The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-29 00:00:00

LONDON,

THE FINSBURY BOROUGH.
TO, Tab _EDITOR OF TEE SUN.
Sia,—ln your first leader of the 17th inst. you
sustained Mr. Wyld's right of succession to Mr.
Wakl-y's position as the representative of this bo-
nroteg,h by an examination of his political principles,
havieg said, in some observations leading to this ana•
-
lysis, that " his capacities, apart from his office as
legislator, have for many years forced upon him the
attention of the community as one of the most emi-
nent of Eying. geographers." In these days of in-
trigue for Parliamentary power, when it is next to
impossible, to predicate what men's future conduct in
Parliamerit will be by reference to their latest pro-
fessions, it may be sound policy to obtain from even
well-known Liberals a declaretion of their political
principles,and they will cheerfullygive it, as a necessity
of the times. Per unknown men this pnlicy is ini-
prim's. Bat necessary as it is become to make all
candidates feel that, if elected, they go to Parliament
to honestly sustain the political principles of their con-
stituents, and not the vagaries of their party leaders,
elector's, will hazard their purpose if they do not act,
continuously in this matter. Let me state their'
danger. A man is ambitious of, a seat in Parliament,
and he happens to have sotaie ieflaenee in a county or
a borough, but be has only a dreamy feeling for poli-
tical principle ohis intellect has never enabled him to
push this-feeling into a neble mental power. In this
event what is his conduct, as shaped for him by elec-
tors demanding his declarative consent to their cate-
gorical principles ? Why just this. He studies them,
and /elite forward addresses conforming to them, duly
prepared by some practised writer, and simply tested
by, such. proclamations the man shall seem to be as
fit: for Parliament as he. from whom the electors
might have acquired their principles—as he who in a
first Parliamentary career had furnished proof that
the principles were practically his own.
It is in cases of this sort that electors will do well
`to ponder before they give their votes—to look at
the antecedents of the candidates, and to ask them-
selves, by a reference to them, which man is most
likely to do us credit, end himself honour, na a Le-
gislator ? It will be well for them to ponder the
fact, that the mind of a Member of Parliament ought
to have been enlarged by more ennobling processes of
thought than are necessary for the respectable manage-
ment of peddling mercantile affairs and mechanical
corporate duties. There should have been such
as educatlon of the intellect as would enable it to
Comprehend every measure presented to it for consi-
deration, or tested by a given principle ; and this
quality of mind is rarely generated in a counting-
house. s' it is not 'destroyed in counting houses, but a
mere ledger-man rarely possesses it. Is there a man
opposed to Mr<TYold at all likely to have received this
impOrtant :education Y - I think not,
And nostelet us recur to your observation on Mr.
Wyld's notoriety, as " one of the most eminent of
living geographers." He is, and I wish to arrest
attention to this fact, for the purpose of explaining
what his prefessional studies have done for the educa-
tion of his intellect in his charLter of Legislator,
For myself, I only know him for the knowledge his
useful prufession has produced, and the quality of
mind it has engendered ; and I take leave to give it
as my firm belief that Parliament does not at present
possess ten men equal to him in respect of statistical
acquirement and apprehensive power on such sub-
ject& Were it not inviduous to do so, I would give
the names of the men who may be his equals on this
point, but I would, at the same time, flatly deny that
they are his superiors. It would be a strange thing
if he were not thus qualified, for it is within my in-
formation - that,- lor years past, and in dis-
charge of professional purposes, he has been in
familimecommunion with the most eminent statistical
thinkers of the age in all parts of the world, and so
his mind is ripened for such investigations. Know-
ledge and power such as his will be increasingly
wanted in Parliament, and I ask what equivalent
qualification is possessed by any candidate opposed to
him or likely to be'opposed to him
For some time past I have had to notice suggest.
tions from editors in our London papers that Ma-
caulay, or Dickens, or Jerrold should be pressed to
stand for Finsbury.
I now field that Macaulay has gracefully declined
to do so. The repentant men of Edinburgh should
have the brilliant essayist and historian. He is
worthy of them, and were it not for his History I
should regret that they rejected him. History, how-
ever, he would not have written bad he remained in
Parliament, for he has said that absence from Parlia-
mentary -excitement was necessary for a man girding
himself for a great literary work. Let the great his-
torian's assertion he pondered by those who would
thrust other literary,men into Parliament, however
inferior their position to his.
Macaulay is not to be had. He goes to Edin-
burgh ; and may he represent that piece so long as
he can wag his eloquent tongue! As to Dickens and
Jerrold, it would be a national calamity to distract
either of them from the literary labours they both so
admirably discharge. They belong to the commu-
nity, and it is to be hoped that the men of Finsbury
have too much sound sense to drag either of them
from his proper vocation. Is it supposed that their
time is not fully occupied ? Would any man make
either of them less a writer that he may become a
struggling and questionable Member of Perliament,
to say nothing of the chance of signal defeat at t'.ie
hustings ?
Rejoicing in the certain return of Macaulay to
Parliament for Edinburgh, it were idle for me to deny
that literary men never make sound politicians in our
English conception of political capability. For this
eminent man I have neither reproach nor fear. The
quality of his literary labours has necessarily sobered
his mind.
But there is an important consideration which I
think ought to prevent every high-minded Liberal
from appealing to the Finsbury constituency at this
late period.be the eanvass, and I submit it for the
judgment of the thinking public. Would it be manly
for any Liberal individual recognised as a gentleman,
on any borough influence or personal prestige, to
come for Ward as a candidate at this, the eleventh hour
of a canvass from other Liberals? Upon the turf the
horses start together and fairly struggle with each
other to the winning-post ; and I have never heard
that it was admissible to let in a fresh horse just at
the end of the race. Would it not be true wisdom,
bo
yn ervnel
ersy cas safe onsideration, ttibo
nns,
et on
sctoaribtiro a i
sbl
edrfaoc between
re
brutes men
? w e
live in strange political times Men seem to be
diverging from the manly arrangements which
used to make ambition look very like, virtue. Now-
a-days every detestable trick is considered fair if it
have the sanction of apparent success. Let us, how-
ever, hope that there is lofty honour in the eminent
men whom others are endeavouring to drag to the
hustings. If Ibe right in what is due to their own
self•respect, they will bide their time for Parliamen-
tary position, and, when they feel the right time come,
advance to the field of contest at the manly hour, like
true men.
FinAspaurrty ntefrenomastl!
lam of opinionconsideration thatsconne tbctedis withthe
Finsbury matter
'deserves public, notice.—l am, Sir, &c.,
London, June 24.

