The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-15 00:00:00

THE Su N, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENiNG, MAY 15 1867

authority. The abuse of the power of Congress,
although apparently it is an error on the side of
liberty and free government, will inevitably tend,
as in all former instances on record, to the
assumption of irresponsible power by some daring
and unscrupulous spirit. The break up of the
Union, which would probably result from such an
event, would be a far less evil than the overthrow
of those Republican principles which the citizens of
the West have always cherished. America has had
enough of war and contention for this century at
least. Let her turn her attention to those arts of
peace and industry, without which no people can
be really free, great, or prosperous.

It is very satisfactory that Colonel BARTTELor
should have obtained the object of his effort last
night, and that a select committee should have been
agreed to to inquire into the operation of the malt
tax. For many reasons it is as well that this
should be done. The subject has long been one of
difficulty and inconvenience to many, and nothing
can be wiser or more politic than to set doubts and
difficulties at rest by a full inquiry into the matter.
The Government were sensible in not opposing the
demand, and Mr. DISRAELI showed very good
reasons for so doing, when he said that " the
time during which discussions had taken place was
a long one, and the extravagant views which were
taken on the subject by both sides rendered it very
desirable to have the matter thoroughly investi-
gated." The right hon. gentleman was of course
in an ackward position in this matter, because
many of his friends and supporters were among the
enthusiastic advocates for the total abolition of this
tax. lie, however, showed that he had not him-
self been led to any extreme in the case, and had
not used the expression that the tax was a
burden on the agricultural interests. He
said that the Malt Tax was a restriction on
the industry of the producers of barley, and
went on to declare that it might not be pad: or
expedient to remit the tax, although it mightreadily
be laid down that it was a considerable restriction.
Colonel BARTTELOT succeeded in showing many ad-
vantages might be derived from the labours of the
Committee ;—among other things he cited the
advisability of the Committee proving how far it
was advisable to replace the tax by a tax on beer ;
and, also, they might illustrate how the working
classes would gain by the abolition of this
tax in consequence of the adulteration in
beer being checked. We do not believe
that the day is near at hand which will witness the
repeal of this tax, but it may be modified with
great advantage, and no doubt the present Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer will do something in this
direction if he remains long enough in office to have
some favourable seasons as well as unfavourable
ones. At any rate, it is a gain in the cause of pro-
gress that this committee should have been appointed,
and it will afford many an opportunity of under-
standing the subject who are confused with conflicting
statements, and perhaps not sufficiently informed in
the matter. To check the adulteration of beer
would be a great advantage gained, and we are not
without hope and expectation that the committee
may be enabled to devise some means for attaining
this end, which they can confidently recommend to
the Government to follow.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, Tuesday Evening.
The official communication made yesterday to
the Chambers on the part of the Government, of
which I sent you an account in my letter, has ex-
cited great satisfaction among the press and the
public generally. Some of the papers are enthu-
siastic in the highest degree. I see but one excep-
tion to this joyous feeling at the maintenance of
peace—that of the Arenir National—which seems
still to have some misgivings, and insists upon the
truth of a report which has been circulated, that
Luxemburg will continue to form part of the Ger-
man Zollverein. The Avenir National says :—" The
Customs frontiers at this time are real frontiers.
To leave to Prussia the direction of the interests
of national commerce would, in reality, be to leave
to her the sole direction of important affairs. The
Conference, in making such an arrangement, would
only have finished its labour by leaving Luxemburg
as Prussian as it was before. The fortress will fall,
it is true, but in its place the Powers have raised
another less capabl,... of attack, their guarantee of
neutralisation."

Le Temps applauds the Convention, but wishes to
see the treaty followed by a general disarmament.
According to the Gazette de France, Prussia had
only one object in view, that of obtaining the con-
servation of Europe in the position which she has
obtained for herself in Germany. It believes that
Prussia has perfectly succeeded in the object which
she had in view.
The Presse says that the honour of France is
maintained, but it expends a little ill temper upon
the unskilfulness which, it says, has been in this in-
stance displayed by M. Bismarck.
The France is delighted that France has obtained
a triumph without a sanguinary war or any pertur-
bation in Europe. The step taken has not even
troubled the great Exhibition which now exhibits
its marvels in the Champ de Mars.
A. serious calamity has occurred at the village of
Louesmes (Cote d'Or). During service the foun-
dations of the church gave way. Twelve persons
were seriously injured, and ten were killed. The
Sub-Prefect went to the spot immediately and ren-
dered all the assistance in his power. Medical men
were also promptly in attendance. The Empress
has sent I,ooof. for the moment, and has promised
to send such a further sum as may be required.
There was a fair attendance at the Chantilly

