The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-22 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1852.

Approaching as we are so closely to the termi-
nation of 1852—it cannot but be interesting to
take a glance, however cursory, in retrospect.
Surely, no one can have forgotten the emotions
--4:442 which the more reflective observers through-
(nit Christendom, looked forward last November
to the twelve months now hastening to their con-
clusion ! Disaster appeared then to be the only
thing " looming in the future"---disaster none the
legs terrible, because altogether vague and vi-
sionary in the popular anticipations. It
was felt that scarcely anything short of a
miry eulous ' interposition of DIVINE PROVI-
t
ez could save the European Continent from
anbadoth,er of those stupendous mindquakes which
ye convulsed the political fabrics through-
out
m.
deadly Za.ntur ispheres. Added to which—from the
of the conspiracies which were
kno
but more bee
wn
varti in existence in various countries,
neighbourin
a Iteenlarly In different quarters of the
Plilubcilic—it was notorious that the
next explosionwo
in its intentions, bein epne anything but beneficent
of a bitter and a
boungite, yoked from the depths
of spoil, from a lust
of
blovoengeance, from a greed
and from a morbid
appetite for power, solely 4t%
more ruthless and eomprehneial rem' to effect a
The revolutionary outbreak devastation.
, anstliv,
the close of 1851, was of a charter
towardshat
a kind of horror to enter into the heart caused
of the stubborn sticklers for that last l
e
Feudalism which is generally known as of
gitimacy, but even of those also whose spin_
pathies were the most devotedly dedicated
to the forwarding of the divine cause and of the
direst interests of derocracy. For 1852, we
found ranked amongst the advocates of the new
movement no lofty civism like that which in 1798
w;as awakened in the bosom of the immortal
ERGxIA-111)---110 disinterested valour like that
which in 1830 drew once
more from its scabbard
T
the sword of LAPAyET
no sublime self-sacri-
fice like that which in 1848 shone re-
splendently through
the heroism 'a LA-
MARTINE. Those -who Nyel:e
Whichimplicated was a source of
unutterable dismay to the great mass of the

people during the course of last November, were
men either of sinister obscurity or of tarnished
reputation. They numbered amongst them no
ARMAND CARREL, no natal. at. once gentle and
dauntless : no CAMILLII DESMOULINS, no tempera-
ment most pure when most fanatical : no ROUGET
DE LISLE, no voice yielding lyrical utterance to
the holier hopes of the population : no BRISSOT,
no ROLAND, /lb' BARBAROUX. It was glaringly
manifest to the world that all the nobler spirits
of the age—those who had been foremost in the
latest assertion of the popular rights—shrank from
any sort of participation in the proposed effort at
estupendous political and social transformation.
LAMARTINE would have nothing to do with it.
GIOBERTI was averse to the very mention of the
undertaking. AZEGLIO could write no more pamph
lets in behalf of democratic enterprise. PETE was
not visible as its soldier, Or VENTURA as its high
priest. ARAao, sorrow stricken at the dissipation
of so many dreams of improvement, had with-
drawn from the public arena, and betaken himself
once more, with renewed zest, to the contempla-
tion of the stars in his observatory. It was only
the more lawless who pressed forward to the struggle
which was felt on all hands to be no longer the
struggle of humanity, but the struggle for revenge
and spoliation. People began to remember
again with painful distinctness that terrible sen-
tence of Mr. MACAULAY, in which the inspira-
tions of the orator had been accepted by the judg-
ment of the historian, when he spoke of those who,
according to his grand and solemn phraseology,
were nothing better than heathens in the midst of
Christianity, and savages in the midst of civilisa-
tion 1

Nevertheless the dreaded year has passed by with
unexampled tranquillity-1852 is peacefully ap-
proaching the hour of its termination. Bearing this
extraordinary fact in consideration, it is impossi-
ble not to regard it with feelings of very profound
and very peculiar thankfulness. The evil which
towards the end of 1851 was awaited, has been
strangled before the destined day of its appear-

ance. To employ the terms of that language,

which of all is the most directly applicable to
themes of a revolutionary character—it may be said
that an unexpected eslaircissement led to the in-
d.efinitetpostponement, if not to the total preven-
tion of the *anticipated boulversement. Since then,
the mind of Europe has been beneficently
tranquilliiied. No further reason has been found
for disquietude. • Commerce, which had waned
and faded under the deadening influence of a
vague and formless terror—under, so to speak, the
Shadow cast before "by the " Coming Event "
of the Socialist Conspiracy—has revived with a
rapidity scarcely ever paralleled. Meanwhile, all
the great objects of popular improvement are
still cherished, are still revered;are still in process of
advancement by the rational and conscientious cham-
pions of the, inalienable interests of democracy, the
more resolute and more faithful advocates of pro-
gressive civilisation.

