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4g2 THE LEADER. [Tito. 322> Saturday,
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nffcRIAL PARLIAMENT. \ f'~ —?—Monday, Ma...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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" ? W E Scarcely Remember A Year In Whic...
Rica , against a lawless invader , Walker ; and that the Government of the United States is prepared to act with us in the same direction ; but that no arms have actually been furnished . . We do not hesitate to express if * UtWMWHi doufc * *» to the accuracy of this statement It is difficult U > say how parties are distributed amongst tft * factions of Central America ; b »* it is evident tl « t there is war between ' Nica * % g ua and Cost * Kica . The Costa Ricans have been so idiotical as to massacre several American passengers and officials at Panama—a new complication of hostilities
which has excited much anger in the American Congress . The general tendency of these events is rather to benefit Walker's interests in the American Union , and our Government has suffered itself to become involved in the intrigues of Mr . Wallerstein and the combats of a very local faction . What course the present Government at Washington may think fit to take we have no authority for stating ; but we doubt whether Mr . Crampton can have reported it correctly , and we have had reason to observe that that gentleman is not exact in his language , or
very regular in his official conduct . He delayed a letter from Lord Clarendon which he was instructed to communicate to the American Government , and he certainly has not shown much aptitude in gathering the sentiments of the American people . We mistrust his account , therefore , of the official feelings at Washington , and regret that " our Foreign Minister should have publicly avowed his reliance upon such an authority .
A variety of other subjects have occupied time with little public sympathy as to the result . Ministers , for example , persevere in their bill for imposing duty upon fire insurance for property in this country effected abroad , but it has been proved that their "bill will fail to get at the insurer , and they appear to rely upon the honour of man as a check against the evasion of tax . Fancy considering the tax upon fire insurance a debt of honour ! Mr . Henry Berkelet has done suit and service
for his Bristol seat by his annual motion on the ballot , rejected this year by 151 to 111 . Mr . Packe , the " serious" Tory member , has introduced a bill for the abolition of church rates and their reimposition in another form , but he withdrew bis bill at tbe instance of the respectable Sir John Pakington , not to impede the discussion on the bill concocted between Sir William Clay and the Government . Mr . John George Phillimore
has introduced a bill empowering the Lord Chancellor to appoint those Judges and Chancellors in various ecclesiastical courts who are now appointed by the Bishop and other Church dignitaries , but everybody avowed in the debate the belief tha , t the measure was a perfectly useless fragment of a larger measure which has been rejected this year and will have to bo introduced in . a more complete form . The Lord Chancbllok bns taken another stage of his Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Bill , referred at the suggestion of Lord Lyndhobst to
a select committee . Lord Lyndiiurst thinks that the amendment ought to extend to the law of divorce , and to give the wife a right of release for causes the same as those which now entitle the husband to release , and the poor Lord Chancellor was pleased to consent to the reference of his bill , although ho declared that he never would consent to the alteration of the law—his bill only altering the constitution of the tribunal and the manner of pi-oceeding . Lord Brougham , too , is
carrying forward h « s bill to authorize runaway marriages in Scotland , but Lord Brougham's bill htta scarcely been debated , and since it is not likely to bo carried , we cannot consider that its passing through its stages in the House of Lords amounts to any progress at all . There were several points at issue in tho Lords ' debato of Thursday night on the maritime declaration mtlie Farte C 6 « fcroncc . On the memorable 8 th of April Count Walewski initiated -OjSouwjons tipon a variety of subject—Greece , . Italy , UoJgian newspapers , and maritimo law .
