NEWS OF THE WEEK.
PARLIAMENT met on Thursday, for the working session, amid great public expectation ; in both Houses it was supposed that Ministers would have Ottomeats to make, acts to announce, on the most important subjects—France, India, and Reform, if not also on Finance. In both Houses Ministers met the reassembled Members with notices, cool and curt, which deferred all stirring topics till next week, even postponing till next night the eager congratulations of Parliament on the marriage of the Princess Royal. The independent Commons were content to break up early on the first evening of school, and readily consumed the few hours of the evening in a squabble about Sir De Lacy Evans's postponed motion and in listening to a debate short and quiet about the new London Corporation. Not so the proud Peers. When, after the few formal notices, Lord Granville moved to adjourn, the leader of the Tory Opposition poured out a protest against this unseemly silence on the first meeting of Ministers and Parliament after momentous events. Has the revulsion in the money-market been succeeded by restored prosperity ; have we forgotten Havelock's death or Campbell's successes ; has not a lamentable and disgraceful attempt been made on the life of Na- poleon; have not demands been made upon the Government of this country; andhave Ministers nothing to declare, nothing to tell, no- thing to announce, of what they will do or not ? Such was the bent of Lord Derby's oration, pointed by a strong declaration, that "not for the safety of the sovereign of France, nor of all the sovereigns of Europe twenty times over," would he violate or retrench the asylum given to foreigners. The sentiments had an English ring in them as well as the voice, which made the Peers of Eng- land cheer. Lord Granville confronted the ardent outburst by throwing cold water upon it—referring the orator to the Depart- ments and the explanations announced by them ; and after this the debate fell into a string of " remarks " by such Lords as thought it worth while to keep up the controversy ; not to be overlooked, however, the judgments of the Law Lords Brougham and Campbell, on what Ministers need not and must not do to change our criminal law on foreign requisition.
Sir Be Lacy Evans's motion for inquiry into the mode of sending troops to India, pruned. of its censure by his own discre- tion.and disarmed by,the unqualified acquiescence of Ministers, disappointed Mr. Disraeli of a party display : for his speech was superseded, and, indignant at the surprise, he tried to get up a party debate by questioning the right of Members, Mi- nisters, or 'House, to alter the motion so as to put him out. But it would not do : in spite of his intended support, the motion passed.
Nay, there was time before dinner for Sir George Grey's new bill to reform London Corporation : the Corporation is to be only modernized, not destroyed or reduced to the level of a oonuty borough. So, with a feeling of reprieve, Members dis- persed for more interesting business elsewhere : and thus opens one of the most eventful sessions cut out for the British Parliament.
[WITH MONTULY SUPPLEMENT.] Out of doors, the Reformers have been gradually mustering their strength and putting their ranks in order ; still, however, with Blandest mistrust between the different sections of the party, if party it can be called, and with no immediate arrival at una- nimity. At Manchester, resolutions have been passed by a con- siderable meeting in favour of a union between the moderate and advanced Reformers, and supporting the general requirements of Radical Reformers throughout the country. Similar meetings have been held in other towns. To one at Birmingham Mr. Bright contributed a letter in his old vigorous style, warning the Re- formers against a mere extension of the suffrage without a re- distribution of seats and the vote by ballot, if they would avoid a swamping of the towns by the counties and a driving of indus- trial votes by tyrant employers. Mr. Henry Rich has produced a new pamphlet, "Parliamentary Reform, What and Where," after the manner of his "What will the Lords Do ?" in 1831. The Member for Richmond sketches a Reform scheme of a very comprehensive character, not exactly like any of the pro- jects before the public. But perhaps the most conspicuous fact of the day in that class of subjects is the marked silence of Lord John Russell and of his party.
Several new laws—so many decrees of the Emperor Napoleon —have emanated from the French Legislature. Napoleon has altered the law relating to the Regency, and has appointed the Empress to be Regent in the event of his own death before his heir shall have arrived at adult age. He has associated with her a Council named by himself, comprising his most immediate and devoted personal adherents ; and consisting of the two Princes next in succession to the throne, Jerome and Napoleon, Cardinal Mor- lot for the Papal Churnh, the Due de Malakhoff for the Army, Adhille Forild for Finance, Troplong for the Lawyers, the Count de Moray for Russia, M. Baroche, grand exemplar to pliant Liberals in France ; and the Count de Persigny, who is said to be the Emperor's most faithful and most disinterested Mend. These are the co-guardians of the dynasty. Prince Jerome has been appointed President of the Imperial Council in the absence of the Emperor. All France has been parcelled out into five military, divisions, each under its General, and the whole under Marshal-General Pelissier. A new " loi des suspects " has ap- peared ; it relates entirely to persons who attempt to disturb the peace, "to excite hatred and contempt" of the Emperor's go- vernment, -or persons "whom serious facts point out as again dangerous to public safety." The law gives the power of sub- jecting' accused persons, without trial, to be fined, to be impri- soned, to be removed to the interior, to be carried off to Algeria or the Colonies. A communication to the British Government intimates, that in England French passports will henceforward be granted only to French subjects. The Imperial Government has been proceeding with its repressive measures in full swing.
