The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LOINLON, TUES OA Y V ENING, FEBRUARY 23, 1867

of the Resolutions in the abstract, Mr. GLADSTONE
admitted that if the Government decided that mode
of procedure to be indispensable he would waive
his objections.

Mr. DISRAELI, in the brief reply he made to the
speeches before the House, did not show any
desire to put needless obstacles in the way, for he
said that they would not insist upon any special
Resolution that would lead to idle controversy.
With his usual tact and discernment the rigkt hon.
gentleman declared that he was not surprised to see
the union that had taken place between Mr. LOWE
and Mr. BRIGHT, because it was perfectly evident
that neither was very anxious that the bill should
pass, and hence the hostile spirit displayed by both
was very easily comprehended. All we Can say
on this, the latest scheme of Reform pro-
pounded to the House of Commons, is that we
earnestly desire it to pass. Modified it may be,
improved it certainly can be, and altered in some
respects it can afford to be to meet the views of
some, but at any rate it should pass. We would
urge upon those who are not entirely pledged to
extreme views upon the matter to waive their ob-
jections, and put the honour of the house, the
welfare of the country, and the wishes of the
people before the lower, meaner, more tri-
vial, and more selfish ends of party and of
prejudice. We think that Mr. GLADSTONE
means to act worthy of his position,
and we hope that his influence may secure
a majority for Ministers. As for the Government
they may feel the satisfaction that they have done
their duty under very trying circumstances, and we
consider that the responsibility now rests with the
House of Commons. Of one thing we are assured,
the loss of the measure will not be the gain of those
who oppose it, and the country will learn who to
blame for the failure. Let the Resolutions be taken
in committee, and there subjected to whatever
change may be deemed necessary ; but let not the
whole thing again fall through, and the country
witness anew the disgraceful sight of a lost session.
Of all conjunctions of circumstances this will be the
least propitious. And why should it be brought
about because hon. members prefer the fight of fac-
tion to the task of legislation with fairness and tem-
perance. Let not the House generally be deceived
by specious sophistry and studied declamation, but
let it follow the path of duty, which will assuredly
in the end conduce more to its greatness and glory
than any efforts to assert its own supremacy.

The great difficulty which undoubtedly exists in
dealing with the question of Parliamentary Reform
received last night a very strong illustration. but
of doors, on the hustings, at public meetings, it is
always the safe, easy, and popular course to descant
upon the advantages of a comprehensive extension
of the franchise which shall yet have due regard to
the limits imposed by the Constitution. When once,
however, the question comes down out of cloudland
to a matter of practical detail the case is very dif-
ferent. It is au old saying that nothing can please
everybody, but the misfortune of all Reform Bills
is the same, they can please nobody. Whether the
members of the house and the critics out of doors
are inspired by the vision of an impossible perfec-
tion, or influenced by a secret objection to any
Reform in the representation whatever, it is for
themselves, their constituencies, and their con-
sciences to decide; but certain it is, that numerous
and various as have been the measures submitted for
consideration, they have been successively and de-
cidedly rejected, and no disposition has been shown
to make the best of them, or to see what can be
made of them.

