The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-09 00:00:00

MS, (044' .'...V.e.))*:44

LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1863.

Again Mr. GLADSTONE has thought better of it.
He is unconvinced, of course—he always is—that
he can in any way be guilty of error. The prin-
ciple of taxing Clubs he still maintains to be the
right principle—just exactly as he says precisely
the very same thing in regard to the principle of
taxing Charities. Yet, again, in regard to Clubs,
he does (last night) precisely what he did (a night
or two previous) in regard to Charities. The
House, in each instance, will have notice of it—
that is of Mr. GLADSTONE'S new fiscal crotchet.
And so—very wisely, very discreetly, very judi-
ciously, but still to the last, we repeat, obstinately
unconvinced that he CAN, by any possibility, be in
error—Mr. GLADSTONE drops it. He a'id the rest
of his colleagues have such an extremely wholesome
fear of the division lists—they are getting sick and
tired of eternally seeing it handed over to the
tellers of the Opposition. The thing with them is
becoming at length quite tedious, quite mono-
tonous. Hence it is that we are witnessing

even Mr. GLADSTONE, s growing cap, city—
coolly, under the observation of the whole House—
for swallowing—his own proposition ! It is not
that he chews his leek slowly and deliberately from
the white root to the green stalk—he just simply,
as one might say, bolts it whole ! With
a wry
look askance--when nobody happens to be watch.
ing him—at that pitiless, remorseless FLUELLEN
sitting opposite ! The effect becomes all the mare
ludicrous in each instance precisely because the
Chancellor of the Exchequer still continues
to hold so obdurately by his own opinions—the
very opinions he is abandoning or acknowltdging,
at least, to be powerless.
Altog?ther the present Ministry is surely the
most exhilirating Ministry the country has had
the amusement of being governed by, for a long
while. Say since the later months of the last MEL.
EGURNE Administration ! Then, as now, the Prime
Minis'er was the pleasantest, the liveli the most
beloved and admired of careless joke-masters.
Then, as now, his colleagues were perpetually
doing nothing except making ineffectual attempts
to guide and influence the Legislature : getting
again and again defeated, carrying no reforms
whatever, and yet still pertinaciously olinging to
office. Nevertheless we have, in regard to the pre-
sent Cabinet, at least the satisfaction of being ex-
hilarated not only by the speeches of the Laughing

Philosopher who is at its head, but even by his and
his colleagues' failures. Time after time there
was proof of this—only as recently as last evening.
Mr. HENLEY, in bringing up the report of the
Committee as to the proposed extinction of the City
Police Force, virtually pronounces the extinction
of Sir GEORGE GREY'S pet project. Whereat
there is " laughter" and " cheers" in the House
of Commons. Sir ROBERT PEEL another while
announces that the intention of the Govern-
ment as to the Registration of Assurances
(Ireland) Bill cannot be declared then by
him as Secretary for Ireland, but will be de-
cided upon and duly announced a little later on.
Again " Laughter" from the House of Commons !
While Mr. GLADSTONE'S earlier announcement last
evening that his proposal for the taxing of Clubs
will (as had been done previously with regard ►o
the proposal of the taxing of Charities) be with-
drawn was greeted—as Lord PALMERSTON'S
speeches are greeted—with "laughter" mingled
with cheering ! It is now, in fact, a perpe-
tually recurring alternative of Ministers—either
to avoid a division and be laughed at, or
to risk a division and be defeated. Latterly
their choice has been for the former. They
seem to prefer, just now at least—leaning upon that
one of " the two horns of the dilemma" in which
they have contrived for some time past to place
themselves.

Last night the subject of Poland was discussed in
.the House of Lords. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY
presented a petition from the merchants of the City
of London. The noble lord spoke at considerable
length, and with great eloquence on the question.
He commented on the apparently inscrutable
mystery that attended the connection be-
tween Russia and Prussia. Judging from
all that was known, however, he feared
that the working of it was as dark and atrocious as
such schemes generally were. Even in the case of
the Poles ,a ho were arrested in Prussia and handed
over to the Russian Government, Lord SHAFTES
BURY truly said that, if not already put to death,
he feared they were undergoing a worse fate
than death itself. Further on the noble lord
referred to the despatches recently received,
and forcibly declared that in them there
was no hope for Poland, and then cited
this striking instance :—" In October, 1862, the
Emperor ALEXANDER said to a gentleman of high
station, whom he had summoned to St. Peters-
burg for the purpose of communicating to him the
information he desired to give, and then sentenced
him to perpetual exile, I see now that the only
way of governing Poland is by terror.' The next
day the same gentleman having been referred by
the EMPEROR to Prince GORTSCHAXOFF, heard
from him the same words, with this addition—' I
tell you that, if the Poles force us to it, we will
make Poland a heap of t.shes and of corpses.' "
No wonder after such an exemplification that the
noble lord exclaimed that such men were not fit to
govern the destinies of so many millions of
the human race. It was said that ALEX-
ANDER 11. was humane and kind, but if so his
language truly concealed his thoughts. The true
rule by which to judge of men's actions was this—
"By their fruits shall ye know them." The noble
lord concluded his admirable speech by declaring
that her MAJESTY'S Government might remind the
Emperor of RUSSIA of the state in which
his empire was at the present moment,
and of the disorderly state of the army
and many other signs of internal deeay. Also he
reminded them of the cold calculating manner in
which this country had treated the Poles on a for-
mer occasion of trial, and thus wound up his
remarks—" The Poles, happen what may, will
always have all our hearts and all our sympathies.
I do hope, and it is the prayer of every man within
these realms, that we may yet live to see the time
when this down-trodden and long-oppressed people
shall enter again on their ancient rights, and,
after so much experience and bitter sorrow and
ingratitude, inaugurate a noble career of civil and
religious liberty, of humanity, and of justice.',
It has been truly said that—

