The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-19 00:00:00

fill and immediate servants, whom the middle
class es,th ough much powe r has been in their hands,
have never protected from oppression. Let us
mention an example which has always appeared
to us as a flagrant dereliction of duty on the part
of the middle classes, which applies particularly
to merchants and shipowners such as may reside
at Liverpool.

The middle classes have had the power to stop
any and every Government, however strong,
from invading their property, and they have ex-
erted that power for their own protection. But
they were served by seamen who were for years;
or even ages, treated worse than dogs or thieves.
When did the shipowners or the merchants step
forward to remonstrate against the treatment the
seamen received? Where is their indignant pro-
test against that disgraceful enormity, impress-
ment ? When did they throw the shield of their
power over their oppressed men'! When did they
move a finger to protect their own servants,
though thay frequently shook the empire to its
foundations to protect their own property ?
Where is to be found proceeding from them- a
remonstrance against the disgraceful practice of
man-stealing in England, which is far worse than
man-stealing in Africa, for here it is practised by
those who arc bound to protect the seamen ?

This is, unhappily, only an example of the
general conduct of the middle classes to their
faithful friends and servants, wanting whose
assistance they could have and could gait;
nothing. Their general conduct has been similar
to this. They have done nothing to protect
the lower classes from the oppressions of the
ruling classes, they , have rather sided
with the upper classes in committing
injustice. What but that could have so
alienated the lower classes from them as they
are at present alienated ? In the great mistrust
' whiCh the lower classes have of them they may
see the natural and necessary .Consequence of
their own conduct- We have no wish to dwell
on such painful topics, but hen we are in a
manner challenged to make good the assertion
that the middle classes seek only their own inte-
rest—fur which, however, we did not blame them,
for we know that it is natural—we cannot avoid
reminding the middle classes of some of those
circumstances which have alienated from then:
the affections of their friends and servants.
Would to GOD it were otherwise ! for then we
might hope to witness the restoration of _confi-
dence bet Ween these pillars of our national great-
ness, • and might anticipate a continuance
peace and good-will in the land.

The public may see which way the current it
setting by the following remarks of the Times.
The advocates of the Corn-laws in the metropo-
litan daily journals are now the Post, Standard,
Herald, and Courier. The opponents of those
laws are the Times, the Morning Chronicle,
the -.Advertiser, the Globe, and The Sun.
Looking. at the numbers published by these
journals, respectively, the weight of public
opinion is prodigiously on our side, and
it is increasing day by day. Some linger-
ing fears of the effects of a great change
may still keep back a few timid, or some ver
opulent, town;-people, but the evidence against
the Corn-laws is overvt helming, the distress al -
palling, the justice of our cause undeniable, anc
the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. A
union of the aristocracy and the priesthood, E,
pertinacious continuance of oppression, we
solemnly warn Lord MELBOURNE, may destroy
the Government, may overturn the Legislature,
may drive the nobility, from their estates,
and the clergy from the churches, but i
will not, it cannot, prevent the abolition
of the tax on food. We hope the Ministers wilt
in time of need take the lead in a move:nent
which, though it be slow, is irresistible. Let
them mark and weigh what the Times of yesterr
day said, speaking of the hand-loom weavers :

It is no slight addition to the claims of a cause, which has
already so much justice and reason on its side, that they are
backed by the most appalling statements of the present desti
tution and progressive decline of our manufacturing popula-
tion. The sufferings of millions demand relief, even though
that relief were not identical with the truest policy of Eng-
land. But the welfare of the mass is identical with the interests
of the country ; and it is because the general privation and the
general loss have not been fairly rn, asured against the par-.
ticular advantage of a protected interest, that the energies of
the country are weighed down by an unequal and injudicious
system of taxation. We argued the other day in favour of a
reduction of the sugar duties on behalf of the West India
planters • and we now confidently await that measure, with
some others of equal importance, from the Government. But
wi.h how much more weight should we have spoken if we had
dwelt on the sufferings of apeople afflicted by the curse of
scarcity : and if we had asked our rulers not only to benefit
the planter, and to increase the revenue, but to feed the people
by diminishing the duties on colonial produce—by adjusting
the taxes on corn upon a system better calculated to avoid the
evils of excessive fluctuation in price and entire prohibition,
and by sweeping away the duties which exclude us from
foreign markets without adding to our own revenue.

