The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-08 00:00:00

unwarrantable pretension. " The, sharp end of
the wedge " was thus permitted to be introduced,
and it has still continued to work its insidious
way. Again, Sardinia was approached, and
Switzerland was not spared. The former was
compelled to bring in a Conspiracy to Murder Bill,
such as that which was attempted to be foisted on
the British nation by the PALMERSTON Adminis-
tration, and even to propose to modify the
" trial by jury," to please the EII23IROR. While
Switzerland, to which he was particularly indebted
for former protection, when he himself was a
helpless refugee, has been required to place re-
strictions on political refugees, by insisting on
their residing in districts remote from the

frontiers.
It is scarcely necessary to allude here to the
now celebrated Wa.Lxwsxr despatch, and the
unfortunate decision of Lord CLARENDON to per-
mit it to remain without an official answer until
the British Parliament had affixed its seal on the
act of submission. A Minister determined
to maintain the national honour, would have
promptly replied, not an hour would have been
permitted to elapse until an answer had been pre
pared for the consideration of the irresponsible
Foreign Secretary. But the omission was capable
of misconstruction, and it was misconstrued, for
the people of France were induced to believe,
without any authorised contradiction, that
England was a den of assassins, where
the most atrocious doctrines were publicly
preached and permitted to be " ventilated "
without the slightest difficulty. The passport
system for English subjects was likewise subjected
to very stringent regulations, the vexatious cha-
racter whereof is established by daily applications
in the several police offices.
Austria, too, has been assailed, although it was
scarcely possible to accuse it of undue liberality.
It has beeu required that no adverse criti-
cisms ox the French Government should be tole-
rated, and that a journal which, although
generally favourable to " Buonapartism," had
admitted something displeasing to M. BOURQUENEY
should receive a solemn warning. The passport
regulations are also to be made more stringent, as
if they were not bad enough already. Austria may
obey, if it pleases, but surely it is time that
a determined resistance should be offered to these
petty innovations and usurpations, and that
France should be taught that, while other nations
abstain from any interference in her domestic
laws and regulations, they will not for a moment
tolerate anything of the kind on the part of a
foreign Power, which, if acquiesced in, must
eventually prove subversive to the national inde-
pendence.

We have au appeal to make to Lord DED.BY,
quite as much wa believe in his interest as in our

own. It may seem at first sight a preposterous

one, but we only ask of him and his colleagues in

the Lower House a few minutes' hearing. We
have always suspected some shuffle on the part of

Lord PALMERSTON in regard to Reform, and there-
fore are perhaps less disappointed than many of

our fellow-liberals at being put off till another
session. We do not think we ought to be put off
—but, when Lord PALIIIIIRSTON promised us a
Reform Bill at nine months' sight, our reply was,

perhaps, if he be in office then—and soon after
we had to add—and if India and " the
state of public business" do not serve in place of
a Bill. It is pretty plain now how correct our
guesses were, and we have not a shadow of doubt

that had the late Premier not been turned out in 1
re WALEWBKI, or in re CLAJAILICARDE, he would
khave found some pretext for yet further shelving
the great national question. As we have said,
therefore, though all this procrastination from one
cause or another is not the thing, yet we ha►e

been less disappointed than others.
But now to our point. Lord DERBY is in
office. Lord DERBY wishes, we presume, to re-
main in office ; he does not wish his Government
to be, what Mr. BRIGHT, in a quite friendly way
though, and with much more hostility to the PAL-
MERSTON sham than to Lord DERBY, terms,
"an interim Government." He ought not to
wish it. We must think then that his only hope
can lie in making himself the " Minister of Eng-
land," not like Lord PALMERSTON andthe "Happy
Family Ministry," the Ministry of the aristocracy.
There is, and. it is useless for him to overlook the
fact, there is a majority of 100 who would not be

returned at another election but as Liberals.

They are boand over to stand by the liberal side,
by constituencies whom they cannot afford to
affront. Unless Lord DERBY conciliate them we
do not see how he can maintain his position. Mr.
GIBSON is equally iadependent of him, of
Lord PALALERSTO-.`.T and of Lord JOBN
RUSSELL ; and at some convenient oppor-
tunity he will not hesitate to move an
amendment on some Government proposal, or
some resolutions on Reform questions especially,
which will place the present Government in a
hopeless minority. Nothing can be easier. The
great Liberal party will think revenge sweet, and
will gladly unite on some well-drawn motion,
when defeat must follow.

We do not, then, see how Lord DZIIBY can re
main in office, unless by accepting the necessities
of his position. He told us in 1855 how " in-
tolerable and galling would be the servitude" of
" being a Minister on sufferance," but he can only
reverse that position now by some frank and dig-
nified act, which shall give him a sure majority.
How can this be done—honourably done? We reply
that there are two great parties, not often openly
named, yet the only parties which the people care
about—the people-trusting and the people-dis-
trusting parties. A Minister who by his acts can
evince that he belongs to the former, may carry all
before him. For the moment, last year, in the
Canton affair, Lord PALIIERSTON could trust the
people. He knew they would carry him through,
and his confidence in them won the day, though
he received a very general intimation that the
constituencies cared about Parliamentary Reform
as well as:about Canton. But to keep in power, a
Minister must show that h 3 has permanent confi-
dence in the people. Lord PALUERSTON knew
that a dissolution, to justify not answering an
insolent despatch, and not requiring the " re-
grets" to be published where the Colonels' threats
had been published, would have left him, perhaps,
in a minority of the Members for Tiverton. He
could not now confide in the people—he fell.
Now, Lord D1113.13Y may remain in power for a
time—how short or long no one can say—by
simply carrying out the work immediately before
him ; but if he means to keep in power, it can
onlyetohnaatt
ihbteou
eddnoocenisoes by some act of confidence in the
'trwuhat thichesmhalals compel them
and that
d tthoatfeheel
has conferred a benefit on them which they will
never forget. After all,
standardl
. oi
Notwithstanding..cagratitude long and
Liberals,
be the
the people do political gratitude with placemen,
gratitudein g 5
between
for Lp
oa
rs
(It
'lReforms l'l
I'a'rettl4ll:4:B4llE dii3tuhne cl
erstand.
don at the last election, and gives for Lou.1
strong hold on the country. He certainlYtildloea
a
deed,,
not retain that hold, for any of his lets
and vote. Now, there is one great Act by which
ti,ir however low may