The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-05 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.)
(From the Globe.)
We hope the ulterior and undesigned effect of Lord
Stanley's Registration scheme, one-sided and party-co-
loured as it glaringly is, will be to fix the attention
of Parliament and the public on the whole system—
not as regards Ireland only, but England and Scotland
also. In the latter division of the empire there are
anomalies full as great, and some of which were alluded
to by Lord Stanley himself; on Tuesday, as any
which can be adduced as prevailing in the sister
isle. And even in this part of the empire, which
Mr. O'Connell describes as enjoying a system he would
accept for Ireland, "as it is, whether for good or for
bad"—there are quite enough defects to render an
equal amount of legislation requisite as that wherewith
Lord Stanley is ready to bless Ireland. Indeed more—
for, in Great Britain as in Ireland, the franchise re-
quires to be rendered more simple, and easily ascer-
tainable, as well as the registration more efficient.
Neither object can be attained fully without the other ;
for we assume as part of the purpose entertained by
the legislator, the removal of obstruction and annoyance
from parties entitled to the franchise—the saving of ex-
pense, and the prevention of litigation—and the drying
up of the various sources of fraud and corruption which
prevail at present—as well as Lord Stanley's one object
of keeping out unqualified claimants. That is a legitmate
object doubtless, pursued honestly—but it is rather un-
fortunate Lord Stanley's party should aim at it only as re-
gards Ireland—only as regards constituencies which they
are anxious to weed of opponents. Their former
efforts have mainly gone to swamp the more solid
constituency with masses of drunkenness and depen-
dence, unqualified for all public duties, except those
preached at taverns, and paid for by candidates' hard
cash. Who but the Tories retained sottish vena-
lity and servile dependence as essential elements of a
system which should represent the true public voice ?
Whom but the Tories have we to thank for the freemen
and tenants-at-will ? (we beg pardon—we have also to
thank some ill-judging Liberals.) Who lout the Tories
chiefly profit by those practices noticed by Lord Stan-
ley, in Scotland, of multiplying fraudulent votes—
where, the Noble Lord said," parties are on the regis-
ter without a foot of land in the country—who, as all
the world knew, never had a foot of land in the coun-
try ?" It may be too much for Lord Stanley, in his
zeal for purging the representation, to aid us to get rid
of fictitious freeholders, and degraded freemen. But
is it too much to ask Liberal and rational politicians to
look comprehensively at the whole system, and not con-
fine their views to one corner of it ? Shall it be said
that party zeal can crowd the benches of Opposition to
pull the mote out of thei- brother's eye, while a
" House" cannot be made to pull the beam out of our
ty.rn eye ? Truly the children of this world (Toryism)
are wiser in their generation than the children of light.

( From the Standard.)
The Globe of last night commences an article on the
Canterbury and Walsall elections, with the following
paragraph :
" The Canterbury and Walsall elections have resulted
in the defeat of the Liberal candidates. We will not
affect indifference when we feel regret. We do sincerely
regret the issue: although, with a knowledge of the power-
ful influences brought to bear against the Liberal candi-
date at Canterbury, and of the unfavourable circumstances
under which the Liberal candidate at Walsall was intro-
duced to the field, we are not disappointed."
Then follows a long dissertation to prove that it was
the influence of Canterbury Cathedral which returned
Mr. Smythe ; but as there is no cathedral at Walsall,
not one word is given to explain the defeat of the
Anti-Corn-Jew Leaguers in that town. Surely it
was not Canterbury Cathedral that returned sirn
Gladstone. So far from doubting that the clergy of Can-
terbury have indirectly contributed to the restoration
of tire public mind in the cepital of Kent, we
rejoice to believe in the direct influence of the clergy
everywhere in bringing back the public mind to what
Lord Clarendou calls " the ancient good humour and
good temper of the English people." By their lives
and their doctrines such a body as the clergy of
England must engage the affections of any right-
heerted people ; and we have no doubt that the
hostility against the clergy avowed by Whigs and
Whig-Radicals has gone farther in crowding the
Conservative ranks than any other cause. That the
clergy of Canterbury, however, hare exercised no more
direct influence than that neturally arising from their
fidelity in doctrine, their benevolence, and the blame-
lessness of their lives, is pretty clear from the fact,
that no specific charge of interference is made against
any clergyman, but the other fact, that until
'nen had recovered from the reform passion, which
prevented their seeing enemies from friends, the
electors of Canterbury returned a Radical, and the
citizens have now the enduring affliction of a Radical
Corporation incurred during the same fit of folly. And
again, we ask a light from Walsall: there was no
cathedral there : why may not the same causes which
returned Mr. Gladstone hare returned Mr. Smythe
also': There is no escape for the Liberals as to the
two eases. They must confess that the tide has turned,
and that it is making rapidly on the Conservative side.
(From the Courier.)
The certainty that the death-blow of registration
frauds and perjury in Ireland is to be struck this Ses-
sion will be understood, and cannot be better under-
stood, than by the despairing cries and ferocious
appeals of the faction which rankly vegetates only
from day to day upon nourishment derived from
the pestiferous atmosphere of that hot-bed of coy-
ruption. We need no other proof; indeed, that the
last hopes of faction and O'Connell repose on re-
gistration fraud and perjury, than the ravings of the
Chronicle this morning, which does not pretend
to deny the wide-spread existence of these enormous
evils, though they are softened down in its columns into
the more courtier-like phraseology of the " existing
defects of the law of iegistry," but will not tolerate
their attempted eradication by any other hands
than those of Lord John Russell and Lord
Morpeth, which is just the same thing as to say that
the criminal shall only be tried and sentenced by those
who are profiting by the crime. Upon the argument of
what is somewhat facetiously still denominated the Re-
form party, that Lord John Russell, as the parent of
the Reform Bill for England, was beat entitled and
ought preferentially to be trusted to work out his own
measure, so it might be thought that Lord Stanley, as
the author and peopeunder of the Irish Reform Bill,
and the detector of the frauds engrafted on the re-
gistry system as it now stands, should be the man
of all others best qualified to complete his own
labours, and drive home to the very vitals of corrup-
tion the wedge first introduced into the dry rot timbers
by himself. This is the just and common-sense
interpretation of Lord Stanley's principles, and there-
fore of Lord Stanley's Bill, but therefore it is not that
of the Chronicle, by which we are told that in their
crusade against his Reform Registration Bill, and in
the counter proposed Bill of their own for eluding the
Reform, " Lord John Russell, or Lord Morpeth, is
to be cheered and supported," whilst virtually Lord
Stanley is to be hissed and hunted down.

