The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-02 00:00:00

MONTHLY LAW MAGAZINE.

This Magazine—judging at least from the pre-
sent Number—is by no means so ferociously Tory
as it used to be, which we bold to be a great im-
provement. The articles are chiefly of a legal cha-
racter, and, so far as we are capable of forming an
opinion, display considerable tact and precision in
the way of argument.

`..tIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

("FROM Mt DAILY IVPIIM ttSTERDAY.)
(From the Globe. )
To look for consistency in the Times, would be
equallj' absurd as to exp‘ct grapes from thorns or figs
from thistles. It will not therefore excite surprise that
the Bathe tergiversation which has marked its course on
other subjects, should be evinced in its discussion of the
policy adopted by the Government in its treaty with
Russia, Prussia, and Austria, for settling the Eastern
question. When this treaty was first announced, the
Times concurred in the necessity which existed for some
such combination of the great European Powers, in order
to put an end to a state of things, which, if continued,
was calculated to keep alive a state of apprehension as
to the results, which state of uncertainty could net fail
to be Mort prejudicial to the interests of commerce, and
portentous to the peace of the world. Nor were the
conditions of the treaty less cordially approved by the
Time. than its necessity was clearly admitted. The
same skill in the art of pirouetting, which has gained
for the " leading journal" so extensive a fame,
13 exemplified by it in another adroit " wheel-about"
from approval to condemnation of this very treaty !
Nor is this the only surprising change of opinion—
we beg pardon, of laugeege—in the Times with respect
to the policy of the Government of this country toward
foreign States. NI the acknowledged powers of vitupe-
ration possessed by that Journal had been employed
against Lord Palmerston for pretended indifference to
the honour and security of this country, in refusing
to magnify into importance, and to make the occasion
of interrupting the pacific relations between France
and England, an accidental collision between fishing-
vessels of the two countries, or some other inadvertent
and trivial circumstance, with which the governments
of the two countries had no more to do than they
would have had to do with an accidental drunken ren-
contre between an Englishman and a Frenchman in a
cafe at Paris, or in the streets of London. The Times
was among the foremost to keep alive this feeling of
national jealousy, and to revive the old national
prejudices
against France and Frenchmen, which
existed in their full force some forty years since,
but which had nearly expired. All at once
France has become an object of special interest
with the Times and the Tories ! It is now sud-
denly discovered, that instead of studying, as previously
alleged, the humour and succumbing to the insolent
dictation of France, Lord Palmerston has failed in the
courtesies of statesmanship, and has been criminally in-
different to the claims of France to be regarded as the
most important of all the European Powers in the set-
tlement of the dispute between Mehemet Ali and the
Sultan.

(From the Courier.)
It is only a few years ago since one of the brightest
ornaments of the Church of Scotland, the late Sir Henry
Moncrieff, gave it as his decided opinion, that it would
be a very foolish and inconsiderate measure again to
agitate the question of lay-patronage in that Church.
At this moment the country is threatened with being
overrun by an army of agitators going forth on
a crusade against patronage ; and that under the
obligations of a new solemn league and covenant,
that they will not sheath the sword, until they
have utterly extirpated all traces of the anti-scriptural
excrescence! We may, therefore, expect a busy time
among our Presbyterian friends in the north until Parlia-
ment shall meet again ; and considering that the plan is
to hand over the benefices—some of them tolerably valu-
able—from the gift of the patrons to that of the people,
we need not wonder that the agitators should be gene-
rally well received. We do not quarrel with any man, or
body of men, for seeking by fair and constitutional means
to obtain the repeal of laws, which he or they may con-
scientiously think ought to be abrogated. But we have
not the same charity for the men who, in seeking this
object, do not scruple to deceive and mislead others,
whom they would persuade to assist' them. If our
agitators can satisfy the country, and through the
country the Legislature, that popular election of the
parish ministers of an Established Church is preferable
to nomination by patrons, subject to the ordeal of exa-
mination and approbation by the Church Courts, good
and well. In this case the experiment will be tried ;
and we have no doubt that, like many other such re-
form experiments, it will prove a failure and disap-
pointment.
(From the Standard.)
REFUSAL OF THE ULTIMATUM OF THE

ALLIED POWERS BY MEHEMET ALL
The Moniteur Parisien of Sunday night contains
he following paragraph :
" The news received from Alexandria by the Govern-
ment states that the Viceroy of Egypt has answered by a
refusal the notifications which Rifaat Bey was charged to
make him. He declared that he would repel force by
force ; but that he would rest on the defensive, and not
commit any act of aggression."
This announcement can cause no surprise. The
Pacha bad obviously made up his mind long since, and
the kind of support given to him by the French Ministry
must have encouraged him to adhere to his first resolution.
The fate of the barbarian is, therefore, decided—he
will encounter the destiny of all barbarians who miscal-
culate their power and resources—he will fall, like Hus-
sc.n Pacha. We offer this prediction without in the
least pretending to foresee the immediate direction in
which the process of ruin may advance ; we look
only to the end, and the end we know to be the de-
struction of Mehemet Ali—not merely his expulsion
from Syria, but his utter destruction. The issue which
Mehemet Ali has challenged is a trial of strength be-
tween his. "basest of kingdoms" on the one side, and
the whole civilised world, reinforced by the half-civilised
empire of his former Sovereign on the other. We say the
-"'"6—••;vllicaa--worador though France seems now
Ito stand aloof,she catirt--tonir do so. Her people
will not permanently consent to the monstrous de-
gradation of the Egyptian alliance ; and if such a thing
were possible, and that France should succeed in pro-
tecting the Pacha for a time from the other European
Powers, she would protect him only to absorb his do-
' minions into her own empire. This, however, is not
probable. We trust to the intelligence and justice of
the French people, to see that her Ministers have placed
her in a false position, in separating her from the other
Powers of Europe.