Races on Sunday.
A melancholy and mysterious affair is in course
of investigation by the authorities. The circum-
stances, as far as they have transpired, are these :
A young man of 20, Ernest X., after an absence of
a week, which he said he had passed in the country,
came home to his parents, who reside in the Fau-
bourg St. Germain. He was pale and haggard,
and saying that he was very ill he went to bed.
Three days afterwards he died, and the medical
attendant was unable to form any opinion upon the
cause of death. Shortly before he died Ernest
complained of severe internal pain, and when upon
the point of death in his delirium he pronounced
the names of several of his companions. lle
seemed to imagine that he was still in company
with them, and cried out" I forgive you. You have
murdered me. What a misfortune at my age." At
the earnest desire of the father a post mortem
examination of the body took place. The operation
enabled the surgeons to pronounce that death had
been caused from internal injuries in consequence
of violent b'.ows upon the stomach. This led to fur-
ther investigation, and it was discovered that Ernest
and four friends of. about his own age had made a
bet with some others that on every day of a week
they would inebriate themselves with various strong
and rebellious liquor:,, and that they would finish
their Bacchanalian orgies on the Sunday, closing
the week by drinking a large quanity of punch
composed 'of kirch, absinthe, cognac, rhun, white
brandy, and other liqueurs of peculiarly intoxicat-
ing character. The programme of this foolish wager
was carried out to the letter, or, more strictly speak-

ing, to the spirit. The five young men passed the
Sunday at the house where oue of them resided iu
drinking and uproarious festivity. Not a
drop of punch remained. The liquor had
the effect of making them quarrelsome.
They fought, and kicked, and danced together
until, overcome by drinking and exhaustion, they
all fell asleep. In the morning when they awoke
they had but little recollection of what had passed,
and they parted in a friendly feeling, after shaking

hands. It was no doubt during the drunken
quarrel that Ernest received the blows which caused
his death. It is said that his four foolish com-
panions are likely to be put upon their trial on the
charge of wilful homicide.
A German paper says that, according to the last
census, the population of St. Petersburg amounts to
510,000 inhabitants, half of whom are unable to
read and write. The number of ignorant is even
supposed to be greater than this estimate. The
primary schools in the capital are represented to be
in the most inefficient and deplorable state. As to
the provinces, there are no establishments for in-
struction at all.

The weather last night was again very stormy,
and there was abundance of rain. To-day it has
rained heavily and almost continuously, and it has
again become cold and cheerless.
A little girl, carrying her can of milk across the
Boulevard the other clay, fell down and a good deal
of the milk was lost. A benevolent passer-by, who
heard her sobs, consoled her by telling her that she
could easily repair the loss by going to the next
fountain. " Oh, my good gentleman," said the
child, " mamma put a good deal of water into the
milk before I went out."

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

MR. 11PLAREN, M.P., AND THE REFORM

BILL.

A letter from Mr. M'Laren, brother-in-law to
Mr. Bright, to the chairman of his committee, is
published in the Edinburgh Courant. The hon.
member, in defending his vote last week in favour
of the Government, says :—" The arguments for
and against the two sides of the question occupy
seventeen columns of the limes of this morning,
and I leave them there for the consideration of ail
concerned. The result of the debate on my own
mind was that I considered it my duty to vote with
the Government. In the way in which the bill will
now be adjusted, no working man in England, being
a householder, who is willing to take a little trouble
to obtain the franchise, need go without it. The
degree of trouble is this--Government provides at
every post-office within a burgh blank printed forms
of claim to be sent by the compound householder
to the parish officers, claiming to be rated, and
personally to pay his rates ; and when the parish
officer gets the notice properly filled up, he
is bound to enter the claimant on the roll.
This printed form costs nothing, and when
put in the post-office the postmaster is bound to
send it to the parish officer also free of postage.
That officer writes to the claimant if any arrears
of rates are due, and if so, they must be paid
before his name is put on the roll, and this letter
also goes free. These matters being thus attended
to by the working man, he remains on the roll of
electors as long as he pays his poor-rates. I admit
that there is thus a little trouble imposed upon the
working man which I would rather see done away
with ; but as it was well understoood on both sides
of the house that the defeat of the • Government
would occasion the withdrawal of the bill for the
present session, I felt impelled by a sense of duty,
acting on my own responsibility (for no one knew
how I was to vote an hour before the division took
place), to support the Government amendment.
Another point of much importance to us, although
subordinate to the greater question of a good bill
for England, is, that the burgh franchise which the
present Government bas promised to Scotland is
more liberal than any Government has ever pro-
posed ; and if the other parts of their bill shall be
conceived in the same spirit—of which, however, I
know nothing—we may hope to get a good bill for
Scotland passed during the present session. In the
views which I have thus expressed I know that
many ' good men and true' of the Liberal party
concur, and many of those who voted against us,
for special reasons, have privately expressed their
gratification at our success."