The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-29 00:00:00

a summary of the intelligence within four days at
the outside, and the despatches themselves in
extenso within ten or eleven days ; but, in place
of that, here we are nearly double the latter
period, without anything beyond the canards
got up by interested speculators for their own
purposes, or the speculations of " our own cor-
respondents' " clever " guesses," we are bound to
admit, but after all merely guesses on which it is
impossible to repose implicit reliance.

We have heard of a great battle on the 13th,
in which the Russians were again very decidedly
repulsed with considerable loss. No one can say
with any degree of certainty whether such an
encounter really took place. We can only dis-
credit it, although alleged to have taken place
sixteen, days since, because no allusion has been
made to it in the MENSCHIKOFF despatches ; and
because, if it had taken place, some efforts would
have been made to transmit the accounts of such
a transaction within less than that time. We
hear also deplorable accounts of losses of
transports, and more important vessels, of
severe injuries of ships of the line and
war steamers—of the Sauspareil being on fire, the
Agamemnon on shore, and the Britannia leaking
—but there is nothing official to allay our appre-
hensions or confirm our worst fears. We must
still be tossed on a sea of doubt, involved in the
deepest perplexity ; and, what is even still more
injurious, prevented from adopting, in due time,
the steps rendered indispensable by the course of
events.

We are now told that the electric wires are to
be extended to Varna, so that we may receive news
from that important point without a moment's
delay. We trust it may be so. But the matter
should not now be talked of—it should long since
have been accomplished. Even if the Government
refused to interfere, such an important under-
taking would have been easily carried into execu-
tion by private enterprise ; but cold water was
thrown on everything, and the most serious
negligence displayed in matters of vital conse-
quence, because Lord ABERDEEN could not refrain
from murmuring " Peace, peace, peace " on all
occasions—an occupation about as profitable as
wishing for inordinate sums of money on all occa-
sions, and doing nothing to earn a trifling portion
thereof—while Mr. GLADSTONE is desirous of
keeping the entire expenditure within the income
of the country.

It is needless to expatiate on the advantages
that would result from obtaining the means of
receiving speedy intelligence from the Crimea,
say within two days in place of ten in theory, and
twenty in practice. It will be felt by all persons
of ordinary understanding, and those who wilfully
neglect, or contemptuously deny, the necessity,
will add consideraMy to an account which already
demands a sufficiently serious and prolonged

reckoning.

Many contradictory opinions are afloat as to
the course about to be adopted by Ministers at
the approaching meeting of Parliament. Some,
paraphrasing the expression of the renowned SAM
WELLER, boldly assert that the Chancellor of the
Exchequer has " run a match with the constable
and vun it," or, in other words, that the Right
Honourable Gentleman has to contend against a
serious deficiency, and that he must resort to some
extraordinary method of "raising the wind," in order
to make both ends meet. Others declare with equal
vehemence that he has remained faithful to his
original "penny-wise-and-pound-foolish" policy,
and that he still keeps a tight hold of the national
purse-strings, being merely responsible for the
minor evils (!), of preventing the despatch of the
necessary reinforcements to the seat of war, and
thus endangering the lives and materially enhanc-
ing the too onerous labours of our gallant fellows
in the Crimea. These strenuous supporters boldly
contend that the pecuniary deficiency has not as
yet occurred. But it is admitted on all sides that
the immediate attention of the Legislature is in-
dispensable, in order to sanction and provide for
a much heavier outlay than. any contemplated by
the Financial Minister: in either of his three Bud-
gets, or his supplemental dermand for a credit of
three millions sterling.
How, then, h the money 'to be raised ? That
is the important problem puzzling the brains of
the quidnuncs of the present day. The great
majority affirm, and with good reason, that there
must be a loan, and that Mr. GLADSTONR has
even, at the eleventh hour, abandoned the disas-
trous course on which he entered, of insisting that
all the extra expenditure must be provided for out
of the current income, and that we must leave no
burden for posterity to sustain, in consequence of
the enormous outlay, occasioned by a far more
serious war than we had anticipated, coming on
an Exchequer emptied by a reckless and ill-
advised liquidation of old debts, amounting to
more than Eight Millions sterling. An equally
determined minority, however, insist that Mr.
GLADSTONE will still abide by the narrow and re-
stricted views promulgated in March, and sus-
tained in April and May, and through the entire
Session, and that the extra outlay will be met by
extra taxes, of which the most probable will be
the increase of the Income Tax to ten per cent. (!)
and the re-imposition of the Soap Duties, and
other imposts which had been abolished or modi-
fied of late years, with the almost unanimous ap-
probation of the people, and that, if any credit is to
be taken, or money raised, it will be by means of
deficiency bills or a temporary loans—such as de-
lighted the GI/PADSTONIAN soul, and which, prac-
tically, have only the effect of increasing the tight-
ness of the :money market, and, as a natural con-
sequence, the difficulties of the nation, by the
diversion into another channel of the funds usually
applicable to affording the necessary pecuniary-
accommodation to the trade and commerce of the
country !

Now, although, in common justice to Mr. GLAD-
STONE, we must believe the latter assertions to be
wholly unfounded, and to suppose it utterly im-
possible that any man pretending to the character
of a statesman could exhibit such perverse and
wrong-headed obstinacy on a matter of such -vital
importance to the welfare and prosperity of the
community at large, it is our imperative duty to
give timely warning of the danger, so that the
voice of public opinion may be expressed through-
out the length and breadth of the land, and that
the Representatives of the People may bo made
thoroughly acquainted with the views and feelings
of their respective constituencies—not only of the
voters, but the non-voters—of every one, in fact,
who contributes to the Exchequer in any degree,
Eowever remote, and who should, therefore, ac-
cording to the constitutional theory, have a voice
in all matters relating to the expenditure.

oßaossthityH ofo us
es enso,
othgeonu,
twailml
phlaever
eti
no
flu' nrsciesmt
eonnts the
the army in the Crimea, together not merely with
all the necessaries required, but with all the com-
forts calculated to alleviate their sufferings. Even
with every possible appliance they have so many
arduous duties to perform that the humblest
labourer at home would scarcely envy their posi-
tion. It is for the Lords and Commons
to declare, in concurrence with the people
of the United Kingdom, that privations shall