The proposals which Mr. DISRAELI last night
laid before the house offer at least the foundation
of a very excellent and really liberal measure. Of
course some points are capable of alteration and
amendment, some suggestions are superfluous
or impracticable, some things are omitted which it
will be necessary to add ; but the substance of the
Resolutions, as proposed to be carried into effect,
give the House the groundwork of a satisfactory
settlement ; and the hypercritical spirit displayed on
so many points, so far from tending to produce a
better measure, greatly impedes the passage of a
good Reform Bill. The principal changes proposed
by the Government aro the establishment of four
new franchises, applicable both to boroughs and
counties :-1. An education franchise. 2. A £3O
savings bank franchise. 3. The possession of
funded property to the amount of £59. 4. The
payment of 205. a year in direct taxation. These
four franchises, it is evident, will admit a large
number of the unenfranchised classes, and they will
not be rigidly limited to certain figures, inasmuch
as education and prudence will, we may hope, go
on increasing among our working classes. The
new franchises will offer a premium to intelligence
and to prudence, and no man who will not take the
trouble to qualify himself for one of them can rea-
sonably complain if his
.opinion is not asked on
questions of broad national importance. Politics
are not child's play, neither does a sound
and clear judgment on complex matters come
by intuition, and therefore it is useless to suppose
that a totally illiterate man can really be an ade-
quate judge of who is or is not an efficient
member of Parliament. In fact to an ignorant
and uneducated man the possession of a vote can
be of no real use, whatever their political leaders
may say to the contrary. We have always strongly
advocated an educational franchise, and we regard
it as indicative of a desire really to enfranchise the
working classes, not merely to make a nominal con-
cession to agitation, but to train and fit them to
exercise that direct and independent influence upon
public affairs which only men capable of forming au
intelligent and unbiassed opinion can exercise. We
are surprised to miss from Mr. DISRAELI'S " fancy
franchise" one which formed a conspicuous part of
his bill in '59, and which has since risen greatly in
public favour. We allude, of course, to the Lodger
Franchise, which the Government will do wisely to
add to their propositions. The Borough Franchise
is to be reduced to £6, the County Franchise to
£2O, both founded on rating, not on rental. We
should not suppose that the Government would
hold themselves pledged to these particular
figures, on which they might safely be guided
by the opinion of the House. The plurality
of votes, which has given rise to some
suspicion was explained by Mr. DisRaELI to mean,
merely that the " fancy franchises" might give a
vote in addition to the occupation franchise, but the
Government would not, he said, insist upon that
resolution. It would be in many respects undesir-
able, because almost every householder would have
under its provisions two or three votes, a result by
no means to be wished.

The awkward and invidious task of redistribution
is dealt with very ingeniously. The four boroughs
which have occupied such unenviable prominence
during the autumn are to be totally disfranchised—
a fate they richly deserve. Twenty-three small
boroughs, with populations under 7,000, are to lose
one member each, so that 30 seats will remain for
disposal. They are to be divided between towns
and counties, 14 being given to new boroughs, such
as Hartlepool, Staleybridge, and Barnsley, and 15
to counties by the division of North Lincolnshire,
North Lancashire, and other large and populous
counties. The Tower hamlets is to be divided into

two districts, each with two members, and the
thirtieth seat is to be given to London University.
Various other points for the improvement of regi-
stration in counties and diminishing election ex-
penses were added, and the scheme for dealing with
cases of proved corruption elicited the approval of
Mr. GLADSTONE. Altogether the plan of the Go-
vernment, as yesterday indicated by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, offers, as we have said, a good
practical foundation upon which the House of Com-
mons, if really desirous of satisfying the country,
may raise a comprehensive and liberal measure.

The intelligence transmitted yesterday through
the Atlantic Telegraph is highly important, and
affords us further reason to hope that the aspect of
American politics is undergoing a salutary change.
The Ilouse of Representatives has refused to pass
the Tariff Bill, and has referred it to a committee,
which is virtually disposing of it altogether. The
common sense of the public has, no doubt, exercised
its influence over the members, and the perception
of the serious dangers which threatened American
commerce became too general to allow of the mea-
sure, as amended by the Upper House, becoming
law. The amendments, so-called, consisted, in
almost every case, cf additional duties, until the
Tariff, as finally submitted to the house of Repre-
sentatives, assumed a prohibitory character. There
was a strong opposition against it, especially on the
part of the Western representatives, but at one
time it was more than probable the interested pro-
moters of the scheme would succeed in pushing it
through Congress. Happily the attempt has failed,
and the news will give great and general satisfaction
in English as well as American circles. The amend-
ment which specified that the Bill should come into
force immediately on its passage through the Houses
instead of not coming into operation until the first
of April would have actually affected the cargoes
now being shipped for American ports, and must,
therefore, have entailed heavy losses on European
merchants. We congratulate the House of Repre-
sentatives on their rejection of the obnoxious mea-
sure, and hope that it may be accepted as signifi-
cant either of a change in the Radical policy or of
a growing conviction on the part of the leaders
that it will not do to try the public patience too
far.

