The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-14 00:00:00

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•
• s"V itt

LONDON, FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1867.

After its brief holidays the House of Commons

has set itself again to the task of dealing with the
R eform Bill, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
p ut before the House the most important features
the new redistribution scheme of the Govern-

ment. The Ministers have done wisely so far that
e y have not merely contented themselves with
3 3 ttling what to do with the fifteen additional
seats placed at their disposal by the carrying of Mr.
LAING'S amendment, but they have taken ad-
vantage of the opportunity thus afforded
them of reconsidering the whole of their
scheme, which decision is much to be
commended, and cannot fail to condues.; to the ad-
vantage of all concerned in the matter. There are
now as many as forty-five seats at the disposal of
Government, and they propose to give twenty-five
to the counties, nineteen to boroughs, and one to
the University of Durham. This seems on the
whole a very fair division, and one that will adjust
matters on a fairer scale than they have been for some
time past. Of course, it is not likely that it should
meet with universal approbation; but Mr. DISRAELI
took pains to show the grounds upon which Govern-
ment had acted, and the reasons which had prevailed
with them. Perhaps the arrangement respecting
the county representation is most likely to challenge
discussion, and therefore it was as well that due
care should have been bestowed upon its explana-
tion. These counties contain four millions apart

from the population represented in the Parliamen-
tary boroughs, and they represent on the largest
scale the great industries of the country—" agri-
cultural, manufacturing and mineral, and to an
enormous extent a vast variety of trades of
great importance, though of secondary importance
to those three great departments of industry." It
will appear to all impartial judges, and to those who
have given much time and thought to the question,
that an undue share in the representation has not
been given to the counties. Indeed, as the right
hon. gentleman remarked during the course of his
explanations, the Committee must have been pretty
well prepared for the decision of Her MAJESTY'S Go-
vernment with respect to their recommendation,
that twenty-five seats should be devoted to the more
efficient representation of English counties.
It is a wise arrangement to allow of the Univer-
sity of London being represented in the House of
Commons, and it is suggested that the Committee
should consider the feasibility of connecting the
University of Durham with it in the representation.
To this, however, Sir F. GOLDSMID took objection,
and said that the proposed union would not work
satisfactorily ; but all this must form the theme of
future comment and discussion. The repre-
sentation of the metropolis is to be increased
by four members, a new borough being created of
Chelsea and adjacent parts, and the Tower Hamlets
being divided as before proposed. Mr. DISRAELI
intimated that for convenience and propriety this
new borough should be called Hackney, and upon
some one ridiculing the notion he challenged criti-
cism by declaring that it was not an unclassical
name, for one of our great English poets has said—

Friendly as Hackney, faithless as Whitehall;

adding that he hoped the members for Hackney would
be faithful to her MAJESTY'S Government. Most of
the boroughs which receive an additional member
and have one conferred upon them, have already
been prominently noticed and their claims have been
often preferred by suitable authorities. The right
hon. gentleman said frankly that he did not suppose
that when these schedules were considered and
studied by the House they " would escape criti-
cism, or perhaps even imputations, made in the
freedom of Parliamentary conversation ;" although
he assured the House that they had been pre-
pared under the direction and personal super-
intendence of Her Majesty's Government, who have
sought most earnestly not to lend themselves to any
arrangement of a party character in this instance,
as on former occasions, during the preparation of
this great measure.
What Mr. DISRAELI proposes, and what seems
to be a very safe way of getting out of the difficul-
ties and delays which environ the path of the com-
mittee, is to give " well-defined, but really large
powers, to the Boundary Commissioners, and
then the committee to suspend their criticism until
after the labours of the said commissioners came
before them in a matured shape." These sche-
dules, as he says, are after all necessarily and
avowedly of a " temporary character," and they
must be dealt with by these Commissioners. On
Monday next, before going into Committee,. Mr.
DISRAELI expects to give the names of the five
gentlemen who will act as Commissioners. Mr.
LAING did not seem to take much exception to the
proposals of Government, but he wished to see that
part of his plan carried out which gave additional
representation to some of the largest cities in
the kingdom. The new members and the
number given to the county representations
did not meet with any censure from him,
but he seemed anxious not to do away with the
grouping principle. Regarding Scotland, Mr. LAING
said that it might be considered expedient to in-
crease the total number of members, in order to
settle the just claims of that country, rather than
to attain the object by taking members away from
English boroughs. There seems no reason indeed
why this should not be done, because there can be
no real necessity to keep to the exact number that
is now fixed upon, and it would be far better to
consider the general results to be obtained than to
keep to an arbitrary rule, which cannot be defended
on any particular principle. On Monday next the
House will have an opportunity of deciding upon
the merits of Mr. LAING'S scheme for giving an
additional member to the six large towns, and also
upon Mr. HUGHES'S proposal to refer to cumulative
voting. On the whole, the House received the pro- '
position of the Chancellor of the Exchequer very
favourably, for no one was decidedly against it,
while many were in favour of it. So far, then, it
may be considered that the committee will re-
sume its labours on Monday under favourable
auspices, which is much to be rejoiced at. The
time is now so important a feature of the affair, as
Mr. DISRAELI hinted last night, that it is certainly
most desirable not to spend much of it in useless
or idle comments. We do not anticipate that the
Government will, at this advanced period of the
session, receive any considerable check in their ar-
duous attempt ; and all that now virtually remains
for the committee to do, is to give effect to those
principles which have already been decided upon by
the collective wisdom and experience of the House
on former occasions.

