The Sun.
London, England, 1830-06-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF. TUE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

By the French Papers of Wednesday, which ar-
rived yesterday, we have received the circular of
the Minister of the Interior, addressed to the Pre-
fects of departments, in reference to the conduct
which these functionaries ought to pursue on the
approaching elections. If any directions were at all
necessary on the occasion, nothing could be more
unexceptionable or even laudable than the direc-
tions here given. The ministerial letter is limited
almost to an affair of police and ii.ternal tranquil-
lity. It gives no advice on the management of the
electoral colleges, and no order for the officers of

the departmental administration to vote with the
Cabinet. In this respect M. de Peyronnet, though
one of the great anti-constitutional bugbears in
France, is more constitutional than any of his col-
leagues in the Cabinet, or any of the officers of the
inferior departments of administration. The chiefs
of the law, of the post-office, of the customs, of the
Royal domains and other departments, have all
called upon their subordinate agents to exert them-
selves for their patrons at the ensuing electoral
struggle. M. de Peyronnet, in his published circu-
lar, is more reserved or more dexterous. We
should not wonder, therefore, if his enemies, the
Liberals, should pretend to find out that this mani-
festo was only a blind, and that the public circular
was accompanied by secret instructions which neu-
tralized its effect. Into these mysteries we pretend
not to be initiated, and therefore shall leave our
readers to make out their own creed, or to form
their own opinions from tile event, or from subse-
quent disclosures. It is needless to add, that our
neighbours have different notions of constitutional
law from us, and that circulars similar to those lately
addressed to the French people, could be issued in
this country on the eve of a general election, with-
out a danger of being threatened at least by an im-
peachment on the first day of the meeting of the
new Parliament.—Times.
Yesterday being the anniversary of the battle of
Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington gave, as has been
his custom, an entertainment to those military
officers of rank who served under his orders in that
memorable conflict, and are now in London or its

neighbourhood. We cannot imagine any occur-
rence more interesting to men who have borne a
conspicuous part in great events, than this occasion
for a festive and friendly recall of sympathies which
many years before a common danger and common
glory bad created. No vulgar difference, no political
or accidental estrangement, could stand for one
moment before the talisman of such recollections.

The host would forget that he was any thin, but a
victorious chieftain—the guests that he had em-
barked in a new career, where the majority of them
were no longer qualified to be his instruments or
auxiliaries in the attainment of what to them would
be uncongenial honours. The Duke of Wellington
is in this respect to be envied beyond every English.
man who has preceded him for many ages—that he

has not only surpassed all other men in the applica-
;ion of his country's power to the discomfiture and
ruin of her enemies, but by efforts still nobler,
because more unquestionably disinterested, has
succeeded where others must have despaired, in
securing to England, under manifold obstructions,
a long continuance of that repose which nothing
but victories like his could have accomplished; 'and
has left for the honest historian to put on record,
that the greatest warrior of his time was the most
zealous tranquillizer of domestic discord; and
towards foreign states all over the world, the most
forbearing and pacific Minister that has swayed the
Councils of Great Britain. As long as the Noble
Duke shall show in his civil career the same firm-
ness, uprightness, and clear-sightedness which cha-
racterised his military service, he will find us ready
supporters—if, which we do not anticipate, he shall
deviate from that line of honour, he will find that
we can be an active and persevering, if no a
formidable foe.—Timer.
An account has been printed, by order of the
House of Commons, of the amount of Bank notes
and Bank post bills of the Bank of England in Cir-
culation, at the close of business on every Saturday
for the three years ending on the 6th of April,
1829, and likewise for the three years ending on the
6th of April, 1830. The object for which-this re-
turn has been demanded and made out is, no doubt,
laudable. The information which it contains,
although too minute for general purposes, may .be
fused to great advantage as an element of reasoning,
in speculations and discussions on the currency and
exchanges. As a general result, this table showaan
average diminution of Bank-notes to the amounts of
623,0871. in the latter, as compared with the forther
triennial period; the average being, for the three
years ending April, 1829, 21,243,5061., and for the
three years ending April last, 20,620,4171. These
tables, arranged and printed years after the stnte
of things to which they relate, have undoubtedly
their use as data for financial reasoning ; but
if the Bank can communicate such weekly ;in-
formation, after the lapse of years, why have
we not these hebdomadal statements in each
Saturday's or Tuesday's Gazette? The Bank of
England is not a private Corporation, dealing only
with its own funds, and managing the deposits of its
customers ; it is the State engine, the working of
our monetary system—it is an important appendage
to the Treasury—it has usurped or borrowed some
of the privileges of the Mint—it coins money for
the King's subjects. Its operations ought therefore
to be narrowly watched ; and its weekly issues
should be announced, both asa check on the caprices
of its management, and as a guide to the monied'in-
terest of the nation. Nothing can better evince 'the
public character of its transactions, and the connec-
tion of its issues with the wants of the Exchequer,
than the circumstances that the amount of its circu-
lation immediately changes with the period of the
quarterly dividends. Thus we find in the tableste-
fore us, that there is a difference of 3,000,0001. or
4,000,0001. between the sth and 15th of the months
of January, April, July, and October of every year,
coinciding with the periods for the quarterly pay-
ments to the national creditor. What rational ob-
jection can possibly exist to the Meekly publicwion
of the issues of such a public body' as this ?—Times.

It would be premature to express any opinion at
present upon Mr. Brougham's Bill for establishing
local jurisdictions, to render the administration of
justice, in certain cases, cheap and expeditious. We
hope that this, or some other measure to effect the
same end, will soon be submitted to the test of ex-
periment. It does not appear as if Government had
any serious intention of trying any plan of their own
for this purpose, although it is now six years since
Mr. Peel promised to bring forward something of
the kind in place of Lord Althorp's project for re-
viving the efficiency of the County Courts, which
he was induced to abandon, and, as it was believed
tat the tirue, on the understanding that Government
would take the subject into their own hands. Cer-
tainly allusion was made in Parliament to a plan
said to be in progress for establishing a new juris-
diction to try small debts, and other inferior causes,
under which the country was to be divided into
circuits, with two Barristers, of a certain standing,
appointed as Judges to each circuit. Whether there
was ever any serious intention of carrying this plan
into effect, or whether, in the Ministerial revolu-
tions that have since taken place in Downing-street,
it was forgotten, we cannot tell. All we know is
that, as " part and parcel" of the question of legal
reform, it has shared the fate of the general question
—it has put out the blossoms of hope for a season,
but has not been allowed to ripen into reality. As
to the revival of the County Courts, we must confess
that, when old institutions, once eminently useful,
but that have fallen into comparative neglect and
insignificance, are capable of being effectively re-
formed, we would rather see them restored to their
original condition than superseded by others of a
novel and experimental character. The theory of
the County Courts is as excellent as it is constitu-
tional ; but the practice cannot, without great altera-
tions► be made available to the relief and imptovc-
meat of the administration of justice at the present