The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-11 00:00:00

PUBLIC OPINION!

The Morning ITer7LT recommends that the young
.Prince be named Edward, justly observing that that
name has been borne by some of the most illustrious
Sovereigns in our English annals. "We cannot help
remarking," says our Contemporary, " that there is a
name,—fortunate in English annals and dear to the Eng-
lish people,—which is begemmed with so many of our
proudest national associations, and so redolent of accu-
mulated honours, that we would, with all respectfulness,
suggest the propriety of bestowing it on this infant Duk e
of Cornwall and Earl of Chester. The English Justi-
nian, renowned alike for the highest qualities of state-
manship, government, and military genius—successful in
each and all of those careers ;—the conquering King of
Cressy, and the conquering Prince of Poitiers his son ;
the tamer and controller of the desolating factions
of York and Lancaster ; the good, young, and
benevolent founder of the Protestant Establish-
ment as it now exists ; and the truly Protestant
Prince, the illustrious father of her present Ma-
jesty, alike rejoiced in the English name of Edward."—
Edward is certainly a good name, and one with which
some of an Englishman's proudest historical recollec-
tions are associated ; but we do most earnestly hope that
the young Prince's Royal parents will not be induced to
give him the name of George. We have had enough of
Georges to last us. for a century. It is a name of ill-
omen, and reminds us of profligate foreign wars ; of
constant, vexatious interferences with our continental
. neighbours ; of restrictions on civil and religious free-
dom ; of reckless extravagance ; exorbitant taxation ;
and perpetual attempts to stretch the Royal Prerogative
• beyond all constitutional bounds. The two first Georges
were mere dull, thick-skulled cyphers ; of the two last,
one was a crafty, narrow-minded bigot, and the other a
selfish sensualist.
The Times says:—" The prosperity and peace of the
Austrian empire are elements • of such importance to the
welfare of Europe, and especially to the influence of the
Conservative or defensive party in the councils of the
great Powers, that we have followed with the greatest
satisfaction the conciliatory measures which have been
adopted by the Cabinet of Vienna within the last few
years. The seasonable recognition of the constitu-
tional liberties and the enlightened administration of
the Archduke Palatine ; the amnesty granted to
the unfortunate victims of the Italian revolutions;
and the treaty of commerce with this country, accom-
panied by a considerable diminution in those fiscal re-
strictions which had heretofore paralyzed the external
trade, and even the internal relations, of the various pro-
vinces ; are all proofs of the spirit in which Prince
Metternich and Count Kollowrath have carried on the
affairs of the empire."—lt is rather late in the day for
Prince Metternich—the representative of absolutism in
Europe—to adopt conciliatory measures towards the out-
lying provinces subject to the Austrian sway ; but better
' late than never, for Hungary, and more especially the
Lombardo-Venetian States, have many acts of gross in-
justice and tyranny to be atoned for.
The Chronicle protests strenuously against the Tory
assumption that Sir Robert Peel is possessed of absolute
wisdom in his capacity of statesman, observing—" Wis-
dom and Peel are words that cannot be forced into har-
monious juxtaposition. Wise he has never been, not
even in his wisest measures. Those of Catholic Eman-
cipation and Test Act Repeal were presented, most un-
wisely, as acts of constraint, not of voluntary adoption.
The tie which binds him to an aristocracy that despises
him, and alienates him from the class to which he natu-
rally belongs, was most unwisely formed. He was alike
unwise in his toil to form a party of elements so hetero-
geneous as to be incapable of more than the negative
consistency of opposition ; and in taking office as its
chief with no more efficient or honourable resource
than that of begging for delay in the hope of lucky
chances. This country has before now been guided by
•,ta:esinen of velinowiedged v%i:Atiom; hut we do not remem-
ber any instance in which their wisdom was demonstrated
to the world by the Tower of London being nearly
burned down while they were procrastinating the intro-
duction of measures for the mitigation of severe distress
in the great mass of the population."—lf, as the Chronicle
asserts, it was a wise act in Sir Robert Peel, to grant
Catholic Emancipation, it must be borne in mind that,
in this as in other inqnro, he was i isc onh• on com-
puisiuu—itgainstthe grain. He was breed to fs Disc,
in spite of himself. His wisdom was not natural to him;
be did not take kindly to it. No school-boy ever areal-