POSTSCRIPT.

SATURDAY.

Both Houses eat for a long time yesterday—more than twelve honrs each; thia, Commons rising at twenty-five minutes past two, and the Lords at twenty Minutes past four. • The Peers were engaged almost the whole time with a debate on the Italian policy of the British Government, raised by Lord 'BROUGHAM; who moved the following resolutions- " 1. That it is the rightand was the duty of the Government to require, and to obtain from foreign powers, satisfactory explanations of those recent movements in the Italian states which tend to unsettle the existing distribution of territory, and to endanger the general peace.

"2. That it is inconsistent with the general interests and duty of this country to interfere in the concerns of foreign nations, as betwesn their governments and their subjects.

43. That this House regrets to observe in the conduct of the Government, particularly as shown by the papers laid before Parliament, a want of friendly feeling towards allies to whom we are bound by treaty and by mutual acts of good-will."

These resolutions Lord Brougham backed by a long speech recapitulat- ing the events in Northern Italy, Sicily, and Rome, with the diplomatic course taken by the British Government. As he has done before, he repro- . seated Sardinia to have been perfidious and grasping, Austria magnanimous and moderate; Lord Palmerston and his representatives extending every indulgence to Sardinia, but threats to Austria. In touching on the Roman affairs, he described how there was in the heart of Italy a French army of forty or fifty thousand men, and a park of artillery of " a hundred and twenty thousand grins." [This last item of the statement produced .roars of laughter.] He pointed out that France had been in- . vited by the Pope jointly with Austria, Spain, and. Naples: her having ad- vanced alone therefore, constituted the beginning of new difficulties; and he urged the 'expediency of a general congress for the settlement of this and other difficulties in the disturbed condition of Europe. It was on Sicily that Lord Brougham expatiated with the greatest animation: he con- demned the successive attempts to force liberal institutions in that country, which could only be the growth of ages; he execrated the cruelty of the Sicilians, and vindicated the clemency of the King of Naples; he censured the conduct of the British, especially that mongrel sort of animals, hideous to behold, political sailors, diplomatic vice-admirals, and speculative captains of ships; and he wound up by declaring, that in every letter of the recently-published blue-book he observed on the part of the British Government a rooted prejudice against Austria, the most important ally this country could have on the Continent.

The Earl of CARLISLE defended the British Government against the varying, and incompatible charges, that it is now too revolutionary, or too little anxious for democratic institutions—that it is too French, or too Italian. It may be the duty of a government to demand explanations, but not to'obtain them; a result which could only be enforced by war: the first resolution, therefore, was an absurd and mischievous abstract propo- sition. He subscribed to the general declaration that we ought not to interfere in the affairs of foreign countries; but it may be justified on some emergencies by policy and humanity: some of the proudest periods of our history display England as relieving the oppressed and rescuing Europe from the dominion of a conqueror. Lord Carlisle gave some explanation as to the position of France in Rome: France disclaims conquest or territorial aggrandisement, professes willingness to withdraw from the scene of the recent conflict, and exhibits a desire to restore the Pope, on terms that would be satisfactory to the enlightened and rational portion of his subjects. Lord Carlisle eulogized Lord Palmerston; whose days and nights, during the anarchy of Europe, have been devoted to ne- gotiations with the single view of averting the calamities of war. In the 'midst of An agitated and warring world, England remains unvexed by se- dition at home or convulsions abroad—her opinion and mediation respect- fully invited on all hands—her officers a refuge to the; distressed and friendless—her ports open to the commerce of the world: at such a time is it that noble Lords come forward with their illogical and unmeaning re- solutions!

The debate continued warm and long. Lord HEYTESBURY reviewed

the history of Sicily, to show that the liberal constitution of 1812 was un- workable; the Earl of MINTO did the same, to show how Sicily had been defrauded of her old constitution; the Earl of ABERDEEN ransacked the blue;hook, to show the duplicity and the anti-Austrian spirit of Lord Pal- merston4s diplomacy; the Marquis Of LANSDOWNE defended that policy; and Lord STANDBY made a speech which may be considered as the reply that Lord Brougham waived.

The House divided, with the following result—

Present. Proxies. Total.

For the motion 51 45 96

Against it 45 63 108 Ministerial majority 12 In the House of Commons, the business transactions were so abundant and various as to forbid much more than an enumeration of the heads.

Mi. Wissorr PATTEN stated that Mr. Gore, head of an office under the Woods and Forests department, recently examined before Lord Duncan's Committee, had been making extensive alterations on hia.pritated evidence. After debate, on the motion of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, it was ordered that Mr. Gore should be reexamined by the Committee so that the corrections of hissevidence might be authenticated. Usitin the second reading of the Pilotage Bill, Sir GEORGE CLERIC in- elated that it would embarrass our relations with countries with which we have.reciprocity treaties and would injuriously affect the interest of that numerous class the pilots; and he threatened to resist the bill unless it wereidtered. Mr. LABOUCHERE contended that the difficulties were...Musa ginary; and that, being merely permissive, the.bill could not be iqj uriousr but 'he promised to consider alterations in wording, suggested by Dr- NiChtsms After debate, the bill was read a second time, and.coMmittfel pro thrink; to be reprinted. -

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The Poor-Iasi- buiroir thirges Act Arnendminsk,PAR Ivey elaborately discussed in Committee; and other measures were forwarded. Lord JOCELYN defended his father, the Earl of Roden; who had endea- voured to prevent the Orange processions in Ireland, but not succeeding, had appeared among the Orangemen to keep them peaceful. On this'' topic, Sir GEOR.GE GREY announced, for next sessidn, a bill to prohibit all party processions. Meanwhile, all processions calculated to inspire terror and disturb the peace are illegal at common law.

Mr. HERRIES moved a resolution declaring it expedient, in the actual condition of the public revenue, to impose a moderate fixed duty on the importation of corn. He again advanced his representation that the revenue needs reinforcement; and contended that such a ditty would be a tax not upon 'the consumer but on the foreign producer, acting as a pro- tection only when prices were extremely low. Sir Cstanr,Es Woo]) repu- diated the offered help to the revenue, and declared that the people would not tolerate a duty on corn. In the Protectionist and Free-trade contest that ensued, Mr. COBDEN and Mr. DISRAELI were the most distinguished and animated combatants. Mr. OSBORNE, despairing of another oppor- tunity, attempted to tarn the discussion upon Hungarian affairs; but was stopped by an appeal to the Speaker on the point of order. Mr. ROEBUCK called upon the House to do something for the country; by proceeding to business, and forwarding a few of the many bills before it. Mr. Herries's motion was withdrawn.

The House went into Committee of Ways and Means, and passed several residuary votes, chiefly of a formal kind. Having resumed, it despatched a variety of bills.