SCRIPTURE.—Unnatural as it may appear, it
is notwithstanding true, that we find much less clear ideas
in regard to the canon of Holy Scripture in the earlier
ages than in the later. The word Scripture was used,
as we shall see, in a latitude with which no church or
party, except, perhaps the Quakers, have used it. Ire-
11M113 does not quote all the books which we of the Church
of England esteem canonical. Those which he oin its are,
Ruth, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ecclesiastes,
Canticles, Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Liaggai.
But the mere circumstance of his not citing therm can-
not, of course, imply any doubt as to their inspiration or
canonicity. He had no occasion to do so for the purposes
of his argument. It is only wonderful that he t bought
himself obliged to quote so largely upon such a sub ject.—
British Magazine.

DEATH OF LORD HENLEY.—We regret to
have to announce the demise of Lord Henley, who 'expired
at five minutes to,eleven o'clock on Wednesday morning, at
the family residence in Whitehall-place, after a protracted
illness of several months. The Learned Lord, as most of
our readers are aware, was a Master in Chanccery, but
within the last few months it becoming apparent that his
Lordship's disorder would not allow of his again resuming
the duties of his office, it was given up to the Right Hon:
Sir George Rose, Bart. For some time the mediesit atten-
dants of his Lordship held out hopes to the family, but lat-
terly, from his bodily strength giving way under suf-
ferings, no prospect could be entertained of his e ventual
recovery. The Rev. J. Peel, and other members of the
family, were present at his Lordship's dissolution.
TILE COAL TRADE.—THE RESTRIG'TIONS
AT AN END.-Our opinion has for several years leeen ex-
pressed from time to time as decidedly against the, system
of restriction in the quantity of coals taken for salie to the
London market as most impolitic for the coal owners
themselves. It always appeared to us that though the
" vends," as they are called, had the effect, by limiting
the quantity of coals sold in a given period, of obuiining a
higher price than could be got otherwise, they operated as
a bounty in inducing many other parties to open cc Ilieries
in the surrounding neighbourhood, which in all human
probability would not have been worked for ages to come.
This system of restriction the coal-owners themselaeee have
now resolved shall be put an end to ; the practice e f sell-
ing only a limited number of cargoes L'..3 they arrives.. in ro-
tation at Gravesend on the Thames, which has hitherto
been observed, is henceforth to cease. We are rejoice that
the change has taken place ; for though vie fear it 'may be
productive of temporary loss and suffering, we do most firmly
believe and sincerely hope that it will place the: staple
trade of this district eventually on a much firmer and
healthier basin. Whatever temporary sacrifices may now be
necessarily made, we are decidedly of opinion that the
longer the system of restriction was continued, to more
severe and trying would be the change when it dill come,
as sooner or later we felt convinced it must inevitabiSy come.
The coal-owners will, by this important alteraticas in the
mode of conducting their trade, be obliged to do, what is
unhappily experienced to be necessary, from tree n endous
competition in almost every branch of business, in this
country they will be compelled greatly to exte ad their
sates in order to obtain a profit equal to the produce: of their
more limited vends. That which may fier a time epi seer en
sci2ltvit
s o ,
i t,,110 paueblaic higlry ely,
vii
t: i
we truss, be ultimately found to be a greagood—
o 'Dal to the coal .Oneers them-
respectable, enterprising, will de-
serving ells individuals.—Tyne Mercury.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMEN T.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FEB. 4.

