The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-20 00:00:00

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come once more to judgment, there cannot be s doubt that
each of them would _ east his scornful shell of reproba-
tion along with those of . nearly every wan of note or mrk
in the present Home of Commons. What is Napoleon
111. compared with his illust ions predecessor ! What is.
he individually, or by the luck of revolutionary catastrophe'
and coup d'etat, that the Government of Great Britain should
mut, ly kneel before him? We are not now arguing the
provisions of the Conspiracy Bill, By their own merits hey
must stand or fall. But many a man who conscientiously,
though we think erroneouely, voted leave to bring in that
measure, indicated last night his desire to distinguish between
that vote and his approval of the conduct of Lord Clarendon.
Reluctance to give needless umbrage to the present ruler of
France was the singl motive.that induced Many to assent to
the introduction of a bill of some kind ; but contempt for the
pusillanimity that could 'permit. • M. Waleweki's first de-.
vetch to remain unanswered has all the .more naturally
sought and found vent in the more recent discussion and
vote. We stated at the time, what we believe to be strictly
accurate, that &considerable number of Lord Derby's followers
consented to veto for the first reading rather than diSplace
Lord Palmerston on -the general question whether some mo-
dification might not be made in our municipal law which
would convince the French Emperor of our national • unwil-
lingmess to see hill personally harmed. Lord Derby and
his friends did not wish the responsibility of office thrown
upon them in a manner which would apparently preclude
them from any measure of reconciliation such as we
have indicated. ',But Mr. Disraeli and others guarded
themselves at the time, we are bound to acknow-
ledge, from theimputation of endorsing, blindfolded, the pro-
visions of the intended bill, and, as strongly as Lord John
Russell and Mr. Roebuck, reprobated the deplorable weak-
ness and impolicy of permitting the French Minister's imper-
tiaence to go without reprimand. There is nothing incon-
sistent in the course which these gentlemen have adopted.
Mr. Milner Gibson's amendment is one to which the whole
heart and soul of the country, as well as of the majority in the
House of Commons, has responded. But the assertors of
English liberty and English honour must not rest contented
with this victory. They must be prepared to resist the at-
tempt, if persisted in, to desecrate the Statute• Book by the
inscription of the gemepiracy Bill as an Act.
Hitherto our laws, whether Jenient or severe, have been
indigenous ; but if the present piece of French manufacture
should ever be smuggled through Parliament, we shalt here-
after have the unenviable privilege of being governed by laws
exotic in their nature and of foreign growth.. There is no dis-
guise about it. Lord Palmerston does not affect to deny the
real character of the measure or the illegitimacy of its
origin. He tries not to hide the shame that is on the face of
it, and the brand of legislative bastardy that is upon its
brow. With tho nonchalance of 'a policeman carrying a
foundling to the workhouse, the noble prefet of Westminster
brought in his miserable charge, and got leave to lay it ou
the table. Perhaps in the new Reform Bill provision may be
made to reedit -to in future the introduction of measures
which foreign despots may consider necessary for our national
well being. Why not give seats in the Lower House to the
Austrian and French •Ambassadors, and a pontifical place in
the Upper House to Cardinal Wiseman There would be in
such an arrangement several obvious advantages. These per-
senages, in their capacity of representatives of continental
absolutism, could then bring in their own measures, and de-
fend them in their peculiarly beguiling way. No time would
be lost in child'sh jangling and wrangling about the pusative
parent 'go of the precious little bills • and the Minister of
England, as he used to be, instead of clumsily trying to play
an outlandish and incompatible part, would resume his na-
tional character, and be looked on, perchance, as really an
English Minister again.