The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-02 00:00:00

reaches the House of Lords. We are, however,
fully satisfied that the Upper will concur in opinion
with the Lower Branch of the Legislature, that sound
policy and humanity alike dictate that the Ministerial
scheme should speedily become the law of the
land.

The social aspect of the United Empire cannot be
contemplated by the philanthropist without pro-
ducing intense grief. When he surveys the wealth,
power, influence, and grandeur of these realms, and

contrasts their existence with the misery and desti-
tution prevailing among thousands of our country-
men, the deplorable state of ignorance in which vast
numbers are suffered to grow up, the gigantic
criminal apparatus which is kept in constant opera-
tion for the restraint of vices—a large proportion of
which owe their contaminating development rather
to the neglect of the State than to the inherent
degeneracy of man,—the regret of the philanthropist
that, where so much has been done so much should
have been disregarded, must necessarily be great in-
deed. And when he reflects that the country, whose
social features present this strange mixture of
dazzling light and ominous shade, expended twenty
millions to free the West Indian from the manacles
of slavery, he will be astonished at the munificence
of the act, but, at the same time, be prone to con-
demn it as the result of an ill-regulated impulse.
If there be any virtue in the adage of "charity
begins at home," no nation so much lost sight of it
as England in the instance referred to. Still, while
reflection over the past must fill the mind of the
humane philosopher with astonishment, it cannot be
charged with despondency for the future. A nation
that has made such sacrifices, as we have for the
welfare of millions in our colonies, will not, in the
end, be found wanting to do whatever is requisite for
the improvement of our social organization in Great
Britain and Ireland. Our wants in this respect are
twofold : the one educational, the other the refor-
mation of the criminal law. In fact, abstractedly
considered, the latter is an educational want, like the
former; for the true end of all criminal jurisprudence
and prison discipline is, to draw off the mind of the
criminal from the pursuit of vice to that of virtue.
The punishment he undergoes is only regarded as a
wholesome means to this end, and meant, at the same
time, by the influence of example, to deter others
from breaking the laws of their country. It is gra-
tifying, then, to observe that the two cardinal defects
in our institutions, to which we allude, are engaging
the attention of the Legislature. The Marquis of
LANSDOWNE has already given a favourable outline
of what the Government mean to do for the exten-
sion and advancement of national education, in the
popular sense of the expression ; and Lord BROUGHAM
is under a pledge to bring the revision of the criminal
law under the notice of the Senate. A nobler
champion to undertake the task we could not
have. His past successes in the wide field
of legislation augur favourably for the benefits we
reap reap from a renewal of his labours for the reform
of the law. Great, however, as is the necessity for
improving the criminal code and its administration,
it is,
nevertheless, to the spread of a sound education
among the humblest ranks of the people that we
attach the greatest importance. It should be re-
collected that the criminal machinery, which we
maintain at an immense cost, is chiefly employed in
attempting to undo all the mischief which results
from the shameful manner in which we have neg-
lected the condition of the poorer classes of society.
Happily England is now animated with a desire to
repair and redeem the errors of the past. A man's
actions correspond with the character of his mind.
If it be well moulded, he acts beneficially to himself
and his own immediate circle ; if it be badly trained,
or neglected, he becomes a curse to himself and
others. What is true of an individual is equally so
of a nation—its weal or woe will be found, in the
long run, to be entirely dependent upon the care
which is paid to the culture of its moral and intel-
lectual energies.

In addition to the intelligence from Athens, pub•
fished in our paper of yesterday, we give the following
extract from the Moniteur Grec (the official journal
Of COLETTI) of the 20th ult. :

" Fresh communications have been exchanged be-
tween the Divan and the Cabinet of Athens respect-
ing the difference pending between the two countrle!,.
Without presuming to divine the contents of the
diplomatic documents, we consider the two Courts now
sufficiently enlightened by the explanations, given on
both sides with equal good faith, and we trust that the
solution of the difficulty which rendered them necsssary
will speedily take place."

