The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-20 00:00:00

MORNING EDITION.

POLITICAL SUMMARY OF THE.
MORNING JOURNALS.
The Morning Post of yesterday, in a leading article on tine
subject of the Irish Poor-law, observes as follows:—" The ex-
amination of witnesses at the bar of the House of Lords, re-
specting the conduct of the Irish Poor-law functionariei,
proees more and more clearly as it proceeds, that an unprin-
cipled attempt has been made to apply the machinery of the
Poor-law in Ireland to political and party pnrposes." The
Morning Chronicle, alluding- to the question of Church-rates,
and the imprisonment of William Baines, says Are we to
be astonished that the case of William Baines has produced a
great sensation, not only in Leicester, but throughout the
country? In Leicester he has been returned to the Town
Council by the most important ward, containing nearly 20,000
inhabitants, since his incarceration. Nearly the whole of the
municipal authorities ef the place have petitioned in his behalf.
Were the impost less objectionable in its nature, the means by
which it is enforced would alone render it obnoxious. When
men of exemplary lives are sudjected to the pun-
ishment
which awaits the vilest criminals—merely be-
cause -they hold in regard the dictates of conscience, the
best fee!ings of our nature are in arms against the proceed-
ing." The Tinles thus expresses itself on the subject of Lord
Ponsanby's late diplomacy at Constantinople :—" We believe
that at this critical juncture the British Ambassador at Con-
stantinople has deetended from the dignified station of the
Queen of England's representative, to share the vile animosity
of the Turkish Ministers towards their defeated enemy. But
the animosity, which is at least natural to their race and their
position toward; Mehemet Ali, is odious and contemptible in
the heart of a British nobleman, who ought to be as much a
stranger to the passions of an Oriental. Court an to the crooked
a titices which belong to the diplomacy of some other Euro-
pean Cabinets. But Lord Pensonhy has exceeded the Turk
in violence, and the Russian in ifrigue."
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS uF IESTERDAY.
( From the Globs )
We have so often expressed our opinion on tho Church-
rate quest:on, that the debate which arose last nisitt
in the House of Commons on the case of Mr, thine-5
of Leicester, now a prisoner in the gaol of that town
for nor-payment of a Church-riste, might be allowed
to pass without remark frem us, seeing it presents
nothisg new in the way of fact or illustration to
distiagaish it from the many fernier debate; on the same
quest on. The questi in—et-ipued of the extraneous mat-
te:, and extricated from the e itang!ernents with whist)
the bested passions of the contending parties have embar-
rassed it—resolves itself into a simple form. To the
Church it is proposed, whether it be net expedient for
the character of the national establishment. which must
depend for its efficiency and ultimate stability on public
opinion, to promote the abrogation of this obnoxious law ?
The attempt to carry a rate in vestry is accompanied by
" a rife and dcbat ',and smiting with the fist of wickelness."
The arena of contest is the .` house of prayer"—the presiding
officer is the iniaister of relgon, the clergyman of the parish
the chief debaters are the fiercest of the professors of the
rival creeds., who are attended by their respective parti-
Z3ZIS : these import into the controversy the elements of
theological hate, quickened into violence by the attempt
to ascertain from the result of the pending contest the
ekairces of sueeess'in future pcd,tital struggle Need we de-
isciEe the scenes of tumult which such collisions must pro-
,- duce, or the injury which 7-e.ligisu. in its spirit and character,
must sustain, and of which the Church, in i s institu-i•ms,
and esrgy, come in for by far the largest share ? Then
Come.? the enfoi cement of the rate upon those who plead
inutility from pave; tv, or disiaclina inn from c
ete ieue ocjections ; the seizure by warrant of di-tress
of som. article of wretched farnitere from the strug-
gling lei low or half-captured a:tizsn, who, with thii •
sympethisi• g neighbours, regard the deprivation as an
act of epp.t-aloe, and too readily conce:vc an aetipathy
to the Church, if not to religion generally, because of
the inconve.iience and loss ti which they have been sus-
- by the law which deprived them of their table cr
chaie, perhaps their Bible or bed, f6r its support.
(From the Standard.)
It is moat desirable to direct the attention of :S.° country
is that which was the subject of the conversation upon M-.
Rice's unsuccessful motion last night, the necessity of pro-
viding a capacious lis.rbeur of refuge far merchantmer, and
of roe dezvoue for ships of war, at some place in ti
Channel. This great c Immerciel and naval State has at
present but three harbours in England suitel for ships of
wai:Oltymouth, Portsmouth, and Sheerness, and none of
the,e is in a position adapted for military purposes. The
immense commerce of-London, too, has to be conducted
throng's a labyrinth of banks which the boldest and most
skilful oes not encounter without anxiety
its the darkness of night, or in foggy or tempestuous
weather, but which, nevertheless, he must encounter at
present, if at night he arrives near the mouth of the
riser. The Downs, it is true, afirrds protection it
some winds; but in a wind from the south or south-
sot.thseas', or any point between, the Downs is
wirnout shelter. Is it right that there should be
no • harbour of rendezvous for ships of war be-
twe.sn Po: tsmouth mid Sheerness, exactly the most
acceseib'e part of the coast to an invadieg enemy,
and exactly th it part of the coast from which we could
most effectually molest an enemy in turn? Is it right that
the carnm"rce of London with the whole world, end what
we may the 'gore call the commerce cf the world, should
remain in its present state of exposure to danger? Nearly
forty years ago ths subject engaged the attention c f
Mr. Pitt, and all that has occurred within the inte:val
gives r ason to regret cl,eply that the exigency of
the totes disabled that great in in from realising the design
of defending England by a capacious deep-water harbour
at the narrowest part of the Channel, whi eh it is known he
entert.ined. The introduction of steam navigation, which
must in future bring every contest of naval powers to close
qtyters and t, a short issue, boss ever, leaves us How, if v.e
see our interest or our danger, almost without a choice.

