Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-09-14
FOREIGN.
FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.
InNpoN. Auausr %. la

LONDON, AUGUST %, 1850.
The session Of Parliament has just closed, and
time has read, during the progress of that session,
at least, one very important lesson to the world,
and particularly to England, and to all countries
that are connected with her, either by political and
social ties or commercial interests and that is, the
entire hopelessness of her recurring again to
policy, of which protection to any class, in oppo-
sition to the natural rights of the mass of the
people, will be the end and aim. No direct at
tempt has been made to reverse the system of free
trade, but series Of acknowledgements has marked
and settled its rreversibility. The navigation laws
have not been re-enacted, but supplementary bills
have strengthened the law which last year gave
the nation free trade in shipping. Instead of land
going out Of cultivation, was prognosticaed last
year, from the low price of produce, improvement
in agricultural management is gradually spreading
over the face of the country. Wages, even in the
most depressed Districts have not been deprecated
so much as the cost of living has been reduced, and
therefore the condition of the working-man has
been improved-the strongest proof of this is, that
pauperism is every where diminished and the poor
rates reduced.
1t is true that the session of 1850 may be said
to have passed only three important bills, viz !:
that for the Australian colonies, the Metropo-
Titan Interments Bill and the Irish Franchise Bill
But if many important forward steps have not been
taken, 1t is consolatory to reflect that there have
been no retrograde ones, and that the session Of
1851 is not likely to be called upon to undo any
thing which that Of 1850 gave its sanction to. The
preliminary steps made respectively in the direc-
ton Of constitutional government in Ireland and
New South Wales are good and wise, SO far as they
60, and they possess one very good feature, in not
bearing the stamp of naiity upon their faces or in
their tendencies. The principle has been pro-
claimed that in every place where British rule pre-
walls the inhabitants are to be treated as English
men, and enjoy all the rights and privileges of
the British constitution. In fact, the great question
has been settled that henceforth taxation and repre-
sentation are to be co-extensive; this admission
will lead to great reforms and important results.
So far for domestic affairs, affected by the dongs
of Parliament during its late protracted session.
As respects our foreign status, the passage from
Her Majesty's speech when she prorogued the
Parliament, in which she says, Il continue to
maintain the most friendly relations with foreign
powers, and trust that nothing may occur to dis
turb the general peace" is very satisfactory evil
dence. And the majority of 80 in the House Of
Commons, whose steady votes enabled Lord PAL
MERsToN to triumph over the Tory reactionists
and the scribes of the Holy Alliance, puts the
stamp of approval upon the foreign policy Of that
enlightened statesman. Them again, we had an
actual surplus of e2,0OO,OOO for the last financial
year, and an estimated surplus Of gl,50O,0O0,
which will be much more than realized, for the cur
rent year, with rapidly increasing exports and i'm
ports. We have had an absolute reduction of taxa
ton, and have great prospective one almost at
hand.
What may be required next session it is impos
sible to foresee. We hope that Parliament will
then, and at all future times, look at facts, and not
defer, as it has formerly too often done, to usages
and theories. The two circumstances stated by
public, and the increasing knowledge Of members
are cardinal points Of the new Parliamentary COM
pass, by which legislation must steer. One session
has now been brought to a satisfactory close, and
we need not at present, speculate the prospects
with which another will open, and on the duties