The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-15 00:00:00

Comtnone; last night, for • an inquiry into the conduct
of Lord Cardigan could riot, perhaps, be warrantably en-
tertained; tut as far as regards the exigencies and inte-
rests of the public service, we cannot admit that the supposed
existence of a merely technical difficulty is to be sustained as
a sufficient excuse for the laxity of the Horse Guards in
dealing with that noble delinquent. A strict adherence to
forms, is, we acknowledge, an important safeguard of justice.
In ordinary criminal cases which go to affect the liberty or
life of the accused. we have always contended, espe-
cially in opposition to the recent efforts of the Whigs in favour
of
from the
empanelling
jurisdiction,y that all the ininutize Of legal process,'
fro
paneuiogof
juries downwards, ought ever to be
scrupulously observed, except in tie moat. trivial instances of
juvenile misconduct. To countenance in any extensive de-
gree a discretionary departure from well-defined rules, would
eventually lead to endless abuses; and accordingly the strictest
possible adherence to forms has uniformly received our humble
but zealous advocacy. But in regard to military irregu-
larities, we are decidedly of opinion that this nice atten-
tion to punctilio is by no means calved for. Strong pre-
sumptive evidenee, or the person-al depositions of wit-
nesses, or the allegations of uocnniradicted rumour, may
often, even in the absence of eharges requiring- the interfe-
rence of a Court-martial, justify tl.e proper authorities in as-
serting her Majesty's prerogative, and in assumine a plenary
power to reprimand or remove the transgressor. Lord Cardi-
gan's is exactly a case in point. Admoting, what vie must
somewhat demur to, that hi. Lordship has oar no occaden ren-
dered himself amenable to the very letter of the Artieles
of War, his unhappy notoriety in disturbing and dis-
tracting his regiment, as ea as in contracting a
larger share of pubic odium than has ever attached
to any unsuperseded officer, has so completely de-
stroyed his usefulness in the service, that his promo-
tion to a private station has now become a matter of
urgent-necessity. Nor do we argue this question with exclu-
sive reference to his Lordship's peculiariti-s. Many regi-
mental chiefs, though earning similar preferment in a less
conspicuous way,_ may be just as deserving of civil eleva-
tion as the Noble Earl. You cannot bring a Colonel to a
court-martial for being an incorrigible puppy, nor for being
an unpopular martinet, nor for being a despicable eaves-
dropper, nor for encouraging an over-expensive mess,
nor for inflicting an endless series of petty and
insupportable persecutions upon his unfortunate subal-
terns. Nevertheless, if we are to be told that no
retributions can reach and rectify these improprieties, ex-
cept such as are formally admirestered by her Majesty's
Judge Advocate—then we say, that the jurisprudence of the
British army is an a very -detective and inefficient state. But
we cannot submit to be told so. Experience reminds us that
under former Commanders-in-Chief, the discipline of the Horse
Guards, even where no judicial process has been deemed neces-
sary, he has repeatedly been exersied u, on obnoxious officers
with the mostsalutary effect. In raying tine we by no means
prejudge Lord Cardigan's ease. If an address, to the Crown
fur subjecting it to inquiry be thought objectionaele —as per-
haps it is—let the responsible deeartment proceed to Veal with
it according to justice; and, an every account, let his
Lordship have ample opportenity for establishing his
exculpation. Should any of our readers be diseosel to think
that this procedure would expose the service to great injustice,
we have simply to remind then that eee; y military commission
is purchased under the perfect consciousness that such a lia -
bility exists, and miy be enforced at p'easure. To suppose
that any serious evils might thus be likely to arise from the
indulgence of capricious enmities or undue favou itism, were
jest to suppose that the superior authorities would he insane
enough to disregard their official responsib lity, or to set at de-
fiance the.powerful checks of public ophron and Parliamentary
cognizance. That Lord Cardigan's case deman is the in-
terfererence of the Horse Guards, in seine form more
exemplary and effective than ha; yet been exercised,
is the common, conviction of all England. We
are no advocates for a tyranneal absolutism ; but
neither can we-be satisfied with an unmerited offisial lenity.
The Noble Lord has rendered himself univers illy obaoxioes.
