The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONUON, TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 28 1867

FIIGII WATER AT LONDON BIUDGL.

rim DAY.—Morning, Bh. 45m.—Afternoon, 9h. 20m.
Co-Moßaow.-Morning, 9h. 54m.—Afternoon, 10h. 25m

117 -
al4t
.r... 140444.1110
-fr" 04-T" V .101' int
-

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1867.

The intelligence which Lord DERBY last night
announced in the House of Lords, and Mr. Dm-
RAW in the Commons, though not unexpected,
will be received with lively and general satisfaction.
BURKE, indeed, may not individually command our
respect or excite our sympathis, and has no doubt
fully merited the punishment which he incurred by
his open and premeditated breach of the laws. his
crime, indeed, was intended to doom many to the
fate which he has so narrowly escaped himself.
Like an incendiary, or a man who aims at over-
throwing a railway train, it was impossible
to foretel what persons might be sacri-
ficed, what lives lost, what property wasted,
the happiness of how many homes destroyed,
before the game of Fenianism was played out. At
the same time, though all the eloquence and in-
genuity of certain politicians have been exerted in
vain to elevate BURKE into a hero or a martyr, the
decision which the Government arrived at, in ad.
vising her MAJESTY to exercise her prerogative of
mercy on his behalf, was undoubtedly a wise and
seasonable one. The public feeling both in Eng-
land and in Ireland has been strongly expressed in
favour of a remission of his sentence, and a consti-
tutional Government can, without lowering its
dignity, show some deference to the general wish
of the community. Lord DERBY, in making his
statement to the Upper House, referred to the ex-
treme doubt and difficulty of the Ministerial posi-
tion. There was little palliation, he observed, for
the guilt of Buns; since it was not a case arising
out of civil war, in which interests and principles
were involved and passions excited, and in which
all parties were bound to look with indulgence on
the conduct of those who have been worsted ; but
it was a case of unprovoked attack upon a peace-
ful community. No thanks, said Lord DERBY,
are due to BURKE, that the country was not de-
luged in blood. And even as it is, with the worst
evils altogether avoided, thanks to the timely warn-
ing and provisions of the Government, the effects
have been sufficiently serious. " The course
pursued by these criminal men has had the effect
of creating universal panic throughout Ireland, of
breaking down confidence between man and man,
of subjecting a large portion of the country to loss
of property, to insecurity of life, to the necessity of
taking steps for self-preservation, of producing, in
short, a state of things which has put back the in-
creasing prosperity of Ireland for I know not how
many years." These things must not be forgotten,
because the principal offender has escaped the full
penalty of the law, and he must not be elevated
into a martyr or a hero whom the authorities fear
to strike. A strong Government can afford to be

magnanimous, and E nglish authority will have gained
far more than it has lost by this concession. Lord
DERBY expressed his hope that a good effect would
be produced upon the warm and grateful hearts of
the Irish peasantry, and he did not hesitate to ad-
mit that the Government had been strongly in-
fluenced by the expression of public feeling both
in this country and in Ireland. In fact the Lord-
Lieutenant himself communicated with the Govern-
ment in favour of the commutation of the sentence,
although ho was formerly disposed to let the law
take its course. Both Houses received the intima-
tion with marks of approval, and the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, on his part, expressed a confident
hope that this exercise of the Royal prero-
gative would be attended with the best results.
Mr. DISRAELI observed very truly that when public
feeling was so much divided the deterrent effect
desired would not be likely to be produced. We
must hope that we have nearly seen the last of these
mischievous attempts, and that the mercy of the
Crown will serve to convince those who are misled
by the ingenuity of interested agitators that English
rule is something different from a reign of terror.
If BURKE is to be remembered as one of the last
of the Fenian leaders no oue will envy him his

notoriety.
Irish affairs occupied a good deal of attention in
the House of Lords last evening, since, after some
debate about the new Judges, Lord DERBY had to
resume the subject of Fenianism by moving the
second reading of the Habeas Corpus Suspension