" His blessing is sure
Who fights the good fight of the feeble and poor ;"

and no man living has a better elaim to that benefit
than Lord SHAFTESBURY. For many years he has
devoted himself to the sacred cause of defending
the oppressed, aiding the distressed, and fighting
for the persecuted. The real appreciation of such
conduct is from above, but his fellow-men should
be mindful of his zeal and labours on their be-
half. Lord RUSSELL made an impressive
harangue, and expressed himself warmly concerning
the wrongs of that afflicted country they were then
discussing. He deprecated, however, any proposal
of dismemberment, as it would lead to confusion,
and create worse evils if granted. He said that, as
in the battle-field the birds of prey surround the
carrion, so in any political disturbance the moral
vultures of Europe flock together to take their
part. Finally, Lord RUSSELL earnestly de-
clared his conviction that now there could not
be the same wrongs perpetrated as heretofore.
" First, he asked them to rely on her MAJESTY'S
Government for doing their utmost, and, in the
next place, upon that public opinion of Europe,
which you may depend upon it the Emperor of
RUSSIA, autocrat as he is, will not neglect. I ask
yon to rely, finally, on the general sense of justice
which pervades the people of this and other coun-
tries. Above all, I ask you to rely upon that
Heaven which will not allow oppression to
page unpunished, and which will not allow
these sufferings much longer to endure."
This is a plausible argument enough, but
whether this plea or that project fails, it Is a gratify-
ing fact that the House of Lords, the first assembly
in the world, has eagerly entered into the discus-
sion, and welcomed with loud cheers the eloquent
speeches of the two noble lords, which are creditable
to themselves and honourable to their country.

The events of the present day certainly tend to
reverse all our ancient opinions and dispel the
illusions of our credulous youth. From time imme-
morial the Turkish SULTAN has always been consi-
dered the:representative of a gloomy and despotic
state, of crouching slaves, whose lives were not
worth a moment's purchase if they infringed in the
slightest degree on the commands of their imperi-
ous lord. Our poets have helped to foster this no-
tion; and the dark stories hidden by the waters of
the Bosphorus have lost none of their terrors in
verse or fiction. Bat when we outlived the age of
romance, our opinions of the Sultanship did not im-
prove. Professing a faith which of itself offers almost
insuperable barriers to real prcgress, living under a
system of government which affords every facility
for all kinds of peculation and favouritism ; intole-
rant, until lately, to a degree that would have been
dangerous but for his weakness, the Turk is cer-
tainly out of place in modern Europe. That favourite
dogma of modern statesmen—balance of power—
forbids his expulsion ; but the incongruity of his
position is self-evident, and the jealous distrust
with which the Turk looks on the outer
world is fully repaid by the dislike, if not
oontempt, of the European. But suddenly all is
changed. The Turk has woke to life. The
SULTAN, who is supposed to alternate between
' stately inaction and E.,rocions despotism, has come
frankly forward, visited his dominions, mixed with

his people, and!encouraged modern improvements.
A Turkish ruler anxiously encouraging the con-
struction of railroads, courteously receiving
foreigners in their private capacity, stimulating the
growth of cotton, and visiting an English
horse race, is certainly a startling subversion
of our ancient ideas. Yet all these wonder-
ful events have been witnessed during ABDUL
AZIZ'S recent visit to the pleasant city of
Smyrna. That city is, as we all know, thronged
with Christian residents. No fewer than 5,000
English and French are computed to reside by the
shores of the bay, while the total number of Chris-
tians is said to be 100,000—a number exceeding
that of the Turks by one-fifth. The fact of the
SULTAN visiting such a city is in itself worthy
of note. It is the scene of modern
thought, enterprise, and action, and as
such must impress the mini of the Royal
guest with a sense of the vast difference between
Oriental and Western life. That ABDUL Azia is
capable of appreciating the aspect of the political
horizon is shown by his ready encouragement of
the cotton cultivation, and his evident c:esire to
maintain friendly relations with England. He
lodged in the villa of an Englishman, he visited
their races, and showed marked attention to the chief
residents of the British community. His first railway,
too, was taken under English auspices, and his
satisfaction augurs well for the future of British
engineering science in the East. We trust that
the dawn of a better day may now be breaking for
the Turks under the guidance of a wise and en-
lightened Sovereign, who has the ability to appre-
ciate the progressive movement of the times, and
the character to resolve that his people shall take
part in it.