The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-30 00:00:00

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE

METROPOLITAN REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Sir,—On Wednesday the 25th, a large part of the day
was taken up with the Bankrupt Consolidation BM.
There are traces of two opposing sets of opinions on this
subject; one, of those who believe that creditors all have
flinty hearts, and another who think all debtors want
sharply looking after, as being the natural enemies of
those who are technically said "to suffer." The right
mark evidently lies between both, but with perhaps some
leaning in favour of the last. The days are gone when
unbelievers exacted their pound of flesh; and the cruel
squire who lodges his unhappy debtor in a gaol, in
compliment to the charms of some female relative or
dependent, is nearly confined to halfpenny romance. But
there are still roguish debtors, or, at all events, sharp
practitioners in the line of getting into debt and never
getting out of it except by such whitewashing as the
law in its goodness shall provide. For one afflicted
debtor, there are a hundred deeply distressed creditors;
it is consequently to their side that new legislation seems
bound to lean.

There was one amusing instance of the tenacity with
which an old piece of folly sticks in the law. In the
present Bill was, and is, a continuation of the old pro-
vision by which, if a debtor is found to have made away
with his property to the privation of his creditors, the
creditors shall have no remedy if it be proved that he
made it over to some of his children on their marriage.
So that if, for instance, there existed some individual
who had amassed an enormous fortune through the cre-
dulity of those with whom he was connected, and the
Bankrupt Law was the engine under which his creditors
must seek redress, he has only to proffer his daughter in
marriage to a needy noble with the mass of his ill-gotten
wealth, and the law has specially provided that he may
snap his fingers at all claims upon the property, like the
man under the Jewish regime who had made "Corban
or a gift" of all whereby his aged parents might be
benefited. This is a facetious provision of the
law ;—and hark to the reason:, The reason is,
because there was a valuable consideration given
in return. The man who took the ill-gotten money,
gave himself. On the same principle, apparently, the
law should have maintained the compact with the Evil
One, which in primitive times was believed to be a matter
of easy and frequent occurrence. And in the present
day, the vigour of the old precedent was considered to
be such, as to bar all chance of altering the absurdity.
On Thursday a debate was entered into on the subject
of Orange processions in Ireland, and the fatal conse-
quences which have lately resulted. The point must be
at once conceded, that the Government have subjected
themselves to blame for having allowed the old laws
against party processions to expire, of the same kind as
the captain of a ship who suffers loss through not having
reefed his topsails to-day as he did yesterday. He says
he thought it was politic to impress his crew with a be-
lief, that he did not think there was bad weather coming.
This may relieve him from any charge of ill intent; but
it will not go down with the profession as an excuse.
It certainly is a shame and a horror that in any
country a minority should be allowed to go about armed,
in celebration of victories of gone-by days, where every
step is justly considered as intended for an insult, by a
suffering majority. Imagine, for instance, that some
hundreds of men with names ending in ois or vile, in-
sisted on going about armed in commemoration of the
battle of Hastings, and the blessed and glorious memory of
those who conquered there, as somebody always must.
How soon should we Saxons give them a mittimus to the
ward for broken heads, if not for more serious sur-
gery. Yet men do this in Ireland, and defend themselves
in Parliament by an appeal to the right of reading the
unadulterated Bible, as if there was danger of anybody
hindering them. A disposition was shown to " pooh-
pooh " the fact of the Orange Societies having attempted
to unite the army for the purpose of changing the succes-
sion to the Throne, and placing upon it the Grand Master
of the Orange Lodges, the King of Hanover, in lieu of
the present occupant. On which all that can be said is,
that those who were in Parliament at the time, from
what was produced there, had no more doubt of the fact,
than that the King of Hanover is not Sovereign now ;
and some of them remember it by the token that they
cast about to consider what old regimental connexions
they could revive or join, if there was to be a field-day
in support of the legal succession to the Crown.
The Government opposed debate, by stating that ex-
amination was going on. Upon which all that can be
said is, that it is to he hoped it will be as prompt and as
effectual as it would have been if " fifteen hundred men
armed to the teeth" had been received in somebody's
park in England under the name of Chartists or other-
wise, and their sallying forth had ended in as many
wounds and deaths as have occurred at Dolly's Brae.
On Friday there arose something like collision be-
tween the two Houses on the subject of the Lords'
Amendments to the Poor Relief (Ireland) Bill. In four
divisions, two were agreed with, and two disagreed. It
is probable that nothing very dangerous is to arise out
of this. Enough has been done to show that the House
of Commons does not shrink from disagreeing. And if
there is to be anything more serious in the question, the
Government must take the lead, or if not,, we must have
a Government that will. In these days, we do not live
upon a cask of gunpowder. If wrong has been done in
conceding too much to the Lords, popular opinion must
be rallied upon the subject, and there will only be the
more determination to do right another time. A man is
not prepared, at half an hour's warning, to find his
country in danger; and if it really was the fact, ho must
only be the more vigorous on the first opportunity. The
retiring before a brewing storm, is great part of the
policy of a mixed Government; and the Lords have never
demonstrated that they were not as weather-wise as their
neighbours.
On Saturday the House met, mainly with the intention
of hearing the Royal Assent to a number of Bills. But
an important debate arose on the motion of Mr. Baillie
for " a Commission to inquire, on the spot, into the
means taken for the suppression of the late insurrection
in Ceylon." It is to be borne in mind that the motion
was made in conformity with the decision of a Com-
mittee; though the votes of the Committee were equally
balanced, and the decision made by the casting vote of
the Chairman. Everybody knows the difficulty of get-
ting inquiry into anything presented as demanding it.
The usual objections were raised, and the motion was
finally negatived by 90 against 33. The inference from
which with the public ought to be, that their attention
should be doubled to the future stages of the case.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
AN OLD REFORMER.
London, July 30, 1849.

