The Sun.
London, England, 1838-11-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1838.

reiterated. We publish this address, but shall, however,
make no further commentary on it, as we have strong
hope that the address from Great Britain will operate a
favourable change, at least in this respect, in the opinion
of the Irish people.—Morning Advertiser.
It seems to he generally understood, that in a little more
than two months, the Parliament will meet. The public
already look forward with no slight interest to the deve-
lopment of political circumstances at that period. Al-,
though the statements which have appeared in various
quarters, of changes in some of the departments of the Ad-
ministration, have probably very little claim, or no claim at
all, to confidence ; yet it is but a reasonable supposition that
some important changes will occur, because affairs cannot
well continue to go on as they have been going on for the
last two years. The complexion of the times calls for an-
other sort of policy. A bolder and a more decisive tone
must be assumed by the Government. It seems to be be-
coming every day less and less practicable that a Ministry
should trim its course between the Radicals and the Con-
servatives—the two great parties in the state, of whom one
desires to overthrow, and the other to preserve, the most
important institutions of religion and civil polity which exist
in this country. The direct conflict between these
parties must come. It is possible to conceive the existence
of a Ministry of moderate views, but strollg in talents
and in character, holding on its way between these parties
by maintaining the respect of both. Such a Ministry,
however, the present is not. From neither party does it
obtain a particle of respect. It has no such thing as a dis-
tinctive political character. It has, indeed, no character at
all, but that of an Administration willing to do whatever it
can for the sake of remaining in power as long as it can.
It is only while affairs are comparatively quiet, and the
parties on either side are gatheriner their strength, that
such a Ministry can live. We think it is tolerably evident
that the time has cisme, or is now at hand, when such a
Ministry cannot live. It must change its character, and as
it is not likely that it can do so without a change of men,
we may fairly expect personal changes as well as poli-
tical. We do not, however, forget that since what
is now called by all parties, rather in sarcasm than in
seriousness, the " Reform" of the House of Commons, a
class of senators has sprung into existenac upon whom no

sense of the political state of the nation can be supposed to
make any impression. We mean such men as the Baineses,
the Brothertons, the Brodies, and the like—dull coarse
men, who mean well enough perhaps as to public affairs,
and possibly might judge well enough of some street or
parish business, but who are incapable of wideness of view,
or strength of feeling, upon any political subject. Such
men as these will follow the Minister they have been ac-
customed to follow, just as the beadle of a parish follows
the ChUrchwrirden. They cannot taste of the national
sentiment, more than a wooden pump can taste the water
in which it is plunged. The more dull a Minister happens
to be, the more level is he to their apprehension, and
they have no capacity of discernment between a mean
management of affairs and an able direction of them.
Upon these any Government calling itself " Liberal" may
perhaps count under• any circumstances, but granting to
the present Ministry this band of Bceotians, who will be
with them from their dullness, and the O'Connell-tail
men who trill be with them for a " con-sid-er-a-tion," as
old Trapbuis had it, still it is in the highest degree impro-
bable that in the present temper of the nation, and under
the present aspect of affairs, they should 13,.! suffered to
creep and stumble along as hitherto they have done. We
therefore anticipate change. It is scarcely possible but
that some of the Ministers have already made up their
minds that an important change must take place, but, te-
nacious as they all are of office, and unused to make any
self-sacrifice, it may very possibly happen that they will
wait to take the chance of events after Parliament meets,
and allow themselves to be governed as it were by its di-
rection. But even so, they still must calculate upon the
change taking place, though they cannot determine exactly
what it will be, and with all their genius for submission to
events, they will find it hard to escape something like a de-
claration of purpose at the opening of the session. No
doubt they will be very little scrupulous of backing out
of that declaration afterwards, if it be found officially
inexpedient to abide by it, but in the meantime
it will have to be made, and will not be without its
effect. If the leader of the House of Commons be as de-
cidedly Conservative in his tone at the opening of the next
session, as he was at the opening of the last, the change
which time and circumstances have worked in the strength
and temper of the Radical body out of Parliament, since
this time twelve months, will intobably lead that party into
direct opposition. If on the -other hand the Minister
makes declarations with a view of conciliating the Radi-
cals, he must speak out pretty broadly the language of re-
volution ; in which case he will bring down upon him the
force of a Conservative opposition which he could not long
r.sist, and will hasten the crisis when England must decide
for or against the institutions under which she has politi-
cally lived and thriven, since the Protestant revolution of
1688. Under all the circumstances of the time and the
country, the more probable course of Ministers in Parlia-
ment, will be towards Conservatism. They will consider
that they have a much better chance from the forbearance
of that party, than from the impatience of the Radicals,
Should this course be taken, it will throw a very delicate
as well as heavy responsibility upon the Conservative leaders
which it will be well for them thoroughly to reflect upon
before the event.—Morning Post.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF Q UEENS BENCH, Nov. 3.

