The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-06 00:00:00

.Suit,

LONDON
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1841.

By the arrival of the Overland Mail from
India we have received highly interesting news
from. China of the 24th of August ; from Singa-
pore of the 4th of September ;
the 11th of September; frozn from
Madras of alcutta
the
15th of the same month ; and from Bombay of
the Ist of October. Sir HENRY POTTINGER, the
new Plenipotentiary, Minister Extraordinary,
and Chief Superintendent of the British trade in
China, arrived at Macao on the otllof Au-
gust, in company with Admiral Sir WIL-
LIAM PARKER. On the 12th of the same
month he addressed a notification to British sub-
jects, informing them of his arrival, his functions,
and the existence of an actual war between
Great Britain and China. Of this notification a
copy will be found in another part of The Soil.
It is a plain, straightforward, manly document;
forming:, a singular contrast to the inflated bom-
bast of ELL10T.,.7 Sir H. POTTINGER promises to
observe the truce, with Canton, so long as it is
strictly adhAeed to by the Chinese authorities;
but he threatens active hostilities the moment
they dare to violate it. His appearance in the
Chinese waters created an extraordinary seilsa-
!ion. Ttie,British forces could not restrain their
joy, and when his character was -reported in
Canton tho deepest
gloOm pervaded the coun-
cils of the. Mandarins. Time Governor of time
city demanded a conference—a summons which
Capt. ELLIOT TRIM have run a•hundred leagues
In breathless haste to obey—but Sir 11. POTTINGER
declined the interview,and referred the Governor
o his Secretary, thropgh whom he was to com-
municate all proposals which he wished to make
to the Plenipotentiary. On receiving this in-
timation the Governor was greatly dismayed.

He found that he had now an officer to deal
with who was not to .be fooled after the ELLIOT
fashion. The expedition- was• preparing to
proceed northward to Chusan and the mouth
of the Peiho, and such was the terror of the
Chinese that it was reported that so much as
twenty millions of dollars were offered to Sir H.
POTTINGER if he would not undertake it. The offer
was, as might be expected, indignantly refused,
and the preparations continued.
The substance of Lord PALMERSTON'S instruc-

tions to Sir H. POTTINGER appeared in our
columns with the news brought by the last over-
land mail, and from the first acts of the new
Plenipotentiary, we have no doubt that he
will execute them firmly, vigorously, and de-
cisively. As questions of foreign policy ought
never to be made party questions at home,
we trust that the Tory Government will not
interfere with the excellent plan laid down by
Lord PA LMERSTON for settling our disputes with
the Celestials. From the whole tenor of the
instructions delivered by his Lordship to Sir
H. POTTINGER, it is clear that he wholly dis-
approved of the conduct of ELLIOT from the
commencement; and that, but for an influence
as potent as it was injuriously exercised, that
luckless functionary would have been recalled
the instant the first details of the opium dispute
were known in this country. But the bungling of
ELLIOT) will teach a lesson to his successors
which the dullest of them will never dare to for-
get. Thus there is no evil out of which some
good may not conic.
As for the ex-Plenipotentiary, he arrived at
Bombay from China on the 26th of Sep-
tember, and is now on his way to England,
in modest expectation, we presume, of re-
ceiving the thanks of the two Houses of
Parliament for his paper exploits before Can-
ton. Fortunately some of his " Special Edicts,"
have preceded him, so that from them Parlia-

ment may learn to acquit itself handsomely with-
out the omission ofany of his high-sounding titles
From his last to the people of Canton beginning
the fulminatory part with " Now A GREAT
MINISTER," the clerks of the Lords and
Commons will find ample materials for their
guidance. How we regret that there is no gar-
ter vacant to grace the leg of the conqueror of
Lux, in the art of penning exterminating edicts !

For the details of the news from India we re-
er our readers to our extracts from the Anglo-
Endian Papers.

