The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-22 00:00:00

/<,

[POE SD.

that if the variety were somewhat smaller than it now is, the
stock of sense would be greater. The Wrongheads are now a
very numerous family, and there is not the least reason to
believe that there will ever be a serious dearth of that race ;
and it appears to us nothing else than preposterous to con-
trive special openings for them. To use a Scotch phrase, they
will " win in," whether their presence be desirable or not ;
and with that certainty the advocates of diversity might be
content. To introduce men for the mere sake of difference
is like that truly Irish whim of " the young man of Ballina-
crazy, who wanted a wife to make him unasy."

But we may be told it does not follow that minorities must
be wrong, and Lord Melbourne used to contend that minori-
ties were always right ; but what would become of the merits
of their cause when they grew into majority, and cast their op-
ponents into the minority always right, and that acute states-
man did not explain.
That minorities are often right we should be the last to
deny, and they may safely be left to their merits to grow into
majorities by force of truth ; but in foisting them artificially
into power, this desirable stage of probation is escaped.
And what will be the position and consideration of the odd
members for minorities in the house ? For what will they tell
in speeches and divisions ? Of course the usual way of speak-
ing of them will be, " the hon. member for the minority of
Guzzledown." They will be called the Minor Thirds. Their
votes should correspond with the proportion of their consti-
tuencies, and be counted as two-fifths ; and two-and-half of
these half castes should make an integral member, or live
should go to two entire members. Working the fraction will
task the arithmetic of the tellers, who will probably for con-
venience reduce them to decimals, with the point before their
figure. In every debate and every division the part of these
minors will be the subject of invidious observation. They
will be reminded that they are not made as other members
are made, that they are not of full measure, as it were, but a
composition, at the bankrupt rate of four shillings in the
pound. And whenever they open their mouths to make a
statement, the house will be warned against giving credit to
minors, and they will be admonished to wait with the
modesty suitable to their immaturity, till they attain their
majorities.
We do hope that this project of giving representation to
minorities, and another to the same effect in the Bribery
Bill will be reconsidered and dropped.
A representative system is in its nature a somewhat
clumsy piece of machinery, serving as a mean between very
good and very bad government, and any attempt to refine
upon it, and to contrive certain results by introducing a new
principle, as antagonist to the principle hitherto ruling as the
negative is to the positive, will be either an utter failure, or
a dangerous innovation tending to a farther departure from
the choice of the many to the choice of the few. In what is
now proposed all that is to be given to minorities will be so
much taken away from the majority.
As Bayle says, make up your mind whether a round
table or a square table bests suits your purpose, but when
you have chosen the one do not quarrel with it because you
cannot have from the circle some of the properties and con-
veniences of the square, nor think that you can reconcile the
two, and eke out from one what the other refuses.
The ballot is condemned as an un-En4ish innovation—the
ballot used in every club, and in many of our institutions ;
but in what society, in what gathering of men, is the minority
anything but a nudity, or does it tell for anything but what
it is, the summation of a defeat, or the proverbial " second
best" in the battle between two ?
The project is worthy of a place in Swift's College of Projec-
tors to give to minorities the effect of majorities, or to make
two-fifths equal to half the whole,—for that is the arithme-
tical problem proposed, but far short of the moral one in ab-
surdity.
This sort of design should be postponed till it may be found
that the pyramid rests on its apex as firmly as on its base.
And we have in England, undoubtedly, a certain rocking-
stone which sets a tottering example in that way, but we have
not, in the length and breadth of the land, the instance of a
beaten minority performing the part of a majority in any frac-
tional degree.

