The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-27 00:00:00

THE WAR IN EUROPE.

Mr. GOSCHEN wished to ask the noble lord the Foreign
Secretary two questions of which he had given him private
notice—viz., whether the Government had received any
official communication relative to a demand made by the
Prussian authorities for a contribution of £2,000,000 5: ‘r-
ling from the free city o: Frankfort ; and whether the
noble lord could give the house any idea whether there
was a prospect of the cessation of hosiilities between
Prussia and Austria?

Lord STANLEY—In answer to the right hon. gentle-
man's first question, I have to say that I apprehend there is
no doubt that a demand to the amount named by hi n brs
been made upon the free city of Frankfort. I don't k cow
that the right hon. gentleman desires me to go ia:o :u• her
details on the subject. As to the second question, I under-
stand that the Grand Duke of Baden, with the suction of
the allied Governments, is oecup;ed in negorating on ar-
mistice between the Federal ivies and the Prussians; but
I am not yet aware of the resu't of that procced;ng.
Mr. OTWAY said that as it had b-en stated in one of
the papers that an application had baen made to the Bri-
tish Government by the Senate of Frankfort ler its arbi-
tration on that subject, he Ns ;shed to ask the noble lord
whether that was the fact, and whether her Majesty's
Government had undertaken any such arbitration.
Lord STANLEY—No demand or request has been made
to her Majesty's Government that they should arbitrate in
this matter, and es long as the question was one between
a German Government and a German population we should
have no locus standi. (Hear, hear.) I ought to say that it
has been reported to us that threats have been used by mili-
tary officers commanding in Frankfort of a very violent Cha-
racter. One of those reports was that it had been threat-
ened, in case payment was not made, to bombard the town
and give it up to pillage. lam bound to say that the
Prussian Government have strongly disclaimed any such
conduct. (Hear.) The accounts are very contradicto:y,
yet it certainly does appear that some language of that
kind was employed, but employed, it would seam, without
the sanction of high authority. I may add; m th reference
to the protection to b 3 afforded toßi'tish subjects in case of
any strong measures being taken aga'ist the town, that
communications have taken place w Ith the P: ass'an Go-
ve: ament and the assu-on.c3s which we have obia;ned on
thatbead a e sat's:acto:y. Eat the Govera-ne o 2 P. as
I may repeat, deny haring ever used or Elnctioned any
threat of bombardment. (Hear, hear.)
THE HYDE-PARK DISTURBANCES AND THE
GOVERNMENT.

