The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-18 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

.......---- _
PENNY POSTAGE.-GRATITUDE
TO MINISTERS-DISLIKE OF THE TORIES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sir,—ln your Paper of this day you state, in reference
to the plan of Penny Postage, and the commencement
of the attempts to carry it out, " for this attention to
the public wants, the Ministers deserve the nation's
gratitude and best thanks."
This statement to any person at all acquainted with
the progress of the Penny Postage measure is one truly
astorrishicg. Every one who has paid attention to the
matter knows well that the Ministers threw every diffi-
culty in the way ; the plan being treated at first with
contumely ; and obstacles were perpetually thrown be-
fore the supporters of the measure by the Ministerial
Members. Read the evidence on the subject—mark
the questions of the Lords of the Treasury—read Lord
Lichfield's speeches.
No, Sir, the people owe no gratitude to the Ministers
for the Penny Postage. Had they not been obliged
to resign by the vote of the ten Radical Members, we
should not have the Penny Postage Act at the present
moment.
They dare not deny this. They threatened opposi-
tion to carrying out the recommendations of the Com-
mittee of the House on the Postage question. They
were dismissed by the vote referred to. This opened
their eyes, and the public has gained the Penny Postage.
If they obtain the credit of having been in power
when the Penny Postage Act was passed, this is all they
deserve. The people have to give the " best thanks"
to themselves, and not to the Ministry ; the " grati-
tee" they will keep for high_r occasions.
And here, Sir, let me mention one fact, which has
been, to a great extent, overlooked ; and that is, the
getting up of the evidence. The value of this part of
the battle must be clear to every one who has read the
evidence. Now the gentleman who effected this part,
and who expended out of his own pocket nearly 400/.
in the same, is Mr. Ashurst, the Common Councilman
—a gentleman whose labours in this matter stand next
to Rowland Hill's. Rowland Hill developed the plan,
Mr. Ashurst established its feasibleness by the evidence.
The next point now is to use the Penny Postage.
One remarkable featur in bearings. evidence was the ex-
!
elusion of the political This was studiously
pursued. Neither Whigs nor Tories would have given
the measure, if they had thought of the consequences
i likely to result. The Tories have discovered this too
late : and mark their ravings now they have disco-
vered that they have put a power in the hands of
the people which they dread. They pretend that they
look to the revenue, they mean the Radicalism. The
Post will now be the grand agent of peaceful agita-
tion. Through this, light will be let in upon the dark
places of Toryism. Hence the cry. Revenue, in-
- deed '. Men, who have robbed the revenue by mis-
t placed pensions, wars, and extravagances of every kind,
to talk about revenue ! The Penny Postage will blow
away all such dust, and they know it.—Your's oEPPSbediently,
JOHN .
E 9, Great Russell-street, Nov. 13,1839.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIll,—To those who read their Bibles, and I trust
they are a very numerous class, it is known that in the
days of Caesar a decree went forth that " all the world
should be taxed," but in those days of Whig ascen-
dancy it has gone forth but yesterday, that " the ig-
noble and poorer classes alone shall be taxed ;" in other
words, that the atrocious franking system is to conti-
nue ; nevertheless, the taxation is reduced to fourpence,
and you, Mr. Editor, hold this up to your readers as a
boon
I trust that The Sun newspaper, so long distinguished
by its support and approval of every measure likely to
benefit or ameliorate the condition of the people, will
refrain from such sycophancy, and stand up as hereto-
fore, an advocate of the poor and oppressed of the

realm.
Who, may I ask, were the patriotic members among
the Lords and Commons who stepped forward when
Mr. Rowland Hill's plan was first agitated, and when
the probable loss of revenue from its adoption was so
feelingly deplored by the very persons who did not
contribute to it—who were they, I say, who proposed
to surrender the privilege of franking ? I believe one
Noble Lord did ; but never was a measure of any kind
more unwillingly extorted from a Government, and in
their first step towards its accomplishment, they have
refrained from adopting the abolition of franking, the
very thing of all others which would have counteracted
in a great measure the deficiency of revenue which
must naturally result from so sudden a transition as the
reduction of the inland postage to fourpence.
To the Government be all due praise for every act
likely to better the condition of the people ; we need
not scrutinise their motives for doing good, but whe-
ther the opponents to the reform of acknowledged
abuses be Whig or Tory, let us not spare them.
We may rest assured their mutual revilings and groans
upon the loss of any of their unhallowed and disho-
nourable privileges, are as sweet as music to the ears
of the many, and to none more so, than,
Mr. Editor,
ONE OF THE PEOPLE.
Stanmore, Nov. 14, 1839.