:egiment. Another party from the _
has been employed upon a. similar. duty
Orinoco, and the arrangements for the
of the troops may be said to be quite
...welve horses for the use of the staff
been shipped on board each of the steamers
. Ripon. The precise number of men to
go out is as follows : —Orinoco, 854 rank and file (Cold-
streams), 28 to 32 officers, and 32 women ; by the
Ripon, 600 rank and file (Grenadiers), 28 to 32 officers,
and 32 women ; by the Manilla, 250 rank and file
(Grenadiers) and six officers. The embarkation will be
superintended by Major-General Simpson (the com-
manding-officer of the south-western district), assisted
by Major Purvis, the Brigade Major, and by Captain
Austin, C. 8., R.N., Admiralty Superintendent of
Packets at Southampton. The troops on their arrival
from London and Chichester will march from the rail-
way station to the docks, and there go directly on board
the steamers, which are conveniently moored alongside
the wharves. The vessels are to leave the dockiwith the
afternoon tide, anchoring in the river during the night,
so as to give the troops an opportunity of quietly settling
into their sleeping arrangements, and putting to sea
at daybreak on Thursday morning.
The Fire Queen steam yacht arrived here this morn-
ing from Portsmouth, having on board Admiral Sir
Thomas Cochrane, Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth,
and lady ; Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, R.N., Captain
Sir John Maxwell, Captain Munday, and Flag-
Lieutenant Hankey, for the purpose of inspecting the
Himalaya, Ripon, Orinoco, and other steam-ships now
under Government orders. The distinguished party
were conducted over the Himalaya by Captain Austin,
R.N., Captain Nairne, director, and Captain Engledue,
the superintendent of the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Company, and expressed their satis-
faction at the arrangements for the comfort cf the troops,
and their admiration at the appearance and proportions
of this noble ship.
The Himalaya will, it is stated, leave Southampton
on Friday, with about 250 of the Rifles on board, calling
at Plymouth, to embark the 93d Regiment from that
garrison.
The Emeu is under orders to proceed to Kingstown,
Ireland, as soon as possible,'to take on board a regiment
there, ordered for service in the East.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 21.
The baggage-guard of the lst battalion of Coldstream
quartered at Chichester came down from those quar-
ters by the South Coast Railway this morning, and
retook the rail on the South-Western line for Southamp-
ton, to prepare the way for their comrades to-morrow.
An important alteration is made in the disposal of
the 2d battalion of the Rifle Brigade quartered in
this garrison. It is found that her Majesty's
steam troop-ship Vulcan will not hold them all com-
fortably, so a portion of them will have the satisfaction
of going in the mammoth steam-ship Himalaya, for which
arrangements have been made. Some fine gunnery
practice is being exhibited daily on board the Excellent.
Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, C. 8., could not have
taken command of her at a time when more is looked
for at the hands of the chief gunnery training ship in the
navy. The Naval Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral
Sir Thomas Cochrane, K.C.8., inspected the crew of
the Princess Royal, 91, and Dauntless, 33, at Spithead
this morning. Contracts were taken to-day at Somer-
set-house for two sets of boilers for screw-ships of the
nominal horsepower of 450 for this dockyard, and two
sets of 350 ; and four sets for Woolwich, of the nominal
horse-power of 280. Now that Admiral-Superintendent
Martin has returned to duty, after his late illness, he
somewhat astonished the employes in his establishment
by his unexpected movements. He pays frequent visits
to the Caesar, 91, which has about 500 hands employed
upon her, and minutely inspects the progress made,
from visit to visit, in the work of fitting the ship. He
caused no little stir about 8 o'clock last night among
those on board. He sent for Captain Robb, and all his
officers, to take charge and superintend the work, as he
observed some hundreds of candles burning amid chips,
shavings, and combustible stores of every description ;
he also posted labourers and marines with brooms and
water to sweep decks and clear for the work to prooeed,
and to stand by with water in case of fire. The men
engaged upon her work until 9 o'clock at night.

LIVERPOOL, FEB. 21.

A portion of the 28th Regiment arrived from Preston
yesterday, and went on board the Niagara, moored in
the river. The great bulk of the troops will leave Pres-
ton to-morrow morning, and, it is supposed, will reach
Liverpool about 9.30. They will at once proceed to the
great landing-stage, whence they will be taken by small
tenders and placed on board the Niagara, which will take
her departure for Malta in the evening.

DUBLIN, FEB. 21.
Colonel Pennefather, Deputy Quartermaster-General
to the army serving in Ireland, has been appointed
Quartermaster-General to the expedition about to em-
bark for Turkey. Colonel Pennefather highly distin-
guished himself in Scinde, under the late Sir Charles
Napier, in command of the 22d Regiment. The 41st
and 49th Regiments, now stationed at Malta, being under
orders to join the expedition, the depots of those corps
at present on the Irish establishment are ordered to com-
plete the service companies to 850 rank and file. The
Georgiana and Bussorah Merchant, both from London,
arrived at Queenstown yesterday evening to embark
troops for Malta.
There are now no fewer than 13 recruiting parties
stationed in Belfast—by far the largest number that over
was sent to that town on recruiting service. For some
time past recruiting there was unusually dull, but now
it is getting brisk, and young lads are offering every day.

DREADFUL SUFFERINGS OF A SHIP'S

CREW.

