The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-19 00:00:00

of the Chancellor's pretensions to be at the head
of the projected Commission, we have abstained
from alluding to any benefit that may be sup-
posed to accrue to the Great Seal from the
alleged abuses—no one has imputed improper
motives to the Lord Chancellor, in the adminis-
tration of justice, though all must admit that
more than former inFonvenience to individuals has
been experienced since his Lordship was charged
with the Great Seal. But we must think that we
have suggested sufficient objections to his Lord-
ship's reviewing the present state of grievances,
when we represent them (and the fact will not be
denied) as grievances which were notknown, or at
least, not in any degree, as of the present size,
before his Lordship was elevated to his almost
supreme judicial station. As a Peer, the Chan-
cellor will have the opportunity of reviewing the
result of the labours of others on this inquiry,
and we are willing to hope will honourably dis-
charge his duty. But the public will feel that
he ought not to be associated, in an inquiry on
the state of his Court, with persons whose judg-
ment may be influenced by his high judicial au-
thority, or by his claims to personal gratitude.

[THE Tuvres.]
There will be seen, in to-day's paper, a project
for the establishment of what is called a Chamber
of Commerce in and for the city of London. The
report of a Committee appointed to collect in-
formation on the subject was received yesterday
by a general meeting convened at the City of
London Tavern. We believe the persons con-
nected in this business to be highly respectable.
In proof of that belief, indeed, it is sufficient to
point to the name of the Chairman ; but we can-
not conceive the scheme itself to be equally wise.
The term " Chamber" of Commerce is derived
from France. We recollect, that when Sir
Francis Burdett attempted to impose that appel-
lation upon a certain assembly, studiously calling
it " this room," and " this chamber," instead of
" this House," the Members were all excessively
indignant, and flouted the misnomer as calculated
to convey insult ; and for our own parts, we think
" the Chamber of Commerce" at least as absurd as
" the Chamber of Commons." We find, however,
from the report, that there already exist in some
of our great trading towns, establishments called
Chambers of Commerce. Of the merits of these
we know nothing; but we do know full well,l
that in France, where Chambers of Commerce
are in full operation, they are felt to be very
mischievous institutions. They monopolize privi-
leges, they clog commerce, they deal out partial
justice to mercantile suitors, and they make the
spirit of commercial enterprise evaporate in
babble. A list of persons capable of occupying
stations in the London Chamber of Commerce
is given in the report. We ask, if those Gen-
tlemen will become one whit the wiser—
will their knowledge be extended, or their sa-
gacity sharpened, by quitting their counting-,
houses and entering a common chamber ? Might
they not be consulted with more ease and less
confusion each in his own bureau ? A hint
is also given, that the London Chamber of Com-
merce might be called upon to decide mercantile
causes. This has a fearful sound indeed. Our
commercial law rests at present like all our other
rights, upon the firm basis of a Jury, from which
each litigant is at liberty to erase the names of
those whom he may believe liable to an unfair
bias, either personal, political, or commercial ;
but 46 the Chamber of Commerce " would pre-
sent him with a Jury ready struck, and above all
human passions, of course. What ground for
challenge could there be against such men as the
Governor and Deputy Governor of the Bank of
England ; the Chairman and Deputy-Chairman of
the East India Company ? But if these should have
a trial with each other, then Mercury, the god who
rules over the commercial world, must be sum-
moned to preside in person.—ln serious gravity,
however, we do hope that this matter will not he
persevered in. Each of the persons mentioned
in the Report will best serve the interests of com-
merce, and most effectually benefit his country
by attending to his own business, and the duties
of the distinguished situation which lie has been
already called to fill. There are then, also, the
offices of social and domestic life to discharge :
whatever is superadded to all these can only
breed distraction, and impair the operation of
the whole.

PRESS.]

Lord John Russell, at the close of a length-
ened speech, in which we thought he did not
treat the affairs of Spain with that knowledge
and discrimination► that mark the highly culti-
vated mind of this distinguished young Noble-
man on other occasions, brought forward last
night his motion for " Copies of all Communica-
tions made by this Government to that of
France respecting the evacuation of Spain by the
French troops." Mr. Canning's speech, in
reply, was one of the happiest efforts of his elo-
quence. His allusions to the chivalrous crusade
of Sir Robert Wilson (whom the Right Hon.
Secretary, with the urbanity that distinguishes
him in debate, called all through his Honourable
Friend), and to the warlike expedition of Lord
Nugent to the shores of Spain, and the for-
midable panoply prepared by him for his Iberian
battles, were in the best style of playful " ba-
dinage," and called down irresistible laughter.—
We are afraid, that from the first moment Lord
Nugent's campaign had something Quixotic
about it. The blowing up the French vessels in
the bay of Cadiz savoured strongly of the La
Mancha Knight ; and we fancy the veteran
Valdez, then in command at Cadiz, thought so
too, and in consequence restrained the Noble
Lord from risking his valuable person with a single
boat and a " catamaran" to " sink, burn, and
destroy" a whole fleet. Such a plan certainly was
strongly in the style of the valorous " Bobadil,"
who proclaims annihilation to an entire army of
20,000 men, in a few successive encounters, by
his single rapier. We do not think, however, of
impeaching, for a single moment, the high spirit
and chalirster of Lord Nugent ; both are un-
questioned; and his motives, when he engaged
in the defence, of Spanish liberty, were, we are
sure, most honourable and disinterested. Sir
Robert Wilson's generous devotion of his services
to Spain, in her hour of trial, were of a different