The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-27 00:00:00

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WITH wincti
" THE TRUE SUN" IS NOW
INCORPORATED.

LONDON :
TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 27, 1838.

On the motion for going into a Committee on the Mu-
tiny Bill, last night, Captain BOLDERO moved as an amend-
ment the appointment of a Committee to inquire into the
state of military punishments and rewards. After a consi-
derable debate, his motion was lost by 169 to 76. We are
not surprised at the result, for if there be one subject which
has been repeatedly and thoroughly discussed, leaving no
doubt whatever as to flogging being as useless as it is dis-
gusting, and demonstrating the impenetrability of official
men's brains to truth and reason, that subject is military
flogging. We do not want inquiry, we want action ;or
rather, we want those who wield the cruel military knout to
be passive, or check their noxious activity. Over and over
again has it been observed that discipline, the best discipline,
the cordial co-operation of energetic minds and hearts in the
common defence is only destroyed, the military service de-
graded, and the army made a receptacle for all kinds of
scamps, instead of being the chosen and delightful service
of the boldest of our youth—by the use of the cat. But
blind and deaf to all other lessons than those which are in-
spired by their own carelessness and pride, the officers of
the army persist in saying that they cannot preserve order
and obedience without flogging. To them such a state-
ment is an indelible disgrace ; and as long as they entertain
such opinions, they are unworthy of having under their
command brave and free men. One justification of their
opinions was last night found in the conduct of General
EVANS, who was once the advocate of the abolition
of flogging, but freely used the lash in Spain. With
us General Evaiss's practice has no weight, though
we much regret his bad example, which has inflicted a
deeper wound on the cause of humanity than his eloquence
can ever cure. The service he was in was not very honour-
able, and it has turned out to be not very profitable. The
troops were not collected from the best sources, nor in-
spired by the best motives. They had not, and could not,
have any of those sentiments which animate men in the de-
fence of their country, and the practice which might be suitable
in the Legion would be unwarranted in the national army.
It is as absurd in fact to justify flogging in the whole army,
applicable to all times and circumstances, because General
EvAss used it, as it would be to say the industry of Eng-
land must be stimulated by the whip because slave-
owners love to employ it. "If the public desire to be
well served," says a Mr. FANE, in an excellent little letter,
addressed to the Times this morning, "it should steadily
adhere to the principle of surrounding public offices with
every attraction which is suited to their nature." But this
was said of Courts of Law, and such a principle is never
applied to soldiers. To the perils and hardships of a
military life Statesmen add the attraction of the cat, of
cruel punishment and great disgrace, and thus expect that
those whose " soul is honour," will enlist freely, readily stay,
and be proud of the brutality. The folly of this system
has been demonstrated over and over again ; it is what
Captain BOLDERO once more wanted the House to inquire
into, and the House properly refused to inquire. However,
if it do not pass a resolution, condemning the disgusting
practice, it will supply another proof that the Legislature
has changed its character, and become the drag on society.

Lord WHARNCLIFFE, in moving last night for the pro.
duetion of the correspondence which has passed between
the Poor-law Commissioners and certain Boards of
Guardians and other parties, relative to the administration
of the New Poor-law, brought on a discussion on the merits
of that law. The Noble Lord is favourable to the new
system, as every man pretending to common sense and
honesty, who knows anything about the matter, must be ;
but he considers it due to the character of the Commis-
sioners, as well as necessary to the satisfactory operation of
the system, that the charges which have been made against
both, and circulated with so much avidity, should be en-
quired into, that the mouths of gainsayers may be stopped.
Lord WIIARNCLIFFE remarked—and we beg attention
to the remark—that though the assailants of the New'
Poor-law have been numerous, and active in getting up
cases of abuse, "it was most singular that up to this time
there had not been one real case substantiated ugain3t th
Bill." The papers moved for were granted as a matter of
course. Lord STANHOPE, as t,ual, stood " alone in his
glory," vituperating, in no measured terms, both the law and
its administrators. We shall probab'y revert to the debate
when we have more space.

