The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-29 00:00:00

that more remains than to hope, as Mr. MILLER
said, that Austria and Prussia may one day receive
the retribution of their conduct, and that we shall
see the "brave and gallant Denmark again occupy%
ing that place among the family of nations to which
its valour entitled it." After animadverting upon
the manner in which Poland had been treated by
this country, first by receiving encouragement in
the prosecution of the struggle, and then being
deserted in the hour of need. Mr MILLER turned
his attention to domestic matters, and laid great
stress upon the repeal of the malt tax. If due at.
tention is not given to this subject next session,
it will not be for the want of reminders being fully
and frequently administered. Hardly a meeting of
any kind takes place in the country, at which one
or more speakers do not touch upon the topic, and,
with rare exception, they all speak is condemna-
tory tones of its continuance. Mr MILLER very pro-
perly observed, that at all events, there now seemed
to be no reason against its reduction at all ;
and now that the income tax was reduced,
and the heavy duties were removed from tea and
sugar, this was evidently the occasion to turn to the
subject. At the same time he urged upon his hearers
that they should bestir themselves, for without
exertion they would not gain their point. This is
very true; for Mr GLADSTONE does not seem to
wish to yield the point, and if he does so it will not
be done readily, or with a good grace, but only be.
cause he yields to the pressure from without and
the force of circumstances. One point touched upon
by the hon. member was of great importance, and
that was the duty on fire insurances. It is very
satisfactory to find that in many places this subject
is taken up with spirit ; and it is sincerely to be
wished that the reiteration of the strictures upon
this obnoxious impost will prevail in the right
direction, and that next session we shall find it con.
siderably reduced if not altogether taken off. It is,
as all concur in agreeing, a tax upon prudence. It
militates against the welfare of all classes of the
community, and it can never be right nor reasonable
to maintain the existence of a tax that might be
the means of plunging many families into distress
and destitution, because they had been prevented
from insuring on account of the great expense.
Mr. Du CANE made a very effective speech, and
humorously depicted the anomalous position of
political parties, and the manner in which the
Government were held in their places. In the first
place the members of the Cabinet go backwards
and forwards in a remarkable manner. One week
Earl RUSSELL enacts the part of Bombastes
Furioso, and menaces the Powers of gurope,
and the next, he " enrolls himself in the
Society of Friends, backing out of treaties,
apologising for menaces, and compromising the
honour and dignity of the country for the sake of
preserving a humiliating peace." Then Mr. GLAD-
STONE roars like a lion for universal suffrage, and
next is cooing like a dove, and censuring the idea
of violent organic changes. Mr Du CANE aptly
pourtrayed the affair when he said that whenever
the Radicals became tiresome, Ministers hoisted the
signal of distress and invited the Conservatives to
come to their rescue, adjuring them to aid Lord
PALMERSTON, who did so much to burk reform.
But if, on the other hand, the Conservatives were
attacking the Government, then the cry was
raised that the Radicals must come to the rescue.
" Don't let the Tories turn out Lord PALMERSTON's
Government, with Mr GLADSTONE with his great
universal' principles, Lord RUSSELL and peace at
any price, and Mr MILNER GIBSON, the intimate
friend and representative of the opinions of Messrs.
BRIGHT and COBDEN." The hon. member also com-
pared the tactics of the Government to the election
in " Pickwick," end declared that the Ministers al-
ternated between the obstinate SLTMPKEY and the
open-hearted and generous Fismst. A truer
description of the actual state ©f things as
at present existing could not have been met
with than that which we find in this spi-
rited delineation of affairs as conducted at West-
minster. It is refreshing now and then to meet
with an account of this sort—it wakes up the mo.
notony of ordinary speechifying, and rises above
the dead level of political platitudes and oft-
repeated truisms. If the country is to be governed
in such a strange fashion it is as well to be aware of
the fact, and not to shut our eyes to it in the coin•
fortable conviction that all is proceeding in a per-
fectly straightforward fashion, and being conducted
in an orthodox manner.