The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-17 00:00:00

TILE SUN, LONDON, 'FRIDAY, J .NUARY 17, 1840.

been received that the Assembly of Upper Canada
had also agreed to that resolution. He did not now wish to
enter into a discussion whether the union was advisable or not,
but he wished merely to state wh.4 had been done. There
was another subject on which he wished to state the intentions
of the Government. The Right Hon, Baronet opposite had
pat some questions to hi. Noble Friend (Lord Palmerston)
with respect to Portugal ; connected with that was the melan-
choly fact that notwithstanding all the exertions of this country
he address of both Houses of Parliament, and the treaties which
had been framed, for the purpose of putting down the Slave
Trade, up to the present moment, it was in the most flourishing
condition in that country, and he v as afraid that
he might say hundreds of thousands of human beings had been
sacrificed by it. It was not his intention now to discuss other
measures upon that subject. He trusted that it would be found
that her Majesty's Government and the Lords of the Admiralty
had neglected no means by which the slavers might be inter-
cepted, and he trusted that the time was not far distant when
her Majesty's Government would be enabled to put an end to
so distressing a sacrifice of human life.
Mr. WALLACE said that he represented a commercial dis-
trict, and he trusted that due attention would be given to the
monetary system and the Corn-laws, which he believed were
intended to be alluded to in her Majesty's speech.
The Address was then agreed to without a division, and the
House adjourned at Thirty-five Minutes pact Eleven o'Clock.

the Speech ; which was seconded by Sir W. SOMERVILLE
Both these gentlemen made speeches, which were efier-
wards complimented for their moderat'on.
Sir R. INoras found fault with her MAJESTY going in
person to open Parliament; protested against the omission
of the epithet " Protestant" before the name of Prince
ALBERT; objected to the allusion in the Speech to the
pacification of Spain, which he said was brought about by
means which no gentleman could defend; and spoke
strongly against the opium trade with China.
Lord PALMERSTON said that the pacification of Spain
was brought about by conceding the Fueros to the
Basques, for which the Opposition had contended,
and he did not expect to hear that arrangement
censured by gentlemen on that side. He could never
call a return to obedience under a legitimate Sove-
reign treason ; and was prepared, both as a gen-
tleman and a public servant, to defend the arrange-
ment which restored peace to the North of Spain.
As to China, the allusion to that subject in the Speech
was not meant to imply that the Government of China
might not prohibit the importation of any commodity it
pleased, and enforce its prohibition by its own authority.
Colonel SIBTIIORP made a few observations which ex-
cited no laughter.
Sir ROBERT PEEL cnrdially concurred in congratulating
her MAJESTY, and, in obedience to what he saw was the
wish of the House, acquiesced in the Address. He ad-
verted, however, to the question of Jamaica
being omitted from the Speech, and said Ministers
must now congratulate themselves on not being allowed
to have their own way. He also adverted to no notice
having been given of a vote of thanks to the army in
India. He also asked Lord PALMERSTON for some ex-
planation as to a note from Lord HOWARD DE WALDEN,
lately published by the Portuguese Ministry.
Lord PALMERSTON gave the explanation, which con-
sisted in stating the fact, that the note was written about
a year and a half ago, while negotiations were in progress,
and the papers on which he had moved for his Bill to sup-
press the Portuguese Slave Trade were of a much more
recent date. Sir. R. PEEL did not express any opinion
as to the explanation.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he did not congratulate
himself that the Jamaica Bill was not passed, for, if it
had, justice would have been better administered in
Jamaica than it now is. The Noble Lord also gave a
very favourable account of the progress of the
work of conciliation and Legislative Union in Canada,
and praised the energetic measures adopted by the
United States to prevent irruptions into our terri-
tory. He also stated that it was the intention of Go-
vernment to move for a vote to employ steam-vessels to put
an end to the Slave Trade ; and that the President of the
Board of Control would n.ove a vote
,of thanks to the
Indian Army.
Mr. WALLACE adverted to PEEL'S Bill and the Corn-
laws as the causes of the commercial distress. The Ad-
dress was then agreed to with much harmony, all parties
seeming anxious to please her MAJESTY, and the House
adjourned.

