The Sun.
London, England, 1836-07-21 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS

In the Chronicle of Monday we stated that the
new arrangements between the Post-offices of Paris
and London had come into operation in the former
city on the 15th. By these arrangements our readers,
were apprised that letters might be thenceforth sent
from France to England without any postage having
been paid in advance, or it might be paid either par-
tially or entirely. The convenience which this portion
of the arrangement afforded, has, since the 15th, been
taken advantage of at Paris ; but, owing to some
cause as yet unexplained, the authorities at our Post-
office have not been as yet instructed to carry the treaty
into effect, and they have continued to receive and de-
liver all French correspondence under the old system.
A great deal of confusion and serious inconvenience
has resulted from this management. Letters have
been received, the entire postage of which was paid at
Paris, and yet they have been charged the usual
postage from the frontier at the Post-office. So letters,
no part of the postage of which was paid at Paris, are
charged only the usual postage from the frontier, leav-
ing the French Government to recover the amount
of conveyance from Paris to Calais as they best may.
No explanation has been as yet given of this embar-
rassing mistake ; but we cannot imagine that the
financial difficulties it has created will be so difficult
of adjustment as some parties appear to suppose.
The following notice was yesterday posted at the dif-
ferent establishments :—" Letters for France may no Ar
be forwarded without payment of the previous postage ;"
and we presume it is also intended henceforth to give
effect to the other stipulations of the treaty. So that
the difficulty is greatly diminished by being limited to
the postage of two French mails. While adverting to
this subject, we must express our regret that the
English negotiators of the treaty did not exert them-
selves to procure the more expeditious transmission of
the Spanish mail through France. Look to the case
of the mail between Paris and Bordeaux. The post
from Paris to Bordeaux is conveyed in 40 or 42 hours ;
but the returning mail from Bordeaux to Paris is
delayed for more than sixty hours. Thus, the
journals published, and the letters written, in
Paris this evening (Thursday), are in Bordeaux
at mid-day on Saturday ; but advices which leave
Bordeaux at the same time, are from 20 to 24 hours
longer en route. This is monstrous. That it can be
remedied is perfectly plain, from the statement we have
made. Why is it that time of so much importance to
the public should be wasted by those worse than use-
less stoppages upon the road ? What is the object of
detaining the post for whole hours at such places as
Tours, Blois, Orleans ? Private individuals cannot
command the assistance of special couriers, still less
of telegraphs, though, en masse, they arc not less in-
terested in the expeditious conveyance of news than
Governments and reputed stock-jobbers. Why should
a Cabinet Minister, or a speculator at the Bourse, pos-
sess an advantage of which the public are robbed, that
they may be enriched ? Information of the very
highest moment from the seat of war and Madrid is
detained for an entire day in the distance from Bor-
deaux to Paris alone. This is very shameful, and
ought to be remedied. The British public are so
deeply interested in this matter, that we trust it will
be taken. into consideration in the proper quarter.—
Morning Chronicle.
We congratulate the public on the pause which the
energy of the independent Whigs has occasioned in
the Church Bill. Never was there a more universal
expression in the House of Commons of disgust and
contempt—a feeling that all the toil of reform was
sacrificed to the interests of a set of men whose power
it was the great object of reform to control. The Com-
mons must exert all their energies on Friday, or the
indignation of the Liberals in the Commons will in-
sure the success of the Bill in the Lords. Among
other follies which this Bid contains, is the creation o!.
fresh bishops. Why, the invention of bishops is a work
of dark ages, and requires centuries of habit to enable
human nature to endure it. To invent a Bishop of
Manchester is like inventing Gog or Magog in 1836.
