The Sun.
London, England, 1830-08-24 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TIM PUBLIC JOURNALS.

We adverted briefly on Saturday last to an able
article in the last number of the Edinburgh Revictu,
on the Ministry and State of Parties; and we now
resume the subject, for the purpose of explaining
onrsrlves more at length, and refuting some charges
which have been brought, against those to, whose
hands the. government of the country must be
speedily confided. Aid first, with regard to the pre-
sent Ministry, let Ile ask what has it done to retain
in its hands the whole power of the State ? First of
all it carried the Catholic Emancipation Bill sue-
ceasfully through both Houses of :Parliaineet, and
procured the consent of the Sovereign to its
being registered among the sits of the Legisle-
tore; and the measure we readily allow could
not have been carried by any other Ministry,
than one of which the Duke of Wellington anti
Sir IL Peel formed n par. But how woe they
enabled to carry it ? First, by the fears of the lute
king, that if he displaced them he must thro v him-
self into the arms of the Ultra Tories, who could
not hate formed a Ministry that would have lasted
for six months, or into those of the :Whip, who
were equally bent on carrying the Bill; and secondly,
by the magnanimous and almost romantic support
afforded by the Whigs of all chistex, who, instead
of flaieg on the Fotty-shilling Freeholders' Dias
franchisement Bill as a lever to raise the storm of
opposition against the measure, gallantly aacrifieed
both personal animosities and public grounds of
quarrel, in order to do a great act of justice to seven
millions of people. This was the mode in which
the measure was carried ; and thcae were the refit-
; sons why it was carried, and could only have been
carried, by the Duke and Sir It. Peel. The merit
is small, but the praise that has been licatowed
upon them for it, and the credit taken by them,
have been excessive. The Premier seems to lim4'4
thought (torn that moment that he could do ;di and
every thing—that he could martrucre the d4rercnt
politieal p lilies in the State as he could marunurre
battalhots of infantry and cavalry—that he could
play off the jealousies of the one against the fears
of the other, and perpetuate has possession of
power on the base of their mutual weakness—
and he succeeded for a time. A great blow had
been successfully struck at all former politir•el
confederacies and attachments by the peeing ot`
the Catholic Emancipation Bill; and it required
time before each could ascertain the precinit
position in which it was
.placed, or a mutual
bond of union and co-operation. be again established.
That bond was supplied by the Ministry itself,
which, comprising in its ranks such men as Clout-
burn, Lord Elleriborough, Conrtenay, &c., end
eluding iluskisson, Grant, Pulmeraton, and mat/
others, alike distinguished by their official expert-
. once and thorough knowledge of the true state and
interests of the country—became an object of it'ss
tonishment to the country, of c,ovempt to its oppos
nous, and of pity to its supporters. Men of all
patties were ashamed of the manner in which flue
affairs of the country were conducted, and of the
pitiable image reflected by it in both Houses of Par-
liament, in which it did nothing from the com-
mencement to the end of the Session but introduce
and withdraw, model and remodel—press, and do-
sett, measures which ought to have 110 ell matured
end perfected before they were itCroihteed under its
sanction. The divisions on all importsat questions
were virtual defeats, and but for the forbearance of
the Whigs and the staunch Tories every measure
which it introduced might have been defeated. We
say then, that the present Ministry has fewer claims
to put forward in behalf of its tenure of oflice, than
almost tiny other that ever governed the country,
anti that it is utterly impossible that it can out-
live the meeting of the new Parliament without
three-fourths of he members being sent " to the
right about," and others of greater ability being
summoned to the councils of the Sovereign. But
who is there to summon, say the thick-and-thin
supporters of the Administration. " The Ultra-
Tories," say they, " are certainly consistent---s 0 is
the miserable Ex-Sovereign of France--consistent
in immovable prejudice—consistent in obstinately
shutting their eyes against the light—consistent in
unflinchingly adhering to false opinions and mu-
neous principles. As to the Whip, we plainly, and
in the face of the people of England, deny that the
country looks to them as its saviours in any great
emergency. The experience of nearly fifty years
has proved to the people of England the real elm-
racier of this party. At once !mighty and puaillas
nimous, rash and short-sighted; noisy democrats
when out of place, insolent aristocrats when in—
ignorant of the noble qualities of their own 'coun-
lumen, and timid deprecintors of their glory,
while they are ever vehement and ready to ap-
plaud the efforts and magnify the success of fo-
reigners ; such are the men whom we are told
England is to regard with veneration end affec-
tion. If we know any thing of the nature of
our countrymen, we say that there cannot be any
sympathy between them and these un-English self=
elected champions of England's cause." Now, as
to the Ultra-Tories, who are here declared to posresa
only the virtue of consistency in error, we leave
them, in perfect confidence that full, justice will be
done to them in the handl of those of our colleagues
whose principle It is to support and defend them;
but what, let us ask, can be more fide° than to
charge the whole body of the Whip, as "haughty,
pus lianimous, rash, and short-sighted," gee. &e. ?
Is the writer unaware, that the whole of the
.glories
claimed by the Members of the present Administra-
tion, and of every Administration for thirty years
past, are exclusively those of the Whigs ? Who,
let us ask him, effected the abolition of slavery, and
the numerous nmeliorations which have taken place
in the condition of the slave population of the SiTest
Indies ? Who prepared the public mind fur the car-
rying of the Catholic Emancipation Bill, on which
the present Administration prides itself ? Who laid
down the principles which have been applied to the
civil and criminal laws of the country, and paved
the way for their being carried by others who, from
official station, had larger majorities at command?
We say the Whip, and the Whip only,---the very
men who are thus stigmetised, and held up to coo-
tempt as noisy democrats," and "insolent aristo-
crats!" It is true they have not lead: much
experience, and having been but little at. Court
may be somewhat awkward at making their bow;
fmd
i,stieLlueosrsedemd,pl
in the
e Russell,
ensuing; Lsoi.osrttelsasSiovtoaniniley, Sir
but who can hear the names of Mr. Grant, Mr.
tf
James Graham, Lord Milton, Mr. Rome, Earl Grey,
the Marquis of Lansdowne, and a host of others,
whom it is unnecessary to name, in the same breath
with the Scatletts, the Goilburna, the Courtenaye,
the Lord Leveson Gower*, and Lord Ellenboroughs,
without feeling that the former leave the latter at
an immeasurable distauctithat they ought not to
be mentioned in the lame breath, and that. the
country would be proud of it Government.eomposed
of the one, instead of being miltamett, as it of that
which now exists. A change there must be, staid
the sooner it takes place the better. The times aro
pet ilous--:-questions of great importance ID the Iran.
and the pes,ce of Europe,
illit
viliitirliotslitt ba ir'enuire great sagacity, as well as strong nerves,
to ?pride the vessel of the State /through the shoals
and dangers, among which it must be steered. Let
personal Animosities therefore give way, as well as
party distinctions, and let us ln,ive G
n
which the country can repos, confidence, and to-
wards which foreign nations .'may
respect.—Aforning A, lucrtiser.
Pveramtee;(l enter-
tainting

The assembling of the view Parliament will be
an era is the history of this country unequalled in
interest by any occasion' of a similar description.
The utter inaptitude of the last House of Commons
to administer the affairs of the State, and the
striking influence which the new reign, commenced
under such happy auspices, must have upon public
affairs, were both of themselves sufficient to render
the meeting of the new Legislative Molly of rriore
than orditiaq import. But when to theses and
other influential eireurnsintiees at horny, we add the
new and extraordinary state of thing., whiet fuel