Regarding the aspects of Southern affairs we find
the Missouri Legislature has refused to submit the
amendment disfranchising rebels to the people for
ratification, an instance of national spirit, which few
impartial Northerners will be disposed to condemn.
At the same time there are indications of a possible
compromise between the opposing parties, leaving
out, of course, such extreme and unreasonable men
as SU3INER and STEVENS. The PRESIDENT has
agreed with the Southern Governors upon a new
plan of reconstruction, which the more moderate
Radicals are, it is said, not indisposed to accept.
a fortnight ago, advises a Constitutional Amendment,
which was laid before the Senate about
This scheme,
changing the basis of representation, and excluding
the more active Confederates from Federal office.
This would be very different from the oppressive and
tyrannical details of the former measures, and as
it is :quite evident that both sides must yield
a little if a compromise is to be effected, it does not
appear to exact too much from either. The American
people generally are growing weary of the present
unsettled and disastrous state of things, and are be-
coming sensible of the danger of continuing it for
two or three years hover. The extreme Radicals,
who rave about impeachment and martial law, have
lost much of their influence in and out of Congress,
and we trust that the rejection of the obnoxious
tariff may be accepted as an indication that a wiser
spirit is beginning to prevail in the national
councils.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

PARIS, Monday Evening.

The bulletin of the .31oniteur states that the Par-
liament of Northern Germany was opened on Satur-
day at Berlin. The first sitting of the Reichstag
will take place on the 11th of March. At the open-
ing ceremonial of the Parliament on Saturday the
Queen of Prussia, the Princess Royal, the Princess
Frederic Charles, Prince William of Baden, Prince
Nicolas of Nassau, Prince Henry of Hesse, and a
great many foreigner Ministers and eminent per-
sonages were present.
The Bavarian Gazette states that King Louis has
consented to the resolutions drawn up by delegates
from the States of Southern Germany, and discussed
and agreed to by the Conference of Stuttgard. The
the resolutions by Bavaria has been
representatives at Stuttgard, Carlsruhe,
sr
ea
nt itfi
tcoa tii
its
sn
of
and Darmstadt.

The Emperor has recently paid several visits to
the Exhibition, and has been over the whole extent
of the park in the Champ de Mars. His Majesty
expressed great satisfaction at the whole of the
works, and was able to convince himself that it
would be possible to open the Exhibition at the
time appointed.
I glean some more interesting facts from the
Blue-book respecting the internal condition of
France. The internal navigation consists of 9,600
kilometres of rivers classed as navigable, and 5,050
kilometres of rivers and canals. (A kilometre is
1,000 metres, and there are 1,609 metres in an Eng-
lish mile.) Total, 11,750 kilometres. The most
important line of rivers is from Paris to Havre and
the sea by the Lower Seine, from Paris to Strasburg
and to the Rhine by the river Marne, from Paris to
Mediterraneanthe Rhone. For some
by the Upper Seine,
the Lyonszoannnde the
th e
saon e,
and
years there has been a constant increase in the
amount of tonnage at the maritime ports. In 1816
and 1847 the tonnage of the vessels which arrived
in those ports was registered as 12,531,500 tons.
In 1864, the latest period to which the accounts
have been made up, it was 17,638,000 tons, being an
increase of 5,106,500 tons. In this increase the
three great ports of Marseilles, Havre, and Bor-
deaux together give a tonnage of 1,895,000 tons.
Their tonnage had increased in 1864 to 6,745,000
tons. Among the other ports where the increase
was most prominent were Calais, at which port the
tonnage had increased from 334,000 to 477,000 tons ;
Brest, which had increased from 229,000 to 414,000
tons; St. Nazaire, from 20,000 to 316,000 tons ; St.
Malo, from 130,000 to 198,000 tons.
The total extent of railways conceded was, on the
31st of December, 1865, 21,033 kilometres, includ-
ing 613 kilometres to be eventually conceded. The
present position of railways is much the same, as in
the course of last year only two concessions were
made, that of the railway from Armentieres to the
Belgian frontier, 3 kilometres in length, and that
from Hazebronck to the same frontier, towards
Poperinglie, 14 kilometres in length. On the 31st
of December, 1866, the extent of the railway net-
work was 21,050 kilometres, viz., 9,776 of the old
network, and 11,274 of new lines. Some experi-
ments with electrical apparatus to establish com-
munication between the conductors of railways and
the engine-drivers was not successful, but an acous-
tic system, very simple and ingenious, is under con-
sideration, which, it is hoped, will effect the very
desirable and important object in view.
The works executed in 1866 with reference to
public worship had for object the restoration of
several cathedrals ; for instance, those of Albi,
Amiens, Autun, Montpellier, Pergueux, and Rouen;
also the partial reconstruction of the cathedrals of
Cambrai, Clermont, Moulins, and Troyes. Nor
cathedra's have been built at Marseilles and Gap
The religious seminaries of Contances, Nantes,
Rennes, Tarbes, and Tulle have been reconstructed.
In the Budget provision has been made both for
Protestant and Jewish public worship, by payments
to clergymen and the construction of churches or
synagogues. _ .

