The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-24 00:00:00

AFFAIRS OF THE EAST.

ALEXANDRIA, MAY 27,—Accounti received here to-day
state, that in consequence of the prevalence of desertion
the Turkish army has fallen back a little, and is throwing
up entrenchments, in order to prevent this evil. Ibrahim,
who is impatient for his father to attack, is said to have had
some skirmishes at the outposts ; but this requires confir-
mation. Considering his impatient character, it is a
wonder that he did not begin war at once, when Hafiz
Pacha gave him co fair an opportunity. His implicit obe-
dience to his father, without whose consent he does
nothing, has alone withheld him from attacking the Turks ;
but he has made every arrangement to put the Turkish army
in a desperate situation, in case of a defeat. While with his
main force he faces the enemy near Aleppo, a corps isploced
on the right wing of the Tuiks, and another from the south
threatens their left, so that being surrounded on three sides
the Turkish army has no way to retreat except over the
Euphrates. It is said to amount to 50,000 men, who
Tossed the river in boats. The army from Bagdad, about
18,000 strong, had orders to approach the Euphrates, but
since Houreschid Pacha has appeared on the frontier of the
Pachalik, to which Bassorah likewise belongs, this army
'a to be opposed to them.
Alehemet Ali is in very good health, in fact he looks
better and stronger since his great journey to Fazoghe.
He is seen every day with a small suite slowly riding
through the city, especially by the quarter of the Franks.
Formerly be rode genera 4 in a carriage; and it seems
chat he shows himself so often to refute the evil reports
chat might be circulated.

A Neapolitan Corvette arrived here a few days ago, on
hoard which the King's brother, the Count of Aquila, a
bay of fifteen, serves as Lieutenant. Immediately after
its arrival the young prince had so severe an attack of
'nflammatory fever, that his recovery was despaired of;
it present, however, he is rather better.

The cases of plague are becoming more numerous, three
n- four occur daily. They begin to alarm the Europeans,
uid the mere so, as almost all the cases have hitherto
proved fatal. It is hoped that it will be checked by the
tonstantly increasing heat and unchangeableness of the
•limate. The sanitary state of Carro is good.

METROPOLITAN POLITICAL

SUMMARY.

The Morning Chronicle of this day urges Ministers to
persevere in their national education scheme, and calls
you all the Liberal Members of the House to give them
hAr best support:—" Sir Robert Peel has intimated his
ntentiou to oppose, with might and main, Lord John Rus-
sell's vote for education this day and we trust that the
Noble Lord will receive that support from Liberal Mem-
'ens to which he is entitled. The object of the intolerant
party is, that the Church shall have the absolute control of
the education of the people. Public opinion will no longer
illdw them to oppose education directly ; but they seek to
'hrow all manner of impediments in the way of tne esta-
ilishment of a system from which the people may hope to
derive benefit. The intolerant language held in the House
by the Gladvones, the Stanleys, and the Grahams, ought
.o open the eyes of the people to the designs of the party ;
and we trust:there will be no falling off on the part of Liberal
Members. Ministers must not desert the good cause, how-
.ver small their majority."
The Morning Herald attempts—of course, in vain—to
lefend the opposition of the Tories to the Government
education project, in the following absurd, raving style
The Ministers insinuated, and the Ministerial press hzs
)penly charged, " factious conduct" against the Oppo-
sition. Factious conduct indeed ! It was once said by a
celebrated \Vhig writer that " there may be faction for
he Ministers of the Crown, as well as faction against the

inisters of the Crown." On which side is " (action" ai

present ? On the side of the religion and Constitution of
the country, or against them ? Is it factious conduct"
to demand that the whole Legislatufe shall determine upon
i plan of national education, or only one part ? Is it
factious conduct"- that the power of Parliament shall be
sold superior to, or subordinate to, the authority of (the
Privy Council ? Is it " factious conduct" that the prayer
of more than 3,000 petitions should prcv.il over the prayer
of less than 300? Is It " factious conduct" in a Christian
and Protestant state to persevere in resisting demands upon
die people's purse for the subversion of the people's faith.
or to persevere in making such demands upon a majority
of five in the Commons, and without daring to submit the
question to the Lords at all ?"
The Morning Advertiser, speaking of the Tory opposi-
tion to the education measure, exhorts the people to come
forward energetically in defence of that measure The
iormidablc character of the present opposition to it (Wes-
:cyan and Anglican) cannot, however, be doubted ; and
that the exertion requisite to defeat it must be tantamount
to that character. The people must meet zeal with zeal ;
ictivity with activity ; and bear down the phalanx of the
Criends of ignorance and darkness by the spirit of the friends
of light, and by the enthusiasm of that generous philosophy,
a c object of which is to raise every man to the moral and
intellectual position of a brother; to break the chains of
.nentai and moral tyranny ; to undo the heavy burdens ;'
.nd to bring society forte from the thraldom of ignorance
and darkness, and their attendant consequences, penalty
and crime."

The Morning Post, alluding to the subject of national
e,lucation, says, " The question now at issue is, whether
the Howe of Commons shall legislate upon a most im-
portant subject of domestic policy without the concurrence
the House of Lords, and seek, by means of its power
.tver the national purse, to give effect, in defiance of a great
majority of the country and an overwhelming majority of
the ElJuse of Lords, to the decision of its own majority
of five. Constitutional Whigs will pause, we ima-
gine, before they concur in a course which leads di-
r,ctly to a collision between a powerful majority of the
House of Lords and a majority of five in the House of
Commons. It cannot for a moment be imagined that the
House of Lords will submit unresistingly to be deprived
uy a House of Commons so equally divided as the present,
ut all share in legislating upon such a subject as a new
scheme of national education, especially when the proceed-
irws by which it is thus sought to get rid of them as part
of the constitutional Legislature of the country are, as in
this instance, a mere trick."

The Times, alluding to the Cromarty case mentioned
by the Earl of Haddington in the House of Lords on
Monday last, observes as follows :—" Such is the influence
of bad society, that even the Lord Chancellor, with a per.
sonal ehari-cter above reproach, and with legal qualifica-
tions equal to the very best of his predecessors, has shown
symptoms of a political bias, which are as much matter of
wonder SS of regret in so estimable a functionary. As a
proof, let us revert to the Cromarty case, mentioned by
Lord Haddihgton, in his place last Monday. Two violent
and dissolute Whigs, who had been guilty of intoxicating a
Ross-shire voter, and of abducting him from supporting the
Conservative candidate at the last election, bad
been appointed justices of the peace. The mean
station of these worthies—the one a tinsmith, and
ihe other a quack-doctor—presented in itself a
alid reason, aggravated, of course, by their bacchanalian
habits, why an appointment so derogatory to judicial func-
Cons ought not to be continued. Lord Cottenham was ap-
drised of all the facts of the case last session, and promised
to instittee an inquiry. Suffice it to say that these para-
gons of Whig dteolum were convicted by a respectable
jury, anti amerced in 251. of damages; and yet the Lord
Chancellor of England refuses to dismiss them from the
commission of the peace, as if their perpetration of crime,
having been sanctified by a Whig object, ought not to dis-
quality them for the important office of justices."