The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-12 00:00:00

41.
itenling

LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1847.

In consequence of the press of matter, we are corn-
pAted to omit our usual summary of the Parliamentary
proceedings.

Another discussion and another adjournment upon
Mr. Huan's motion for the non-payment of the
Russo-Dutch Loan, have afforded a pretty tolerable
inkling of the diversity of the opinions entertained in
the House of Commons upon the simplest questions
of honesty in legislation. To the Noble Lord the
Representative of Lynn is due the credit of having
uttered a panegyric before the British Parliament
upon the spoilers of Poland and the despotic robbers
of Cracow. Let not that be forgotten by the popu-
lation of these islands. Let it not be forgotten that
a man aspiring to their suffrages for his installation in
office had the audacity to congratulate the Northern
Emperors on their violation of the neutrality and in-
delendence of Cracow, and its formal annexation to
the Austrian dominions. If Lord GEORGE BENTINCK
had striven to render himself and his political princi-
ples unpalatable to the community, he could not
have succeeded better in so doing than by
the utterance of this extraordinary language.
When M. GUIZOT affirmed that the infraction of the
treaties of Vienna by Austria and Russia authorised
France, "by a just reciprocity, to consult nothing
henceforth but a provident estimate of her own in-
terests," he reverted from an age of civilization to the
system of a predatory and lawless generation. But
' when Lord GEORGE BENTINCK exulted over the dis-
memberment of Poland, and expressed his gratitude
to the tyrannical Cabinets in which its partition
originated, he fell back from the enlightenment of
liberalised Christendom to the most odious principles
of the most despotic Governments. Of what value
can be that constitution, which we prize as the most
precious legacy of our forefathers, to the panegyrist
of a deed which does vio!ence to the very soul and
spirit of that constitution ? How can any one have
the temerity to expect that the guardianship of the
liberties cf Great Britain shall be consigned to his
hands, who can enunciate sentiments so directly at
variance with national independence, diplomatic in-
tegrity, and popular freedom ? Lord GEORGE BEN-
TINCK has estranged from himself the sympathies of
Englishmen by his becoming last session the Pro-
tectionist slanderer of Sir ROBERT PEEL : he ren-
dered himself ridiculous by his railway bubble scheme
for the reclamation of Ireland : he has now dwindled
down into an object of scorn and indignation by ex-
ulting over the extinction of Cracow, and lauding
those anointed spoliators whu are infamous and
abhorred in the eyes of GOD and man.

A striking difference of opinion is visible in
the discussion as to the moral right possessed by
England of refusing any further disbursements upan
the Russo-Dutch Loan. It is considered by the
Honourable Gentlernrn the Member for Montrose,
and by many others, that the violation of the treaties
of 1815, in the annexation of Cracow to Austria, ex-
onoratss England from any further payments upon
the loans in question. By a very considerable ma-
jority, however, it is conceived that no infraction of
the kind can justify this country in withdrawing from
these pecuniary engagements. If we regard the
matter under deliberation as a thing to be decided
by the lex talionis, then, undoubtedly, there could
not be a moment's hesitation as to the decision
of Parliament : the Russo-Dutch Loan would
be numbered henceforth among the " have
beens." Upon a principle of equitable retaliation,
the subsidiary monies pouring annually into the ex-
chequers of the Czau would be immediately dimi-
nished as a consequence of the villanous appropria-
tion of the KAISER. The extension of the territories
of FERDINAND would produce a contraction of the
revenues of NICHOLAS. In the relations subsisting
between the nations of Christendom, however, a
nobler principle is apparent. Justice and honour are
not with us weighed out in the stinting scales of
quid pro quo. Probity to civilized empires, but espe-
cially to commercial races, is the most precious jewel
of their characters. To England more particularly
it would be a grievous degradation to diminish her
credit for the sake of a splenetic paroxysm of re-
venge. It must never be said of us as a people
that we shirked a debt upon the plea that because
Russia was dishonest we chose to be dishonest!
Russia, and Prussia, and Austria have committed a
great crime in the face of Europe. During its per-
petration we have remained passive, and our conduct
is, as yet, upon this point stainless. Shall we
then forfeit this proud distinction by reducing
ourselves to the position of the degraded Sovereigns
of the North—by imitating their criminality----by
ourselves violating those treaties which they have
violated, and for the violation of which they
are at once detested and despised. But we
are satisfied that neither Mr. HUME nor any
of those Honourable Legislators who coincide with
him are desirous of refusing further payments
upon the Russo-Dutch Loan simply out of a spirit of
retaliation. We are satisfied that the Honourable
Member for Montrose has no sympathy in the
unprincipled declarations of M. GUIZOT, and
that providing it were indisputably proved that
we are not released from our mural obligation
as debtors to the Government of the Russian
EMPEROR, Mr. MIME would be as much opposed
to the forfeiture of our reputation for the sake of
L. S. D. as are the members of the present Adminis-
tration. But it is precisely because such is not
proved to be the case—precisely because it still re-
mains questionable whether we are exonerated from
further
disbursements by the loss of the independence
the Cracovian republic—precisely because
the ideas of Parliamentat
upon this imvariance
acare
solicitous that the ionf, thati‘ we are
patient deliberation.
hon.
motion
may be submitted to aeflnllsiciand ift.J2dic
the more it is ex-
The question deepens and wicl.9nts

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