The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-16 00:00:00

as the reading-room was adapted to that purpose he had
given directions that they should be placed there to-mor-
row, where they could be inspected by hon. members.
THE TREATY OF PEACE.
In reply to Mr. HORSMAN,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that no official commwaica-
tion had been made to the Goyernment on the subject, but
he was informed by the French Ambassador that the
terms of the treaty were the same as those which
had already been published. He had directed the
attention of Lord Cowley to the subject, and desired
him to ask for some information, but his reply was
that no further statement in addition to what
had already been published would be made by the French
Government until the return of the Emperor to France,
which was expected on Monday next.
LONDON CORPORATION BILL.
On the motion that the house at its rising do adjourn
until Monday,
Sir J. SHELLEY said that this bill, which stood
for second reading this evening, contained no less
than 73 clauses, and he would repeat what he
had previously stated, namely, that the measure would re-
ceive considerable opposition. He appealed to Government
to say whether it was right to bring on this question in the
middle of July, when it could not be fully discussed. It was
impossible that the bill could be proceeded with this
session, and it was much more desirable that such a
bill should be brought in at an early period of the
session. If, however, the bill was not removed
from the books that at least it would be stated on what day
it was proposed to proceed with the further stages. The
bill had been very much altered since it came from com-
mittee, and it was feared that another bill with reference to
the financial part would have to be introduced ; and, there-
fore, he thought it would be better to postpone the present
bill, and bring in both bills next session.
Sir G. C. LEWIS said that up to the present time there
had been very little legislation, and he did not think the
house would be in ssion' of much more information
than they had al 7 obtained, and the most objectionable
portion of the bill—viz., that of finance—had been sepa-
rated from the measure. He was anxious that the house
should express an opinion, and on Monday next he would
name thMILITARY
when he would brinL
g the bill forward.
MEDICAL rd.
In answer to Captain VERNON,
Mr. S. HERBERT said, with regard to the first ques-
tion, that great improvement had taken place in the situa-
tion of the officers alluded to, but it was not deemed desir-
able to extend the warrant in question.
LETTER INSURANCE.
In reply to Mr. EVANS,
Mr, LAING said that if the hon. member would satisfy
Mr. Rowland Hill as to the efficiency of the system to which
he referred, the Government would be ready to consider the
question. In the absence of information, it could not be
expected they would deal with the subject. •
EPISCOPAL CHURCHES IN SCOTLAND.
In answer to Mr. HUNT,
Lor PALMERSTON said that the general opinion was
in favour of deferring any measure on this subject till next
session, and the Government would not bring in any bill
this session with reference to the matter.
TENANT COMPENSATION IN IRELAND.
The O'DONOGHUE called the attention of the Go-
vernment to the relations subsisting between lordlords and
tenants in Ireland.
Mr. CARDWELL assured the hon. member that the
subject was occupying the most careful consideration of her
Majesty's Government.
The motion for the adjournment till Monday was then
agreed to.

ITALY.

