The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-19 00:00:00

awaited the development of this hornet
pathic mode of treating the unruly. It seemed to
us somewhat hard that the well-disposed and indus-
trious majority of our neighbours should have to
endure and to pay for such an official blister; but
we were gravely reminded that it is not the
righteous, but sinners, that need loud calling to
repentance ; and the knowing people said that, if
the new Chief Secretary could so amuse or amaze
the factious and feather-headed among the Irish as
to keep them in order, the sober and steady-going
mass of the community would only laugh and be
thankful. We remember muttering something to
ourselves at the time about bad example, the danger
of infection, and so forth ; but remonstrance was
plainly useless, and we held our peace. Sir Robert
went to Ireland and speedily realised our anticipa-
tions. One escapade followed another until every
Orange lodge rang with frantic cheers, and the
House of Commons seemed in danger of being made
to resemble Bedlam or a bear-garden. Wherever
the Chief Minister for Ireland appeared, his presence
proved the omen of confusion, or the signal for
roars of laughter; everywhere save at Tam worth,
where the cold shade of his father's statue still sub-
dued any tendency to commotion, and where his
successor's power as a landlord to overrule and
overbear all pretension to free thought or judgment
seemed irresistible. And irresistible it would un-
doubtedly have long continued to prove under ordi-
nary circumstances. The real Sir Robert always
returned himself for the borough as a matter of
course, and sometimes returned as a matter of
course likewise some quiet, unobjectionable follower
who happened to want a seat in Parliament. In
his later years, and after he had broken with the
Tory party, ho more than acquiesced in the return
of a Whig as his colleague in the representation.
But all this he did in his usual circumspect and
dignified way, never deigning in public to appear
conscious that Tamworth had or could have any
other representative in Parliament but himself. Sir
Robert the mock seems to be fired with the maniac
ambition to be in everything as unlike his father as
common sense is t') uncommon nonsense. Upon the
recent vacancy caused by Lord Townshend's death
he was not content with trying to requite his own
elevation to office by procuring the return of Mr.
Cowper, but he would insist upon ramming that
luckless young gentleman down the throat of one
of the most passive constituencies in England, and
accompanying the performance with such gesticula-
tions, threats, and flings as never before had been
witnessed in the poor little town. What nothing
else could have done, he thus effected. Human na-
ture could not endure such humiliation. To be super-
ciliously stepped upon by a great statesman once in
seven years the tradesmen of Tamworth could bear,
and, for the sake of the name and other moral real
considerations, they had not refused to endure his
burlesque of a son. But to be made sport of wan-
tonly, in the face of the whole kingdom, by their
incoherent master was too bad. They kicked and
threw him. Whereupon, not having sufficient res.-
son to pick himself up and make off to Drayton
quietly, he enters anew into the election fray,
knocks down one of his supposed subjects, bids the
rabble about him bonnet another, and keeps up, in
short, his round of deplorable antics until an over-
whelming majority of incensed electors recorded
their votes against his unfortunate protige. All
this may be right, or it may be, wrong, seemly or
unseemly, decent or disgraceful. We are aware of
no arguments or illustrations that could make the
matter clearer than it is. But we would respect-
fully ask why, in the face of these things, should
the comparatively harmless imbecility of Lord
Leitrim be punished as a public offence ? Mad on
one public subject, we suppose his lordship to be ;
but what is to be done with a man who does not
appear to be sane upon any ?

COUNTRY MARKETS.

Ix

NORWICH—SATURDAY.
There was a fair supply of wheat to-day, and for all
samples late prices were maintained. There was a toler-
ably good show of barley, and sales were made at late
rates. Flour in favour of the buyer.
White wheat. 46s to 47, 1 Red wheat 43s to 44a
Malting barley ... 36s to 38s I Chevalier barley 36s to 37s
Distilling d 0..... 33s to 35s I Oats.. 24s to 28s
Flour, 31s Od to —s ed per sack from the miller.

GRANTHAM—SATURDAY.
Old white wheat, 40s to 44s ; red, 40s to 43s:per 36st. ;
new white, 42s to 435; red, 38s to 40s. Malting barley,
34s 'to 3Ss per qr ; grinding, 28s to 30s ; oats, old, 28s.t)
30s; new, 20s to 24s ; beans, 40s to 425; peas, 36s to 38s.

NORTHAMPTON—SATURDAY.
White wheat, 40s to '44s ; red, 35s to 428; fine, —s
to —s per qr. Barley, 355 to 39s—grinding, 28s to 30s;
Oats, 288 to 32s per 24 stone. Beans, 33s to 428. Peas,
34s to 40s per qr.