The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-04 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS,

FROM THE DAILY PArEas OF YESTERDAY.
(From the Morning Chronicle )
The Tamworth address still continues to furnish Sir Robert
Peel's enemies among the Tories,. with food for animadver-
site). The doughty " Catholicus" has been indulged in the
Times with space for seveu long epistles against the Right
Honourable Baronet. His patronage of a mechanics' insti-
tute in Tamworth has given mortal offence to the Puseyites
or High Church Tories. He is roundly charged with esscou-
raging Atheism, in encouraging the study of physical science.
If Sir Robert Peel has been, unawares, encouraging Atheism,
there arc persons who will not scruple to say the doughty cor-
respondent of the Times is led, by his hatred of education
to do that with which he charges his opponent!
"It is not easy," he observes, "to • decide at this
day whether science creates faith or only confirms it ;
but we have this remarkable fact in the history of
heathen Greece against the former supposition, that
her most eminent experimentalists were Atheists, and that
it was Atheism which was the cause of their eminence.'
Again e—" Physical philosophers are ever inquiring whence
things are, not why; referring them to nature, not to mind;
and taus they tend to make a system a substitute for a god.
Each pursuit, or calling has its own dangers, and each num-
bers among its professors men who rise-superior to them. As
the soldier is tempted to dissipation, and the lawyer to the tin-
red, and the statesman to the expedient, and the clergyman to
ease ; yet there are good clergymen, statesmen, lawyers, mer-
chants, and soldiers notwithstanding. So there are religious ex-
perimentatits ; yet physics tend to infidelity; and to
hare recourse to physics to make men religious, is
like recommending - a canonry as a cure for the ye' ut,
or givirso a youngster a commission as a pen-Ince
for irregularities." she writer does not interdict the study of
physics, but he gives it a bad name, and certainly endeavours
to show that the great body of the people bad much better re-
main in ignorance. He tells us that " knowledge does but oc-
cupy, instead of forming the • mind ; that faith is the only
known principle capable of subduing moral evil, educating the
multitude, and organizing society; and that. whereas m an is
born for action, action flows not from inferences, but Irani
impressions; not front reasonings, but front faith." " CA-
tholicus" is an acute man, and displays much knowledge in an_
fercing the blessings of ignorance. We have no doubt the t his
doctrine is generally acceptable to the Tories, whe, being, c n-
scious that their policy is irreconcileable with the interests of
tee masses, naturally conceive that the more ignorant the
masses are, the easier they may be deceived. But in vain do
the Tories roadie knowlenge, and even, as in the "instance of
" Catholicus," place it in opposition to faith; the people will
not consent to tie hoedwinked.
( oin use Morning Pest.)
It is pretended in some quarters that the treaty relative to
the affairs of the East—an intended tree y of the Five
Powers, including France—is chiefly opposed by Russia. It
should be mentioned, however, that this information comes
originally from the a:darter of the lerquhartites, a set of people
who are utterly ineane about the mischievous propensities and
designs of 141,13 a. If the late cold weather had been unwhole-
some or injurioas, which happily it was not, they would have
laid the whole hiame °a Russia. We should have had circum-
stantial deteils of the number of tons, hundred-weights,
pounds, and ounces of contaminated ice which the Cabinet of
St. Pe!ors'ourgh had causes to be piled up just in the course
of the nurtjeast. wind on its route to England. The extra-
vagance of these people, like the genius of Thomson the
poet, are described by Johnson the critic, "at once eine
braces the vast, end attends to the minute." We are aware
of a lereech-ttusstan party, very hostile to 111. Guizot,
whiten would gleely tr,row any obstacle in the way of a settle-
ment, however honcursble for France and satisfactory to
Europe, of witch that Minister should happen to be the pro-
moter. We are aware that a certain party in France, which
pretends to a love of liberty, would be happy to make an alli-
ance with Russia. against that nation in Europe which enjoys
tee greatest degree of political freedom—namely, our own ;
but we believe Itussma understands that party too well to
have any confidence in it. There may be intrigues to which a
tacti ions importance is given by the promoters of them ; but
we feel no inconsiderable confidence that Russia is not the
quarter in which the greatest difficulties are likely to be found in
tim way of an amicaele and general adjustment of the Eastern
questien. It is mere ignorance to pretend that Russia will na-
turally shrink frcm a general Treaty, the object of which will be
to guarantee the integrity and independence of the Ottoman
emeire. feu eia has done that already by joining in the note
of toe eeth of July, 1539, and by signing the Treaty of the 15th
ci July, 1340. The ambition. of Russia may be great ; her
policy may be peceliarly deep as well as dexterous ; but the
supposition that she is eager to grasp everything, without con-
sidering how it is to be held—that she indulges the view of
adding Turkey to her dominions, instead of aiding Turkey to
maintain her independence—is a vulgar supposition,
tit for the Urquhartites, and the vehement talk of the
streets, but not for men who have observed and reflected upon
foreign politics. We avow that we consider the signing of a
treaty which should include France among the protectors of
the Turkish empire as most de3ireable. Every one who has
anything to lose would be the better of such an assurance for
the continued peace of Europe. Such an assurance would re-
animate industry, and give a great impulse to the arts of peace.