The following details of the wreck and sufferings of
the crew of the Bona Dea, of Liverpool, from Savannah
(abrief report of which has appeared in the Morning He-
rald) are furnished by Captain Organ, of the barque
Cuba, at Swansea :
" On Saturday, Feb. 4, at about 10 a.m. (being then
in lat. 45 15 N., and long. 24 14 W.) saw a vessel
about two or three miles to windward, apparently in
distress. I immediately shortened sail, and hauled
up for her, and made her out to be the Bona Dea, of
Liverpool, with only foremast and foretopmast standing,
and waterlogged—a perfect wreck, and the sea making a
breach right over her. I then discovered that there were
people still on board, and immediately got a boat out and
sent to her, in charge of the chief mate, to take them
off the wreck, which, with some difficulty, they suc-
ceeded in doing. When we got them all on board
the Cuba (eleven iticrinitinber), we found- them in a
wretched and exhausted condition, and presented a most
melancholy and distressing sight, having been eleven
days and a half,in that fearful situation, without either
food or water. One poor fellow (Samuel Blain, cook)
died almost immediately after we got him on board ;
four of • the others were Quite insane. We imme-
diately proceeded to give them a little boiled rice,
barley water, &c., feeding them with a few spoon
full ; we then got them all below, and washed
them with warm water, and put clean dry clothes
upon them, and after we had made them as com-
fortable as we possibly could, some of them appeared to
revive a little ; but those who were insane appeared to
get worse, especially one of them (James Gilmour,
carpenter), who, after raving part of the night in a
most furious manner, at last sunk exhausted. All
our efforts to restore him were in vain, and, after
lingering all the next day (Sunday, sth), at eight
p.m., he expired. Three of the others were very de-
lirious, but we could get them to swallow small quanti-
ties olfood, barley water, &c. On Monday, the 6th,
two of the three who were delirious were fast sinking,
and past all hopes of recovery ; all the others appeared
doing as well as we could expect, and very ravenous for
food, but we were cautious not to let them have more
than small quantities at a time, but at frequent interva
ls,
such a weak broth, rice, gruel, &c. ; at 3 p.m., one theftwo who was so far gone expired (George Nicholas,
an Austrian), the other one scarcely breathing. On
Tuesday, the 7th, Robert Anna, the only man
down his throat : he was
past recovery, was still breathing
who appeared
appeared to be still
tbouot
facro,u.roldn
e.notAglletthaenoyththeirnsg
im-
proving—one, who was quite delirious when he came on
board, had now some lucid interv:ds, and would talk
quite reasonable and be conscious of 6verything. They
complain principally of their feet and legs, which
. are much swollen and very sore. On Wednesday, the
Robert
Anna
o expired,nT hauf tresrd iyn,gtehre-
iStitgh:
saint
caebyoeustte9rdpa. my,
scarcely
9th, they all appear to be recoveringbreathing. fast, and I have
will
now good hopes that they
recover."

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF MAILS,
&C. TO THE LEVANT, DURING THE WAR.—The Secre-
tary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Postmaster-
General have been very busy during the last few days
in making the necessary postal arrangements for the
transmission of mails and Government despatches, via
France, for Malta and Constantinople, to commence as
soon as the British military force now under orders to
sail for the Levant shall have taken their departure.
The Submarine and Electric Telegraph Company (chief
office, Cornhill), have entered into a contract to transmit,
either by day or night, all Government orders that may
be sent to the naval and military commanders of
the Anglo• Franco (combined fleets and army) forces
as far as Marseilles. The Peninsular and Ori-
ental Steam Navigation Company have also placed
at the disposal of Government their two fine
steamers, the Vectis and Valetta (1,000 tons, 400
horse power each), to be employed as despatch steamers
between Alarseilles, Malta, and Constantinople, and
vice versa. The South-eastern Railway Company, from
London-bridge to Folkestone, will alsolconstantly have
an express locomotive and steam-packet in readiness to
convey passengers anclGovernment couriers to the East,
via Boulogne, and the same arrangement has been made
with the Boulogne and Amiens Railway Company to
Paris, and so on to Marseilles, to be transmitted by
either of the above-named mail steam-packets, or else by
a special French mail despatch steamer. The postal
arrangements, as regards the transmission of despatches,
couriers, and letters to Constantinople, will be as speedy
and perfect as possible, not only by
rance
means of the electric
telegraph, but railways and steam, vitt F, and the
regular mail packets,virE Southampton.
APPOINTMENT OF PUBLIC PROSEOUTORS.--Yesterday,
the new bill to appoint "public prosecutors" was
printed. The circuits of the judges of assize are to be
divided if the bill should pass, and the Lord Chancellor
to appoint a barrister for each district. The salary is
not to exceed 1,500/. Deputy prosecutors may be ap-
pointed assistant prosecutors for quarter sessions. There
is another class, " District agents," to be appointed.
The duties of public prosecutors are defined, and when
they are required to take up cases.

stream Guards
• on board the C
final departure
completed. IC,
officers have bei
Orinoco and It