Two days Later from Europe.
arrival of the Niagara.
Halifax, Thursday, April 3.
--The
Niagara from
Liverpool on the morning of the 22d, and
Queenstown the 23d, arrived here this evening.
The proceedings in Parliament on the 20th were unimportant.
Mr. Layard, in the House of Commons, answered some inquiries relative to the
Italian "Provediments" Committee, but thought it inconsistent with the dignity of the
Italian Government for English Ministers to lay papers relative to the affair before Parliament.
In the House of Commons on the 20th,
Mr. Baxter opposed the expenditure on fortifications in the colonies, except at great naval stations.
Sir G. C. Lewis thought the defence of the colonies was partly a colonial and partly a military question.
At the present moment there were two great nations, which had subject to their rule as large a portion of the globe as they could well govern, viz;
Great Britain and the
United States.
America had adopted the principle of centralization.--
England took a different course.
It had even local legislation, and did profess to bring its colonies within direct rang of the central Government.
It was assumed that
England receives great benefit from the colonies, and if that was the case she was bound to protect them.
He thought it impossible to lay down any general rule, and urged the
House to be very cautious.
After further debate
Mr. Baxter withdrew his proposition.
Milner Gibson obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the Shipping acts, and give effect to some recommendations of the late Shipping Committee.
How Lincoln's Emancipation policy in regarded.
The London
Times in another editorial on
Mr. Lincoln's Emancipation Message, says it can hardly be looked anything more than an invitation to the subject in Congress.
It is clear that if slavery is to cease even in the
Border States, the change must be accomplished by other means than those at which he points, which means, it is certain, are totally inapplicable to the whole Union.
The
Times fears the proposed a topic of compromise will be difficult of access, per does it believe it will shake the revolution of the
South; as a proposition however, which he possibly had, to the cessation of the frightful conflict, the
Times thinks it worthy of discussion.
The President truly says the expenses of the war would buy up the slaves in any given State.
If this has any meaning, it is that the money now devoted to keeping up the armies of the
North might be more advantageously devoted to the extension of slavery in those regions which are uncontested in its power.
If they are content to keep the slave States which have not seceded, and to try the plan of emancipation and compensation on them, they may, if really accomplish after a time a great work; but with the expenditure $2,000,