Another source of encouragement has already
made itself felt in the Eastern hemisphere, al-
though coming to us across the Atlantic from the
distant shores of the North American Continent.
As we intimated on Saturday, when referring to
the result of the Presidential election in the
United States, the triumph of FRANKLIN PIERCE
over his Whig antagonists, has even now appre-
ciably and most beneficially affected the trade
of Europe, by renewing the hopes of the gene-
rality of mercantile men in the speedier downfall
of the system of • duties levied in the
ports of the world, by way of barrier or restric-
tion, As a simple but significant illustration of
this fact, it may be remarked that, during the
past week, foreign orders to a very considerable,
if not wholly unexampled extent, have been re-
ceived by the manufacturing houses at Birming-
ham. In the same place, it is acknowledged by the
majority of the merchants that prospects look
at this moment most cheering—particularly in
regard to both the North and South American
Continents. North America encourages these
hopes, as we have before observed, through the
circumstance of the now almost certain election of
General PIERCE as the President of the United
States—South America opening to them, if pos-
sible, yet more exhilarating schemes of enter-
prise, through the unbarring of those golden
regions of plenty which must have remained
closed against the mercantile interests of
England, but for the vigorous course
pursued by the leaders of the present Govern-
ment. It is thus that we are now, in 1852 (un-
like what we were in 1851), enabled to look
onward to the new year hopefully—awaiting the
dawn of 1853—with industry revivedin France, '
and trade flourishing in England, and commerce
extending farther and farther into the in-
terior of the two Americas, and international
peace assuaging thepast calamities of Christendom.

All honour to the SOLICITOR-GENERAL for Ire-
and. He has, at once, assumed a prominent
position among Legal Reformers. The principles
which he enunciated, and the conclusions which
he arrived at, are alike satisfactory. It is, indeed,
impossible to speak too highly of the wise and
comprehensive measure of Law Reform which he
submitted for the consideration of the House of
Commons on Friday evening, and which will leave
little, if anything, to be desired, so far as Ireland
is concerned : nothing of equal importance, or so
boldly grappling with real abuses, has ever yet
been brought forward in the Legislature. Our
only regret is, that it is to be limited in its opera-
tion ; that England is not also to receive the
benefit of the inestimable boon about to be con-
ferred upon the Sister Kingdom. His arguments
were, indeed, unanswerable ; but they ap-
plied equally to all parts of the United
Kingdom ; and there would be just cause
of complaint if the objectionable system
were retained in this by no means the least im-
portant portion of her MAJESTY'S dominions. It
is satisfactory to find a law officer of the Crown
introducing such a Bill, and speaking so boldly
and unequivocally on the subject; and it is stillmore
satisfactory to know, that the eminent Judge who
presides on the Woolsack in Ireland has expressed
his full and distinct approbation of its provisions,
and that the LORD CHIEF JUSTICE of Ireland, and
Baron GREENE, and other Judges, should have
given their advice and sanction.
Mr. WHITESIDE'S object is to assimilate the
procedure of the Superior Courts of Common Law
in Ireland with that of the County Courts—
where the question at issue between the parties is
brought to a speedy bearing on a short and sim-
ple plaint. He justly declared that " two sys-
tems, acting on opposite principles and practice,
could not co-exist," and that " nothing remained
to be done but to reform the Superior Courts
of Common Law on a comprehensive plan, and in
accordance with the requirements and spirit of
the age." He has not scrupled to avail himself
largely of the ample materials at his disposal,
selecting that which is really valuable in each.
His Bill, then, is founded on-
-Ist. The procedure of the County Courts in
England.

2d. The procedure of the County (or Assistant
Baristers') Courts, in Ireland.

3d. The Act for the Regulation of Civil pro-
cedure in Scotland.

4th. The Report of the Commissioners on the
Common Law procedure of England.
sth. The Common Law Procedure Act of last'
Session.

Gth. The American Code, and the Report of
the Commissioners of the State of New York.
This, it will be in the recollection of our
readers, is the system which. recognises the com-
plete fusion of the Courts of Law and ET aity,
and the existence of a supreme Tribunal n rhich
can give full relief on every possible subject.
mateiials
The first practical deduction from these ;rich
is the total abolition of the form: of
actions. Henceforward it will not be a matter of
any importance in Ireland, if the pleader shou
ld
be mistaken in the form selected. If the plainti ff
should. really have sustained substantial damage
n. °thing whether he should ende2 it will signify
your to obtain redress under " trespass" o r
cc Case." It needed not
the humorous
propriate illustrations addressed b but ap -
y the Honourabl( )
and Learned Gentleman, to show the evils of the t
eaning,
and we shad almost said tuaza
friiolous,