The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-14 00:00:00

nits

LONDON, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14, 1852.

Since our observations upon the very insulting
manner of Sir HARRY SNIITII'S renal from the Cape
by her MAJESTY'S Colonial Secretary, we are gra-
tified to observe that the matter has been taken up in
a similar manner by the majority of our contempo-
raries. Reflection has served to convince others, be-
sides ourselves, that the proceeding in question was
altogether, and in every way most unwarrantable—
unwarrantable in the fact and in the mode of its
announcement. Than the terms employed by Earl
GREY in that memorable dispatch, datec the
l4th of last January, in which he infsrmed
Sir HARRY of his abrupt and ignom nious
degradation, none could by possibility have been
more intemperate or for that reason more removed
beyond the limits of justification. Forgettiig, it
would seem, the dignity of his Ministerial podtion,
the Colonial Secretary appears, as far as we can
judge from this disgraceful document, to have exulted
in an opportunity of displaying his capacity as a
censorial rhetorician. Printed as that dispatch is
in extenso in the pages of the Parliamentary Blue
Book just published (pp. 253-256), it must for ever
remain against its author as a glaring witness of the
fallibility of his judgment and of the intemperance of
his language. What renders the matter in
question yet more serious cause for regret, .s the
circumstance that in the very same Blue Book there
also appears (pp. 219, 220) a very remarkable com-
munication—a dispatch, dated the 18th of the pre-
ceding December, and addressed to Earl Gitlr by
his Excellency the Cape Governor—relating to
events which demonstrate beyond all contraciction
the cruel injustice of the censure pronounced within
four weeks afterwards (namely, before the receipt of
that important explanatory document) by the Noble
Earl the Chief Secretary of the Colonial Depar:ment.
If we had nothing else whereby to estimate the real
nature of the course pursued by Sir HARRY SMITH
in Kafirland, that dispatch alone would be sufficient
as a means of affording to his Excellency his full and
entire exoneration. Looking at this portion alone of
the correspondence referred to, we find therein ample
testimony that the eulogistic observations expressed
in regard to Sir HARRY by his Grasp the nom-
MANDER•IN.-CIIIET were dictated, not by the parti-
ality inspired by his previous career o❑ the field of
battle, bat by a calm and unprejudiced inquiry into
his most recent proceedings. Speaking in that very
singular document, and one which appears to us to
have been hitherto very strangely overlooked, speak-
ing of the difficulties which had to be encountered
by the notoriously inadequate forces at his disposal,
his Excellency remarked, that her MAJESTY'S troops
" had to carry on a desultory war over an extent
of country twice the size of Great Britain and Ire-
land, overrun by a most enterprising horde of sa-
vages ; and they had also to occupy twelve forts, the
maintenance of which was indispensable."
Having thus briefly but significantly alluded to the
obstacles in the way of a speedy subjugation
of the insurgents, Sir HARRY observes, " had one re-
trograde step been made, the whole population of
British Kafraria would have been in a blaze." He
was aware, therefore, from the first, of the fearful re-
sponsibilities devolving upon him as Governor. He
knew that the enormous extent of country already
specified must continue to be the seat of the war
which had broken out—a war, be it remembered,
which was wholly attributable to the policy of the
Colonial Secretary himself. Added to all which his
Excellency was perfectly well aware that one retreat-
ing movement alone on the part of our forces would be

the signal for a simultaneous rising of the entire po
pulation. It was on account of his knowledge of al
that, that the Governor of the Cape still endeavoured
to maintain his position, although miserably crippled
by the want of additional troops, and although he
had just been deprived of Hottentot levies to the
number of two thousand. The proceedings taken
by him under this emergency were inadequate and
blundering, according to the opinion of Earl GREY.
They were judicious and entitled to the very strongest
commendation, according to the opinion of the Duke
of WELLINGTON. Can there be a moment's question
as to which of the two judgments should be taken as
the correct one—that of the Commander-in-Chief or
of the Colonial Secretary. The mere proposition is
in itself ridiculous. The opinion of Earl GREY even
when having reference to matters relating to the toils
of colonial government would be received, we
imagine, with no small degree of hesitation. Upon
military subjects we should feel disposed about as
readily to consult Mr. WIDDICOMB. Whereas an
encomium such as that pronounced the other
arewgraoradetdh
evnening upon Sir HARRY SMITH in the House
ot
Earlt° maylaLt
recent
obviGredosulybehiwa Grace the Duke of WELLINGTON
iotfse
jlfanausauryffi.cient counterpoise
hundred dispatches such as the one written by
treeeastlll,4omtfhoreover, for all those interested
in the
jau.Drae,ntrof Sir HARRY by the mem-
berslection that the
conclusive evidence of any incapacity
the Cape is no
Earl
on his part eitheradministratorhow or as commander.
Let it not be forgotten
ofEtoLLEdrillo.Rolloll.
o
conjectured.
fromequally abrupt and
peremptory was the recallndia of its
late Governor-General, the
theseH
Prejudice and passion have more
matters than may be at first
much both had to do with the removal of Sir HARRYow
SMITH from the Cape is shown clearly
enough, we
conjecture, by the insolent and overbearing dispatch
in which the fact was first announced by
Earl GREY
to his Excellency. Painful, however, though the
arrogant course of the Government must necessarily
be to the late Governor of the Cape, the annoy.
ance occasioned to him by the conduct of Earl Guy,
must, we feel aa4ured, be more than compensated 133,
'he noble and timHly Pant'gYrie pronounced Up la
nun as a tialltary commander by his Grace the Duke
of WELLINGTON.

