The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-19 00:00:00

their Republican perfection, had real faults,
which compelled him reluctantly to exclaim,
"My sons, why do ye such things ?" It would
be pleasant, indeed, to see him descanting on some
soul-stirring iniquity, yet struggling, with self-
denying and Christian resolution, to speak 4 simply
and calmly as GEORGt Fox in a Court of Justice.
Perhaps we shall have some specimens of this
change come o'er" his spirit in the next Ses-
sion ; not but that the present Cabinet are
Free-traders to his heart's content, but still they
have not adopted all the dogmas of the Manchester
School ; and, worst of all, they have left its most
distinguished professors out of the Cabinet, even
out of office altogether, although they had an-
nounced themselves to be quite competent to the
task.

To return, however, to Messrs. CASS and
BRIGHT. The latter endeavours to soothe the
former, not by any of his tender remonstrances
on the evils adverted to in the journals quoted by
the American Senator, but by dilating on the
" obscurity" of the journals themselves, and the
" obscure scribes" who wrote in them. Now,
this was hardly manly and ingenuous; the senti-
ment quoted from ourselves, " that whenever the
wolf wants a colourable pretext for injustice, he
can readily find or make it," Mr. BRIGHt, hot
and fiery Peace Society man as he is, would most
cordially assent to ; he would also, we are sure,
admit that Americans had acted too much on that
principle in both Texas and Mexico, and that
some of the best amongst their own' citizens, the
immortal and truly gentle CHAINING among them,
had not hesitated to tell them so. He would
own that her citizens in the matter of Cuba, and
her ablest Secretary in the affair of the Lobos
Islands, had evinced much of the same
spirit. It would surely, therefore, have been
more worthy of the speaker to have soft-
ened the criminating iambics, in which
General CASS thought we had cited the old
fable, into his own plaintive elegiacs, and to
have gently wooed the cotton-growers to honesty
and truth, rather than to have encouraged their
love of aggrandisement by attempting to &pre-
ciate honest and truthful journals. General
CASS we hardly can complain of ; he is a vehe-
ment party orator, and he was freely indulging in
a little special pleading. We would only remind
him that, whenever our own Government has
been guilty of the same crime, and crime it is, we
have been as forward to denounce it even in
stronger language. We commended the opposite
condUct of Lord DERBY in the case of the Lobos
Islands, and we promptly expressed our pleasure
in the right-minded language of Mr. FILLMORE,
on the same subject, in his last Message. America
may certainly number us among her most hearty
well-wishers. Though not Republicans, we are,
and always have been, earnest and steady Reform-
ers ; in our advocacy of electoral and law re-
forms, especially, we have repeatedly pointed to
American example. American genius we have
delighted to honour ; and the last splendid pro-
duction of it, frOm the pen of Mrs. STOWE,
we welcomed, not only for its fascinating beauties,
but because its equally extensive sale in America
and England showed that there was mor• com-
munity of sentiment than was commonly supposed,
even on so tender a subject as Slavery.
We would advise our American friends, how-
ever, not to be so sensitive to every well-meant,
and even caustic, remark on this side the water.
The animus of severity after all is not always bad.
It is upon things, not upon persons. It is intended
to arouse the attention which would not be given
to tamer language. We have it on the highest
authority that " open rebuke is better than secret
love." This is especially true of the Press when
it attacks—not individual character—but public
evils. Two great attached, and similar nations,
like England and America, can afford to discuss
each other's conduct in their periodical literature
with freedom. It is an advantage to each to see
ourselves as we appear in our brothers' eyes. If
on either side we feel strongly, it is to the inte-
rest of the other side to know it. If strong
disapprobation be causeless, it can be removed
by explanation ; and if there be reason for
it, it may, by being made known, have a salutary
effect where it is most needed. National vanity
and self-love are, we know, but too easily
wounded, and we would be duly cautious to avoid
doing it ; still it is desirable for us, on both sides,
to suppress this foolish vanity and irritability,
and, according to the old proverb, to learn wisdom
even from an enemy. Mr. INGERSOLL, on this
occasion, when he had been duly apprised by the
Manchester commercial bodies that they were
right and generous on the subject of protection,
and he and his country quite wrong, in the most
quiet and gentlemanly way just dropped the re-
mark—" There yet remains a portion of the pro-
ductions of our country which is not only assessed,
but is heavily assessed." The fact he alluded to,
being, that tobacco pays a duty varying, accord-
ing to the quality, from one to twelve hundred
per cent.

