The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON,

one period, for the continuance of those progressive
and constitutional improvements to which he had
been formerly pledged, became so apparent that he
was familiarly designated Finality Jour; by the wits
with a ludicrous and reproachful significance. Yield-
ing at length to the pressure of political circum-
stances, and to those onward influences of the age
which the genius of statesmanship has hitherto dis-
covered to be altogether irresistible—Lord JOHN
RUSSELL consented, it is true, once more to take the
initiative as a Reformer, and by so doing elevated him-
self to the head of what at the outset was presumed
to be a liberal and energetic Government. How the
specious promises of the Noble Lord were falsified
the country has learnt through six years' bitter
experience. How the affected principles of
the so-called leader of the Reformers were
one by one: either wholly and marvellously
abandoned, or distorted into the most despicable
shadow of Conservatism, it is scarcely, we believe,
necessary to demonstrate. The records of the past
Administration constitute a sufficient evidence of this
to show the hollowness of the policy which the
formation of the Whig Ministry in 1846 was sup-
posed to inaugurate. Among the annals of the departed
Government, among the catalogue of its achievements,
can the nation detect any assurance that its interests were
not for the most part flagrantly and deliberately for-
saken ? What advantage has the late Cabinet as-
sured to us in the way of education? What sub-
stantial benefit in the way of sanitary improvements ?
What in the way of practical reforms, whether in the
administration of the law or in the organization of
Parliament? Ample opportunity, it must be allowed
even by themselves, was afforded in regard to time,
and how far consequently can they be shown in a
single instance to have availed themselves of that
opportunity ? Six years elapsed during their posses-
sion of office and during those six years—what was
done by the Whigs towards ameliorating the old and
bitterly operating system of taxation ? How about
the unequal and grinding tax upon incomes ? How
about the prevention of bribery by the ballot ? How
about the more equal distribution of the electoral
districts ? How about the rational carrying out of
the wished-for scheme of retrenchment ? How
about the currency ? About Ireland ? About
the Criminal Code ? About the machinery of colo-
nial government and all the other blatant evils which
had for years been crying out for some grand effort
of administrative interposition ?
Why—reviewing the whole series of these impor-
tant questions, and looking for their elucidation to
the fruits of the Ministerial labours of Lord JOHN
RUSSELL and his colleagues—we can discern on all
sides little more than the most deplorable evidence of
indolence and procrastination. The people of England
are as far off as ever from the chance of
enjoying any comprehensive system of a really na-
tional and not sectarian system of education. Of
sanitary innovations we have heard, no doubt, more
than enough, but as yet the public knows little more
in regard to them than that it has had to supply
annual salaries to Mr. EDWIN CHADWICK and his '
brother Commissioners. The Extramural Interments
Act for the metropolis we ourselves have re-
peatedly shown to be nothing better than a
delusion—seeing that the enactment up to
the present moment has actually proved to be
a dead letter. For the majority of the legal reforms
effected of late the, nation has been indebted to in-
dividual Reformers like my Lord BROUGHAM, and not
to the collective Government., The multitude are still
as lamentably as heretofore under the effects of the
old blundering system of taxatioa, and if the tax
upon incomes expired with the sth of this present
April, we are indebted for that boon, not by any means
to the members of the recent Cabinet,' but to
the veteran representative of Montrose, and to the
non-interference of the existing Government. Then
as to the ballot, although it was called, in official
slang, an "open question" under the Whigs, it was
virtually tabooed by them, and practically neglected as
one among the chimerical dreams and Quixotic ventures
of Democracy. The electoral districts are not less
preposterously unequal in the proportion between
their dimensions and the respective number of their
representatives than at the period of the formation of the
departed Government. Something has been done, it
is true, in the way of retrenchment, but contrast that
" something" with what still remains to be accom-
plished, and the effected economy dwindles to abso-
lute insignificance. As to the colonies, the popula-
tion of the United Kingdom know rather too well
how inefficacious has been the policy pursued
towards them by the Chief Secretary of the late
Administration. Whatever credit, in fine,
devolves upon that Government for its
proceedings during the six years of its
supremacy is restricted to Sir GEORGE GREY, as
Home Secretary, to the Earl of CLARENDON (who
was not a Cabinet Minister), as Lord-Lieutenant of
Ireland—and more especially, and we may add, im-
measurably beyond all, to the very statesman who
was treated with such ingratitude by the ex-Premier,
the statesman whose popularity was the sole talisman
of his own power, the statesman to whom his Govern-
ment was indebted for the glory of maintain-
ing peace with Europe during a tremendous
sequence of revolutions—need we specify by name
the late Foreign Secretary ? These are the men
upon the value of whose promises the country will
very speedily have to decide. Will the nation resign
its destinies for another seven years to their keeping
—or will it look for more honesty and more reliance
in its Reformers?

The most sceptical are at length convinced. Even
the loudest scoffers are compelled unwillingly to
acknowledge that there is "no mistake" es to the
almost miraculous yield of the Australian gold fields.
All that the most vivid imagination could picture to
itself—as to wealth, boundless, immeasureable—has
been more than realised. ALADDIN'S lamp has ap-
parently been brought to light in the nineteenth cen-
tury, and the most valuable of the precious metals
lies scattered in rich profusion on the very surface of
therequiring hands to collect the incal-
culable
earth,
stores only
supplied by nature, in al most reckless
prodigality
es. I The Australian accounts by each suc-
cessiveg seappear like the creations of the
rather than credible statements,
divt
wildest fiction,
emanating from
ear not on be by
trustworthy sources, and y
tot
when
tested by the results, they
no means exaggerated, s
the supply
single district. The intelligence limited to a
astonishing reality ; nor i but app far below the
even
ce from one locality
is exceeded by that subsequently received from an-
other. There are Lake Bathurst and the Mulwarre
Ponds, Geelong, Ballarat, and Mount Alexander, the
Turon
the Sydney
Valley,it diggins," all affording
-
apparently inexhaustible supplies.
room enough for every man who There is, in fact,
pleases to take out
his licence, and
From the last accounts we find that
his way to the auriferous localities.
with shovel, pickaxe or cradle, find
actually engaged at the Sydney mines are estimated
eorwittois3o7osiotivveelr
at from 8,000 to 10 the numbers
,000, while at Ballarat and Mount
Afrolemxa2nod, La :15s sfeurltleyd.
occupied, that
d.are
f
we take into account those working
it is rather under the mark to statem other localities,
that there are at
least 40,000 individuals searching for
oh
colonies at this moment. If, then, gold in in our own
man takes
out a licence at the present rate of 3L
P
there will at once be a revenue of 1")0,000/. :r month,
or 1,440,0001. per annum, an income per mensem,
nt to
bear all the expenses of the colony, and to pr
well-devised system of emigration to the promote a
abundance for all, where no man's labour is unprofiof
able, but where every person, able and willing tto
employ.
work, is certain of obtaining remunerative - loy.
ment.

Let us now consider the quantities of gold
that these 40,000 miners have obtained, are obtain-
ing, and are still likely to obtain. We find that
within the past week gold to the amount of 378,000/.
has been received in London, and that 100,0001.
more is daily expected. We give the details :
The Melbourne brought 200,000/. ; the Alert,
128,000/. ; the Blackfriar and Bolivar 50,000/. ; and
it was known that the Hero, which sailed about the
same time, was bringing 100,0001. more. But this
formed but a small portion of the quantity collected,
as will appear from the official statements of the
sums brought in by the Government escort. It ap-
pears that the authorities have established a weekly
conveyance for receiving gold from the miners and
it
bringingto Melbourne or Geelong. They
re-
fuse, however, to guarantee its safe deli..