The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-14 00:00:00

C,37V
LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1852.

Unquestionably about the most popular of all the
Ministerial appointments made by the Earl of DERBY
in the process of constructing his Administration, was
that by which the Admiralty Board was announced to
be presided over by his Grace the Duke of NORTHUM-
BEEL&ND. From the outset we asserted as much,
and every month that has elapsed since the formation
of the existing Cabinet has only tended the more en-
tirely to convince us of the accuracy of our first im-
pression. It was simply natural, indeed, that the
Royal Navy of England should be presided over by
ene of the officers in that profession. As natural as
it must always be, of course, for the soldiers of Great
Britain to look for a General or a Field-Marshal in
the responsible office of Commander -in. Chief. Yet,
such being indisputably the case, we have bad the
chagrin of beholding the affairs of the maritime service
of the United Kingdom entrusted to the guidance
—not of a sea-captain, but of a civilian !
A gentleman in black—mind ! with the libel Act
before us we don't say, expressly the gentleman in
black, but a gentleman in black—instead of a gentle-
man in blue, bas been authorised to exercise supreme
authority over the whole of the naval system in—of
all countries in the wide world—England. Even
Upon gala days the disgrace thus reflected upon the
moat national of our warlike professions was but
slightly shrouded from observation. Then, if no
mere gentleman in black paraded in the midst of a
glittering group of veteran flag-officers—it was
simply because " the presiding genius of the place"
was transformed for the nonce into a Right Honour-
able Administrator, bedi
zsned in the Windsor uni-
form ! Happily things are o
ow-a-days not so managed.
Since the DERBY Ministry
was
gazetted in February,
the naval officers of this country have
had the satisfaction
of bearing in remembrance the fact that one of their
own number is now formally installed at the head of
the Board of Admiralty—and that "One of their own
number," no less distinguished a sailor than his Grace
the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND.
Fortunately the circumstance here referred
to has
fraught with no empty war f
proved already one ac..
tion. Already within the last six or seven mouths,
namely, ever since the Earl of DERBY and his eol.
leagues were inducted into the localities. renowned as
the favourite abode of power in Westminster, being,
in fact, removed to Downing-street just as the pre-
ceding Ministry were settling uncomfortably down in
Queer-street—we have found repeated cause to con-
gratulate the nation at large upon the restoration
of the original order of things in regard to
the system of maritime organization. Several
" crying abuses" have in this manner been already
effectually removed. Several acts of justice have, in
a manner equally prompt and praiseworthy, been
performed. Descending to more minute particulars
—the shameful indifference displayed in reference to
the incomplete state of the Nelson Testimonial in
Trafalgar-square—one of the most melancholy instead
of (as it should have been) one of the most glorious
sights in the metropolis—has been anything but
emulated by the Board of Admiralty, now that it is
presided over by a sailor as devoted to his profession
as his Grace the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND. Pre-
parations it will have been remarked by all those who
n
have recently been • _
i trout of the National Gallery
have been some time
making for affixing the last
bronze to the Pedestal—that commemorative of the
earliest victory gained bylour immortal hero, that by
which he may be said to have piirchaaed an Earldom
for his commanding officer by his memorable dis-
obedience of orders off Cape St. Vincent. Does any
one bear in recollection poor Tom boon's grotesque
little woodcut of NELSON'S statue on the summit of
that unfortunate column in Trafalgar-square?—with
the imperial eagle of Russia perched upon the Cooked
hat, holding in its (the eagle's not the cocked hat's)
claw a purse of five-hundred sovereigns, and under-
neath—

" There are more things 'twixt Heaven and EArtb,
Hatio,
Than were dreamt of is your philosophy."

Unluckily the disgrace cast upon the nation by
that miserable 500/. cannot be so very readily effaced.
Insomuch, however, as the supplementary odium of
negligence in this matter of the monument
is concerned, his Grace the First Lord of
the Admiralty appears to be eager by every reason-
able means to remove from the national escutcheon
one portion at least of this odious blot of ingratitude.
After the raising of the last bronze to its destined
cavity in the pedestal, we shall hope to witness very '
speedily the appearance of the four colossal granite
couch Ant, gardam"—bringing the Testi-