The West India Planters in this country begin to raiso
the outcry of injustice, robbery, and breach of faith, against
Lord BROUGHAM and the party (if the whole nation can
be called a party), who call on the Government to put an
end to the system of apprenticeship on the Ist of August.
The cry will be re-echoed with tenfold force in Jamaica,
when the accounts of the important proceedings which have
taken place within the last fortnight shill relch the island,
and in accordance with their usual practice, every obstruc-
tion will be thrown in the way of the Executive by a hand-
ful of men who arc constantly inveighing against the Go-
vernment, and threatening to throw off their allegiance with
as much assurance, as, if in place of a few thousands, they
consisted of millions. The people of this country, how-
ever, know too well the ingratitude of these gentlemen to
care much about what they may say or do. After having
received their share of the Twenty Millions, many of them
denounce the Whigs for carrying the Emancipation Bill ;
they, of course, will denounce them still more for hastening
its completion, and with the same justice and reason. The
only great point, however, which the LegisLture now has
to consider, is thr.ir right to grant immediate emancipation
without a breach of contract. Whatever the slave-holders
may say, contract certainly there was none. Parliament
granted the enormous sum of Twenty Millions as a full com-
pensation for any loss the Planter might sustain, and the
apprenticeship system was adopted, not for the sake of the
master, but for the sake of the slave, in order to prepare
him for freedom. All the arguments for apprenticeship
adduced on the occasion were founder] on that principle,
and the very distinction which the Act recognises between
prtedial and non-prmclial slaves confirms the fact that
emancipation was to take place, not when it might suit the
master, but when the slave was fit for it. The admirab!e
conduct of the Negroes since the Act was passed shows
hat they may be trusted with their freedom, and to pro-
ract the period of slavery for one day more for the sake of
be Planters, would be granting them a boon to which
hey have no claim, and putting money, at the expense of

the Negroes, into:the pockets of men who have already
received an indemnity more than twice as large as they
could reasonably have expected from any Government.

The mijority on Lord EuoT's motion is not expect( d
to be very great ; and it is therefore the duty of all the
Reforming Members of the House of Co:nmons to be
present this evening, and defeat this fresh party attempt to
change the Ministry without a thought of benefiting de
people.

If the guardians of ecclesiastical property bare bei
guilty of gross mismanagement—not to say peeulationn
their administration of the funds committed to their care,
they seem determined that no charge shall lie against them
in future for that species of neglect, which consists in not
screwing the uttermost farthing- cut of their tenants. We
have before us a little pamphlet by a gentlemen of the
name of HESELTINE, which details a case of rapacity so
unprincipled, so monstrous, that it would appear totally in-
credible, had it not been perpetrated by a body of ecclesi-
astics. Mr. HESELTINE purchased in 1821 a house in
Lamheth, held under the Daan and Chapter of Canter-
bury for 21 years, on the well known condition attaching
to such property, that the lease is renewable every seven
years on payment of a year and a half's rent. The lease
was accordingly renewed, and a fine of 801. paid at the end
of every septennial period but the last. On this occasion a
demand of 224/. 18s., and 101. 10s. Bd. expenses, was
made upon 'AI r. HESELTINE, who, feeling naturally enouel,
some desire to know on what grounds this surprising addi-
tion to the usual fine had been made, applied for informa-
tion on this point to the solicitor of the Dean and Chapter.
This gentleman was directed by his Reverend clients to
reply, that the fine was " correctly set upon a year and a
half of the annual value of the property." The rent which
Mr. HESELTINE was receiving for this property—and that
the utmost he could get for it—was 501. per annum. This
somewhat important fact having been urged as a reason fi r
the Dean and Chapter to reconsider the case, they replied,
that " they sate no reason to alter their determination."
Mr. HESELTINE then made enquiries among the tenants of
the contiguous property similarly situated, and soon found
that he was not the only person who had reason to complain
of the conduct of the Dean and Chapter. He discovered
also that a judge of appeal, for such cases as his, had been
appointed in the person of the Rev. Dr. SPRY, Rector o'
Marylebone, a member of the said Chapter of Canterbury !
To this impartial tribunal, therefore, Mr. HESELTINE im-
mediately resorted, stated his case, and offered to prove by
the concurrent testimony of the principal surveyors in Lon-
don, that the fine was out of all proportion to the value of
the premises. This proposition, however, did not square
with the views of Dr. SPRY and his brethren, and the com-
plainant was informed with due dignity, that "the Dean
and Chapter always declined to allow any evidence to be
given against the calculation of their own surveyor ; they
always abided by his valuation."
Mr. HESELTINE finding the door of Dr. SPRY'S under-
standing inexorably closed against the intrusion of any evi-
dence tending to lower the valuation made by " their own
surveyor," next betook himself to that person—a Mr.
AUSTIN, of Canterbury—a new hand, appointed since Lord
JOHN RUSSELL'S stir about Church leases—to whom he
stated, in minute detail, the particulars of the property
and also his conviction that he, the said AUSTIN, could net
possibly have seen it before he fixed so exorbitant a value
on it. The amount of the redress which the complainant
received from the surveyor, by whose valuation the Dean
and Chapter " always abided," was to be battledored back
to Dr. SPRY 7. As a last, though almost hopeless resource,
Mr. HESELTINE made a desperate effort to get at the
Audit Board, where he encountered the formidable appa-
ratus of ten Prebendaries, arranged in due order round a
chair, worthily filled by the Bishop of Oxeoen, who hap-
pens to be also Dean of Canterbury. Here a scene en-
sued which we hardly dare attempt to describe, after the
graphic manner in which it is set forth in the complainant's
pamphlet. In vain did Mr. HESELTINE offer to prove by
documentary evidence, by affidavits if required, that the
sum in which he had been assessed, instead of being one
year and a half's rent, was, in fact, equal to six years' rack-
rent of the premises. In vain did he show that while other
tenants, holding land only, had been raised 50 per cent, he,
the holder of a house, subject to various charges from which
land is exempt, had been raised 200 per cent. ; he made no
more impression on the Dean and Chapter than if they had
been so many deaf adders, " which will not listen to the
voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely." These
righteous men who " always abided by the valuation of
their own surveyor"—who could not allow his infallibility
to be questioned, determined that 235/. Bs. Bd. was a just
and equitable valuation of that property which their own
infallible surveyor had fixed at 801.! ! In the course of
this curious interview, the important admission was elicited
from the new surveyor that he had never seen the premises
in question, but had, in company with a friend, who had
some knowledge of the locality, gone among the occupants
of neighbouring houses, endeavouring to pump out of them
such information as suited his purpose. These occupants,
he confessed, imagined that he and his friend wanted to
purchase their property for the Southampton Railroad—a
circumstance which may perhaps account for their naming
a pretty high price. Mr. HESELTINE requested permission
to withdraw with Mr. AUSTIN from the audience Cham-
ber, in order to satisfy him of the incorrectness of his va-
luation. This proposal was at first rejected by the Dean
and Chapter, but the surveyor making no objection it was
at last assented to, and the result of this private interview
is thus given by Mr. HESELTINE

