The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-20 00:00:00

exaetlycorrespond with definite political tendencies
of gentlemen who seat themselves respectively in
the right or left centre, in the extreme left or right
hand (thick-and-thin Ministerialists) sections of this
steep-sided amphitheatre, in which ten parallel
ranks, cut by several transverse gangways, confront
the President's gilt chair, and converge formidably
on the Ministers' table below. It is in the left, or
democratic quarter, aided sometimes by a restless
dozen of talented and aspiring notables in the left
centre, of men who enjoyed temporary office under
Rattazzi in 1859, or men who feel themselves quite
capable of mending whatever has been done, that
the opposition forces are to be found. But many of
these, after talking for hours against the Ministry,
will vote in favour of the measures proposed, so that
in an average house of about 200 members there are
seldom above 30 counted as standing up (the mode
of voting here) to give effect to their disapproval of
a bill after a long debate, for their bark is much
worse than their bite. These, with a few exacting
Neapolitans, whom it is hard to please with any-
thing devised at Turin, compose hialVlsj
op-
position in the Italian Parliament. esty's
Deductions being thus made, I suppose that
three-fourths of the working and present members
of the Chamber may join to concert with ministers
how to get through the most necessary measures
before this session ends in the middle of July. It
was agreed to push on the first bills for the unifica-
tion of the national debts—I mean all those sepa-
rate debts of the old states which now devolve on
the national government ; and next the bill to au-
thorise a loan of 20 millions sterling; then must be
examined this year's provisional budget, with the
estimates ; besides which there are three or four
important railway bills, and some arrangements to
keep the civil service administration going on
throughout the provinces till there is leisure for its
organic reform. These are the chief matters, but
there is a host of minor importance.
The Chamber has been engaged for the last two
days with a bill to equalise the taxes imposed on
the mercantile marine, the anchorage tax levied on
all vessels, native or foreign, in all ports or roads
of the Italian shores, being fixed at 50 centimes,
or sd. a ton. Bixio, who has acted with Garibaldi
as a sea captain as well as a general of the land
forces, spoke with his own humorous vehemence of
expression against official interfering with vessels
and sailors by taxation or in any way, and he ridi-
culed the examination for new patents of compe-
tent knowledge that skippers and mates have to
pass. The measure, however, was passed entire.
This afternoon Ricciardi, with another wild idea,
spent an hour in his kite-flying, to propose the
opening of a popular subscription, which, corre-
sponding to the obolus for Papal military prepara-
tions to defend St. Peter's patrimony, should be
raised, with Parliamentary sanction, for the Italian
national armaments. The motion was at once put
aside by La Farina, who, as president of the society
which supplied Garibaldi's Sicilian expedition with
funds, might well say that such means of defraying
the cost of warlike establishments, however suit-
able to a revolutionary enterprise, were unworthy
of the dignity of a nation now constituted with a
royal and regular government. Count Michelini
also opposed the motion, which had but four or five
votes in its behalf. A bill to prolong, with certain
modifications, the judicial ordinances and procedure
in criminal cases actually in force at Naples until
next year, was then taken into consideration.
With regard to the renewed French diplomatic
intercourse with this kingdom, no further condi-
tions, beyond those indicated yesterday, are yet
publicly known. It is not believed here, indeed,
that there is any stipulation for the withdrawal of
the French troops from Rome ; but, as a logical con-
sequence of the recognition of Italian unity, it is
thought the claim of Italy to possess her own chief
city cannot be trifled with much longer, and that,
before the end of autumn, some arrangement for
that object will be forced on the Pontifical Court.
Baron Ricasoli has just presented to the Chamber
a long list of the bills which it will be necessary to
dispose of in the present session, appealing to the
patriotism of the hon. deputies to remain at their
posts at whatever private inconvenience.