The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-15 00:00:00

consideration ; for certainly, as the office has been
filled for six out of the last seven years, its aboli-
tion would accomplish not merely a saving of
5,0001., with contingent retiring pensions, but
would insure a mush more efficient discharge of
its duties. The hint may be taken in a very
different manner from that in which it was in-
tended.

If the Right Hon. Gentleman had accepted
the salutary warnings conveyed to him not
very long since, he might have been saved this
great humiliation—a humiliation very injurious
to the Cabinet of which he is a leading member.
The objections to the different " Taxes on Know-
ledge "—more particularly to that, the least pro-
ductive of all, which has now been unequivocally
condemned by a decisive majority—were then
clearly and distinctly pointed out. He might,
had he bestowed the attention on the sub-
ject which it so eminently merited, have
then, ascertained the true state of the case
and the imperative necessity of conceding, to that
extent at least, the just demands of the Fourth
Estate. Unfortunately he was misled by an
inconsiderate suggestion in favour of a species of
compromise—a reduction of the duty to 6d. The
apparent division—the want of union—had un-
doubtedly a powerful effect. Mr. GLADSTONE
naturally thought that, where the parties were
not agreed amongst themselves, he could af-
ford to disregard all their complaints and all
their applications. And this feeling was

unquestionably increased by a subsequent applica-
tion from the representatives of three of the lead-
ing metropolitan journals, of every grade and
variety of political opinion, from the highest
Conservatism to extreme Radicalism, including
the juste milieu, in favour of the injudicious pro-

position. An application the more to be re-
gretted, as it was made without the sanction or
even the knowledge of others with whom they
had previously co-operated. It had its effect,
however, and most probably in some degree
induced, Mr. GLADSTONE to refuse any concession
whatsoever. The majority of 31 has, however,
pruved to him the necessity of progress. It is not
yet t3o late for him to regainthe place which he has
nelrly forfeited. After the vote that has been
Oven, he must give up the Advertisement Duty.
They have been condemned by a righteous judg-
ment, and nothing can ever again render them at
all tolerable. He has no longer any discretion or
choice on the subject. The matter has been
finally disposed of, and cannot now be altered.

But on the other points, where a locus peni-
tentice still remains, we would once more cau-
tion the Right Honourable Gentlemen not to imi-
tate the perversity exhibited by the present
President of the Board of Control. The ad-
mirable letter read by Mr. JAMES MACGREGOR
in the course of his very able speech, must satisfy
any unprejudiced person of the impolicy of the
" wet blanket" on literature—the injudicious im-
post that prevents useful publications. This evil,
however, admits of a gradual remedy. The re-
duction might easily be spread over three years.
One halfpenny per lb. per annum would afford very
perceptible relief, and prove entirely satisfactory
to the parties chiefly interested. If that altera-
tion were to commence in October, there could be
no loss of any description during the financial year
ending sth of April next, and any diminution from
that source would be fully made up from other
branches in the ensuing years, until the boon
came into full practical operation. We trust
that he will, while there is yet time, before Mon-
day evening, revolve these matters in his mind,
and that a happy result may follow this considera-
tion.

We cannot conclude without bestowing well-
merited praise upon Mr. DISRAELI for
the candid announcement of the resolution
at which he had arrived. It shows how fully
we were justified in the opinion to which
we gave expression, that more valuable re-
forms might be anticipated from the Ministry of
which he was the leader in the popular branch of
the Legislature, than from others who arrogated
to themselves the title of " Liberal," and who re-
fused to show fair play to their opponents.

Parliament is no Garden of the Hesperides—
although the fanciful may see in it the golden
fruits of legislation guarded by the Dragons of
Experience. It is something very different, in-
deed, from a realm of faeryland, where the repre-
sentatives of the people may dream away their
time with a confident reliance upon human per-
fectibility, and in a delightful conviction that the
present age is rapidly approaching the Millennum.
Perhaps the British House of Commons is the
most matter-of-fact assembly in Christendom.
Latterly the truth of this has been growing every
session, more and more, unmistakeably apparent.
Within the last quarter of a century the predo-
minating influence of reason or sheer plain sense
has affected even the style of oratory and the
method of discussion. Nowadays, we wager that
Mr. BURKE would be laughed at " consumedly"
if he were to venture upon throwing another
dagger upon the floor of the Legislature. Colonel
SIBTHORP himself could scarcely excite more merri-
ment, we fancy, by the most preposterous display
of his eccentric rhodomontade. Nay, we ques-
tion very much if th• Right Hon. Gentleman would
not run the risk of following the destinies of poor
FEAROUS O'CONNOR, and wake up some fine morn-
ing in Dr. TUBE'S Lunatic Asylum at Turnham-
green—to find himself pronounced insane by a
commission de lunatico inquirendo. Why, exa-
mine for a moment the nature of our Parliamen-
tary proceedings. Can anything be more diffe-
rent from what they were in the days of our fore-
fathers ? Conservatism may still be rather too
much the vogue in other quarters, but in that at
least the change effected has been—radical. Some
might presume even to insinuate that it has been
only another illustration of the " deformed trans-
formed." Regarded in any point of view, it must
be allowed to be sufficiently remarkable. Instead
of senators, the country seems to have secured the
services of a body of exceedingly shrewd and sen-
sible vestrymen. Statistics with them appear to
have almost entirely superseded the flowers of
rhetoric. Their blue-books, the printed record of
their more important doings—sold, appropriately
enough (in consideration of their being the very
reverse of " light reading "), according to their
weight, in so many ounces avoirdupoise—afford
a tolerable idea of the character of their current
literature. . Remember, in fact, who those men
are who are admitted to be the principal orators
among living statesmen. Scarcely one amongst
them can be regarded as of that school in which
Mr. PITT, and Mr. Fox, and Mr. CANNING, and
Mr. WHITBREAD were prominently illustrious.
Possibly in elevation of style, and dignity of
manner, Mr. GLADSTONE may be considered to be
one of their political descendants—but then Mr.
GLADSTONE is amongst ourselves, at this moment,
almost a solitary exception. His contemporaries,
as debaters, resemble him in hardly one parti-
cular. The majority of them speak from the
floor of the House of Commons as they speak
from the platform of the hustings. They address
the SPEAKER (apart from mere forms) as they do
their constituents. And so, the tone of the
House has become lowered, we conceive, and this
almost within the experience of the present gene-

ration.

Nevertheless—matter of fact as we are, loving
statistics as we do, preferring common sense be-
fore appeals to the imagination—we doubt very
much whether more work than of yore is actu-
ally accomplished within any given time by the
Members of the British Legislature. It is a

sqiidieesrtaitoinooe take
mrea are musing
me
In,
st entitled d to
over some
matters little
affect-
ing con
the welfare of nations when we are observing
the progress of those discussions which are marked
at intervals by divisions, or by the passing of
memorable Acts of Parliament.. We are not
lingering-over an idle day-dream. We are not
watching the course taken by the silver rivulet of
Sir RICHARD FANSIIA,WE or listening to the
warble of the birds ,
" Timing with stops of gold the silver stria
Very different is the g."
sounds accompanying the current of those proceed-
ings of the Imperial Legislature. Everything there
We have intimated, 113/4 an appearance of earnest
labour
~and energetic, occupation. There are the