The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS
TIMES.—The morning bitting of
yesterday eo-
taierd in a small compass the story of the session. Halnf-
a-dczee subjects were eiscusied to no other purpose
that to discover that the discussion was useless. A
paecription of several years has couseerated Wednesday
to spirieuil afflirs, er] Mr. Bennett, 11laynooth, and the
Colonial Church were severally introduced, merely to be
consigned once mere to the limbo of impracticables. For
one reason or another the House now always reverts to
the original understanding that nothing was to be done
this session except what was abselutely necessary. to
far as regards actual results, never was an understanding
so faithfully observed. " Nothing" has this year become
a substantive quantity, a birth political duty, a mis-
sion, a virtue, a heroism. There is in the dolce far
niente, but this is the glorious do-nothing. But
when ih s great idea of ado nothing session was first
originated, it was imagined that a deenothing ses-
sion must necessarily be a short one; for, as nature
abhors a vacuum, and as idleness itseif becomes wea-
risome, a difficulty was found in cncs:virg an in-
dcfiti:ei prolorgation of nothingness. Each successive
week, however, since the Ist of May has celarged our
posers of cceseption on this pint, and it is now be-
come quite comprehensible thet Parliament might sit
for ever, and yet do nothing. The fact of au almost
indefiuite extension was brought out yesterday, for it
was mention' d, end acquiesced in by all parties, that
the House of Commons would probably be still sitting
and doing nothing on the eighteenth of next month, or
later. Supposing that this power should be finally ex-
hausted by Midsummer-day, Parliament will then have
attained to five-sixths of a normal session, and will have
consumed that long period in political inanity. So re-
markable a fact cannot fail to give a turn to inquiry.
If Parliament takes five months to do nothing, how
much does it usually accomplish in six months ? It is a
simple sum in rule of three direct. The importunes
of such speculations is increased by the fact
that Parliament, for particular reasons, did no-
thing last year, and for other particular reasons,
will most probably do nothing next year. It is
growing into a custom, and will soon be time out
of mind. But the British public, which "expects every
man to do his duty," and which hates, despises, and
punishes idleness, will take a practical view of the ques-
tion—What is the use of a Parliament that does nothing?
If there is anything to be done, cannot it be put into
better hands? Just now the national pride is rather in-
terested in proving the value of representative govern-
ment, as ours happens to be the only considerable spec!:
m-n left on this aide the Atlantic;
in fact, the only eel!"
working and self-supporting specimen, for Belgium is
maintained in its present state by external influences. It
is rather annoying to see despotism so generally omen-
tut, so mogul,
so p„ puler, so respectable as it is; but that
annoyance is aggravated
byegtaht(irceircuinstance that Eng-
land is now contributing : negative
argument of the same
tendency. These despots are doing
Agreat deal of good,
aa
nn
dd
granting
na
trien
gd
moneying nothing 'w
at all. hey
of railway
iyetot national
are laying out
importance; they are ruelaiming vast districts
already
ing their capitals, origina:ing all kinds of
usesflul work-
s,
and doing things in r• al Imperial style;—being al
in some grave respects, considerably In advance ofy
our own noble selves. Some of these great doings,
we flitter eurselveQ, are not ou the right principle, but
they nevertheless tell. Right or wrong, they give satis-
faction, and. like many other institutions of doubtful
principle, will produce noble fruits rainy centuries hence.
But what rigle have we to criticise others when we are
duirg Nothing? It is true that the most indolent are
alwa)s the most cynical. The man who has nothing to
do has plea y of ekes for his neighbour. But Europe
will care little for the criticism of those who, talk as
they may, cannot do better. A tree is judged by its
fruits, and what is the value of a Government whose
fruits are Nothing? But this session we have been do-
ing something. We have been undoing. The little
that we have done these two or three years has been
this year taken down, pulled to pieces, epd swept away,
like the building in Hyde•park. Nearly all that has
been done, or that was in the way of being done, for
draining and purifying this metropolis, for supplying
it with water, and for burying its dead
in more wholesome and sensible fashion, has
been annulled. So we go on. It used to be thought
one of the punishments of hell to roll a stone up a
mountain, and see it roll down again, to revolve on a
wheel, and to pour water into a sieve. We have our-
selves combined these fruitless toils in the treadwheel of
our convicts, and the many forms of labour, for the
sake of labour, imposed on our paupers. Parliament is
now itself falling into the same dreary mode. The ex-
cuse for all this is the constitutional system, and govern-
ment by all parties. As each party arrives in succes-
sion at the helm, it is forced to consult its self-preser-
vation, not the public good, and to propose the measures
on which it happens to be pledged, or in which it may
have a special interest, not those which have only the
general recommendation of being, like reform in Chan-
cery, for instance, great public wants. No good Mea-
sures can be passed, or carried into effect,
without the creation of considerable powers ; so,
whenever any good thing is to be done the Op-
position has always a handle in our constitutional
jealousy of interference and of authority in general. So,
the more substantial the object, and the more effectual
the method for obtaining-4,41e -greater is the advantage
given to political opponents, and at the same time the
greater their inducement not to let the party in power
do a good thing. The result is that legislation, as pon-
ducted in the splendid establishment at Westminster, is
a mere game in which chance, and a low description of
finesse, divide the result.. Standing round a table,
first one side and then another takes the cue, or names
a colour. Gambling is abolished elsewhere only to be
concentrated at the head quarters of order and of law,
and we have no lotteries except where office is the
prize, and the nation has nothing but blanks. This
certainly accords with the saying that the House of
Commons is the beat club in town. But how long
will this last? Will the people always be satisfied
with King Log, who, after all, is a very ex-
pensive king, for the modern King Log, if he has no
hands, has a rather wide mouth? Then we are told
with much complacency that evils care themselves in
Ibis country
do with a vengeance. A hundred
tcryingh p
icalSeo they
vilihave cured themselves in England
—by revolution. We are a tolerant and long-suffering
people, but we rise at last, and do things effectually.
