The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-22 00:00:00

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MORNING JOURNALS.

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SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOLTRNALN

FROM THE DAILY PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
(From the Globe.)
The assertors of the privilege for which the House of
Commons is contending must carry the common sense
of the public along with them, when they take
their ground on the necessity of that privilege to
the proper and effectual discharge of their functions.
The Attorney-General and Sir R. Peel, in their very
able arguments last night, did in fact main];
rely on that ground, especially the Right Hon. Baronet,
who laid down, as the major proposition of his logical
chain, that " whatever privilege is necessary for the pro-
per and effectual discharge of the functions of the House
of .Commons, that privilege the House of Commons
possesses." He then proceeded to prove very eonslusively
that •this particular privilege was necessary to the
proper performance of the duties in question. This
we conceive to be a legitimate and unanswerable me-
thod of argument ; and whether or not it wera recog-
nized as good in law, it would be apt to get the better
of any law which should be pitted against it.
(From the Courier.)
Our readers will find, from our report elsewhere, that
the war between justice and privilege, hitherto confined
to little more than Parliamentary flourishes and demon-
strations bas commenced in good earnest—has assumed
a new aspect. The initiative of the first great blow has
been taken in the resolution requiring the Sheriffs of the
City and County to fly in the face of the Judges of the land
and the verdict of a Jury, by payment of the damages
awarded against an agent of the Commons' House for a
publication of libel, not to the legal and entitled claimant
but into the bands of the, House for the rc-imburse-
ment of• the convicted defendant. Not without diffi-
culty was a respite obtained until this day, for those
high executive functionaries of the law, to decide be-
tween a violation of all law and a committal for con•
tempt of privilege unknown to, and therefore unsanc-
tioned by, any law, or Cosirt of Law.

(From the Standard.)
Whoever wishes to read all that can be said
against the privileges claimed by the House of Com-
mons, will find a thick octavo volume, published about
18 years ago by one of her Majesty's Cabinet Ministers,
exceedingly copious upon the port—we allude to Sir
John Hobhouse's report of his owns seven or eight days'
argument in the Court of King's Bench ; and
we do so the more readily, because Sir John, who has
bestowed so much attention on the subject, is mo-
destly silent just now. If Sir John Hobhouse's argu-
ments are not sufficient, than we beg to refer to all the
Whig speeches and Whig newspapers of 1810, which
will be found to have held a very different language
from that which we at present hear from the same
quarter. As to the speeches for the privilege last night,
with the single exception of Sir Robert Peel's, they may
be very safely neglected.

POLITICAL SUMIVIA.RY OF THE

The Morning Herald of this day, in a leading article on
the subject of the commitment of the Sheriffs last night by
order of the House of Commons, observos—" The House
has now set the example of treating the laws of the land
with scorn. We fear they may find imitators where they
little desire to find such. We are very sure that the Judges
of the Court of Queen's Bench will, at this crisis, comport
themselves with that dignity which they have never fur a
moment abandoned. We trust that the constituencies of
England will not fail to call the majority of the Members
to a stern account for the grossly unconstitutional act of
which they have now been guilty. The Morning Chronicle
thus refers to the Breach of Privilege question. which was
resumed last night in the Commons :—" The Judges of
the Court of Queen's Bench may yet avert the mischievous
consequences which must follow their persisting in de-
stroyin.• the House of Commons. The struggle which
must take place will go far to shake, if not destroy, the
respect of the people for all authorities. We have no
doubt that the House will come victorious out of the
struggle, if the Court determine to force it on; for, pea
sessing as it does, the power of the purse, and having at
command all the resources of the Executive, it must prove
an over-match for the Judges. But how lamentable to
think that the Court should render a course indispensable
which cannot fail to lower it iti the estimation of
the country l"—The Morning Post, discussing the
all-engrossing Breach of Privilege question, expresses
itself in the following terms :—" It is urged that
the Commons ought to have the power of communicating
its proceedings to the world. No one denies that. It
has the power of doing so, provided that it publishes no-
thing but what is lawful. It is not the right of "publica-
tion which any one denies to the House of Commons, but
the right of empowering a person who is no Member of
the House to publish and sell for money in Ilia shop that
which the law of the land declares to be an isjury to one
or more of the Queen's subjects, and awards damages ac-
cordingly."—The Morning Advertiser, speaking of Sir
J. Y. Buller's notice of motion of a want of confidence in
Ministers, says:—" The motion of Sir John Yarde Buller,
which stands for Tuesday next, will, we understand, be
defeated by a majority of twelve."—The Times confines
itself to a summary of the Parliamentary proceedings last
night, in which there is no declaration of Political opinion.

