THE PALMERSTONIC POLICE POLICY.
A FRFISTCII Jury acquits Count Forestier de Coubert, indisputably proved to have accomplished the abduction of Miss Hamilton ; and the Standard finds a motive for the inscrutable judgment in the fact that the young lady's father was an Englishman ! We are sorry to see the respectable Tory journal following Lord Palmer- ston's bad example of raising these personal Old Bailey affairs to an international rank. While it was left to Ministers only, it did not so much matter ; for a mere Foreign Minister, nowadays, does not take a very high standard, of morality, reason, or policy ; bid if independent journalists fall into the tricks of diplomatic trifling, -we shall begin to fear for the public morals.
Besides, the sanction of the press might permit the birth of a very inconvenient usage. Courts and their representatives med- dle enough in dirty work already, without doing More ; . they need not constitute themselves agents for all the loose fish of fo- reign- countries, to be.found in every capital or place of fashionable resort. Lord Palmerston did not come off so well in the Pacifico affair Us to render that case a precedent. The Austrians are said to expect some sort of satisfaction for the Bankside outrage on the perion of General Haynau, and it is averred that they have reselVed' to "take. revenge upon wandering Englishmen in their dominions. How will Lord Palmerston's Roman-citizen principle stand that infraction ? Is he again to be the grand compounder of rows ? If so, he might, no doubt, interfere between the Jury and the Government in this Forestier case ; first, however, getting himself appointed Inspector of European Police.
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