In another part of this day's impression will be
found the details of the New Reform Bill (! ! !), co-
pies of which were last night delivered to Members
of the House of Commons. The portion thereof
which was most anxiously looked for was that con-
taining the names of the sixty-seven boroughs to
which additions were to be made ; but more
especially the nature and extent of these addi-
tions.was shrewdly
It suspected by those
who were aware of the Whig propensity for
increasing the Parliamentary influence
of the
great houses professing Whig principles twit a very

judicious selection would be made of the districts which
were to be transferred from the county to the
borough constituencies, and that the change would be
anything but injurious to the interests of " the party."
A cursory glance at the third column of the second
schedule will show that these experienced men have
not been mistaken. A fair opportunity for a job could
not be resisted by " the happy family." Accordingly
we find that the alteration will by no means
render the constituencies more independent, or more
opposed to undue influences then they had formerly
been. The patron will still be enabled to obtain the
" most sweet voices" of a majority of the electors in
favour of his nominee. He may, perhaps, be obliged
to take a little more trouble, and to form new alliances
offensive and defensive with families in the vicinity.
The Messrs. EDWARDS, BLAGOS, et hoc genus
onzne, may be compelled to take some extra
trouble, for which they will take care that
they receive extra remuneration. " The Corrupt Prac-
tices at Elections Bill" will, of course, impose the ne-
cessity of greater caution, but the conflicting parties
—those who are ready to bring out " the golden key,"
and are only desirous of securing a contest on any
terms—will, of course, enter into arrangements to
prevent any exposure, the result of which must be
equally prejudicial to all. We know that at
Sr. Albans the " purity of election" party
were exceedingly anxious that their candidate
should act in direct opposition to the principle
on which they brought him forward. Under the
more stringent regulations now introduced, we shall
find that complaints of the existence of "bribery" or
"treating" will no longer be preferred, but that
there will be a mutual understanding on these points
by the agents of the belligerents. Of course, where
there is a recognised patron, or where an ambitious
gentleman desirous of senatorial honours, hands out '
large sums of money, so as to have many of the
free and independent electors completely at his
mercy, there will be no probability of a complaint, or
even if there were—although the moral taint might
be clearly established—there would be no legal
guilt that would justify the excision of the offending
constituency from the list of boroughs returning re-
presentatives to Parliament. We do not then look
forward to the gradual extinction of the minor bo-
roughs which Lard JOHN RUSSELL now considera
essential to the maintenance of " the balance of the
Constitution," nor do we think that there is any
reasonable prospect of a progressive reform under
the series of measures brought forward by her
MAJESTY'S Government.
But, as if to show more clearly and distinctly that
the object was not to abridge patronage, or to prevent
the usurpation by individuals of the rights of the
many, we find that some of the rotten bo-
roughs, which had been disfranchised in
1832, are now restored. Their quondam
opponent has manifestly repented him of his
severity, and is desirous of holding out the olive-
branch to those whom he had formerly assailed. We
find that many of those which in 1832 were included
in schedule A are now to be restored to their
former position. Saltasb, Boroughbridge, East Looe,
Stockbridge, Camelford, and many others, resume at
least a portion of their pristine importance. Like
Rip VAN WINKLE, they have had prolonged
slumbers, and, like the great dreamer, will be
restored but little the worse for their protracted

repose.
And this is what the Noble Lord calls " a Reform
Bill !" and which his toadies are prepared to exalt to
the skies as one of the brightest illustrations of
modern legislation ! We had previously formed no
very exalted estimate of the measure. As we have
already shown, it seemed, even on the first impres-
sion, to be totally opposed in pri❑ciple to
its great antecedent, to be intended rather to
prcmote the interests of the Whig party than
of the community at large. That we were
❑ot mistaken in the conclusion at which
we arrived will be sufficiently shown by
a perusal of the list of places that are in.
eluded in the third column of schedule B, to the ex-
clusion of many important and populous towns in the
manufacturing districts.