MILITARY MOVEMENTS OF

RUSSIA.

(From the Courtier Francais.)
The news of the march of a body of 12,000 Rus-
sians, detached from the army of Caucasus, and which
had received orders to direct its course by forced
marches towards Persia, has, we are assured, reached
one of the embassies of Paris. If this news be con-
firmed (and every thing combines to guarantee the
authenticity of it), events of the highest importance are
to be expected in the East.
Thus would be explained the preparations, the ex-
pensive armaments so actively pressed in Russia, and at
a time when that country is more than ever menaced by
a financial crisis, and when all seems to announce a
pacific issue to the negotiations commenced at Constan-
tinople. Thus also would be explained the order sent
to the Quartermaster-General of Tiflis for suspending
all hostilities against the Circassians, and for concluding
with them a treaty of peace, or at least a truce of a few
months.
It is said that General Golowine will be ordered to
negotiate with the chiefs of the mountaineers, and per-
suade them that the Russian Government, renounc-
ing for ever its projects of conquest, desires to renew
the commercial relations formerly established by M.
de Richelieu through the interposition of M. de
Scassi. In case all these negotiations had not the
expected success, the new order sent from St. Peters-
burg enjoins the Russian troops to concentrate with-
in the fortresses forming the defence of the Caucasus.
Two brigades would, nevertheless, remain in campaign.
i keeping near the redoubts and Cossack establishments
kinds of fortified works, the most part of which are sur-
rounded with ditches and a mound of earth, defended by
many batteries. From time to time they are to make
a few excursions to keep the Circassians in awe, and
avoid as much as possible striking any decisive blow.
' Such, from information which we believe exact, are
the orders sent from St. Petersburg to the Quarter-
Master-General of Tiflis. These orders show the urgent
necessity which Russia feels to take away from Cau-
casus a part of its troops, and to transport them to
another point, and everything combines to make us
believe that this new destination is no other than Per-
sia. The last events which took place in Afghanistan
are of a nature 4ufficiently grave and menacing to pro-
, yoke a Ru4sian intervention in Persia.

It has oozed out at Ashton, from amongst the officers
implicated in applauding the offensive sentiments o
Mr. Roby, that they have been called upon from the
Horse Guards to give an explanation of their conduct.
—Sunday Paper.
Lieutenant Roupel is, it appears, appointed to the
command of the Pigmy steam packet at Milford. This
is, no doubt, in reward for his great zeal in behalf of
Admiral Sir Charles Rowley, Sir George Cockburn,
and Lord Fitzharris at the contested elections in this
borough. On the same principle, no doubt, Lieutenant
Decourdeaux, for similar cervices, has been rewarded
with the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital. Is this
the
way, soy Lord Mint°, you back your friends? The
existence of your Administration has often depended
on a single vote, and so has the return to Parliament
of some of your absent supporters—and yet you go on
bestowing thoughtlessly, perhaps from being yourself
imposed on, the good things in your gift on your most
determined opponents Officers of the navy have
.learned that opposing the Government is no impedi-
ment to their promoti
on, and act accordingly ; while
those who, by a firm adherence to good principle, sup-
port the Reform cause, are neglected at bead-quarters,
and laded at by the
,;h Upstarts
who are continually
mounting over their heads. It must no longer be so! !
Hampshire Independent. [This isworthy t atten-
tion of the Earl of Minto. Politics ought not to be
the passport to employment or promotion in the navy •
but the active zeal of a Tory partisan should not be re:
warded by a Whig First Lord. By such means seats
for his supporters will not be secured at Plymouth,
.tsmouth, and Chatham.]

SINGULAR AND FATAL ACCIDENT. As
Mr. Brise, of Winslow, was in the act of mounting a
young horse, which had but recently been broken in,
the off stirrup-leather broke, and the horse started off
at full speed. There are some large trees, with out-
spreading branches, in the field where tile accident hap.
pened, and it was towards these trees the horse darted ;
one of the branches of which struck Mr. Brise a violent
blow on the head, which knocked him senseless on the
ground. The accident happened on Mr. Brise's own
farm ; he was instantly conveyed into his house, where
he lay
in a state of insensibility until death put an end
t o the fearful struggle. The deceased has left a widow
and six small children to lament their irreparable loss.
--Alilesbiery News.