The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-07 00:00:00

•
professed themselves Conservatives, by opposing
further reform, they really gave up power to
him. He and his friends, and not Lord :MEL- "
BOURZi E and his friends, constitute the Conser-
vative party, and Lord MELBOURNE_ could only,
and did only, after professing Conservatism, re-
tain office in subserviency to Sir ROBERT PEEL.
Hence it wits that subsequent to the period
when the Whigs dismissed themselves as it were
from power, the current of opinion set in deci-
dedly favourable to PEEL. All parties in Par-
liament, except the few Radicals, acknowledged
the necessity of a Conservative policy ; the ac-
knowledgment of parties in Parliament influ-
enced public opinion; every man who could read
traced in the speeches of Sir R. PEEL, a vast su-
periority as a man of business and a man of in-
dustry to Lord. MELBOURNE, and the force that
carried him into power was like that of a general
law. It was a certain opinion pervading many
leading minds, including the Whig Ministers,
namely, that a Consevative policy was necessary,
and when that opinion was vouched for by the
Whigs, it was a necessary ;consequence that Sir
R. PEEL should be called on to carry it out. His
elevation to power has in it nothing miraculous,
nothing capricious, nothing of favoritism. It is
the plain result of the principle proclaimed by

the Whigs.
But will that principle suit the country ? We
contend it will not, and we have always opposed
the finality doctrines. Is the Church such .13
very useful institution that it ought to be pre-
served with all its abuses? Is the House of
Commons the mirror of the people? Is the
House of Lords a well-ordered, well-arranged
senate, which deserves the confidence of en-
lightened men? Are all our laws as to trade so
perfect that they need no improvement ? We
answer no, a thousand times no; anti, latterly,
when the Whigs began, from sheer necessity, to
attack our commercial policy, they proved that
they, on that part of the subject, had ceased to be
Conservatives. _

Conservatism is a general principle, and if t
will not now apply to trade, neither will it apply
for a long period to the Lords, the Commons, and
the Church. Lord ELDON, a consistent politi-
cian, resisted every change, because he was
aware that all our institutions hang together, and
that restrictions on trade cannot be removed
without enabling fiommerce to throw the
landed interest int the back ground, and
the landed interest cannot be thrown into
the back ground without the Church and the
aristocracy being bereft of their main support.
Lord ELDON'S principle still holds good, and the
Minister, whatever political creed he may pro-
fess, who aim a blow at our commercial restric-
tions is not a good Conservative. The Whigs,
therefore, when, they proposed commercial re-
form, admitted the impracticability of that Con-
servative policy which they gave up power to
espouse. _ _ .

We are not sure that the leader of the Tories
is not himself practically convinced of the hope-
lessness of strict Conservative policy. But who-
ever is opposed to our fiscal regulations and
commercial restrictions is, in fact, opposed to Con-
servative policy. In fact, while both parties pro-
fess Conservative principles, they also both
practically admit the impossibility of car-
rying out the Conservative policy. We
feel confident, therefore, that it is no
longer suitable to the circumstances of the
age, and that the most intimate union of the two
parties in Parliament, could that take place,
would not suffice to carry Conservative policy
into effect. The nation must go forward or go to
decay ; and those who are such determined Con-
servatives that they will not amend our tariff
should prohibit the formation of railways and the
building of steam-ships.
It does not say much for the constituencies,
in our opinion, that they have carried a man
into power who has never conferred any benefit
on them, except they be benefited by the pre-
servation of abuses, and who professes an imprac-
ticable policy. The cause of his elevation, how-
ever, is not confidence in him, but mistrust of
others. The Ministers for the time being, let
them be ivuu
ing laws into execution which general opinion
pronounces to be erroneous or mischievous.
Those who administer them become invested with
the attributes of the law, and thus the very ex-
ercise of power, under our present system of
legislation, involves the loss of public confidence.
This is now the case with the Whigs, and the
public reject them. The Tories are now to begin
to carry the same laws into execution, and ere
long the public will withdraw its confidence from
Sir ROBERT PEEL. The dismissal of the Whigs,
therefore, is the certain beginning of the public
mistrust in him and his policy. For ten years
the Whigs have stood between the democracy
and the aristocracy, and protected the latter.
When the Tories again lose power the Whigs
will not again be allowed to throw their shield
over the public enemies ; and hence the over-
throw of the Whigs, brought about by the Tories,
will ere long end in the complete overthrow of
the Conservative principles. At any rate we
have a thorough conviction of the truth of our
own principles, and we cannot for one moment
despair of their complete, speedy, and triumphant
success.

We have accused the Whigs of neglecting
their party interests, and the elections conse-
quent on the acceptance of office by the new Mi-
nisters will confirm or invalidate our charge. If
Sir RORERT PEEL be allowed to come in unop-
posed for Tamworth, if Lord STANLEY walk over
the course in Lancashire, if Sir EDWARD
KNATCLIBULL be re-elected for East Kent
without opposition, if Sir JAMES GRAHAM be
not disturbed in Dorchester, if Exeter be
not won from Sir WILLIAM FOLLETT, we shall
conclude that the Whigs have made up their
minds to succumb completely to the Tories
and give up all party ties. .In all these places,
by dint of exertion, they might find a large party
in their favour, and though they might not suc-
ceed in the first instance, they would gain
strength, and form a party which would ulti-
mately be successful.

Letters from Constantinople of the 17th ult.
state that instructions were sent on that day to
the CAPITAN PACHA. at Candia, who had not
then completed the subjugation of the Sphakiote
mountaineers. The Peiki Schevket steamer,
which was to convey these instructions to the
Turkish Admiral, was laden with military stores
fur the purpose of arming the Osmanlis, who
have all made their submission to the SULTAN.
This measure is more likely than any other to
make the Greeks desperate. Only a few weeks
have elapsed since thousands of them voluntarily
delivered up their arms to the PACIIA, on the
faith of the most solemn promises of protection;
and now to put arms in the hands of the exas-
perated Turks falls little short of directly sanc-
tioning the slaughter of the defenceless objects of
their fear and hate. The population of the whole
island of Candia is estimated at 180,000 inhabi-
tants; of these 150,000 are Greeks, so that of
native Turks there are barely 30,000 in the
whole island. The Turks occupy the fortresses
and rich acid fertile plains of the island, the
Greeks were early driven to the mountains,
where they maintained a sort of wild indepen-

dente, which they did not entirely lose even
after the Porte had, in 1826, bestowed the go-
vernment of Candia upon MEHEMET Art.
During the Greek Revolution the intervention
of the Great Powers was required to pre-
vent the Candiotes from achieving their
independence ; nor have they ever since
abandoned the prospect of sooner or later break-
ing the fetters which subjected them to the
tyranny of a race of unbelievers more ignorant
than themselves. Although the sway established
by MEHEMET ALI over Candia was not SO op-
Prebbive as that of the PORTE, yet so anxious
were the Christian inhabitants for freedom, and
so impatient were they of the state of thraldom