Taking into account the cold weather, and that

it was the first Spring Meeting, the steeple chases
at La Marche yesterday went off with tolerable
success. The following is the result :—Prixd'Ouver-
ture or opening prize, 2,500 f., for horses:which had
never won a prize of B,ooof. at a steeple chase.
Bon Espoir, 1 ; Tim Meagles, 2. Some trifling
accidents took place. Amount of the prize, 3,100 f.
—Prix des Tribunes (handicap). Doge, 1; Mario,
2. Amount of the stakes, 3,osof.—Prix d'Essai,
for horses of 4 years old and upwards. Maorie
Chief, 1 ; Said, 2. Amount of the stakes, 1,500 f.,
350 f. to the second horse. There will be races at
La Marche next Sunday.
The Court of Assize for the department of Vienne
has been occupied with a frightful case of violation
and murder. The evidence proved that on the 21st
of October last a young girl of 18, servant to M.
Condrier, a gentleman of property, residing at La
Grelandiere, had leave to visit her parents. On
returning back through a wood she was accosted
by Louis Beaugeard, a returned convict, who, after
committing a horrible outrage upon her, cut her
throat. The evidence was complete as to the
commission of the crime. A knife stained with
blood was found in his possession, and a link of
circumstances left no doubt as to his guilt. The
jury gave a verdict of guilty, and the prisoner was
sentenced to be executed in one of the public squares
of Chatellevault.

The assumption as to the inviolability of corres-
pondence through the post-office brings to recollec-
tion a fact which must prove that the Emperor has
a respect for that great principle. Soon after he
escaped from his prison at Ham he wrote a letter to
the Prime Minister of Belgium, with a view to be
convinced that any letter which he might send
through that country would not be subjected to any
inspection at the post-office. The Minister, in
reply, sent to the Emperor, then Prince
Napoleon Louis, the text of Article 22 of the
Belgian Code of Laws, which states that " the
secret of .letters is inviolable, and that the law
determines who aro the responsible agents of any
violation of the secret of letters confided to the
Post-office."

To-day the wind has been rather cold, but upon
the whole spring is in advance at least a month.
In the gardens in the environs pf Paris the peach
and apricot trees are in bloom. There have been
violets and cowslips for a mout past. The trees
on the banks of the river are getting rapidly green,
and those in the suburbs to the south of Paris ex-
hibit foliage. The lilac trees will soon be in
bloom. The chestnut trees planted in the park of
the Exhibition seem determined not to be behind
with the celebrated 20th of March chestnut tree in
the gardens of the Tuileries.

L A TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE FRENCH LEGISLATIVE BODY.
PARIS, Feb 26.

Yesterday evening in the Legislative Body AL
Lanjuinais addressed the House upon the inter-
pellation of which he had already given notice. He
acknowledged the importance of the concessions
granted in place of the debate on the address, but
maintained that the right of interpellation, con-
trolled as it is, was no right, but toleration.
He regarded the decree of the 19th January as
irregular, and considered that the measures an-
nounced therein should have been authorised by a
Senates Consultum.

M. Chesonlong stated that the majority of the
Chamber did not separate the Empire from liberty,
and pointed out the progressive development of the
national institutions since 1852.

M. Marie maintained that the suppression of the
address was illegal, and that it restricted the right
of discussion and the popular contrJl of public

affairs.

M..Vintry, in reply, demonstrated that the right
of interpellation was advantageously substituted for
the debate on the address, and spoke in refutation
of the attacks of MM. Marie and Lanjuinais.
M. Jules Favre concurred in the views expressed
by those speakers, and concluded his speech by
saying, " Let us maintain the address; it belongs
to us."
The discussion will be resumed to-day.