The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 27, 18G8.

on both sides have b een so often quoted that it is
needless to refer, to) them ;
.only it is worthy of
notice that several members of the Royal Commis-
sion, who, from t their position, declined to
vote, expressed themselves as adverse to
corporal punish, went. There was very little
said in favour of it, and Sir C. RUSSELL'S remark
that only seven teen were flowed last year was
happily met by :Mr. TREVELYAN, who asked why
those seventeen .offenders should not have been
summarily dismish ted the army. If so few are liable
to this punishment, and those few are hardened
offenders whom there is no risk of degrading,
it would certainly be much more conducive
to the interests of the army to get rid
of such men altogether. The class of offences for
which flogging should be reserved in time of peace
are of such an order that men who could be guilty
of them are better out of the ranks altogether, and
the stigma attaching to an honourable profession
entirely removed. A decided majority of 25 in a
House of nearly 300 members has virtually settled
the question in a manner which will be cordially
endorsed by the public at large.

It is always a very difficult task to legislate for
people at a distance with whose modes of thoughts
and habits of daily life we ars not familiar. Re-
presentative men are naturally accepted as express-
ing the views and feelings of a whole community,
whereas it is likely that they only represent the
opinions of one particular party or section. It is
impossible to find any man who can accurately ex-
hibit the wishes of a large and mixed community,
and if we raise the number to six or eight we shall
not find the difficulty much lessened. We should
be puzzled to choose six members of Parliament
who could be said to represent fully and fairly the
whole English people, with all . the varied inte-
rests, agricultural, mechanical, political, commercial,
professional, mercantile, domestic, King, Lords,
and Commons. In the same way it does not always
follow that the decision of delegates and committees
may give satisfaction to the bodies which they re-
present, and it appears that this has been the case
with regard to the people of Nova Scotia, who com-
plain that the home Government and the Imperial
Parliament were misled by the statements of the
delegates who professed to represent their opinions
to the Earl of CARNARVON. Neither Prince Ed-
ward Island nor Newfoundland, they say, was
affected by the Act of Union, and Nova Scotia was
only included in it on account of the presumed ap-
proval and consent of her people. In reality there
seems to have been a strong opposition to the mea-
sure, and if we are to judge by the result of the
subsequent elections the people of Nova Scotia
are greatly dissatisfied with the change.
" But one of the delegates who prepared the
Dominion Act was re-elected, and but two of the
32 members of the House who voted approval of
it have been chosen ; and of fifty-seven members
returned to both Houses, all but four are petitioners
for the repeal of the law so universally condemned."
So runs the petition which the people of Nova
Scotia have resolved upon presenting to the House
of Commons, and it sets forth in strong terms the
grounds for complaint which the petitioners believe
they have. They argue that the proposed scheme
should have been submitted to the test of a general
election before it was presented for the decision of
the home Parliament, and finally passed into law ;
whereas the election did not take place till Sep-
tember last, more than two months after the
Confederation Act was declared to be in force. A
cupy of resolutions passed unanimously by the
Nova Scotian House of Assembly on the 21st of
February is now before us, in which the action of
the Delegates is strongly condemned ; and it is
affirmed that the only powers given to them were
to arrange a scheme of union " which should
effectually insure just provision for the rights and
interests of this province," each :province to have
au equal voice in the Delegation. These powers, i t
is urged, they altogether exceeded, and, while
they neglected to preserve the interests of the co-
lony front molestation, they allowed the bill to be
finally decided upon without submitting it to the
test of one popular vote.
Audi alteram partem. We must remember that
strong arguments have been adduced by the sup-
porters of the Delegates in favour of the union of
the colony, while undoubtedly the general scheme
of confederation has commended itself to
the approval of all interested in the future welfare
of British North America. At the same time, it is
not in accordance with British legislation to rule
any State in a manner unwelcome to its people, and
the grievances of the Nova Scotians demand there-
fore full and free investigation. Mr. HOWE, the
able and eloquent advocate of the anti-Confede-
rates, is now in this country, and their cause will
certainly not want for vigorous and earnest defence.
In a recent speech which he made at Brooklyn, in
the county of Hants, Nova Scotia, Mr. HowE
summed up very forcibly the several points to which
the colonists objected, among which he gave a pro
minent place to the taxation of flour, corn,
and corn meal, which presses heavily on the poorer
colonists, and has excited the greatest discontent.
As Mr. HowE remarks, if the colonists refuse
to pay these taxes, it will be hopeless for the Cana-
dians to enforce them. " Everywhere indented
with creeks and harbours and river mouths, it is
evident that oppressive and unpopular imposts can-
not be regularly collected. Should smuggling be-
come fashionable, I should like to know how these
Canadians can enforce them." Let us hope that
matters may be amicably adjusted, and that a few
wise and timely concessions on either side may
restore more kindly feelings. The great object to
be attained by confederation will be missed if the
Union becomes a source of discord and bitternes ,
instead of strength and mutual support. If both
parties would consent to lay aside the jealousies and
rivalries almost inseparable from a small band of
neighbouring independent States, the obstacles now
barring the way to a better state of things might be
speedily and happily disposed of.

