The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-07 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEIIII3ER 7, 1852.

Although the present extraordinary Session of
Parliament has been extended beyond the period
originally anticipated—it is certain to terminate
very speedily in consequence of the approach of
Christmas. February will be the limit of the
prorogation—until which time tb:e country will
have ample leisure to cone the results of the past,
and to meditate over the prospects of the future.
Experience will, under these circu instances, more
than ever influence the character ,of the national
anticipations. It will be rememb4 axed by the ma-
jority of the more reflective observers throughout
the country, that the
most significant, truth proclaimed by the New
House of Commons is—that there is no longer
principal, and. certainly the
any chance of retrogression. The policy of Great
Britain is now definitively decided— it is onward—

a policy of progress, and of impro'crement. Free
Trade is accepted even
leaders of the Protectionists. :Monopoly can
no more be dreaded in
by the mo A enthusiastic
the old direction —it
has yielded up its claims entirely to the trium-
phant principles of unrestricted competition.
Instead of endeavouring to force Vie people back
abandoned by them in 1846—the, Cabinet upon the re-acceptance of the commercial code
pre-
sided over by the chiefs of the country party,

inno-
vation. Cheap bread is
bles-
sing to the communit an iutevitable Pon the pathway of have actually advanced u
last, but seeing it, they find it by no
Y—they see that at
means enough for them under the circum-
stances. They consequently propose that not
merely cheap bread—but that cheap tea, and cheap
beer into the bargain, should be supplied to the
population. If the benefit of consirmers is really
to be the object of legislation—let that benefit,
say they (and reasonably enough too), be sought
out, not in one direction alone, butt in all direc-
tions, with impartiality. If we remit the duties
upon corn, let us at least relax theca. upon barley.
If we must needs have a Tariff supplying: the
nation with divers articles
longer cursed with the interdict of the Customs—
let us have tea (decidedly one of consumption no
of the necessaries of
life to a vast proportion of the multitude) as rea-
sonably as we possibly can, without any grievous
injury to the revenue. This is au. good—this is
toall the
reasonable—there
of is
thea lo
p in it that appeals
Illation. It is ab-
solutely, so far as the system goes, as nothing, if
common
sensepgcie
we restrict competition to this
article of
consumption that, to this
necessary of life and that—
unr estricted
ad.
--without man-
fullythat classe of xtending it
requisite :. Free-traders
themselves were the first to recognise the justice of
importations
the argument, and, therefore, it so. happened that
from no part of the House on :Friday evening
did warmer applause greet those ea rlier portions of
over
y mrp thet whole category of
the Financial Statement submitted_ to the Legisla-
ture with such very masterly l':ucidity by the
CHANCELLOR of the Tx
4 CHEQUER, than—strange
to remember—the occupants of the benches

of the Opposition. Here was turning
tables with a vengeance. Cons,3rvatives were
expanded, intellectually and :na orally,
Reformers. Wisdom had again been learnt at the
knees cif the political GAMALIEL. .As Sir ARCHI-
BALD ALISON says so admirably in his Great His-
tory, the original advocates of Free Trade were
ICISSON. SO it
ADAM SMITH and QUESNAY, and not either COB-
DEN, or BRIGHT, or PEEL, or Hus
has fallen out—the pebble dropped into the deeps
of opinion by the hand of the plilosopher, has
'wakened circle after circle in i perpetually in-
creasing expansion. The pebbl to in this in-
stance was the truth of the system now
known as the system of unrestriicted competi-