legisla-
tive Chamber yesterday the interpellations that had
been announced on German affairs were brought
on. M. GARNIER PAGES laid great stress upon the
pacific declarations of the Government not being
verified in its acts. Further on, he declared
that France had always promised to up-
hold the principle of nationalities, while it
had arrayed against it the nationalities of
America, Russia, Germany, and Italy. There
was really some truth in M. 'limns'
indignant rejoinder, that to do all this effectually
they would have to cancel their history. At one
time they were as Germans and another as Italians,
but never as Frenchmen. The policy of the French
Government was ably defended by M. ROMIER,
who spoke with moderation, and yet with firmness.
The passage was very forcible in which he declared
that the Government " ought not to allow
itself to be taken in tow by events which
were being accomplished iu tlua name of
nationality, nor forget that patriotism which ought
to be its guiding star." Ile defined the policy of
the French Government as being an energetic feel-
ing in favour of the universal maintenance of right,
and the vindication of France's policy without hav-
ing recourse to extreme measures. Concerning
Germany, M. ROUIIER declared that France had
all along maintained the policy of appeasement, and
that so long as native interests were not interfered
with they would await accomplished facts. As for
Italy, he declared that Italian unity had been
"made" by France, as some averred that it had been,
but he reiterated the sentiments of the Govern-
ment of the EMPEROR respecting the September
Convention. That, he declared, was their fixed
determination, and they would see their wishes
carried out. However, he admitted that there was
no desire ou the part of the Government to interfere
with the unity of Italy, and therefore it may be
that the storm may blow over, but it would
have been much wiser for the French
Ministers to have been more guarded in
their expressions. With the best intentions,
no doubt, they have contrived to create most
unpleasant feelings in Italy, and it will he long
before the entente cordiale is really and truly esta-
lished between the two countries. Strong expres-
sions and strong language may be uttered on an
occasion, but years may elapse before their effect is
done away with. For many reasons it will be satis-
factory to learn that a better understanding pre-
vails between France and her neighbours, for im-
portant interests are affected by the constant
bickering and misrepresentation of things that dis-
turbs the peace and shakes the confidence of all.

NEWSPAPER readers expect to be reminded at
least once a year that "a largo amount of distress
" exists in London." There is nothing specially
metropolitan in distress. No considerable town is free
from the necessity at this season of making special
provision for the poor. But the extent, depth, and
concentration of poverty in the capital often exhibit
the causes and effects of poverty in a more striking
degree than can be found perhaps elsewhere in the
world. At the present moment attention is directed
to the " Isle of Dogs." Here only a few years
ago the Great Eastern was cradled. It was then a
prosperous and rapidly-augmenting community.
A fleet of large ships followed BRUNEL'S Leviathan
from its shipyards. Three years ago, when the
ravages of Confederate cruisers had thrown the
carrying trade of America into English vessels, the
Isle of Dogs was in the height of its prosperity.
With the end of the American war began the
decline of this prosperity, and with the monetary
crisis of last year it was completely broken tip.
There were then 16,000 hands employed ; there are
now less than 4,000. The principal industry of
" the island" was shipbuilding, which for the last
two years has been progressing from bad to worse.
The consequences are most distressing. Trade is
virtually at an end. The small shopkeepers who
have been compelled to remain can hardly keep the
wolf from their own doors. Even the publicans
are without customers. The workpeople who were
unable to leave the place have witnessed their
savings scattered, their homes spoiled, even the
workmen's tools sold for bread. Dr. SARJANT has
reported that " hundreds of persons are quietly
and calmly dying by inches." In a single street
of 150 houses there were found to be upwards of
100 sick persons. The origin of the sickness and
increased mortality is simply the absolute want of
the first necessaries of life—food and clothing.
Consumption, debility, and fever are vultures
which mark the track along which the scourge has
passed.