" I asked whether, if he had seen me, and had learned the
several particulars of which I then informed him, his valua-
tion would have been different? He candidly said, ' Cer-
tainly ; had I seen you and obtained the information I now
possess, my valuation would not have been what it is.' Well,
then,' I rejoined, the information which would at that time
have guided you, I now proffer on oath ; will not that suffice?'
The gentleman's answer staggered me. ' No,' said he, I
cannot retract ! I cannot say I am wrong ! though you perhaps
are right !! No, I adhere to my valuation !! I' This latter
phrase was repeated several times during our interview ; as if
it constituted the strength of his position."
It might be supposed that this admission of error on the
part of the infallible surveyor, would have had some effect
upon the minds of the Dean and Chapter, particularly when
backed by the affidavit of Mr. HESELTINE'S sub-tenant,
who swore that he had taken a lease of the premises for
twenty-one years, at a rent of 501. per annum, and that he
neither gave nor is to give any premium for the
lease. But no : all that the complainant could obtain in
the way of concession was, ;.hat if he would surrender the
lease altogether, they would return him the fine of
2351. Bs. Bd., which Dr. SPRY took good care to remind
him he /red paid. What a magnificent stretch of clerical
liberality! " Only allow us to chouse you out of 7401.,
Mr. HESELTINE—that is all we ask of you." This that
gentleman did not choose to do, and was therefore com-
pelled to submit to the extortion of this rapacious crew of
Churchmen.

Mr. HESELTINE, as may be easily imagined, is not wel;
pleased at being thus victimised, and the less so because he
happens to be a Tory, and s staunch supporter of old
Mother Church. He makes some very pertinent reflec-
tions on the conduct of the Reverend body by whom he
has been so ill treated. We have room only for the fol-
lowing extract :

" The age in which we live, so jealous of every assumption
of power, and so sever, in scrutinizing every abuse in old esta-
blishments, is but ill adapted for such an experiment. One
would have thought, that, in the absence of all higher and
better motives, the mere consideration of certain temporal
circumstances would have its weight with the Dean and Chap.
ter to assume the virtne, if they had it not,' of reason and
,norieration in their pecuniary transactions with the public.
Common policy prescribes to them such a course. Their
boldness may be well reserved for some better occasion, than
when their temporalities only are concerned. The land
which has shaken off the lazy slumbers of a cloistered priest.
hood, will not easily submit to ecclesiastical oppression by
their Protestant successors."
The cloister has disappeared—its virtues, we fear, have
gone with it : %va wish we could say its vices had accom-
panied them. Whatever these might be, extortion was
most certainly not one of them. The " round, fat, oily
man of GOD" might possibly now and then give way to the
impulses of the flesh—and we are not sure that he sinned
in this way oftener, though he had much more excuse.
than his Protestant successor—but if
He shone all glittering with ungodly dew
When a tight damsel chanc'd to tripper, by ;
he had about him also an unction of liberality, of brotherly
kindness and charity, which stands out in powerful contrast
with such grasping se!fishncss as that displayed by the
Bishop of OXFORD and his brethren, in the case which we
have felt it our duty to lay before the public.

The Paris Journals of Sunday have all been received.
Their contexts are unimportant, for we no longer attach