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS CF YESTERDAY.
TIMES.—Some attention has been drawn in the City to
the ,ituation in which the, Illinietry are placed relatively to the
South Australian Commissioners in the affair of the proposed
guarantee of the loan of 210,000/. It is observed, that when
any party is in a state of moderate credit mils', and stands upon
his own responsibility, the terms on which he still be able to
raise money for any given purpose will vary according to the
degree of belief in his means and resources, but that the else
will be moot materially altered if it should turn out that there
is another party willing to endorse his draughts, who may be
said, is comm-n parlance, to be " as good as the Bank of Eng-
land." This is an exact parallel to the case of the Treasury
and the Australian Commissioners. When they brought for-
ward their original propositions for a loan, no hint was given,
because no authority of the kind then existed, that the Go-
vernment would become guarantee for the interest and re-
payment. The terms acceded to were, therefore, exactly
what the credit of the Commissioners, and the probabili•
ties of success in the undertaking on which they had
entered, would justify. Now comes en, however, the
period of danger and difficulty, and the Government, being
hard pressed on the matter, are inclined themselves to adopt
the debt._ As this ought to have been foreseen at the time it
was commenced, as the natural consequence of an unlucky ter-
mination to the whole adventure, the guarantee might as well
have beet mixed up with the original transaction, in which
case the sneney would have been raised on much better terms,
and the Govtrnnaent would have had much less to pay, both
for principal and interest, then they will have by adopting the
debt now. This is a similar blunder to one on a larger scale,
committed at the time when the All ante Greek Loan was eee
goiated, when stock was created at par for the Fnglish por-
tion of it, with the guarantee of the Government, who were
at the very same time raising mon• y for their own purpeses
on belies of Eeehequer Bills it 3 per cent. or less. Hence it
follows that the question of guarantee should either he
rail -d at the time of the original con.ract, or that it ,hould be
resisted altogether; with this precaution, that on all occasions
where the public might be disposed to expect a guarantee, some
distinct and public wanting to the contrary should be given.
This is the substance of the remarks current in the City on
this subject, and it is hoped that they may be found useful to
the present and all fu ure Chancellors of the Exchequer.
The meetMe of the Bank proprietors to declare the half-
yearly di, ideal, which took place this morning, was as much
td,.s.tguishee as any that have preceded it for the disposition
iiteraa any attempts made to penetrate the mystery
which enwraps the tranmetions of that institution. A dividend
of 3)1 per cent. for the half-year was declared, which it was ex-
pected, as usual, the
hav-
ing the eliehtest datal! troPrictors were to assent to without hav-
oertam whether that amount weretoo
Tise ascertain
much or too 1 tile.
motion of a proprietor that the meet-
ing shou!d be adjoarnecl for
tors should eoy themsel'v7
would's
week, during which the Diree-
in preparing an intelligible
balance sheetshich
see what they were about,
was
sientable the proprietary to
mense majority, but there was evidenot?l yt.r:jected by an ira-
a motion could be scarcely meant larnhes,tfeeling that such
motion conveyel no more than a desire to
doAnd yet the
awaye
with
the absurdity of a prop ietary yielding implicit obediene • to
the proposal of the Directors, witheut knowing whether such
proposal were right or wrong—without having the slighseesa,
basis ace riling to which a conclusion might be formed. _ It
is needless to adi, that the proposed divelend \Val accepted
without a dissentient voice. A motion
tilt
to reform sy.steite
of electing the Di ectors, by furnishing proerte
treatetßy „i 4
as
lists of a number of eligible persons, waslikewise
something almost ridiculous, as if the presentlaced' The ques-
tion plan were so
excellent that every alteration must be misplaced.
is not whether the motions brought forward be expedient in
their de: ails or not, which would come out on a little consider-
ation, but what reader s these meetings. resnarkable is the
desire of crushing at once and unexamined, eve •s y proposalso
which in the slightest degree savours of alteration.?
that the proposer of any measure that would have for its object
the clearing up of any mysteries, or the reform of elections,
has nit only to meet the strenuous opposition, but almost the
ridicule, of his co-proprietors. The explanation given by the
Governor of the losses sustained by the Bank by the late failure
of one of its Directors appeared to give satisfaction, when it was
ascertained they did net exceed 10,0001. All mention of the
Committee of the House of Commons seemed to be studiously
avoided, though the mere hope of advantage might have
tempted some of the proprietors to make some inquiry, as it is
now well understood that one object of the Bank is to become
the sole issuer of
dom. After what has occurred, it would be a general disap-
pointment in the City, whatever may be thought of the • prin-
ciple itself, if the administration of it is confided to be to that
body.

