The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-24 00:00:00

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented a petition
from Dissenters at Homerton, praying the House to
hdopt, without delay, such measures as might tend to
stop the advance of what they believed to be impending
national misery and ruin. The Noble Marquis said he
would take that opportunity to express his concern that
her Majesty's Ministers were not prepared to enter upon
the important inquiry to which the late amended ad-
dress to her Majesty in some degree pledged that House,
because he was convinced that it would have been the
duty of Parliament to have gone into such inquiry.
Finding, however, that her Majesty's Ministers were
not prepared to do so, it was not his intention to elicit
then any discussion on the subject. He should there-
fore merely move that the petition be laid upon the table.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said he thought if the
Noble Lord had reflected for one moment, he must have
seen that it was impossible at that time to enter into any
inquiry of the nature alluded to between that time, and
the probable termination of that Session of Parliament.
Their Lordships than adjourned to Monday next.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE DAILY PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.

GLOBE.---If the journals in the interest of the newly-
installed Ministry are to be believed, the people are so
intoxicated with joy at the change of Government, that
they regard the visitation cf commercial distress and
general starvation as very trifling matters, when compared
with the vast advantages which cannot fail to accrue to
them from having Sir Robert Peel substituted for Lord
Melbourne. The meetings which have been held, or are
about to be held, in the several districts of the metro-
polis, and in almost every provincial town, for the
purpose of petitioning the Queen not to prorogue Par-
liament until it shall have taken the severe and widely-
spreading distress of the country into consideration,
with a view to its relief, are not, it seems, to be re-
garded as militating against the gratifying fact, that the
people are perfectly contented with their lot, or at
least resigned to their fate, which they are quite willing
to endure for the time required by the Premier and his
colleagues, or for as much longer as they, in their wisdom
and humanity, may deem fit, rather than the Govern-
ment should be embarrassed, or its Chief inconvenienced
by being compelled to develop his plans, and, possi-
bly, estrange some of his colleagues by the announcement.
Hence we are assured that these meetings are chiefly,
if not altogether. composed of persons whose general ap-
pearance indicates that they form a portion of those
classes of the community on whom the Corn-laws press
with rigorous severity; on whose families, diminished
wages and dear bread entail privation of necessary sus-
tenance, and the gradual sacrifice of those articles of
furniture and clothing to which the poor generally
cling with fond tenacity, and seldom part with until
want compels that the less necessary chattels and gar-
ments be pawned or sold, to obtain food, which is
absolutely essential to the preservation of life. No
wonder that such sufferers from the operation of
the " insane and cruel policy" which diminishes employ-
went, and consequently the wages of labour, while it
raises the price of food, should attend, aye, and form,
too, the principal portion of the audience at meetings
convened for the purpose of conveying a knowledge of
their sufferings to the Sovereign ; nor will it excite sur-
prise if their hands be " unwashed," and their dress
" tattered !"

STANDARD.—The speech of Lord Stanley upon his
re-election will be read with pleasure and long remem-
bered. The Noble Lord's vindication of his consistency
was triumphant. We have, however, reason to be a
little jealous with a part of it. The Noble Lord
quoted the testimony of M. Duvergier de Hauranue
as to his, Lord Stanley's, Conservative opinions so
long ago as 1826—we can quote a better testimony of
an earlier date, the testimony of Lord Stanley him-
self, in his speech upon Mr. Hume's motion against
the Irish Church in 1824 upon which speech we
remarked at the time, that, whatever he might
himself think of the matter, Mr. Stanley, as a
scholar, gentleman, and Christian, was a Tory
in principle, and that, either sooner or later, a
Tory he must declare himself. The observation,
as we remember, involved us in a short controversy
with the Examiner. We are not quite sure
whether the speech of 1824 referred to was not
the firt speech delivered by Lord Stanley in Parliament,
but it certainly was one of the first ; and the statesman
who, at the end of seventeen years, is found acting the
part of which his outset gave so clear a promise, must be
convicted of inconsistency by some stronger evidence
than his relation to this or that party. Lord Stanley's
opinions, in 1824, were the opinions (we are not
speaking of the practice) of the Tory party for the
last half century—the opinions of the present Con-
servative party. It was merely an accident that sepa-
rated him from that party, and he is only taking his
tural and proper position in its ranks, or rather among
its leaders. The part of the Noble Lord's late speech
that regards the Corn-law question is complete as an
argument. But what of that ? What do the mill-owners
of the League care for argument ? They can hire for a
few shillings a-day their Aclands and their Smiths, with
organs of speech, and that is quite sufficient for
them. They who are too stupid or ignorant to
comprehend a reasoning process themselves, will not
appreciate the value of it addressed to others. Noise is
all they want, and of that they can buy a cheap penny-
worth with Aclands and Smiths in the market. If de-
monstration could silence the mill- owners of the League
and their hirelings, they would hare been .silent long
since. 'We rejoice to say, however, that reasoning has
not been lost upon the people. We rejoice, too, to think,
that by the questions they have moved, the mill-owners
have caused the development of some truths which they
had no design to bring to light, but which must prove of
immense value to the nation.

