The Sun.
London, England, 1825-08-09 00:00:00

a complete and signal failure. The idea of pay-
ing off the dissentients is too ridiculous to be
entertained by any man who has not taken out
his diploma of Financier in the hotel des Incur-
ables. What increases too the disgrace of the
transaction is the fact that the greater part of the
conversions was compulsory, having been effected
by persons holding places, more or less lucrative,
at the will of the Minister; and we may, there-
fore, estimate the quantity of voluntary conver-
sions at not much more than ten or twelve mil-
lions sterling. If this be not, therefore, a
signal failure, we can only say there never
was one in the whole history of financial trans-
actions. Of this we are certain, that in
this country it would be considered as such ;
and were even the assents and dissents equally
balanced, instead of being as one to twelve,
we are persuaded no English Minister would
venture to persevere.- -When the Chancellor (.f
the Exchequer undertook a financial operations of
a similar character, though not of equal magni-
tude, we mean the conversion of our fives into
fours, he would never haVe dreamt of carrying it
through if the assents had not exceeded the dis-
sents. But of what use would perseverance be on
the part of the
.French Government, unless it
could find means to pay off the dissentients ?
It might raise a loan of ten millions, nay, by
excessive manoeuvring, one of seventy millions
sterling, at 4 per cent•; but one, however slightly
exceeding this amount, would be highly pro-
blematical; and a proposal to raise a sum equal
to the emergency would be indignantly scouted
from cute end of Europe to the other. How then
is M. de Villele to get out of the dilemma ?
Not by a loan certainly ; and we know only of
one way, and that is by resigning a situation, for
which, either from overweening vanity, or down-
right ignorance, he has shewn himself so utterly
unfit. It is only upon great occasions, like this,
that the talents of a Minister can be duly appre-
ciated ; for, in the common routine of affairs, his
interference is scarcely necessary, though he has
the whole credit of impelling and guiding the
State-machine.

[MORNING HERALD.]
The lawyers are as indignant as the Mendicity
Society at our late allusions to them ; and are so
scandalized at what we have said about their
supposed bickerings and wranglings in Court,
that -they have prevailed upon one or two of
our contemporaries to take up their' defence.
Those defenders would fain have the world
believe that there is not a shadow of truth in
what we have said ; that they are all blandness
and urbanity to each other ; that they actual-
ly -overflow with the milk of human kindness,
and that, as to a Learned Judge's intimation of
leaving a particular Circuit in disgust, if he
leaves it at all, it will be from a very different
motive. There are two things which must he
always gratifying to a public writer—the one, to
find that his animadversions are felt in the quar-
ter where they are intended to apply ; the other,
to be set right where he has been unintentially
wrong. We may have been wrong.in attributing
to the late Sir S. Romilly a greater amenity of
temper than he really possessed—not that we envy
the spirit which corrects. such an error. That we
are wrong, however, in speaking of the unseemly
contests which- are., for ever going on between
Learned Advocates in our Courts, we wholly
deny. The practice is as notorious as the sun
at noon-day, and is the subject of as marked
and general reprobation as any thing we know.
To say then that such things do, not exist,
is an assertion which will meet. but with few, if
any, believers. In our observations upon the
subject we did not mean to allude to the Northern
Circuit in particular ; though what was said to
have occurred there, gave -rise to our remarks.
As we are compelled to recur to this subject,
we will go a little farther than we had previously
done, and will assert our firm conviction, that the
law, generally speaking, as it is practised in this
country, is any thing but a liberal profession,.
attaching to that term the high-minded
honourable ideas which are necessarily implied
by it. The whole, or at least the greater part
of its practitioners are merely grasping at
emolument, regardless too often of what is due
to their own characters, and the real interests of
those whose concerns are intrusted to their care.
We have no doubt but that this bold assertion
will give mortal offence to some; but we make
it advisedly, and are too well convinced that its
truth will find a sad corroboration in the minds
of many of our readers. In fact. so totally devoid
of feeling are, the professors of the law become,
that they spare neither friend nor foe, age or sex,
poverty or wealth. The enormous charges of'
one part of them know no bounds, while the zeal
of the advocate is for the most part prompted
only by the amount of the fee. And.what is
the result of all this Seifiduicss among the latter,
but the very practice we are called to account
for condemning ? When self-respect is lost,
every other right feeling—including, of course,
respect for others—soon follows. There are,
we have no doubt (indeed we know it), men of
highly hettourable feelinas in the profession,
men who know the truth' of what we say,- and
who shrink with disgust at the practices we al-
lude to. Let such men unite in setting their
faces against every act unbecoming the character
of a gentleman in others, and they will soon by
their example bring about a reform which is as
loudly called for as any we are aware of.
But do not let us hear of learning and liberality
merely as topics of cant, while every day's exile-
rienCe shows how totally the one, if it exists at
all, fails
to produce the other.

A most extraordinary instance of preservation
was discovered a few days s;nce, in repairing some
of the vaults of St. Martin's Church, in this city.
Oa opening a lead coffin, wherein were deposited,
85 years ago, the remains of the Rev. Mr. heron,
rector of the parish, the body was found as perfect
as when it was deposited in the tomb, the flesh
yielding to the touch, and recovering its smooth-
ness when the finger was removed ; a napkin
wrapped round the head, and the shroud cover-
ing the corpse, were as white and uninjured as if
they had come from a drapees shop.-.--(Pllirnoullt
and Bxeter tizette.)