The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-26 00:00:00

riv. I,lg not only enthroned in office, but actually

pas: ting measures likely to last, and they find it
quit e intolerable to listen to their mutual congratu-
lati' ms and rejoicings over their successes. Accord-
ing ly.l we do not often hear of a grand Conserva-
tive.. meeting out of doors,whether at Edinburgh or
in London, in Downing-street, or the provinces,
wi `shout some inquisitive gentleman jumping up on
the back benches and requesting to be told the
exa ct words which so and so used in referring to
slid% a man, measure, or epoch. The reticence of
official dignity should never, in the opinion of these
gen tlemen, be laid aside, and a careless or ill-placed
woi d spoken casually at a social gathering becomes
in their eyes the gravest of political crimes. Mr.
GRANT DUFF, indeed, excused his somewhat ill-
timed attack upon the Premier last evening by
hinting that Mr. DISRAELI was in the habit of
making rash and reckless accusations in these
speeches out of doors, and that therefore it was
everybody's duty to call him to account for them.
In the spring of 1858, said Mr. DUFF oracularly,
the right hon. gentleman made a speech at Slough
which created great interest at the time, and was
freely commented on in that house. If we remem-
ber rightly, the Opposition, in the mortification of
their failure to dislodge the Government, carried
the subject to the Upper Hous3 also. But it is a
little too much remembering all that has
come and gone since then to find the two
speeches of '5B and '6B deliberately coupled toge-
ther, and to have the casual expressions of ten years
since brought up for consideration, and analysed as
if they were the terms of a European treaty or the
conditions of a national charter. Such a course
looks as if the critics set a wonderful value on the
lightest words of the speaker, or else as if they were
determined to attack him and were puzzled to find
an opportunity. The foreign policy of Lord CLA-
RENDON is just now the great subject of dispute.
Mr. DISRAELI said at the Merchant Taylors' Hall
that when the Conservatives succeeded to office the
name of England was a name of suspicion and dis-
trust in every foreign Court, and there was no pos-
bility of cordial action with any of the great Powers.
The Liberals upon this were quick to discover the
fact that Earl DERBY had asked Lord CLARENDON
to retain the seals of the Foreign-office. This is
the whole substance of the angry debate which
last night brought up some of the chief speakers in
the House of Commons. Mr. GLADSTONE took the
opportunity of reproving his illustrious rival for the
" violent and sweeping tone of censure and con-
demnation he adopts towards those who differ from
him !" Mr. GLADSTONE himself is so invariably
mild, tolerant, and indulgent towards his opponents'
that he is undoubtedly well qualified not only to
judge of the errors of others, but to condemn
and reprove them. If Mr. DISRAELI would but
follow the example of Mr. GLADSTONE'S reticence
of language and command of temper, and if Lord
STANLEY would but take a lesson or two from Earl
RUSSELL in the art of writing diplomatic de
spatches, what a different world it would be ! As,
unhappily, we are far removed from so desirable
an end, let us see what the culprits find to
say in their own defence. Lord STANLEY,
indeed, according to Mr. LAYARD, who we all
know is an adept at the act of discovering
hidden secrets, has had no question likely to pro-
duce warlike results to settle. Luxemburg was
settled by pressure from without, which induced
Lord STANLEY reluctantly to give a guarantee
which he did not intend to keep. The right hon.
gentleman, it will be observed, is able to decipher
not only men's hidden motives, but their future in-
tentions. No wonder he can recd the most myste-
rious written characters ! As for Mr. DISRAELI h
exonerates hitnsolf by reminding his assailants that
Lord CLARENDON was only Foreign Minister during
a few comparatively inactive months, and that the
whole of the groat Danish question was settled
without him. Here, again, he was called to account.
Lord CLARENDON, it seems, was the moving spring
of the Foreign Office for many years, and, though
nominally Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,
he was really the controller of our foreign relations.
It would not have been quite in accordance with
Parliamentary etiquette or social Politeness for the
Prime Minister to have confessed the patent fact
that Lord CLARENDON is known to be an amiable
and liberal nobleman, whose politics are usually
influenced by his chief, and that, owing
to a near family connection, Lord DERBY naturally
made him the offer to retain his post, knowing
that he would be easily amenable to his own influ

ence and arguments. Lord CLARENDON has never
been an active mischief-maker ; he has left that to
men of more vigour and more ambition, who prefer
to " meddle and muddle" than to remain inactive
or unnoticed.

BANK OF FRANCE.

PARIS, June 18.

The following is the return of the Bank of France
for the week ending to-day, together with the cor-
figuras of the previous account :
responding

DEBTOR.
Juno '25.
f r. c.
Capital of the Bank 182,500,000
Profits in addition to
capital (Art. 8, Law,
June 9, 1857) 7,044,776 02 7,041,776
Reserve of the Bank

June 18.

182,500,000 -

and its branches 22,105,750 14 22,105,750 14
Reserve of landed pro-
perty 4,000,000 4,000,000
Notes in circulation
Banknotes to order and
receipts payable at
sight 35,023,911 67 34,182,289 76
Treasury account cur-
rent creditor 77 585,909 93 72,556,668 82
Current accounts, Paris 406,193,342 15 412,412,771
Do. branch banks 50,889,400 50,828,922
Dividends payable 591,615 606,024 75
Discounts and sundry

interests
Rediscounted the last
six months
Surplus of receipts not
distributed
Sundries

7,677,998 41 7,595,357 .57

930,376 76 930,376 76

342,532 90 7,835,027 48

Total

CREDITOR.

June 23.
fr.

June 18
fr. c.