We hope that toe moat formidable impediments to so desirable
an arrangement may not be found in our own Cabinet. The
omissioes in the Queen's Speech at the opening of Parliament
bare given us seme reason to fear that Lord Palmerston is
eventing in that magnanimity which should attend upon suc-
oess. tle has shown himself a clever man in managing the
Eastern question, but he has yet to show himself a great man.
Tnat opportunity is, perhaps, now before him. If he miss it,
it may perhaps not occur again. One great point should not
be forgotten, namely, that the present Government of France,
in promoting a general treaty, shows a disposition to abandon
',the policy of armed isolation. This is a position exceedingly
'dangerous, if not altogether insufferable, and we should hail
-with great satisfaction any arrangement which would include
the abandonment of such a policy.
(From the tliornina
The agitators against the British Plough, who speculated
. upon commencing a brilliant and profitable campaign at the
-"Crown and Anchor," richly earned the unmerciful " thrash-
- -ink" which they rot. Alderman Cobden and his " tail" of
Anti-Corn-law &legates did not receive a more signal rout
and ilisecentiteree at Manchester on their return, about two
years aeo,. Irom their London excursion, than Warburton,
Hawes, Benvring and Co., experienced on Monday night, in the
very theatre of many a Whig-Radical triumph. These Anti-
Corn-law "Leaguers," as they call themselves, are traders in
;Gross speculation on public credulity. They have not even
.the excuse that an ignorant fanaticism on any public question
carries along with it—that of sincerity ; they endeavour to
:practise steeeption on the "masses " by the cry of
, ••'• cheap bread," when their real object is " reduced
wages."' Tiut the working classes, whom they hoped to make
7the dupes, of this elaborate deception, are not quite such sim-
eeletores its they took them to be—they see through the thin
4Lisigy nee inwhich their real designs are wrapped. The mask
of s'ammed sympathy and kindness has hard, hungry, woolfish
fee lures beneath it. The stony heart of an intense cupidity
estimates their "liberalism" and prompts all its actions.
What a working-man, named Wall, said at the " Crown and
Anchor" meeting, comprises the whole question respecting
the Corn-laws as between the agitators and the working classes;
" the only object was to lower wages." The whole of the
:agitation, declamafon, lecturing, and electioneering
of the anti-Corn.law " leaguers" is reducible to that point of
cheapening bread that wages may be diminished. There is one
other way of looking at the question in a national point of
view. In that point of view the American President put the
question in the clearest and, at the same time, in the most
concise manner that it, ever was put, when he said, " unhappy
• is the condition of a country wnich is dependent upon an-
other for the bread it eats." When we read this sentence in
the President's speech, it reminded us of what Gibbon the his-
to Han says of the evils that befell Rome in the declining days
of her once mighty empire, from being under the necessity. of
d eririlg a precarious subsistence from the granaries of Africa.
