The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 580, 26 May 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Wednesday, May 26. An arrival in the interval between two mails places us in a position to-day to give our readers some important news. We are told from England that the ' Alien Bill' introduced by the Ministry for the purpose of conciliating Louis Napoleon and the French has been rejected by a majority of the House of Commons, doubtless with the cordial assent of the people at large. Lord Palmerston seems to have been too well aware of the unpopularity of the measure he proposed to support it with much zeal, and too indifferent as to its practical results to take its rejection much to heart ; for we find him still in office, not desirous to let it be thought that his Premiership was pledged to the gratification of French suspicions, though in a moment of subservience he and his colleagues had proposed to make England an agent of the Emperor's policy. It is too early to say that the nation had not called for the removal of those who ventured to ask it to take so un-Enghsh a step; perhaps the next mail may exhibit the downfall of the jaunty Viscount and a revival of the sterner Whigs, peradventure under Lord John Russell again, to place and power. But whatever changes may take place

in thepersonnel of the EnglishGtovernment, however old favourites may be cast aside, and the discarded of last year receive the S?nia of restored power in this, England herself no change Though she should angrily displace the leader of her counsels, the business which he began to transact will be continued without a break The affairs of India, for instance, are in the care of the nation, not of the Ministry: whoever is Premier, he must see that the arms of England be carried as vigorously as before. The British Deople are bent on recovering India as a portion of the Empire, and whoever comes to power must do the people's bidding. ft must be worth a record by the historian of the time, that while England was suffering deeply from an insurrection against her power, against lives and property which she held to be hers, and might well accuse herself of remissness in not having suspected danger when suspicion would have saved her, she resolutely and indignantly refused to adopt into her law a principle that the safety of an empire lies in its secret police. For though much of British indignation may be due to the impertinence of Napoleon and his army, it is to such a principle as we indicate that compliance with French desires would lead. , „ India we have alluded to: the story of another month will be found in our columns to-day. Its contents are brief and unmarked by prominent occurrences, as far as regards progress; but the reader will find several of those gallant actions recorded which are always to be read of when the British army is in the field. Lucknow had not been attacked, but the eneTgetic Campbell was close to it, and it is unlikely that he would suffer anything to stand long in the way of his undertaking. Lucknow is the great citadel of the mutineers, and its attack will be the crisis of the English endeavours for repressing the insurrection. Should Lucknow be too strong for Sir Colin and the troops under his command, we know not when peace may be restored; but if Lucknow fall, the war is nearly at an end. May the Nana and his ■ barbarian horde suffer therein a righteous retribution!