Lord HOLLAND took the oaths and his seat shortly
before four o'clock.
At Five o'clock the LORD CHANCELLOR took his
seat on the Woolsack.
WAR IN SYRIA.

The Earl of MINTO rose in pursuance of the
notice he had given to move the thanks of their
Lordships to Sir Robert Stopford and the officers and
men who served under him on the coast of Syria.
He proposed to detain their Lordships but for a very
few moments. The events were so recent that it was
unnecessary for him to enter into any detail of matters
that must be fresh in their Lordships' memories. It
was perfectly true that on many former occasions the
British fleet had been called upon to contend with more
formidable enemies, and to engage in more sanguinary
conflicts ; but he was quite sure their Lordships would
agree with him in saying that throughout the whole of
the operations on the coast of Syria there were abun-
dant examples to be found of the skill, of the bravery,
o f the resources, and of that originality of enterprise
and character which had always eminently distinguished
the British Navy.—(Hear.) But there was one feature
so peculiarly distinguishing these operations, which he
must be allowed to call their Lordships' attention to. He
meant the singular rapidity of execution, and the small
space of time within which was comprised so many
brave and gallant enterprises, ending in such im-
portant results. It was on the 9th of September,
after having received the refusal of the Pacha to
accept of terms that had been offered to him, that
Sir Robert Stopford arrived before Beyrout, and without
the loss of a single day, or even a single hour, he
launched Commodore Napier in that career of victory
and success which he had continued unremittingly to
pursue. It was on the same day, the 9th of September,
that Commodore Napier was landed. The contest was
brought to a glorious termination in consequence
of the reduction of the fortress of Acre. Every
post—every town—from Tripoli to the extremity
of Syria had been reduced by one or other of the de-
tachments of our fleet. Commodore Napier had twice
marched forward on shore and defeated and dispersed the
enemy, and in the interval between those two actions
he had proceeded to Sidon, which he entered, and took
by storm, putting himself at the head of scarcely 1,000
men, Turks, Austrians, and British, and bringing in
his train nearly 3,000 prisoners.--(Cries of " Hear,
hear.") He (Lord Minto) bad dwelt a little upon
the extraordinary rapidity with which these ope-
rations had taken place, because in this contest time
had been every thing. It was not only most important
to the success of their operations, but it must be
obvious to their Lordships that if the contest had been
protracted to another campaign it might have been at-
tended with the utmost peril. It' ho wanted another
example of the promptitude, design, and execu-
tion which had characterised those operations
he would refer their Lordships to the despatch of Sir
Robert Stopford, of the 3(1 of October, and in that
despatch the Gallant Admiral stated that he had
just received the instructions of the Government
for the attack of the fortress, an enterprise
which he before had entered upon. That re-
solution was taken on the 29th of October ; on
the 31st, the Admiral wrote that all his arrangements
were completed, that he was prepared and, in fact, that
he actually did sail on that day, and in three days from
the date of his letter, the fortress had fallen before Bri-
tish valour. The Admiral was most ably and gallantly
seconded in all his operations by Admiral Bandeira,
commanding the Austrian squadron, as well as by the
Archduke. In his account of the affair at Sidon,
Commodore Napier spoke in the very highest terms of
the conduct of the Archduke, and at Acre he landed
during the night, along with the marines of the squa-
dron, in order to secure the safety of the town and
fortress. To Admiral Walker, too, much was due.
His services had eminently contributed to the success
which had attended her Majesty's arms—he was in
every action, and in all he had proved himself emi-
nently qualified for the place which he now so ably
filled. He felt certain that it was unnecessary for him
to add one word more in order to induce their Lordships
to concur in the vote of thanks which it would be his
duty to conclude by proposing, he would only once
more pay that throughout the whole of the operations
and nrore especially in the last, the attack upon
St. Jean d'Acre, the precision and accuracy of the
British tire had proved that we had added a new
clement of strength to the British navy, and that the
talents and skill of the officers and sailors of Britain hed
far from deteriorated.--(Hear, hear.) He trusted
their Lordships and the country would receive
this as an earnest of what they might expect should,
unfortunately, the fleet be brought into any more
formidable collision, and he thought the bravery and
actions of our officers and sailors had given the best
answer to all those cavils and complaints of the dege-
neracy and decay of the British fleet which bad
been made in many quarters during the last year.
On that head he would not add one word more ; all
tnwat feel that the brave men in the fleet had given a
better answer to the calumny than any which he could
do. He had no doubt but their Lordships would wil-
lingly concur in giving the thanks of the House to
Admiral Stopford, the officers, and men, for the
bravery displayed by them on the 3d of November last.
The Noble Lord then proposed that the thanks of the
House should be given to Commodore Napier, and to
the naval officers and captains of the fleet em-
ployed upon the coast of Syria ; to the seamen
and Royal Marines employed in that service ; to
Major-General Sir Charles Smith, and the officers
and seamen serving upon the coast ; to the Royal
Artillery and Royal Engineers ; to Admiral Ban-
dierra, Commander of the Austrian fleet ; to Admiral
Walker for his gallantry in the attack upon Acre ; and
that the Lord Chancellor should communicate the said
resolutions to Admiral Stopford.
Lord COLCHESTER rose and said it must
have increased the satisfaction with which the Noble
Earl had proposed these resolutions, that he had a son
who was one of the officers employed in the late
operations upon the coast of Syria.—(Hear, hear.)
The Noble Earl had so fully described the series
of opeeations which had taken place, that he (Lord
Colchest`er) would not trouble their Lordships by
going over that ground again. He would only say that
he fully concurred in all that had been said by the
Noble Earl, as to the activity and dauntless courage
shown by Sir Charles Napier, and in the tribute of praise
which he had given to the officers and seamen for their
gallantry, and especially their gallantry shown in the
attack upon Acre. It had been said that the navy of
England had degenerated.—(Hear, hear, from the
Duke of Wel:ington.) He (Lord Colchester) was not
aware that any charge had been brought against the
officers and seamen employed on this service.—(Cries
of " Hear, hear.") He would take this opportunity
of offering his tribute of praise to Sir Robert Stop-
ford. Were he to go through the whole of the ser-
vices of that Gallant Admiral, he would have to
recount to their Lordships the naval history of this
country for sixty years past. That gallant officer
had received the thanks of that House for his services
on previous occasions. On the 13th of June, 1794,
Sir Robt. Stopford commanded one of the frigates em-
ployed in the fleet of Lord Howe ; ho then received
the thanks of the House as one of the Captains
engaged in the naval action fought in that
year. He had received thanks for Iris conduct
in the expedition to Copenhagen ; and also
by name for his services in the capture of the Island
of Java, the latter being an expedition of so
much importance that the Governor-General him-
self took the command of the expedition. In
1836, full of years and honours, being then seventy
years of age, he might have expected to retire from ser-
vice, but his country demanded his services, and now
for four years he had been in command in the Mediter-
ranean, an employment which, from the political state

