The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-22 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS. I THE MINISTRY AND THE SCOTCH
• ,REFORM BILL,

(FP.OII OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, THURSDAY, May 21.

The Journal des Debats is generally credited with being
inspired in its foreign policy from ,Berlin. On that ac-
count an article which has just appeared in that paper
with regard to the relations between England and Prussia
has excited a good deal of attention. The article attri-
butes Count Bismarck's moderation in the Customs Par-
liament entirely to the representations of your Govern-
ment. I presume there is no doubt that Lord Loftus has
been commissioned generally to urge moderation, but that
he has, as the Debats goes on to affirm, promised the active
assistance of England in case Prussia is attacked, is more
than I believe. The Temps of to-day well points out that
since the annexation of Savoy and Nice England has
ceased to look upon France as her chief ally, and has
been yearly drawing nearer to Prussia ; but the Temps
thinks, and rightly thinks, that to pledge your country to
armed intervention in the event of a foreign war is what
Lord Stanley would neither have ventured nor wished
to do.

There is something more to-day about the Luxembourg
fortifications. The Avenir National, a well-informed
journal, denies that England has requested the King of
Holland to hasten the destruction of these works.
The truth is, the King-Duke is short of money,
and his Ministers are in a state of chronic crisis, and
thus it is not at all likely that any of the Powers who
signed the Treaty of London would press him just now,
The above-mentioned journal declares that it was left tohim
to decide what constituted the conversion of Luxembourg
from a fortress into an open city ; and that in all proba-
bility no further demolition will take place. If this be true,
we shall have further trouble arising out of this matter.
This is the more likely, inasmuch as our Government
having failed to negotiate the purchase of the Great
Luxembourg Railway, negotiations are now going on at
Berlin for that purpose. I think it is very unlikely that
our Governroent will allow Prussia quietly to obtain pos-
session of this line, at the same time that the fortress
still remains, to all intents and purposes, as strong as ever.
Cardinal Antonelli has instructed the Papal Nuncio
here, Mgr. Chigi, to demand the continuance of the
French occupation of Rome until the meeting of the
General Council. There seems no reason to suppose that our
Government has any thought of terminating the occupa-
tion. I attach very little importance, therefore, to the
statement of the Gazette Pijmontaise, to the effect that a
convention has been concluded between the Papal and
Italian Governments, by Iv: ich the first will recognise the
kingdom of Italy and put an end to the French occupa-
tion, while both Governm. nts will come to an agreement
as to the strength of the Papa' army.
It appears that Algeria does not reap the small benefit
which is to be derived from the new Press Law without a
direct decree by the Empc ?Jr. The consequence is that
the Algerine papers are condemned to silence upon the
condition of the country, just at the time when there is
most need for the Government to become acquainted
with it.

Crtcmieux has written to the journals to deny that
he has gone to Bucharest. He hopes that the Roumanian
Government will treat the Jews better in future, and
that there will be no need for him to interpose.
Forcade, the accomplished writer iu the _revue des
Deux lliondes, who went mad at the Manin obsequies in
Venice, has, after a brief interval of improvement, become,
I am sorry to say, so much worse that he has been sent to
a madhouse.

The new English church at Compit•gne, which has been
built through the liberality of the Hon. Mrs. Russell
Barrington, has just been opened and consecrated by
Bishop Smith, of Victoria. There was a large and
fashionable attendance, and the offertory amounted to
£3O. Fifteen years ago there was not a single house
near the church, but numbers of villas now cover the
ground.

A " Biblothbque de la Paix " (Library of Peace) has
just been started here. It will consist of publications
intended to prove the horrors of war. The first pamphlet
written by M. Leroy-Beaulieu, states that from 1853 to
1868 no fewer than 1.743,491 men fell on the different
fields of battle, and that the warlike expeditions in which
these battles were fought cost nearly two thousand millions
sterling.

According to the Journal dos Debats, which is supposed
to he inspired from Berlin, Bismarck's moderation in dis-
couraging the Unity Address in the Customs Parliament
is due to the counsels of Our Government. The Debats
declares that " there is no doubt about the intimacy of
the two Courts and Cabinets ; it is based on a close family
alliance, on the analogy of creeds and the community of
interests. Prussia is to-day England's best ally on the
Continent, as England is Prussia's best ally. The English
are of opinion that Prussia, in accomplishing what she did
in 1866, promoted at the s:.ane time the interests of Eng-
land, although it was not without regret that they
viewed the misfortunes of Austria, which they wish to
see reconstituted, but without injury to Prussia as she
actually exists. These have been the representations, it
seems, of Lord Loftus, who declared that his Government
was desirous of maintaining the status quo, ant that it
would do all in its power to prevent its being disturbed ;
that if the disturbance proceeded from Prussia—that is to
say, from its attitude, its language, its writing, or its acts—
the British Government would not only disapprove such
conduct, but would formally condemn it, reserving to
itself the right of supporting the adversaries of Prussia in
order to keep her within bounds ; that if the disturbance
originated with other Powers than Prussia, the latter
m ;ht rely on the most energetic aid of England, and even
her effective support." We very much doubt if
our Ambassador has gone so far as this. It is likely enough
that he has counselled moderation, but to intimate that
England would be willing to support Prussia in the event
of a war with France, is so utterly opposed to the wise
principle of non-intervention which has governed Lord
Stanley's foreign policy, that we do not believe Lord
Loftus was ever authorised to give any such pledge.
During the great debate on the Anglo-French Commer-
cial Treaty in the Corps L4gislatif, M. Rouher read a
letter from Mr. Gladstone, strenuously denying that he
had ever said that England would profit by the treaty
five times as much as France. This letter was sent to M.
Rouher through the French Ambassador in London.

