The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-06 00:00:00

as a Member of the Hereditary Legislature,
Lord DERBY'S sympathies are naturally with

his order, and his ideas of the important
and beneficial influence of the House of Peers
ale not those likely to be entertained by
the majority ; nevertheless, the following obser-
vations will be read, we cannot doubt, with very
general approbation. We admire in them not
only the spirit of justice by which they are cha-
racterised, but the courage manifest in such a
declaration from such a speaker ; for remember it
is the High Tory, the exclusive Earl of DERBY,
who is the Speaker :

" Gentlemen" said the Noble Earl, " allow me to say, is
the House of Lords in this country what in some other
countries it may be, an exclusive branch between which
and the rest of the community there is an impassable
gulf ? There are countries in which noblemen and the
commonalty are so .far separated, that from generation
to generation they are within the same country, but not
connected together,—in different societies, and incapable
of passing the barrier which subsists between them.
Happily, far different is the case with us. The House
of Lords in this country is constantly receiving fresh
reinforcements and influence from the popular element,
constantly receiving reinforcements of new blood ;
while, on the other hand, in the second generation,
at all events, the younger sons of the peerage are
merged in the commonalty, and becomes a portion of the
general mass of the community without any separating
barrier. Gentlemen, I think I could hardly take a
stronger instance of the manner in which these reinforce-
ments of the House of Lords takes place, than those
which have occurred in the last ten months—in three
cases, the only three in which I have had the honour of
advising the Crown to grant a peerage. These three
cases are drawn from three different professions. One
was a noble and gallant officer, connected originally with
a distinguished family, but still more distinguished for
having been for many years the right-handed counsel-
lor of that distinguished and lamented man this coun-
try has lately lost. In the chief command of the
army he had attained a military name, and his ser-
vices were well known to every military officer,
and his conduct in that position was well and highly ap-
preciated. (Applause.) The second was a genleman of
a family of recent origin, but whose services in the dip-
lomatic career have reflected even additional lustre upon
that great name which you in this town had many years
ago the honour and privilege of calling your own repre-
sentative, bearing the name of Canning. (Hear.) The
third was a gentlemen whose parents were of the very
humblest class ; whose parents had no higher rank than
small shopkeepers in a little country town, who started
in public life with no advantages beyond those of his
own ability and his own energy ; and yet, by his own
labour and own talents, without any adventitious advan-
tages, passed through all the higher ranks of that labo-
rious and learned profession to which he had devoted
himself. It will ever be a satisfaction to me that I ad-
vised the Crown to call to the House of Lords, as Lord
High Chancellor of England, the son of a small trades-
man of Lewes, who has illustrated his own name and
character as Sir E. Sugden ; and who has reflected, I
will venture to say, still higher honour by the name of
Lord St. Leonard's. (Hear, and cheers.) Gentlemen,
I can hardly give, I think, three stronger instances to
show that, while according to the working of our con-
stitution, while a seat in the Lords is an object of just
and laudable ambition, how far that distinction is con-
stantly open to every rank and class, and now, by the
instance of three different professions, the only three in
last year raised to that rank had the opportunity of
showing the favour of the Sovereign conferred upon in-
dividuals possessing high and meritorious claims in those
professions."
While we are disposed to go much farther than
Lord DERBY on this matter, and to regard these
instances to which he alludes only as a small
movement in the right direction, nevertheless the
above remarks, coming from such a quarter, are,
as we have said, a satisfactory indication of his
Lordship's appreciation of the requirements of the
age.