The Minister of the Interior of Prussia has ap-
pointed sixteen short-hand writers to report the pro-
ceedings of the General Diet, and they have sworn
to execute their duty faithfully.
The extraordinary session of the Chambers of
Saxony was closed on the 24th. This session was
the first which has been held since Saxony obtained a
constitution. It was exclusively occupied in dis-
cussing the measures proposed by the Government
for the relief of the misery of the poorer daises, and
in the consideration of the question of the construc-
tion by the State of the Saxo-Bavarian Railway.
We learn from the proceedings of the Diet of Saxe-
Gotha, that Prince ALBERT, the Consort of Queen
VICTORIA, has appropriated the 1,000 thalers, granted
to his Royal Highness in 1c42 and 1846 by the Diet,
to be an annual premium, bearing his name, to such
primary teachers as shall most distinguish themselves
by their aptitude and zeal, and by their good
conduct.

A letter from Munich, of March 2,1, states that the
Government had some intention of augmenting the
export dues on corn, in consequence of numerous
buyers arriving constantly from France and Switzer-
land. Bread, when exported, is to be subjected to a
duty of four florins the quintal (221 f lbs.)
The Rhenish Observer mentions from Warsaw, a
report that the Emperor of RUSSIA intends to make his
brother, the Grand Duke Micuan., Viceroy of
Poland. It is also rumoured that Gallicia is to be
made a Vice-royalty under the Archduke ALBERT.

ladrid journals of the 26th have arrived.
If we are to judge of the prospects of the Soto-
mayor Ministry by their conduct, we should say
that they felt that the termination of their reign was
approaching, as they are now endeavouring to throw
every possible obstacle in the way of those who may
succeed them. In the discussion in the Chamber of
Deputies on the Bill authorising the levying of taxes,
Senor MARTnitz DE LA ROSA moved an amendment,
to the effect that the power given to the late Finance
Minister, MoN, of managing the public debt, should
not be continued to his successor. This amendment,
which was opposed by MEN DIZA DAL CALDERON,
COLLANTES, and LUJAN, was supported by BRAVO
Muaim.o, in the name of the Ministry, who said that
it could not be considered as a vote of want of con-
fidence in them. This amendment was carried, and
the meaning of the manoeuvre is explained by the
Heraldo:to be " the embarrasing of any future Pro-
gressista Ministry which may be formed,
by prevening the authorisation from falling
into the hands of persons who would not
know how to apply it." Another amendlnert was
proposed by. Senor MONTA NES, to the effect, that the
authorisation should cease
'in case the present Cortex
were prorogued ;,r dissolved without voting the
Budget. rp;-.
Finano-
the
Minister, was opposed by
Minister, and the discussion was proceeding
3
when the post left.
There was a rumour, alluded to by the Tiempo,
that Senor SALAMANCA would be charged with the
construction of a new Cabinet.
General ENN A. has been appointed Captain-
General of Girona.
New Carlist bands have appeared in various parts
of Catalonia.
MADRID BOLSA, MARCH tG.—The Three per Cents. closed
at 30% for cash ; the Five per Cents, at 19 ; the Debt
without interest, at 53/4 ; and the Coupons, at 17,

We have received the Paris papers of Wednesday.
The report that the Spanish Ambassador had re,-
ceived orders to prosecute the pevtivrietors of the
French journal La Patric, for its revelations of the
of f' say
sensation in Paris. Th
doings of the Court of Madri,l_,
".1 Union Monarchique thus
(coma
.rhenta on it :—..
Litt the libey 'nail excited quite a
bomadorliw.ersdo of the 25th announces that the Ain' ceed by law Pain at Paris had received orders to pro-
the Spahish tft'aitilit the I'atrie, tor an article in which
niated. `cannot tbinet thinks that Isak iella has been cal um-
what the A .mbassador will do,
w ote on dit
of 'fotrbe prose would 14( •an illusory matter,
°VI ikkkers Us a u , be •
in Franco the