With poverty like this it would be useless to
complain that our Poor-law machinery was incom-
petent to grapple. Voluntary aid must be derived
from a large area to meet it, and nothing short of a
revival of trade can effectually relieve it. -While
it is incumbent on all who can afford it to lend a
helping hand, it is worth while considering how
far the working classes themselves can help
to avert or to mitigate the sufferings of
periodical visitations like these. The state of
things in the Isle of Dogs has illustrated the depen-
dence of the working classes on each other. Hun-
dreds of artisans employed on the island were in
receipt of high wages. Thousands of less skilled
workers and labourers were dependent on these.
When the bad time began the latter would
willingly have accepted half a loaf rather than go
without bread, but the former refused to abate a jot
of the wages they had been receiving. Employers
saw that they had no prospect of continuing business
except at a reduced rate of cost. They were com-
pelled unwillingly to throw their hands out of em-
ployment. The result has shown once more that our
industrial system is too inelastic. The attempt to
enforce a uniform and unyielding scale of wages
has in this instance resulted in an immense amount
of misery. It may be that the evil day
could not have been wholly put off, but there is
every reason to suppose that the blow would have
fallen less suddenly and with less severity. This
was clearly an instance--one only among many—
in which workmen and employers should have com-
bined to tide over " bad times." But the bulk of
the workpeople were dependent upon a class above
them, and these, again, wore ruled by unionist
advisers, who regarded any concession as the
bartering away of a right. The result shews that
the only right they have actually vindicated by
their conduct is the right to starve themselves and
their neighbours,

.. ._.F'. ... :i.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

MONDAY.

Letters from Cannes which I have received inform
me of the safe arrival there of the veteran states-
man, Lord Brougham, whose brief sojourn in Paris
I had occasion a short time ago to mention. When
his lordship arrived at the station he found no
carriage awaiting him, although a telegram had been
forwarded to his house-steward giving all necessary
directions. No conveyance could for some sime be ob•
tained ; but at length a " fly" was pressed into service,
and his lordship was enabled to reach home, when he
found that all the servants had gone out for a holiday and
that no telegram had been seen. But the trials of this
occasion had no evil effect, and neither the appetite nor
the temper of his lordship suffered in any degree.
It is not generally known that K Drouyn de thus
has made a reputation in science as well as in statesman-
ship. To him the prosperity of the Society of Acclima-
tisation is due. The obje4s of this society are the
introduction, the acclimatising, and domestication of
useful and ornamental prodttts of nature, both in
the animal and vegetable lingdoms. These objects
are being carried out with the most gratifying
success, as any one may perceive who looks into the trans-
actions of the society published annually. During the
recent Exposition Universelle a number of the members
were appointed to study and describe everything that
could furnish materials for the advancement of natural
history, and the results are embodied in a volume of great
interest. Taken in connection .with " The Variation of
Animals and Plants under Domestication," by Charles
Darwin, which is announced for publication, this volume
of essays by the French naturalists comes opportunely.

M. Haussmann has been elected Academician in room
of the late M. A cbillc Fould, by twenty•four votes against
fourteen given to his rival, M. Henri Delaborde,
The Queen of the Skaters this year will be a certain
Madame R—, who purchased at the Exposition Univer•
selle a magnificent Polish costume, which cost 2,000 francs,
and is made of black velvet lined with violet satin, and
trimmed with chinchilla ; the pantaton descending to the
ankle is also trimmed with chinchilla. --
The weather in Paris has become excessively wintry.
Hard frost continues, and great coats and furs are now
seen in great numbers in the streets.

The Berlin correspondent of the Timesmaaes the ominous
announcement that the Siberian pestilence—the worst
form of the cattle plague, which a few years ago spread
as far as St. Petersburg, whence it was propagated to
Western countries—has broken out again at Tobolsk.
Up to the 10th of November 4,270 horses, 356 head of
cattle, and nine men had succumbed to the disease in
that province. In the Prussian province of Silesia the
cattle plague is fast dying out.
The vigour of the:administration of affairs in Prussia is
conspicuous, and no better testimony to tilis fact can be
adduced than the preliminary discussion at Berlin upon
the Budget of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Herr von
Bennigsen moved that this budget should be assumed by
the North German Confederation, and that Prussian
legations and consulates within the territory of the Con
federation should be abolished. Count Bismarck approve
of the first part of the resolution, which was adopted, but
disapproved of the second part, which was consequently
rejected. Speaking upon the latter, the count observed,
with excellent sense, "We will wait till the right of the

