The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-31 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The arrest of the Rev. Mr. Stephens, on a charge of ut
tering seditious language, is, it must be admitted, a most
extraordinary step, while a political incendiary like Mr.
Daniel O'Connell, with his precursor agitation, is at large,
and not only at large but caressed and honoured by her !
Majesty's ministers—feasted by her Majesty's Irish Vice-
ray—and Battered and applauded by the Journals of the
Whigs, whose profligate faction more than once convulsed
society, and nearly brought about a cisil war to secure them-
selves in power. Can the Whigs, by issuing proclamations
against " torch-light meetings," where violence has neither
been done nor attempted, and by arresting the Rev.
Mr. Stephens, as a talker of sedition, hope to make the
British public forget their own iniquities in the wee of
popular excitement and intimidation ? Can they ob-
literate the recollection of the infamous placards with which
Whig emissaries covered the walls of London, with the
intention of creating a run upon the banks, and throwing
the commercial world, nay, all society, into confusion, to
prevent the Whig Min;sters from being ejected from
Downing-street by the free exercise of the King's un-
doubted prerogative ? If a commercial crisis did not they,
take p'ace, and if society was not thrown into a state of
anarchical confusion, it was not the fault of those who
posted the-walls with the flaring placards bearing the atro-
cious inscription "If you would stop the Duke go for
gold." Scarcely yet has Bristol risen from the ashes of
the fires which the instigators to popular intimidation
and the incendiary appeals to physical force, which daily
appeared in the Whig journals, at that time bad kindled.
Nottingham still bears the blackening traces of the flames
of Whig agitation. The gallows at both those towns bears
infamous record to the fate of the victims of Whig Reform
excitement—the wretched beings that were tempted to vie.
lence to secure the Whig faction in power, and hanged in
place of the real instigators, of whom they were but the in-
fatuated tools. Did any of the Whig statesmen speak
with disapproval of the directly rebellious threats of the
then Whiggified Birmingham hammermen ? Oh, no ! The
menaces of physical force then' made against the House
of Lords, and the threats of marching upon London
to carry those threats into execution were repeated by
Whig journals and Whig politicians in tones of congenial
violence. The Whig Attorney-General of that time
spoke of the House of Lords in language well calculated
to add fuel to the flame. The Whig Lord Chancellor,
from his place on the Woolsack, like a first-rate showman
in the " deep tragedy line," solemnly raised the curtain o!
the New Hall-hill " demonstration," aad in language of
terrible import pointed out to their, Lordships the startling
spectacle of 150,000 working men kneeling bare-headed,
and veil fag in the sight of Heaven that they must have the
Reform Bill, or else— Any demonstration of physical
force—any array of popular intimidation in favour of Whig
objects is good and patriotic. It is only when directed
against Whiggery that such demonstrations are dangerous
end treasonable—anti-Poor-lan, agitation is to be put down,
but anti-tithe and anti-Corn-law agitation to be encouraged
—Morning Herald.
Our readers will find elsewhere en ample account of the
arrest of the Rev. Mr. Stephens, and of his examination.
and of the evidence received in proof that he had bee,
guilty of dangerous and inflammatory language, at a certain
meeting, which is there specified. It would be wrong to
say, in the present stage of the proceedings, what may be
the actual amount of crime committed by the alleged de-
linquent ; for as yet Mr. Stephens Las had no opportunity
of rebutting the evidence brought against him, by any other
proof than that of the cross-examination of witnesses. In
the course of the next three or four days, a furthe,
examination will take place, and then we shall be better
able to judge whether the atrocious language attributed
to Mr. Stephens have, or have' rot any foundatice
in fact. If it be true that he gave utterance to the
language alleged 1112eive been ernCoyej by him upon
more than one occasieb-----and if, at the, same time, he be
of sane mind—iva know elf no punishisieote within mode-
rate compass, which ought not to be inflicted upon him.
On the other, if he be of insane mind--of a benevolent,
but imprudent disposition=-We tiust. that he will be le-
niently dealt with. No good ever resulted from harsh
treatment, and more especially in ewes where the
heart, instead of the head, was the offending member.
Any thing which could admit of the Construction of
severity or vindictiveness in the further proceedings to be
adopted towards Mr. Stephens, would be the most inju-
dicious course which Government could devise. As it is,
there are myriads on myriads of the manufacturing popu-
lation who will regard 'that gentleman as a victim to his
attachment to their cause, and who will consequently
feel the deepest interest in all the proceedings which
may be adopted towards him. If, therefore, there be
any thing in those proceedings which can lead them to
suppose that Mr. Stephens is treated vindictively,
the result may be a breach of the peace. It is reported
that other arrests, on similar charges, are in contemplation.
We adjure the Government to ponder well before they
have recourse to so perilous a step. If they do persist in
the determination to which they are said to have come, we
tremble at the thought of the possible consequences of
their procedure in the manufacturing districts. One ex-
ample, in the shape of arrest, will answer all useful pur-
poses. If there is to be a wholesale arresting of those who
arc alleged to have uttered seditious language at the recent
radical demonstrations, the people will regard the circum-
stance as indicative of a vengeful or vindictive spirit on the
part of Government.— Morning Advertiser.
We learn from what we deem good authority on East
Indian affairs that Runjeet Singh, notwithstanding Lord
Auckland's tripartite treaty, positively refused to allow the
British troops to march through the Punjab, and that in
consequence of this refusal Commodore Barnes was sent
to ascertain the practicability of forming a bridge of
boats across the Indus, out of the dominions of this very
cordial ally of the Noble Governor-General. We learn
also that Mr. Ross, the senior Member of Council at
Calcutta, who has hitherto acted as Deputy-Governor
General during the temporary absence of Lord Auckland
from the seat of Government,bas resigned that function, and
is succeeded by Colonel Morrison. This is supposed to arise
from Mr. Ross's disapprobation of the actual policy of the
British Government in India. This gentleman has been in
India many years, and in the various subordinate offices
which led progressively to his present elevation has ac-
quired, we undrstand, in an extraordinary degree, the re-
spect and affection of the natives. It will be recollected
by those who paid attention to the subject, that in papers
' laid before the House of Commons last Session, relating to
certain dark and mysterious transactions in the kingdom of
(Jude, -Mr. Boss appears in the character of a dissentient
front the policy, in pursuance of which the British Govern-
ment of India decided by military violence the question of
succession to the Oude throne.—Morning Post.

