The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-14 00:00:00

The prorogation of Parliament at this time of the
year is an event which excites little interest. A
few "potent, grave, and reverend seignora" assemble
in discharge of a formal duty, and no one not im-
mediately concerned in the routine thinks it worth
while to step out of their way to look at them. Yet
the principle which lies at the bottom of this appa-
rently trivial and useless form is a very sound one,
as are most of the underlying motives of our con-
stitutional solemnities. The Septennial Act is a
national guarantee that the people shall be fairly
represented in the government of the country, with-
out depending upon the caprice of a despotic mo-
narch or the equally dangerous and tyrannical will
of revolutionary leaders. It is true that in either
case the tyrant or the anf rch might act in defiance
of the law had they sufficient power, but there it
stands as a substantial protest on behalf of consti-
tutional government. Moreover, neither tyranny
nor anarchy is established in a day, and these forms
are the outworks which any invader of national
rights will have to break through, and by which
attempt he will give timely warning of his motives
and intentions. When the Parliament reassembles
next spring it will probably be for the last session
of the present House of Commons; a fact which no
one except its own immediate members will
be much disposed to regret. It began its
course on the 31st of May, 1859, and
consequently has a right to exist until May, 1866,
since by the terms of the A3t the seven years
of a Parliament's life are reckoned from th© day
on which it assembles. Many persons imagine
that the seventh session of a Parliament must
necessarily be the last, bat this is a misapprehen-
sion, since there may be any number of sessions
within the given seven years. It is therefore
possible that our faineant dynasty may see fit to
prolong their present comfortable existence by
retaining the compliant members of the existing
House as long as possible. When a building is
tottering on its foundation, any shock or change is
much to be deprecated, and no doubt Lord PAL-
MERSTON would prefer to let the memories of his
Danish policy grow a little fainter in the
popular remembrance before he tests the feeling of
the country by a general election. It is, however,
always customary to dissolve in the sixth year, so
whether the etiquette will be observed or no remains
to be seen. At any rate, we may reasonably hope
for a little more energy next session, though Re-
formers must apparently rest and be thankful, and
ask no inconvenient questions. Whether they will
be contented to obey this emphatic injunction is a
question for the session of 1865 to solve, but the
growing feeling of the country will not support
them in inaction. A calm often precedes as well as
follows a storm, and the present lull in the Perlis-
mentary atmosphere might perhaps, had we political
as well as meteorological storm signals, foretel a
tempest of no ordinary description.

The public will learn with great satisfaction that
the long and harassing war in New Zealand has
been brought to a close. For E3OlllO time past its
immediate coneusion has been looked upon as almost
hopeless, and we in this country at least were be
ginning to resign ourselves to a winter of inaction
before any further steps could be taken towards
the pacification of the colony. Rumour, however,
began to whisper that famine had proved a power-
ful ally, and that the brave and daring Maories,
who have proved no contemptible antagonists even
to our troops when behind their entrncehments,
were slowly but surely succumbing to the influence
of a more insidious but not less deadly foe. happily
these reports have proved to be well grounded, and
within the last two days a telegram has been re-
ceived at the Foreign Office, conveying the welcome
intelligence that on the sth and Gth of August a
meeting took place at Tauranga between the
Governor of New Zealand and the natives, at which
the Maories submitted unconditionally to the
QUEEN'S authority, and placed their lands at the
Governor's disposal. Such a conclusion disposes
most satisfactorily of the difficulty which had grown
to be a serious one, and was threatening the fortunes
of the colony in an alarming manner. The most
rigid disciplinarian could not exa,t more than