The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-15 00:00:00

•
Matti 11

LONDON,.t.NONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1847.

Postponements form the very sustenance of an im-
potent minority. Delay and agitation—delay and
agitation—delay and agitation—that is literally the
soul of every feeble and factious opposition. It is ,
a'p'ply upon these grounds that the debate upon the
preposterous Railway Bill of Lord G. BENTINCK has
been
.adjourned and that the House of Commons has
been debarred from at once and emphatically scouting
the proposition as an impudent extravagance.
A more felicitousa and lucid speech was never
ut`ered by the Right Hon. Gentleman the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer than eliveredtthivee ofnn e
the d
by him on Frday evening, elucidative
imprac-
ticability of such a measure as the one
e judgmentconceived by
f
the Arabic imagination and distempered
the Noble Lord the representative of rled
the " One Thousand and One" stories4yrnenl Amon
Sti I tau n by the daughter of theVlztEß, petite tesitiht°
humorous, and unquestionably the most perpetually
applicable, is the dream of the penniless pedlar while
sleeping upon a doorstep in Bagdad. Lord GEORGE
BENTINCK has proved himself to be the very counter-
part, of that pedlar, with the additional misfortune of
sr having talked his reverie out loud. Instead, how-
ever, of marrying the first-born of the Commander of
the Faithful, like his ambitious prototype, Lord
Guam is calculating upon his assumption of office :

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instead of kicking his august spouse in the very ecstacy ,
of his authority, Lord GEORGE is counting upon the
transmission of 16,000,0001. to Ireland in the very
extremity of his Ministerial munificence : and in so
doing the Noble Lord inadvertently destroys more
than the Persian somnambulist—he renders himself

bankrupt in whatever political reputation he may
have possessed heretofore, just as the dreaming pedlar
rendered himself bankrupt in a monetary sense by
smashing his basket of crockery.
Lord GEORGE BENTINCK has tasked the credulity
of his supporters too far, and has insulted their
common sense overmuch. Just as his prospective
Cabinet seems to be emulating the palace of Pande-
monium—

" Rising like exhalations,"

its brittle materials tumble to pieces. Lord GEORGE
BENTINCK has been carried away by his sanguine
temperament. Such boundless generosity to-
wards the beef-eating and beer-swilling na-
vigators of England ! such amenity towards
the bubble companies of the United King-
doms ! such an affecting tenderness towards the
necessitous condition of those respectable gentlemen
the stags ! such commisseration for the unna-
tural loneliness of Capel-court!—as if feeding
the already well-fed railway labourers of England
would appease the hunger of the emaciated peasantry of
Ireland, AS if promoting the formation of bubble
companies would tend to counteract the perillous
det►rth of provisions and the ruinous vacillations of
the money-market, as if the patronage of the stag-
ging system were the nourishment of a starving nation,
as if scrip was bread and mutton, and the prosperity
of Capel-court implied the happiness of the Lister
island!! Admirably did Sir CHARLES WOOD charac-
terise the scheme of the Noble Lord the Member for
Lynn, as " A Bill for the Relief of Destitute Share-
holders," instead of a Bill for the Relief of Destitute
Labourers !

We cannot be surprised that ridicule should be
thrown upon such a scheme for the assistance of Ireland
in her present state of awful and appalling wretched-
ness, when the scheme which is ridiculed is so emi-
nently ridiculous in itself. Apparently the proposi-
tion emanating from Lord GEORGE BENTINCK is
benevolent and philanthropical, but at bottom it
amounts to nothing less than positive cruelty. Un-
witting cruelty it may be, but positive cruelty in its
effect it most undeniably is. It is cruelty (and who
shall gainsay it ?) to interrupt the salutary labours
of the Government with a plan that would be im-
practicable if it were attempted, and that cannot be
attempted, because the intelligence of Parliament
would revolt from its acceptation. It is cruelty to
fritter away in this idle manner the moments de-
voted to our legislative deliberations when Time
is slaying almost hour by hour the
doomed peasantry beyond St. George's Channel.
And it is indisputable and peculiar cruelty to indulge
in mere exhibitions of rhetoric when men and women
are dying from sheer want. We were especially re-
joiced, therefore, to observe Mr. F. T. BARING repro-
bating the "general declamations" with which Mr.
STUART favoured the attention of the louse of Com-
mons. This is neither the time for the practising of
a legislative debuted, nor. for the introduction of a Par-
liamentary chimera.

