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

ettenilla 21111 L

LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1852.

Unquestionably about the most popular of all the
Ministerial appointments made by the Earl of DEBBY
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 Norereium-
MERLAND. 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-
tirsly 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
one 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 !
Ab gentleman in black—mind ! with the libel Act
us we don't say, expressly the gentleman in
black, but a gentleman in black—instead of a gentle-
mauate
n authority over the whole of the naval system in—of
co
entries in the wide world—England. Even
le' ea gala
days the disgrace thus reflected upon the
in et national of our
seghtly shrouded from
warlike professions was but
o
mere gentleman in blackservation. Then, if no
paraded in the midst of a
glittering group of veteran
flag-officera—it was
simply because "the Presiding
emus of the place"
S transformed-for the nonce
into a Right Honour-
ibis Administrator, bedizened in the
Windsor uni-
for m ► Happily things are now-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 ow,
number," no less distinguished a sailor than his Grace
the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND.
Fortunately the circumstance here referred to has
proved Already one fraught with no empty satisfac-
tion. Already within the last six or seven months,
namely, ever since the Earl of DERBY and his col-
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
erring abuses" have in this manner been already
effectually removed. Several acts of justice have, in
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_scitiar
of (as it
should have
of the most melancholy instead
evte been) one of the most glorious
sights in the metropolis—.has
emulated by the Board °f olle—has been anything but
Admiralty, now that it is
presided over by a sealer
as devoted to his profession
'l3 his Grace the Duke of
oiertiuMBERLAND. Pre-
parations it will have been
remarked by all those who
of
have recently been in front the National Gallery
have been some time making for affixing
the last
bronze to the pedestal_—that cora,
ernorative of the
earliest victory gained by our immortal
hero,
that by
which be may said to have purchased
an Earldom
for his commanding officer by his memorable
disra
obedience of orders off Cape St. Vincent. Does
an'
one bear in recollection poor Tom Hoop's grotesque
little woodent of NELSON'S statue on the summit of
that unfortunate column in Trafalgar-square ?—with
the imperial eagle of Russia perched upon the cocked
hat, heating in its (the eagle's not the cocked hat's)
claw' a purse of five-hundred sovereigns, and under-
nev.th—

" There are more thing 3 'isvist Heaven and Earth,
Horatio,
Than were dreamt of in your philoy?phY•"

Unluckily the disgrace cast upon the nation by
that miserable 5001. cannot be 90 very readily effaced.
Insomuch, however, as the Sup-AP sn tar! odium cf
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 bronzy to its destined
Cavity in the pedestal, we shall hope to witness very
speedily the appearance of the four colossal granite
lions.-"oonchant, gardant"—bringing the Testi-

THE SUN,

monial to its long-a;s,irfld and by many ler g despaired-

of state of completion.
Simultaneously with these bonourabl efforts to
"set the finishing touch" to the principal :among he
national tributes to Lord NI:Loom, there have been
making other efforts yet more honourable to compen-
sate to some small extent the diplorable neglect ghown
for forty-seven years towards one of 69 officers of
that heroic and immortal commander. During the
last few days we have bad the satisfaction of referring
in our naval intelligence more than once to the recent
bestowal upon Lieutenant JOHN POLLARD of the
lieutenant's out-pension of Greenwich. It is griev-
ously characteristic of the naval service of England
that such should have been the tardy recompense ac-
corded to a brave old tar who was born as far back as
1787, and who entered the maritime profession, in
which he has been so disgracefully overlooked, as early
as 1797. Lieutenant POLLARD, the signal midshipman
on board the Victory at the memorable battle of Tra-
falgar, has thus, it will be observed, had to wait until
1852 for even a feeble recognition of his eminent claims
upon the country—and this recognition bas only
been accorded now that the Board of Admiralty is
presided over by a distinguished brother officer like
the Duke Of NORTHIJAIDERLAND.