I • .
Mr. B. OSBORNE As great num:linty and anxiety
tran the Home Seer t Park,
been extensipvuelbylicplmae.
3on existaiany tihne
Hy
de
fuliher, i% he has -nt
narddiendraesgati3xl,ll tgo tatemmtetetin! which has
hisan x
tety relationso fw.sh to ask thelight hon. gentle-
o take plaeo on
the preci.o state of the case as to
elorai. Le:gue—Qaughter) and
e.d perm ssion for a meeting to t -Ike
place in the pork; and if he will s:ate, in order to c dm the
for the preservationpublic mind,
what prec .utions he has taken
of the public peace. (Hear.)
Mr' WALPOLE
....3s
Lergue are s•uopiy they rolatior s w ithregand to the R Aoi.n
relations of Sqcretaty of State te-
c3ii,..ng a deputatio nfrom that body with reference to the
painful circumstancesmetropolia.
and out of the
That which have recently happened in the
first question.
which I hadthisWith an answer to the hon. gentleman's
natural question, regard to the second question, a very
place in Hyde
_al as to whether any meeting is to t-ke
I think r ''k on Monday next, I have to state, and
I c.;u show, that a misconception of a most extra or-
meeting. (Hear, h
~ the p .rt o: the pro.noter; of that
e•-•••) There are persons in th's house
house and ' odiers present at the inters few
who know exactly whaetputation :rem the Refohu League,
Whatnient made in what istookplace. Subshntially a slat -
took place 0 called the leading jou• nal is cot.-et.
to them, after a statement
n that occcsion was this:—l intimated
character, made to me of a concilintoty
that as the main, if not the only question that
had given rise to
in Hyde-park was the disturb aces th-t had o, eu-r;d
the alleged sight, or claim to a right, of
admittance to that
Government park for a public meeting, her Majesty's
obtaining i would give eve f •
y facility in their power for
a legal decision
interval ' on that u •
q estion ; and that in the
nothing should
attemp' be done in the assertion of, or any
. made to asset t
the other hand that , that tight on the one hand, and on
the determination nothing should be done to interfere with
the meeting that of the question. It was then stated at
moment was one of thegreat causesof irritation
what was
as called the demonstration of large
bodies of police, and an intimation was made to me that if
those large bodies of police were withdrawn, the irritation
would cease, and the disturbances too. My answer was that
there was no desire on the part of her Majesty's Govern-
ment to make any
police or of the unecessary demonstration either of the
addressed me, and militarywho
e force, and if the gentlemen who
expressed their willingness, on the
removal of th© large b
of police then in the park, to go
to the park and use theiredy best endeavours to induce the
people to retire peaceably, would do so, I undertook, on the
one hand, to remove those
to myself, however,
the
fullest
eillarge bodies of police, reserv'ng
in case
power of calling out either
them or the military force case of damage to person or
property, or in the event of
on the other hand, those dangergeuti to the public peace, and
enien undertook to do their
best to stop the disturbances,_ the unhappy and fatal dis-
turbances, which have taken
Sir, I think I shoald have neglected
in the last three days.
an
neglected my duty if I had
not availed myself of such
opportunity of Vuging
these unfmtnuate matters to
a satisfactory conclusion. After f that interview was over
two or three of the members
the deputation came
into the room, and asked the°
question whether her
Majesty's Government would allow a meeting on the ques-
tion of reform to take place in
anHyde-perk on Monday next.
I replied distinctly that such applic-:ion as that must
be made to me in writing ; and that
receive their reply after I had submitted in writing they should
mitted their application
to my colleagues. It is stated inthe placard which was
afterwards posted in d•fferent parts of the metropolis that
the meeting should tale place on Monday next
by ahange-
ment with the Secrettry of State. Now, I have not wished
to use any language which might
andlwiiiprovoke any irritf lion on
these unhappy matters,
not use that language
now, but I do say that a more _
. e-trrordinar •
could not possibly have al.sen. (peas, y misconception
hear.) The letter
of apprcation, which was written
en to me by a Mr. Edmond
Beales, was actually not in. nay hands
till net r 6 o'clock
yesterday evening., and the placards announcing that that
meeting was to be held must have h printed at that
time. I suppose the hours Would not been
e to hear the let-
ter. (Cries of "read.') It is dated 2C'3. oth July, and I re-
ceived it between 5 and 6 O'clock •
7.a the afternoon. It •_. is as
follows :---,, Si -,—l em requested
upon by the council of this
League to most earnestly press
r 3 you the adv:sability,
and even the urgent necessity,
ofthed most effectual means
of putting an end ;o the state
that
tngerovs exasperation
now existing in the public mind,
will offer no op-
position to the mating proposed to bayou held by the League
in Hyde-park on Monday afternoon neatsub at 6 o'clock, such
meeting to be held on the general
le
withoutject of the else ive
franchise and refoi.r, and to
way to the decision of die questionin prejudice in any
Parliament, or in a
cou- t of law, as to the abstr-ct -..ght of the people to meet
for political discussion in that or any other park, the
council of the League undelL,-: in
g on their part to do
everything in their power to pre:_eive the peace—(a
laugh)—and to prevent any 3,:, tending to riot or disorder.
—I am, sir, your obedient servant Ed
, Edmond Beales."
That letter shows as distinctly as words can ohow—inde-
eN
v with.' i i
a theedl ' 51,1