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT ON

THE RIVER LEA.

Yesterday, at half-past eleven o'clock, an inquest was
held at the Jolly Anglers, Lea-bridge, before Mr. Baker,
on the bodies of the eleven unfortunate beings who were
drowned in the above river on Sunday evening last. The
following are the names as they were announced by
the summoning officer to the Jury : John Warley,
Jonathan Hallam, Robert Bailey, John Jennings,
William Wakefield, Richard Hewett, Frederick Sherwin,
Wm. Smith, Elizabeth Rayffe, and Henry Frederick Gif-
ford. They lay at a beershop called the King's Head,
about 100 yards higher up the river than the house where
the inquest was held, and presented a truly frightful appear-
ance. Decomposition had already rapidly commenced, and
the room where they lay, although large and airy, was so
filled with the effluvium as to be exceedingly offensive to
those who, as Jurors or witnesses, were obliged to examine
them. A skittle-ground was within a few feet of this
melanelloly morgue ; and its occupants at their noisy game
afforded a sad and striking contrast to the weeping rela-
tives of the deceased. To judge by the dress of the de-
ceased, they appeared to belong to the poorer class of
tradesmen.
As soon as the Coroner and Jury had returned from
viewing the bodies, the inquisition into the cause of the
death of William Wakefield having been first gone into,
George Brown was sworn, and deposed as fol-
lows :—I knew the deceased William Wakefield.
He was a labourer in a brickfield near Clapton,
and aged about 30 years. On Sunday afternoon last.,
about 4 o'clock, he, I, and eight other persons hired a
rather large-sized wherry from Mr. Wicks's, numbered
21, and continued rowing about the River Lea until near
7 o'clock. At that time a person of the name of Town-
ley was steering, and one of those who were
drowned, named John Warley, and I, were
working the oars, and the boat had arrived
nearly opposite the King's Head beer-shop, where the
bodies now lie, on our way to Lea-bridge, when I
feit a sudden shock, and on looking around perceived that
another boat going in a contrary direction had run across
our bows. In this boat I saw four men, a boy, and a
female. When the collision took place, none of those in
our boat stood up, but remained sitting until it was nearly
turned over, and the water ran in over the edge;
By the CORONER—There was no barge or obstruction
in the river near where the boats came in contact. We
were about four four or five yards from the shore. Being
rowing I could not see any object coming in a direction
contrary to our own course ; neither did I see the steers-
man make any motion to put the helm about, or hear
him
Witness gi
ve
saanwy dirtheections teoe e ogretvhe er otthhee rpa
side
rosfo nt
hreo wi
boa ti gt
tTbhe
ier
sp. a r tTi ehs
ein w
attheer
coat hme b
came
inotaot
tdhiedi r not lay their
boat
in
eoconsequenceoends
nee on
of
the other coming upon it. The party in witness's boat
then got up, and attempted to get in the other boat. The
consequence of this was that the boat_ was swamped. The
party in the other boat sat still. ix of the persons in
witness's boat got hold of the otherS boat, and, afterwards
got into it. Witness was one of the six. The other boat
then began to sink, and they were all immersed
in the water. The boats kept rising and sinking in con-
sequence of those who were in the water attempting to
save themselves by getting upon them.
The CORONER remarked that there could be no doubt
the attempt caused the death of so many human beings,
for had they only struck off in a different direction they
might all have been saved.
Witness—All parties made to the boats instead of the
shore. Witness did not know how those who were alive
bad saved themselves. After the boats were both swamped
a barge came up. Was sure the barge did not contribute
to the accident. Witness considered the whole was en-
tirely accidental, and no person was to blame.
By a Juror—We were all sober, having had only two
pots of beer between ten of us. We had been larking,
but were not doing so at the time the accident happened.
The accident took place about a quarter past six o'clock,
as near as witness could recollect. During the time they
bad been out they had run against no other boat. Did not
recollect using ill language to parties in a boat they had
run against. Rowed generally about two or three hours
every Sunday.
Mr. R. Taylor, of Brook-street, Clapton, witnessed the
accident, which took place about 20 minutes past six
o'clock on Sunday evening. Witness was ratanding close
by the water's edge. Saw a boat in the middle of the