At a large meeting held at Blanchester on the 15th inst ,
to take into consideration the rep' on the import duties,
and to petition Parliament for their repeal, resolutions
were carried, to the effect that the meeting regarded with
satisfaction the appointment of a ; ihiernentary Committee 'o
of
mat it
exaaaine into duties so injpirious
imelitcantile returns„ yisgarded a, imo-
litic all dates on the iaaportation
when-
ever found to have the tendency to 1
the ecnuneree ; that im-
port duti4 s ought to be leAietl fttr ;:os, s of reverue
akoe ; that raw material sliotall enter frePe'-ir
on
nnd that the haws
affecting provision; have operated injuriously .
great rn,,,s
of the people. The feeling generally seerned to be, that much
opposition was to be amicipsted from a vari'etyanodf interests,
panieularly those of the East and West Indies,
14 ' pi,ilantbropists, who would see an encouragement
from
to the
slave trade in a reduction of import duties on certain
articles,
but that it was the duty of Government not to loek to part' len-
lar Parties.

A petition has been sent by several
parties connected with
the spirit trade to the Treasury, the Admiralty, acid the Board
of Trade, that an Admiralty order may he rescind_ ed which
rollibits the use of spirits duty free by the officers of the navy
The arnment used in the petition h, that such a measure can
be of no benefit to the revenue, as the officers can purchase
spirits duty free at the first port they touch, so that the British
dealers would be the only losers, and that to a large extent,
while, if the measure were intended to promote temperance,
it. would be found equally useless for the same reason. The
Treasury and Admiralty have both returned a refusal to this
application. So far the measure is one that cc•ncerns the'
dealers only, but it is also rumoured that the officers of the
navy have expressed great disatisfaction at the order, and that

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