The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-20 00:00:00

may agree to follow aleader ; but the Members in
general will no longer be obedient, as formerly, to
the borough owners' commands. The Ministers
then, not now having, by the mere fact of posses-
sing the general confidence of the House of Com-
mons, the same command over their partizans and
adherents as in the olden times of boroughmongery,
must act accordingly, and perhaps rather allow the
independent Members to propose new laws than
be too forward in proposing such themselves. Sir
HOBERT PEEL indeed, nnder the drilling of his
youthful days, has his schemes ready cut an-1
dried,
and insists on the Executive Government acting
also the part of Lords of the Articles, and
preparing all the measures that are to be
submitted to Parliament. He always remembers
that he is to be the future Prime Minister, and
makes all his troops act so as to throw no ernbar-
rassmmt in his way when he accedes to office.
He therefore originates no measures, and none of
11;s followers propose any. But when he is in
c.ffiee the then Opposition will not act on his tactics.
He has, in fact, already experienced that. Owing to
various circumstances, a degree of forbearance has
been shown on the part of independent and Op-
position Members in originating measures, which
will probably never again be exhibited. There will,
by and by, be an independent Opposition, acting on
Reform principles, eager and zealous in introducing
measures to the House of Commons, the movers
in all new plans, and then Sir Ito BERT PEEL will
find his present scheme of making the Executive Go-
vernment the author of all legislation impracticable.
The Revolution of 1832 demands a reform in the
practice of Parliament which has not yet been un-
dertaken.

WONDERFUL POWER OF MEMORY.
In our Journal of the Bth instant we called the
attention of our readers to an extraordinary exhibi-
tion, which we had witnessed, of the powers of
memory possessed by a talented young foreigner,
Master Gustave Adolphe Bassle, son of the Che-
valier Bassle, who has himself been the instructor
of his son, and the system by which he has, ob-
tained the very extraordinary results is to be made
public during his residence in England. The pub-
lic will be delighted to learn that an opportun;ty. is
announced of witnessing the powers of this sur-
prizing boy at a conversazione, under the especial
patronage of his Royal Highness the Duke of
Sussex, to be held at Willis's Rooms on. the 28th
_ _

instant, at two o'clock. Vast have been ,the sums
expended in the acquirement of knowledge, but how
little upon the best methods of retaining it ! At a
time hen education is becoming an engrossing
subject of national policy, how important will it be
if the system of the Chevalier Bassle can be ren-
dered available for the rising generation! The re-
ception which this surprizing youth has met with
from the Princes and Nobles of the land, as well
as from the brightest ornaments of literature and
science, is no more than his talents deserve.

Letters from Constantinople of the 28th ult., state
that the Ambassadors of England, France, and Russia,
at the Porte, despair of being able to prevent hostilities
between the SULTAN and the Viceroy 'of EGYPT. So
eager is MAHMOUD to punish his refractory vassal, that
at a recent meeting of the Divan, he could hardly be
prevailed upon to relinquish a resolution which he had
formed of leading the Turkish army in person. His
Ministers, however, so fcrcibly represented to him the
disgrace which it would cast upon the Moslem faith,
if the Representative of the Prophet were to lead an
army for the subjugation of a slave, that his Highness
consented to remain during the conflict within the sate pre-
cincts of his capital. The attendance of the English and
French Ambassadors at the meetings of the Divan was
more than usually frequent for nearly a month previous
to the date of these letters. According to one of them
Lord PONSONBY was requested to state his precise in-
structions in the event of the Porte commencing hosti-
lities, and particularly whether England purposed to
oppose more than moral power against the aggressor.
His Lordship answered, that though England was most
anxious to maintain peace, he was not instructed to say
that she would take any armed part whatever in the
conflict. Admiral RoussiN was next solicited to make
known the determination of his Court, but his Excel.
lenc.v's answer was not communicated to our Corre-
spondent. The Russian Ambassador, M. BOUTINIEFF,
stated that the succours which his Imperial Master was
bound by Treaty to give Turkey, would be refused,
should the SULTAN commence hostilities, or otherwise
provoke a war; and that Russia would reserve to her-
self the right of only interfering to maintain the inte-
grity of the Ottoman Empire. Thus it would appear
that while the Three Great Powers are most anxious
to maintain peace, there is none of them pre-
pared to threaten a single shot to prevent hosti-
lities. Now it is not their aid but their neutrality
that is . sought both by the SULTAN and the VICE-
ROY. MAHMOUD seeks only to be relieved from
what be regards as an insulting restraint on the
exercise of his just sovereignty ; and MEHEMET Au
reposes that confidence in his genius ar.d his destiny, as
to feel a conviction that with no other enemy than the
SULTAN, he would easily win for himself and his dynasty
the Royal sceptres of Egypt and Syria.
In one letter, however, the fanciful idea is entertained
that the Turks stand a fair chance of winning all Syria
without firing a shot. According to this very ingeni-
ous writer the thing is to be done in this way. HAFIz
PACHA, the Turkish General in-Chief, will neither ad-
vance nor retire, but remain precisely where be is at
present. IBRAHIM PACHA, the Egyptian Commander,
being obliged by his instructions not to advance, must
retire when he can no longer subsist his army, and as
that will operate upon the minds of the Syrians as a
defeat, they will at once declare for the SULTAN, and
so there will be an end of the matter. This is less
troublesome than the plan of King PICHROCOLE'S
courtiers for subduing the world, so pleasantly chro-
nicled by Rabelais, and less pugnacious than the
compendious method of subdividing an army, so
cL.vised by the gallant Captain Bobadil, but it is
not a jet more practicatle. The plain reason of this is
that if the starving system be adopted, HAFIz PACHA
n.ust be the fir_ to run, as he hes no provisions, and