THE GALE OF YESTERDAY.--Yesterday, the
metropolitan and suburban districts were visited by as severe
a gale of wind as we have experienced for some winters past.
In the forepart of the day it blew tremendously hard from the
south-west, accompanied by heavy showers of rain ; the wea
ther, however, between the showers, was very fine, the sun
shining cheerfully. As usual upon such occasions, we regret
to say that many accidents have happened owing to the violence
of the wind, particularly on the river, some of
which have been attended with fatal results. Considerable
loss and damage of property ha,ye alkio taken place amongst
the numerous craft on the river. About mid-day several
deeply-laden coal-barges were swamped off the south shore be-
tween Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridges. At Millbank similar
loss of property took place as well as at Chelsea and other
places up the river. Between ten anel eleven o'clock in the
morning a barge, laden with grain, sank between Battersea-
bridge and Wandsworth, and it was with the utmost difficulty
that the two men and a boy that were on board could
save their lives, which was effected by a host reaching the
spot just as the barge sunk, and picking them up. About three
o'clock in the afternoon a boat, containing two watermen,
was upset off Lambeth church, by coming in violent collision
with a barge which was drifting with the tide in the centre
of the river. Several boats put off instantly, and succeeded in
picking up one • the other poor fellow, a young man about
20, was drowned ; the body was nofr found up to dark last
night. Another fatal accident occurred near Putney-bridge
to a lad named Holmes, who was on the river with his unite
in a fishing-boat. While assisting in hauling in the net a vio-
lent gust of wind blew him overboard, and, owing to the
boisterous state of the weather at the time, he unhappily
perished. We fear that mcny other accidents have happened
on the river owing to the gale. On shore much damage has
been sustained; stacks of chimneys were blown down in differ-
ent parts of town, and in the parks considerable damage has
been done, particularly amongst the young plantations near
Grosvenor-gate, Hyde Park. No doubt accounts will be re-
ceived of much mischief having been done in the country from
the violence of the gale.
LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY, 10 O'CLOCK.—The
storm, after a temporary lull during the afternoon of yester-
day, recommenced late in the evening, and has blown with
great violence throughout the night. About nine o'clock the
wind veered round to the south-east; shortly after the baro-
meter fell rapidly, the wind changing to the west. At two
o'clock this morning the storm was at its height, and swept
over the town and port with terrific violence, causing consider-
able damage in its progress. Happily, the vessels and craft in
the river have not sustained material injury, and the ships in
bay will, from every appearance. ride out the gale successfully.
The Red Rover schooner, from Newfoundland, in attempting
to run in during the night, got on shore near to Waterloo,
where she now lies high and dry. The Dublin mail-boat has
not arrived, owing to the violence of the gale.
MARRIAGE OF THE QUEEN.—Welearn, from
authority upon which we can rely, that her Majesty, with that
beneficent consideration which has been so graciously evinced
on all occasions for the promotion of British manufacture, has
determined that none other should be adopted on the occasion of
her approaching nuptials. The Queen's bridal dress will be of
white s:qin, of the most costly description (manufactured in
Spitalfields), with a broad flounce of the most exquisitely beau-
tiful lace ever produced, and made at Honiton, in Devonshire,
at no less a cost than 1,000 guineas. The ornamental flowers,
for trimming the dress are preparing by Mrs. Yates, the ar-
tificial florist ; and the ladies in her Majesty's train will all be
attired in the Produce of British industry. We trust this il-
lustrious example of truly English feeling will be followed by
every lady in the land, and that its permanent effect will be
er
tablished throughout the country in favour of home manufac-
ture, and to the exclusion of that unfortunate bias which has
hitherto prevailed for foreign-innovation, to the no small injury
of our manufacturing, population. We understand the jim-
portant ceremony, on the result of which the hopes of the
nation so anxiously rest, will take place at the Chapel Royal, St.
James's, about the second week in February.—Morm Post.
A Correspondent of the Herald says, ng
that a
ratnour gains ground that on the approaching marriage of
the Queen, an important change will take.place in the
Ministry, by Lor.l Melbourne's elevation in the peerage, and
breatiprermimenet from office.i‘iiniste Minister,
and
thLeorvdacJaonlemyßthnussseolel,casitiiosnseadiciln, then
the o
loaial office is to be filled by the Earl of Durham.
THEATRICAL FUND ANNIVERSARIES.—The
Duke of Cambridge has kindly condescended to take the chair
at both the Theatrical Fund Festivals, and has appointed the
Covent-garden anniversary to be held on the 18th of March,
and the Drury-lane on the 18th of April.
Government have acted with great humanity and
care towards the convicts sent to the Bermudas. They are feu
and clothed far better than prisoners at home; they have extra
food for their labour, and a reserved fend upon their discharge.
The climate is very fine, and there are few deaths.
A perfectly white pheasant was shot on the
Blathon estate, the property of the late Archibald Duncan,
Esq., a few days since.— Worcester Herald.
Many marriages are already fixed to take place
on the day appointed for the Queen's nuptials, in the ensuing
month.

MR. Jo lIN THOROGOOD.—ECCLESIASTICAL
COURTS.—We learn from the Essex Herald that at a public
meeting, numerously and most repectably attended, which was
held last Friday at Chelmsford, a petition to Parliament was
adopted for the release of John Thorogood, and for the aboli-
tion of Ecclesiastical Courts. The press of Parliamentary
matter necessarily precludes the publication of the report of the
proceedings. _ _ _

Mr. Barry Baldwin has contradicted the state-
ment that he intends retiring from the field at Totnes.