The Sun.
London, England, 1836-08-16 00:00:00

effect upon the send-
diency . certainly has a strange
ments of a certain class of men. We should be yew
sorry to believe that in anything, except politics, his Mll,-
jesty's Ministerswould think fit to acknowledgesuch con-
fidence. Let us try this Ministerial conduct by the light
of an illustration in the ordinary business of life. Sup-
pose a certain Company, with a Mr. Melbourne at its
head, wished very much to carry a railway to Oxford,
and avowed that it was an unalterable determination
of the Company, that at Oxford the road should stop ;
and suppose a certain other Company—say that of
O'Hume, Connell, Fitzwakley, and others—should
say, " Very well, Mr. Melbourne, we shall give you
all the help we can ; but recollect we are quite deter-
mined that the road shall not stop at Oxford, but shall
go on to Liverpool." Can it be supposed that under
such circumstances Melbourne's Company would go
about boasting that they possessed the confidence of
O'Hume's Company ? We are sure they would not :
and yet this would be a reasonable thing in comparison
with the pretence of the Administration that they have
the confidence of the majority in the House of Com-
mons, when in fact that majority only uses the Admi-
nistration as an instrument to work on to a certain
point, and does not at all concur with what the Ad-
ministration states to be its ultimate views. We,
therefore, consider ourselves justified in maintaining,
that Ministers cling to office, although it is a fact pal-
pable to all the world, that in neither House of Par-
liament is there a majority whose policy agrees with
that of Ministers. In the House of Lords this is
proved by the actual majority against them, and in the
House of Commons, by the fact that those who con-
stitute the Ministerial majority-, are notoriously persons
who calculate upon a result of the measures they sup-
port different from that calculated upon by the Mini-
sters who propose those measures. And we might go
further than this, without overstepping the bounds of
probability, and affirm that a great number of those
who constitute the Ministerial majority despise the
Ministers as persons too weak to maintain their own
policy, and too fearful to "go the whole hog" with
the policy of those who now allow them a majority.
—Morning Herald.
The representation of Westminster is in a most un-
satisfactory position—one of its Members absent, and
the other worse than absent, it may be fairly' considered
in a state of temporary disfranchisement. This is a
state of things which cannot, must not, be allowed to
continue. The crisis through which the country is
passing is of a character too vital to its future destiny,
to allow any assistance to be dispensed with which may
tend to render the discomfiture of the Tories and the
Lords complete and irretrievable—and least of all
should such a liberal and influential constituency as
Westminster be excluded from a share in the present
struggle---the most important of any—except that for
Parliamentary Reform, of which it. is a part—which
has occurred since the revolution of 1688. West-
minster has long been foremost in the vanguard of re-
form, and must not now be left in the rear, or altogether
excluded from the honour of the triumph which awaits
those who bear a part in the contest against oligarchic
authority. At such a time as this it «ill not do to make
public interest wait upon private convenience or per-
sonal feelings. The battle for British freedom is now
being fought, and every Reformer, both in the House
and out of the House, should be at his post. We fully
appreciate the motive of General Evans s allsence : hut
we should much rather see him in the House of Com-
mons, contending for his country's independence than
in Spain, fighting in support of a Governinent whose
policy is anything but satisfactory, to the friends of
popular institutions. The Tories are preparing to
take advantage of any opportunity which may occur
for an attempt to foist one of their own disciples on
the representation of Westminster, and in expectation
of a vacancy have already called upon Sir G. Murray
to come forward as a candidate. The reply of the
Tory Baronet was of rather a vague character, giving
a partial promise to accept the invitat:on, in case that
that he should not succeed in securing his election for
Perth. This demonstration of the intentions of the
Tories should serve as a stimulus to the independent
Reformers of Westminster, to take immediately the
most active measures to prevent the possibility of their
principles and interest being sacrificed to the intrigues
and corruption of the common enemy. We consider
a word on this subject sufficient, as the men of West-
minster need scarcely be reminded of their duty, as
they are themselves too intelligent, too independent, and
too patriotic to succumb to the disgrace of allowing a
Tory to jump into the representation of their city.—
Morning Advertiser.
