The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-13 00:00:00

many of our honorary secretaries nearer home, who
encumber societies with their blessed help."
Italy is now divided into varied Nationalities, each
over punctilious about its own prestige, so that we
fear there will be little accordance, even under the
nominal Presidency of the Pope—in other words,
that of his Cardinal Conclave ; for they have
hitherto contrived to make his own secular rule
very repugnant to his subjects. How, then, is it
likely to make the dissatisfied and almost rebellious
like republics to harmonize into a confederation at
once free and independent ? Time will prove.

In the spirit of public fair play we have given
the varied opinions of the Press on the French
Peace. We can define it by no other name. It is
French all over—or rather Napoleonic in its
abruptness, seeking rather after stage effect than
the true bestowal of freedom upon a liberated race.
There appears to be only one actor on the scene, and
he seems to take all the glory to himself. We have
recently spoken in favour of the promises of the
Emperor NAPOLEON, and we are now reluctantly
constrained to animadvert upon the inconsistency of
non-performance. We could have more heartily felt
disposed to praise him to the very echo of his ambi-
tion, but truth compels us to be just. We write more
in sorrow than in anger, and we warn him again to
reconsider his own intentions, and not to be led
away into visions of phantasy which may yet lure
him, as they have betrayed even greater men, to
, their fate.

So far as England is concerned—her true course
must still be neutrality—and mind her own affairs,
for as she has no cousins, we can assure herihe bas
no friends—no, not even a sincere Cousin-German.
This Peace will be a real God-send to Mr. GLAD-
STONE, for it will save him from the odiousness of
reimposing an Income-tax, however modified.

Already in the wrangling over the mere forma- 1
lion of the Committee, we have a foretaste of the
pleasant squabbles likely to arise out of this '
scrutiny into all kinds of Packet and Telegraph
Contracts—Past and Present. It is a scrutiny, as
the :Chancellor of the Exchequer reminded the
House last evening, more or less affecting a number
of byegone Administrations. Doing this, it has not
been advisable to exclude members who have been
administrators. And if these official, or rather (in
another sense than ordinary) if these ex-official
members are to be included, it follows also in fair
play that there should be an adequate representa-
tion of former Governments. That again necessitat-
ing in turn that independent members should like-
, wise be insured a powerful representation.
Hence it is not very surprising that the
numbers of the projected Committee should
have been fixed by Ministers at an aggregate of
—Nineteen. Remembering that the present
Cabinet extends to a total of Sixteen—we hardly
think that total of nineteen committeemen an ex-
travagance. But to the member for Youghal, how-
ever, even nineteen appeared to be insufficient. Mr.
BUTT laboured hard to transform the toils of
the Committee to a game at Vingt-un ! Ineffectu-
ally, however—for the House agreeing readily
enough under the circumstances to nineteen, rejected
peremptorily the suggestion that even two more
should be added to that unusual number, bringing
it up to the charming aggregate of one-and-twenty—
upon which the member for Youghal (in the interests
of Ireland) appeared to have set his heart, by a
sort of tender infatuation. Nineteen, then, it is
definitively settled by the House of Commons, are
to constitute the " tottle of the whole" of this
Packet and Telegraph Contracts Committee. Not
only has the House so far decided in the matter—
but the precise nineteen have been selected from
the mass of the representatives. Not, it must be

confessed, however, without a wonderful amoun,
of contention. Now that the Committee has been
actually nominated, it may be as well, perhaps, to
group the names together, instead of having them
scattered loosely down the Parliamentary report—
one or two of them lost, perhaps, to the casual
glance in the midst of the squabbles of those who
took part in yesterday's discussion. The Committee
of inquiry into Packet and Telegraph Contracts
consists, then, of the subjoined nineteen—
Mr. COBDEN, M.P. for Rochdale.
Sir F. BARING, M.P. for Portsmouth.
Sir S. NORTHCOTE, M.P. for Stamford.
Lord J. MANNERS M.P. for North Leicestershire.
Mr. CORRY, M.P. for Tyrone.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY, M.P. for Evesham.
Mr. SCHOLEFIELD, M.P. for Birmingham.
Mr. DUNLOP, M.P. for Greenock.
Mr. BAXTER, M.P. for Montrose.
Captain L. VERNON, M.P. for Berks.
Captain GLADsTONE, M.P. for Devizes.
Lord NAAS, M.P. for Cockermouth.
Mr. HUBBARD, M.P. for Buckingham.
Mr. HOPE, M.P. for Windsor.
Mr. WILSON, M.P. for Devonport.
Mr. LAING, M.P. for Wick.
Mr. H. HERBERT, M.P. for Kerry.
Mr. CRAWFoRD, M.P. for London.
.7str, ALLEY, M.P. for Manchester.
S u.,!rk are the finally chosen Nineteen. Two out
of these nineteen have been Ministers of State—
one a Whig Chancellor of the Exchequer, the other
a Tory Commissioner of Woods and Forests. Be-
sides these two there are several who have held
subordinate offices under past Administrations, a
few of them holding office even under the existing
Government. There is, for example, one of the
whippers-in of the Treasury—and there is besides
the right hon. gentleman the vice-President of the
Board of Trade, formerly Secretary to the Treasury.
Then beyond these—there are the ex- (Derbyite)
Secretary to the Treasury, the ex- (Derbyite) Secre-
tary for Ireland, and the ex- (Derbyite) Secretary
to the Admiralty. There are two Irish members—
the member for Kerry and the member for Tyrone.
There are three Scotch members—the members
namely, for Wick, for Greenock, and for Mont-
rose. Added to this, as representing the interests
of the large mercantile constituencies, there will
be found on the Committee one of the four mem-
ben for the city of London, one of the two mem-
bers for the city of Manchester, and one of the two
members for the borough of Birmingham. Alto-
gether, we cannot but think that the number 3
chosen are in every way adequate, and that the
members selected to complete the requisite aggregate
have been most judiciously chosen. The commit-
tee is one in every way most desirable ; and we now
commend it heartily, and with a good grace, to its
moat delicate and most responsible investigations.

We have now had several straws, and some-
thing more visible than straws, indicating which
way the wind blows with our new Cabinet. And
we rather fancy the different sections of earnest
Liberals have little cause to congratulate them-
selves on the results. We have had already
questions of religious liberty and equality before
the House, and one, more indirectly, to be sure, of
civil liberty, and our Government and our new
Parliament whom it leads, certainly do not appear
to advantage.
_ _ _

We arc disposed to think, after much inquiry,
that We have come to the bottom of the myste-
rious evasioa of the Ballot this session. We
can little doubt that Lord PALIIEB,STON was
"in •the case." Not, indeed. openly—of course