The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-23 00:00:00

S '4,'ARY OF NEWS

AN 1)
Pubitc

" Who runs may read."

FOREIGN.
The budget of the Portuguese Minister of Finance
has been adopted without opposition by the Deputies.
The expenditure is estimated at 10,984 contos of rein,
or about 2,526,3201. sterling, the ordinary income falling
short of that sum by about 652 contos of reis, or
149,960/. sterling. The most interesting item in the
budget to an English reader is the sum of 247,250/.
sterling for paying the dividend upon the foreign debt.
Spain has shamed Portugal into some regard for the
claims of the public creditor.
On Thursday the French Court of Peers declared
itself competent to try Quenisset and his accomplices.
The Peers declare " that it results from the examina-
tions which have been taken that an attempt has been
made upon the lives of the Dukes of Orleans, Nemours,
and Aumale ; that a plot was formed either to destroy
or change the Government, or to excite civil war by
arming or inducing the citizens to arm themselves one
against another, or by exciting the citizens and inhabi-
tants to arm themselves against the Royal authority ;
that these crimes are connected, and that, by reason
either of the part taken therein by illicit associations, of
the nature of the means prepared for the attack, or, in
fine, from the publicly avowed object of changing the
Constitution of the State, and even the organization of
society, by violence and civil war, these acts present the
highest degree of criminality, so as to determine the
Court to take cognizance of them."—The Court of Peers
attaches an importance to the Report of its Committee,
which we are very far from doing. The day for the
commencement of the trial is not yet.fixed.
We find the following in the France of Friday—.
"It is said that soon after the opening of the next Ses-
sion, a proposition will be made for augmenting the
number of Deputies, which is now only 459, to. 500.
The ground of this proposition is said to be, that in
the States-Gen4ral of the lath and 17th centuries,
when France was neither So extensive nor so
populous as it is now, the number of representatives
was comparatively much greater. In 1560, it
was 393; in 1576, 326 ; in 1588, 305 ; in 1614, 446."
France has already plenty of Deputies, and England has
too many. It is not more Deputies, but more electors
that are wanted. France wants an extension of the
electoral franchise, not an increase in the number of her
Representatives. The fault of modern Legislative As-
semblies is that they are too numerous for proper busi-
ness purpose;, and that they do not represent the people.
Reports have been spread by several papers, within
the last few• days, that' a misunderstanding exists
between some. of the members of the Administration,
and that several changes in the Ministry are likely to take
place in consequence. On this subject the Arationa/
states that a serious discussion has arisen in the Council
of Ministers between Marshal Soult , and M. Humann.
" The latter," it adds, " demanded that a considerable
reduction should be made in the budget of the war
department, to which Marshal Soult replied by declaring
that he would not consent to it. Resignations, it is
said, were offered on both sides; and the rumour is cir-
culated that the Cabinet is at the present moment com-
pletely dislocated." This is confirmed by the Constitu-
tionnel, which says that the discussion alluded to occurred
at a recent Council, and that M. Humann succeeded in
getting his views as to a reduction of the war budget
adopted by a majority of his colleagues.
The following extraordinary account of a murder and
the arrest of the murderers, is from a French provincial
paper. In a new edition of " God's Revenge against
Murder," it would be worthy of a particular place :
" A travelling dealer in porcelain and glass was'
some days ago driving his cart towards a small
town near Lorient, when a little boy, going the
same way, asked him for a ride. Nogues, the dealer,
kindly put the boy into the basket swung under the
cart, as being warmer than the cart itself. They had
not gone far before two footpads stopped the cart, mur-
dered and robbed its owner, and then, to disguise the
act, drove the cart ever the body, in order to induce a
belief that the death was accidental. During this ter-
rible scene the boy lay concealed in the basket ; but, as
soon as he conceived the robbers were at a sufficient dis-
tance, he contrived to set the horse off at full speed, re-
maining in his hiding-place, till the horse stopped at
the door of a country inn, frequented by its master. The
poor boy went into the house, and was telling his, hor-
rible tale, when, among his auditors, he perceived and
denounced two robbers, who had disguised themseNes
in the uniform of gendarmes, but were afterwards recog-
nised as convicts who had effected their escape. They
were immediately arrested."
General Van Haien entered Barcelona on the 15th
inst. On the 13th the Radical Junta had made their
escape through France to London.
The Journal de la Vendee states :—" On the sth inst.
a ball of lirt*of dazzling brightness, passed through the
air with great swiftness in the environs of Bourbon
Vendee, and at the same moment an aerolite fell iii a
field where some labourers Were at work, making.a consi-
derable indenturein the giiet!ttiff. The stone.; on being
taken up was found to weigh bet Ween 10lb. and 121b5.,
and to resemble a calcined stone, composed' of iron, sul-
phur, and Jailer." ,
The St.. Petersburgh Gazette states, that 700 houses in
the town of Orel have been recently burnt down. The
local depot of archives was greatly injured. What the
injured archives of Orel consist of, we really have no
idea. Most likely the books of the collectors of customs.
PUBLIC OPINION.
The Morning Herald, alluding to the, late fire at Wool-
wich, observes :—" That wisdom is the most useless, the
most costly, and the most tardy which, ' when the steed
is stolen shuts the stable door.' Doubtless, we shall now
hear of engines of such enormous power at our dock-
yards, that they could cool the blazing fury of Etna and
calm the perennial irritability of Vesuvius—if volcanoes
would only be content to wait for the arrival of a battery
of Bristow's or of Hadley's most improved patents.
But—how had they managed these things at Woolwich,
up to the actual outbreak of this fire ? Let us see.

