The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1841

be printed on the 29th of January, and was not
printed till the 26th of February, because the
Colonial-office had had it for revision. The irate
Prelate wished to have the printer called to the
bar, but contented himself with saying he would
ask an explanation to-day. Their Lordships then
adjourned.

In the Commons a considerable number of pe-
titions were presented, many of which were
against Lord STANLEY'S Bill, while Lord STAN-
LEY. presented one from Liverpool, signed by
27,000 persons, for the Bill, and objecting to Lord
MORPETH'S franchise. We are afraid Mr.
O'CoNNELL is right. At least, wherever bigotry
obtains an ascendancy, as at Liverpool, there his
countrymen are hated and politically persecuted.
He and they cannot cannot expect justice as long
as the influence of our intolerant priesthood is in
the ascendant.

In reply to Mr. MILNE, Viscount PALMER-
STON stated that Colonel STODART, detained at
Bokhara, was not yet released, though he
might have been, had he not declined to profit
by the intervention of the Envoy of a foreign
Power, not knowing that it was sanctioned by
his own Government.

Mr. LABOUCHERE gave notice of a motion on
March 8, relative to the Customs' duties on the
produce of our North American and West India
Colonies, we presume to remove the improper
restrictions which now exist on the conveyance
of that produce from one colony to another.
In answer to Lord MAHoN, Viscount PAL-
MERSTON stated that the negotiations about in-
ternational copyrights had not yet led to any
results.

In reply to Lord ELIOT, the Noble Viscount
said, 1:e believed a note had passed from the Aus-
trian Minister to the Swiss Diet, relative to the
suppression of Convents in Switzerland.
On Lord MORPETII moving the second reading
of the Irish Voters Bill, Lord STANLEY moved
that it be read a second time that day six
months. Lord STANLEY spoke for three hours
against the Bill, and in favour of his amendment.
His opposition was chiefly founded on the en-
franchising clause, which was tacked to the re-
gistration. Of course the Noble Lord was vitu-
perative of the Government, clamorous against
the Bill, and insulting as usual to the people who
would not patiently submit to his odious tyranny.
One passion was visible from the beginning to
the end of the Noble Lord's speech—hatred
to the Catholics of Ireland ; one object
was palpable throughout, that of replacing
them under the hateful domination which they
have since 1829 been gradually- throwing off.
Formerly the Irish were persecuted, and denied
political rights, because they were Catholics.
Lord STANLEY would now take away theirrights,
and deny them any reasonable franchise, because
they are poor, and, as he says, perjurers. The
details as to rates, the number of voters, &c. &c.,
into which the Noble Lord largely entered,
making: almost imperceptible mole hills into
mountains, to arrest the march of justice, are less
useful, and not half so pleasant, to read as the fic-
tions of a novelist. The Noble Lord avowed
that the landlords of England were ready to
give votes to their tenants, because they can
command their votes, and they are the landlord's
slaves, while he objects to giving votes to the
tenants of Ireland, because they are not the serfs
or slaves of the Orange landlords. The soil
of Ireland, as has been said, is Protestant, the peo-
ple are Catholic ; and Lord STANLEY avows that
he denies justice to the living people for the sake
of the dead Protestant clods. In fact, the land-
owners claim the whole community, people and
all, as theirs, and ask, by the mouth of Lord
STANLEY, if they may not do what they like with
their own. The Tories are, of course, quite de-
lighted with Lord STANLEY, he spoke after their
own hearts, lie bravely expounded their own
principles, and they cheered him vociferously.
Mr. C. WOOD having last year opposed the
Government, had great pleasure this year, as he
approved of remedying the greater evil of an un-
defined franchise, as well as the lesser evil of an
imperfect registration, in supporting the Bill.
HiA candour served to reflect light on the per-
verse malignity of Lord STANLEY. He professed
himself not friendly to an indefinite extension of
the franchise, and intimated that he only voted
for the principle of founding the franchise on
being rated to the poor, and left the amount at
which it should be fixed to be settled in the
Committee. He had no wish to disturb the ar-
rangement of power settled by the Reform Act ;
but he was not to be pinned down to its four cor-
ners. He thought it most unwise to legislate
against the feelings of a people, and thought the
Noble Lord should allow the Bill to go into
Committee.

