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

THE SUN,

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 Joule 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
tent questions, and looking for their elucidation to
the fruits of the Ministerial labours of Lord Jonx
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
iu 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 Rerorincrs 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 taxation, 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
bow 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" as to the
almost miraculous yield of the Australian gold fields.
All that the most vivid imagination could picture to
itself—as to wealth, boundlesq, irnrneasureable—has
been more than realised. ALADDIN'S lamp has ap-
parently been brought to light in the nineteenth cen-
tury, and the 13105; valuable of the precious metals
lies scattered in rich profusion on the very surface of
the earth, only requiring hands to collect the incal-
culable stores supplied by nature, in almost reckless
prodigality. The Australian accounts by each suc-
cessive vessel appear like the creations of the
wildest fiction, rather than credible statements,
emanating from trustworthy sources, and yet when
tested by the results, they appear not only to be by
exceeded
Ra
s°, , means exaggerated,
e pseubrpsuop,tn,lpidaelicesgfkv.ugareltlxnienyTed.so;:if,coea,ocrrtubcpebrireeadldol,
localities,we, thefi nd
3.71'11113g reality ; nor is the supply limited to a
i: gie district. The intelligence from one locality
Ponds, Geelong Ballarat
an-
other. There areand the Mulwarre
by that subsequently received from
Turon Valley,
apparently inexhauste
ible
room enough for every
his licence, and
From theeng
a lastgedricatcaoktuhene
accounts
Bathurst
his way to the auriferous localities.
, twhithsto,maantsd Mount Alexander, the
There
1 isa,ffionrdfainogt,
y\
der
iwa hu od pleases
actually that the numbers
asserted
Ballarat and Mount
Alexander it is positively
hileeYtmilles are estimated
for gold
there are at
that there are
from 20,000 to 30,000
we take into account those workin
it is rather under the mark to stagtein and if
least 40,000 individuals searching
colonies at this moment. If, then, each
in our own
out a licence at the present rate of 3/. man takes
there will at once be a revenue of 120,0001. r raonth,
or 1,440,000/. per annum, an income ferffimensem,
bear all the expenses of the colony, and t: 'lent to
well-devised system of emigration to the land a
abundance for all, where no man's labour is unprofit-
able, of
able, but where every person, able and avilrfit-
work, is certain of obtaining remunerative willing
to
employ-
ment.

Let us now consider tha 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 378,0001.
has been received in London, and that 100,0001.
more is daily expected.
We O
givoe.t; the Alert,
the
details :
The Melbourne brought 200,01
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 establi,thed a weekly
eceiving gold from the miners and
conveyance for r
bringing it to Melbourne or Geelong. They re-
fuse, however, to guarentee its safe deli,.