We have received Madrid Papers of the 10th
instant. Reports had been circulated that the
Regency would prorogue the Cortes, which
prove to be wholly without foundation. Es-
PARTERO, who had been indisposed, had so fat
recovered as to attend a Cabinet Council on
the 10th. According to Me Castellano, Senor
GONZALES, who is now in London, is engaged
in the negotiation of a new loan. Our merchants
ought by this time to have had enough to do
with Spanish leans.
Joint-stock Companies have been formed for
working the mines in Murcia and Andalusia.
On the Bourse the Five per Cents, closed on the
10 that 27k for cash, and at 28 11-16ths at 60 days.

The Presse and the Comrizerce are the only
French Journals of Wednesday that support
Baron MOUNIER'S Report on the Fortifications
Bill. All the other Papers abuse it. They are
mad for walls. There is no longer any use in
telling them that the walls will be the tomb of
the Revolution of July—that they will be for-
midable only to the democracy of Paris. Theii
fancies are so heated with imaginary invasions
that they think of nothing, and will hear of
nothing, but how to hide themselves from the
phantom legions of the Four Powers. This
mania is so general, that there is no resisting the
policy which it prompts. This was frankly stated
by M. MOUNIER, who observed that, althougl
he individually thought the walls useless, yet a:
public opinion was so strongly in favour of them,
he consented to their erection, on the conditions
which we yesterday quoted from his Report.
The great misfortune, too, is, that the popular
delusion about the walls is not like any other act
of popular folly which terminates with a return
to common sense. The miserable legacy which
it will bequeath to France will be a lasting one.
It will be nothing less than to restore to France
that despotism which it cost her two Revolu-
tions, and the b!ood of a million of her subjects,
to shake off. But to avert such a calamity to a
great and gallant nation by sober argument is
no longer possible.
It is remarkable that while only three of the
nine Committees of the Chamber of Deputies
voted on Tuesdayin favour of M. MAUGUIN'S pro-
position for excluding public functionaries from
the Chamber, an absolute majority of 20 votes on
a division of 310 Members were given in favour
of it. All the Ministers opposed it, and of course
all those whose seats were threatened by it, and
yet there was a majority of 20 votes in its fa-
vour ! As this proposition will now be the sub-
jectof our
Deputies,o f a n
it debatefor t h in
e thenfo r
inCa
thi amberon
Parliamentary Reformers at home : _

" There is an incompatibility-between the duties of a de-
puty and those of a prefect, sub-prefect, receiver-general, or
receiver of taxes, general officers and commanders of the land
or sea forces on active service, Magistrates performing the
duties of public officers in the Royal Courts, and chic fs of di-
vision in the public offices.
" No public functionary ought to be eligible for the depart-
ment in which he exercises his functions. Alinii.ters, Under
Secretaries of State, and Councilors of State are to be ex-
cepted from this rule.
" If the abovenamed functionaries should by resignation or
otherwise become c ligible, they cannot be elected for at least
six months from the date of their resignation."
We stated yesterday that thisattempt to reform
the'representation was supported by M. THIERS.
It was only conditionally so. M. THIERS is for
keeping in the Chamber that class of function-
aries who always support the Court, and to ex-
clude those with whom the Government must
compound, in the shape of local roads and
bridges, for a constant vote. The following ex-
tract from his speech explains this very clearly:—
" It always appeared to me to be necessary to diminish the
number of functionaries in the Chamber. I would not go
further '
than to diminish them, for the presence in the Cham-
ber of
Mi the higher order ,of functionaries is, indispensable,
_ rasters, Ambassadors, Generals, Councillors of Stateandgcs,
myt have seats,
Their asperienco is tiecossary lot ass %am.