The Sun.
London, England, 1838-07-27 00:00:00

LONDON :
FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 27, 1838.

A short but animated discussion took place last night in
he House of Lords on the third reading of the " Slave Ves-
sels Captured Bill ;" in the course of which Lord COLCHES-
TER entered his warmest protest against some statements
that had been publicly made, injurious, as he thought, to
the character of the navy, inasmuch as it was represented
that " the giving of head-money had operated in various
instances to prevent the seizure of the slave-vessels till they
had completed their cargoes, and the vessels had sailed."
That the system of head-money has this tendency, and
must necessarily have this tendency, no one can pos-
sibly doubt who is at all acquainted with the circumstances;
but it does not theref)re follow that those who hold such
an opinion should be traducers of the navy. Lord
BeouGllast we believe it was who first alluded to the sub-
ject ; and surely he could have no object in vilifying the
character of a profession which has called forth the patri-
otic energies of some of the noblest spirits in England !
Indeed we do not think that he has been sufficiently en-
ergetic in his denunciation of the system of " head
money," which, to say the least of it, is a demo-
ralizing system, and holds out golden temptations
which few but the most disinterested natures could re,
sist ; and to say, there'cre, that, however plausible
in theory, it is injurious in practice—what is this but to
say that the navy, like all other trades and prefes:ions, par-
takes of the common infirmities of humanity ? If even the
ghostly Prelates of the Established Church are not alto-
gether miracles of Apostolic self-denial ; if Billops have
been known to be far from lax or negligent in their atten-
dance at the altar of Mammon —if these pious and
etherial spirits have, occasionally stumbled : are we to
suppose, as Lord COLCHESTER would have us suppose, that
the navy is entire and unadu:terated perfection ; and
that the system of head-monev will not operate on those
sailors moat expa.e.l to its influence, just in- the same seas
that the hope of a richer Bishopric, acts upon the con
science of a Prelate slenderly endowed in point of " filth)
lucre?" The tiling is absurd—and sca:cc worth a mo-
ment's consideration. It is not impossible that Lord
MINTo would have viewed the subject of "head-money" in
the same light, had he not been solicitous to arras-
himself in opposition to Lord BROUGHAM, whom
he attacked with a bitterness, csitlently intended to
make a profound impression 0.1 the House. Were we to
say that he succeeded, we should be tampering with the
sacred interests of truth, which, with us, are paramount to
every other consideration ; for the fact is, he made no
other exposure than that of his own spleen. He had the
wish, without the power, to be sarcastic. Lord BROUGHAM
paid more attention to his remarks--insinuations rather--
Mir they deserved, triumphantly refuting everything
he said ; so that -the F:Rsr LORD of the AD-
MIRALTY, to use a legal term, " took nothing
by his motion, which considering the style and
temper in which it wee. urged, is quite as much as
could reasonably have been expected. Certes, Lord
BROUGHAM is a most ill-starred individual, at least as
respects his position with the Ministry. He cannot rise,
but he sends a visible tremor th:ough their ranks; he
'cannot speak, but they take for Granted it is for the pur-
pose of en lamaging them ; he cannot to much as
lift his Little fiver, but they are fully persuaded ,