The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-08 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1863.

CHARLES LAMB'S Essay upon Roast Pig has long
since familiarised us all with the brilliant idea
occurring to the Chinese discoverer of that same
delicious edible, immediately after his (luckily)
burning his fingers with the hot crackling and then
tasting it ! His instant notion being—who by any
possibility can have forgotten it P—the conflagra-
tion of a whale house, to furnish forth again that
one savoury and entrancing dish. Not an Elian
Philosopher since CHARLES LAMB wrote that re-
nowned Essay—that Essay of Essays, ELIA'S
masterpiece—but has exulted, of course, over the
Chinaman's notion as over a flash of genius, reading
on (whenever the book opened at that chapter) with
a watering month, tinning the well-thumbed leaves
until they could be turned no longer for very
laughter. Laugh, however, as we may at the
Chinaman's simple but rather costly plan of burning
down a house to get at a dinner—of Roast Pig !
England has been doing now for nearly two hundred
years past very much the same kind of thing, is
actually doing it still, or at any rate conniving at
its being done. Nay, not simply permitting and
authorising a proceeding as ridiculous in its extra-
vagance as that suggested in the realms of fancy
frequented by the Great Humorist's imagination,
but one far and away still more preposterous in its
absurdity, in its utter fatuity, in its ultra-extrava-
gance. And this, not for a dinner or a dish, but for a
garment or the mere trimming of a garment. During
the reign of Ktng CHARLES 11., in the year 1670,
otherwise one hundred and ninety-three years ago,
a Reyal Charter was granted by his MAJESTY to
the Hadson's Bay Company, by the name of "The
Governor and Company of Adventurers of England
trading into Hudson's Bay." And by this Charter
a vast tract of territory was vested in the
Company, together with the sole right of
trade and commerce, and, with that right, all
" mines royal," as well then ::::scovered as not
discovered in those same vast and fertile regions of
North America. The Company has since then been
in existence ara—working. The Royal Charter has
since then, with one or two renewals, been in force
continuously—is still in force to this day. To what
end—we all know. To the end that that gigantic
territory, in dimensions about the size of the half of
Europe, shall enable the said Company of Adven-
turers, as represented by the successors of the origi-
nal projectors of the same, to trade year after
year prcfitably for themselves in—fur I Whenever
the fact here referred to is thus put plainly
in so
many words, it seems to us each time, almost be-
yond the reach of credibility that it should be, as we
have here stated. And yet it incontrovertibly zs
precisely as we have stated it, and it has been so
now for close upon two centuries. Familiar though
the fact is, notorious though it is, as (for we may
actually call it this) a geographical, a political, a
social, and even a religious anomaly, an anomaly
affecting detrimentally the interests of mankind,
whether in regard to civilisation or in re-
gard to Christianity—it is just now vividly
and especially brought under our con-
sideration by the circumstance that the
whole of the Hudson's Bay Company's territory
en masse is now being talked of as having been
transferred by that company to an entirely new
company, this latter being entitled the International
Financial Company, Limited. A brief bat perti-
nent and suggestive letter, addressed to ourselves,
and signed " Traveller," will be found in another
part of our impression of this evening—in the
course of which communication the writer throws
out a hint that we sincerely hope may at once be
acted upon—a hint, namely, to the effect that the
whole of this extraordinary affair be forthwith venti-
lated in the House of Commons. For some few
weeks past it has been the subject of a good
deal of club talk. It seems to us still a thing
almost beyond belief that so vast a territory should
be coolly made a matter of mere ordinary barter
between a couple of mercantile associations. An
answer ought certainly to be elicited from the re-
sponsible Minister upon the Treasury bench. And
under any circumstances the opportunity ought
to be seized, or if not within our grasp it ought
as rapidly as possible to be made and grasped—
an opportunity, by availing ourselves of which, we
might at length turn to better account so noble a
dominion as that which has hitherto been set apart
for the mere acquisition of fur as an article of cora-
mere% A country having an estimated area of

1,400,000 sqnare miles,or in other words of upwards
of 896,000,000 acres—.a good part of the soil of
which is wonderfully fertile, bearing wheat and
other cereal crops in abundance—ought assuredly,
for the national good, for the general advantage
even of mankind, to be turned to a little better
account than the comparatively poor and humble
account to which we have hitherto turned it.

