The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-01 00:00:00

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inn
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LONDON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1853.

Reconciliation at any price—peace at all cost—
quietude in return for any or every concession :
such are the aspirations of Lord ABERDEEN'S Go-
vernment. War a l'outrance—that is the declara-
tion of the Russian AUTOCRAT. Upon the one
side, how much arrogance, how much audacity,
how much bold and haughty determination !
Upon the other, what craven weakness, what
pitiable irresolution,. what paltry evasions of dan-
ger, what timidity and what procrastination !
England and France, it is true, as identified with
each other in the policy adopted of late towards
Turkey, must obviously share between them the
discredit of not having accorded a nobler and
more chivalrous support to the Government of
Constantinople. Yet, it is no less true at the
same time, it is no less obvious and undeniable,
that a large amount of odium in this respect belongs
by right peculiarly to the Cabinet of Great Britain,
to the Earl of ABERDEEN'S hesitating, reserved,
and self-contradicting Coalition. If France has
hitherto refrained from aiding more promptly and
openly the Councils of his Majesty the Sultan-
Caliph ABD-UL-MBDJID, she has done so, at any
rate, for two reasons, sufficiently apparent and
comprehensible. NAPOLEON has peen impelled
to this course, firstly, by the circumstance of
England being a clog upon any designs more
instinct with magnanimity—and secondly, by the
very rational desire to attest the truth of his
memorable avowal at Bordeaux, VEmpire c'e.st la
Paix ! Yes—he has in very deed given earnest
to the world of his faithful adherence to that

It is unnecessary to say that the assets were
moderate line of policy marked out for himself
very considerable. If it had been otherwise there
immediately before his accession to the throne of would not have been so much procrastination to
complain of.
NAPOLEON, and prior to his acceptance of the
It is almost needless to say that we
Crown of CHARLEMAGNE! He has, indeed, afforded do not mean to impute blame to any of the parties
by his acts conclusive testimony of the sincerity concerned, more especially to those now engaged,
tangling the complicated affairs, and placing them
of his decl ration, that his empire was an Empire whose laudable efforts have succeeded in disen-
ofin a tangible form for final arrangement. A small
Peace within itself, and with the rest of
estate would have been speedily disposed of.
the States of Christendom ! For, in proof of
that, has he not yielded to the over-eagerness The rot; oral would have been wanting on which
revealed by Lord ABERDEEN'S Cabinet to purchase to hang so much litigation. The successful issue
embarked
at any cost the preservation of European tran- of the various assignees or their
having
quillity? Yes, we repeat it, he has indeed proved ' in
advisers from a charge of
'provident or useless litigation. Our censures
are
im-
beyond the possibility of a doubt the sincerity of -
therefore directed against "the system," and not
his pacific promises, and the cordiality of his a • against the so-called " Adminis-
ainst persons ;
good feeling towards England—he has proved it trationg of Justice," rather than against any sub-
by his toleration of the dilatoryand timorous policy ordinate agents engaged in the transaction under
of the Coalition, byall but compromisingthe honour consideration.
of France and the dignity of his own reputation. The Messrs. CHAMBERS, whose embarrassments
had long carried on
Nevertheless, it cannot be overlooked, as already
occasioned these proceedings,
intimßond-street and South
intimated, that if the Cabinet of the Tuileri business as bankers in Bon
by its . o on-s ree .
Tuileries, Mlt t t In 1824 they found it necessary
complicity with the Cabinet of St. James's place their estate in
shares in the • 2 to suspend payments, and to
odium resulting from the recent the creditors,
conduct of the the hands of trustees, nominated by
Western Even at that
it has the merit Powers towards Turkey, for the purpose of being wound up.
at least of occasional) enun-
ciating
y period they were engaged in heavy .
litigation. One
its views 1, lag
not actually chivairo gilage bold and manly, if suit in particular had been carried on 1807 •
since /
and magnanimous. Boldly and another relating to her MAJESTY'S Theatre,
and manfully,s s.
for example ' which was eventually carried to the House of
L'Huvs, in his capacit , has M. DROUYN DE
Y as Minister Lords, attained a world-wide celebrity, as well as i
for F . Affairs, spoken out, from 4oreign
-ime to t• a legal precedent, from the numerous "points" that
documents, honourable alike to hisime, in official were settled, and which constituted it a " leading
°lvo capacity case," as from the subject involved in the disputes.
his Im- The fiat in bankruptcy was uot, however, struck
Aerial Master's Government. Nobl, _
' and man_ until November, 1825, when some of the credi-
t' too has NAPOLEON THE THIRD himself
.i pro_ tors, dissatisfied at the delays that had even then
claimed, more than once, his resolve not to Wpm]; occurred, petitioned the Court of Bankruptcy, and
don the SULTAN to the lawless ambition of the Au- placed the entire transaction under the control
TooßAT—more particularly during the last few days and management of its officials.
This step when talking of the affairs of the East to the Ambas- ti 1p did not, however, lead to the expedi-
on that had -
sailors assembled at Fontainebleau. Not so has it no interference with the trustees, we should pro-
been at this juncture with ourselves. Not thus bably never have " poi •
nted a moral or adorned a
have our Statesmen and Administrators asserted tale" with anythine•
and Co. !" A • b relating to "in re CHAMBERS
the course upon which England should adventure . single year, however, exhausted
the patience that was
in the vindication of the outraged rights of remainder of the lives of thelargely exercised during the
Turkey, and of the violated laws of Christendom. I whom they were by encouraged.petitioners and those
The ad' d'
ju Ica- .
Instead of this, indeed, we have observed in high tion was disputed ! And such was the difficulty
quarters the maintenance of the old, dull, pur- *of the case, the ingenVity of the professi , ]
(mat gen- .