ANNIVERSARY OF HER MAJESTY'S
CORONATION.
Yesterday being, the fourteenth anniversary of her
Majesty's coronation, banners floated in the breeze on
the top of Somerset House, the Admiralty, Tower, Mint,
and other Government establishments, and from the
mast-heads` of several of the vessels lying in the river.
A merry peal was rung from many a church spire, on
which banners were hung out in honour of the day. No
review took place in Hyde Park, to the great disappoint-
ment of many persons who visited the park at an early
hour in expectation: that there would be a grand military
display there, and beyond the booming of the Park and
Tower guns, echoed back by those of Woolwich, no mi-
litary exhibition took glace.
PORTSMOUTH; JUNE 28.—The anniversary of our
Gracious Majesty's coronation was kept to-day with all,
due observance. Bv,the express desire of the Mayor,
B. Bramble, Esq., tee townspeople closed their shops,
and kept a general holiday. Holidays- were also given
to the people of the dockyard and to all persons con-
nected with the Government departments. At eight
o'cl'otk the'thips and Vessels, including yachts and mer-.
chentmen, dressed in colours in honour of the day, and
RoyarStandard flags waved from the garrison, the dock-
yard, Mr:Hollingsworth's, and other flg•staves. At
noon the ;guns of the Platform battery, and from the
men of war at Spitbead and in harbour, boomed forth
Royal salutes. The day was very fine, and thousands
of persons took advantage of excursion trains and excur-
sion steamers, and all seemed from their noisy hilarity
to be enjoying' themselves amazingly. The beautiful
bells of,St, Thomas's Church were ringing occasionally,
and Sinithsea common, which now forms (thanks to the
late governor, Lord Fitzclarence) a beautiful place of
recreation, was crowded with crieket players and pro-
menaders.

LIE REV. Va. ACHILL' AND - HIS :.CHAPEL.—On
Sunday minting a vast number of persons, attracted by
curiosity arisng.out of the recent prosecution in the Court
of Queen's Bench, ,fiocked towards the chapel in which Dr.
Aehilli ;Ales for some time past officiated, under the impres-
sion alit he would allude in' thetonrse of his sermon to the
circumstances attendant upon the trial in which he was so
prominently concerned. The chapel in which the RevAlen-
tletuan hag hitherto officiated is a small, unpretending-
looking building, situate in. Dufour-place, leading out of
Broad-street, Golden-square, a neighbourhood in which a
great number of Italians reside, the majority of whom, how-
ever, remain in connexion with the Roman Catholic Church,
It is said that amongst these persons Dr. Aehili was making
many converts, and that his congregation, at first a very
small one, was gradually increasing until the charges just in-
vestigated were made against, him; when his audience dwin-
dled so rapidly Oat ha was compelled to abandon his Minis-
terial labours. Accordingly those who on Sunday repaired
to DufoUrt4place, eager to catch a glance of the doctor, expe-
rienced a great disappointment on learning that the chapel
had been closed for a month past.
THE HONOURABLE ARTILLERY • CoirANY.—Yes-
terday Prince Albert-reviewed 'the Honourable Artillery
Company, of Whiab corps his Royal Highness is colonel-in-
chief. His,Royal Highness and several military officers of
high standing ekpressed themselves in'terms of the highest
approbationy both as b the apper7auce of the company and
the pre'Oiaion 0 their movements. -