Lord Penzance put a question to Lord Derby on Monday,
in relation to the German despatch to Belgium of the 3rd of February last, in which the German Minister lays it down as an "incontestable principle of international law" that "a State ought not to permit its subjects to disturb the internal peace of another State, and is bound to take care, by its laws, that it is in a position to fulfil this international obligation." This prin- ciple Lord Penzance disputed, and warmly expressed his hope that Great Britain had not indirectly or directly acquiesced in it, but was still free to reject it in case her opinion upon it were asked. We have discussed at some length in another column Lord Derby's reply, which was shrewd, and perhaps, as his custom is, a little over-cautious, but may add here, since Lord Derby expresses the greatest doubt as to what sort of enactment for the prevention of acts tending to disturb the peace of Germany the German Minister was demanding, that while Germany re- pudiates warmly any intention of interfering with the liberty of the Press in Belgium, she complains of the publications of the Belgian Bishops on German ecclesiastical affairs as interferences which the Belgian law ought to restrain. Apparently Prince Bismarck looks upon Bishops, even in a State which grants pecuniary help to several different forms of faith, as official mouthpieces of the Government, who ought to be restrained from offensive actions by the authority of the Administration if not otherwise. Does he expect the British Government to bridle the oratory of Scotch Presbyterian ministers of the Established Kirk, or of Maynooth professors (who have certainly had help from the State), on the same ground ? If he does, we fear he will be disappointed.
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