COURIER.—The most substantial and precious ho-
mage which can be paid to the importance and influence
of a public man, is perhaps not that which manifests
itself to the number of his friends, in the deference with
which they receive his opinions, or the warmth
and intensity of the feelings of admiration and
esteem with which they regard his character and
abilities. These doubtlessly bespeak him a man of mark
and consequence in the estimation of his party ;
they evince confidence in his integrity, and a
just appreciation of his intellectual pre-eminence, suffi-
ciently grateful we admit to those occupying a prominent
place in public life, and attracting a corresponding por-
tion of public attention. But that which bears upon its
front the fullest impress of sincerity, which most strongly
and strikingly attests the weight of his influence, the
vastness of his capacity, is what is wrung from oppo-
nents, from those
" Who hate and dread him too"
in the shape of spiteful vituperation and malignant
calumnies ; and, if ever the unvarying continu-
ance of attacks originating in spleen, envenomed by
party rancour, and prompted and pointed by perfidy
and falsehood, bespoke the importance of two
pudbli Lcer
oftheseSirgifted James Graham
dis-
tinguished men have been assailed by every species of
abuse, and with every kind of weapon ; imaginations
amdens,taintle is) ~ in tFleire
years cage
fertile in calumny have exhaused themselves in pouring
forth foul and opprobrious epithets against them. A
large, though fortunately not a very influential, section
of our Contemporaries seem to think their daily labours
unfinished unless seasoned by an attack Of some kind
or other on either of these two statesmen. And even
when freed from the fear of retaliation, when unawed
by the certainty of requital, Whig leaders have not
scrupled to vent their puny scarcasms, and direct their
small insinuations against those who had abandoned
their company, as soon as they found they could not con-
tinue the alliance which early associations had formed,
without compromising their characters and acting
traitors to their convictions.

SIIIPVING INTELLIGENCE.
(LLOYD'S.)
SOUTHAMPTON, SEPT. 2 I.—The Amanda, from Nantes
to this port, is totally wrecked near the former place.
CAsmorowN, ISLE OF MAN, SEPT. 21.—The Lavinia,
from Charleston to Whitchaven, has put into Derby
Haven, with loss of topmasts, and 5 feet water in her
hold, having struck or. South Island.

VESSELS SPOKEN WITII.—The Naride, Gauclaloupe
to Marseilles, 26th ult., lat. 37, lon. 44, by the Afrique,
arrived at Havre. Thomas Dickinson, Marseilles to
Calcutta, 26th July, lat. 4 S., lon. 26 ; Vigilant, of Li-
verpool, 29th, lat. 1 S., lon. 25, by the llelena, arrived
at Cowes. Constellation, 18th inst., lat. 51, lon. 8, by
the Highlander, arrived at Liverpool.

FRIENDSHIP.—Thou may'st be sure that he
that will in private tell thee thy faults is thy friend, for he ad-
ventures thy diilike, arid duth hazard thy hatred, for there
are few men that can endure it ; every man, for the most part,
delighting in self-praise, which is one of the most universal
follies that bewitcheth mankind.--Sir Walter Raleigh.