Some few days ago the Morning Post invoked

punishment on us for advocating certain opinions
distasteful to the Post. That journal may learn
from an extract of the Anti-Bread-tax Circular,
which we insert elsewhere, that if its masters
should act on its suggestion, they will have to
punish no inconsiderable portion of the commu-
nity. " Similar views to those put forth by The
Sun are rapidly," it is said, " taking hold of the
public mind. There is an increasing distrust

spreading as to abolishing the corn mo-
nopoly by peaceful means. Suggestions
pour in on us from many parts, in favour

of all sorts of schemes for accomplishing
our object." We have ourselves received seve-
ral such suggestions, and one within the week,
which is only a revival of a similar suggestion
formerly made—to import bread ready-made
from the Channel Islands and the neighbouring
Continent. In fact, a Society is established for
the very purpose of collecting funds to evade the

law ; and, however striking may be the resem-
blance between such conduct and what the
lawyers call treason and rebellion, we are well

persuaded that they will not prosecute those who
have formed the Society. The truth is, that in
this case the law is so undisguisedly the enact-
men t of a small selfish class, neither for the pub-
lic benefit nor for the advantage of the Throne—

it is so avowedly a violation of all the principles
on which law-makers venture to ask the obedi-

ence of a people, that the most aristocratic law-
yers would shrink from prosecuting the oppressed
and plundered people for evading and resisting
such an abominable enactment. We believe,

therefore, that those who denounce the law, and
those who take measures to evade it, 'trill be safe
from prosecution, though it be recommended by
the Post.

Although cramped by statutes, where they

impose no specific rule, the Judges follow com-
mon sense as the basis of common law. The

indictments brought before them run some-
what in this fashion, "to injury of her MAJESTY,
her crown and dignity, and the interests of the
realm ;" and it would puzzle the most acute
lawyer to show how rescuing her MAJESTY'S sub-
jects from starvation, and her realm from disorder,
would be injurious to her crown and dignity.
The enactments of the aristocracy, abusing the
authority of Parliament and the confidence of
the people, are clearly distinct from laws for the
public benefit, such as those for the defence of
the nation and the punishment of crime, and no
earthly power will ever obtain for both equal
obedience and respect. We believe that the
Judges would make that distinction and be care-
ful, for the sake of preserving the authority of
the law, not to stretch it to punish resistance to
a sorry specimen of class legislation.
A day or two ago the Herald remarked that the
Anti-Corn-law League had made the Corn ques-
tion one of life or death to the aristocracy. We
beg to correct our Contemporary : the aristo-
cracy have made the Corn-laws a question of lite
or death to the people. They are, by their ob-
stinate maintenance of cruel injustice, forcing the
people to choose between starvation and the
overthrow of the aristocracy, and it is not diffi-
cult to foresee what will be their choice. All
Government, even that of the most renowned
monarchies, rests on opinion. The SULTAN, it
was long ago remarked, may, by the help of his
janissaries, tyrannize over the rest of his subjects,
but he must lead them by their opinions. If our
landed aristocracy persist, therefore, in out-
raging opinion, we may with unerring certainty
predict their fate.
They have less to plead in excuse than the
French aristocracy, and they have been warned
in vain. They are aware of the consequence of
their oppression, for they have had the expe-
rience of the French Revolution. They know
much of what their precursors in France were
ignorant. Great teachers have been vouchsafed
to them, who long ago pointed out the terrible
effects of such selfish monopolies as they persist
in maintaining. Their 'ignorance or their obsti-
nacy is without excuse ; and, should they meet
the fate of the French Noblesse, no man will pity
them. More selfish and sordid conduct was
never beheld than that of the owners of tithes
and rent. Not content with an assured income,
while many of those whose labours produce it
are not certain of a living from day to day, they
scandalously tax the bread and restrain the ho-
nest industry of the people, to increase their
own possessions. Were such a violation of all
decorum and all justice not to meet with punish-
ment, mankind would deem the moral govern-
ment of the world abandoned, and each man
would feel himself justified in being an oppressor,
a tyrant, and a robber to the extent of his means.

We have no space to make any comments on
the report of the excellent meeting to comme-
morate the acquittal of HORNE TOOKE, HARDY,
and THELWALL, which appears in another part
of The sun. It has fully answered our expecta-
tions, and has Zone the cause of liberty good
service.
------ Ali

We concede to the masons the right of quit-
ting the service of any master they dislike from
any cause. We admit also, that they act within
the bounds of right, and with moderation, when
they fairly represent to other masons what they
consider objectionable in the conduct of any
master, and so induce them not to work for him.
But we cannot concede to them, nor to any men,
the right to dictate to a master, or to any other
man, whom he shall employ. That is interfering
with his business and his property.
Admitting that the masons have a right to re-
fuse to work for Messrs. GRISELL and PETO on
account of the tyranny of Mr. ALLEN, and a
right to endeavour, by fair representations, to