,‘ Dualism has become the State form of the Austrian
Empire," says the special correspondent of the Timesat Pesti).
That there is an Emperor of Austria and a King of Hungary,
perfectly distinct in idea, though identical practically, we
have known for the last twelve months. The Hungarians
are determined, however, that so far as the subjects are
concerned the dualism shall be a reality. When, there-
fore, the treaty of commerce with Prussia and the treaty
of navigation with England were laid upon the table of
the Hungarian Diet, exception was at once taken to the
title by which the sovereign was described. This objection
it was proposed to meet by calling him " his Imperial and
]loyal Apostolic Majesty." But even this does not satisfy
the jealous Magyars, and the Minister of Commerce has
undertaken a further alteration by way of satisfying
their susceptibilities. Foreign consuls are now being
appointed, who will be accredited to the Hungarian Court
of Pesth, and reside there. The correspondent of the
Times mentions, by way of caution, that Hungary is not
Turkey, and that the Hungarians are extremely jealous of
foreign intervention, so that the consuls will have to avoid
meddling with the politics of the country.

The Paris corresi ondent of the Morning rose says !
" The singular and exceptional position in which. Queen
Victoria, her Ministers, the Opposition, the Parliament,
and the people of England are placed towards each other
at the present moment, I find is creating a considerable
amount of interest amongst those who surround the
Emperor Napoleon 111. Continental statesmen have
been so long accustomed to regard the workings of the
British Constitution as a machine which never seriously
gets out of order, that they are amazed at the present
aspect of affairs. A general impression prevails that Eng•
land is about to pass through such a political crisis as we
have not witnessed since the days of Cromwell, An
important personage, communicating with a member a
the Imperial Cabinet, I am told, writes prophetic
of the severance of Church and State, of the
adoption of the system of universal suffrage, and the
invasion of the people into what is called the oligarobloal
citadel of the governing aristocratic circles, The emu
authority says, the Royal Family feel that there Is no
statesman of the present day capable of controlling the
imminent crisis with which the British C 0134104104 la
threatened. We are told by this foreign observer, of What
is taking place in England that the country hag no faith
either in Mr, Disraeli or Mr. Gladstone ; and hci eom
eludes by saying: 'I informed yon when Lord Palrneysto4
died, that the political tranquillity of 1 ILlglArrel entirc-4
with "

Arr. Ilearden's extraordinary notice of motion 15 the
suhject of much comment and more ridicule, When the
member for Athlone handed it to the clerk at the table,
that functionary referred it to the Speaker, who Appears
to have decided that a question couched in such lan-.
gunge could not he recorded in the parliamentary
journals. The Speaker is said to have addlissed
strong remonstrance to the eccentric M.P., and to have
intimated that if he attempted to persevere with his
motion he would receive a rebuke which he would by po
means care to have administered. A well-informed Con-
temporary remarks on the regret with which the people of
the metropolis have regarded the untimely departure of
the Court for Balmoral, and expresses a wish that the
real state of public feeling sir uld be bol fly and unre-
servedly laid before th 9 Nygpio 137 I;py F9,439p419
advisers.

The Insertions and alterations in the Scotch lleforni
to be moved on Monday next by the Lord-Advocate, On
behalf of the Government, and referred to by Mr. Ns.
raeli in his statement on Thursday night, are as follows
Page 2, Clause 3.—After " voter " insert, "or to vote
who shall have been exempted from assessment or pay-
ment of poor rates on the ground of inability to pay, or
who shall have failed to pay, on or before the 20th day of
June in any year, all poor rates (if any) that have become
payable by him in respect of said dwelling•house, or ae.art
inhabitant of said burgh, up to the preceding 15th day of
May, or shall have been in the receipt of parochial relief
irithin the twelve calendar months next preceding the
,aid last day of July. Provided also that no man shall
under this section be entitled to be registered as a voter."
Page 3, Clause s.—Leave out from " 3 Ilas " on line 1,
to " may " on line 7, and insert, " Provided that no
man shall under this section be entitled to be registered,
or to tote, who shall have been exempted from assessment
of or payment of poor rate on the ground of inability to
pay, or who shall have failed to pay, on or before the 20th
day of January in any year, all poor rates, if any, that
have been payable by him in respect of said land and
heritages up to the preceding 15th of May, or who should
have been in receipt of parochial relief within twelve
calendar months of the next preceding said day of July."
Page 8, Clause 20, line M.—Leave out from " on" to
" also "in line 30. Line 33—Leave out " such " and "so
rated." Line 35 —After "May" insert, "or who shall
have been in the receipt of parochial relief within the
twelve calendar months preceding the last day of July."