" THE PRINCE OF WALES'S HARRIERS.—BRIL-
LIANT CLOSE OF THE SEASON.—On Thursday
morning his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales left
Gown in order to attend the closing meet of the season
with his harriers. Tho Prince, who left Paddington in
a saloon carriage, was accompanied by their Royal
Highnesses Prince and Princess Christian ; Colonel
Kingscote, Master of the Prince of Wales's Horse,
Colonel Hardinge, Colonel Gordon, &c., travelling
in the same train. The royal party reached Wind-
sor at 11.40 a.m. precisely, and were received
at the station by Lord Bridport, the master of
the Prince's harriers. Mr. Moon, of the Queen's stable;
was in attendance with a shooting break and four and
other carriages. Their Royal Highnesses Prince and
Princess Christian entered the first carriage, the Prince of
Wales and a distinguished party occupying tho shooting
break, and the other carriages following with the suite
In this order tho royal cortege, which presented a very
dashing appearance, quitted the terminus, and driving
through part of High-street turned down Peascod-street,
and left Windsor on its way to Now-lodge, at Winklield,
the residence of M. and Madame Van de Weyer, about
four miles distant. The progress of the Prince through
Windsor was a sort of ovation. The weather was damp,
and the roads heavy. The royal party arrived at New-
lodge shortly after noon, there being a large field ready to
meet the Prince. As a trial to the pack and hunt a stag
was turned out, and pointed for Billingboar-park. Prince
iChristian rode to the hounds, her Royal Highness
Princess Christian returning to Windsor after seeing the
start. The Prince of Wales after following the chase for
some time left the hunt, and returned, via Taplow, to
k London.

LATEST INTELL MENGE.

(REITTIR'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.
ARRIVAL OF THE RUSSIA,
(Via Queenstown.)
NEW Yong, March 18th (Noon.)

The bill to admit the Alabama representatives
to Congress has been recommitted by the House
of Representatives to the Reconstruction Com-
mittee. Mr. Thaddeus Stevens opposed the bill.
Messrs. Brooks and Becke, Democrats, sub•
mitted the minority report' of the Reconstruction
Committee, opposing the New Constitution 41
Alabama as grossly unjust in enfranchising masses
of ignorant negroes, disfranchising intelligent
whites, giving non-tax-paying negroes the power
of imposing taxes, and generally being framed in
the interest of Northern office-seekers.
A bill has been introduced in the House and re-
ferrel to the Committee of Ways and Means,
providing for the reissue of legal tenders that have
been withdrawn from circulation.

It is reported Mr. STANTON, apprehending a
guerilla raid upon the War-office from Virginia,
has ordered the garrison of Washington to be held
in readiness.

Major• General Thomas has notified to General
Grant that an armed organisation is being effected
in Tennessee to take forcible possession of the
Central State Government. General Grant has
authorised General Thomas to use all the force a
his disposal to protect the State authorities.

General Hancock has left New Orleans for
Washington to confer with the:President relative to
his resignation of the command in the Fifth Mili-
tary District, leaving General Reynolds in tempo-
rary command.
St. Patrick's day has been enthusiastically ob-
served by the Irish residents in the principal cities
of the Union, and passed off without disturbance
Advices from Cuba state that General Lersundi
had ordered the Bishop of Cuba to leave the island
for insubordination.

The Cunard Royal Mail steamship Russia
arrived at Queenstown at 6 a.m. to-day with 75
cabin passengers and 13121,931 in specie. She
landed 106 sacks of mails and eight passengers, and
proceeded for Liverpool at 6.15 a.m. All well.
She carries with her the Liverpool and Scotch
mails.

NAPLES, March 26.