Whenever the Great Unpaid have a chance, they
notoriously distinguish themselves ; at times they
move us to anger by the pertinacity with which they
apply themselves to the persecution and prosecution
of unhappy violators of the Game Laws ; but some-
times, also, by way of relief—mingling comedy with
tragedy—they indulge the public with a touch of the
ludicrous. As a matter of course, the Great Unpaid
know very little of the law; nor can they be blamed,
though they may pitied, for their ignorance—save
and except, indeed, that they are scarcely justified
in undertaking the performance of judicial duties,
without possessing a requisite knowledge of the law.
On Saturday, the complaint of the Anti-Cruelty to
Animals Society versus Cremorne Gardens—with
which the public have been dosed, usque ad nauseum,
—was brought before the Magistrates at Ilford Petty
Sessions. It was then and there known (for it
had been publicly announced previous to that day)
that the proprietor of the gardens had determined not
to allow a repetition of anything of the sort com-
plained of. The Society, however, having got a po-
pular case, went in for their " pound of flesh "—in
the shape of a fine or conviction. Now and then,
by way of showing that it lives, the Society makes a
grand display : we earnestly wish, that, for the sake
of humanity, they would be half as vigilant as re-
gards the ordinary cases of cruelty to animals which
are daily occurring in the streets. They have such
magnanimous sympathy for ballooned ponies and
bulls, that they take them from Acton to West-
minster, and thence into E ssex. But we never
hear of their watching and prosecuting the bull-
baitings and bull-rushings in the classic vi-
cinity 'of Smithfield. Let then Mr. Thomas
only take his stand in Snow-hill on any Friday
in the year, anti we promise him an abundance
of cases to bring before the magistrates. This Cre-
morne case, however, by its notoriety, will be "meat,
drink, food, and clothing" (like the ale of the Lich-
field Boniface) for the next twelve months.
At Ilford, on Saturday, the complaint was, that
Madme POITEVIN had gone up on a heifer attached to
a balloon, which had ascended from Cremorne Gar-
dens, of which Mr. SIMPSON is the lessee. (We may
state, parenthetically, that we really have been unable
to discover the interest, in any way, of pony or bull
ascents. They are, to our taste, as absurd as what
are magnificently called " polanderic feats.") The
magistrates present, at these Petty Sessions, are said
to have been Mr. W. Davis, Chairman ; and Messrs.
G. FRY, 0. MASHITER, and II'NAUGHTEN. Mr.
Tnosus, the secretary of the Society, appeared for
the prosecution ; and Mr. PARRY, as counsel,
and Mr. LEWIS, solicitor, for the defendants. At
the commencement of the proceedings Mr. Thomas
said he wished to inform the magistrates that a course
had been suggested by Mr. Panay, who appeared for
the defendants, which was this, that they should plead
guilty, and consent to pay the full penalty of 51. each,
they undertaking that in future no such exhibitions
should take place at Cremorne. They also proposed
to take the opinion of the magistrates as to whether
Madame POITEVIN was legally liable to the penalty,
as it was alleged that she WAS at the time acting under
the direction and control of her husband. If the
Bench approved of such a course, he, on the part of
the prosecution, had no objection.
This, which involved the great point sought by the
Society (namely, the conviction), might have settled
the matter, one would have thought. And ro it
would before a Stipendiary Magistrate who had
common sense—but not so with the Great Unpaid.
They determined to make a field-day of it, to hear
what the lawyers had to say, "to confine themselves
to the legal points," and to have the honour and glory
of speechifying thereafter. So they heard counsel
at great length, his last sentence being, "I need cite
no authorities to show that it has been uniformly held
that where a woman acts in concert with her husband,
and in his presence, she is taken to be under his con-
trol, and is not in any way liable in point of law. I
am grateful for your courtesy in allowing me to
make this brief statement; you have given me a lati-
tude with I know I could only have received from
your courtesy; and I rely upon the strong feeling
and sense of justice that characterise English tribu-
nals, that you will take into consideration not only
the fact itself, but all the circumstances connected
with it, and that you will be of opinion that Mr.
SIMPSON was not altogether unjustified in entering
into the original engagement. I will say on his be-
half that no man feels more, after what has been said
upon this topic, than Mr. SIMPSON, that he never
again ought to allow, and he pledges himself per-
sonally that he never will allow, any ascent of
animals to take place."
The Chairman is said to have then delivered the
andtrui
following remarkable speech :
" We all of us feel the deep importance of this offence,
the question was one which—l believe I can speak
1 acirtteeshtei here as ars,
vie were all determined previously to come to a
.conclusion this day upon the subject. We now, in this
situation, are not sitting as an ordinary tribunal—we
of this judge and jury upon a most deeply-important
kignarcrng the welfare, and peace, and morality
situation—ig,ll,9erei:no doubtb whatever but that the eyes, not
I have no doubt, in my humble
only of the
perhaps the eyes of pail: lie are on us at this instant, but
matter.—(Seriaatton.) I Europeth are upon this most serious
brother
shall, with the greatest
pleasure, retire with lYthriother magistrates to consider
have been selected. The
the two points which
and let tlii clearly understand it—is whether
point
tf
is
accusation or in-
whether, as regards
we
her husband or
first
tshpaolilnet—nter into the
formation; and the next
the lady, she was under the control
rot? Under these circumstances
years. we will retirue saunbd-
roreeis:ntubst take care
that no decision of ours shall comp
"The DEEP importance of
tag which has prevailed
Thereforein this country
je eo °III
at s (ei dt??ur fsot hrt
take
13 nubreath subject.ad nel that high feeI.POITEVIN, to Wit, personating
this offenCe"—
Eurtora on a heifer attached to a balloon. The Mae
gistrates sitting, " as judge and jury" (Mark the gram..
mar !), on a matter " involving the welfare, and
peace, and morality of this kingdom"--trade would
decline, war with France would ensue, and public
morals would be swamped—unless the Essex justices
discussed the question, after the defendants, having
erred through inadvertence, had pleaded guilty ! And
then, the exquisite finish, that " perhaps, THE EYES OF
ALL EUROPE are upon this most serious matter." With
the exception of Justice SHALLOW and Sir E. PEEL S
" three tailors in Tooley-street, calling themselves
' we, the people of England,' " there never was such
grandiloquence as this. " The eyes of all Europe,"
we assure the public, are not directed either to Essex
wordy calves or Essex magistrates !
After another speech from the Chairin an—thrice as
and six times as absurd as the abe) ve—in which
ne is rude to say (we hope. erroneoinsly), " As a
constantly
I was
scenesE of riot and disgusting. exhibitions,"c
schooled in a public house, rind there were
—each defendant '
was tatted 51. and costs, being
exactly whit bad been offered, in subni ssion, at the
opening of the case ! But, then, had en, the matter been
cut Aort at the Comm encement, we Sh a aid not have
had the Chairman's
"eyes of all Europes " harangue.
a magisterial
So, he appeared as " Sir i) racle," and
said his say. It is true that he attempt( .d to explain
why he was diffuse and tedi •
ous. "PE rhaps," said
he, after alluding to his own early scho Ain g, "per-
haps I am extending my observations
a little more
than is needful ; but I think the cue does; require a
little more expression of opinion on the part of gentle-
men like agrcelves than any ordinary ti ansaction that