The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-28 00:00:00

[ence.

Loaded bludgeons and knuckle-dusters have taken
the place of crowbars and centre-bits. The Burg-
lar has developed into the Garotter. It is not our
houses that are broken open, but our heads. The
ruffians now infesting our streets, armed to the
teeth, and dogging us at every turn, have to be
dealt with promptly and vigorously under the Act
24th and 25th VICTORIA, chapter 96, section 43,
for assaulting with offensive instruments. What is
a "knuckle duster P" some may ask. The answer
has been very recently and expressively given, as
" a formidable instrument made of stout brass, to be
clutched in the hand, with holes for the fingers to
pass through." Referring to a horrible instance
in which this formidable instrument was used with
such dire effect upon one of the many recent victims
of the Garotters, a Mr. MURRAY, of Chelsea, it
has been remarked by a correspondent of our chief
morning contemporary, as follows :—" We may be
quite sure of this, that there is among thieves and
robbers as much of fashion in their modes of com-
mitting crime as there is with ladies in the matter
of bonnets and crinolines, and that, the fashion
being once introduced, the loading of knuckles
with brass bids fair to have as popular a run as
the weighting of petticoats with steel hoop. As
no draggletail cinderwench now considers her cos-
tume complete unless she can swell herself to the di-
mensions of a duchess by means of the much-loved
circular encumbrance, so the Artful Dodger' who
has hitherto confined himself to the occupation of the
pickpocket or area sneak will, with the aid of the
formidable knuckle-duster,' which puts him on a
level as a punisher' with SAYERS or HEENAN,
begin to ape the deeds as well as the slang of that
master-mind, Mr. BILL SYKES ; and whoever ven-
tures into the streets after dusk may consider him-
self lueky if he loses his purse or watch without the
additional torture and blemish which has been in-
flicted on poor Mr. MURRAY. Laws, of course, cannot
be altered without the sanction of Parliament; but
the promulgation from the bench of every Police-
court that those now in force will be unsparingly car-
ried out may have some effect in deterring the rascal-
dom of Lcndon from resorting to practices the evil
of which is not confined to the loss of one's property,
but which result in the infliction of personal detri-
ment which in many cases will only terminate with
the sufferer's life." The remarks are so apt and so
perfectly reasonable in their application at the pre-
sent moment, that we have deemed them worthy
here of this exceptionally lengthy quotation. Their
significance we would earnestly commend to the
consideration of each and all of our London police
magistrates.

Budgets seem likely to become the great topic of
Europe. Not that Finance ever did or ever could
fail to be a most anxious subject for all Govern-
ments at some time or other—but just now three of
the greatest Continental Powers are far more stirred
on the matter than they have been for years. Our
own Government, also, seems at last to think that
what the Budget shall be is a matter worthy of
earnest and repeated discussion fully two months
before it meets its too supple House of Commons.
We suppose the reason is that no one can tell how
soon that house may have to present itself to
the constituencies for re-election ; and there
seems to be a shrewd conviction that
this time "our country's honour" will not
do for the election cry. The public opinion
appears to become more fixed, that an equal amount
of honour may be purchased for much less money.
Within the memory of most of us "our country's
honour," and our "country's safely" too, cost in
round numbers about one-third of what Lord
PALMERSTON charges for maintaining them. For
a long time about two-thirds of the present charge
was held to be an extravagant amount. But the
veteran diplomatist has somehow managed to make
the countrybelieve that our honour and safetydepend
on thirty millions worth of troops, guns, and ships,
It is this belief which is now beginning to wane.
The determination to be safe is the same; so is the
determination that we will be second to no other
State, but it is more than doubted, now, whether a
much less costly naval and military force would not
leave us quite as safe and quite as much respected.
When our Houses meet this time they will have
the examples of two Parliaments before them, and
Lord PALMERSTON that of two Governments. It
may be hoped that the examples will provoke a
little emulation, and also prove something like a
warning where needed. The Prussian Parliament
and the Austrian Parliament have both won for
themselves deserved attention and honour for their
bold stand against the demands of departments and
of ministers. In each case the grand extravagance
to be checked has been the expenditure for the
army. Both Prussian and Austrian ministers de-
manded as necessary for " the honour and safety of
the State," considerably more than the representa-
tives of the State were willing to pay for them.
And there can be no doubt that the opinion of
Europe is, that the Parliaments have the right of it,
and have done nobly.
,They cannot think the same
of both the monarchs and their cabinets.

these
that "
since
ParliamentOneof "right dt t h divine" nwei'; rl
nuolte rt sa
take
hash stold d
budget
ts
he shall take it for himself. Only this morning we
find him saying to one of the numerous petty re-
actionary deputations got up to order—i, I am sorry
that I must now govern without a budget. I shall,
however, return to a regular course," One little
word, of course, involves the whole question.
If the " must " referred to such a sudden
emergency as left no time for deliberation, we
shoule all assent that act the KING " must," and
get his indemnity afterwards. The practical lie
which a King could thus offer to a few aristocratic
noodles and placemen is, that there was no emer-
gency at all, There was full deliberation, an appeal
to the country, a second deliberation, and when all
gave the same result, the despot says I " must"
govern without a Budget. What he means is, I
have the army at my bidding, and I wilt govern as
I like. This blind tyrant actually has the effron-
tery to add, " that the npresentatives of the people
oono theirtry.„ part, . . . must not exercise their
constitutional rights, as by so doing they
would paralyse his Government and disarm the
un
So this precious CoustitutiQual SOrz-