Since the commencement of this century we have bad a
dozim serious agitations, caned by the inertness or ob-
stinacy of Parliament, and crowned by results which
peliticiees of the old school did not hesitate to call " re-
velutioes," "robberies," "sacrileges,„ arid so forth.
These terms of extreme reprobation have been so often
have lost their force, and
r
to relish a little judicious
appliedeopec respectable
e latem eyn earbseg thatin they
revolution, coufisation, or impiety. Now, what
if this vicious custom of doing nothing in Parliament
pisroaccrearsvtaininating;
should at last fare as the other abuses alluded to? What
if some sharp and sudden remedy should be found
the work of the nation shTouhledrebe put into more
hwohnee%etb
peo-
ple in the world that takes the law into its own hands,
people is of British race and tradition W
aynd business-like hands?
when the courts are indecisive, weak, or
expedients,fo v. w© uhia have fre committeesqiuen tl ye
puLlio demonstra-
, mayand that
never coma
cChfolllbeitpt Oniesitlesenhhtaslrluaedsoema e,rand
of vigilance,"
come,
npela tion that acquires the force 01 and
Parlia-
ment to register its decrees; and, though
fashions of that process have varied from the forms and
time to time,
according to the matter or the age, there can be little
suggested doubt that the spirit which
vives among us. them still sur-

yesterdv, were:-11
NAVAL it, r., -----..............
Vice-Adneiral Lard WI
8 present at the levee of his Grace,
i ELLIGENcE.
LEVEE OF HIS GRACE Tur "
Rear-Admiral Fisher.., Vice
.Admiral
cfi-jer --- ....4711.E OF NORTRI7N-
Commander E. K. Barnard
Vice-Admiral
Vhiaese
ear-Adwiral Sir John Sinclair,
Sir Charks i
Ogle, Rear-Admiral Carter,
-Admiral Sykes.
Fitzroy,
Admiralty :ao:kt:rd,
first of th agent in chare of the mails on board the
the contract Australian Steam Company's vessels.
•
The Herald Captain -abdemenirals
• ..,aptain Denham, and her tender, the
Torch, Lieut. Chimmo, anchored yesterday morning in
Margate heads.
A GRATIFYING TRIBUTE.—The elder pupils
head master (E. Riddell, Esq.) of the Nautical School,
at Greenwich Hospital, intend to morrow, with the per-
mission of the governor, Admiral Sir Charles Adam, to
present him with a bast of himself, executed by one of
the first artists of the day.
PORTSMOUTH, WEDNESDAY.--The Commander-in.
Chief-, Admiral Sir Thomas Briggs, Captain Chads, and
Captain Martin, proceeded to Spithead this morning in
the
Sprightly steamer, to muster and inspect the Win-
chester, 50, Captain G. G. Loch. The Admiral was
saluted with 17 guns. It is supposed the Winchester
will receive final orders and sail to-morrow for the
East Indies. She is remarkably well manned, and,
considering the short time in commission, in very ex-
cellent order.
The Queen, 110, Captain Wise, bent sails in dock to-
day. She *ill come out of dock to-morrow, and, so soon
as ready, will proceed to Plymouth to be paid down,
when heaven will have a fortnight's leave of absence.
She app to be in a most excellent state of discipline,
and her officers and crew behaved with the greatest
energy and alacrity at the fire in the dockyard on Mon-
day last.
•The Edinburgh, tender to the Excellent, is getting her
sea•service stores on board. She is already rigged, and
will bend sails and leave the steam-basin shortly.
The ilighflyer, 21, Captain Matson, returned to Spit-
head after her trial cruise yesterday. She answered ex-
ceedingly well upon all points, was very weatherly, dry,
and stiff.
The Conflict, 14 (screw), Acting-Commander Jenner,
is ordered to have tier defects made good at this port.
The Tiger, new steam-frigate, 16, bas been docked
to-day to be fitted for commission. It is reported the
officers -and crew of the Dragon will be turned over
to her.