The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-07 00:00:00

THE SUN,

the master's assistant, and when they had stood off
nearly 150 yards from the vessel, her destruction ap-
pears to have commenced in real earnest. On the
sinking of the last portion of the bull, several of the
survivors were floating on pieces of drift-wood, while
others still clung with desperate tenacity to the rig-
ging of the mainmast, still happily not submerged.
While some of the former were carried by the swell
to the shore of Africa at Point Danger, the latter
were ultimately rescued in the afternoon following by
the arrival of a schooner called the Lioness. Out of 638
smile on board the Birkenhead when she struck,
only 184 were saved—including, it is grateful to
bear in remembrance, every one of the 56 women and
children—leaving 454 unfortunate men who thus
became victims of an untimely destruction. Captain
SALMOND, after behaving with admirable gallantry
throughout the disaster, seems to have been struck
on the head by something washed, off the poop, at
the very moment when he was seen swimming from
the wreck shorewards. Various others, who were
endeavouring, in a similar manner, to reach Point
Danger, appear to Lave been devoured or mangled
by sharks lurking in those dangerous seas, to pick off
the shipwrecked seamen and soldiers.
If we have the consolation of knowing that the
men involved in this calamity displayed, under
these circumstances cf horror,
,a very noble and
very affecting galiantry—we have still left,
unhappily, two incidents demanding our most
serious reprehension. According to the evidence of
Captain WRIGHT, of the 91st Regiment, the boat,
which was carried away by the assistant-surgeon, in
his solicitude to save Lis own life, would, if brought
back to the scene of the disaster, after landing
that gentleman, have been able to preserve those
who were subsequently lost by becoming entangled
in the seaweed, or snapped up by the sharks when
floating off with the driftwood. The other incident
comes nearer home than the coast of Africa—having
to do, moreover, not with an assistant-surgeon at
Point Danger, but with the Port Admiral at Ply-
mouth—our recent acquaintance, Sir JOHN OM-
MANNET. Instead of at once apprizing the Board of
Admiralty of what had occurred, Sir JOHN OM •
MANNEY coolly allows the intelligence of the loss
of the Birkenhead to reach the authorities
in Westminster—through the newspapers ! Even
when (on learning through the journals of the day
what had transpired respecting the Birkenhead) the
First Lord of the Admiralty transmitted inquiries
by electric telegraph to the Port-Admiral
down at Davonport, Sir JOHN OMMANNEY must
still display his public spirit, his professional energy,
and his official promptitude, by preserving a dogged
silence—so that, last evening in the House of Peers,
on the question put by Lord MONTEAGLF,
as to the fate of her MAJESTY'S steamer
Birkenhead, no information could be obtained
from his Grace the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND.
Really the indolence of this flag officer has past the
limits of farther endurance. The culpability of his
conduct in reference to the Amazon has now been en-
hanced and completed by his conduct in reference
to the unfortunate Birkenhead. Can it be possible,
we ask now with additional seriousness, can it be
possible that Sir JOHN OMMANNET can remain much
onger the Port-Admiral of Plymouth ? •

"Don't trouble yourself too much with the polling,

but mind the outwork, for its there the tenants will
shine." Such were the instructions of an Irish

andlord of the olden time to his representative, when
_ _ _

dismissing him in charge of a body of free and inde-
pendent electors to the county town. In those days,
"when GEORGE the THIRD was king," no sharply-
contested election was decided without many

physical encounters. The bludgeon men constituted
an important element in the support which every
candidate should secure. Bribery and corruption were
prevalent in every district. The agents on either aide
openly competed for votes ; they bid freely against
each other, while the coy elector listened to the in-
creasing offers until his cupidity was gratified.
There was, of course, an honourable !!) under-
standing that there should be no complaints on either
side: ILth played the game without disguise or
concealment, and the longest purse had a very decided

advantage.
But the open bribery was even leas objectionable
than the rioting and intimidation. The landlords

