Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-03-02
FROM OUR EUROPEAN CORREsP ONDENT.
LONDON, FEBRUARY 4. 1850.

LONDON, FEBRUARY 4, 1850.
The great event as respects ENGLAND, since we
wrote last has been the opening of Parliament on
the 3lst ultimo The session was opened by com.
mission, the Commissioners being the Lord Chan
cellor the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto
the Bishop of London, and the Marquis of Bread
albane. The tone and temper of the QUEENS
speech are very generally approved of. except by
the radical reformers, who do not find enough in it
about the extension Of the suffrage or the pairing
down of expenditures and by the agricultural pro-
tectonists who say that the landed interest and the
whole community of landlords and tenants do not
engage enough of Royal attention, and that the
words regret and lament are very made
quase expression Of sympathy for their sufferings.
! Our correspondent here gives us long account
of debate in Parliament, for which we have not
room at present. 1t spraDg up on the Address to
the QUEEN, and was founded upon an amend
ment proposed to the Address, expressive of regret
the depression and distress of the agricultural in
terests Of the Kingdom, owing principally to recent
free-trade Legislation, in abolishing the corn laws,
&c. The amendment was eventually rejected, and
the Address carried by large majority, viz: 49
| in the House of Lords and 1I9 in the House of
Commons
Nothing of consequence has taken place in Par
lament since the division on the address but notice
has been given of several very important motions.
MANY QueSuOnS Oh consequence VIII Ue uCioIc
Parliament during the present session. There is
the great and almost overwhelming one Of the Colo
nies and their future government. The electoral
franchise has to be purged from some of its most
startling anomalies and rankest abuses. Her
Majesys speech pointedly alludes to Ireland as
needing an increased elective franchise. The
emancipation Of the Jews must come before the
House in some shape or other. Financial reform,
and general revision of the whole system of taxa
ton, will be pressed from more quarters than one.
National education will be eloquenty advocated,
and we trust some satisfactory plan will be adopt
ed. Ireland will require prompt and efficient
attention. A general system of sanitary measures,
especially for the metropolis, must be devised; and
the church, and all her various interests, and all her
strongly charged abuses, will furnish matter for
many long debates. Surely these things, without
saying word about our foreign relations will sup
ply plenty of business for Legislators to attend to-
FEBRUARY There has been very little news
from the continent of Europe during the last fort
night Some stir has taken place i'll France about
agtatiens in Lyons, and elsewhere, in consequence
of the intrigues OF the socialist and revolutionary
refugees who have found temporary home in
Switzerland. The conspirators at Lyons and in
the department of the Rhone said to have been
bafled in an attempt to effect movement in Paris.
There have been riots there, however, in which
Gen. IIAMoRIcIERE was struck, and obliged to take
refuge in a house, escaping thence by the roof;
and several sergens de UiHe severely wounded.
This has led TO the cutting down the trees oflberty
in the Boulevards, &c., which had been decorated
with revolutionary emblems. The last news from
Paris is that all was quiet, excepting in the Assem-
bly,, where regular riot had taken place during
the debate upon the bill for public instruction:
more duels were spoken Of NJ EDGAR NEY, the
personal friend of Louis NAPOLEON, has been elect
ed to the Chamber by the department of the Cha
rente. The statement of the revenue of France for
the month of December is highly satisfactory. The
navigation returns of France for lS49 show great
increase over ls4s, but a falling off Of something
approaching one-third when compared with lS47.
The Edinburgh herieW and the Times both ex-
press the opinion that the leading men Of France
not on the right path, and further disturbances,
collisions, and disorganizations are spoken Of as
inevitable. The essential want of the French is
material prosperity, and hence exists the necessity,
above all other things, of removing the obstacles to
the industry and progress of the people. The
agriculture is said to be deteriorating the trade,
particularly the shipping declining; and the pros
perty OF the little landowners, composing the great
majority of the nation, at nearly its lowest ebb.
This sad condition Of France did not commence
with the revolution of February, ls4S; bur it pro-
baby led to, and occssioned it and unless it be
not remedied, there will be no peace for France, or
for Europe. Socialism may be diminishing in