The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-12 00:00:00

dear to the human heart—home, friends,
family, and fortune -- should be permitted
to give expressiOn to their opinions and feelings,
to murmur a complaint, or even seem discontented
with a system that has occasioned so much misery
and suffering. If the right of asylum is more
than ever sacred in France, why is it that pass-
port regulations are framed which prevent any
person from treading its soil without what may be
termed " a ticket of leave " from his own Govern-
ment I Surely that cannot easily be obtained by
a political refugee.
But the assertion that " assassination is ele-
vated into a system," is even glorified in this
country, is repeated. We hear of c‘ atrocious
libels, in which the murder of the Sovereigns of
Europe is regarded as a right, a duty—in
which thrones, altars, armies, laws, the magis-
tracy, society, and GOD himself, are dragged
through blood and mire." Let these statements
be verified, and the guilty parties pointed out,
and they shall be punished ; but we beg to tell
M. DE La GITENOTTIERE that, in this free coun-
try, assertion i 9 not accepted as proof. A case
must be clearly established before the liberty,
either of the British subject, or of " the stranger
within our gates," can be vexatiously interfered
with. We repeat our statement that the exist-
ing laws are amply sufficient to punish crime, and
that the substitution of penal servitude for a
protracted imprisonment, would not be sufficient
to deter any man from entering into a conspiracy
where, in case of success, he would be an accessory
before the fact of murder, and liable to suffer the
extreme penalty of the law ! The demand pre-
ferred can render no additional security to the
E3fP2IIOR, but if granted it may greatly humiliate
Great Britain, and that seems to be its sole intent
and object.
It is not in a similar way that minor powers
are approached. We have already commented on
the attempt made to compel Sardinia to surrender
a British subject to " become the whipping boy
to sustain the buffets that it is not yet deemed
quite safe to administer to England." A similar
effort has beam directed against Switzerland, the
nation where the right of asylum was " so boldly
maintained in his favour," and for which he
professes to feel sincerely grateful.
The despatch to the French Minister, at Berne,
is open to far greater exception than that of
Count WALEWSKI to this country so reasonably
complained of. It speaks of dilatory and evasive
replies, and requires that the demand should be
repeated in a more peremptory manner. And the
Envoy is " to insist upon it with the President of
the Confederation that measures be taken without
delay, in order that refugees notorioulsy known as
disposed to take part in criminal enterprises, espe-
cially those organised into societies in the canton
of Genoa, should be deposited far from the French
frontier." And it is added that in the event
of the Helvetic Government not consulting upon
the means of satisfying their just (!) requirements
it will incur a grave responsibility, and will only
have to take to itself the consequences which its de-
termination may entail." There is, there can be,
no mistake about this, and a similar demand may
be addressed to ourselves should the gentle sug-
gestions of M. D$ La GUENOUIERE not be
promptly responded to.
It is, then, right that we should be prepared
for any alternative that may arise—si, cis pacern
pare helium is a sound principle. Like the Scot-
tish knight, Great Britain must be " ready, aye
ready for the field." She must be prepared to
give a. suitable reception to either friend or foe.
Lord. Dams and Mr. DISRAZLI have proved that,
notwithstanding the Indian and Chinese difficulties,
our land and sea forces are in a highly satisfactory
condition, that we have seldom or ever been better
provided with the means of offence and defence.
This is truly satisfactory, but still we should
emphatically urge the propriety of looking to our
" wooden walls" and coast defences. The chan-
nel fleet should be put in a thoroughly satisfac-
tory condition. We should not require even
twenty-four hours' notice to be enabled to repel
any invasion, or rather attempted invasion. It
is to the Admiralty that we must chiefly look
at present. We have frequently explained how
many cumbrous and practically useless men-of-
war might be cut down and converted into screw
steamers, which could be made available at any
moment. Let Sir joHN PAKINGTON look to it.
His administrative powers will now be tested, and
he may rest assured that no reasonable expense
will be grudged by the Parliament or people of
Great Britain in placing the navy in the most
efficient condition. We may also add, ‘‘' twere
well it were done quickly."

The Ministerial Elections being now completed
we may expect that her MAJESTY'S Advisers will
at once set earnestly to work with the business of
the session hitherto so long and unexpectedly in-
terrupted. The pressing character of the measures
to be introduced by the New Cabinet will of course
I be only "indicated" before the short Easter vaca-
tion. Afterwards, but not till then, we may look
for the energetic furtherance by Ministers of the
delayed and disturbed labours of the Legislature.
A little pausing time was obviously from
the first a necessity altogether unavoidable.
An Administration called into existence so
very suddenly, by the force of circumstances wholly
beyond even the most sagacious observer's antici-
pations, requires, beyond all doubt, " breathing
time" sufficient to form its plans, and then "hear-
ing time " sufficient to submit those rapidly mc-
ditated plans to the calm and dispassionate consi-
deration of Parliament. Bailed though the late
Government was so very abruptly by the un-
dreamt-of decision of the House of Commons, it
must be recorded of the out-going ministers that
they had the magnanimity to acknowledge at once
what they would hardly have had the obtuseness
not to recognise—the peculiarity of the position of
their immediate successors, a peculiarity of posi-
tion deprecating instantly of itself anything
at all resembling hasty or factious opposition.
However.curtly this acknowledgment was made, it
was made nevertheless. The ex-President of the
Council intimating, on the part of himself and his
late colleagues in office, the intention of her MA-
JESTY'S Opposition to wait for overt acts before
pronouncing any opinion whatever upon her
MAJESTY'S Government.

Allowance being made for the interval thus un-
avoidably lost to the country by these abrupt
changes, consequent upon the transference of
power from one set of administrators; to another
—it will be evident enough, at a glance, that all
the industry in the world, on the part both of
the Cabinet and the Legislature, will fail to make
up, by‘i the close of the present Session, for a very
Fil:err,sulaurra.iybalishaansaar
aarrellheogli inevitableslylative
a fast, slippin a
April wilt have enteredl
before,the 'Short -Easter :ar a etiiev
ein deficiency.en t 3
are
y bei:::::iryotstsi:abert:tt altogether.will fortnight
hv 1
way from us in like manner.
termination. And then the eau
have
reached its
to be done with the residue
best may be," before the grouse can ""i()l''
" a'
be I,.emona.uy
decimated.

Already we may calculate upon one certain look tol
the session of 1658 by reason of these inopportune