We earnestly hope that the voice of public
opinion will make itself heard plainly and intel-
ligibly on the subject of the renewal of the Pro-
perty and Income Tax, even in the deepest re-
cesses of Downing-street---that the middle classes,
more especially those embarked in trading, commer-
cial, or manufacturing pursuits, or in the liberal
professions, will speak out unequivocally on
the important topic. It is certain that the im-
post must be renewed in some form, and it depends
on the energy now exhibited by those who for
eleven years have been suffering under gross
and palpable injustice, what that form will
be. Whether it be in accordance with the
iniquitous system now in operation, or whether
any and what attempt shall be made, to
achieve—to use the words of the Ministerial
Leader of the House of Commons—" a greater
approximation to justice than in the measure
hitherto in force." The statements of the PRE-
MIER in the House of Peers, and of Lord JOHN
RUSSELL in the Guildhall of the City of London,
warrant a reasonable expectation that some change
will be effected, to render the impost less objec-
tionable than heretofore. We regret, however,
to be obliged to add, that these statements were
too vague and unsatisfactory, to rest on with im-
plicit confidence. We cannot, as we have already
repeatedly stated, know " with absolute certainty
what that excellent ABERDEEN" may consider to be
in accordance with "Justice and Equity," and Lord
JOHN RUSSELL expressly reserved a locus penitentice,
o tn in
e e tnpthtore, e
sjaeeunnnsdt--
bdyeavdeouclrar„i.n(g that
i.e. " if
revise
togrhoe;
entdeo thegreater
f approximationosruea cpeps
underosr f 11
l t
ttilacusetothoabntaicnan"bae
system), " they, the Ministers would come down
to the House of Commons, and explain
all their arguments and reasons on the
subject, and then ask the House to judge
4-hether they had not fairly grappled with the
question with the view of making as just as
possible (I) the measure in regard to that large
portion of our revenue." If these statements
prove anything, and we yield every credence to
the Noble Lord's honest desire for the ameliora-
tion of the system, so far as to his peculiar
notions, on the subject may be practicable—they
only show that the matter is still sub
judice, and that nothing has yet been
conclusively determined in reference thereto.
It is on Mr. GLADSTONE that it chiefly depends ;
and we must confess the tone assumed by that
Right Honourable Gentleman on the subject
during the recent debate, leaves by no means a fa-
vourable impression on our minds. Can ,he pos-
sibly assent to that which he so positively and
unequivocally declared to be " a breach of na-
tional faith"—" a violation of the contract into
which we entered with the public creditor ?"
We have heard much of " the sacrifice of
personal and private ambition, and the surrender
of individual opinions for the national advantage."
But, hitherto, these "sacrifices" have been made
on matters of expediency only—not of principle,
and not on questions, by which the honour and
honesty of the Government of the United King-
dom—their faith towards the public creditor—
might be compromised or endangered. We must,
therefore, still hesitate as to what will be
done, until the point be placed beyond
the possibility of doubt. We should greatly re-
gret the rejection of Mr. GLADSTONE by the Uni-
versity of Oxford, at this moment. We should
not willingly do anything to injure his chance of
success, or to offer a factious opposition to the
Government, of which he is an influential Mem-
ber. It is by their acts that we would judge them,
and we would allow every reasonable time for the
development of their intentions. It, however,
appears only fair, that some intimation should
be forthwith given by, or on behalf of,
the Right Honourable Gentleman, that he
has altered his views on this all-important topic.
We ask nothing as to the details. If he
is prepared to recognise the distinction between
permanent and precarious income, we should be
perfectly satisfied to leave the matter in his hands.
If he abandon the untenable position he assumed,
we would render him every aid in overcoming the
difficulties that have hitherto retarded, and
still retard, an equitable arrangement. But
it is time that he should have arrived at a
decision on that point,—that he should know his
own mind at least to that extent ; and it could
not be considered as unreasonable of the profes-
sional men, who have already suffered so deeply
under the present system, if they required full
and authentic information on the subject before
recording their votes in his favour as Representa-
tive for the University, of which they constitute
no unimportant portion of the constituency.

SOUTH DEVON R.FLWAY.--On. Monday this line was
opened where the slip took place. The 6.50 p.m. train
passed through, and the traffic has since then gone
through without any interruption. On Tuesday morn-
ing a long train of 34 carriages of goods, drawn by two
engines, came in with the parcels, &c., that had accumu-
lated during the week east of Teigumouth.