A discussion on the Navy Estimates does not
often pass off without our naval administration
being subjected to some sharp criticism. There is
always some one ready to spring up in some unex-
pected corner of the House with a whole host of
grievances, and the head officials, tho Ugh of course
bound to defend every department from adverse
critics, have the consciousness that all such attacks
tend to confirm the prevailing impression of the
general mismanagement at the Admiralty. At
the same time the public must not quar-
rel with these spokesmen, who do good service
by bringing many things to light that are
not meant for the open air, and who act in some
degree as checks upon the negligence or indifference
induced by a rigid observance of routine. Last
evening there were plenty of such critics. Imme-
diately on going into committee of supply Mr.
BAILLIE called the attention of the House to the
state of the Ordnance Department. After an ani-
mated discussion respecting the condition of our
armaments, the vote for the Coastguard service and
Naval Reserve was taken, and on this Admiral
ERSKINE had something to say. After the gallant
Admiral's strictures had been in some measure
answered by Mr. CORRY, the condition of the
dockyards was discussed, and it was shown that
some classes of the artisans employed had substantial
cause of complaint. On the vote for steam ma-
chinery, larger questions were entered into, Mr.
CORRY making some observations on the relative
strength of the British and Continental Navies, and
on the best means of securing first-rate ships. In
speaking of the relative force of French and Eng-
lish ships, Mr. CORRY said England had 18 first-
class armour ships afloat and three building of the
second class, three afloat and four building and
9rdered, which, with one ordered in April, made a
total of 29 ships. France had of the first class 16
afloat and four building, of the second one afloat
and seven building, which, with the one recently
purchased in America, made 29 ships, exactly the
same number as in England. But the policy of
England, Mr. CORRY reminded the House, had
always been the maintenance of a naval

• iorce considerably larger than that of France ;
k;al fact., there is no question that to be
adeqrzately defended we ought to have a navy
equil to any two other powers. Setting aside any
pers. .oval considerations or existing alliances, how-
eve r cordial and reliable, we ought as a matter of
national policy to look at the question in the ab-
strt tct, and consider what position we should be in
in presence of a combination of the fleets of France,
ant I Russia, or Russia and America against us. If
-wo hope to preserve our prestige and our position
• without an effort, we shall find ourselves disagree-
; tbly undeceived some day. Both from our insular
situation and from national habits we must rely
upon our naval rather than our military force. But
the great aim of England should be to obtain an
efficient fleet without measuring her number of
ships too exactly with those of France or any other
nation. If we ha:•e the fleet which we ought to
have it will be nothing to us whether another nation
has two or three vessels more or less. Mr. SAMUDA
indeed goes so far as to say that the navy of Eng-
land ought to be equal to the united navies of
Europe, but it is scarcely possible that they
would under any circumstrnces be all allied
against us. At the same time the progress
made by the other nations of Europe in ship build-
ing should certainly induce us to show a little
more energy and activity in the matter. The num-
ber of guns which France has under armour is con-
siderably greater than our own, and although Mr.
Alderman LUSK contends that is a "very vulgar
policy" to go on building because France does so, it
is neither very safe nor creditable for us to allow
ourselves to be completely outstripped. Mr. CORRY
admits that the French have made more rapid pro-
gress than we have. The progress made in building
eleven French ships being equal to six and a
half ships, whereas the progress made in our
own dockyards during the same time has
only been equal to one ship and three-quarters !
This tardiness appears to have originated in one of
ous usual Admiralty blunders, the Board having
calculated that one shipwright could construct nine
tons of shipping in the year, whereas in the con-
struction of armour-clads only six tons must be
allowed. So that while our shipwrights are com-
plaining of want of work, the dockyards have been
actually in want of more men to make the required
progress in our shipbuilding ! Mr. CORRY, who
spoke very fairly respecting the whole question, said
that the Admiralty, believing competition to be
a wholesome thing, had invited the assistance
of some of the principal building firms in the coun-
try to provide designs for an armour-clad ship; but
although this is a good idea, and likely to improve
our navy, more especially as the successful compe-
titor is to be allowed to build the ship, there are
difficulties even in the way of open competition.
The unfortunate habit of laying things aside in
official pigeon holes, only to bring them out piece-
meal after the lapse of years, discourages inventors
from even submitting their plans to the heads of
public departments. Thus, in the discussion
respecting the Ordnance Department last night,
Mr. BAILLIE declared his conviction that the gun-
makers of the country refused to submit their in-
ventions to the select committee, because they were
afraid of their being adopted by others. One of the
largest gunmakers in Birmingham had very recently
told him that he had excellent breech-loading guns,
but that he would not send them to the Ordnance
Committee. The sealed description of the SCHNEI-
DER rifle was, he said, in the War-office during the
term of the late Secretary. There is so much of all
this petty unfairness and unwillingness to give just
praise where praise is due that men of intelligence
and ability get disheartened, and carry their talents
and their inventions elsewhere, as too many have
already done.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM. OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Thursday Evening.

