The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-17 00:00:00

THE

speedy dissolution has emerged from probability into
certainty by the advent to power of a Protectionist
Government.
Opposed, as our opinions are, upon several most
remarkable questions—diametrically opposed as our
opinions are to the views entertained by Mr. Cox,
and put forward by him in his present addresstoatzhe,e
electors of the borough of Tewkesbury, there
appare2
however,
ideas, an identity
important points a ck:_lucidence of
• ° •
t to ourselves upon other scarcely. lees.
• tes iration, very singular
of feeling, and an union of P
upholders respec.
indeed, as occurring between the .4,.nneervatism
tively of the great antagonistic causes Pt
and Democracy. In appearance no two Pteres7,
could be more distinguished by the diversity of thee:
characteristics ; yet, in truth, there is traceable
to the heart of both, as already intimated, those same
attributes of union, identity, and coincidence. For
the purpose of rendering our meaning upon
this subject visible at once, it is only ne-
cessary to particularize a distinction marked
out by Mr. Cox in the very exordium of his ad-
dress. Having ingeniously and rather gracefully
defined the principle of Conservatism as tending
simply " to support existing institutions, to preserve
and stregthen their roots and trunks, but also to
prune and train their branches to the needs of those
who live under their shadow and feed upon their
fruits," the writer maintains that it (Conservatism)
is consequently opposed, " directly opposed to the prin-
ciple of Radicalism, which," says he, " seeks to tear
them up root and branch and plant new
ones in their place." " Conservative Reform," says
he, in conclusion, " Seeks to preserve—Radical Re-
form to destroy." Enough ! Now let us endeavour
to chalk out the lines of the opposite
distinction. Partizans we never have been.
Partizans we are not. Yet, if there is any
category within the range of which our name could
be inscribed—it would assuredly be upon the list of
Radical Reformers, or, what is still more, among the
number of those who from the depths of their heart
and from the sanctuary of their conscience yearn
for the peaceful advance of the interests of the Demo-
cracy. Actuated by these feelings therefore, inspired
by these convictions, cherishing these supreme and in-
extinguishable aspirations—we must protest that in
the sentences above excerpted Radicalism has been
wrongly coloured, while an erroneous exclusiveness
has been attributed to the more generous hopes of
Conservatism. True, the Conservative reformer is
anxious to preserve—to preserve what? Every-
thing worthy of preservation ! The Radical Re-
former, and we speak as one ourselves, cherishes—
not a similar, but the same identical soli-
citude. He also is desirous of preserving—
everything worthy of preservation. Again, the
Radical Reformer is equally anxious to destroy
—whatever may from its prejudicial qualities,
or its irredeemable worthlessness, call aloud
for the doom of dissipation. So, likewise, we presume
is the Conservative Reformer desirous of delivering
up the chips and straws of evil, the political vermin
and the legislative dust accumulated from
the days of antiquity, to the same inexorable
sweepings of the besom of destruction.
Let us not have, therefore, any more perversions
of the real tendency either of Radicalism or Con-
servatism. Let us not define the same ambitions
among our patriotic citizens as though they were
diametrically antagonistic in their very nature. Let
the Radical Reformer be viewed, if you like, as
mistaken in his impressions, but do not, in the
name of justice, attribute to him the villanous
motive of desiring, with malice aforethought,
to deliver up the nation to the horror of Socialism
or Red Republicanism. Neither let the more bigotted
sticklers for the cause of Liberalism impugn as cri-
minal those Conservative Reformers who are eilinging
with mistaken tenacity to the blighting sources
of mischief which are in reality infusing the
virus of discord into the very core of the Constitu-
tion. Calling ideas, as well as things, by their
right names, the bitterness, the heartburnings,
and the misrepresentations arising from parti-
sanship would be happily dissipated throughout
society, without in any manner diminishing the
energies of political agitation. , Radicalsland Con-
servatives might then contend, without brawling,
for the triumph of principles respectively
deemed by them essential for the national happiness—
acting towards each other as becomes co-patriots,
fellow-subjects, and fellow-citizens, who are striving
by different means, it is true, but with a like loyalty
and a like earnestness, to preserve what is good and
destroy what is bad in the framework and the move-
ments of the Constitution.

