The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-29 00:00:00

F.P.OST, WILLIAMS, AND JO ES.

TO THE EDITOR OF TILE SUN.

Sta,---I trouble you sviih a letter, aartly because you
have on many occasions been kind in admitting thy coma
munications, but principally because, as you may have
seen, my late associations have put me in the way of
knowing something of the feelings connected with the
subject designed, And that subject,3 te Lao to it at once, 15
the policy or impolicy of putting in effect the santance re-
corded against the prisoners of Newport.
There can be no doubt, with those who have eyes to MC,
that there is at this moment a mighty movement going on
within this land, which neither princes nor ministers can
prevent, but which a wise Government, like a skilful pliya
sician, might do much to modify and to useful purposes
control. There is no secret in the matter ; the hearts of
the labouring classes, with vs horn must in the end be the
show of hands also, are set upon an increase o; political
power, and they know that no man alive dares pro-
mise cr prophecy they will not get it. This sen-
timent, as was the case in France, is mingled with much
fierce feeling against the aristocracy and clergy ;
whom, sometimes with cause perhaps and sometimes
without, they consider as the temporal and spiritual divi-
sions of the enemy they suffer from. There is no use in
asking how much of this is as it ought to be; the symptom
for the political physician, is thst it is there. In this
situation of things, conies an ill-advised, ill-digested, ill-
conducted appeal to physical force ; utterly unjustifiable
on the ground of necessity or right, upon the 'broad axiom
that physical opposition should be reserved at all events
for cases where the offensive is taken by a Goya, nrnent.
The attempt totally fails ; not a single life is lost in con-
sequence, except among the assailants. The feeble de-
monstrations at support in other parts of the country, show
nothing but the nothingness of the whole design, and
its entire incompetency to promote purposes of the authors,
Three of the icadeis, not without considerable doubt on the
subject being expressed by the Judges who tried them, are
brought within the capital sentence of the law, by the verdict
of a jury who at the same time couple their verdict with a
recommendation to mercy. I pass over the inquiry, how
the same judges who had just been tempting the jury to
acquit of tha capital offence, came to turn round and en-
gage that no mercy should be administered upon their re
commendation. The judges are not popular ; and need
not be. But I ask the question, whether a Whig Govern-
ment, with all that is behind them and all that is before,
will commit themselves to the startling impolicy, of making
themselves the scapegoats for the people's discontent, and
' dabbling their Royal Mistress's robe with blood on the eve
of a ceremony, which as long as we are monarchical we
have a right to claim as the holiday of mercy by the custom
of thrones. Why should they be ambitious to lay three
bloody heads between their mi-tress and her wedded
lover ? And from the people, what are they to obtain ?
The imputation of useless cruelty, to gratify the portion
of the Aristocracy and Clergy whom our popular belief re•
presents as bawling for blood. The Ministers who shall
do it, will be saddled with it as with a personal act ; and
the sufferers, who at all events killed nobody, will go down
in popular memory with Cobbett's famous " Joseph Cook
of Micheldever, who was hanged for striking Binghamßar-
ing and doing him no bodily harm." It will be a declar-
ation of war to the knife, between the Ministers and that
vast numerical portion of the public who have sympathies
with the destroyed. I boldly maintain here, and myriads
as ill hold up their hands in support of it on any opportu-
nity, that the political ptisoner who is found guilty by a
Jury with a recommendation to mercy, is not found guilt)
of the act to which the law has attached the penalty of
death ; and that if he is put to death, it is not by direction
of the law, but for the will and pleasure of some Judge,
or sonic Minister acting upon the same imperfect views
of expediency or revenge, which in other cases induce
men against ia,v to imbue their hands in the blood of their
fellows. H. ads, Sir, are dangerous bowls to play with,
and they that begin that sport must take the conse-
quences. I wish solemnly, whether if in the unrolling of
the great sheet of God's Providence, there should be before
us a repetition of the worst par; of France's revolution,
these who began the game of heads and mangled limbs
ought not to be the unpiticd v:ct ms of the precedent they
I have set.

