The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-27 00:00:00

(From the Daily News of this clay.)

The question pf the newspaper stamp has attlingth under-
gone a full discussion in the House of Commons. Last night,
the point at issue was not so much the propriety of abolishing
the stamp, as that' of bringing forward the subject at all until
the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made his financial state-
ment. The British public is certainly a strange mixture of
liberality and churlishness. We throw away millions, and
make as much fuss about a few thousand pounds a year as if
the national treasury were empty. We are almost ashamed
to record the fact that a considerable portion of the House
of Commons would absolutely refuse to erform an act of ac-
knowledged justice for the sole reason that it might cost the
country something short of 200,0001. a-year. What happened
only last night ? The Government has lately concluded an
alliance with the King of Sardinia—the conditions being that
the Sardinian Government is to send out an army of 15;000
men to the Criniea, and that we are to advance a million a-
year for the expenses that will be incurred. Some objection
indeed was made to lending a large sum of money, which may
possibly never be repaid, and the Tories, to do them justice,
protested against what looks very like a return to the perni-
cious policy of subsidies. But the thing was done without a
murnitr. It was quite pleasant t 3 witness the alacrity with
which our representatives voted away a million of next year's,
taxes. No sooner had this been done than Mr. Deedes rose
and objected gravely to the immediate abolition of the news-
paper stamp, lest the Chancellor might not be able to spare a
fifth part of that sum from the revenue. Poor Sir Francis
Baring was petrified at the irregularity of the proceeding.
There are some men, we suppose, who are so attached to the
" established order," that they would sooner see the country
go to wrack and ruin than sanction the slightest change in
official routine. Once, too, when Sir Francis held a subordi-
nate position in'the Government, an indiscretion of this kind
happened to lead to some rather serious consequences. The
memory of this disaster has haunted him ever since. It has
pursued him through life as the insect pursued 10, and has
now driven him into a course of policy which simply contra-
dicts every previous act of his political history.
So much for the financial side of the question. It is ex-
tremely doubtful whether the revenue will not benefit, in-
stead of suffer, from the change in the stamp law. But we
think it perfectly monstrous to allow any considerations of
probable loss to interfere with the *enactment of a law
whose justice is so obvious. Sir Lytton Balwer, in
a speech of surpassing eloquence, had the honesty
and the courage to desert his piety banner, and
to stand forth as the champion of an unfettered press. It is
positively ludicrous to read the whining complaints put forth
from week to week by persons who seem to think that the
character of the British press depends upon the payment of
a penny to the revenue for every copy that is sold. It is the
old story. As it was very properly put by more than one
speaker last night, every man wants protection for himself,
and denies it to his neighbour. Talk of inconsistency? Why
here are a score of papers that a few years ago were hunting
protection to the death, and triumphing over its final anni-
hilation, now beseeching the House of Commons to defend
them against competition. No. Let us make a clean breast
of it at once. As public journalist:, W 3 perform great ser-
vices, we gather an enormous mass of information, and, pre-
'tend to instruct our neighbours, but we still aro human,
fallible, and iucousistent. We must refer our readers to the
admirable speech of Sir Lytton Bulwer for a crushing reply
to what we can only call the trash that has been uttered as
to the possible deterioration of the press in case the new bill
should pass into law. Why should the press deteriorate ?
The most
.probable result of Sir Cornewall Lewis's measure
will -be, *hut itteiee3-.4-ouseiriass.44 d'AitYleevisPaPere we shall
have two, and the rich will buy the more exDensive one,
while the poor will have a supply equal to their demand.
Statesmen must have a low opinion of the intellectual condi-
tion of their countrymen if they think that-persons who have
been accustomed to daily journals, conducted as most of them
are at present, will be content with an inferior article; and
the masses, as they are called, must bo in a lamentable con-
dition if every cheap thin; that is sold must perforce be also
nasty." No paper that fails to furnish news will live for a
single day. There will be class journals of every kind, but
any journal professing to do what the morning papers do
now must be conducted as they are, or die. All we ask is,
that no legislation shall •stand between us and the public,
The price of our commodity will be regulated as easily as the
price of corn was on the abolition of the duty. For ourselves
we really don't want the few pennyworths of daily protection
that we are supposed to derive from the existing law. We
wish to be in the same position as other merchants, and to
make our own bargain with our customers, whether they be
the public or the Government. As for the cheap and pira-
tical newspapers with which we are threatened, the Attor-
ney-General last night expressed his opinion that the exist-
ing law of copyright is sufficiently strong to protect us
against any injury of that kind. But if these hopes should
turn out to be false, the same House of Commons which has
decided to give full freedom to the press can surely enact a
new law to meet any emergency that may arise.OWe do not
think that, so long as the British press maintains its present
character, or, rather, grows with the growth of years, ex•
parading and advancing with the resources and demands o f
the country, any man of sense will wish to destroy its power,
We have no desire to encroach upon the duties of our rulers,
except, indeed, so far as the greatest statesman is he who
most faithfully expounds the public ouiuion of his time. We
have our own work to perfoem, and are by no means anxious
'to do more than to collect information from every quarter of
the globe, and to pursue it with faithful comments. Let the
public judge of us by our works. We are very certain that
in our case, as in the case of every other department ca
human labour, our success will be in proportion to our effi-
ciency. The House of Commons has now, by a considerable
majority, acknowledged the principle for which we contend,
and it is to be hoped that not many days will elapse before
the press is set free from those restrictions which have hither-
to done so much to thwart its legitimate influence, and have
, at least made that tie privilege of the few which ought to be
the possession of the many.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The fleet at Spithead was augmented in force yesterday by
the arrival of the Colossus, 81, Captain Robinson, from
Devonport ; and the Centaur, 6, paddle-frigate, Captain
Clifford, from Portsmouth harbour. Signal was made by the
Commander-in-Chief yesterday morning, at 7 o'clock, for all
the ships to unmoor, in order to take up new berths, and at
half-past 10 Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane went out in
the Fire Queen tender and hoisted hs flag on board the Nep-
tune, 120, Captain Hutton, whioh skip immediately weighed,
in tow of the Bulldog paddle-sloop, and took up her appointed
position. The remainder of the fleet took up their berths in
succession ; the St. George, 120, towed by the Dragon paddle-
frigate; and the Calcutta, 84, by the Driver, paddle-sloop.
Sir Thomas Cochrane rehoisted his flag on the Fire Queen at
half-past 2, and returned to Portsmouth. The fleet is now
spread over a large length of water, in two lines, starboard
and port, with an outer line formed by the Paddle-steamers.
The lines are moored. N.W. by W., and S.R. by E., the ships
ranged two cables' length apart, and the lines one cable's
length between. The flag-ships Duke of Wellington and
Exmouth appear the centre ships open with Portsmouth har-
bour. Two paddle steamers (one at each extremity) are
moored at either end of the line-of-battle ships, forming anadvance guard—the Dragon half a mile N.W. by W. from the
Neptune, and the Odin half a mile N.W. by W. from the St.
George. _ _ _

