The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-04 00:00:00

THE SUN,

shown themselves incapable of forming an efficient
Ministry, by oppressing the minds of their sup.
porters with the sense of a grievous disap-
pointment. It is for this reason that on
all hands the notion is discarded of any
restoration of the Whigs, with Lord JOHN Rus-
SELL in his old post as First Lord of the Treasury.
" Lord JoIIN, we love you well, but never more be
Premier of ours"—is the thought of every sincere
and :conscientious Reformer. People talk of the
re-organization of the Whigs under the superinten-
dence of the Earl of CLARENDON. But even such a
scheme implies that the family compact must still be
yielded to as authoritative—and the people are
heartily sick of the GREYS and the EL-
LIoTs, if they still entertain a " sneaking
kindness" for the VILLIERS and the Rus-
sELLs. Insomuch has the former feeling obtained
a mastery over the minds of the electors, that very
recently we have seen the best of all the family of
the GREYS, we mean, of course, the late Home
i Se-
cretary, discarded by his former constituency, as f in
a summary and unreasoning vengeance upon his sur-
name. As to the suggestion that a compromise
might be effected by entrusting the responsibility of
the Premiership for the time being to the venerable
and revered Marquis of LANsDOWNE—it betrays
on the face of it an air of extravagance: for senectude
cannot sorely be expected to restore vigour to what
is obviously wanting in vitality ! Besides which it
waa only the other day that the aged Marquis of
LaiasnowNE—deservedly respected and touchingly
eulogised by all parties indiscriminately—formally
withdrew from the cares of public life, exchanging
the anxietiesof his prolonged career a politician
for the
luxuries of an honoured and honourable re-
tirement. It is scarcely probable that anything could
no, tempt him to resume the load of those anxieties
—much less that he could be induced to resume them
under circumstances by which they must necessarily be
very greatly multiplied, and those circumstances, too,
circumstances of obvious and grievous disadvantage.
It ie idle then to dream of a Whig Restoration under
Lord JOHN RUSSELL—and still moreidletol uk foroo
a Whig re-organization under Earl o_ f
the _LA__ENDON
—and idlest of all to anticipate a Whig revival and
re-invigorstion under the venerable and (for all prac-
tical perposes) the virtually departed Marquis of
LANSDoWsE. For an interval, at least, the country
has had quite enough of these Whigs—and the peo-
ple consequently are, at any rate, for the time being,
anything but disposed to yearn for the re-eleva-
tion of the sway of Whiggism.

Viscount PALMERSTOZ;:, BO less than Sir JAMES
GEAHAM, is without an iermy of followers locking up
to him with feelings of devoted allegiance. Ili:3
genius, his popularity, and his experience would be
irestimeble, as constituting a talletecti of strength to
another stetesman's Government. From Lord PAL-
mEnsToN individually, therefore, it were frivolous at
this juncture to expect that Eng,land is to obtain the
boon 04.: a powerful and efficient Administration. From
Sir JAMES GRAHAM—in (Ton's good time—we look
for the construction cf a liberal and authoritative Ca-
binet, overshadowed by the memory and inspired by
the principles of his renowned and lamented col-
league. From the Whigs, evbeher guided by Ron-
SELL, Or CLARENDON, or LANSDOWNE, it were absurd
to await the speedy consolidation of a strong Go-
vernment. Yet we cannot but feel persuaded that in
the new House of Commons, is the 654 recently elected
repreientatives, there are lying dormant energies
capable of being collected together for the construc-
tion of a stable, efficient, and energetic Administration.
A golden opportunity is at this moment within
reach cf the grasp of the Earl of DERBY. Will he
allow that opportunity to be lost, or will he, by
availing himself of it, secure the gratitude of his con-
temporaries, and the admiration of posterity ? The
question is momentous. Let the answer of the
Noble Lord be duly deliberated, and let it be pro-
nounced by him with a proper appreciation of the
heavy and sublime la sponsibilities of his position as
leader at this fearftel crisis of the great English Go-
vernment. His intended policy has rot hitherto
been announced. Protection can no longer be
regarded as a : subject of dispute, for the Free-
' trade system is at length formally allowed on all sides
to be entirely beyond the reach cf destruction. Let
the Earl of DERBY then—after settling for once and
for ever, in October, this terrible source of heart-
burnings among the agriculturists—place himself at
the head of the grand and systematic, and progressive
movement of reform, and he may at once secure to
old England the blessings of a strong and able Admi-
nistration. His " antecedents" are, assuredly, many
of them, such as might lead us to hope from
him the avowal cf some such gallant and chival-
rous determination. He was that Mr. STANLEY, for
instance, whose eloquence in the House of Commons
triumphal passage of the Reform
mainly secured the trium
Bill through the lower branch of the Legislature. He
was subsequently one of the most efficient adminis-
trators in the list of Sir ROBERT reefs Government.
Let him comprehend his position at this juncture
correctly, and the compact body of 284 M P
--*a• now
Marshalled under his Ministerial banners may be
enhanced to something larger than a mere working
majority. Let him misapprehend the nature of the
existing opportunity, and power will slip from his
grasp like a handful of sand. Let him consider the
tendencies of the age correctly, and
" ‘, n
09 STANLEY,
on political battle-cry on the lips and
thein " heartswill
b ethe
Englishmen. of