their own way ; both the anonymous authorities telling
strongly in favour of the Ministers' plan.
The debate was closed for the evening by Sir S.
LUSHINGTON, whose speech commanded the attention
and the warmest cheers of the House. The Learned
Gentleman exulted in the discussion, and so do we, as
I.a‘ing tended to dissipate many of the prejudices
w ich yet attach the people of England to their
iroolerant, illiberal, knowledge-stifling, priesthood.
Their friends meant well, no doubt, but the
present discussion has opened the eyes of many persons
to their inordinate pretensions, and to their incapacity
to effect any public benefit. The debate was adjourned.
The House sat till Half-past Twelve.

In the course of his speech the night before
last Mr. IVlAcit t11..A Y. adverted to a subject on
which we have frequently, though incidentally,
made remark§. He said in substance, that how
far the Executive Government should influence
the Legislature was a question which had never
been decided. He knew no person of any eminence
who had every treated of it, and knew of no writing
on the subject. But this very uncertain, until's-
cussed, and unknown rule has been for many
months, and even some years past, assumed by al-
-most all the journals of the empire, of all parties, as
if it were most positive and most certain ; and the
Ministers have been called weak and vacil-
lating by some, and powerless and worthless
by others, because they have not been able
to influence or command both Houses of
Parliament. How far they have influenced public
opinion by the doctrines they have, professed/ and
how far they might hare influenced it by different
and bolder doctrines, we will not now stop to in-
quire. Nor is it our business to vindicate all their
proceedings ; we content ourselves with affirming,
on Mr. MACAULAY'S authority, that there is no
settled rule to guide their conduct in influencing
the Legislature; and that the point, most important
as it now is, has never been examined.
It is-not on this point only that the prevalent doc-
trines in relation to the mutual influence of the Exe-
cutive and the Legislative powers require revision.
Mr. M ACAUL AY stated, the night before last, that
the Reform Act was a revolution, and in no respect
was it a greater revolution than in changing the
relative position of the Ministers and the Par-
liament. Before • that period the people
had, .comparatively, little influence over the House
of Commons. The two parties of the Aristocracy
managed the whole matter by themselves ; and as
they could agree, or split their differences, they
were enabled quietly to govern both Ministers and
Parliament. Then the whole empire was ruled for
their behoof, and Members independent of them,
and dependent on popular constituencies, were
hardly known. Now there is in the House of
Commons a large body of Members dependent
solely on popular constituencies, and independent
of the Aristocracy. This is quite a new con-
dition in our Constitution. It is no longer
in the power of the Ministers, let them be.
who they may, to exercise the same controu
over the House as formerly. A large -party,- corn
rosed of men of all principles, having no other o'
jeer in view than: to get hold of the Governme