The appalling condition of Spain was made the sub-
ject of a brief but interesting conversation last night ill
the House of Commons. Lord Palmerston had to
undergo the ordeal of a Legislative cross-examination,
and, like all evasive witnesses, answered the questions
put to him in a shuffling and pert manner. Towards
Lord Stormont his Foreign Secretaryship was guilty
of an act of gratuitous impertinence—a practice to
which Lord Palmerston is much given ; and towards
Mr. Grove Price he displayed for once some appear-
ance of candour—a quality of the possession of which
his Lordship is not often accused. He affected to be
in ignorance of the line of conduct that Brevet Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Evans ail(' his respectable footpads in
arms would pursue during the struggle between the feeble
and tottering Government of Donna Isabella in Madrid,
and the revolutionary anarchists of 1812. Lord Palmer-
ston's pretended want of information in this instance
shows him to be either very neglectful of his official
duties, or proves that he is guilty of gross prevarication,
if not actual falsehood. The mercenaries are acting
in concert with the naval force of this country. It
is true that the Member for Westminster is not
ostensibly the commanding officer of Lord J. Hay ;
but the latter is, to all intentsandpurposes, an auxiliary
of Evans, and his instructions compel him to aid the
" Legion" both by sea and land, for the intervention of
the Commodore, although, in the Palmerstonian slang,
denominated a naval co-operation, has been unequivo-
cally demonstrated to be more of a military than naval
kind. Lord John Hay's own despatches narrating the
services of the Marines set this matter beyond a doubt.
It is, therefore, absurd to suppose that Lord Palmer-
ston is not fully aware of every act and move of the
expedition of which he and his stock-jobbing friend,
Mendizahal, were the originators. There was one ode-
claration, however, of Lord Palmerston which evinces
the tortuous policy pursued by this imbecile Minister
during his notable career. He was pleased to express
his high and mighty pleasure that Lord John Hay's
maritime military force should positively remain neuter
during the eventful contest, commenced under such
horrible circumstances at Malaga, between the mo-
derate and extreme b
parties of the Christinos. In
making this explicit announcement, Lord Palmer-
ston added that the Quadruple Treaty, by virtue
of which our " co-operation" has been afforded to
Donna Isabella, applied only to the war of succession,
and not to any internal commotion or strife from other
causes. This is all very proper : but the vacillation
of the Secretary for Foreign Affairs is exhibited in
the most glaring light. The atrocities some months
since at Barcelona must be still fresh in the recollection
of our readers. The cold butchery of Carlist pri-
soners excited the most intense disgust in the minds
of men of all shades of political opinion. The Bri-
tish squadron was at hand, but stirred not, during
these sanguinary scenes. The strong impulse of
humanity was kept down by the cold dictates of
heartless policy. Within a few days of the tragical
event, when the ladies (?) of the Spanish Liberals ac-
tually transformed themselves into cannibals, by eating
the flesh of their victims, Barcelona was on the eve of a
counter-revolution. The admirers of the Constitution
of 1812, now the beau ideal of good government
in the eyes of the present race of regenerated
Spaniards, assembled in great numbers, amid were
about to proclaim their darling system. The troops
were assembled, and the authorities, both civil and
military, were paralysed, and were on the point of
yielding, when at the critical moment a British naval I
Captain volunteered the aid of the blue-jackets to put
down that insurrection. The lives of English sailors
and marines were proffered to save the sinking cause
of a licentious woman. The Governor, revived by
the assurances of British assistance, communicated the
fact to his troops and to the assembled multitude. The
former were thereby preserved in their allegiance, and
the latter were alarmed at the consequences likely to
accrue from a conflict with British valour. The Pro-
pagandists were thus defeated in their object through