THE QUEEN V. DEIGHTON.
Sir W. FOLLETT showed cause against a rule obtained for a
criminal information against the defendant for publishing a
libel upon Mr. Foster, an Alderman of Cambridge, and v.'ho
had recently held the office of Mayor of that town. The libel
in queoion, which the Learned Counsel read, was contained
in a Cambridge newspaper, in which it was alleged that
scarcely a meeting of the Town-council passed without some
assertion of Mr. Foster's being denied; that he had made
assertions which gentlemen of known veracity had flatly
denied; that his assertions were not to be accounted for
on the score of forgetfulness, for that he was never known
to be forgetful of what related to his own interest; and
then it went on to relate the well-known anecdote that one
poor mar, had told another that when a poor man stole a leg
of mutton it was called a robbery, but that if a rich man
was to do so it would be called idiosyncrasy ; and applying
this anecdote, it said, so in a Mayor, that which in common
people would be called a habit of lying, was with him to be
called an idiosyncrasy. Tile Learned Counsel contended that
these statements were hardly to be called libels requiring the
summary interference of the Court in the way of a criminal
information. But if they were so, then the application was
answered. The affidavit of Mr. Foster denied the irnputat.
cast on him, but the affidavits filed in opposition to the rule
would show that they were well founded. These affidavits
stated three occasions (the Learned Counsel read the state-
ments at full length) on which assertions of Mr. Foster had
been denied at the meetings of the Town Council. They,
therefore, contended that Mr. Foster was not in a situation to
ask to have this rule made absolute.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, in support of the rule, con-
tended that no anawer whatever had been given to the appli-

cation.
Lord DENMAN—In the exercise of our discretion on matters
of this sort, we think that this rule should be discharged on
payment of costs.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—But if the costs are not paid
then to be absolute.
Lord DENMAN—Yes, then to be absolute.

They left Sierra Leone on the 29th of August, and the Cape
Verd Islands on the 27th November, and bring no news. On
the 4th ult. they spoke the Ma,,lnvt packet, on her way to
Barb,idoes, with the loss of the heads of both her topmasts.
The "Etna is come into harbour to be paid off, and the Raven
has proceeded to Woolwich with the astronomical instruments.
The Ganges, 84, and Cameleon brig, went out of dock yes-
terday.
The Magicienne, 24, was taken into dock, preparatory to
re-commissioning.
, The tender-brig Pantaloon, 10, Lieut. Bevan, is ordered to
return to this port from the north coast of Spain.
In liarhour—Britannia, Victory, Ganges, Excellent, Royal
George, 1E tna, Racer, Messenger steamer, and Diligence naval
transport.
PRo*OTIONS.—Matc—Mr. W. Church, of the :Etna, to the
rank or Lieutenant.
APFOINTMENTS.—Lieutenants—G. G. Phillips, to the
Cornwallis ; R. F. King, to the Lily ; T. S. Hill, to the Rose.
Assistant Surgeons—Charles S:nith and Ebenezer Robert-
son, to the Royal Adelaide; J. J. W. Roberts, and R. L. 13.
Chambers, to the Melville.
Mates—T. Hodgkinson, Joseph Yorke Patterson, R. Hoops,
and Bourchier, to the Ganges; E. J. Voules, to the Fair
Rosamond.
Midshipmen—E. Scroggs, and E. M. H. Raitt, to the
Ganges ; Archibald Fletcher, to the Roy al Adelaide ; H. A.
Kerr, to the Princess Charlotte.
Master's Assistant—Thomas Huss, to the Melville.

Clerk—W. Norcock, to the Victory.
Warrant Officers-11 Geo. Stearn, Supernumerary Gun-
ner, of Victory, to Vestal; John Mapleton, Gunner to Viper ;
W. Phillips, Gunner, to Curlew; W. Hines, and Robert
Cousins, Gunners (for rank) to the Blossom; John Wood,
Gunner's Mate, of Excellent, to Supernumery Gunner, 3d
class, of Victory. _ _ _

(From the Devonport Independent.)
PLYMOUTH, Nov. 3.—PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS.—
Commander William Griffin, to the Ganges; Lieutenants E.
Rozier and Wm. Chambers, to the Racer; Nevelt Norway,
to the Ganges • Master George Dawes, Actin, Master and
Pilot, to the Ganges ; Pursers J A. Nicholls, to the Russell,
vice Bowman, invalided ; V. A. Haile, of Conway, to be
Acting Purser of Pelorus, vice Thornton, invalided ; Assis-
tant- Surgeons G. D. Gordon, Samuel Allen, and A. A.
Mackay, to the Melville ; Bethune Horsburgh, to be Hospital
Mate et Haslar ; Dr. W. Paterson Banks, additional Assis-
tant- Surgeon, to the Britannia; Mate Mr. W. Bourchier, to
the Ganges; Midshipman Walter Thomas, to the Rover;
Volunteer Ist Class Mr. F. Woolcombe, to the Ganges;
Warrant Officers John Wills, Gunner, to Rolla; John Gal-
breath, Gunner, to the Dolphin ; William Houghton, Gunner,
to the Viper; Thomas Downes, Boatswain, to the ,Melville;
Lieut. James Heales, to Rose ; Charles Smith, Assistant-
Surgeon, to Royal Adelaide; J. J. Roberts, Assistant-Sur-
geon, to Melville ; A. Maskay, Assistant- Surgeon, to Mel-
ville ; E. Robertson, Assistant- Surgeon, to Royal Adelaide.
The Conway, 23, Captain Bethum, left Sydney on the sth
July, for the Fegee Islands, to inquire into the attack by the
natives on an 't4'.,nglish vesiel ; and on the same day the Pel-
lotus, sloop of war, sailed fur New Zealand.
The Lily, 16, Commander J. Reeve, went from the
Harbour into the Sound, on Friday, having got a new main-
mast.
The Vulcan, revenue steamer, Lieutenant Crispin, arrived
from the Eastward on Friday.
The Reindeer packet, 6, Lieutenant Dicken, went into the
Sound on Wednesday, and will sail for Falmouth to-day.
The Lancaster, 50, will be undocked on Friday, having had
a complete repair.
In Hamoaze—Royal Adelaide, San Josef, Grecian, Rolla,
Reindeer, Sylph, Netley.
In the Sound—Lily, Rose, and Champion.