The public welfare demands that he shall be subjected to a
little of that discipline which he so mercilessly inflicts upon
others Nay, no further fencing, my L0r.1,--the thing must
be done. As for Mr. Muntz—bless his beard—die must be
made a Vice-President of the " Sabbath-Observance Society,"
without a moment's delay. The co-operation of such a pious
and learned Rabbi, against the Sunday trading it Lord Car-
digan, must be really invaluable. But seriously. his Lordship's
desecrstion of that sacred day, for such a questionable purpose,
cannot be reprobated with sufficient severity : it was disgrace-
ful in the extreme.
GLOBE.—The most extraordinary doctrine put forth
by the . official justification of the Horse Guards,
of its abstinence from all interference with Lord
Cardigan, is found in that part of Mr. Macaulay'a
speech in which he laid it down as a fixed principle,
which ought not to be departed from, that no officer
should be removed from the service unless he were guilty
of some specific offence against the Articles of :War,
and cognizable by court-martial ; and that if. ,his rule
were not observed, men of spirit and hones!: would be
unwilling to enter the service, as the ter.ure by which
they held their commissions would rendered inse-
cure. The argument founded by tke• Right Honourable
Secretary on the high purchase=price of their commis-
sions, the interest of which ;would be found nearly equal
to the pay they received, is at once got rid of by the
practice of selling, as well as buying, commissions,
which prevails. Lord-Cardigan may have steered clear
of-any palpable violation of military law. The Ar-
ticles of War were framed with a view to the preven-
tion and suppression ef ordinary offences against' the
discipline and subordination of the army ; and they
have been found in toe general sufficient nor the accoui-
plish.nent of the objects proposed by those Who framed
them. It remained for Lord Cardigan to set decency
at defiance—to violate decorum, and to . subvert disct-
pline, and yet to entrench himself within the letter of the
Articles.. The high-cooled honour of a soldier scorns to
stoop to the low level of a practitioner of chicane. To out-
rage the spirit of rules which the good of the service re-
quires tit be held sacred, and to meet the allegation that he
lia4 so outraged it—not in one or two instances, but repeat-
(silly and grossly--wish the technical plea that the framers
of the artteles so violated omitted to specify the par-
ti,,u,thir acts of outrage of which he has been guilty,—
may comport with the notions of propriety and
praessional duty cherished by Lord Cerdigans but
we fain hope, would be scouted with the scorn they by every other officer in her Majesty's service.
Respect for public opinion, unsupported by which no
branch of the executive can be tulministered with effi-
ciency—an opinion indignantly er.d all but universally
expressed by the organs of public opinion without re-
spect to .party—renders it imperative upon the autho-
rities at the Horse Guards to comply with the demand
for a general inquiry into the conduct of Lord Cardigan,
as Commandingeolheer of the 11th Hussars. If they
have so far eeminitted themselves by their past refusals
to institute such inquiry, then let them convey to him
an intimation that it is expedient he should " sell out.'
Thus the obnoxious, because injurious Lord Cardigan,
will obtain the price of his commission, and the army be
relieVed frlau the odium which his unpreced•tnted pro-
ceeding--; have tended to fie upon its acknowledged repu-
tation for the posseseion of those qualities which consti-
tute the gentleman and the soldier—the lack of which
has,. in the person of Lord Cardigan,
shown that it is
p:)*.i;hle to be both a Peer and a Color A, without having
the urbanity of a gentleman, or the 15.'een sensitiveness of
which characterises the sol,ler.
(.'t )1,-; Eli.—The Rill inteorluced by the Duke or
has no reference to the queetion which has arisen
sat of the Stratlibop,4e question. It is altogether a very
silly affair, int. which tiie worihy and well-meaning
has been led 'by tb,:. cunning Non-Intrusionists--
we might say, time nuticineipled, without using too strong
language- We just it•;.ic any man of common honour and
honcsty to obsevci.., that Mr. Candlish, for example, after
having (I.!thred . iiprilige to be " anti-scriptural"—
aftcv having, in the Presbytery of Edinburgh, asserted
that " the 'teeniest sill" which the last General Assem-
bly reiezeittea, was to Sanction this system in Mr. Glad-
new church at Leith-e-and titter having piously
• rejoiced that by the difficulties which had overtaken the.
