The Sun. — 1863-02-18 (London, England)

DERBY—It is quite true that in the absence of the noble earl I did ask when these papers would be produced, and I certainly did express a hope that they would dissipate an impression likely to be caused by the perusal of the papers published by the Brazilian Govern • ment, that our representative at Rio had acted in a manner which could not meet with the approval of her Majesty's Government. I mnst say that the noble earl has taken a very inconvenient and unusual course, while merely promising that the papers shall be forthcoming, to take the opportunity of making an ex parte statement with regard to a certain portion of these transactions. (Hear, hear.) This certainly is a course I never knew taken by any Minister of the Crown before. If the noble earl had contented himself with saying that the Brazilian papers did not give the whole correspondence, and that when the papers he intended to lay on the table were perused we should be in a better position to form a just judgment on the transaction, it would have been quite sufficient in this stage of the business ; but he has not only made a partial statement, but has emitted from it some circumstances. I win not enter into a discussion of the merits of the case, for I have only seen the correspondence published by the Brazilian Government. There are many difficulties in the matter, and many conflicting statements, which probably will be cleared up. It may be that these officers have been grievously insulted, or that they were treated with a want of consideration which would not have been shown to them had they been in uniform or if their rank had been known. In the other case the noble earl really lays down doctrines which we will find it difficult to enforce. Here is the case of a ship wrecked upon a part of the coast which is nearly uninhabited—certain bodies are found of persons who had been washed on shore from shipwreck, or who, having reached the shore alive, were subsequently murdered. It is a suspicion, nothing more —we have nothing before us to show how far it is supported, and on those facts a demand is made on the Brazilian Government for the whole value of the ship and cargo. If such a circumstance had occurred in England the only claim which could have been made against our Government would have been for neglecting to put the law effectually into operation for the discovery of the offenders, We have no other claim of reparation against the Brazilian Government, and certainly never could claim from them the value of a ship and cargo which was clearly lost by stress of weather, and not by an act of the Brazilian Government. I am afraid that even in this highly-civilised country there may be some remote parts in which the practice of wrecking still prevails, and her Majesty's Government would certainly be very much,astonished if they were suddenly called upon to pay the value of any ship which might be wrecked on those parts of the coast, and might fall into the hands of such persons, and if in support of a demand of this sort a certain number of British ships had been seized, matters would have been brought to such a point that, if the question had been between two powerful Governments, it would have been difficult to avoid hostilities. That is a part of the case with which the noble earl has not dealt. It requires consideration, and I hope the papers to be laid before us by her Majesty's Government will put a more satisfactory complexion on it than it assumes in the papers already published.  Earl