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

The year 1851 was pronounced eventful, for so
it was by the ordinance of man, and when it was
over they who witnessed the great triumph of art
and congress of nations concluded that they might
now rest awhile from 'excitement and change. It is
true that much business was to be done in the Legis-
lature, and sober-minded people preached the duty
of work after play. There were questions to be
resumed and arrears to be pulled up ; a grand
beginning was to be carried out, and splendid
theories made useful. It is true, too, that towards
the end of that so-called marvellous year there were
not wanting signs portentous of a future more
checkered than just then suited the wearied expect-
ations of man. But the year that has come forth
at least has proved as usual, a genuine child of the
future. As usual it has passed the anticipations of
either prudence or folly, and bears its own charac-
ter, new, varied, and even prodigious, in the tables
of time. In fact, the year 1852 does not yield to
its predecessor in the momentous quality of its
events, and the interest which its mention must ever
awake. As in duty bound, we cannot but record
with gratitude that it has, on the whole,. and on a
calm estimate, been a year of great prosperity, and
promise of still greater. War has kept far from
these shores ; Europe is-pacified ; little clouds have
threatened the political horizon, but have passed
'.l.oiviirtarmienrtiteNnilytt-Btat;:ware -StiWcontent-
ifith their own ; the festerin quarrel that for
tivienty `years has interrupted buf -06111- mercie' in
South America has been happily stanched ; even
the miserable Kafir. war has almost exhausted itself ;
the new General who was dent there in January
already talks of his return ; our war with our East
Indian neighbours is little more than an endless
parade at the cost of English patience and money •
and so the year has closed on an all but universal
tranquillity.
But the mention of war, cannot but suggest both
our danger and our loss. We have this year lost
our greatest intiai, The Duke of Wellington, who
has .stampt hitname on so long a range of epochs,
and who eiron'Wt year still seemed a man to guide,.
the fertunes'of his country in peace or in-war' has
at length gone froth- us; and this year, though seT.
far in the century, borrows a splendour not its own
froni, the revival of his story, and the record.
of his fame: We have buried our great chief, with
the consciousness that the eyes of many nations
and of future ages were upon us. Time seemed to
retrace its steps, there was a pause in -the political
strife, all parties, all classes for once were agreed
to gather round the grave of the man whose achieve-
Aleuts, unparalleled as they were, nevertheless
seemed the least part of his greatness. That has
been the greatest act of the year, and whatever has
been omitted towards the welfare of this country
at a crisis of just anxiety. has supplied by the
'determination of all claSees to show the utmost
possible readiness to hoithiir their common deliverer.
To pass to other countries, the same year hai seen
the death of Soult in France, and Castanos in Spain,
each of them, with what justice it is needless to in-
quire, compared in his own country to our Welling-
ton. While the great relics of the last war have
thus been passing away, the Imperial Throne and
unscrupulous ambition- of Napoleon have been re-
vived in France. Once more peace seems to hang
on the breath of a man who may consult necessity
or passion by giving the fatal word that shall sur-
round these isles and cover the ocean with war.
From this year we are fortunately compelled to
date the restoration of our long-neglected defences,
in the shape of a new militia at home, and a class of
screw-ships fit to cope with the giants recently
launched from the ports of our nearest neighbour.Our
security is affected by the blow that struck down the
liberties of Prance. What .Napoleon 111. has done
to his subjects he may, with as little warning or
hesitation, do to us who have less claims to his.
mercy. The confiscation of the Orleans property,
and the .release of Abd-el-Kader, if they show a
difference of demeanour to those whom he may
consider his foes, prove at least the habitual secrecy
and boldness of his designs.
Our domestic_ politics have been scarcely less