The ninth annual report of the Council of the So-
ciety
for Promoting the Amendment of the Lew—
which will be found in another part of this day's im-
pression—contains a very interesting account of the
progress of law reform during the past year, for a
great portion of which the society is entitled to claim
credit. We have so often referred in laudatory terms
to the z?alous, disinterested, and highly efficient
labours of the society, that it is almost a work
of supererogation to use the iargusge
of
ordinary praise respecting the indefatigable
exertions which have already
produced such
beneficial results. We do not, however, the less
appreciate, the important services rendered to the
community by the several sub-committees, as well as
by the Council itself. It was not merely useful hints
that were thrown out, or the direction of the Legisla-
tive attention to the evils of the existing system.
Legal reformers of less learning and practical experi-
encenumbered
achieveda among m
might have discovered the disease, although un-
able to provide suitable remedies. The society, how-
ever, its members men who, although
they had
high professional rank, and were
fully occupied
withd their individual pursuits were
yet willing to
for the public
additional labours gratui-
tously
advantage. They brought
powers of the highest order to the discharge of the
labour
idof
commissioners
love,and we
ventureboldly to assert that
rendered more important
services to the community, or
their scrutiny, than
the unpaid committees of the Law
closely the subjects submitted t o investigated more
Reform Asso-
that the report
dation.
should
It was to be expected
dwell with some degree of Complacency on the
fact of the full recognition, and frequent adoption b
y
the highest legal authorities, and by the Legislature
itself, cf the view's originally promulgated by
~ means
of the, reports and resolutions of the society
• In no-
ects that have occupied the attention of
tieing the subj
the association during the past year, the questions
that have since been disposed of could not be
overlooked, and it would have been a false
1 modesty to have avoided clailmviung the credit of
t
fully worked
having not only originafed, '
out the problem. There is, bowever, no vain
boasting or undue self-glorification ;
on the contrary,
far more might have been claimed on the part of the
society, without exposing
it to the imputation of
seeking honour where honour was not justly and
fairly due.
The first question referred to—" the fusion of law
and equity"—is one in
wraith
been made within the year, although nothing de-
cisive has yet been accoconsiderable
pl
isd.
The
sa itss.
factory workings
of the united trihunal
in
'
the Transatlantic States, where they
have I;,_
the
rao3-,en brought into operation, has afforded
7
. satheactory and conclusive ev'd
favour of this all-important
that
reformation.
mfficient reasons will
anent to the .A qualifi el
Commissioners,
has been obtained
Chanc.eryfrom the
and we have no doubt that
be adduced to satisfy the neces-
.•
nary caution
while the society has
prompted thew limitation. Mean-
not been idle. Its special com-