The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-25 00:00:00

been the sources of this widely-diffused improve-
ment. It is an improvement, we allow, not at-
tributable solely to " recent legislation." The
enormous emigration that has taken place dur-
ing the past two or three years, especially from
the Sister Island, has tended obviously enough to
secure advantage as well as room to those left be-
hind in the mother country, by thinning(in a whole-
some manner) the surplus population. Again, the
enormous increase of the precious metal, conse-
quent upon the importations of gold from Aus-
tralia as well as California, has aided won-
drously in forcing on the good work beyond

the limits of even the most sanguine expectations.
Yet, combined with this extraordinary acquisition
of gold, and this equally extraordinary flood of
immigration, there has been at work from first to
last the operation of the Free-trade system—the
operation of that "wise, just, and beneficial" system
which was proposed by ADAM SMITH, and advocated
by WILLIAM HUSKISSON, and supported by CHARLES
VILLIERS, and explained by RICHARD COBDEN,
and established by ROBERT PEEL, and, at last,
after it had revealed its own excellence by its fruits,
recognised and accepted by BENJAMIN DISRAELI,
when he had attained the position and had become
invested with the responsibilities of CHANCELLOR
of the EXCHEQUER. It is to this Free-trade sys-
tem, aided by the importation of gold from the
" Diggins," and by the weeding out of the more
burdensome portions of the community, that must
in a great measure be attributed the prosperity
conferred of late upon England by the abounding
and overflowing benignity of DrvrNE PROVIDENCE.
Coupled with this internal prosperity there is,
as already indicated, external tranquillity. Never-
theless, with proper regard for future contingen-
cies, we have recently cared for the efficiency of
our insular defences by organising a new Militia
and by augmenting our maritime forces. We

have become wisely prudent in our prosperity,
cautious in the midst of our happiness. Yet with
all these encouraging considerations upon us—we
may be said at this moment to be virtually with-
out any Government. Official plum-puddings
need not for once in a way be boiled in the kitch-
ens of Downing-street. Howbeit, while the
late Cabinet is made mince-meat of by its
antagonists, its motley successors would seem
to be making friends, and kissing under the
mistletoe. Perhaps the very circumstance of this
unwonted Ministerial confusion in the very thick
of the winter festivities ought to increase the po-
pular satisfaction, by reminding them very vividly
of the fact, that the security of the State is not
so intimately involved, as may at one period have
been imagined, in the changes of Administrations.
And so—with happiness around us, and before

- -
jus, and in retrospect—we waive, for once at least,
the dissonant sound of political recriminations.
For has not glorious CHARLES DICKENS written of
a cluster of holiday folks, mentioned in his im-
mortal " Carol," that " they said it was a shame
to quarrel upon Christmas-day—and so it was,
GOD love it, so it was !" And so end we our com-
ments for the nonce in the daily round of jour-
nalism—saying with a little creature summoned
some years back into existence by the magic of a
genius beloved in all this land of England, saying
with TINY TIM, " GOD bless us every one !"—and
none the less cordially because of the national
prosperity and of the international peace which
are visible upon all hands on this present Christ-
mas-day.

On this sacred day when the great majority of
our readers are enjoying every domestic comfort,
and looking forward we trust to a long life of
happiness and utility, we would invite their
attention to a deplorable tragedy which has just
been enacted at " Stony Stratford," appropriately
designated, and which has sprung directly from
the glaring defects of our Poor-law Administra-
tion. It is, indeed, sufficient to make the blood
run cold, to induce every right-minded person to
strain every nerve to prevent the possibility of
the recurrence of so frightful a catastrophe ; and,
for the time being, to devote some portion of his
superfluities to the relief of the houseless poor,
the destitute wanderers, who have not " whlerein
to lay their heads."
HENRY MORGAN, a needlemaker by trade, and
described as appearing to be between 30 and 40
years of age, and "in person a good-framed
man," was the miserable victim who perished
from starvation in the midst of abundance, who
lay in his unspeakable agony for nine days an4l,
nights in a wretched barn without a morsel of
food to appease his hunger, or a drop even of cold
water to alleviate his burning thirst. He had, it
appears, been travelling in search of employment
at his trade, without means to obtain a single
meal ; the poor victim found but little favour
in the sight of the well-fed and warmly-clad
officials with whom he was brought in contact.
He was ordered "to move on," until he crept
into his hiding-place to die in his wretchedness.
Like poor JOE of TOM-ALL-ALONES, he was
"moved on and moved on ;" it signified little
where to, provided he departed from the sight of
those whom he offended by his presence.
On the 2d of December the miserable outcast
obtained " a vagrant's order" for a night's lodging
at the Yardley Gobion Union-house. It was
granted by the relieving officer at Stony Strat-
ford, and he was compelled to proceed three miles
(according to the invariable course) before that
order could be acted on. He arrived, exhausted
and worn out. A little care and attention might
then have restored him. His condition was such
that the usual rule of sending the intruding
pauper supperless to bed was violated. He got a
meal that evening, and was even permitted to
remain the whole of the ensuing day—a favour
not often accorded to the " shuttlecock paupers."
The following morning he was turned adrift.
He might, poor fellow, have repeated the verses
in which our facetious contemporary Punch, set
forth the sorrows of one in a similar position :

" But right, boys, or wrong,
Young or old, sick or strong,
I'm only a casual—pass me along."

He was passed along to some purpose, poor
fellow. We may judge of his condition
when discharged from the workhouse, from
the fact that he did not endeavour to pass into
another parish, where he might have obtained
another night's lodging, and, possibly, a scanty
meal. No. He had not strength sufficient to
totter along, but sought the nearest shelter, an
open shed, in some farm outbuildings, a quarter
of a mile from the turnpike road ; here he lay,
without food or covering, until Monday, when he
was desired to leave, "it not being wished that
a stranger should remain on the premises." He
implored permission to remain a few hours longer;
and at four o'clock, on the 6th, he moved away,
destitute and heart-broken, to the spot where he
was finally discovc_ed. Even at that time he had
been about 56 hours without food, but not a
morsel was given to supply his exigencies. Must
mot his miserable state have been perceptible even
at that time. And what can be said for those
who regarded with apathy and indifference a
human being, one of their fellow-men, in such a
deplorable condition, without affording the most
trifling assistance ? He moved on, however, and
arrived at a lone barn, with its thatch partly off,
and its door open, and there, for seven days more,
lay the unfortunate man, suffering the unspeak-
able agonies of hunger and thirst, dying in his
despair. He was discovered on the morning
of the 13th, and even then, notwithstanding his
nine days' privations, and the grievous extremity
to which he was reduced, he might have been
saved had timely nourishment been supplied ;
but, unfortunately, some doubt was entertained
as to the parish in which the barn, the scene of
his agony, was situated. Messengers were
three
dispatched to the Union Workhouse, and to the
Overseers of an adjoining parish, and more than
cove hours
before
hours were suffered to elapse after his dis-
any nutriment was given to the
him. In a
expiring victim. It was then too late to save
quarter of an hour after his admission
to the Workhouseshis. miserable career was ter-
minated. Re , died and his fate must ever re-
main a reproach to the district.
We trust that a searching investigation may
be made into all the
circumstances of this lament-
able case, and that, as poor MORGAII cannot be
he adopted to re-
restored to life, measures may