The James Watt, Hastings, and Pembroke are still in har-
boil.; meanwhile the Colossus has moored in the place of the
Hastings. •

A letter from the advanced squadron of the Baltic flee{
dated the Downs, 24th inst., says—

" We, the advanced squadron, aro under orders, received
this afternoon, not to quit this anchorage until the wind shifts
to the southward ; it is now blowing 'from the north, with
occasional showers of sleet. The glass is beginning to rise,
and I think it likely we shall leave in a day or two. We had
rather a rough passage round, the wind having freshened soon
after our departure from Spithead, and by the time we had
reached Beachey-head it blow a strong gale from the east,
accompanied with thick mist and rain. The three large fri-
pgaetrehs,euhrowweivthert,hmreaedbeegileeorsd,levxayeeapgtatihusetEitryusmavalg, hig, 46 knots
which used
four between Dungeness and the Downs ; her steaming power
in rounding the South Foreland in the fresh gale that was
then blowing was the admiration of every ono who witnessed
,shep could not)
from a trifling
it. The Arrogant steamed well also, and if the Imperieuse
aLadeei
dbeenetn
toenabled
onoe
f til
rit would have
p.
been a good opportunity for testing
the relative steaming
power of two of the finest fr.gates in the world—viz., the 4
Imperieuse and the Enryalus: The Imperieuse, Emyalus,
and Arrogant anchored about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the Con-
sb3o. ailleir hers power
filet about half-past 3. The Esk arrived the following morn-
' rug, and the Archer anchored this morning.
The Orion, 91, screw, Captain Erskine, is still lying up the
River Medway, but is expected down to Sheerness on Wed-
nesday next, when she will take in her powder, coals, &c.
Sunday last the victualling department at Sheerness was
busily employed shipping provisions for her. We hear she is
short-handed, but $OO, it is said, are ready for her at Ports-
mouth.
_. _ ..

The Horatio, screw, the Hon. Captain Ceenrane, is still in
No. 3 'dry dock, Sheerness. A number of mechanics are
working at her early and late. When completed, she will
mount two of Nasmyth's patent guns, the diameter of the
breach of which is 3 ft. 3 in. ; at the 'nuzzle, 2 ft. 7i in., and
carries a shot 3101 b. solid. The space between the foremost
and mainmast is cut away—viz., 11 in. in breadth. These
guns aro suspended by two chains ; the rollers of the car-
riages upon which they travel will be some distance above the
I upper deck. In consequence of their being suspended by
these chains, little or no strain comes upon the deck when