The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-04 00:00:00

THE SUN,

meat of flogging for the cause mentioned, namely, for '
an infirmity of nature, in other words for a disease,
is in the highest degree cruel and inhuman." In his
noble work on " Military Law," Sir CHARLES NA-
PIER has said (see page 157), " It is to be lamented
that those who are so eager to abolish flogging sol-
diers seem to be indifferent to the disgraceful fact
that female criminals may even at this day (1836) be
flogged, and stripped to suffer this outrage on humanity
and modesty. .No honourable man would behold such
an execution, much less sentence the punishment."
Those ere the expressions of a noble head and a
dauntless, yet gentle heart. Still, against the
opinion of Tnomxs WAKLET, against the
opinion of ERASMUS WILSON, against the opinion
of CHARLES NAPIER—in defiance of justice, reason,
humanity, and common decency—Mr. llEcroa
ROSE passes an encomium upon the practice of flog-
ging young females in a state of nudity, and the
Reverend Dr. CUMMING pronounces a good whipping
to be better than all the moral training in the universe !
We ask our compatriots, the men of England, can
such things as these be tolerated ? GOD forbid Yes,
GOD forbid that the national character should have
so far degenerated as to allow such words, such cruel-
ties, such indecencies to transpire without eliciting a
shout of execration. We call upon the'people, then, to
pronounce the destruction of a system of so much
barbarity. Let them speak, and it will have disap-
peared. Our voice shall swell the cry of indignation
with which the free men of these islands shall declare
the doom of corporal punishment.

The proceedings of the French Government with
respect to the national currency of France, are emi-
nently worthy of notice, as indicating the only course
consistent with the safety of a country that has so
recently been involved in troubles and panics of no
ordinary character. It is manifest that if the theories
of the currency quacks—of those who believe that
the first and most important duty of a Cabinet is to
preserve the " integrity of the standard," and to
secure, by the most stringent, and, we will add,
most unnecessary regulations, the " convertibility of
the bank note"—were strictly observed, the greatest
difficulties would be encountered, and it is impossible
to foresee what might have been the termination of
the monetary crisis. These formidable dangers
have, howevx, been averted by the simple and
obaintes expedient of supplying the deficiency
in the circulating medium occasioned by the
boarding and concealment of the metallic
currency by the issue of inconvertible paper.
Ttie resources and assets of the Bank of
France were so well known, that no doubt could
exist as ter the perfect solvency of the establishment.
"Its credit for all domestic purposes was perfect.
There was no man in the country who was not
willing to take its paper as a means of circulation,
and even to give gold for it the moment he was assured
that his neighbour would take it from him again.
The gold was not wanted to be sent abroad, the
state of the foreign exchanges forbade it. There was,
therefore, no fear of depreciation of paper. The ne-
cessity and pressure were purely domestic. What
was wanted was something which everybody was
disposed to trust as a substitute for what everybody
distrusted ; and the paper of the Bank of France
answered in such a state of things the purpose as well
as gold—it may be said to have done so even better,
as being more transmissible, and reaching more
readily and rapidly the points where it was wanted.'
In fact, its condition was so analogous
to that of the Bank of England during the panic of
1825, that we have adopted the very language of the
late Lord ASHBURTON, merely substituting the words
"Bank of France" for " Bank of England." The
parallel was in every respect complete; but the
French Ministry, in place of continuing insensible to
the state of the nation, and persisting obstinately in a
course that must have involved all classes in the most
fearful difficulties, and most probably led to new
disturbances and produced a civil war, wisely and
sagaciously bent to the storm and proclaimed the
inconvertibility of the bank•note. Even the most
bigoted bullionist was compelled to acknowledge the
prudence of the course, and to confess that under the
peculiar circumstances of the case it was an act of
imperative necessity. The amount of notes thus
issued were fixed at 452,000,000 of francs, or
18,080,0001. sterling, tali the auspicious re-
sults were immediately visible in the re-
vived confidence and increased activity that

followed. There was a gradual but rapid
improvement in the national finances; the
much-despised "rags and lampblack" were not con-
tumaciously rejected ; the butcher or the baker did
not refuse to accept them in exchange for meat or
bread. Strange to say, they were eagerly sought for
and even preferred to the silver standard of the
country, in consequence of their superior portability
and convenience ; and although cash payments were
only made for sums not exceeding 2001. sterling,
those very inconvertible notes actually commanded a
premium in the market where the " assignats," the
bugbears of the bullionists, formerly circulated.
Lest it may be supposed that these statements are
unworthy of credence, we readily give our authority.
The Times, the most strenuous and power-
ful supporter of the bullionists, the unflinch-
ing advocate of the present monetary code, and
of the convertibility of the bank note, admits the
fact. In its first leader on the 29th ultimo the fol-
lowing passage may be found :
"It is a remarksb!e circumstance that such is the
demand for the paper of the Bank of France that it bears
ri,premium in Faris, and that the Bank itself will only
make its payments below 5,000 francs in silver. So
' that, in spite of the enormous metallic circulation of
:France, there is still a strong demand for the increase of
the Bank issues."

Under such circumstances it is by no means sur-
prising that the French Ministry should comply with
the general request, and that a Bill should be sub-
mitted to the National Assembly having for its
object the extension of the paper issue 3 of the Bank
of France to 525 millions of francs, Or 21,000,0001.
sterling. They are not so bigotted to the bullionist
fallacies as to involve themselves and the Republic in
one common destruction. They think it more desir-
able to enlarge -the " scanty coverlie alluded to by
LoCks,tlian to permit any of the great family placed
under their charge, and for whose safety they are

responsible, to perish for want of sufficient covering.
This wise and judicious determination has of course
excited the greatest consternation in the ranks of the
-bnllionists in this country. The example thus
afforded may haply prove contagious. The British
people, when viewing the beneficial results of a
paper, currency not convertible into bullion on
demand, but which still possesses the " purchas-
ing power," and is readily received by all
parties in the State, because the national
credit and the national faith is pledged for its re-
demption, may chance to inquire why it is tLat we
should be prevented from enjoying -similar advan-
tages. Is it for the gratification of Mr. Jouss
LOYD and his Legislative aides• de-camp a Is
England still to suffer at their mere will and
pleasure ? The result of the French experiment has
shown how utterly futile are the fears of the alarmists.
The paper issues, so long as they are kept within
moderate bounds and judiciously managed, are even
preferred "to the silver standard of the country ;"
they actually bear "a premium in the market,"
and even "in spite of the enormous metal-
lic circulation of France, there is still a
strong demand for the increase of the Bank
issues." Why, then, should we not adopt a similar
expedient ? Must the salutary remedy be reserved
for- a period of extreme depression ? Must universal
peace be regarded as an evil of no ordinary magni-
tude, occasioning greater hardships than the most
expensive war, because artificial restraints are thus
imposed upon the circulating medium—the very life-
blood of industry—which is rendered inadequate to
the wants and exigencies of the country.
Our Contemporary protests against the contemplated
increase, because it says that "it is evident that if the
resumption of cash payments be the object which the
French financiers have in view, the extension of
the circulation is a step in the wrong direction.
The greater the amount of paper in circulation
the more difficult will it be to revert to the metallic

system." Granted. It will undoubtedly be so, but
what necessity is there for the abolition of a system
that is fuund to work well and to afford the strongest
stimulus to the national industry, and to return to
one which creates only dismay and panic, want and
distress, on every side ? If any evils should arise
from the intended measure they will not be occasioned
by the issuing of inconvertible paper, or by its