TlNlany will be the decayed vegetables and the putrescent
cogs which will he hurled against the modern mitre
of this cotton clergyman. Englishmen will bear a
good deal, hut not a Bishop of Manchester. But the
gieatcst ohjection to the Bill is the materials of
which the Commi.,sion is composed—all inflicters, and
no sufferers—all bishops, no prebendaries, rectors, and
vicars. The consequence is, that the Bills are Bills
for gratifying all the private spites of the Bishop of
London. The Bishop had a quarrel with the Hon.
and Rev. Mr. Capel, respecting his power of obtrud-
ing, a curate upon the incumbent ;—of course a clause
is introduced to give to him that power in the fullest
manner. The same Bishop (panting for something to
do) attempted to break to pieces the livings of St.
Paul's Cathedral. He was defeated. Immediately a
second clause is introduced, giving to the Commis-
sioners (1. e. himself) a power of dividing th,c
in any manner he pleases, and this is called a Bill for
reforming the Church, instead of a Bill for pleasina,
particular :Bishop ; a learned, agreeable, able man :
but with a love of power which knows no bounds, and
a violence of temper in exercising it which admits of
no excuse.—Morning Chronicle.
The conduct of the Ministry in the approachino,
crisis must either fix them more firmly than ever in the
confidence and good opinion of the country, or leave
them to drift along a helpless, hclmless body, the sport
of every party who may choose to buffet them. There
is no middle course open for them—they must either
adhere unflinchingly to the principles which have hi-
therto maintained them in office, or, if they hesitate,
be lust. Their fate is in their own hands. Hitherto
the Melbontne Ministry has for time most part evinced
a most laudable desire to avoid the rocks on which the
Grey Ministry was wrecked, namely, vacillation, ti-
midity, and a spirit of concession, which, instead of
conciliating, made them contemptible in the eyes of
their opponents. In last Session the firm and dignified
refusal of the Noble Premier to return to the House of
Commons an Irish Church Bill mutilated of the appro-
priation clause, gave to his Administration a stronger
hold on national support than all the speeches, eloquent
and liberal as many of them were, of his colleagues
during the whole Session. Every concession made
to the Tories is attributed by them' to pusillanimity—
they never themselves yield to the dictates of any feel-
ing but their fears, and, consequently, do not under-
stand the operation of a more generous or less das-
tardly motive in others—therefore they are not to be
coaxed, but kicked into an acquiescence with the de-
mands of expediency and sound policy. The Mel-
bourne Ministry must rule the age with a rod of iron,
or become the object of their
contempt and scorn.
What has the Ministry to fear ? How were they re-
instated in office ? The Court---the Aristocracy—the
Tories—the creatures of corruption—a large body in
every part of the kingdom, felt bound to oppose them
as a matter of life or death ; yet the will of the people
—cc that species in natural history"—prevailed over
all these, and established the position that if a monarch
may appoint, it is the people, and the people only,
who can confirm any Ministry in Great Britain. We
shall not go back to former Sessions to adduce the
almost innumerable instances wherein moderation on
the part of the Liberals has provoked aggression on the
part of their enemies—there is a striking illustration at
hand in the proposition of his Grace of Canterbury
on Tuesday night, for the apportioning of the tenth of
all wastelands hereafter to be reclaimed to the benefit of
the Church. Had the Established Church Bill boldly
swept away the more flagrant abuses of the Church_
at once abolished pluralities, and the translation of bi-
shops, and reduced the revenues of the bishops to such
a sum as would maintain them in respect and comfort,
and not in luxury and profligacy, this grasping, over-
reaching proposition would never have been made.
But Churchmen are notorious for driving hard bargains,
and his Grace of Canterbury was no doubt desirous of
securing a compensation from the waste lands for the
reduction of his income to the pittance cy. 15,0001: a
year ! But even at this trifling annuity we are not
apprehensive of any vacancies being left unoccupied
% righteous and veracious plea of
.Noliepiscopari,
kA eat ged by candidates for apostolical honours.
4-4114, at Ministers will not press the Estab-
.,..,- h Bill this Session. We can assure them
-1013VcientlAbat the people would much rather leave
sub* /as it is, than accept such a mockery of
"*. armatkoA as is proposed. Should the measure be
,