several States to have separate foreign representatives
ripens and falls into our lap." The representation of the
Bund by foreign regations has already received the assent
of the King, and will soon be carried out.
In the Italian Parliament a discussion of some nnporb-
ance has just taken place. Signor Lanza, the new
President of the Chamber of Deputies, having assumed
office, Signor Sella proposed that, before entering upon
the discussion of the interpellation relative to the conduct
of the Government in the late political crisis, the follow-
ing motion should be adopted : "'1 hat the Chamber is
firmly determined to retain inviolate the national pro-
gramme declaring Rome the capital of Italy." General
Menabrea, in reply, said it was necessary, in the first
case, to discuss the means of going to Rome. " Let
us," he continued, " not discuss or even affirm the
principle all have at heart. Discuss the means, and
deafly establish what path you intend following on this
point. The Government frankly declares itself, and will
firmly maintain its views. The country is weary of ambi-
guity, and wishes to know where and with whom we are
going. If the Roman question has not been earlier solved,
do not accuse the Right, but rather those who have
impelled the country to the brink of an abyss." Signor
Sella's motion was afterwards rejected by 201 against 166
votes. ~••

Mr. J. Roos Browne, mining. commissioner, has ror
several months past been investigating, under a Congres-
sional appointment, the production of the preciousmetala
in the United States. The Times Philadelphia correspon-
dent adds that in some portions of the West the Indian
hostilities have retarded the mining operations this year,
tkad the Commissioner estimates the entire production of
the precious metals in the United States for 1867 at
74,000,000 dollars ; of which California will produce
25,000,000 dollars, Nevada 19,000,000, dollars, Montana
12,000,000 dollars, Idaho 6,000,000 dollars, and Colorado
6,000,000 dollars. He states that 15,000,000 are annually
wasted by the present imperfect methods of extracting the
metals from the ore, so that the United States will actually
produce in 186,7 89,000,000 dollars.
Official intelligence has been received at Washington to
the effect that a treaty between Denmark and the United
States has been signed at Copenhagen. By this treaty
Denmark cedes to the United States all the Danish West
India possessions except Santa Cruz, and the price to be
paid is 7,500,000 dollars in gad. The cession, however,
is made dependent on the will of a mtijoritp of the peopto
of the islands to be ceded, and for that purpose an elec.
tion is now being held, under charge of Danish and Ameri-
can agents, at St. Thomas. An expedition has been sent
from New York to St. Thomas with a detachment
of United States troops, to take possession of the islands
ceded.

Emigration to America has been going on with unu3uai
activity this year ; but the steamers and sailing vessels
bound for Europe bring back immense numbers of Irish
and Germans, who, unable to find employment owing to
the circumstance that the American labour-market is
overstocked, and knowing they can live more economically
in Europe than in America, are glad to return.
The news of the execution of the Fenian murderers of
Policeman Brett was reported by the Atlantic Cable on
the day the event took place, and caused some excitement
among the Irish population of New York. A meeting
was called, and a number of politicians who are candidates
for office at the Charter election, and are anxious to secure
the " Irish vote," addressed the crowd. The burden of
the speeches was denunciation of Great Britain for im-
prisoning and hanging Fenians, who were uniformly
described as " American citizens."

LATEST INTELL IGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)
THE DEBATE IN THE FRENCH
CHAMBERS.

PARIS, Dcc. 10.

In the sitting of the Legislative Chamber yester-
day, M. Rouher said that the Government thus
laid down its political defence of the national inte-

rests :

"Deep aversion for any solution by the employ-
ment of force ; an energetic sentiment for the main-
tenance of right ; a careful examination of the facts
taking place in the world ; research of those that
might offend its dignity, and resolve to oppose
them, at the same time not to be too easily alarmed
at events in Europe, under the conviction that France
would be up to the high standard of her mission,
and was capable of repelling any dangers that
might threaten her."

M. Rouher stated that France did everything she
could in 1866 to prevent war.

M. Rouher added :—" Early in August, shortly
after the preliminaries of peace of Nickolsburg, the
possibility of a rectification of frontier was inti-
mated to our Arr.baEsador at Berlin. He imme-
diately proceeded to Paris, when, after an interview
with his Sovereign and the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, that idea was abandoned. Since then no
fact has occurred to denote on our part the idea of
conquest or of extension of territory."
Speaking of the Luxembourg affair he said " Our
conduct on that occasion was a warning to Ger-
many that we did not remain indifferent to certain
facts." Respecting the declaration of the sth Dec.
M. Rouher said that the representative of the Go-
vernment had only said what he was perfectly
authorised to say, and in terms which he was autho-
rised to make use of.