muya
inb •The' cry of Frotection4 has been
.unexpecte r
let into power by the divisions of its opponents,
and, after a reign dexterously spun out to 300 days,
has been ejected by their reunion. Lord Derby
and Mr. Disraeli have thus had a year's govern-
ment of this country, not without success. A large
body of their adherents has been added to the roll
of British statesmen. Our defences have been re-
stored, and Chancery reformed. The exploded
dogma of Protection has had it last appeal in a
new Parliament, and in that appeal has now been
cast for ever. From this year we date, then, a
" Coalition" Ministry, combining all who are wil-
ling to govern the country on the principles that
have prevailed for the last thirty years. Lord
Palmerston has been this year—almost exactly
this year—out of office, and is not the least re-
markable member of our new Christmas party. A
crisis of such political difficulty has given us more
of the seeds of progress than of actual legislation.
Rival factions now vie in the promise of reforms,
nor are there wanting many, indications of change,
whether we look to events, to discoveries, or to the
scarcelyless palpable development of public opinion.
Labour of all kinds is becoming less of a drug, and
the tables are turning against the employer. Coal,
iron, other metals, and even agricultural produce,
are rising. Our workshops and factories cannot
keep pace with orders. With increased employ-
ment there is a corresponding increase in the use
of comforts and luxuries. Never did the metropo-
lis and manufacturing towns show so rapid growth.
Notwithstanding these inducements at home, emi-
gration has set in to our Australian colonies, in
addition to the Transatlantic current, with unpre-
cedented force. Vessels cannot be found too large
or too swift, and a new class of emigrant-ships has
come into existence, to be replaced possibly, in its
turn, by one much larger. Lines of steamers are
designed, or are already commenced, to all parts of
the globe, and scarce a week passes but some new
wonder is launched on the deep. Not to insist for
ever, or exclusively, on the benefits of Free Trade,
the immediate cause of this extraordinary move-
ment by land and by sea is the daily increasing dis-
covery of the Australian goldfields. The vastest
treasure ever yet accumulated by man has been this
year in the vaults of the Bank of England ; but it
is no more than the annual crop of gold reaped by
a few thousand Englishmen from the valleys and
mountain sides of a remote colony. The probable
effect of this Providential interference with the old
distribution and laws of wealth baffles the skill of
the boldest and most experienced speculator. The
channels of currency and of oommerce take a long
time to fill with this new stream of gold, but they
must overflow before long ; and then we shall see,
more clearly than reason can tell'us, the final result
of these wonderful discoveries.

In the conflict of parties the Legislature has
hardly kept pace with events and spontaneous
changes. Much-desired improvements of the metro-
polis are yet at a standstill. If there is anything
to notice, it is that nuisances of all kinds grow with
the growth: of this huge city, and become yearly
more intolerable and more difficult to be mastered.
But the age is still big with promise. The Exhi-
bition which has this year been swept clean from
Hyde-park, has left twin offspring,—the one na-
tional, the other private. That which is growing
up under official nursing, is to be a vast and com-
prehensive Institute of Art and Science at Ken-
sington-gore. The less favoured progeny is already
rearing its lofty dome on the ridge of the Surrey
hills, and bids fair to surpass, in many respects,
its splendid original. The year 1852 will be famous
in the annals of education for the copious reports
of the two University Commissions. But, whether
for good or for ill, for promise or for failure, few
years will be more memorable. The Church of
England will remember how Convocation contrived
to get up a debate. Christians of all kinds will
deplore the common scandal of rival churches in
the cause " Achilli versus Newman." Everybody
will remember our summer of intolerable heat and
draught, our autumn of rains and inundations.
Within this checkered twelvemonth were lost the
Amazon and the Birkenhead. Scarcely any but will
associate the year with losses not so terrible, but
neamr. home. Few years have been so fatal' to
genius and worth. From a much larger obituary
may be selected the names of Turner, Prout, J.
Landseer, Finden, Eliot Warburton, T.
D'Orsay, Porter, the economist, PugM, and Webs Moore,-
ter, the American statesman.—Times •
0

'UNDLE STEEPLE CHASE.--The Earl of Cardigan,
Lord Burghersh, and Hubert de Burgh, Esq., have con-
sented to act as stewards of Oundle steeple chases, which
are fixed to come off' on Friday, Jan. 28. The sport will
consist of a Grand Handicap Sweepstakes of 15 s.vs.
each, with 100 sovs. added ; a Selling Steeple Chase of
5 sovs. each, with 25 sovs. added ; and a Farmers' and
Tradesmen's Steeple Chase of 5 soya. each, with 25 sovs.
added. The acting officials in promoting this meeting
(and a highly successful one is anticipated) are Mr.
Wright, of the Talbot inn, and Mr. E. Francis, of the
Dolphin inn.