The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-18 00:00:00

ite Un4

LONDON,
FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 18, 1831.

In the House of Lords last night, an idle and
unnecessary discussion took place on the subject of
Lord BROUGHAM'S recent drive through the Horse
Guards, in his way to the KING'S Levee. We
need hardly say that his Lordship's explana-
tion was satisfactory, and that his confession
of perfect indifference for the pomps and pa-
geantries attached to his office, was in perfect
keeping with what hia countrymen already know
of his character. It is the man that should
lend lustre to the office, not the office to
the man, and Lord BROUGHAM confers more
dignity on the Chancellorship, than it will
ever confer on him. In the Lower House,
Mr. HORATIo—or as he delights to style him-
seif--HoRAcE Twtss, made an elaborate attempt
to explain away his attack on the middling
classes. We cannot say much for his explana-
tion. It was passable, so far as it went, and no far-
ther. We hope our countrymen will look well to this
gentleman, should he ever presume to offer himself
as candidate for a seat in a reformed Parliament.
We have been endeavouring " with all our
heart, with all our soul, and with all our
strength," to find out what public acts of
charity, disinterestedness, or sagacity he has ever

An attempt, we find, has been made to get up an
Anti-Reform meeting at Edinburgh, which is re-
m' kable for nothing but its ludicrous failure. Though
it had been generally understood that the meeting
was to be a public one, the sight of one or two of
the Editors of the Edinburgh Papers appears to have
taken it quite by surprise, and they were accordingly
ordered to withdraw. This desire for concealment
on the part of the Edinburgh Anti-Reformers by no
means improves the justice of their cause. Truth
needs no mystery. Her best friend is candour. For
this information we are indebted to that spirited
Journal the New North Briton,

The Paris express contains an article from
Gali,gnanis Messenger which is of considerable im-
portance, being neither more nor less than pro-
posals for a grand national association to
secure the independence of France, and prevent in
future the possibility of foreign dictation. Each
associate is to pay a subscription of five sous monthly,
and pledge his life and honour to do his utmost to
preserve France from the foreigner and the BOUR-
BON. The report of General DIEBITSCII, though it
tells little that is new respecting Poland, will be found
interesting.

FRENCH FUNDS, MARCII 16.-Five per Cents. 831. 30c. 20c.
83f. 821. 90c. 83f. 10c. 831. 831. 10c. sc. 831. 82f. 9.5 c. 83f. 82f. I,oe.
90c. 80c. 90c. 83f. 82f. 95c. 831. Three per Cents., 53f. 25c. 10c.
sc. 15c. Sc. 53f. 53f. 15c. 25c. 40c. Bank Actions, 1,41.5 f. Itente
de Naples, 56f. 75c. 57f. Rente d'Espagne, 1314 14 131,-2M 14
1385. Royal Spanish Loan, 60. Itente Perpetuelle d'Espagne,
423:', 42 41N 424 1% 1,!, !.-Exchange on London, one month,
paper, 25f. 15c. ; money, 25f. 15c.-Three months, paper, 25f. 3
money, 23f.

The Allgemeine Zeitung and Austrian Obsefver
give some particulars respecting the state of affairs
at Warsaw, which we recommend our readers to
receive with a liberal allowance of caution :
MANTUA, MARCH 3.—To-day at noon his Royal 'Ugh-
nese the Duke of Modena, with Count Guicciardi and
other officers of his suite, arrived here on his return from
Vienna. His Royal Highness alighted at the Palace, and
in a quarter of an hour afterwards the troops entered the
gate of St. George, and passing in columns under the
windows of the Imperial Palace, drew up in order of
battle in the ancient Piazza Virgiliani. His Royal Hi:ill-
ness was received with repeated huzzas by his soldiers. The
Lieutenant, Field-marshals, Generals, and other superior
officers of this fortress, paid their respects to his Royal
Highness.
PIACENZA, MARCH I.—Her Majesty the Duchess of
Parma has issued a proclamation to all persons belonging
to the military corps, enjoining them not to pay any re-
gard to the acts of the self-constituted Government at
Parma, and farther commanding them to repair without
delay to Piacenza, where they shall receive from the
General commanding her troops any arrears that may be
due to them, and also an indemnification for the expence
of their journey to Piacenza.
GENOA, AlAncn 2.—Prayers for three days commenced
yesterday in the cathedral for the restoration of the health
of our beloved Sovereign. A very numerous assemblage
of civil and military officers, and persons of all ranks, at-
tended to join in the prayers of the clergy. Her Majesty
Queen Maria Theresa, and the Princess Maria Christina,
were also present. We have just learned that his Majesty
is recovering.