(From the Times.)
iv linisters are at last beginning to open their eyes to the
1"4, sssity of maintaining the credit of the British navy in the
the tof the world. The intrepidity of our seamen, the gale
lar .try, skill', and science of our officers, the admirable disci-
pl and perfect mastery of nautical manoeuvres which pre-
le se itn board our ships of war, their foresight did not crea'e,
.a .n 1 their negligence could not take away. But what negli-
egence could do, they did; they crippled the real strength,
and destroyed the imposing attitude, of this most important
branth of the public service. By their stupid apathy, and
.- worse than stupid retrenchments, they encouraged a neighbour-
. hag nation, whose navies had been swept from the sea by
Nelson and his gallant companions, to dream once more
• of maritime supremacy, till at length a foreign fleet was
collected in the Mediterranean, more numerous, better manned,
and, as far as timber, guns, and equipments constitute power,
everyway more powerful than our own. What might have
ha ppened—to what hard shifts the heroes of Acre and Beyrout
might have been driven in order to preserve untarnished the
. laurels so dear to every British heart—what losses we might
price - have had to deplore as the of victory, if war had broken
4nutlast autumn, cannot now be told. But then, thanks to
erovidence the dark cloud passed over, and a ipture did
e lot take Place ; and now, thanks to ,n
France,a our unwor-
n sy Ministers are forced to shake off a little of their tor-
sr,
,and csme down to Parliament with an increase of
6°3/. in the navy estimates, and propose to strengthen
.t•
tl, e service with an accession of 5,835 additional seam.
.t cou otry would cheerfully submit to greater sacrificestheann
tl tt ,se fc r the sake of what has always been the peculiar pride
at 4.1 big ry, as it is the truest strength and only security,of Erie-
hmei The readiness with which the House of Commons •
has • al, searly responded, and with which the British people at
larg e will respond, to this new and considerable demand
the p ablie parse, will undeceive our neighbours in Fran, if
they nave ever attributed the niggardly parsimony of nee en_
' Irs to a doubt as to the manner in which a more vigorous
Adn tinistration would be seconded by the country. They will
see t hat the few contemptible individuals, like Air. Hume, who
ist m e 'e be willing tie stand by tamely, and see foreign power
encr arch upon our maritime superiority, are utterly desti-
tute of influence; except with the Queen's Government, and
that even in that tottering quarter their influence is breaking
dos.. dos.. at. We look, therefore, to the vote of Tuesday night
as
af, rob guarantee for the continuance of peace, infinitely mote
important than any indiscreet language in the Chamber of
P' 40 sties, such as that of M. Dufaure, on Saturday, even
ttsor.gh echoed for the moment by the applauses of. the
chamber. We look upon it as especially important, when
coupled with the emphatic declaration of Lord John Russell,
• that lee saw nothing m the. present state of affairs which was
likely to interrupt the friendly relations existing betwei n the
two countries.

(From the Globe.)
Lord Stanley, and not Sir Robert Peel, is the leader of
the. Tories. In vain are the debial; of this fact in the
Tory press. 'We read acts. Toe present Tory policy is
a, Stanley and not a Peel thing. Wellington and Pc et,
whenever they have been able to act on their own Vif!Lt F.,
;have ever been men of a Conservative and concerting
.policy towards the great movement of Reform. All the
memorable declarainns of his policy made by Sir R. Peel
—his Letter to the Electors of Tamworth, bi; speech in
the Merchant Tailors' Hall, and his speech on Sir J. Y.
Buller's motion—have been full of promises of concession
to progress and Reform ; and his speech at the Glasgow
dinner, and his recent address at Tacnworth
and
an
addil,iLegoufirheoonelivtya
few variations of phraseology,
of purpose, to fit them to Pass current as eZbibitiona of the
ideas of a Wbig of a bye-gone generation. His policy
never gave a sign of a dream of counteraction. Though
" Catbolicus" of the Time'sthelarca the hints:isms, , f
Sir R. Peel to thefact, that like a body without a soul,
a pasty without an idea can have no unity, his policy
bad an idea in it, which, however, is now no longer held
by his party. Concession to the democratic tendencies of
civilization has always marked the policy of Sir Robert
Peel. This is the idea of his statesmanship—an idea with
little of lornantic aspiration in it, and more safe than high.
All his own observation has shown him the raising of the
lowly and the lowering of the lofty clasScs of society, as a
constant, invariable, and i '. ble• process in politics.
During all the days nel sta_
ys cr his looking on society he has
Seen Lords growing less and traders
Before his eyes he hasof witnesseddemo
becoming greater.
degrees the continually and by
of ariotocrn , y .waxing therefore, thocurr,lexy and th," waning
the cuange, 'bend
has Irt dreasno
of
Though, a profound knowledge historyoP:uit'ngtereanodtihr gn ti
71:
amongAbi number of his iceomplish may not be
mews, he knows that