We earnestly hope that a stringent and searching
inquiry may speedily be instituted into all the cir-
cumstances connected with the recent arrangements
for the steam communications with India and Aus-
tralia. Rumours are in circulation ascribing to the
late Board of Admiralty, and to Sir CHARLES WooD,
some participation in what could only be designated
as a gross and utterly unwarrantable job, combined
with a certain degree of duplicity, which would ne-
cessarily be condemned by every honest man, if the
hints and surmises now current were in any degree
well founded. We should totally disregard the
statements above referred to, were it not
for some peculiar matters that appear to lend addi-
tional credibility to the assertions, and to require
some answer on behalf of the parties implicated
thereto. So far as we have been enabled to ascer-
tain, it appears that not only were the urgent re-
commendations of the Select Committee of the House
of Commons totally disregarded and set aside—not
only was the encouragement afforded by the ex-
Chancellor of the Exchequer, while it suited his own
purposes to obtain a strong and powerful competi-
tion forgotten, but a degree of expedition previously
unknown was displayed by all the parties concerned
after they were virtually, if not actually, out of office.
The Lords of the Admiralty reported with such ex-
traordinary and unprecedented dispatch as to prove
that their minds had been made up long before the
tenders had come in ; while Sir CHARLES WOOD
showed that so far as he was concerned the matter
was a foregone conclusion. He must have signed
the Treasury minute either at the time when he was
proceeding to deliver up the seals of office to his
SOVEREIGN, or after he was really out, and his suc-
cessor invested with the insignia of the situation.
It is due, then, especially to Sir CHARLES Woon,
that a full investigation should take place, and it
would naturally he more satisfactory to all parties,
particularly to the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer,
that the inquiry should be conducted before the high-
est tribunal of the land, where there would be full
authority to examine witnesses on oath, and to require
.the sworn testimony of the Right Hon. Baronet him-
self, of Sir "
CHARLES TREVELTAN, and -others who
might be enabled to thaw any degree of light on the
:transaction. At Present, we sball onli allude to do
cu.rnents.lang -
since published, and which are within'
ruelaakinogfhievnlesziperson in the community desirous of
It will not be forgotten
with the subject.
that • the Eastern Steam
Navigation Company
constit ted about twelve-
months since, withtheWas
object of entering into co
rnand Oriental Company,
pctition with the Peninsuar
the latter held should
when the contract ashiu_h
tiexonpaire. Of course it vv*,,,,asent.
ac:dmalmtuhnoinegah.
we cannot speak positively on the
subject, we believe
encouragement you,
should be maodfe
afforded by
WOOD to the
Sir CHARLESproject.
This at
46 the earann.
leant is certain, thae
that every degree
received a
of pcorporation; . 441 d,
royal charter , „ that on
oranuttee
inquire into " the existing was appointed! to g steam
the 27th day of March, 18a 1, a Select:c .
communications with India and !he. cticabhity ne
effecting any improvement therein, the
tied also into
1
best mode of establishing
withtile
I:astuhravt,
taTen England, India,Australia, New steam communications he.;
China,
Zea-
land, or any of them, as well as any points upon the
several routes between them."

Of course the appointment of such a Committee
practically. took the subject-matter of their investi-
gation out of the hands of the Government until the
report should be obtained, more particularly as three
Member's of the Administration, viz., Sir CHARLES
WOOD himself, the Hon. WILLIAM COWPER, a Lord
of the Admiralty, and Mr. JAMES WILSON, Secre-
tary of the Board of Controul, were acting on that
Committee. After a-protracted and patient investiga-
mmaindise,tena
witih the full assent
atinodc,cotnwcuorrreenpcoerotsf wtheere
Members. We
shall at present only allude to the second, which

~~; x:~~~

was, by a vote of the House of Commons, ordered to
be printed on the 29th of July last.
By that report, after alluding to "certain propo-
sals made by the Eastern Steam Navigation Com-
pany to carry out a communication between England,
India, and China, the express portion of the mails to
be conveyed via the Trieste route, in conjunction
with the Austrian Lloyd's Company," and stating
" that the political advantages of having two lines open
across Europe was considered of some importance,
and that it appeared from the evidence that the Go-
veruments interested in the Trieste line are pre-
pared to enter into the negotiation, and to give
every facility for the transmission of the mails,
I the Committee recommended tizt a communication
twice ;r1 the month between England and the
different Presidencies of India should be esta-
blished, and that such communication should be
separated into two distinct services, and put out
to separate tender." They also declared that,
" as it appears from the evidence that any new par-
ties competing will require at least 18 months after
their offer is accepted to prepare for the due perform-
ance of their engagements, it is the opinion of your
Committee that no time should be lost by her MA-
JESTY'S Government in taking all the preliminary
steps which the fair encouragement of an open com-
petition so obviously demands ; and they therefore
recommend that tenders may be called for, contem-
plating the arrangements already alluded to. Ample
time will thus be given to enable her MAJESTY'S
Government to decide from the tenders which
may be sent in, whether a bi-monthly com-
munication can be established on the plan
proposed, without any probable increase of
expense to the revenue of this country."
We can scarcely conceive how it was possible for
auy person who sat on that Committee, and assented
to the clauses above referred to, to waste unnecessa-
rily any portion of the very limited time remaining,
every moment of which was of such vital conse-
quence, or to consider that the recommendation
" that the communication should be separated into two
distinct services" could be carried out by giving the
contracts to the same company ; but, as if to remove
any possible doubt or difficulty on the subject, the
following unequivocal paragraph was inserted :
" Your Committee cannot close this report without
stating their conviction, that any arrangement which
might tend to promote an exclusive traffic on the In-
dian lines in the hands of one company, is open to
serious objection ; and in the recommendations which
they have suggested for the consideration of the Go-
vernment, they wish to lay down the principle, that
the only security to the public for the full advantage
of these communications must consist in open and fair
competition."