Act Continuance Bill. It is the second time that

Parliament has been asked to sanction this proceed-
ing, which of course met with no direct opposition.
Lord RUSSELL criticised some minor details of the
Ministerial conduct, but did not hesitate to express
his belief that the manner in which the former Act
had been carried out did the greatest credit to the
moderation as well as to the vigilance of her
MAJESTY'S Government in Ireland. Lord RUSSELL
touched upon a few of the more prominent Irish
grievances, and said he thought it was time to
consider, now that sixty-six years had elapsed since
the Union, whether the mind and heart of Ireland
could not be conciliated and brought into unison
with this country. Until Fenianism is finally and
effectually disposed of, however, no such measures

ce n be tried; and so far from the outrageous con

duct of these Irish-American emissaries affording
a reason for attempting to make legislative conces-
sions, it is opposing serious obstacles. The chief
claim of Ireland upon the attention of Parlia-
ment is furnished by the loyal and praise-
worthy conduct of the mass of the people during the
recent disturbances. The Government are aniious
to secure the passage of the bill forthwith, in order
that no time may be lost in obtaining the Royal
assent, and accordingly the third reading was fixed
for to-day. There is not much reason to appre-
hend at the present time that these will be any in-
clination to withhold justice and equity from her
MAJESTY'S Irish subjects ; and, notwithstanding
the many difficulties that are in the way, we may
hope that brighter days are iu store for that much-
tried country, whose worst enemies have always
been her pretended friends.

The House of Commons did a great deal last
night, and we may now conclude that their chief
difficulties in the progress of the Reform Bill are
put out of the way. The standing orders have been
altered, and the new plan begins to-day, which will
in itself greatly expedite things, and must tend to
the more speedy settlement of affairs. 'The Com-
pound householder may now be said to be fairly
extinguished, which is a very desirable conclusion
to have come to. It may fairly be said that this
matter of the Compound Householder has occasioned
more confusion than anything else in the course of
the reform measure before Parliament, and hence its
importance was great, and the house may well be
congratulated upon having disposed of it. The
third and fourth sections of the clause were struck
out on the suggestion of Mr. AYRTON, these
Leing the vexatious parts of the scheme.
In consequence of this wise determination the
affair was happily disposed of, and we may
take a long farewell of this mysteriou. • and danger-
ous personage who seems only to have been called
into existence for the purpose of distracting all con-

cerned in the affair, and upon whom devolved the '
duty of carrying out a measure of Reform. In the
course of some observations which he made last
night, Mr. DISRAELI took occasion to advert to the
charges which had been brought against the Go-
vernment of having committed a breach of faith in
respect to the arrangements made between them li
and the house. He addressed a fitting re-'
proof to those who had committed them-
selves in the matter of expressing such strong
opinions, and showed that since he had con-
sidered the business of the house he had never
at any time entered into engagements which he had
not scrupulously fulfilled. We think it was just as
well for the light hon. gentleman to have spoken
upon the subject, because many persons not well
versed in Parliamentary matters may be led astray
by the delusive remarks of those who pretend to
know a great deal. Mr. GLADSTONE, much to his
credit, said decide Ily that he had not the least
" hesitation in saying that there was no charge
of breach of faith that can lie against the
right honourable gentleman," which expression was
received with cheers from both sides of the House.
There are surely many ways in which those opposed
to the leaders of party can express their dissatisfac-
tion and disapproval without resorting to abuse
and setting up charges which cannot be substan-
tiated. The extreme Reformers of the present day
entirely repudiate the idea which once found favour
of recognising the merits of their opponents—
" And that stern joy which warriors feel
In foemen worthy of their stool,"
is quite unknown to them, for all who do not im-
plicitly fall in their wake are held up to scorn and
opprobrium.

Emboldened by their ventures respecting the com-
pound householder, the house proceeded to discuss
the county franchise. A half-way plan was agreed
to between the proposal of the Government for a £l5
qualification and that of Mr. LOCKE KING for £lO,
Sir E. DERING'S proposal of twelve pounds being
taken, and Mr. LOCKE KING wisely assented to it.
In some respects last night's work was the most re-
markable that has yet been done by the House since
the commencement of the debates on the Reform
Bill. More was got through, and there is more to
look at to-day as the consequence of the
discussions. Indeed it is not always that those
nights which are the most exciting are
the most eventful. Occasionally it is so, as in
the case of the great division which took place be-
fore Easter ; but upon ordinary occasions it is
found that the dullest evenings are often the most
useful ones. Either the task of extinguishing the
compound householders or of settling the occupa-
tion franchise in counties would have been enough
to make yesterday memorable ; but the combina-
tion of the two achievements is alike satisfactory
and encouraging. To-day, under the new regime,
the house will set to work in right earnest to get
through the remainder of their complicated task,
and they may be certain that the sympathy and

good wishes of the public will go with them. Now
that the real dangers that menaced this measure of
Reform seem practically removed, we can afford to
look forward with confidence to the end in view,
and to realise in some degree the advantages which
will be denied by the country at large. It has been

the fashion in certain quarters to abuse or vilify the
present House of Commons, but surely those
changes may be said to be unfounded which
have been brought against it, and those