CrtAcow, Maacir 3.—Private accounts from Warsaw,
of the 28th of February, say that the Municipality of
Waraiw had seat a deputation to the Commander-in-Chief
of the army Gen.Skrzynecki (whose head-quarters were at
Wola, nine miles from Warsaw,) with the wish to avert the
total ruin of the city, which would be the inevitable result
of a bombardment, by entering into negociatione with the
Russians, now that there is still time ; to which the depu-
tation is said to have received for answer that negociati')ns
were out of the question, and the army was resolved to bury
itself under the ruins of Warsaw. General Skrzynecki has
also declared he would have any General shot who should
not obey his orders. It is said that General Krucowiecki
thinking himself slighted by the appointment of General
Skrzynecki to the chief command, has asked and obtained
his discharge. General Chlopieki's wound has b?come
much worse. It is affirmed that he has been wholly re-
moved from the army by General Skrzynecki.
BERLIN, MARcir 7.—The newspapers of Warsaw to
the 3d instant, which we received yesterday, contain no-
thing particularly remarkable. Praga, and even an emi-
nence out of the fortifications on the right bank of the
Vistula, are still in the hands of the insurgents, though
the first account of the burning of the larger unfortified
part of Praga is confirmed. The Journals say, that 24-
pounders had been placed on an eminence in the suburb,
which had compelled the Russians to retreat. As for the
letters they hear the expression of firmness and even of
hope, for they calculate on assistance if the defence can
be protracted for four weeks. Whatever may be thought
of this, and however certain it may be, that the
Poles by the battles of the 24th and 25th are confined to
Warsaw, and in great danger, yet the tranquillity and
order that prevail in Warsaw are worthy of admiration, of
which an evident proof was given by the drawing of the
lottery of the Polish bonds on the let instant. The
letters from merchants in Warsaw speak indeed of the
dearness of provisions, and of the necessity of giving the
troops some relaxation. Other accounts say that Field_
Marshal Diebitsch having left only a sufficient force before
Praga, intends with the main army to pass the Vistula at
Plosk, and that it is his plan, if possible, to save Warsaw
from destruction. It seems that the inhabitants of War.
saw are themselves of this opinion, and are therefore under
less alarm than the state of things might seem to justify.
VIENNA, MARcit 7.—Four per Cent. Metalliques, ;
Bank Shares, 967.

A society of some novelty has just been formed
in London, under the title of the " Association for
the Encouragement of Literature." The excellence
of the object, and the want of some such institu-
tion, appear already to have secured it a fair share
of support, and we confess we entertained a prepos•
session in favour of the scheme, as soon as we saw
that one of its main-springs was Mr. THOMAS
CAMPBELL, a man whose genius and public spirit
are the ready inventors of new plans for the im-
provement and elevation of our species—to whom
we owe the London University, and to whose
social worth we rejoice on any occasion to pay
our humble tribute. It would seem that the
Association is to purchase of authors the copy-
rights of meritorious works, on liberal terms,
and is to take upon itself the risk of publishing
them. Thus it may be anticipated that an
impetus will be given to the composition of many
valuable works, which, by reason of the depraved
taste of a large class of readers, the booksellers
cannot at present undertake to usher into life. The
monopoly of the novel writers may thus be in a
great degree destroyed ; and by the assistance
which the sanction of the Association might give to
works of real merit in the higher departments of
knowledge, the appetite of the public may possibly
be led gradually to higher things than the wretched
trash that is at present swallowed under the name
of literature.

We are far from being confident that the Associa-
tion will be a profitable concern, but that does not
affect the merit of the plan. The eminent publisher s

of the day may be supposed to view it with hostility,
although a long time must necessarily elapse before
they can be materially affected by anything the As-
sociation can do. If the publishers were to ask
opinion of the policy of their proceedings in bringng
our
i
out such a mass of vapid inanity under the flan'
of novels, memoirs, travels, reminiscences,
and the
like, we should say, that they are very short-
sighted in looking to merely., the fruits of the
single season during which alone such performances
are likely to be read. But if their attention were
turned to the field of useful and ennobling knc"
ledge, their profits would, we are convinced, be
much greater, in the long run, than they ate at
present,' What is really good, will in the end find
its reward, as surely as water finds its level, and al-
though its returns might be less immediate, they
would eventually he far superior to those on an .In-
ferior article. There are publishers on the Cont"
nent, whose dealings are much moreextensive than
those of the generality of ours, who have made
princely fortunes, solely by their just estimate of the
necessary progress of the human intellect. CoVrAt
of Tubingen and Stutgard, is an extraordinary )1"
stance of die distinctions and wealth that maY
attained by the course of conduct to which we have
alluded.

The most important service which literary asso-
ciations can at present do to the cause in which
they are associated, is to petition and remonstrate
.
in every possible way against the continuance of
taxes on knowledge. The apathy of the booksellers
to the weight of the paper duty, is a strong indica-
tion of the publishing trade being at present OP"
fined to too few establishments, Whose extensive ha'
siness renders them rather favourable than other-
wise to the heavy duty with which the raw material
of knowledge is charged. This is not as it ought
to be ; and to endeavour to set it to rights should
be the first endeavour of the new Association. It
is surprising that the Useful Knowledge Society
he
hitherto made no effort to procure the repeal of te
taxes which impede and obstruct, at every turn, It°
endeavours for the enlightening of the community'