Admiral Farragut has arrived here. He will
leave Naples shortly with the American squadron
to visit Messina, Palermo, Malta, and Constanti-

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FR-0111 OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, THURSDAY, March 26.

That a dissolution will take place this summer seems
more and more probable ; and this event will, it is be-
lieved, bring about a change of Ministers, for M. Pinard,
the new Minister of the Interior, is supposed to be unequal
to the task of directing the elections. It is not unlikely
that M. Rouher will undertake this onerous duty, since
as the Chambers will not then be sitting, he will
not be called upon to fulfil his present function—•
that of defending the Imperial policy—which func-
tion he holds by virtue of his office as Minister of
State. There is some talk of M. Duruy and M. Baroche
going out of office. The first has offended the clerical
party by his endeavours to promote female education, and
of course it is important to regain the support of that
party before the elections. M. Baroche is the Minister of
Justice. He is believed to be desirous of quitting his
post, and in that case M. Pinard will probably exchange
his own for it.

The Public Meetings Bill has passed the Corps Ldgis-
latif, and will pass the Senate unaltered, except for the
worse. It is terribly stringent. For instance, the ninth
clausqlempowers the courts to inflict a fine of £l2O and six
months' imprisonment upon persons who, being as many
as ,teven in number, unite together to form a meeting
without the consent of the authorities, or upon any one who
lath them have a room, or upon the chairman and the
b.asessors of the meeting. Such a heavy pecuniary fine as
this (to say nothing of the imprisonment) will deter every-
body in the small towns from letting a room for any
meeting, inasmuch as no one can be sure that all the con-
ditions requested by the law have been fulfilled. For
instance, it may turn out that, although the Government
authorisation has been given, one of the persons who signed
the requisition for it is not in the enjoyment of
his civil rights, or there may be a mistake in the spelling
of his name or the number of his house ; or the hour or
the place at which the meeting is to be held may be for-
gotten to be mentioned. In fact, the smallest mistake or
omission may bring down a sentence absolutely ruinous to
a poor man, and, indeed, to the great majority of the rural
inhabitants. The right of public meeting will be a dead
letter throughout the rural districts.
I mentioned yesterday that the Government some time
ago prosecuted the Courtier de l'Algirie for stating last
September that a famine was impending, and that the
editor was punished for publishing false news. It now
turns out that the Government was fully aware that the
calamity was at hand. Marshal M`Mahon, Governor
of Algeria, has just stated in the Senate that so long ago
as April of last year the Emperor wrote to him authorising
him, at any cost, to succour the native population ; yet
five months later the Government denied the existence of
the distress, and punished the journalist who referred
to it.

It is rumoured that Count Bismarck is about to send
out a despatch to the Prussian Ministers at the different
Courts, explaining to them that Prince Napoleon's visit to
Berlin had no diplomatic object. If for "object''
"result" were substituted, the despatch would be more
truthful.

The King of Prussia has sent to IsTdlaton, the famous
surgeon, a beautiful vase made at the Royal porcelain
works, together with an autograph letter and a view of
the Palace at Berlin, as a thank-offering for his skilful
treatment of Count von Goits, the Prussian Minister in
Path.

The Pall Mall Gazette publishes extracts from an
Abyssinian letter, whose contents it describes as almost
incredible. It appears that the Turkish and Egyptian
mule-drivers were left for some days after the starting of
the expedition without food or water. They naturally did
not like this. About 150 of them came up jabbering to an
officer, who, not understanding their language, took it into
his head that they were mutinying, and reported accord-
ingly. Forthwith two companies of infantry were sent
down, and sixty of the Turks were tied up to
the triangles and got fifty lashes each. It then
leaked out that the poor wretches had been three
days without rations, and were only complaining.
This sort of treatment continued for some time, but at last
interpreters were sent, and Captain Annesley, who is a
good linguist, took them into his division. They were then
happy and contented, and worked so hard that Captain
Annesley was thanked, and was promised that the threat
of discharging them, which had been made, should not be
carried out. On the strength of this they threw away all
their old rags, having now the Government clothing to
wear. Suddenly an order came down to send all the men
back to Egypt, and to deprive them of the Government
clothing. Remonstrance was vain, and the utmost that
Captain Annesley could obtain was that some of these
unhappy men should be allowed to retain their trousers. The
whole of them were embarked under an armed guard, and
sent back to Suez, where they will tell the tale of British
injustice and cruelty—truly a most scandalous tale.
The French Government is using every effort to induce
the Pope to accept a new Franco-Italian Convention.
The Cabinet of Florence, under the pressure of France and
Prussia, has renounced the project of making Rome the
capital of Italy, though it will not abjure the vote of the
Italian Parliament. The design is now to make Rome a
free city, under the presidency of the Pope. Napoleon
stipulates that no change shall take place during the life
of Pius IX.