Having more than once stated that in our own
opinion the condition of England question ought,
above all other questions, to occupy the attention of
Parliament, we cannot be otherwise than pleased
with the forcible manner in which that subject was
last night brought under the notice of the House of
Lords, by Lord BIIOUGHAM. The wide-spread
and deep-seated discontent of the people was the
basis of his Lordship's discourse. He. finds its
most alarming features in the alienation of the lowe r
from the middle classes, and the determined hos-
tility which exists between them. As a proof ,of
the altered disposition of the latter, he mentioned
that in former times it was hopeless to expect a
conviction for a seditious libel from a common jury ;
and that now a common jury was sure to find one of
the lower classes guilty, if prosecuted for such an
offence. The whole of Westminster-hall has re-
marked the difference. We repeat the observation
here, because it is a confirmation of the opinion we
have frequently expressed, that in the present exas-
perated state of public feeling, the lower classes
cannot expect justice from the class from whom
urors are taken.

Lord BROUGHAM quoted, as a proof of the
hostility of the lower classes, that although they
are as much opposed to the Corn-laws as the middle
classes, and have as strong an interest in getting rid
of them, they would not coalesce with them to obtain
the repeal. On the contrary, to gain their own
ends they opposed the repeal, and no meetings can
be called to give effect to the wishes of the middle
classes, because the lower classes overrule them.
All this we have already mentioned to our readers,
and we are personally gratified by having our re-
marks confirmed by such an able and skilful states-
man as Lord BROUGHAM. At the same time, we
hope that this alienation and hostility are at an end.
The noble meeting at Manchester is, we hope, the
dawn of a happier day, when the clouds cf mistrust
will be wholly dissipated.

Lord BROUGHAM is well aware that the avowed
object for which the Chartists have opposed the re-
peal of the Corn-laws is, to force their own claim s
for universal suffrage on public attention. It will
be some encouragement to them to proceed in the
same course, to observe, that they have found a friend
and advocate in his Lordship. The exclusion from
franchise was, he said, the source of this lament-
able hostility ; the extension of the franchise is
to be its cure, to restore harmony between the
lower and middle classes, to save the former from
being duped, and place the whole of the people
under their natural leaders. We can no longer say
—not being ourselves enemies of the extension of
the suffrage—but having thought it of less value
than the people think it of, and that they were not
going the best way to obtain their ends--that their
course has not been prudent, and is not justified,
since it has induced so powerful an advocate as
Lord BROUGHAM to espouse their cause.
His Lordship pointed out the folly and the im-
possibility of attempting to coerce the bulk of the
nation by a small minority. But on this point his
observations were opposed by the Duke of I.llcti-
MOND, who, remarking the small military force
which sufficed to suppress the Newport outrage,
jumped to the conclusion that the military, the Ma-
gistrates, and the gentry, would always be sufficient
to keep in check the lower classes, who know they
are doing wrong. But if his Grace count on the
conscience of the people being always on the side
of authority, he reckons without his host. The con-
duct of the Parliament, especially of the Peers, will
soon deprive the coercionists of that powerful auxi-
liary. His Grace at once broke ground against the
repeal of the Corn-laws, and talked boldly about
not yielding to agitation. Last Session his Grace
and his friends would not yield to reason, and
asked for agitation
_and compulsion ; now
they defy agitation. On no account will they
give up the Corn.laws and supporting them. We
beg leave respectfully to tell his Grace conscience
will soon be driven on the side of rebellion. By
what means his Grace will then coerce the na-
tion, he did not explain ! and, indeed, we believe
neither he nor his friends are prepared for the
contingency.

There seems, however, no want of alarm amongst
their Lordships. The active Earl of WlNcutL-

SEA declared that the country was on the brink of
a convulsion. The Earl of STANHOPE held the
same opinion. It was in vain that the somewhat
conventicle tone of the Duke of RICHMOND be-
sought their Lordships not to be alarmed ; it was
plain by their silence, by their not pouring forth
their souls in loud huzzas, that the bulk of the
Peers share the alarm of the EARL, and we be-
lieve that their Lordships' consciences are the
sources of their fear.

We need hardly call the attention of our readers
to the correspondence between Mr. HORSMAN
and Colonel GURWOOD, or point out the conclu-
sion to which every well regulated mind must come
on the subject. The conduct of Mr. HORSMAN de-
serves the highest pra;se ; but what must be said
of the other party, even by the most rabid Church-
men, and the most disloyal Tories ? He first at-
tempts to frighten Mr. HORSMAN for resenting
an insult offered to the QUEEN. Finding he had
mistaken his man, he authorized Colonel GURWOOD
to state that he had no intention to allude to her
MAJESTY, but to her MAJESTY'S Ministers, and
finally admits that he had made use of expressions