The Emperor Alexander, before leaving Paris,
made his promised visit to Fontainebleau on Tues-
day. After a collation, served in the Salle de Henri
the Second, their Majesties, and the Princes and
Princesses, went to the Chinese Museum, and re-
turned to Paris at five o'clock. The Emperor
Napoleon and the Empress are at the Tuileries
to-day.

A special train bad been prepared at Bercy,
which conveyed the Emperor of Russia and Prince
Vladimir to the Villette station, where another
train was ready to take them to Kehl.

The farewell of the two Emperors was very
cordial. Several times the Emperor Alexander
thanked the Emperor and Empress for their atten-
tion to him while in Paris. The Grand Duke
took leave of their Majesties also at the station
of the Eastern Railway. His Imperial Highness
left for Copenhagen by the Northern Railway at
eight o'clock in the evening. The Emperor, Em-
press, the King of Prussia, and the Prince Royal
of Prussia returned to the Tuileries, greeted every-
where by loyal acclamations.

Before his departure from Paris, the Emperor
of Russia received from a great many communes
of France, corporations, and individuals, addresses
expressive of great indignation at the odious at-
tempt made upon his life on Thursday last. The
Emperor has expressed his great gratification and
pleasure at the unanimous manifestations of sym-
pathy manifested towards him, and directed the
authorities of the Russian Embassy to make a
formal acknowledgment of thanks to all the per-
sons who signed these addresses.

We have another illustrious visitor in Paris, the
Duke of Mecklenbourg Schwerin, who comes, how-
ever, incognito under the travelling name of Count
de Schwerin. The Grand Duke has had the honour
of being received at the Tuileries by the Emperor
and Empress. On receiving the news 'of the de-
plorable attempt upon the life of the Emperor of
Russia, the King of Denmark, who is at his summer
residence at Fredensborg, sent for the chaplain of
the Russian chapel and the members of the Rus-
sian Consulate, and a solemn thanksgiving was
offered up in presence of the Royal family and the
civil and military members of the Household.
At Kiel a solemn Te Deum has been celebrated
on board the Russian frigate Swettana, at which
the Prussian Generals in command of the pro-
vince, and many individuals of note were present.
The anniversary of the inauguration of the Con-
stitutional regime in Denmark was celebrated at
Copenhagen on the sth of June in a very brilliant
manner. The public buildings and private houses
were illuminated, and flags were hoisted on the
vessels in the roads. The population repaired to
the plain of the Champ de Mars, where several
orators dwelt eloquently upon the benefits of the
Constitution, and blessed the memory of its founder,
Frederic VII.

There was a Cabinet Council yesterday at the
Tuileries, at which, as usual, the Emperor presided.
The Moniteur again devotes considerable space
to the mere enumeration of the places from whence
addresses of congratulation at the late escape of
the Emperor and reprobation of the flagitious at-
tempt have emanated.

The Poles, individually and collectively, have
made public energetic protests against the attempt
to assassinate the Emperor Alexander.
Count Ladislater Plater, the eminent Pole, has
sent the following letter to the editor of a Paris
paper

" Villa Broelburg, near Zurich, June 8.

" In Switzerland, as in every country where
there are Polish emigrants, the attempt upon the
life of the Emperor Alexander is considered by them
as the work of a wretch overpowered by grief and
fanaticism, which has nothing in common with the
struggle of noble arms iu the service of Poland. It
is certain that its long martyrdom and great suffer-