GARDENING OPERATIONS FOR

THE WEEK.

(From the Gardener's Gazette.)
In frosty weather remove, and lay on manure, split wood
for winter use, and do all carting and other work that the frost
does not prevent : take some pains to make men and horses
useful ; for in proportion to the severity of a frost, so are the men
discharged the more miserable. In a garden, a thousand oppor-
tunities of making men useful occur, preparing drainage,
crocks, and labels, clipping hedges, forming trcllices and
frames for climbing plants, attending to the fruit and seed-
rooms, doing the heavy pruning of orchards, mending fences,
gates, &c., and there are innumerable operations, which,
while all other affairs go on, are generally neglected for more
pressing matters. Avoid as long as possible discharging
hands, and creating want.
Houses and pits of all kinds require well watching and
guarding against the weather ; greenhouses, conservatories,
and pits, should be kept at the lowest possible degree of tem-
perature above a frost, to prevent the drawing of the plants,
and if the air be temperate but an hour in the day, let them
have the benefit of air for that hour.
The ordinary operations inside houses may go on as usual,
even to the repotting, if care has been taken to provide the
proper compost under cover from the frost. Training of the
climbing plants should be looked to, as many of them, espe-
cially Tropeolums, grow rapidly, and care should be taken to
train them very close at the bottom, where plants of that de-
scription should be well covered, or they entirely fail to be
good specimens.
If any bulbs remain unplanted, we are sorry for them.
While frost holds off, every rod of ground that is doing no-
thing should be dug and left in ridges.afit isne
Endive can be easiest blanched with a flat tile, Which
covers the whole, unless the plants be
and very
Celerylarge
andth
in which case they may be tied up ;
growing should, whenever the opportunities occur, be carefully
earthed up.

CORN MONOPOLISTS.—We observe that some of
the agricultural associations never meet but to eulogize the
Corn-laws, and to impress upon each other the necessity of
their being continued. We are at a loss to understand
what they will say to the present remarkable crisis, which
would almost seem to have been brought about by Provi-
dence on purpose to uproot, and utterly to destroy, such a
fearful evil as the Corn-laws have latterly been found. The
English Agricultural Society held their first great meeting
the other day—Earl Spencer (late Lord Althorp) in the
chair, but somehow not a word was said on the subject of
the Corn-laws. They found that silence was best.—Tyne
Mercury.
On Monday night a very daring robbery was com-
mitted on the premises of a gentleman named Wembsy,
residing i❑ Bethnal-green-road. During the temporary ab-
sence of the servant some thieves had got access to the house
by tneansAskeleton keys, and it is supposed had concealed
theme) n the premises for some time. They succeeded
in carrh's a large stock of jewellery, and some valuable
papers; st have been disturbed, as a considerable
tfiantiit, Pt ring apparel was left behind, which they had
packet{ any with them.
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