The Bee-Hive. — 1871-06-17 (London, England)

CURRENT TOPICS.  --4,- POLITICAL.  The new French loan has been anticipated on the English market with interest not unmixed with solicitude. A feeling, however, begins to prevail, that large as it is, the operation will not in an important degree affect British capital; if, that is, the greater part of the hundred millions asked for should be forthcoming on the Continent In the present uncertainty as to the future Government of France, the prospect of five per cent. upon stook offered at 83, is not very attractive to En4lislt subscribers, who, perhaps, would rather wait till political affairs are more settled, and till further loans be called for on probably more inducing terms. The paying over to Germany of so consid,erable an mpunt will be immediately followed by circumstances which will give a stimulus to general business. Thus the expansion which our trade has already received from the inactivity of two great producing Powers, during war, to execute orders, will be sustained, and we may hope to have the lion's share in the general activity following upon the devastations of war and the restoration of peace.  The Extradition Act, under which the French Government may proceed as to refugees in England, passed the Imperial Parliament in August, 1870. In the course of the discussions which at last ended in this result, the Imperial Government of France was exhibited as striving to prevail on our Government to adopt their practice. Ours is to hold men innocent till proved to be guilty; theirs, to hold them guilty till proved to be innocent. There are other differences : we never try and condemn men in their absence; our neighbours make nothing of Such trifles. What, therefore, does not even M. Favre shrink from asking of us? To allow him to act on the French principle within England! Never! How little sincerity can there be in M. Thiers' pretended admiration of the British Constitution, when ho sanctions his Foreign Secretary in preferring so monstrOus a request! What difference is there between such men and Louis Napoleon? Surely, said he, you will give.up robbers, forgers, and murderers, when he really meant the purely political adversaries to his dynasty. And the language and spirit of M. Favre exactly correspond to those of the exEmperor. But the Act of 1870 was happily fratned so as to disappoint such thinly dill= guised hopes. To all who are not capable on plainly legal grounds, it affords every safeguard that a statute can give; to which may be added fhe superiority of British judges and juries to the perverting and overruling influence of political party and arbitrary power.  The University Tests Abolition Bill is safe. The Marquis of Salisbury proposed to persist in the new Test which he had persuaded a majority of five to adopt. But as the House of Commons was all but unanimous in refusing consent to that amendment, the Marquis was deserted by all the moderate men of his party, and by the large majority of 40 (129 to 89) the House refused to insist upon its own amendments The Bill; therefore, only awaits the Royal Assent to become law.  • The Premier has made an important and satisfactory declaration on the subject of Tenant Right in connection with the Irish Land