LIVE AND LET LIVE.
(From Eliza Cook's Journal )
Methinks we should have this engraven
Where all who are running may read,
Where interest swoops like a raven,
Right eager to pounce and to feed;
For too often does Honesty dwindle
In bosoms that fatten o❑ wealth,
While Craft, with unsatisfied spindle,
Sits winding in darkness and stealth.
It is fair we should ask for our labour
The recompense fairness should give;
But pause 'ere we trample a neighbour,
For Duty says, '° Live and let live."
Shame to those who, secure in their thriving,
Yet fain would keep poorer ones down—
Those, who like not the crust of the striving
To grow to a loaf like their own.
Shame to those, who for ever are grasping
At more than one mortal need hold,
Whose heart strings are coiling and clasping
Round all that gives promise of gold.
Shame to those, who with eager attaining
Are willing to take but not give,
Wh se selfishness—coldly enchaining—
Forgets it should " live and let live."
There is room in the world for more pleasure,
If man would but learn to be just,
And regret when his fellow-man's measure
Runs over with tear-drops and dust.
God sent us to help one another,
And he who neglects the behest,
Disgraces the milk of his mother,
And spreadeth Love's pall o'er his breast.
And the spirit that covets unduly
May doubt if that God will forgive;
For Religion ne'er preaches more truly,
Than when she says, "Live and let live."
Masa Coos.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT BROCKWELi-lIALL, BRIX-
TON.-Yesterday (Sunday) forenoon a fire, which con-
tinued to burn most furiously for upwards of eight hours,
broke out upon the premises belonging to Mr. Joshua
Blackburn, known as Brockwell-hall, Water-lane,
Brixton. The flames commenced in ono of the newly-
erected ricks in the homestead, which contained upwards
of fifty loads of hay. The head gardener, it appears,
was the first person to make the discovery by seeing
smoke pouring forth from the centre of the stack. in
order to satisfy himself that the property was on fire, this
person descended what is technically termed the "man-
hole," where he found the heat so intense as to nearly
overpower him. He, however, managed to crawl through
the middle of the burning property, and had just suc-
ceeded in gaining the grand park when immense bodies
of flames shot forth from various portions of the rick,
whence the work of devastation extended to an adjoin-
ing rick containing about 20 loads. The highly inflam-
mable character of the material caused the flames to
travel with surprising rapidity, and before information
could be forwarded to town for the assistance of the
engines the flames were mounting so high into the air as
to be distinctly visible at Norwood, Dulwich, and King-
ston. An express having been sent to London fur as-
sistance with all possible expedition, the engines of the
Brigade and the West of England Company attended,
as well as that belonging to the parish of Camberwell.
Plenty of water having been obtained from a pond in the
park, the engines were set to work, but, in spite of the
utmost exertions of the firemen, upwards of eight hours
elapsed ere the flames could be mastered, and not until a
serious destruction of property had taken place. Whether
or not Mr. Blackburn was insured could not be ascer-
tained, in consequence of that gentleman being with his
wife and family out of town.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has appointed
Mr. Martin, actuary of the London Provident Institu-
tion, to investigate the accounts of the Irish savings'
banks, and wo believe it is the intention of the Right
Hon. Gentleman to issue a commission in Dublin, during
the recess, for examining the actual claims of the
depa-
sitors, who still suffer from the failure of those institu-
tions. Mr. Martin and his assistants have. been actively
engaged engaged for some days past in the exammatzeono_
theire
Cuffee.street savings' bank book'. hesce
operations is a committee-ropm of the House off Com-
mons,ten
upwardsof thoeft r
twolabourstons
wme
weight
be eo
fgoaltohseerl gathered
from
already before
of Cord-
written ledgers and doolotloieer,
ifi,anvaoncbeereencords connectedl.d with
one establishment
them.— TY cehly Cl?ronzcle.
'riff to Mr.
walinVeenu,nudaelrl:thaansct
btieleant Japampoeisntßeldilulanrdde,
Under-Sheriff
Altaalln, ram