Under the impression—proved to be perfectly er-
roneous by Lord PALMERSTON'S reply—that his
Lordship's dispatch of Thursday last, addressed to
Lord NORMAN BY, had been communicated to a public
journal before it had been officially laid on the table
of either House of Parliament, Mr. ROEBUCK, whilst
putting a question on Friday to elicit this informa-
tion, added the expression of his belief, " that the
faith, honour, and candour of this country had been
thoroughly carried out by the Noble Lord and our
diplomatic agents, and had been completely vindicated
hitherto by the publication of the papers produced."
What was the effect of this declaration within the
walls of the British House of Commons ? Did it
produce any mark of dissent ? No, not even a
whisper. Mr. ROEBUCK'S opinion was loudly cheered
by the assembled representatives of the English
nation. This is the second time the question of the
Spanish marriages has been broached in Parliament
since the opening of the session, and it is the first time
that a reference has been made to them since the en
tire correspondence (not garbled nor mutilated, after
the fashion of M. GuizoT, but in the most unreserved
and fullest shape) between the two Courts, from its
commencement to its close, has been published to the
world at large. What followed further ? Was there
one Member to rise and find fault with the manner
in which our Secretary for Foreign Affairs had con-
ducted the proceedings, on the part of England,
throughout this grave and delicate question ? Was
there one to get up and attempt to palliate the con-
duct of either LOUIS PHILIPPE or his Ministerial
dupe ? Not one. If there was one ready and willing
to extenuate the one or the other, we can only say,
vox faucibus hcesit.

This silence is conclusive as to the universal con-
viction of British Peers and Commoners that the
French Monarch has acted most faithlessly, be-
neath the mask of international amity. This silence,
too, is fraught with true dignity and real grace, be-
cause it evinces that neither House of the British Par-
liament will utter a word to give offence to the great
and distinguished body of the French nation, w ith
the knowledge we possess, in common with the rest.
of Europe, that both the Government and the Cham-
bers of France are completely enthralled by the des-
potic will of their Sovereign. When Lord PALMERS-
TON adverted, last evening, to the prompt assurance
which had been tendered by her MAJESTY'S Govern-
ment to Lord NORMANDY, of unshaken confidence in
his Lordship's honour and integrity, which M.
GUIZOT had indirectly and most unhandsomely at-
tempted to impeach, the House of Commons reite-
rated their cheers. So that, throughout increased
discomfiture and indelible disgrace have stamped the
proceedings of M. GUIZOT, on the one side, whilst
"good faith, candour, and honour" have governed
those of Lord PALMERSTON, on the other.

It is quite clear why the avowal of the Marquis DB
KIRAFLORES, that he could not understand the ne-
cessity for solemnizing simultaneously the marriage
of the Queen of SPAIN and that of her sister, was
disregarded by M. BRESSON and his royal master.
The union proposed for the latter personage was so dis-
tasteful to the Spanish nation, that, had it not come off
precipitately as it did, and had it not been effected
contemporaneously with the nuptials of the SOVE-
REIGN, in all probability it never would have taken
place at all. The marriage has been accomplished in
direct opposition to the national feelings of the Iberian
Peninsula, one evident proof of which is, that the
Due DE MONTPENSIER resides, and will continue to
reside in Paris ; whereas, looking to how far the
constitutional status of the Duchess in Spain, as
heiress presumptive to the throne, preponderates over
that of her husband in France, and to the stress
which LOUIS PHILIPPE has laid upon the advantages
of uniting France and Spain by the royal
alliance in question, the natural residence of the
Due DE MONTPBNSIER should be riot in the French,
but in the Spanish territory. The plain fact is, that
the abode of the French Prince has been dictated by
a sense of personal security, and is entirely in
keeping with the caution observed during his ap-
proach to Madrid, where he found himself supported,
not by the affections of the people, but by files of
soldiers and heavy pieces of ordnance. Another plain
fact, deducible from a review of all the circumstances,
is, that, from the first, we determined upon consult-
ing the independence of Spain as the paramount con-
sideration ; whereas Lours Purm.rrrE was deliberately
bent upon sacrificing it in every way to his own sel-
fish purposes. Independently of his bad faith, the
policy of Lours PHILIPPE has been short-sighted.
He is advanced in years, and, in the presence of his
Parliament, has constantly vaunted of the personal
devotion of himself and family to the interests of
France. Were the royal purple shortly to descend,
as in the course of nature it may, upon his successor,
it would be with the unfavourable prestige that
the last leading act of the Citizen King was
purely dynastic and anti-national ; and that a cordial
understanding, essential to the maintenance of civil
liberty and the progress of civilization, which had
happily prevailed for years, with but slight interrup-
tion, between England and France, had been wan-
tonly shaken to the foundation, notwithstanding' that,
after the revolution in 1830, we were the first to step
forward and guarantee her national stability.
, Thr

to importance of securing a sure and expeditious
communication for our colonial dependencies with the

