The subject of the French dispute was foremost in both
Houses of Par- liament last night. Lord BROUGHAM took up the matter betimes in the House of Lords ;—with uplifted hand waving back an officer with a mes- sage from the Commons ; and with Ciceronian vehemence denouncing a step like that which led to war forty-seven years ago. The withdrawal of E. Drouyn de Lhuys, he showed was not a departure, but a recall ; and the French Ambassador was expressly directed to commu- nicate the despatch to Lord Palmerston. Now, either M. Drouyn de Lhuys must have disobeyed the positive orders of fds Government ; or Lord Pal- merston must have neglected to communicate the despatch to the President of the Council ; or the President must have interpreted the despatch differ- ently from all the rest of the world. But Lord Lansdowne had evidently been kept in the most profound and unaccountable ignorance of the
facts. Yesterday it was said, that there were reasons why the Russian Ambassador did not attend at Lord Palmerston's official dinner : there had been "measles" in this family—two months ago. But there was no complaint in the family of M. Marescalchi, who has no family ; nor in that of M. Cetto, the Bavarian Ambassador. The reading of General de in Hitte's despatch was received in the French Assembly with vociferous cheer- ing, except by the degraded and sanguinary party of the Mountain. Lord Brougham had been taunted in Pans with the toleration shewn to the leaders of the Parti Rouge who make London a focus of intrigues.
In reply, the Marquis of LANSDOWNE made a short statement, insisting that there had been no formal letter of recall—no such letter could have reached M. Drouyn de Lhuys before he left London : the Russian Am- bassador was kept away from the official dinner by indisposition in his family ; M. Cetto, by personal indisposition • and M. Marescalchi was not invited, as he was only an attaché to the Legation. Not so, Lord BROUGHAM rejoined ; he was expressly left as Chargé d'Affaires, and General do hi Hitte's despatch was avowedly a letter of recall, his sojourn here being "incompatible with the dignity of the French Republic." Lord LA1ZSDOWNE reiterated, and again reiterated his view. Lord BROUGHAM now said he had been told that Lord Lansdowne's statement was incompatible with a statement just made in the other House. He had never said that a copy of the de- spatch was communicated to the Lord President. The Marquis of LANs- DOWNE--" I have never seen it. No copy of it was ever left with the Government." Lord BROUGHAM—" But a parole communication of it was made by M. Drouyn de Lhuys to Lord Pahnerston." Lord Losinon- DERRY said a few words, and then the matter dropped.
Mr. DISRAELI took the lead in the Commons, with a direct demand for some further explanations. To this demand Lord JOHN RUSSELL re- sponded.
Lord Normanby, he said, had received a statement from General de la Hitte, that in consequence of the ill-treatment of Frame by the Government of this country, he had thought it necessary to recall M. Drouyn de Lhuys : at the same time, he said that, as M. Drouyn de Lhuys had been sent over for the special purpose of effecting an arrangement on the Greek affair, and the affair had terminated, it was natural that he should return home. Lord John Russell regretted this feeling on the part of the French Government; and felt convinced that if M. Gros had not, for some unaccountable reason, suddenly given up his mission, there would have been ample time for the :mind of the despatch of her Majesty's Government in Athena, and this misunderstanding would not have occurred.
Sir JOKE WALSH asked, whether M. Drourn de Lhuys had fulfilled the direction in the deal:latch by communicating it to Lord Palmerston ? Lord done. Russms.—" M. Drouyn de Lhuys did -not communicate a copy of the despatch to my noble friend ; neither did ray noble friend nor any member of the Government have a copy of it." Mr. ROEBUCK observed, that the ordinary form in such cases, is, to com- municate the note by reading it: if M. Drouyn de Lhuys did so Lord Pal- merston must have been in full possession of the facts when he made his explanatory statement to Mr. Milner Gibson.
Lord JourclilISSELL said that M. Drouyn de Lhuys read the letter, but communicated no copy of it ; "and my noble friend, in his statement to the House yesterday, gave what was his impression of the case."
Sir Joule WALSIL—" Sall, he was in full possession of the contents of the note."
Lord Jowl RUSSELL--" No doubt : at the tame time, the French Am- baseador accompanied it with such observations as he thought proper to make. A very long interview took place." In reply to Mr. ANSTEY, Lord Joan Busses'. said—" There has been no order suit recalling Lord Norraanby, and I trust no such order will be found necessary."
[Lord Palmerston had been absent durine these inquiries. An M.P., who describes the scene in the Times this morning, closes his letter by saying- " Lord Palmerston suddenly appeared in his place when all further question- ing for the evening had become impossible. The surprise was perfect, and M. Scribe could not have more artistically arranged the denouement."]
After the Greek explanations, in the House of Commons, Lord JOHN Ressest introduced the bill to abolish the Lord-Lieutenaney of Ireland. Lord John stated that this measure had long been contemplated by successive Administrations. Even so far back as 1688, Lord Somers ad- vocated the union with Scotland on grounds now applicable to Ireland ; Ring George the Third, at the time of the Irish Union, foresaw that it might become expedient to abolish the Viceroyalty and the Earl of Clarendon went to Ireland on a distinct understanding with Isnd John, that the office would, if Parliament should concur with them, be totally abolished : the state of Ireland, and the opportunities favourable for introducing the measure were alone to control the time for bringing the measure forward. Bradihato's Railway Guide testifies that the communication between London and Dublin now infinitely exceeds that which existed between London and Scotland at the time of the Union : which removes the only reason for the separate Go- vernment.
After retracing many established arguments for the measure,. Lord John described his plan. The bill proposes to give the Queen power to abolish the office by order in Council ; to appoint a fourth Secretary of State, chargeable like the others with any of the functions of a Secretary of State, but in prac- tice with Irish affairs : some of the functions of the Lord-Lieutenant will be transferred to the Secretary for the Home Department, others be given to her Majesty in Council. The Lord Chancellor of Ireland will be President of the Pnvy Council in Ire]and. The long debate which ensued hednot a lively interest, though some of the Irish. Members spoke with a strong animus. A " count-out " was at- tempted, and motions were repeated to adjourn, but were weakly sup- ported. Mr. DISRAELI criticized the measure in an adverse spirit ; Mr. HUME supported it ; and leave was given to introduce the bill, by 107 to 13.
The business of minor interest comprised the voting in Supply of some few sums for the public service ; the refusal of a motion by Mr. COBDEN, unconnected with recent events, for a return of our naval force lately in the Greek waters ; the postponement by Sir Gsorung GREY of the Factory Bill, from the 23t1 instant, till the 30th instant ; the announcement by Sir FRANCIS BARING, in reference to late wrecks, that directions have been given for a survey of the South Channel ; and the Whitsuntide ad- journment of the House, On rising, to Thursday nest
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