The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-10 00:00:00

uttered a lament over the compound householder,
and seemed inclined to fall oat with all the plan, but
the right hon. gentleman's objections did not go for
much with the committee. In consequence of the
determined attitude of the House the schedules were
reached at six o'clock, and the first thing done was to
agree to the towns that were in future to have only
one member instead of two. In Schedule B some at-
tempts were made to change the towns which were
to have members in the new arrangemeat, but
these were not successful ; and Mr. AYRTON aptly
represented the state of feeling of the House when
he said that he would postpone his amendment
about Wandsworth in order not to interfere with
the general desire to finish the bill at that sitting.
Mr. DISRAELI said that many points would be settled
by the Boundary Commissioners, who would not be
fettered by the temporary boundaries of boroughs
or counties, but would be able to re-arrange them
as they deemed advisable. No important alteration
was made in any of the Schedules, and finally the
Chairman was ordered to report progress, amid

considerable cheering.
Mr. DISRAELI fixed upon to-morrow for the
Report, which is the next stage ; but some last
dying speeches of opposition were made by Lord
CRANBORNE, Mr. GLADSTONE, and Sir R. PALMER,
in consequence of which the right hon. gentleman
wisely postponed it until Friday. It seems strange
and inconsistent that so many objections should be
thus interposed in the way of progress by those who
profess to have the cause of Reform at heart. On
the question that the preamble be agreed to, it was
suggested by Sir J. KNIGUTLEY that the bill should
be printed as originally introduced, and also with the
alterations, so that the House might understand how
much was the property of the Government, and how
much belonged to others. It would be advisable,
we should think, that the factious attempts made
to defeat the plans of the measure and to defer its
progress be printed also, so that the country might
comprehend who were the true friends to Reform,
and who preferred to its accomplishment their
own fancies or prejudices, or the gratification of
mere selfish motives. The Government bas had,
at all events, a very difficult task to per-
form, and the greatest credit is due to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer for the skill ho has
displayed, and for the great moderation he has
shown. What with false friends and crafty foes
he has had enough to do, and it is only surprising
that he has done so much. To have to meet trivial
objections is more irritating than to face important
obstacles, and what would have been more frivo-
lous than Mr. GLADSTONE'S reason for demurring
to the report being taken on Thursday,
namely, that there were many " local ques-
tions" that ought to be listened to ? To
this Mr. DISRAELI said that he did not
know what they were. Sir R. PALMER said that
they could not give notice of the amendments
which would be proposed ; and Lord CRANBORNE
said that a day was not to be considered in a matter
of extreme importance. We should have thought
that the " extreme importance" might have induced
those cavillers to forego their vexatious criticisms ;
but the Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed to
make Friday the day ; but even then Lord
CRANBORNE tried to be facetious, and said
that he thought the Chancellor of the Exchequer
had better suspend the Standing Orders. But really
we think that objections like this are best answered
by his own succeeding observation, that this is a
thing which only occurs once in a generation. No
one even troubles himself to find out who took the
part of Lord CRANBORNII or Mr. BERESFORD-
HOPE and others in the Reform Bill of 1832 ; it
stands out a great historical fact, and so it will be
with the Reform Bill of 1867, the fame of which
will survive when its opponents and detractors are
overwhelmed and forgotten.

There is no longer any room for doubt respect

ng the fate Of MAXIMILIAN. Last evening, in

he House of Lords, the Earl of DERBY, in answer

to a queltion from Lord STRATFORD DE RED-
CLIFFE, stated that he had in the course of the
day received a telegram from Paris, which gave
full confirmation to tho previous rumours. It

was from M. FAURE, to the effect that M. Mous-
TIER had received a telegram from the French
Minister at Mexico, dated the 27th of June, re-
porting that the EMPEROR had been shot on the
19th, in spite of every effort to save him. " The
tone of the victorious party," so ran the tele-
gram, " was defiant towards all foreign Powers,
including the United States." They refused to

give up the body, and the French Minister, who

was preparing to depart with his legation, though

it possible he might be detained as a hostage for
General ALMONTE. It is hardly probable that the
Mexicans, rash and headstrong as they are, would

openly provoke a quarrel with France, though,
judging from what they had already done, they

are inclined to overrate their own power. The
Earl of DERBY, in speaking on the subject, de-.

flounced the execution of the EXPEROR as a moss

unnecessary, most cruel, and most barbarous
murder. "It is," said his lordship, "a murder
purely gratuitous, and so far from producing any
beneficial effect, it can only add to the misery
which that unhappy country Mexico has suf-
fered for so many years." This feeling was shared
by the House of Lords, as it will be by the public
at large, who have watched with deep interest the
news from Mexico. When MAXIMILIAN first

accepted the tottering and dangerous throne
offered to him, Englishmen viewed the proceeding
with some displeasure. It is always an invidious
thing to attempt to establish a new form of govern-

ment in an alien country. Mexico was not an em

pire, and MAXIMILIAN was neither a Mexican, a
Spaniard, nor an Indian.llewnasunaci. cuainted
in with
the people, and although inexperiencedot
government, he had certainly not bpeeeonpalecculisktoemtehde
to dealing with a semi-barbarous
inhabitants of Mexico. But although there was
much to complain of in the manner of MAxlmlmANh'se
elevation to the throne, there was little fault to
found with his administration of affairs. He en-
deavoured honestly to perform his duty towards his
people and to govern them well and wisely, and in
this attempt he was ably seconded by his consort.
Had Mexico been a civilised country, in which law
and order exercised their due influence, no doubt they
would have succeeded in winning the affections of the
people, and MAXIMILIAN and CIIARLORTE might still
have been wearing the insignia of imperial dignity.
But to have succeeded in preserving authority in
the troubled state of the country, it would have
needed not a constitutional monarch, but an iron-
handed dictator. The men who try to govern by
principle and constitutionalism arc not made for re-
volutions. JEFFERSON DAVIS proved unequal to
the task of subduing the refractory planters ; and
it is no discredit to AlAmmiLlAN's administrative
ability that he failed to retain authority over
men who care for nothing but plunder
and bloodshed. Had the Mexicans been
in earnest in their professions, had they
really desired to establish a Republican form of
I Government, under which life and property should
b;) safe and public order maintained, no one could
• have refused to acknowledge their right so to do,
and assistance woul I not have been lacking from
the United States, Bat every one foresaw that as