The last was professedly the object of Lord Colchester ' s resolutions . He objected to Lord Clarendons having affixed the signature of Great Britain without having referred to Parliament , api fee objected to conceding the principle thatfisee shi p * make free goods , while thfe country has «© freqpucntly maintained the opposite ^ As to { fa * principle itself , it tends to drtwr that broad line of distinction between war and « ommerd * which is in accordance with the Moat obvious frrtetests of tftfe country , and with < fie most general conviction of the world at the present day , so that Lord Colchester was not likely to obtain
a decision in his favour , to contradict the principle being his main object . As to the want of reference to the Houses of Parliament , we believo » that the objection is most important ; though few men in the Upper House possess the patriotism to make a firm stand . The fact is , that the power , influence , and judgmeat of this country are used by a comparatively few men , who treat " the people " in as arbitrary a manner as the Tory party used to treat the people , with only this difference , that instead of dragoons and criminal prosecutions , they have substituted humbug and liberal professions . Some of the Opposition also objected
to the attack upon Belgium ; and the defence against this objection was the most extraordinary part of the Government proceedings . Lord Clarendon avowed that the papers to which Count Walewski referred were no part of the Bel g ian press at all , but French sheets printed in Belgium without printer ' s name , and smuggled into France . Why then was Count Walewski permitted to make an attack upon Belgium for not performing its duty , -with , a hint that she might be made to behave more properly ? And why did Lord Clarendon sign a protocol implying some demand unon Belgium ?
The manner in which the people are played with has been shown in nothing more than in the Sunday bands affair . Sir Benjamin Hall suspected that the great body of the people would enjoy the perfectly rational recreation of music on the Sunday ; he provided it in Kensington Gardens , and he was permitted to do so ; he provided it in Victoria Park for the poor of Bethnal Green , and there is a great outcry ! This is called " aggressive ! " If Sir Benjamin had sent a great body of police to dragoon the poor creatures out of the public-houses to which they resort , that would have been called protective or missionary ; but to draio them forth from comfortless homes or
disorderly public-houses into the open air of the park , and into the influence of the most humanizing of the arts , is " aggressive ! " It is true that an immense number of the people , more than a quarter of a million , confirmed Sir Benjamin ' s anticipation of their pleasure and opinion , by attending at the performances in the West , the North , and the East ; but the Scotch members hinted hostile votes , the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote a didactic letter to Lord Palmerston , and the proud , clear-sighted Lord Palmerston , who knows so much better , gave way to the bigots of Lambeth and Edinburgh . So that we
in London , who agree with Lord Palmkrston and Sir Benjamin Hall , must conform our manners and customs to the rule of Canterbury and cant . There have been some public meetings this week , and the working classes are at least beginning to take up the subject . As we Raid npnn tho enme miUtcr load woot , they will have their freedom when they show that they are prepared to take it . The case of Palmer has taken its place in the history " of monster trials . It has lasted nine days , with only the prospect of closing on tho tenth . The mass of evidence has seldom been equalled in extent or interest . It is , however , entirely circumstantial , and is subject to a grand debate amongst medical savans m presence of tho court ,
as to the symptoms caused by the administration of strychnine and the actual symptoms which preceded Cookk ' s death . Tho question for the jury , therefore , has narrowed to a question in the rnpeutics , —that is , if tho jurors atrictly abide by the letter of the obligations which they have under taken to decide wholly and solely upon the evidence . How olton is it , however , that jurors can be found who are prepared to decide a question upon the exact balance of scientific logic ? Mcunwhilo tho trial has constituted one of the most interesting inqueHt 3 which tho world has yet seen ; but Lord Cami ' hell , Jove-like , has thundered from tho throne of juatico against that naughty boy , tho Editor of the Tiniest , who has already dared to rush into tho crime of " comment . "
4g2 The Leader. [Tito. 322> Saturday,
4 g 2 THE LEADER . [ Tito . 322 > Saturday ,
Nffcrial Parliament. \ F'~ —?—Monday, Ma...
