The Sun.
London, England, 1838-04-23 00:00:00

cial marine, and her maritime greatness, rathei
than allow our seamen to eat biscuit ind beer which
has paid no rent to the The present aspect of the
seasons, hoWeVer, makes us look forward with hope
cot the speedy termination of the starvation law. Hi-
therto it has been preserved by being only impercep-
tibly operative. Favourable seasons, the improvement
of steam navigation, the cultivation of Ireland, the
extension of agriculture in Scotland, have of late
years kept prices tolerably low ; but.as soon as our po-
pulation grows up to these increased means of produc-
tion—which is probably now the case—as soon as there
is an approxi;nation to a scarcity, the starving effect of
the lat.--/ will be apparent ; and before prices reach the
-point at which the farmer would be remunerated for
his past losses, the law will be swept away. One
deficient harvest, accompanied by slackness of trade, a
scantiness of money, an aversion to speculation, a want
of employment, and considerable distress, with plenty
of food in the granaries of London, Hull, and Liver-
pool, would render it impossible to enforce the law.
The people would probably, and no reasoning could
convince them that they ought not, forcibly set the
law aside. The duties could not be exacted. It

would not be under such circumstances a question
whether the law could he upheld, but whether the
whole Legislature and Government might not be de-
stroyed from the unrighteous attempt to deprive the
people of food in order to enrich the landowners.

It would be seen, by an article in The Sun of
Friday, that the Court of Common Council have at
last adopted a reformed constitution for the City of
London, which is to be submitted to her MAJESTY'S
Ministers for their approbation. We have used the
word " reformed" out of courtesy to the municipal
body, for we can find nothing in the proposed change
to which that term can fairly and properly apply. But
what was to be expected but a lenient sentence from a
Corporation sitting in judgment upon itself ? A sur-
geon will slash and hack away in a thorough-going,
style upon another man's limbs ; but it is quite a diffe-
rent thing when he has to operate upon himself—the
knife is then handled with wonderful delicacy.
Some of the most obvious improvements, such as
an equal division of the wards and uniformity in the
constituency, are evaded, under the modest pretext
that the Court should have the power to make
those alterations itself. 'Why should the Court have
such a power ? Why should this Corporation be dealt
with in a different manner from others which have
been reformed ? We sincerely hope that the extra-
vagant pretensions put forward by the Court of Com-
mon Council will not be listened to for a moment, and
that the reformed constitution of the City will be
based upon the Report of the Committee which sat so
long upon this subject, which Report was, it must be
remembered, approved by the Court in the mayoralty
of Alderman COPELAND. The Court then voted,
and on solid grounds, that the Aldermen should be
elected for seven years ; but how altered is its present
tone ! Now we are told with oracular solemnity that
" it is indispensable for the due administration of
justice that the aldermen should be elected for
life, and be and continue justices of the peace
subject to removal on bankruptcy, insolvency by
deed of composition, or taking the benefit of the
Insolvent Act, conviction of fraud or other misdemea-
nour by the verdict of a jury, and neglect of duty for
six months." We wish the Court of Common Council
had stated the reasons why the due administration of
justice requires that the aldermen should be chosen
for life. It appears, from the disqualifications proposed,
that the Court does not hold the doctrine of indelible
ordination in the case of justices. Once a justice
always a justice, is no maxim of the Court of Common
Council. Where then would be the harm if an alderman
laying down his office at the end of seven years, should
also cease to act as a justice of peace, until the good
opinion of his fellow-citizens should restore him to
civic honour ? How, we ask, could this suspension
of a dignity which it is not denied is entirely an e.r
Qfficio one, operate against a due administration of
justice ? Would there be a justice of peace the fewer
were the septennial plan adopted ? Not one. It

seems to us that the Court was sadly at a loss for an
argument in favour of granting aldermen leases for
life, when it could find no better one than this silly
subterfuge about the administration of justice.