The resolution moved by Mr. COCHRANE last
evening appears on the whole to be an advisable
one. The terms were as follow :—" That the large
sums annually voted for public buildings and im-
provements in the metropolis are not expended in a
satisfactory manner, and that with a view to the
efficiency of the Office of Works, it should be consti-
tuted on a different busis." Mr. COCHRANE explained
that his object was that the Government might con-
sider the subject during the recess, so that arrange-
ments might be made which would enable the
Office of Works more adequately to carry out the
requirements of the public service. The hon. gen-
tleman truly said that he thought theftaoctioe wfthaesiar
having had so many discussions on this topic
reason why the resolution should be moved.
not the fault of that House that the architecture
It
w ao
sf
the country was so indifferentinbdyetehdeir theyvo hadte of
tifi
ed their marked disapproval
other night.
ns inasmuch as the structure
of The
Commons,
was much indebted to
tahtesoHuothuse
Kensington wasnboteitog to remain
,jy o afodr visegrearc;,
to the country. Instead of
went on to criticise at length t Mfaulty r' C°CEiitANEit would have been an incubus.
h,.e
arrange-
ments at present in vogue. He thought many in-
consistencies accrue from the First Commissioner
being constantly changed, the average term of office
by that individual being seldom more than two
years. The consequence was each new official de-
ranged the plans, and overthrew what had been
done by their predecessors. He blamed no particu-
lar commissioner, but what he blamed was the sys-
tem. He then enumerated some of the vast sums
voted for different purposes, which seemed never
applied in a right form. So much as £BO,OOO had
been voted for putting a floating light on the Little
Bass's Rock, Ceylon, which was a reckless and
extraordinary proceeding. He then referred to a
remark made by the noble lord at the head of the
Government—" Oar streets are narrow, our open
spaces seem small, our public buildings not
showy. What is the reason of the inferiority of
this city as compared with other first-rate towns in
regard to the condition of the space occupied and
the character of the buildings ?" The noble lord
had argued that the inferiority was attributable to
the Board of Works. Mr. GLADSTONE had also
said that for a long time it had been observed, and
with rare unanimity, that every possible evil of
vacillation, uncertainty, delay, and expense, and
many others, attended our method of management
of these great questions of public works. The hon.
member concluded his impressive speech with the
following words—" Was this state of things to go
on for ever ? Perhaps the house was not aware of
the amount of money which was spent on these
public works with such unsatisfactory results.
Since 1848 no less than £2,273,000 had been ex-
pended in that way, and all they got for the money
were the ' Brompton boilers,' the National Gallery,
and the additions to the British Museum. The
hon. member for Finsbury had proposed that the
First Commissioner should, as in France, be sur-
rounded by a body of practical advisers. Had such
a system been in operation he did not believe that
the scene of Thursday last would have been possible.
Either the council would have appreciated the
objections to the buildings, or they would have
recommended :he purchase with such authority
that it would have been at once agreed to." Mr.
COWPER, of course, was at some pains to do awa y
with the impression made by Mr. COCHRANE'S
speech, but he did not succeed very well. He denied
that the department of the Office of Works was
responsible for the public buildings referred
to by Mr. COCHRANE. The question that naturally
suggests itself to the mind on hearing this state-
ment is, of what use is that establishment at all;
and ought it not to be responsible ? He considered
that the office ought to be increased in authority
instead of being diminished, and he thought that a
great part of the faults complained of in regard to
public buildings was owing to the Government not
having sufficient authority. This is quite absurd,
because the Government of the day can always
control these matters at the outset, and when Mr.
COWPER referred to the nostrums of gentlemen who
thought they knew better than their neighbours,
he had better have looked at home, among his
friends and coadjutors, who glory in the erection of
frightful buildings, and appear to thtnk all archi-
tectural objects are satisfied provided large sums of
money are spent in their construction. It is a pity
that some redeeming point should not appear in the
history of this wasted session. The House might
have, at least, agreed to a resolution which urged
the Government to reconsider its ways and to
amend its faults and imperfect arrangements. Mr.
CowrEß has had his way, but it ought not really
to be matter of rejoicing to him or any of his col-
leagues that more immunity is accorded to them to
deface the metropolis of the world with hideous
structures, and to lavish sums that might rebuild
ruined cities or works that no continental capital
would allow to remain a day to disgrace their na-
tional taste, and to be a scandal to their reputation
as critics of the excellent admirers of the beautiful
in sculpture and architecture.

It is highly satisfactory to all who have taken
part in forwarding' the Public Works (Manufac-
turing Districts) Bill, to find so eminent an autho-
rity as the Earl of DERBY raising his voice in its
favour. Few men have had more opportunity than
the noble earl of arriving at sound and just con-
clusions with respect to the extent and the character
of the Lancashire distress. His position in the
county, and long residence among them, must have
familiarised him long ago to the peculiarities of the
quick-witted 4, hands" of the neighbouring dis-
tricts ; while the liberality, the energy, and the
readiness which he has displayed on their behalf
since the first signs of general distress, have set a
noble example to
his compeers. One of the first
who assembled in
deliberation at Bridgewater
House, he was speedily elected
caused
ehdi sby associates
deathto
fill the vacancy unexpectedly
of their noble chairman, and since he has assumed
this
the presidency of important and powerful
' organisation he has allowed no claims to interfere
with his fulfilment of its onerous and laborious
duties, The large subscriptions which he has added
to the coffers of the Relief Fund have been less re-
hmeahr ka
sa bs lo
e readily
ts, than the time, thought,
His efforts in the cause
accorded. t, and labour
e,
have been universally appreciated and respected,
and the expression of his opinion in any
connected with the Lancashire distress carries with
a t t matter
r
it very great weight. It is, therefore, satisfactory
to find the noble earl expressing his decided ap-
proval of the measure introduced by Mr. VtLuEns,
and remarking that he considered it to be founded
upon reasonable principles, and calculated to give
considerable relief to the manufacturing districts.
Lord DERBY then proceeded to give some particu-
lars respecting the present condition of the relief
fund. He remarked that he believed the extent