The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-15 00:00:00

relative to-the introduction of this important subject to :
the attention of the house at the end of the session, Paid
he thoughtthat those who took an interest in the pie jut
for the establishment of a railway through the Euphrates
Valley had made a judicious choice. The hon. gentleman
who had seconded the motion had stated the question as
though that house was to give to the subject money or
money's worth, and that the only question to be further
considered was, to which of the two schemes they were
to afford assistance. That appeared to him (Mr. Glad-
stone) to raise the previous question, and to ask if there
were not serious difficulties in the way of entertaining
either proposition. He thought the house should regard
with some jealousy undertakings of this kind, urged on
the attention of Government and the country by hon.
members in their places in that house, because however
beneficial they might be in a philanthropic point of view,
or in a political point of view, yet they were substantially
commercial undertakings, and ought to be left to stand
or fall according to their merits as such. (Hear, hear.)
He would rather the hon. member (Mr. Estoourt)
had asked for a certain amount of cash instead of a
guarantee. That he could have understood, but he
looked with aversion on guarantees. (Hear, hear.) Both
hon. members who had addressed the house had dwelt
on the political advantages to be derived from this com-
munication with India, but the plans were eminent'y
commercial, and must be so looked upon. (Hear, hear.)
Prudence, however, demanded that they should proceed
with caution with reference to our political relation with
the East, and the difficulty to him was when they recom-
mended that the purse of the English people should be
bled to find funds for promoting, directly or indirectly,
commercial undertakings in foreign countries, that they
laid a distinct ground for the political interference of the
British Government in the political affairs of those coun-
tries. (Hear, hear.) He thought they should be guided
by those rules in their conduct with reference to the
East, and which it should be the study of the Go-
vernment to maintain ; first, that we should not
give a handle to other powers of alleging that
we were setting an example of interference with
the political or domestic affairs of Turkey ; se-
condly, that we should endeavour to maintain the union
of European opinion on eastern affairs ; and thirdly,
that England should not repose entire confidence on re-
mote interventions to prevent the aggressions of Russia
on Turkey, but endeavour to raise up living barriers
between Constantinople and Russia. (Hear, hear.) The
right hon. gentleman having expressed an opinion that
if practicable the Suez canal project would be of great
advantage if carried out, asked the noble lord at the
head of the Government if he was prepared to lay on
the table of the house authentic information relative to
the Principalities about which the people of this country
felt so much interest and anx;ety. He confessed that
since he had given notice of his intention to ask the
question he had found that a similar question was put
and answered last night in the other house. His apology
for it must be that owing to the pressure of Parliamen-
tary duties he was prevented this morning from attend.
ing the part of the usual daily clubs of man—or he might
say the whole duty of man—that of reading the daily
journals—(laughter)—and consequently that he was
ignorant of that fact. It was desirable that authentic
information should be supplied, for failing that the
people were obliged to have recourse to what they must
have looked upon as reliable information. He earnestly
hoped that the noble lord would be able shortly to correct
the opinion which appeared to be generally entertained
respecting the recent proceedings in Moldavia. The
right hon. gentleman proceeded to read several orders
and circulars issued to the prefects and officers of Mol-
davia on the subject of the recent elections in the Prin-
cipalities. These documents showed violent attempts
to interfere with the freedom of election, which, the right
hon. member contended, had the effect while uncontra-
dieted of seriously affecting the character of England,
the Government of which ought to have been the parties
to quash the elections, and not the absolute Government
of France.