Inspector Robinson, who was on duty at the dock-
yard, mustered his men, and proceeded, in company
with a detachment of the 15th foot, to the spot, taking
one of the small dockyard engines along with him.
Unfortunately the engine was in such bad repair that it
broke down upon the road.' So that in the dockyard of
Woolwich, wherein, of all the dockyards in her Majesty's
dominions, it might have been naturally anticipated that
there would have been the most ample supply of fire-
engines, buckets, hose, and all their equipments—and,
amidst the multitude of artificers constantly employed
there, the most ready means of repairing and renewing
them whenever they had become, deteriorated, or unser-
viceable—the very first engine which is brought out at
so alarming an emergency tumbles to pieces from neg-
lect and decay before it can be brought to the scene of
the conflagration ! ! "

The Times insists as follows, on the ekpediency of
cancelling Captain Elliot's appointment to the Consul-
ship at Texas:—" The nomination of Captain Elliot to
the Consulship at Texas, after the flagrant proofs of in-
capacity and mismanagement which he has left behind
him in China, cannot be permitted to remain uncan-
celled without doing injury to a variety of interests
which her Majesty's Ministers are especially bound to
protect. Whether it be in contemplation to dispense
with the further services of this notable employe, we can-
not of course conjecture; hut as no intimation to that
effect has yet transpired, the presumption is, that the
Government may be somewhat reluctant to exert their
dutiful interposition, for fear of appearing to act dis-
courteously towards an appointment made by their pre-
decessors. Now, really, if there be any faltering in this
particular, we must enter our protest against it in the
strongest possible form."—There is no question that this
obnoxious appointment ought to be cancelled, andlwith-
out delay, too, for Captain Elliot has had an,ampletrial
as a public servant, and has shown, net
but what he cannot do, in that capacity.
The Chronicle observes, with reference to Mr. Warren's
recent appointment to the Queen's Sergeantship, which
has created such dissatisfaction amonc, the Dublin
,Orangemen:--" This is the melancholy and ignominious
result. 4f. Lord De Grey's first timid experiment of jus-
tice. .Ile has sent for Mr. West, humbled himself betbre
him, and, what was of much inure consequence in Mr.
West's eyes, promised to repair his recent oversight. All
that 'is positively known is, that Mr. West, who is not a
man to be contented with mere apologies and civilities,
left his Lordship highly pleased. The rumour is, that
Sergeant Greene is to be coaxed into giving up soave
office, for which he is said to be fit, and that the office
so vacated is to be given to Mr. West. It is said to
be further understood, that there is to be no more of this
nonsense in future ; that impartiality is a very fine thing
to talk about, but an absurdity in practice, and that the
proper way of practising it is that which is to be
adopted in future—merely selecting men for office on ac-
count of their party services, and swearing through
thick and thin that they are the most competent and mo-
derate men in Ireland."—We never placed much faith in
the Irish Government's professions of moderation and
impartiality, and the result has fully justified our dis-
trust. Toryism will take special care to vindicate its old
supremacy in Ireland ; and, in the present Lord Lieu-
tenant and Secretary, seems to have found very apt and
willing agents.

The Cumbrian thus speaks of the present state of the
country :—" Certainly at no period within our remem-
brance was the distress of the manufacturing, mining,
and agricultural population of this country more severe,
or apparently irremediable than at present. Whilst on
every hand we hear complaints of reduced wages, want
of work, and dilapidation of capital, no where do we
hear any prophet bold enough to predict that things are
on the turn, or that any avenue opens up towards future
prosperity. The vista is gloomy to the end."
The Bolton Free _Press comments in the following
terms on the proposed Government emigration scheme ;
As a stroke of policy, the rumoured scheme is wor-
thy of its alleged originators. It is a tub to the whale,
and something more. It will afford a way of escape to
pining thousands, who will eagerly embrace the sad al-
ternative of leaving their native land ; while it will tend
to relieve, for a time, the intense and deadly competi-
tion among our operatives, who remain behind. But
why have recourse to this. expensive, and to its miserable
objects, at best, painful mode of relief ? How much
easier would it be to bring the food to the people, than
to take the people to the food?"
The Dublin Evening Post says :—" The landlords
must relax the screw, while commercial people will