Most cordially do we wish the Manchester
School success in their reforming efforts, though
we think they, especially, need to guard against
one-sidedness. They need not, however, dis-
parage old Reformers to further the common
cause. Fully thirty years before Mr. JOHN
BRIGHT was born, The Sun was contending in
the interests of liberal government. Since Mr.
JOHN BRIGHT was introduced on the stage, for nearly
five years The Sun fought almost single-handed the
battle of the repeal of the Corn Laws ; and " its
obscure scribes" aided in bringing the speeches
and doings of Manchester orators from the " ob-
scurity" in which the Times and other journals
left them. The real, the gifted, the laborious,
but the unrequited, Father of Corn-law Repeal
continued to write in our columns. In due
time " The leading Journal" changed, and
others changed with it ; and the Manchester profes-
sors know the reward which we, as the most for-
ward journal to advocate their cause, received at
their hands. They have found us, however, and
will find us still, heartily with them, so far as
they aim at national and not merely Manchester
projects. As to .America, we shall never wan-
tonly abuse her, nor any other foreign country ;
neither shall we fawn upon her, nor fail to
tell her honestly when we think her in the
wrong. If she be in danger of that spirit
of grasping territory which we condemn in our
own country, if she will hug and caress as
a domestic bantling an abomination which
we once denounced in our own case, and paid
twenty millions to abolish ; so far, we repeat, as
she will do such things as these, her bales of
cotton and her imports in return will not hinder
us from writing as becomes a friendly but honest
journal.

PROVIDENT CLERKS' INSTITUTION.—We have great
pleasure in directing attention to the report in another
column of the Provident Clerks' Association annual
meeting as showing the increasing prosperity of its
operations, and its exertions in promoting and extending
the importance of Life Assurance. The Benevolent Fund
particularly deserves attention, not only of those for
whose immediate benefit it was founded, but from the
distress it has relieved, it claims the assistance of the
benevolent in general ; and being supported by the first
bankers and merchants in the country, its usefulness is
fully guaranteed.
THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF WELLINGTON--We hear
that the Duke 'and Duchess of Wellington are expected
to embark on their tour in Spain and Portugal—the
,scenes of so many of his illustrious and gallant father's
victozies, and in which countries the Sovereigns granted
large estates to the deceased chieftain—about the end of
March. Apsley House, soon after it has been closed to
the public, will undergo a course of decorative repair ;
and the present mansion occupied by his Grace in Bel-
grave-titreet will become, it is understood, the permanent
abode of Lord and Lady Charles Wellesley, whose
youths ul son, Arthur, is, after his father, heir presump-
tive to the dukedom. His Grace's acceptance of the
office of Master of the Horse will not, it is understood,
prevent his visit to Spain and Portugal.
UNWHOLESOME FOOD.-Mr. Daw laid the following
par ers before the City Court of Sewers yesterday :
G entlemen,—l beg to lay before you the following
sun unary of articles seized by your inspectors of slaugh-
ter- houses as unfit for human food during the three
mo nths terminating at Christmas last :—Live cows dis-
ea.ed, 7 ; carcases of beasts, calves, pigs, sheep, and
lambs, 163 ; quarters of beef and various joints, 248 ;
sausages, 30 lbs. ; tongues, 8 ; heads of poultry, 4,405 ;
fawns and deer, 9; larks, 1 hamper ; salmon, 49 • cod,
315 ; cod sounds, 500 ; soles, ' 694 pairs ; shell-fish, lob-
sters, and crabs, 153 ; various small ditto, 51 bushels ;
shrimps, 20 gallons; miscellaneous, 81,607."