supporting the respective candidates brought down
their dependents, who sometimes took possession of

be town, and admitted none to the hustings

save those whose opinions accorded with their
All was rioting and drunkenness, and elec.
ons might have been characterised as occasions when,
,0 use the words of a distinguished author, " beating

was cheap, and intoxicating drinks plenty."
We had hoped, however, that the Reform Bill had
materially changed this state of affairs. We were
unfortunately but too well aware that an organized

system of corruption existed in many boroughs, but
it,was carried on quietly through the Mr. EDWARDSES

of the lolality, and every effort was made to keep it
"strictly private," and to prevent the opposite party
from obtaining proofs that might be rendered
available i❑ any petition to the House. Intimida-
tion, too, existed, but it was moral rather than phy-
sical. It was the significant hint of landlord to
tenant, of customer to tradesman, or of employer to
labourer ; bat those who had the hardihood to brave
these threats were permitted to proceed to the
hustings and to record their votes without any actual

obstruction. They might tremble at the but too
probable consequences, but they could bestow their
suffrages as they thought proper. _

The recent contest for the Monmouth boroughs
however, shows that there is a tendency to go back
to the practices of " the good old times" above re-
ferred to, and that tumults and riots will again
prevail, and mobs of armed ruffians constitute
a necessary description of support at every
election. It will be recollected that the question was
between a Protectionist and a Free-trader, the former
giving
employment gentleman of considerable local influence,
employment to several thousands in the mining dis-
tricts, the latter a gentleman of high and unimpeach-
able character, but resident in the neighbourhood of
the metropolis. Mr. LINDSAY started on the broad
principle of " purity of election." He would not
expend a single shilling on any but legitimate ex-
Pen's.; he would neither retain solicitors nor
hired
agents, open beer-shops, nor pay a single elec-
tor, directly 0i
Y indirectly,
he
aspitreed,aqnudaltillocations for his vote. These were
discouraging
all-important the
trusted his for the position to which
conditione, but the Hon. Gentleman
identity of his opinions on
the question o.
the great majority of the constituency. The experi-
mentf Untaxed food with
was, however, a bold one, in which
hoped for succ
an. t iaopi he scarcely
ess, until the result of the canvass,
carried on gratuitously by his patriotic committee,
pp ae ta re
de c.
1
°Ai
Then, indeed, his pros
equivocal promises in his favour, 9 distinct and un-
equivocal there were no less than
Hefar found
de
favourable than he could have
to his opponent, while 461 were l aßeinat 35 pledged
"doubtful
, and o
a most suspicious character. Of these
minded electors many had ese latter h.g f
h
ny declared z---
would stick to their colours, that they
accordance with their consciences (l) vote in
ences 0) after
o'clock, unless they got at least 201. two
from the Protectionist. E verything, therefore,Per heed
peered couleur de rose, andsanguine expectations al)"
were
entertained as to the result. Meanwhile the town
(Newport) was in a state of intense • excitement, and
all business was suspended for
several days. The
Protectionist, however, was not
idle in the interim.
All the solicitors in the district, save thefeithfulfew,
who gave their gratuitous services to the t r
ree-trader,
were retained, but no suspicious indications were ob-
served until the evening before
the election,
when it was found that many of the
ral voters could not be found—that they were
either out of the way or stowed in
mysterious
places that could not be discovered, standi
not •th •wing
the most scrutinizing search.
At length the important morning arrived.
The
polling commenced at eight a.m., and within two
hours "a whole street of small voters, who had un-
conditionally pledged themselves to the Reds (the
Free-traders), voted for the Blues (the Pro-
tectionists), while those who could only afford to
vote in accordance with their consciences (after two
o'clock), in the event of their not receiving 201. each,
had recorded their suffrages in favour of the Con-
servative before half-past nine. There was, however,
.no competition in the purchaie, and contrary to the