The Paris Journals of Friday and Saturday have
all been received. The debate on the Five per Cents.
Interest Reduction Bill was brought to a close on
Friday at the request of the President of the Council,
who begged that the further consideration of the
question might be postponed till the health of the
Finance Alinister would permit him to explain
his views upon the subject. This is a curious,
as well as most unexpected termination of a debate of
four days' continuance. From the conduct of the
Ministers with regard to this measure it was generally
believed in Paris on Friday evening, that they were
favourable to the project recommended by the Com-
mittee, but that the KING had laid his commands upon
them not to support it. Had it been their wish to
.oppose the reduction, they had many opportunities for
SO doing; but when pressed by M. DUCHATEL to
declare themselves for or against the measure, they
held back with the obvious of leaving the majority of
the Chamber to take both the merit and the responsi-
bility of its decision upon itself. Had the question
been put to the vote on Friday, the Committee would
have triumphed. We shall now see the account to
which the KING, who is violently to the reduction,
,will turn the time allowed him by the very opportune
illness of the Finance Minister.
The following are extracts from the Paris Journals
bf Friday and Saturday:—
I.
" A letter from St. Petersburgh of the 3th instant, which
e find in the Constitutionnel, informs us that the Czar, ou
earning the defcat of the Egyptians in. Syria, has charged
ount Orloff, the negotiator of the treaty of Unkiar Ske-
essi, with a mission to the Porte ; and that this diplomatist is
nstructed to frustrate, at Constantinople, the conciliatory ad-
nces of England and France. Marshal Pakewitsch, instead
l returning to Warsaw, is to go into Bessarabia to inspect
e southern army, and General Baron Toll goes with him.
he writer adds, but which we do not believe, that every body
St. Petersburgh is prepared for a war in the East.
. " The suite of Marshal Soult, who is appointed specially to
present the King of the French at the coronation of her
ajesty Queen Victoria, is to be composed of M. D'Eyragucs,
ecretary of the French Embassy at Constantinople, and
hose marriage with Mademoiselle Morell, the prosecutrix of
. de la Ronciere in the very mysterious affair which about
our years since occupied public attention, we lately mentioned ;
. . de Bassano, son of the Duke de Bassano (Maret), Secre-
tary of Legation at Brussels ; M. de Valencay,
grand nephew
of Prince Talleyrand ; M. de Vicence ; M. de Champla-
treux, a deputy, and son-in-law of Count Mole (President of
the Council, and Minister for Foreign Affairs); and M. de
Praslin. The Marquis de Dalmatia, the son, and Count
Jules de Mornay, tbo son-in-law, of Marshal Soult, will also
accompany him, but without being officially avached to his
embassy.
The following is an enumeration of the names and rates of
French frigates actually in commission, with their stations,
taken from an official document just published by order of the
Minister of Marine :—Minerve, 58, Brazil ; Iphigenie, 60,
Hayti ; Terpsichore, 60, Brest; Herminie, 60, Gulf of
Mexico ; Didon, 60, on a private mission ; Venus, 52, protec-
tion of whale-fishery and commerce ; Artemise, 52, on a
voyage in the Indian and Chinese Seas ; Andromede, 52,
South Sea ; Nereide, 52, Hayti ; Medee, 46, Lisbon ; Her-
mione, 46, Spanish coast ; Astree, 46, the Antilles; Ama-
zone, 46, Brest ; Armide, 46, Toulon ; Thetis, 46, Toulon ;
Junon, 46, Brest.
A letter from Saragossa of the 11th instant, in the Phare,
says--" The Carlista who had invaded Upper Arragon, on the
side of Huesca, have suffered heavy losses from the effects of
the Queen's troops ; they have been dispersed, and may be
picked up on all the roads. One battalion, still incomplete,
saved itself with much difficulty, for, in trying, in its retreat,
to cross the bridge of Anzaniga, which was guarded by two
companies and some national guards, it was repulsed twice
successively. It was only the third time that, charging at
the point of the bayonet, it succeeded in crossing the bridge,
after considerable loss. All the country is under arms, and
more than 500 prisoners have been taken. The Carlists lost