nffcRIAL PARLIAMENT . \ f' ~ —?—Monday , May 19 < A . PARLLtMMVr nsMsembled after the Whitsuntide recess on Monday . The House of Lords met at five o ' clock ECCLESIASTICAL , COURTS ( IRELAND ) . The f . oKX > Chancellor , in reply to a question from tJke Ea & otf Dokouohmobe , said it was intended by the Q * rernment measure to leave the Ecclesiastical Courts m Ireland untouched , but ultimately to establish there a court of divorce h vinculo matrimonii , similar to tha t which it was proposed to establish in this country . CENTRAL AMERICA . The Earl of Elgin , having read the letter recently published in the newspapers , purporting to be an answer from the Foreign Office to a request from the agent of the Government of Costa Rica for a supply of arms , asked the Earl of Clarendon if that letter was genuine ; and , if so , whether he had any objection to lay on the table a copy of the application to which the letter appeared to be the answer ? The Earl of Clarendon said he had no hesitation in declaring that the letter in question was a genuine document . Some time after the attack of Walker on Nicaragua , the agents for the Government of Costa Rica and other Governments of Central America applied to England for assistance . In answer to these applications , it was suggested that England should assume the protectorate of those countries ; but the offer was declined , and the English Government then determined to have nothing to do with the affairs of Central America , though it regretted the proceedings of Walker , as having led to the sacrifice of property belonging to English subjects . A naval force , however , was despatched to the coast of Nicaragua , to protect those subjects ; but it was not larger than was required for that object . Subsequently to that , the agent of Costa Rica ( Mr . Wallerstein ) said that the Government of that State meant to oppose Walker , and asked for assistance in the way of arms . The answer of the War Department was contained in the letter which had been published in the papers ; but the offer then made was not accepted , and Mr . Wallerstein had since died ; so that no interference , even indirectly , had taken place in the affairs of Costa Rica . It was some time since Walker took possession of Nicaragua , and he disposed of a good deal of English property by force alone . Her Majesty ' s Government had communicated with the Government of the United States in the matter , and he would read an extract from a despatch of Mr . Crampton on the question . There had been no disguise whatever with the United States Government , the object of the British Government avowedly and openly having been to protect English interests . On the 15 th of March , Mr . Marcy said he entirely disapproved of the existing state of things in Nicaragua , looked upon it as dangerous , and thought it likely to cast a shade upon the reputation of the Government of the United States . ( Jlear , hear . ) He ( the Earl of Clarendon ) observed that he knew no better plan of proceeding than for the United States Government and the British Government to combine for the protection of the subjects of the United States and of Great Britain . { Hear , hear . ') CIRCASSIA—SARDINIA . The Earl of Malmesbury asked whether or not it was true that the Circassians had made a representation to the Porte , asking for the interference of the Allies in favour of the independence of that country , and to protect them from Russian invasion ; whether there was any foundation for that rumour ; whether Lord Clarendon had received any papers on the subject , and whether he would be prepared to lay them on tho table ol" the House ? Also , whether Lord Clarendon had iny objection to lay on the table the two notes which had been presented to the Governments of England and France by tho Sardinian Government , and which were laid before thu Sardinian Parliament ?—The Earl of Clakknoon said it was quite true that a deputation of Circassians had made such a representation to tho Turkish Government , but the English Government had not received any document , except a letter from some Circassian chiefs to tho Queen . Tho spokesman of this deputation was Hafiz Pacha , who is not a CircnHsinn at all , tind who during the war showed him . solf anything but friendly to tho Allies . It was he who promised that n great number of Circassians should bo ready on a Httilod day to assist in the field ; but the promise Avas not kept , ana Mr . Longworth declared ho -wim one of the ^< ' « tcBt onomics tho Western Powers had . Under thoae circumstances , ho did not think there was any claim whatever on the British Government . lie had no objection l <> t" « production of tho notes naked for from tho Sardinia" <»« - vernment to tho Governments of Franco and Knglft "" - INDIA . .. Tho Earl of Aliitcmaklic moved the reappointmont oi tho Select Committee on tho Government of <> ur , , ! territories . Tho former committee , O > e Inborn * ol wm «' worn interrupted in 1853 , had left several inatlwH unii - quired into , and ho thought , thorcforo , that tlm »" . " " gation Ml . ould bo resumed . — Earl Gkanvh . i- n conm . lorc the necessity for roappointing tho Conimittoo had " > been proved . —Tho Earl of Fa / iacnhohovuu agreed wi » that opinion , na ho thought the present was not . the tim
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), May 24, 1856, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_24051856/page/2/
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