mother-country cannot be exaggerated. We are,
therefore, delighted to find that Lieutenant WAGRORN,
to whose genius, courage, and enterprise, the nation
is already so much indebted, has addressed a letter to
Earl GREY, calling his Lordship's attention to the
plan for establishing a regular steam communication
with our Australian colonies, which has now been for
some time before the public. To that letter, which
we republish, in extenso, we would direct the especial
attention of our readers. It is a document, not only
to be read, but to be studied, by all who have the
interest of the country at heart. We will
not here repeat the (to our minds) incon-
trovertible arguments which have been so
well put by Lieutenant WAGnoRN ; but we will add
that the importance of establishing a regular steam
communication with Australia is vastly increased by
the discovery, since the plan was
,first proposed, of
the great mineral riches of those colonies—riches so
vast that the time cannot be far distant when the
price of metallic ores in the Australian market will
produce a great effect on the metal markets of the
world, and when it will be as important to our com-
mercial interests to obtain speedy intelligence of the
state of the Australian metal market as of the state
of the metal market in Cornwall. In a political point
of view, also, it is more important than ever to open
a speedy communication with our Australian
colonies. A new constitution has just been given to
New Zealand, and the success or failure of the great
political experiment which is about to be tried in that
colony must depend in a great measure on the close-
ness with which the home authorities can watch its
workings. By the proposal of Lieutenant Wats-
HOliti, New Zealand will be brought as near to Eng-
land as Jamaica was thirty years ago. Is it going
too far to affirm, that if steam communication had
been established between England and her Aus-
tralian colonies six years ago, we should have been
saved the loss, the pain, and the humiliation which
the blunders of successive Governors of New Zea-
land have caused us, and that the colony, in-
stead of being in its present miserable con-
dition, would have been one of the most flourish-
ing dependencies of the British crown ? A sum of
100,0001. per annum is all that is required by Lieut.
WAG UORN from the Government to carry out his
plan; so that even in an economical point of view its
immediate adoption is desirable. It will cost the
nation more than 600,0001. to remedy the disasters
which have occurred during the last six years in
New Zealand—disasters the occurrence of which
would have been prevented, had the home Govern-
ment possessed the means of speedy communication
with the colonial authorities.

Intelligence has been received that the Russian Go-
vernment has prohibited the export of grain of all kinds
from the Russian dominions. This will seriously affect
the markets both in France and England, more rape•
cially those of the former country, where large imports
of corn from Odessa were confidently calculated on.
A Berlin journal announces that the greatest part of
the merchants of Cracow have given notice to their cor-
respondents that they are unable to fufil their engage-
ments, and they can only offer 5 per cent. ! Should
this intelligence be true, Berlin, Dresden, and llamburgh
will suffer severely.
A letter from Warsaw of the Ist states, that all the
Polish money now in circulation is to be called in and
replaced by Russian coinage. The Government of Po-
land had intended to order the state offices not to re-
ceive from the present time any coins but those of
Russia and Prussia, but on the representations made by
the merchants and dealers, it deferred the execution of
this project until the Polish money had been called in.
[he same letter states that any person in Russia or
Poland having in his possession the works of MICKE-
vnEz is punishable with banishment to Siberia and con-
fiscation of property.

A letter from Stockholm, of Jan. 25, says—

" Our legislation fur manufactures had remained until now
that of the middle ages, with its guilds, superintending
uries, and other obsolete institutions. For a length of time,
and again under the last reign, public opinion vainly soli-
cited some improvement. The burgess classes, notwith-
standing their privileges, at last joined the other three classes
in leaving the royal power all the latitude it might choose to
assume in the matter, and, this day, royal ordinances have
been issued, announcing, Ist, the abolition of guilds and su-
perintending juries, for 'which are substituted councils of
prud'hommes; 2d, abolition of the obligatery duration of
apprenticeship (seven years for some lines of business and
eleven for others); 3d, liberty to establish a workshop
without other formality than a certiacate of capacity from
the council of prud'hommes ; 4th, the entire emancipation of
domestic labour, any person being at liberty to do what work
he pleases at his own house; sth, the faculty for every man,
having a trade license, to sell what he pleases wholesale or
retail. These provisions are to be in force from the Ist of
July of the present year."

Madrid papers of the sth have been received.

The Sotomayor Cabinet, which had not been installed
in office a week, was already falling to pieces. Senor
SEIJAS LOZANO, the Minister of the Interior, has re-
signed in consequence of a difference with his colleagues,
and the whole affair bears such a ricketty appearance,
that it was presumed that General PAVIA, who had not
yet arrived at Madrid, would scarcely consider it pru-
dent to accept office with such colleagues. It was re-
ported in Madrid that Senor lartram was to be sent as
Ambassador to England.
MADRID BoLse., FEB. s.—The Three per Cents,
closed at 32i; the FiTO per Cents. at 201; Coupons, 191.