The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-17 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN POLITICAL

SUMMARY.

The Courier of last evening, alluding to the Tory tac-
tics on the penny postage scheme, says--" Sir Robert
Peel declared, and the declaration should be particularly
noted, that he would rather quit public life than give his
consent to this plan.' Now, Lord Brougham has declared—
and this declaration should also be especially kept in
mind—that he knew' that the Right Hon. Baronet in-
tended, bad his Government been formed, to have adopted
this very measure as one of his earliest plans. We dis-
pute not Lord Brougham's knowledge—we doubt not that
he has excellent authority for his assertion. What, then,
are we to think of Sir Robert and his romancing!, about
rather quitting public life than consent to this plan I"
The Globe observes, in reference to Lord Broug-
barn's speech in the House of Lords on Monday--
4, The objections brought against the measure by
the Bishop of Chichester were chiefly grounded on
the great extent of efforts now making by the
Church in the National Society, and in the severe' dio-
ceses, to promote education, arid on the entire omission,
by Lord Broughern, of the Church-clergy, or provision for
their superintendence. Lord Brougham replied, in our
opinion very conclusively, that his plan equally omitted ail
provision for Disssnters, as such. He might have added,
if he had chosen, that his plan makes a burnt-offering of
the dread Douay Bibles, and Rheimish versions, to pacify
all good Protestants."
The Standard comments as follows on Lord Brougham's
speech en Monday in the House of Peers—" There was one
point urged by Lord Brougham which seems to deserve par-
ticular notice. His Lordship thought fit to impugn the
statement of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as to the
number of children now attending, more•or less regu-
larly, the eleemosynary schools in this country. Lord
Brougham's contradiction of the most Reverend Lord,
however, rests upon no sufficient ground. We are
from experience and observation almost disposed to believe
that the Archbishop of Canterbury understated the truth;
for as far as we have seen, there is scarcely in this country
a child of parents who are fixed residents who does not
attend one kind of school or another; the only children
without opportunities cf instruction, being the offspring of
persons composing those tides of wanderere who cons+antly
flow through such places as St. Giles's, and similar dis-
tricts at Manchester, Liverpoel," esc.
The Times of this morning, alluding to the brief -dis-
cussion that toils place last night io the House of Lords
on the F,uhject of the recent Birmingham riots, observes
—" It is quite clear that due vigilance has been wanting
either on the part of the Government or of the Magis-
trates; or the police and military would have been pre-
pared to act on the outbreak on Monday night, instead of
waiting for an hour and a half without taking any steps to
prevent or check the destructive outrages perpetrated be
fare their eyes."
The Morning Post remarks, with reference to the Bir-
mingham riots, and the Duke of Wellington's comments
on them in the Lords last night :—" The Duke of Wel-
lington is unquestionably right. We have a Government
which is too liberal to select Magistrates otherwise than
upon the recommendation of Liberals. We have a Go-
vernment which is too weak to forego the party advantage
of converting the appointments to:the Magistracy into an
:Aran. of -patronage, and the consequence is is that the great
and opulent town of Miming
h a Lord r a
ariger.
is
still, for anything that we or Melbourne
.know, in
danger of being destroyed by fire. That the appointment
of Political Unionists and Chartists to the Magistracy is
the proximate cause of the
riots, and fire-raising in Bir-
mingham there can be no doubt. '
The Morning Chronicle contains a leading article on
the subject of the
Birmingham riots, and the spread of
Chartism among the labouring classes, in the course of
which our Contemporary says ~ It is always dangerous
to meet a social disease of this kind by harsh
and rigorous
proceedings, which
generally be found to enlist the
public sympathy on the side of the sufferers, and to add
to the bad spirit existing in society. se 10n as there is
a chance of the disease wearing itself out, it is neither
wise nor just to have recourse to strong measures ; and,
when authority can no longer be passive, it is still advi-
sable not to do more than the occasion strictly demands.
In a country like this, if a Government outstrips public
opinion, what is intended for a display of vigour will in
most cases only tend to weakness. Of this we have bad
ample evidence in the proceedings at Birmingham."
The Morning Advertiser gives the following advice to
the Chartists, suggested by the late lawless proceedings
at Birmingham We trust that both the Chartists and
the classes above them will learn without reluctance or de-

_ .
lay their respective lessons in recent events. To the for
mer we would say, that the fulfilment of every rational and
feasible expectation is retarded by acts of violence, which
surely repel the sympathies and co-operation of those who
enjoy the only means of doing what can be done.'

We have received from the Manchester Courier
Office a long Report of the trial of Thomas Birkett and
Thomas Brierley, for being parties to the riot at Bury, on
Tuesday the 4th of June, at the Salford Hundred Quarter
Sessions, on Monday laq, July 15, for which we have net
room. Both prisoners were found guilty. and sentenced
to be severally imprisoned to hard labour in,the Castle of
Lancaster for six calendar months.