The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-10 00:00:00

PIIIIL/C OPINION.

The Morning Post, with its wonted disregard of
truth, accuses Ministers of having proposed an alteration
in the Corn-laws with no other view than to trick the
people, observing—‘. They hit upon an alteration of the
Corn -law, and an extended application in other matters
of the principles of free trade, as the talisman by means
of which they thought they could charm the people of
England out of all memory of what had passed, and all
power of understanding what was to come. They cheated
not the people, but themselves. The bait was not swal-
lowed." No other charge can be brought against Minis-
ters than that of having been much too dilatory in bring-
ing forward their remedial measures. They should have
proposed them at least four years ago. It is their hav-
ing failed to do so that has occasioned the present gene-
ral feeling of distrust towards them. As for trickery,
there is none in the case. The Tories monopolise this.
The Advertiser is quite decided on the subject of
the abolition of the Corn monopoly. Down it must go,
observes our Contemporary. " The force (he adds)which
at this moment is pitted in antagonism to the Corn-laws,
is the force of necessity—a force so stern and unrelent-
ing, as inevitably and at once to crush into atoms what-
ever power may dare to oppose it. Not more mad or
hopeless, should the approaching harvest prove deficient,
would be the effort to arrest the progress of the flowing
ocean, than will be the attempt, should it be made, in
the coming winter, to resist the demand for the extinc-
tion of the Corn monopoly. Down that monopoly must
go, and down must go the Government, aye, and fifty
adverse Governments, were it possible to form as many,
that dares attempt to support it."
The Times thus defines its notions on the Poor-law
Bill :—" We have urged, as we ever shall urge, in the
name of humanity and justice, the discontinuance of
a system which operates to the oppression of deserving
objects. We have said, and we say again, that those
who use a penal test are morally bound to discriminate,
and that the sweeping application of such a test to all
classes of paupers is an intolerable wrong. But what
then ?We did not suggest-that the administrators of
the law should therefore enter into a moral classification
of paupers, and apportion the degrees of relief to the
relative degrees of merit. We suggested, or rather we
demanded, in the name of the country, the immediate
abolition of the present penal test, as vicious in principle ;
and we insisted upon the necessity of substituting an-
other, which could be applied with equal uniformity to
all able-bodied applicants for relief, and which would be
quite as effectual in protecting the country against the
demands of the dissolute and the idle."

The Herald, in an article suggested by the present
state of Belgium, advocates the re-annexation of that
kingdom to Holland :—" The least excuse, or a lucky
accident, will, in all probability, if the progress of events
be undisturbed, restore the kingdom of the Netherlands,
as laid down in 1815, to the territorial settlement of
Europe. Now we venture to think that this quiet and
peaceable re-annexation would be an event desirable for
European peace and policy. The present position of
Belgium is not, as we have seen, advantageous to her-
self,
and it is perilous to Europe. There is no hope of
permanent stability for her existing situation." A " quiet
and peaceable re-annexation" is a manifest absurdity,
after the acrimonious spirit evinced by Belgium and Hol-
land towards each other, in 1830, and some years pre-
viously. That spirit is not yet mellowed down, nor is k
likely to be, for a long time to come.

The Chronicle describes the pres!ent state of the
country in these forcible terms, z---" Sir Robert Peel will
soon find that he has to enfnunter powers much more
formidable than the Combatants' of ' party interests.'
The principles of justice, and even of self-presetritioh,
are in the field against him. The blood ct humanity
is up, not for a party interest, but against an atro-
cious crime and a terrible calamity. Want is in our
streets and despair in our cottages. Forebodings
of riot and starvation are rising on the fancy.
The poison of monopoly is in the veins of the aoeid sys-
tem The protest of religion against oppression is re-
corded in Heaven. Whoever will rule In 'England must,
willingly or unwillingly, untax the people's bread.
No matter for votes, divisions, and party interests.
Relief is demanded by justice and humanity. The
cry will not relax for the sake of Whig or
Where, again we ask, is Sir Robert-Peers rem*ibr this
state of things ? The answer is ready. lie has no
time to think of one. He is busy reconciling differences
among his own party. He is engaged in the momentous
task of persuading Lord Stanley to practice the soothing
system. When he has done this—which we suspect he
will never do—he will then have leisure to prescribe
for the country. Was ever Minister so engaged at such a
crisis ?

MONEY-TRADE-COMMERCE.
The silver mines in the island of Sark are now said
to be yielding a lucrative return to the shareholders.
Eighty tons of silver were shipped off last week.
The Leeds Times observes that the decrease in our
woollen exports is most marked and striking in those
countries which may be characterized as corn-growing
countries, and whose most abundant produce our absurd
and ruinous restrictions prevent us taking in exchange for
our manufactures.

AGILICUL'rUItII.I.
The next meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society
is appointed to take place in Bristol,
The tenant pauperising system is again in full
vogue. It is announced, for example, that the Earl of
Lonsdale, at his last audit day, remitted from 20 to 25
per cent. to his tenants on their rent. Has he demanded
more from them than is just, or is the remittance the
price of their votes ? The Leibeigners of Germany,
are so named, we believe, as owning nothing but their
bodies. Lord Lonsdah's tenants seem worse than the
German Leibeigners, for they seem to own in integrity
and independence neither body nor soul.
Harvest has commenced in Bedfordshire, and wheat
was standing in shock at the latter erkd of the past week.
At Hereford the last week was very fickre; the hay
harvest is much injured. The hops, though they have