Mild as it was, perhaps the first check to this galloping career appeared in an article of the Globe, which gently deprecated the publication of the threatening military addresses, as tending "to render that difficult which would have been easy,"—namely, some new legislative securities against the refugees in this coun- try. No doubt, murmurs have been audible in France ; and those who communicate with the Emperor's Government from England must be able to report the general indignation expressed here. Another ominous sign also has shown itself in the French towns ; the mercantile classes have the boldness to be afraid, and " securities " of all kinds 'fall. The repressive course begins to fail on its financial side.
There is an immediate modification. A journal which in London operates as a channel for Imperial views has "reason to believe that no one has regretted the publication of these docu- ments more than the Emperor himself, and stringent orders have been issued against the appearance of any farther addresses in the official organ." It is further explained, that the objection- able addresses did not appear in the " official " part,—the sub- editor of the Mon iteur being offered as a propitiatory sacrifice by the French Government ! In one of the clauses of the new loi des suspects the word " publicly " has been introduced, modifying the liability of persons who have instigated others to the commission of
[LATEST EDITION.] The decision of the Judges in appeal on the case of Mellor is interesting in two aspects. The prisoner was convicted at Liver- pool Assizes of murdering his wife ; there was an error in the composition of the jury, one man on the panel answering for an- other and sitting under the other man's name. Some of the most eminent of the Judges thought that this vitiated the tribu- nal; and that there should be a new trial ; the majority, how- ever, held that no injury had accrued, and that the Court had no power to direct a new trial. None of them even hinted that the question was not of paramount importance ; the upholders of the British bench sharing the utmost anxiety to maintain the perfect regularity and purity of the tribunal. This solicitude to avoid the slightest abatement of regular law on behalf of a low crimi- nal has been justly contrasted with the present course of indis- criminate and arbitrary "justice" in France. In the course of the trial, Chief Justice Cockburn expressed a wish that there had been some procedure in our laws by which such cases could be disposed of on their intrinsic merits, or on facts ascertained ; for if do cumberscme a tribunal as the Court of Criminal Appeal may be invoked to decide great questions of law or justice it should scarcely be made to correct every blunder of form inAhe Court below. The case is interesting, again, as illustrating a want which is proved by repeated incidents in our law courts— the want of a Minister of Justice. certain political crimes. Slight air they are, tliese do appear to be signs of mitigation.. .
The actual position, however, is far less influenced by these modifications than by the original outburst of the Government and the Army. There are some expressions that snot be re- tracted: the man whose eye we have seen malignantly glaring upon us we cannot trust because he resumes his outward cour- tesy. The whole demonstration has made Englishmen reflect, and has unquestionably diminished the confidence in France po- litically and financially.
Our Indian news is en suite ; the one noticeable event being the successful advance of Colonel Seaton to reinforce Sir Colin Campbell with the necessaries of war, and to strengthen the po- sition of Cawnpore in Campbell's rear.
At Bombay, Lord Elphinstone had uttered a very useful caveat against indiscriminate animadversions upon the Natives of India ; whose conduct in many provinces, and in many individual cases, has merited the approval and even the gratitude of the British.
The details from China tell us no more about the bombard- ments of Canton, but something about the manner of dining amongst the Celestials ; while the greatest news of all comes in living flesh and blood in the person of General Ashburnham, the military commander of the expedition, who reappears in White- hall unexpectedly. No explanation has been given.
Princess Frederick William of Prussia left our shores on Tues- day, amidst showers of farewells from her family, cheers from long lines of the people, flowers from Mayor Troughton's troop of little ladies on the quay at Gravesend, and snow from the clouds. The whole day was an epitome of life's smiles and tears, hopes and tremours, The royal yacht could not loosen from her moor- ings in the turbulent river without concussions from one or two ill-disciplined vessels in her Majesty's service ; and at last it fairly steamed down the stream, upon which the great Leviathan had a few hours before quietly reposed its weight.
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