The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-29 00:00:00

ZibiC AUL

LONDON:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1840.

The late attempt on the life of Louis PHILIPPE
has naturally turned much attention on him, and
the bulk of the press, both in England and on the
Continent, ha% e asserted in common that his is
now the most precious life in Europe. The peace
of tl►e world hangs on that. To the individual that
may be extremely flattering, but it is a condemna-

tiou of his Government. Sooner or later he must
die, and it is neither creditable nor satisfactory to
Europe to reflect that the peace of the world hangs
on a single life.

Eleven years ago no Prince in Europe was less
thought of than the then Duke of ORLEANS—
what has he done, or what has Europe since done,
that her destinies should now depend on his
breath ? He has mounted a throne, a powerful
nation has placed him at its head. He has altered
little or nothing in its institutions—he has had
comparatively little influence on its mode of life,
on its manner of thinking and living, and the pro-
bability would therefore seem to be whether Louis
PHILIPPE were living or not, and whether the
Syrian or some other question had kindled the
martial ardour of the French, that the peace of
Europe would be endangered by their disposition.
The wonder, perhaps, is, that peace should have
been preserved so long. Louis PHILIPPE has
indeed been anxious to preserve it, and though he
may, for a time, have kept down, or diverted the
warlike disposition of his people, he has not sub-
dued it. We conceive that this is a testimony to
the real weakness or badness of his system. He
has succeeded in most of his objects. He has sup-
pressed every emeute. He has carried every thing
his own way. He has obtained and cultivated the
friendship of the great Powers of Europe. His
ten years' reign has been a series of triumphs, on the
Tory principle, over his own people, and the result
is that France is threatened with a revolution at
home and war abroad. What a severe condemna-
tion for his successful government.
We are not sure that something similar may not
be noticed in England. The Government has put
down the Chartists ; the Church triumphs in her
revival ; the Aristocracy glories in its Corn-law;
nevertheless, they are all alarmed, and all tremble
lest there should be war abroad and commotion at
home.

We are inclined to infer from those and other
circumstances, that the coercive systems, which have
been for the time as successful as their supporters
could wish, are erroneous. For twenty-five years
the two countries have been at peace, in which

time the institutions of both countries might have
been adapted to the people, and their communica-
tion might have been cultivated into lasting friend-
ship. There is more intercourse between Dover
and Boulogne, than between Dover and Leith.
There is no reason, therefore, except the different
laws and different political systems, which estrange
the inhabitants of one coast of the Channel from the
inhabitants of the other, why they should not be as
friendly as ate the inhabitants of the English coast on

the Channel with those of the Scotch coast on the
North Sea. The abolition of a few noxious regu-
lations which harrass individuals in both countries,
and impede their commercial relations, would pro-
bably have sufficed to make the French peaceful,
and the English friendly. It has been otherwise
ordered. The Governments of both countries have
done nothing to promote their mutual commerce ;
but by continual armaments and preparations for
war, and jealous watchfulness, they have done a
great deal to foster their mutual animosity, and en-
courage their warlike dispositions. The press of
both countries, particularly the Tory press here, and
the Revolutionary press there, have been even more
jealous than the Governments. Nuw the people,
at least of France, are not to be held ; internal re-
volution and foreign war are dreaded, and the Go-
vernments of both countries are disparaged.
It will not do, on such a question, to claim for a
Government all the merit of whatever prosperity
may be achieved, and ascribe all the perils which
fall on society to the disposition of the people, or
to that more convenient scape-goat, dame Nature.
For the evil which befals society as well as the
good, for the crimes committed as well as for those
punished, for the wealth lost as well as for that
gained, the Government must be responsible. It
takes so much on itself, that it becomes answer-
able for the conduct of the people. If they hurry
into war, or nourish national animosities which
cause great calamities, either Government must ad-
mit its own powerlessness, or it must bear the blame
of all the mischief.

At the Surrey Sessions, yesterday, THOMAS
USHER and JAMES USHER, two little boys, aged
twelve and ten years, were indicted for stealing

seventeen pounds weight of lead, the property of

their father, who holds a situation under the Lib-
rarian of the Temple. Our readers will perhaps
remember this as the case. which we stigmatised at
the time of their committal, of a father being anxious
to provide for his children by sending them to
gaol. lie had yesterday. the boldness to appear
in court as the prosecutor of his two infants, in-

stead of begging them off, and offering himself to
be bound for their future good behaviour. On
being asked as to their general conduct, he said he
could not speak favourably of either, particularly
the youngest, a baby ten years old. In the course
of the examination, it appeared that the mother
of the children is dead, but the father is married
again, and his present wife has a situation in the
Temple as well as he has. They must be tolera-
bly well of, therefore, in worldly circumstances, yet

the children are neglected ; being neglected, they
got into mischief, and then the father, uu-
feelingly, consigned them to gaol. The Bench
of Magistrates took a proper view of the
case. After hearing some evidence, the Chair-
man said the children ought not to have been
brought there, if the children had been attended
to by their parents, the Court would have been
spared that sad exhibition. The Jury were of
opinion that the father had degraded himself. They
returned a verdict of not guilty, and severely cen-
sured the father. He was filially ordered to take
his children home, and treat them with more fatherly
care. We rejoice that he was unable to have his
children provided for, though as criminals, at the
expense of the country.
'1 here are not wanting several other examples,
such as a case at Stockport, of parents poisoning
their children to obtain the burial money, that
our population are becoming fast degraded to
the very lowest depths of Pagan immorality.
They seem now not much better than the
Chinese, as they are painted by strangers
and opponents. In the meantime the Church
flourishes and the Corn-law-making landowners