The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-25 00:00:00

PUISIAC OPXNXON.

The following appears in the Morning Post :—" Among
the queerest things which have happened at this Christ-
mas time may, we think, be reckona the sudden twist of
that enlightened' Whig-Radical organ the Morning
Chronicle, regarding the present Corn-law. Most people
who care anything at all about newspaper discussion (if
by that name it may rightly be called) must be pretty well
aware that for months past the Chronicle writers have
been assailing the Corn-law in a fashion which more
resembles the bellowing of mad bulls than the ex-
postulation of rational creatures. All the epithets of
fury and ferocity which the more vehement parts
of our language supply have been used up' over
and over again in successive attacks upon the Corn-law.
This, we say, is very well known. Well, then, on
Christmas Eve out comes the Chronicle with its disco-
veries that the Corn-law is not so very bad after all. It
has its good points in the shape of certain openings to
fraud, which Whig-Radicals find rather convenient, and
they have no notion of quietly surrendering these pet
portions, for such, it seems, there are. of this very well
abused Corn-law. And whence comes this change. Why,
the Corn-law has been touched by the Conservative wand
of that potent magician, Mr. Christopher, in the county
of Lincoln, and straightway it becomes tolerable (by
comparison) to Whig-Radical vision."
The Herald contains the following seasonable observa-
tions:" Never did appeals to the charity of English-
men—never did demands upon their active humanity—
arise so thickly round them, after a quarter of a century
of peace with all the Powers of Europe, as those which
are addressed to them at this moment by hundreds upon
thousands of their destitute compatriots! How this ac-
cumulation of misery can have attained its present fear-
ful height and extensive prevalence—in what degree
fluctuations in our manufacturing prosperity, convulsions
of our monetary system, defective harvests, the surplus
supply of labour at home co-incident with an adequate
demand for it abroad, deficiencies of the public
revenue, and declining imposts—in what degree all
these may have operated to produce so fearful a
combination of distress and physical suffering, we
propose not, now, to inquire. Our purpose is, rather to
implore all classes of the British public, who are happily
placed beyond the reach of sordid want—of that intense
and abject misery which we will characterise by its well-
known and emphatic designation of ' pauper destitu-
tion'—now to come forward, and with a timely bounty—
with hearts open as day to melting charity'-hands
liberal and unstinting (moved by pity but guided by dis-
cretion), to relieve the misery and loneliness of the children
of want—the great family of hunger and of desolation !"
—The Herald would be much better employed in appeal-
ing to the justice of the Government, than in appealing
to the charity of individuals. Private charity may cer-
tainly do much in the way of alleviation, but it is the
broad and comprehensive justice of Government alone,
that can effectually relieve the great and increasing family
of hunger and of desolation. Unfortunately, however, but
scantyj ustice is to be expected from a monopolist Ministry.
We quote the following from the Chronicle :—" A
merry Christmas—we were going to say, to all you good
people of England. But the mockery of the unmeaning
compliment grated on our ear before we could commit it
to paper ; and we withheld our pen from writing
words that would have had the semblance of an un-
feeling jest on general and acute suffering. A merry
Christmas it is to the present rulers of the people of
England, proud of their newly-acquired power and the
maintenance of their monopolies ; but we cannot say
that we wish them a monopoly of mirth. A merry
Christmas it is not to the people governed by them, and
our wishing will not make them enjoy destitution and
despair. Our rulers are gone into the country, and the
cares of governing give place for a while to those of
shooting and the festivities of the season."—lt must be
exceedingly consoling to the thousands of famishing
operatives of Paisley,. Bolton, and elsewhere, to know
that though for them there is this year no " merry
Christmas," yet that their Tory rulers are spending the
season at their several residences in all due merriment
and festivity. What though there be starvation in the
Manchester cellars and attics, is there not feasting at
Drayton Manor ? This is a reflection that should calm
the spirits, and appease the discontent of the starving
artisans, and subdue that "ignorant impatience of taxa-
tion," which the late Lord Castlereagh so justly accused
them of exhibiting.
The Times, alluding to the appointment of the Corn-
mission respecting the Exchequer bill fraud, says :
"We do not remember that we ever saw a contrivance
so exactly answering to the common phrase, 'neither the
one thing nor the other.' Two legitimate subjects are
before the Government and before the country. The
first is, to see that the ends of justice are answered, and
to make it quite clear that no impunity has been allowed
through favour or affection' to any persons criminally
concerned in the recent forgeries. As the matter
stands, various honest men in the City of London are
defrauded of large sums, which either thefor the nation
must ultimately lose. Now, the general voice demands
that those who have committed • this great crime
shall be strictly and impartially brought to justice ;
and a considerable degree of dissatisfaction exists,
and is spreading; from a doubt whether this has really
tisfitctory manner, would indeed be an object worthy of
To' meet this question itt a frank and sa-
sbuecell: done
anin.vestigation. A second purpose' would be, to
devise means • fir the effectual prevention of any such
frauds in future ; and this, too, must be admitted to be
a very fit topic for the gravest inquiry. But neither
from the language of the above quoted document itself;
nor yet from the character of the persons whose names
appear in it, can we discover which of these two points
is to form the subject for investigation ; or whether
both are to be, in some strange way, combined. There
is not a word in the commission touching the discovery
of delinquents, nor is there one among the whole four
Commissioners who can be imagined to have the least
skill in thief-catching.' "

MONMY—TRADE—COIVEIVIERCE.
The state and condition of ,Larks en, near Blackburn,