Let us now see how Sir CHARLES WOOD acted on
these suggestions. In the first place, although we
believe no fitting opportunity was lost of inviting his at-
tention to the subject, no step was taken for four months,
from the 29th July to 29th November, on which day
advertisements were issued calling for pro-
posals from parties willing to contract for convey-
ing the mails by five different divisions. The
tenders were not, however, to be lodged for
nearly three months, until the 26th of February
following ; thus seven months were lost
out of the seventeen that remained between the re-
port of the Committee and the delivery of the tenders,
or rather more than two-fifths of the entire time, a
formidable disadvantage, which but for the zeul,
energy, and high position of some of the directors of
the Eastern Steam Navigation Company would have
defeated their chances, and left a monpoly to
their favoured rival. Arrangements were, however,
made at the private expense of some of these gentle-
men, which enabled the company to which they
belonged still to enter into competition.
The tenders were accordingly lodged on the morn-
ing of the 26th of February, and we believe that we
are justified in saying that they were lower than
those put in on behalf of the Peninsular and
Oriental, and subsequently accepted by the
late Government. Now, it cannot be for-
gotten, that on the Friday preceding the
Ministers had been left in a minority of the
House of Commons, which induced Lord Joule
RUSSELL to announce his intended resignation. On
the following day, the 21st inst., that resignation
was placed in the hands of her MAJESTY,
who sent for Lord DERBY, to whom, on the
22d instant, she entrusted the task of forming
an Administration. On Monday it was an-
nounced that the then Ministers only held
office until their successors could assume
their positions. The Admiralty Board, how-
ever, when the tenders of the different
companies were lodged, at once reported in favour of
the highest tender, and Sir CHARLES WOOD, on his
way to the throne of his SOVEREIGN, if not after his
return, signed the Treasury minute, committing the
nation to the payment of 1,592,0001., and in direct
opposition to the recommendations of the Committee,
to which he was himself an assenting party.
We leave these simple facts to speak for them-
selves. We offer no comment, use no harsh language ;
but we do say, that they are amply sufficient not only
to warrant, but to demand the closest investigation,
and that it is due to Sir CHARLES WOOD himself
that it should take place at the earliest possible
moment.

MARLBRO'-STREET—(THIS DAY);
DISORDERLY CC:MINX:T.—Mr. Charles Lemon Greaves, of
Stratford-upon-Avon, was brought before Mr. Bingham
charged with creating a disturbance at the office of Mr. Ed-
ward Elkins, solicitor, 59, Newman-street, Oxford-street.
It appeared that the defendant, who was formerly a soli-
citor, called with another person at Mr. Elkins's office on the
previous afternoon, and asked to see that gentleman. They
were accordingly shown into the private office, but no sooner
had they entered than the defendant commenced abusing the
complainant in the most violent terms. Mr. Elkins re-
quested him to compose himself, and consented to hear
what he had to say if he would conduct himself like a gen-
tleman. The defendant, however, became more violent and
abusive in his lanirmige, and took up " Webster's Court
Guide," which was lying on the table, and opened it. De-
fendant then pointed to Mr. Elkins' name, tore out the leaf,
and assailed him with such a volley of abuse that he was
under the necessity of s ending for a constable and giving him
in charge.
The accused, in defer ice, said he was suffering from a do-
mestic affliction, having a son lying dead in his house. He
acknowledged he had i nisconducted himself in the manner
described by Mr. Elkin a, to whom he now offered his humble
apology.
Mr. Elkin said, in comsequence of the defendant's apparent
penitence, he did not wish to press for any punishment, and
would merely request that he be held to bail to keep the
peace.
Mr. BINGHAM told the defendant he ought to be obliged
to Mr. Elkins for the ler dent view he took of the case, and
ordered him to find two .sureties in 501. each, with himself in
1001., to keep the peace for three months.