The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-20 00:00:00

fessed his readiness to tell the house all that the Govern-
ment had done in reference to the occupation of Rome and
the invitation to a conference. Not being bound by treaty
obligation to pronounce any formal opinion on the occupa-
tion, the Government had refrained from any such act,
though ho had expressed to the French Government his
belief that it would produce a very unfavourable impres-
sion in this country. But in the differences which had
arisen between the Italian Government and the French
Government our good offices had been asked by Italy and
had been accepted. To the invitation to a Conference ad-
dressed to us by the French Government he had answered
that the Government saw little chance of any satisfactory
result following the Conference unless some definite plan
of settlement were proposed beforehand, and unless it
could be ascertained from previous negotiations that the
plan would have a reasonable chance of acceptance. Sorry
though he might bo to lose a chance of removiug this
cause of disagreement, to go into a Conference without
some such previous agreement would have been a waste of
time.

Sir G. BO WYER took exception to parts of Mr. Hors-
man's résumé of the Italian "situation," maintaining that
the Emperor of the French was master of the situation ;
if King Victor Emmanuel was embarrassed, it was owing
to his own duplicity; that events had shown the perfect
satisfaction of the Roman people with the Papal rule ; and
that the repetition of such a filibustering expedition, pro-
tected by Victor Emmanuel, would lead to a rebellion in
Southern Italy and a restoration of the Bourbons.
Mr. NEWDEGATE expressed his complete satisfaction
with Lord Stanley's decision to have nothing to do with
the Roman question, and reminded him that on a previous
occasion the Papacy rewarded us for our protection by
fomenting wars on all Protestant Powers.

Mr. P. TAYLOR, on the contrary, was deeply grieved
by our attitude of non-intervention and abnegation of
international duties, denouncing the invasion of Italy by
France as an act of brigandage, and maintaining, in con-
tradiction to Sir G. Bowyer, that the Roman people were
only prevented from expelling the Papal Government by
the presence of foreign troops.
Mr. BUTLER-JOHNSTONE was of opinion that the
Roman question was too complex to be settled in a Con-
ference, and asked those who complained of our non-inter-
ference to point out how we could have prevented the
invasion of Italy by French troops. We were not masters
of the Mediterranean, and we could not have sent an ex-
peditionary force more than strong enough to copo with
the Papal army.
Mr. Whalley and Sir P. O'Brien also made some obser-
vations on the Roman question, and Mr. Corianco ex-
pressed his approval of the paragraph in the Speech
relating to the cattle plague ; after which the Address was
agreed to without further debate.
The house adjourned at 20 minutes to 8 o'clock.

Mscellaneous News.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)
PARIS, Nov. 14.