ilemen concerned, or the doubtful state of the
law, that ten years were consumed and enormous
costs incurred in disposing of the apparently simple
question, " whether there had been an act of
bankruptcy." It was not even actually disposed
of by the tribunals, notwithstanding the series of
trials that had taken place, in which the " first
legal talent of the day" was engaged on either
side. The preliminary question was compromised
—after the " ten years' war"—on the second day's
trial in the Court of Queen's Bench, by giving the
alleged bankrupts 25,000/. to admit the act of
bankruptcy ! a compromise that enabled the pro-
ceedings to go on ! ! and gave to the discon-
tented creditors the prospect of a tardy di-
vidend. That point being settled, the real " tug
of war'' commenced in good earnest. Assignees
were stimulated into activity, and prosecuted the
various suits with such extraordinary success, that
at the end of ten years more—namely, in 1845,
twenty years from the time of striking;the fiat—
they were enabled to declare a first dividend of
nine shillings in the pound on the debts proved.
Up to that period 31,7001. had been paid for
costs, in addition to the 25,0001. to the head of
the firm—making in all 62,7001. And Mr.
ESPIN supposes that since that time they would
amount to 5,0001. or 6,0001. more—nearly
70,0001. in all, occasioned by the impatience of
the petitioners !

It would be an endless task to endeavour to
enumerate all that has taken place in this matter.
Suffice it to say, that eventually 16s. in the pound
has been paid to those who proved against the
joint estate, whose claims in the aggregate
amounted to 224,6401. 19s. 11d., exclusive of
8131. 12s. 9d., for which proof was on Tuesday,
after the lapse of 28 years, tendered and ad-
mitted. There were also dividends on the sepa-
rate estates of the elder partner of 17s. 6d., and
of the younger of 20s. in the pound. These
payments may be considered as satisfactory, and
so they would have been if distributed early. But
even ss. in the pound, if promptly paid, would
have been better for those who derived no per-
sonal benefits from the transaction, although their
assets were many years after their deaths so far
enhanced, at least in the cases where the claims were
not disposed of for 2s. 6d., or upwards, in the
pound ! We have now done with in, re CHAMBERS.
Basinghall-street or Westminister-hall will no
longer be occupied with that protracted suit. But
we trust that the experience derived from the
case may now be turned to a good use, and that
such vexatious procrastination may not be possible
in any future case.