Mr. LITTON opposed, and Mr. FITZPATRICK
supported, the Bill.

Mr. LUCAS explained that he had never meant
to recommend a rating to the poor as the basis
of the franchise, though he had been so under-
stood. The Honourable Gentlemen also found
out a new principle in political science, namely,
that the best way to secure a perfect representa-
tion is to have a very small number of electors.
Lord MORPETII followed Mr. LUCAS, and
made a powerful and amusing speech in favour
of his own measure, and against that of Lord
STANLEY. He very happily ridiculed the Noble
Lord sighing over lost Coercion Bills, and
hurrying to a fight, because he had no joy
in a civic sceptre. He justified the attempt
to settle the franchise by referring to existing
disputes, and noticed the recent speech of Judge
CRA MPTON in reply to the speech of some other
Judge, as a convincing proof that things could
not remain as at present. When the Noble Lord
brought his observations to a close, Mr. Bno-
THERTON moved the adjournment, and at a Quar-
ter past Twelve the House adjourned.

The public at large will read with melancholy
regret the account of the loss of the outward-
bound American ship Governor Fenner, by a
collision with the steamer Nottingham, and the
loss of 122 human beings, hurried to an instant
grave. It appears by the accounts, that the
Governor Fenner was on the larboard tack, under
double-reefed topsails, the wind blowing fresh
from the S.S.W., when she saw the Nottingham
on her weather bow. The helm of the Gover-
nor ;Fenner was immediately put to port, or to
windward, so as not only to turn her head from the
steamer, but also to bring the wind more aft, and
increase the velocity of the ship during whatever
small interval might elapse between the first
putting up the helm and the collision. Unfor-
tunately, however, the helm of the Notting-
ham was put to starboard, which had a similar
effect on her, and both ships came into contact
under an increased impulse. The dreadful con-
sequence is before the readers, _ _

SVe are afraid that this accident may be in
part traced to the rules in existence. It is
one of them, that ships sailing with a fair
wind are to give way for those sailing on
a wind, that steam-ships are to be considered as
vessels sailing with a fair wind, and therefore to

give way to sailing vessels. Acting on this rule,
we presume the Nottingham put her helm tO
starboard and bore away, meaning to make way
tbr the sailing ship.
But there is another rule, that vessels on the
starboard tack shall keep their wind, and vessels
on the larboard tack bear away ; and in com-
pliance with this rule, the Captain of the Gover-
nor Fenner, not knowing, perhaps, that the
Nottingham was a steamer, or thinking only of
the rule for ships on the larboard tack to bear
away, put her helm a-port, and bore up. Each
vessel was guided according to a rule pre-
scribed, and the collision ensued. Far be it
from us to blame any parties under such dis-
astrous and terrible circumstances ; we would
only observe that the responsibility in such cases
rests in part with those who prescribe the rules.
One safe direction, which seems almost univer-
sally applicable, namely, that when collision is
apprehended, velocity should as speedily, and
as much as possible, be diminished, was, we are
afraid, violated by both vessels, for both seem
to have paid off, bringing the wind more aft, and
so increasing their speed.
The people on board the Nottingham hailed
the Governor Fenner to starboard her helm,
which was not done. Now, one of the general
regulations of the Trinity-house is that steam-
vessels shall pass each other on the larboard tide,
while the Nottingham meant to pass the Gover-
nor Fenner on the starboard side; and we recol-
lect that when those regulations were promul-
gated last year, a letter appeared in the papers,
stating that a different rule was already eztab-
fished amongst the vessels in St. George's Chan-
nel. By the people of the Nottingham calling
to the Governor Fenner to put her helm a-star-
board, they seem to have been acting on the old
rule, as well as on the rule of steamers making
way for sailing vessels. We hope that no ambi-
guity of the rules, which ought to be simple, clear,
and few, contributed to the great disaster. In
the darkness of night and thick weather it is
extremely difficult to act rightly with sufficient
promptness when two vessels approach each
other; and though some general rules are indis-
pensable, they never can be wholly substituted
for watchful, intelligent discretion. It is at the
same time clear that any rules which exist
should be prescribed by one authority, which
can cause them to be universally followed. We
may add, indeed, that the strongest of all motives 1
—that of self-preservation—influences all ship-
masters readily to adopt and acquiesce for the