. . . .
of the countries on the coast, was one of the moat arduous
nature. In the hostilities of last summer his former
skill and talent had been brought into action, and he
had given new proof of the skill and judgment which had
ever characterized hire,—the fortress of Acre, which
had been deemed impregnable, having been in a few
hours reduced to ruins by the skill and courage of the
British fleet under his command. These services, in
his humble opinion, demanded the warmest thanks of
the House. Thanks were all that House could give,
but he trusted that while promotions and decorations

were bestowed upon those employed in the capture of
Acre, their Commander (as we understood the Noble
Lord, who spoke extremely indistinctly) would receive
some public mark of his Sovereign's approbation.
The Duke of WELLINGTON then proceeded to
address their Lordships, but spoke for some minutes
before a sentence could be heard in the gallery. His
Grace was understood to express his cordial approbation,
of the merit of the services performed by the navy in
the Mediterranean, and of the motion before the House.
His Grace was then understood to advert to an ob-
servation that had fallen from the Earl of Minto
respecting the time employed in the operations,
and to express his wish that such an expression had act
been used on that occasion. That was a mat ter entirely
irrelevant to the present question, for all they had to do
was to record their thanks for the services that bad been
performed by this glorious expedition.—(Hear, hear.)
" My Lords (said the Noble Duke) I have had a lit-
tle experience in these services, and I think it my duty
to warn your Lordships on this occasion, that you
must ❑ot always expect that ships, however well
commanded, or however gallant our seamen may be,.
are capable of engaging commonly with stone walls.
I have no recollection, in all my experience, ex-
cept the recent instance on the coast of Syria, of
any fort being taken by ships, excepting two or three
years ago—no longer ago—the fort of St. Jean d'Ulloa
by the French fleet. That is, I think, the single in-
stance, though I believe something of the sort occurred
at the siege of Havanna') in 1763."—(Hear, hear.)
He thought that the taking of Acre was a most wonder-
ful achievement, not only on account of its strength, but
he short period of time in which it had been performed.
The arrangement of the ships had been so admirably
conducted by the Admiral that each 'milt of the for-