On the motion for going iI; committee of supply,

Lord ELCHO offered some explanatioons with regard to
the following resolution of which he had given notice, viz.:
—" That, in the opinion of this house, the correspondence
respecting the affairs of Italy, which has recently been laid
before Parliament, shows that the late Governmenthave per-
severingly directed their efforts to the maintenance of peace,
and to the amicable settlement of the differences between the
contending powers ; and that, whilst they have preserved
the strictest neutrality, and conducted these complicated
negotiations with-patience and with impartiality, they have
at the same time upheld the honour and the dignity of this
country. That it is further the opinion of this house that
the policy of neutrality and mediation between the contend-
ing powers which has thus been pursued by the late Govern-
ment should be adhered to by her Majesty's present Ad-•
visers." The noble lord said that when on Tuesday last,
in answer to the appeal of his noble friend, the Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs, he agreed to withdraw this motion,
he reserved to himself the right to say a few words in expla-
nation of the reasons which had induced him in the first
place to put it on the paper. and afterwards not to insist on
bringing it before the house. It had been said that he had
turned Derbyite, and had been actuated by a feeling of fac-
tious hostility towards the present administration ; but he
disclaimed any such motive. He- entertained for the present
Government no feeling of hostility whatever. He was pre-
pared to do to them what he had done to their predecessors,
namely, to give them his humble support when he thought
they were right, and to oppose them when lie thought they
were wrong. It was, then, no spirit of hostility towards the
present Government, but a desire to do what he conceived wa s
an act of simple justice to the late GovernMent, which had
induced him to place his resolution on the paper. (Hear,
hear.) He said that it was to do an act of justice, because
it could not be denied that an impression had gone abroad
that the policy of the late Government was not one of strict
neutrality, but one favourable to Austria, and unfavourable
to France and Sardinia. That was stated in the public
journals; it was stated by the Opposition in that house ;
and there was no doubt that it had materially influenced
the division. He had since, however, heard it stated that
if the blue-book had been published previous to the close
of the debate it would have made a difference of something
like twenty votes. (Loud Conservative cheers.) He did
not wish to enter into any argument upon the point, but it
was unquestionable that such an impression had gone
abroad, and that when the blue -book was at last pub-
lished, it produced a feeling that the late Government had
been maligned. (Cheers.) Under these circumstances
it appeared to him to be only right that Parliament should
express an opinion to that effect ; and he was at a loss to
see how it could be regarded as an act of hostility to the
present Government to ask it to take that course. If in pri-
vate life they did a man wrong—if they unwittingly said
something of him which was not true, the first feeling of a
gentleman would be instantly to confess to him, though he
were an enemy, that the allegation was withouefoundation.
Now, he wanted the house to do as a body what he was
sure every one of them would do as an individual ; he wanted
that house, as the aggregate of English gentlemen, to do an
act of justice to the late Government, which any one of
them would gladly do in his private capacity. (Cheers.) So
much for the former part of his resolution ; the latter part
of it referred to the negotiations of the present Government.
He would not deny that in framing that part of it he was
under an impression that the present Government were not
prepared to follow the policy of strict neutrality. His belief
was, that the feeling of this country was in favour of neu-
trality so long as their honour and interests were not
affected ; but he doubted from the antecedents of his two
noble friends, the noble viscount and the Foreign Secretary,
whether their neutrality would be a strictly impartial one.
He feared that it would be what that of Prussia was said to
be, a " neutralite inquietante" towards Austria—that they
would conduct themselves towards Austria in the same
manner that the late Government was said to have con-
ducted itself towards France. (Cheers.) He believed that
if he had to press the motion, he should have been able to
prove by the speeches and the antecedents of his noble
friends, that in that impression he was net wrong; and
therefore it was that he felt anxious that the house should
affirm the policy of neutrality. Five minutes afterhe (Lord
Elcho) gave his notice, his noble friend at the head of the
Government stated that he intended to "walk in the path
which had been chalked out for them by his predecessors."
For himself, he (Lord Elcho) was perfectly ready to take
that statement. He believed that it had been made with
no arriere pen Bee, and that the noble lord did in fact intend
to follow that policy of strict neutrality. Nevertheless,
he should have asked the house to agree to the latter part
of the resolution, because it seemed to him that in the
position of the house, nicely balanced as it was, and doubt-
ful as it was whether the gentlemen behind him were
very cordial supporters of the Government—(hear,
hear)—it would be desirable to strengthen the
hands of the government by a unanimous declaration of the
house in favour of the principle of neutrality. (Cheers.)
Such were the motives which had actuated him in proposing
to move the resolution. He had hoped that the member for
Sheffield or the member for Surrey would have taken up the
matter ; but those hon. gentlemen both declined the task,
although they said it ought to be done ; and the hon. member
for Surrey strongly urged him (Lord Elcho) to do it himself.
(Hear.) Now for the ground upon which he had with-
drawn the motion. It was not because of the existing com-
plications, for he was not prepared to admit that the house
ought at all times, when the affairs of the continent were
in a momentous position, to be debarred from expressing its
opinions. On the contrary, he humbly ventured to think
that in times of crisis, the opinion of what might be the
only free assembly of free men in Europe (for they did not
yet know what had become of the Sardinian constitution)
was likely not only not to prove prejudicial, but to exercise
a great and beneficial influence on the continent. (Cheers.)
If the house was not to discuss foreign politics at such a
moment, then the expression of English opinion would be
left to the public press. Now he wished to speak,with the
greatest possible respect of the press of this country. He
held it to be, on the whole, the most honest and the most
able press in the world ; but they must not forget that the
daily press, written for daily circulation, was apt to take its
colour from passing events ; and they
.had occasionally seen
what was wrong in January became right in Juneunder the
magic influence of success. He thought it most desirable,
therefore, that the house should discuss foreign policy ;
but even before the appeal was made to him by his noble
friend on Monday night he had determined not to press his
motion, because he well knew that many members would take
advantage of the existing state of things, and of the with-
drawal of a somewhat similar motion by a noble lord in
another place, to vote against it, and would thus defeat his
(Lord Elcho's) object, which was to obtain, if possible, a una •
nimous and certainly a distinct expression of the opinion of
the house. He regretted to withdraw the motion, because as
he had said he was anxious to do what he considered to be
only an act of justice to her Maiestys late Government.
(Hear.) Although the announcement of the peace had
been received by the house with acclamation, he could not
but think that there were many by whom it would not be
viewed with entire satisfaction. Those gentlemen who,
regardless of treaties, regardless of right, and forgetful of
Ireland and Canada, were favourable to the armed inter-
vention of one power in the country of its neighbour, and
who supported the propaganda of nationalities, would be
profoundly dissatisfied with it. (Hear.) He doubted
whether it would be received with much delight by those
who dwelt in the neighbourhood of Leicester-square, (A
laugh.) He doubted whether any sort of thanksgiving
would issue from the platform of Exeter Hall on account
of a peace the grand feature of which was the exaltation
of the Pope. (Hear, hear.) It might be sceptical on
his part, but he was inclined even to doubt whether the
circumstances and the terms of this peace would
meet with ony very cordial approval from the
authorities in Downing-street, whose sanction and
whose counsels, so far as the public knew, had not
been sought. (Laughter.) With regard to his noble friend
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, one must really feel quite
disposed to condole with him in the position which he now
occupied, suddenly and unexpectedly deprived, as he had
been, of the opportunity to redeem his character as a nego-
tiator—(laughter)—shod to establish in Italy that model bon-
stitution which he no doubt had in the red box before him.
(Laughter and cheers.) But if they condoled with the noble
lord, there was no member in that house—there was no man
who possessed the smallest feeling of compassion—that
would not condole still more with his noble friend at the