The Sun.
London, England, 1830-09-22 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

With the approach of the period at whlch Parlia-
ment is summoned to meet, the discussion of po-
pular or of party grievances becomes, according to
immemorial usage, more active. We had believed,
we might say hoped, that the new police would
by this time have wof ked its way into public favour,
and been recognized universally for what it really
an important and valuable improvement upon the
former system of "ancient, reverend," and most
inefficient watchmen. The new police are, however,

after en interval of some months charged (on what
authority is another question) with curious and ma.
nifold offences—in their composition--in their dis-
cipline—in the expense attending them—and, last
of all, in their unconstitutional relation to the exe-
cutive GovernMent. They are said to be Irish-
men-sswhich, of course, it is affirmed, is out of
character, for keepers of the public peace. Nov
Irishmen, after they have been some time caught,
and broken in to regulations of any kind, are found
to be full as zealous, orderly, and trustworthy in the
fulfilment of an active duty, as any other subjects of
the realm. There are no more exemplary soldiers,
nor more faithful servants, than the Irish ; nor Mote
indefatigable labourers, nor better tempered or more
resolute men. But, in fact, the police might almost
as well be called English or Scotch, as natives of
Ireland, the proportion being probably about
equal in all three nations ; though if Irishmen,
with good characters, can be had on easier terms
than English or Scotch, we presume that no
very grave objection ought. to be made to their
employment. Again, they are said to be fur the
most part old soldiers, and as such not fit for
the exercise of any civil authority : in our Mind, on
the contrary, if the common run of " peace officers"
esuld be imbued with a little of the temper and
courtesy with which military men are habituated to
discharge coercive offices, the interests of justice,
and the feelings of individuals, might be not the
worse consulted. But the stern discipline of the
police, and their subjection • to the Crown, are in-
compatible with our notions of a civil power, and
with the constitutional independence of our muni-
cipal and parochial authorities ! We really see
nothing in that form under which the principle of
subordination seems to act upon the minds of police-
men, as now disciplined and instrueed, which ought
to alarm the most squeamish worshipper of Alfred
the Great and his times for the liberties of the
people of England; If it be required that we should
go back to the " ancient and venerable" examples
of by-gone generations, we shall undoubtedly have
little to fear from the discipline of those very consti-
tutional Dogberries, whatever reason they may give
us, as they have already given ourselves and our
forefathers, for lamenting alike their ignorance
and insolence in the commission of wrong, and
the partiality or negligence of the local autho-
rities by which they had been appointed, and
tinder which they acted when redress was sought
for their offences. So fur as we can recollect,
not a week ever passed during the sovereignty of
the parish watchman in which it was not made a
reproach to the Government that it left the
public safety in the hands of such creatures, whose
miserable pay (about 10s. fid. a week) excluded all
classes of decent people from their hotly, and forced
parishes to beat up for midnight guardians of our
lives from among the very dregs of the community.
For the expense attending this useful body of men,
let it be remembered that those who now pay their'
money, pay for being actually watched over;
whereas formerly they paid, and received nothing in
return but a double chance of mischief, from a col-
lusion between watchman and thief. If, however,
the increase of parish rate for policemen bears harder
on individuals than it ought, the Press and the
Courts of Law are open, and at least as certainly
as under the old system redress may be sought and
leaped for. But the most absurd of all the attacks
on the police is that of their being a military body.
A military force supposes military weapons of some
sort—the police have neither swords nor pistols to
defend themselves; and recent circumstances suffice
to prove, that for the preservation of their own
lives, to lay nothing of the public, the bits of stick
with which they are at present provided, are any
thing but an adequate pro!ection. We have our-
selves seen nothing of the police but exemplary
courtesy, forbearance, and propriety, great readiness
to act, and, when the occasion cells for it, to forbear
from acting. Overpaid, at a guinea per week each,
no rational person can consider them, We do not
say that, under pretence of providing that moderate
sum, great parochial extortion and iniquity may not
be practised, but the extortion may be punished also,
and in the mean time the public safety is, generally,
speaking, secured.—Times.
The sitting of the Chamber of Deputies on Sa-
turday derived considerable interest from the Minis.
terial projects submitted to its deliberations. Three
bills were presented—one by the Minister of the
Interior, and two by the Minister of Finance. Un-
happily, all the three measures recommended are
grounded on the distresses of the country, or the de.
ficiency of the supplies. The first has for its object
to lower the deity on the importation of grain, in
order to meet an apprehended inadequacy of food;
the second to provide a fund to assist the suffering
trader or manufacturer, by advancieg loans on the
credit of their property; and the third, to proeure
en addition to the supplies already voted for several
branches of the public service, France has her
corn law, as well as us; and, like England, is cm..
pelled to relinqeish its provisions on any extraor-
dinary deficiency of the crops, tier system is fully
as complicated as ours, though, for obvious reasons,
particularlythe difference in the relative proportions
Of her agricultural and manufacturing )copulation,
less injurious. The French system prohibits either
exportation or importation, except within certain
limits. These limits admit only of very small ascii.
Winne of price. Accordingly, it is necessary to alter
them on any extraordinary emergency. As, howevers
the country gentlemen in Franco have not the com-
plete command of the legislature, like a certain
landed interest nearer home, these changes are
effected wish less clamour or discussion. fled a
WI similar to the project of law introduced by
Guizot been proposed to the Donee of Commons,
Our legislative, Landivehr would have been in arms
from Orkeey to tasetre End. The r alicy of advancing,
loins froM Government to relieve the temporary
difficulties of the trading and manufacturing interest
is borrowed from England. If the embarrassment
is merely temporary, awl the accommodation is dis.
tributed with prudence, individuide may be belies
fitted, and the public incur no loss : but it is evi-
dent that the whole beneficial success of the scheme
must depend upon the stature of the distress, and
judicious management of the fund. If advanced to
force production in a market already overstocked, or
to enable the merchant to keep up prices beyond
their natural limit, it must be ultimately injurious
to the party to whom the accommodation is granted,
and a loos to the public which lends the money.—
The sum, however, is not great, being less than
2,400,0001., to assist the trade of a great kingdoms
The chief feature in the extraordinary supplies re,
oeired for the service of the year is the addition to the
expenditure of the war department, incurred by the
expedition to Algiers ; and the only ennouneement of
"7 interest to us in the epecell of Baron Louis is
Ili, curious information that treasures to a greater
amount than the expellees of the armament rewarded
the (:""quest. " The expedition coat us," says the
minister, " little more tharl 55,000,000 of francs
owl our victory would have brought us a great desd-
more lied honesty
.presittlesd,
fie,v,er our operations."
:luarvileudarli/dObuerosmoaufticaltiod
di 'vs must answer this
only der. that part of their plums
tAIAc mhos are not the
robbers bweilisulodn ataecaorast of
inference cannot fail to anggessalsssit'r front this
official and public admissioe—ssionety.
'a
French Government, whatever other mist ivtesitt thee
have for retaining posiessittis sit Algieessis depeivenf
all pretext for its continued occupation from Want of
indemnity for the eipencee of the wars pmt.