Ceureh, God was providenzially conducting and con-
fining her to the wiping away of this great " sin
gyre,. all this, the same Me. Candlish—this would-be
teacher of youth is the University of Edinburgh, tells
the Dalse Argyll, in a letter which his Grace read In.
the House of Lords, that for the sake of the peace
of the Church he and his friends, who agree with
him as to the sinfulness of lay patronage, are .yet con-
tent. that it should remain, and that, of course, they..
themselves .should taste 'of its good things when they
came in their way ! Can want of principle go further
STANDARD.—Ministers expect to obtain 700,0001.'
from 11r.tzilian and Cuba sugar at 365. the cwt. proposed
duty ; this will require a consumption of about a million and
a quarter of hundred pounds weight of Brazilian and Cuba
sugar, to be for the nest time consumed in the British
•empire —and also to be produeedp/us the quantity now pro-
duced in the-Brazils and Cuba ; but as all this sugar is
Produced f):.• slaves, sixty thousand tons of new sugar
win 41:.mand the labour of at least sixty thousand
new slaves ; and according to Sir T. F. B""
ton's calculation, each slave costs three lives. This
part of the Minister:al project will cause yearly
the' murder or slavexy of 240,000 human
lags now walking in lift and liberty. eS,
if ther;•, be truth in arithmetic, there mustba one hundred
and sixty thousand
and. eighty thousand annual murders,
new skees, or there • will be no seven hundred t wusand
poundi_from sugar. Again, the sixty thousand( tons of:
Brazilian and Cuba sugar must displace an etlua 1 quantity
l
of West and EaSt Indian suwar, so duet these colonic.*
Must lose something snore loan taw mill? °l4B;c the
ors
into no setiCit hun -
drett- thousand pounds will ever
,find
" nd
ehere'i.. Ministers next hope f(vjignBin oa/
gained 400 O "I"
"
suPP"st. in addition to the million
7thei last
Year
from the corn iamorts, by substituting r new scale
of dutiee for the 'Corn-laws ; but taking the average of
the different kinds ofgrain%twit and consumed, we may,
in reference to that average, an average duty or
1,400,000/. by an import duty or
Gas sd. Now, to ',as. take
rof rain, four millions two hundred
6.3.13 d. on the querte .
, .ofßritis grain must be displaced. The
thousandquar—rs
' and agriculturist must be
for", the .British _
diowner
111 ions sterling, roizes
(if
netzriy
ten
ll„ or there will be no one
ndred thousand pounds natio» ;Luc h." • of corn revenue:
Lastly, ministers hope to obtain, by a shifting of the
timber duties, a revenue of 600,0001. We are not
; colon of the details of the •di piles( e project, but it is a sub-
; • ilaltte timber, all stantioa „or nearly all, imported its
forei,4., vessels,. for. Canada timber, uni • •11 Nersa imported
in Braise vessels. The amount of the newy importa-
tion from the Baltic :must be considerable, to afford a
new revenue of 600,000/.--sas-
e 4 or 500,000 loads, 41' placing Si).. much Canada timber,
and so much British
freights Here, then, again e Canadia
n t tp- ping interest must lose tiro or t t Ith
tr ee nt i ionsn ,a
or there 7» ill
be no six hundred thousand pounds,. obtained by the timbe r-
dut;es. This is statesmanship !—'this is economy I Roh the people of fourteen or fifteen millions, in order tab
bring less than two millions into the Exchequer.

SQVTII HANIS.—The late mild weather anti
line growing showers have proved highly favourable to
all kinds of vegetation ; and, in consequence,.pOtatoes
are reduced in price from 4s. to 3s, per bag of 1401bs.
The apple blossom is most abundant and lookincheauti-
ful everywhere, .and promises a bountiful. crops Clover
grass v,•iis never knowo in greater abundahees As a proof'
of the great forwardness of the season,, u. E Torrinx,..
innl(eivr,in AshPringt°l/' near
Tcstues, had on Wednes-
day the 28th ult., a tine swarm Qt` bees ; such an instance
was never before known to have happened so early in this
neio-hbourhood.—eptoudi Jorirnaj.
The Paolia of Nizzia has defeated, at the-head
a Law Albanians, the insurgents of Bulffaria. Tim
road is open from C0n3t1144494*-19 Belgrade.