The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-17 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

Tits DAT—Morn., 5 min. aft. 3 —Even., 23 min aft. 3
To-licautow—Morn., 40 min. aft. 3—Even., 55 min. aft. 3

THE WEATHER—SUN Omer, Manca 17.
THEIMHETER, IN THE SHADE.
60—highest since noon yesterday.
49—lowest this morning and during the night
51—this day at noon.
BAROMETER, 30.29.
WIND, Westerly, but light and variable ; with mild
atollweather.

LONDON, WEDRRSIDAX, V1A.11.41111 17, 1858.

Our readers will remember that „
Mr. Kinglake put a question to her ridaaY; 1"t
eat Government on the subject of their conduit in
the matter of the Cagliari. The Chancellor Olf
the Exchequer replied that the present administra-
tion having found that their predecessors in office
had recognised the jurisdiction of the King of
Naples over the Cagliari and its crew, it would
be impossible for Lord 3111inesbury and his col-
leagues to repudiate, on the part of the Crown, a
decision which had been already pronounced
in her Majesty's name. The House of Commons
manifesting its dissatisfaction at the policy which,

though not his own, Mr. Disraeli had chival-
rously defended, Lord Palmerston thought
proper to take advantage of the embarrassment,
which his own act had brought upon his succes-
sors. To the astonishment of all those who were
acquainted with the circumstances, including, as
we believe, some of his lordship's late colleagues,
Lord Palmerston rose and said that new facts
having come to the knowledge of his Cabinet
before they left office, the Cagliari question was at
that period once more the subject of their
deliberations. On Monday last Mr. Disraeli,
returning to this matter, announced that
after a " painful and laborious" exami-
nation of the archives of the Foreign Office,
her Majesty's Ministers had failed to discover
what were the new facts to which Lord Palmerston
had referred, or by whom the question was being
reconsidered at the time of his Lordship's resigns-

tion.
Lord Palmerston, evidently confused by this
startling refutation of the statement which he had
made on the previous Friday, declared in a hesi-
tating voice that he had alluded to some papers
which had been expected by Lord Clarendon from
Turin, when the dissolution of the late Govern-
ment took place !
The Chancellor of the Exchequer was too cour-
teous and adroit to do more than throw a pungent
doubt on his adversary's veracity, which was well
understood by the House ; and we are glad to
find that her Majesty's Government, accepting
Lord Palmerston's statement as correct, and con-
cluding, probably, that the new documents which
the late Cabinet was considering, were, like its
answers to the insults of the iloniteqr, "private"
—have resolved to submit the case afresh to the
law officers of the Crown, and are prepared to act
upon their decision with prudence and energy,
whether they be called upon, as Mr. Disraeli said,
to " acknowledge the jurisdiction of a Sovereign,
or to vindicate the right of a subject,"
We regret to learn that the Correspondence
about the Foreign Refugees has produced a bad
impression upon the English in Paris ; and it.
looked upon by the French as constituting a
triumph for Louis Napoleon. This impression has
evidently been caused by the omission in the
ilioniteur of the first despatch of the series. It
is Walewski's apology sent through the Earl
Cowley on the 23d of February, and published
in our journal yesterday.

The foreign policy of the Government has
hitherto proved highly satisfactory to the com-
munity at large. " The painful misconceptions"
with France have been terminated, and the na-
tional honour properly vindicated. Lord
MALMESBURY wrote temperately, but firmly. He
pointed out the mistake into which Count WA-
LEWSEI had fallen—and showed that anything
susceptible even of a double meaning could not be
tolerated. If Count WALEWSKI did not intend
an insult, his expressions were ♦ery unfortunately
selected, and the despatch forwarded to Switzer-
land on the very same day respecting the same
subject, and under the influence of the same ex-
citement certainly seemed to indicate a very dif-
ferent meaning from that which has more re-
cently been attributed thereto. Whatever might
have been the case, however, the difficulty has
been completely removed, and there is nothing
remaining to occasion reasonable apprehensions
even in the most timid mind.

Another damnosa here,ditas bequeathed by the
late Government was the affair of Mr. HODGE. An
English subject had been arrested. at Genoa on
the demand of the French Government, who
claimed him under an extradition treaty as
amenable to a charge of murder. Fortunately,
however, tzieLe was a clause in that ttc...4(y winch
prevented the surrender of a foreigner without
the assent of his own Government. If a fair
prima facie case could be established, if it were
clearly and distinctly proved that our fellow-sub-
ject was guilty of the atrocious crime laid to his
charge—we venture to say that there would be
no desire or wish to shelter him from the conse-
quences of his offence. But the Government very
properly determined to investigate the accusation,
and to ascertain whether it had real and
tangible foundation. Having done so, it was
perceived that the evidence was not sufficient to
induce an English magistrate to send the case for
trial, and the demand was politely, but steadily
refused. Nor was this all. Instructions were
forwarded t ) the British Minister at Turin, to. I
place himself in communication with Mr.
HODGE, and do all that cauld be done for
his security and comfort. It is greatly
to the honour of Sir JAMES HUDSON to say that
he had anticipated these instructions—that he
lied taken care that every becoming comfort was
at the command of Mr. HODGE, and had demanded
that his imprisonment should cease as soon as the
forms of law would permit.
Th's is as it should be. This is, indeed, the
course which should be pursued in reference to
every English subject who can justly shelter him-
self under the protection of the Btitish Flag.
Tiiat glorious and all-powerful cegis should be
extended over every person who could properly
claim its salutary influence, and proudly
insist on the rights and privileges of a British
citizen. It would have been well if a
similar course had been adopted in reference
to the English engineers who had been so long
languishing in Neapolitan dungeons, and one of
whom has become insane through the hardships
and privations which he sustained during that
fearful ordeal. In one respect we do not blame
the late Government. They were not acquainted
with the facts, and had erroneously supposed that
WATT and his companion had been properly
and legally brought under the jurisdiction of
King Bomn,a's tribunals. But surely that very im-
portant point might and ought to have been
discovered during the nine or ten months of
their detention, and the vindication of the
national honour, and the inalienable rights of
Englishmen should not have been bequeathed as
a perplexing legacy to the new Administration.
They, however, do not shrink from the responsi,
bility, and we may reasonably contemplate that
the result will be in every respect satisfactory,
and that ample compensation will be required for
the wrongs under which they have groaned for so
protracted a period.
It was the foreign policy of Lord PALMERSTON
that gained him the popularity which he enjoyed,
and which placed him at the head of one of the
most powerful majorities in the representative
branch of the Legislature ever wielded by an
comparison abr. i. sto,tn:pi present
English minister. The sayings and doings
Of the
iss to ethno t
Thethozsteadmoonifnistration can bear
'ring cornpatriott° insist
outhraebirie pLerl. eLc ;Os
No rs s in
on justice for our
~perf;:itthataion,
anparoceed at once to Naples on a
to con-
on the Mediterralteau. 11::° Son of the Admiral
vince even the moat obsta. station will be able
perverse Bourbons. Thetlnate °I ti
British ‘e
l'irov"biall
guns of the
y
be perceptible in the distance, 1 e"Will
PA palpably c; boo .
in the future." The paper pellets of the dipiZtu.gt
will indicate the more formidable ones that woula
attend the booming of the British cannon, should
efficient peacemakers
he assistance of these very