The rumours as to probable amendments to Mr. Glad-
stone's resolutions are gradually pointing to a definite
issue. That issue is unmistakeably to the effect that the
House of Commons has no intention of standing two dis-
solutions within twelve months. During the discussion on
the Army Estimates on Thursday night a report was
current in the lobbies that Sir Robert Peel proposed to
move an amendment to Mr. Gladstone's motion, which
would be in effect a reference of the question of the Irish
Church to the new Parliament next year. Although the
rumour was not traceable to any authentic source, it was
vet accepted as probable.
Whether the right hon. baronet persevere in his inten-
tion or not, there will not be wanting members of the
Liberal party who will be ready with their amendments
on this occasion. Mr. Watkin, one of the Tea-room party
of last year, will move that instead of Mr. Gladstone's
first resolution, the House give its consent to the following
motion : " That this committee considers the' question of
the future position of the Established Church in Ireland
should be finally decided upon by the Reformed Parlia-
ment, which ought to be convened at the earliest pos-
sible period after the electoral revision of the year
1888." The hon. member, it will be seen, limits his motion
to a final decision by the Reformed Parliament, and has
no idea of preventing the present House from expressing
an opinion upon it.
Mr. Laing, who, from his connection with the Cave of
Adullam of 1806, finds no favour in the eyes of the
advanced Liberals, is also ready with an amendment.
This, however, is only in the case of Mr. Gladstone's
resolutions being carried. Should the Opposition leader
be successful, Mr. Laing will move : " That this House is
of opinion that while the principle of disestablishing the
Irish Church has been affirmed by this House, the ques-
tion is too important to be settled without an appeal to
the constituencies created by the New Reform Acts; and
therefore that it will be the duty of the Government to
arrange the course of public business so as to enable this
appeal to be made at the earliest practicable opportunity."
Clearly, then, the House of Commons does not mean to
be put to the anxiety, the expense, and the delay of two
general elections. The Post intimates that the Govern-
ment, if defeated, as they possibly will be, will probably
elect to postpone the decision of the Irish Church question
to the elections of next January, and to retain office in
the meantime. But what they certainly cannot do is to
dissolve Parliament in April,( to,reassemble in May, to be
redissolved next January. It could only enter into the
romantic brain of the present Premier to hold up such
an impossible " bogey " for the intimidation of such
members as he may imagine to be not men, but children.
On the other hand, the Ministerial papers are as emphatic
as ever in threatening a dissolution should the House sanc-
tion the policy of Mr. Gladstone. They say that Mr.
Disraeli and his colleagues will cheerfully avail themselves
of the occasion for allowing the nation to institute a com-
parison between their predecessors and themselves.
A. strange story comes from the other side of the
Atlantic. Many of our readers will remember the famous
trial of the Earl of Cardigan which took place some
twenty-seven years ago. Captain Tuckett, an officer in
Lord Cardigan's regiment, believed that his commanding
officer had been unduly familiar with his wife, and
forced him to fight a duel. Lord Cardigan was tried
before the House of Lords on the charge of attempted
murder, and was acquitted. Captain Tuckett and his wife
went to the United States, and lived in Philadelphia for
many years. The pair had to struggle with povery, the
husband editing an insurance journal, and his wife, a
lovely woman, helping him all she could, and a model of
everything that a wife should be. She had denied to her
husband in the most solemn manner that she had ever
received from the earl any other letters than the one the
accidental discovery of which had led to the duel, and his
last words were assurances that he never doubted her.
But a week after his death, according to the New York
paper from which we are quoting, she threw off her dis-
guise, and resumed what the writer says had been her real
character from the beginning. Her first act was to write
to the earl that she intended to publish the letters he had
written to her in India in a volume, which had the desired
effect of bringing a remittance. Her career from that
time forward is represented as having been bold, courageous,
and profligate to the last degree. Her last years
were years of great privation and suffering, and she finally
tied with a friend to Colorado, where she at last rests in
, peace.