But there are other reasons why the Government
s'sould think. The misguided portion of the people have
prove.' themselves any thing but formidable. They have
si nply dernonstr ited to Europe, that in the power of
coping with regular troops, the people on this side the
water are inferior to their neighbours the French, in
the overwhelming ratio of two thousand to ono. Such an
asertion may rease,nably call fur proof. Three hundred
men turned out in the streets of Paris. without arms but
what they were to seize from the shops and such military
posts as they might be able to disarm, and for several
sucgcssive days they held out against three thousand troops,
and only submitted when it was clear they were cut off
f. oin all support or supply ; an inferiority in numbers,
of one to ten. Six thousand men at Newport assuming
the offensise, were utterly routed and put down by a post
of thirty infantry. The feeling is unenviable which can
find matter for " rollicking" exultation in the circumstance
o: the troops being of this country or of that ; but the fact
stands fast. A superiority in numbers, of two hundred to
one; which combined with the inferiority of ten to one in
the other case, wilt make I believe two thousand to one at
Woolwich. It is true, there might be a portion of acci-
dent about the whole. If three old peninsular sergeants
had been moved to bike the lead, the first results
might possibly have been different. A people is
never to be too absolutely contemn:A. But still
the Ministry have not the plea under which nine-
tenths of the cruelties under the sun are commit-
ted—fear. They have nothing to be afraid of, but
themselves. On other grounds, too, the occasion is most
inviting. A new chance has sprung up, within the week,
for wintaining themselves against all opponents, if they
would only condescend to take advantage of the changes
in the public breeze. The Bishop of Exeter his nailed
them to their places for at least a twelvemonth. To
speak feelingly, and how else is a man to speak at all, the
day befcrc that speech, had I been a Member of Parlia-
ment at liberty to vote at my own choice, I would most
certainly have voted against the Ministers or, a motion of
want of confidence ; but the day after, as certainly not,
and I am persuaded there are many who share the feeling.
Though we may have a devil, there must be a decent care
not to unseat him at the expense of bringing in seven won e
than himself. The Bishop of Exeter has poked the seven pair
of horns in cur faces, and whisked the tails in our eyes.
The inquisition is up and before us ; and every man who
has a touch'of feeling on the score of religious liberty, mast
crowd round a Whig Government now, through terror of a
worse. The Methodists must be fools and dolts, if they
do not see that if one society is illegal because it is sup.
ported by twopences,; another is that is supported by a
penny ; and that all attempts to keep them quiet are only
so many promises to eat them last. There arc myriads of
men who love not Lord John Russell, but who will fly into
his bosom to escape the new St. Dominick. The bishop
has done the decd.

On the way in which the Ministers might effect
the act of mercy with grace and safety, there
is happily no difficulty at all. Edward VI., though cut
off in his blossom, has yet a niche in history, becausa he
wept when told he must sign the writ for the execution of
a heretic. lied he resisted to the end, his place would
have been doubly high. The Whigs, too, in their gone•by
history, have shown themselves not inaccessible to the
kriuwledge of the occasional advantages of f:,rhearance.
The r•ro.e poetry of Redgauntlet has eternised the memory
of the celebrated instance, in 1753, where the represen-
tative of a hostile house and his adherents assembled, were
permitted • o withdraw upon their simple promise to depart.
The French Government will not put tha extreme penalty
in force against a political offender, because it dares not
contrast itself too strongly with the conduct of the French
people in their victory of July. Why are we to be behind
the nations of the earth, and see ourselves spattered with
blood for political offences, after other countries have abo-
lished the dog-like practice.
For the reason given in the outset, I shall neither write
myself '• Vindex " nor " Britannicus," but rem
Sir, your obedient servant,
T. PERRONET THOMPSON.
Clifton, Jan. 28, 1840.

CAUTION TO MINISTERS.

TO THE EDITOTi OF THE SUN.

SIR-I most heartily concur in the opinion you express
in your paper of the Pith instant, and earnestly hope that
yout, and all members of the Liberal Press, will urge upon
Ministers the absolute necessity of attending to the Cor-
dition•of-England Question in preference to all others.
If Ministers wish to prevent any further outbreaks aid
massacres, let them immediately, and without any hesita-
tion, propose the following measures:-
1. The repeal of the Corn-laws.
2. The repeal of the very few objectionable clauses in
the new Poor-law.
3. The repeal of the Septennial Act, making the dura-
tion of Parliaments five years, but which in practice would
be four 3cars.
4. The relief of Dissenters from Church-rates.
5. Irish Municipal Reform, to be in all respects. the
same as in England.
6. The Reform of the Criminal Laws. The law of
treason is a disgrace to the rev st barbarous age, and better
suited for n nation of savages than for enlightened Christians.
Let Ministers boldly, honestly, and openly, propose
these measures, and there be no fear of the selfish
landlords, or self represented House of Peers; if opposed,
let them dissolve Parliament, and let " No Corn-laws"
be the rallying cry of all honest men and Reformers.
I trust Ministers will not propose more than 21,0001.
per annum for Prince Albert ; there is no reason why the
allowance should exceed that granted to our own Royal
Princes. The pension granted to the Queen llawager,
was most unwise, extravagant; and preposterous.
Your most obedient Servant,
AN ENGLISH WHIG.

Jan. 21.

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

Yesterday a Court was held for the despatch of business.
Alderman VENAIILES stated that, as Chairman of the
Gaol Committee, M. begged leave, in the unavoidable ab-
sence of the Sheriff;, to present to the Court the reports
of the City Prisons. The reports were received.
A petition, signed by upwards of 100 fishermen of the
River Lea, complaining of an attack upon their long-esta-
blished privilege of picking winkles and muscles in certain
parts of the river, was referred to the City Solicitor, with
directions to take measures to protect the fishermen's privi-
leges.