aspersions upon its character and good

faith may be termed slanders. The members of
the lower branch of the Legislature have indeed
had no easy task of it this year, and it has been
mainly owing to the discernment and constancy of
the House collectively that those obstacles have
been surmounted which were at ono time deemed
insuperable by competent judges. While upon this
theme we must bear testimony to the great services
which have been rendered to the cause by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. In fighting the
battles of his colleagues he has led not only his
party to victory, but has enabled the House of Com-
mons to satisfy the just demands and expectations
of the people. Only those who are well versed in
Parliamentary tactics can rightly estimate the diffi-
culties which have beset the right hon. gentleman,
but the general results of his work will be appre-
ciated far and wide ; and, perhaps, he has distin-
guished himself in nothing more than in the
moderation which ho has throughout displayed
in very trying circumstances; at any rate the
session of 1867 will be a good exception to the
many which preceded it, and shine out as a

bright and particular star in the Parliamentary
horizon ; and we hope that in the years to come,
when many of this generation are at rest from their
labours, the measure of Reform which it will have
been its boast to have carried will be prized by
them for whom it was framed, and prove to have
been productive of much, if not of all, those bene-
fits which were expected from it.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, Monday Evening.
The Moniteur states that a telegram transmitted
gbyriveteheneAwtelafrnetmic cable, and daatfeedrtAeligexhitco,
tinned to maintain its defence, and the later
any advance.
dv
had been before received in Europe.
besiegersl atyh asn
had not been able to makeean neTe.he city con-
tinued
tpurrduaseyiaafwteerrneoroene,eitvheed Prince and
EanmdpPerreirncaeessd
RoOyanl
Empress at a private audience at the Tuileries.
Count de Goltz, Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the King of Prussia, preceded
their Royal Highnesses. After the audience the
individuals composing the service of the Emperor
and Empress, and those in the service of the Prince
and Princess, were mutually introduced. The Galin
carriages with the usual ceremony were sent to the
Prussian Embassy, in the Rue du Lille, to convey
the Prince and Princess to the Tuileries, and they
were reconducted to that hotel with the same cere-
monial. Prince Napoleon and the Princess Clotilde
have arrived at Turin, in order to be present at the
marriage of Prince Amedee, of Savoy, with the
Duchess d'Aoste. They were cordially received at
the railway station by the Royal Princes, the
authorities, and the population.
The following extract of a letter from Djeddah is
interesting :—" The account received from Mecca
respecting the great festival of Kourbau Beiram,
which was attended by an immense number of per-
sons, is that the sanitary state of the pilgrims is
excellent. The Governor-General of Hedjaz and
the Grand Cherif of Mecca, according to instruc-
tions which they had received from Constantinople,
had previously taken all the necessary precautions,
and there as well as at Djeddah all the sanitary
precautions r•.:conimendeil by the Internationsd
Sanitary Conferenc,-; of Constantinople had been
adopted. No case of contagious malady has been
reported, and but few deaths had taken place, and
they only arose from the fatigue of the journey.
Considerable numbers of pilgrims were beginning
to arrive at Djeddah, where arrangements had been
made for their embarcation and to avoid crowding
on board the vessels which were to convey them to
their destination.

To the list of Sovereigns attracted to Paris by the
great Exhibition may be added the King of Sweden
and the reigning Princes of Servia and Moldo-
I'Vallachia. They will come, it is said, in the course
of June. The Emir Abd-el-liader, accompanied by
his two sons, is also expected in Paris.
To-day an establishment has been opened at the
Exhibition which, if not attractive from beauty or

novelty, is of a highly useful and philanthropic
character. It is a maternal school opposite the
Catholic Chapel. The principle of instruction is
that prescribed for all juvenile asylums, that of
making the fir§t study of infancy as agreeable and as
easy as possible. Deaf and dumb children will re-
ceive instruction at the school.
The rumour in the fashionable world is that the
fate to be given to-morrow by the Austrian Am-
bassador will be one of marvellous splendour. The
garden of the Embassy will be transferred into a
ball-room to be connected with the reception rooms.
Princess Metternich has ordered a quantity of the
richest silks from Lyons for the decoration of the
rooms. There will be a magnificent display of
flowers and exotic; and the electric light will in-
crease the splendour of the scene.

The Abbe Court, many years curate of Nanterre,
has just died. He it wai who, for many successive
years, crowned the rosieres at the fête of which 1
had to speak only a day or two ago.
A German paper states that an extremely rich vein
of silver has been discovered in Bohemia, at a great
depth below the level of the sea. This vein of silver
is in the mine of St. Adalbert, which last year fur-
nished more than half of the silver and lead which
were extracted from the mines of Pizifram.