The Italian Question appears steadily progressing
towards a settlement, the Emperor having given
orders for the evacuation of Rome and other parts
of the Pontifical territory upon the re-establishment
of order. Garibaldi remains at Varignano, at-
tended only by his son-in-law, the Major Canzio,
and by his secretary, Bassi, under the strictest sur-
veillance ; even the Doctor Randina, his usual
medical attendant, not being allowed access to him.
His son-in-law and secretary are free to leave
Varignano, but in that case they will not be per-
mitted to return there. The late affairs have, of
course, had considerable effect upon the reciprocal
commerce of France and Italy, and ru-
mours have circulated as. to the establishment
of a league in the latter country against the pur-
chase of French merchandise and products ; but it
is more than probable that these are mere vapour-
ing4, which a prompt settlement of the question in
dispute will speedily dissipate. The tone of the
extreme Liberal journals is softening considerably,
as, notwithstanding all their sophistry, they find it
hard to get over the fact that great reforms, when
needed, may be carried out in a more constitutional
manner than that acted on by Garibaldi ; and, al-
though I am not a vehement politician, and touch
upon political questions as little as possible, I
cannot help expressing my opinion that the
prompt action of Napoleon has averted many
great social evils, and opened up a legitimate method
of solving any questions arising as to the Pope's
temporal sovereignty. It is not improbable even
that the whole question may remain in its present
form until the decease of Pius IX. Reforms
founded upon revolutions are of the most unsatis-
factory character, and even reforms of a more
peaceful nature will find their best basis and motive
power upon the advance of education. Almost
every country is and has been for some time past
engaged upon this work, and at this moment in
Paris one may see the walls placarded with large
affiches offering gratuitous courses of instruction
to the working classes, not only in the ordinary
branches of education, but even in foreign lan-
guages. The principal society for this purpose being
under the immediate patronage of the Prince Im-
perial, the numerous Lycees also, and other public
educational foundations in France, which arc
within the reach of nearly all classes, and under the
immediate and able surveillance of M. Duruy,
Minister of Public Instruction, place France much
in advance of England in this respect, where,
although a plain and sound system of edu-
cation is introduced into the national schools,
and even into the workhouses, yet from the
non-interference on the part of the Govern-
ment inspectors with private schools, regarded
in a commercial point of view, a liberal education
is as yet more strictly and peculiarly the advantage
of those able to pay for it. America has also, in
yet a different manner, taken an advanced educa-
tional step in the gratuitous common schools, of
which she exhibited a model at the International
Exhibition, and in which many of her most re-
markable and successful citizens have received their
education. But the questions of reform and educa-
tion afford too great a scope for the limits of my
present letter. Pass we on to the more immediate
events of the day. The provision question is
now attracting attention in France, as well as in
England, and an ordonnance issued this week by the
Prefect of the Seine, by which the price of bread is
fixed not to exceed 50 centimes (five pence) the
kilogramme (a little more than 21bs.) for the first
quality, and 42 centimes (about four pence three
farthings) second quality. France has purchased
largely in grain during the present year, which has
probably contributed in some measure to check any
too great and too sudden a rise, which is the more ad-
vantageous, as bread forms the great staple of
consumption, vegetables being rather regarded
as entremets than as the piece de resistance ;
the greatest anomaly existing in Paris, and which
acts directly in raising the price of other articles,
being the octroi or duty levied, especially upon the
wines, or piece or hogshead of wine, valued at 40
francs, paying 46 francs duty—the same amount
levied upon wines of a higher quality. The tuuni
cipal grain departments which supply Paris are La
Manche and Calvados, and, should it prove of inte-
rest or advantage to our English readers, I shall be
happy to quote in my next the scale of present
prices. The dismantling and removal of the Uni-
versal Exposition continues with equal activity at
Billaucourt and the Champs de Mars. A t this moment
the Island of Billancourt is literally covered with
workmen. The beds have been demolished, and
a large part of the agricultural instruments exhibited
removed by the exposauts or purchasers. On Tues-
day last a number of waggons were engaged in the
removal to the Palais Royal of a number of statues
and works of arts purchased by Prince Napoleon
at the termination of the Exposition. It appears
that the Exposition, although finished, has yet, like
the odour of the wino cask of Uorace or the broken
vase of Moore, an indirect attraction, as on Sunday,
on the Boulevard de la Madeleine, an honest farmer
was then coursing at the top of his speed after two
tall and well-dressed young girls, who, accompanied
by a resplendently-costumed path, fled in all haste
before him. At the cry of " Stop them," however,
the fugitives were soon surrounded ; the never-failing
serpents de vale appeared as suddenly, and soon
after, the whole party were in the presence of the
commissary of polica, the farmer in the first
ebullitions of his wrath demanding nothing less
than the incarceration for life of the juvenile
delinquents. The commissary having at length,
however, succeeded in calming him to some
extent, it appeared from his explanations, together
with those of the young fugitives, that the two
young girls were his daughters, and the youth his
nephew, who, dazzled and seduced by the marvellous
recitals of the later visitors to the Exposition, were
devoured with the desire of once in their lives visit-
ing Paris, its magnificent promenades, brilliant
boulevards, spacious quays, wonderful spectacles,