The weather is still unsettled and stormy. This
morning there was white frost in the fields in the
vicinity of Paris, but as the day advanced it became
warm. Fahrenheit's thermometer in doors marked
70 degrees at 2 o'clock. A writer in the Constita-
tionnel to-day contrasts the weather in France and
England. He says—" In England the climate is
damp. It rains almost every day. The land is
therefore constantly wet. In France, with the ex-
ception of the departments to the north of l'aris,
the climate of which resembles that of England, the
land is in a very different condition. In the centre
of France, and particularly in the south, four or
five months often pass without rain. The land,
therefore, quite contrary to the case in England, is,
generally speaking, very dry." -
The Journal des Debats, in reference to the visit
of the Prince and Princess Royal of Prussia to
Paris, expresses its regret that just at this time the
Prussian Press has adopted a rough and ungracious
tone towards France. That journal seems to fore-
see some difficulty about the disposition of Prussia
in regard to article five of the Treaty of Prague,
according to which Prussia engaged to consult the
inhabitants of the northern part of Schleswig upon
the point whether they would remain Prussians or
again become Danes. The Debats quotes some re-
ports from German papers of authority, according to
which the Danish Government has addressed a cir-
cular letter to all the great Powers, insisting upon
the strict execution of the fifth article of the treaty.
" If this news be accurate," says the Debats, " it is
not without importance. Prussia cannot refuse to
execute the treaty." In order that your readers may
more completely appreciate the bearing of this
article, it may be well to state that several Paris
papers, some of them having much authority and
influence, affect to consider that the new treaty has
only patched up the difficulties of the position, and
that Prussia will seize an early opportunity of en-
gendering fresh complications.
It is very satisfactory and flattering to English
skill and industry to find that the French papers
agree in the pre-eminence of England in some de-
partments of art and manufacture. A writer in
the Siecle, who inspected some articles exhibited in
the stand of Messrs. C. F. Hancock, Son,- and Co.,
speaks of them as unsurpassed by the French ma-
nufacturers in the same branches. This eminent
firm has just added more wonders to the Exhibi-
tion. The first addition is a magnificent solid
silver cup in the Renaissance style of art. The
subject is the Earl of Richmond proclaimed as
Henry the Seventh, after the defeat of Richard the
Third on the battle-field of Bosworth. Lord
Stanley is represented as placing the crown upon
the Monarch. All the personages are in bold relief.
The figure of Fame is peculiarly artistic and ex-
pressive. This gem was manufactured expressly
for the Exhibition, and is well worthy of it. The
other magnificent addition to the Exhibition is a
silver vase, intended to represent Prince Edward
rescuing Henry the Third at the battle of Evesham.
This unequallel specimen of art is in the pure
Florentine style. The handles are formed of
winged figures of Fame. At the base are dragons
holding shields descriptive of the subject. The
tracery is of exquisite delicacy and finish. These
articles excite admiration from all.

which shall be completed with the least possible
delay.
" 5. His Majesty the King Grand Duke, by virtue
of the rights of sovereignty he exercises over the town
and fortress of Luxemburg, engages upon his part to
take the necessary measures for converting the said
strong place into an open town by means of such
demolition as his Majesty shall judge sufficient to
fulfil the intentions of the high contracting Powers
expressed in Art. 3 of this present treaty. The works
required for this purpose will commence immediately
after the retreat of the garrison. They shall be
carried ont with all the circumspection the interest
of the inhabitants of the town demand. His Majesty
the Grand Duke further promises that the fortifica-
tions of the town of Luxemburg shall not in future be
re-established, and that no military establishment
shall either be maintained or created at that place.
" 6. The sign&tary Powers to this present treaty
recognise that the dissolution of the Germanic Con-
federation having equally brought about the disso-
lution of the ties that united the Duchy of Limburg
collectively with the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg
to the said Confederation, it results therefrom
that the relations mentioned in Arts. 3,4,
and 5 of the treaty of April 19, 1839, between the
Grand Duchy and certain territories appertaining to
the Duchy of Limburg, have ceased to exist—the
said territories continuing to form au integral part
of the kingdom of the Netherlands.
" 7. This present treaty shall be ratified, and its
ratifications shall be exchanged at London within
the period of four weeks, or earlier if possible.
"In faith of which the respective plenipotenti-
aries have signed the treaty, and appended to it the
seal of their arms.

"Done at London, this 11th May, 1867.
(Signed)
" STANLEY, " VAN DR WEYER,
"APPoNYI, " TonNACO,
"LA TOUR D'AUVERGNE, " SERVAIS,
"D'AZEGLIO, " BERNSTORiT,
" BENTINCI, " BRUNNOW.
" DECLARATION.

" It is well understood that Art. 3 does not affect
the rights of other neutral Powers to preserve, and
in case of need to repair, their strong places and
other means of defence."
(The same signatures follow.)