The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-30 00:00:00

slightly, indicated. It is an astounding fact of itself,
that the Americans have 730 vessels engaged in the
trade, giving employment to 20,000 seamen. We
think Mr. ENDERBY deserves great credit for the
excellent manner in which he has brought under
public notice a matter of intrinsic national interest.

As to the temporary expedients, we can only say,
that no new public works are to be sanctioned; while
those in progress are to be concluded. An extended
sphere of duties is to be given to Relief Committees
for electoral divisions, who are to receive subscrip-
tions, levy rates, and obtain donations from the Go-
vernment, and therewith to distribute rations of soup
and other food to the destitute poor, allowing the
labouring men to work on their own plots of ground
or for the neighbouring farmers; the whole to be
under the control and superintendence of Sir Jogs
BURGOYNE. A sum of 50,0001. is also to be lent to
landlords for the purpose of procuring seed, to be re-
paid
before the 31st December next. The perma-
nent measures will require greater consideration than
we can afford them at present—which their vast im-
portance and probable effect on the future prospects
of the nation, its peace and tranquillity, imperatively
demand.

The citizens of Salisbury have set an excellent exam-
ple to the electors of England generally, and more
especially to the electors of all Cathedral towns. A
vacancy recently occurred in the representation of Salis-
bury, and, setting aside all the representatives of local
factions, rejecting all mere party politicians, they have
declared themselves the advocates of progress in the
best sense of the term, by electing as their representa-
tive one who has proved himself an admirable public
servant—one who, by his energy, perseverance, and in-
dustry, has benefited himself, and, by benefiting himself,
has at the same time benefited his humbler fellow-subjects
by enabling them to earn the wages of honest industry:
who, as chairman of the South-Western Company, has
shown his capacity for conducting public business: who,
as sheriff of London, has won golden opinions from all
sorts of men. Animated by the single desire of contri-
buting to the public, they have chosen Mr. Chaplin as
their representative, irrespective of mere party conside-
rations, and we trust that, at the next general election
many constituencies will return such men as Mr. Chaplin,

" animated by the single desire of contributing to the
public good." Such men are wanted in the House of
Commons. All honour, therefore, to the constituency
of Salisbury for the admirable choice they have made,
and may all other constituencies following their example,
eschew political adventurers, and elect men of business.
We refer our readers to a fuller report given in another 1
column.

The Madrid mail of the 22d has not arrived.

We received the Paris papers of Wednesday at a very
rate hour this morning.
The publication in their entirety of the documents re-
lating to the Spanish marriages has produced a most
damaging effect on the character of M. GUIZOT, and on
the prospects of the stability of his Ministry.
Many well-informed parties consider that, after
the exposure of his intrigues that has taken
place, his continuance in office will be impossible, inas-
much as no foreign power can safely enter into nego-
tiations with a Minister who has shown himself so
utterly wanting in good faith as M. GUIZOT has done
throughout these transactions.
The deficiency in the last wheat harvest of France is
I greater than was at first supposed. According to the
Journal des _Wats, it will be necessary, in order to

The proceedings of Parliament during the brief
period of the present session that has already elapsed,
exhibit a remarkable contrast to the usual and
accustomed course. A greater amount of business
has been transacted, more important propositions have
been submitted to the Legislature than has ordinarily
been the case in as many weeks as there have been
sitting-days since their meeting. Two measures have
already passed through both Houses, and received the
Royal assent, which, although limited in their du-
ration, are calculated to confer vast benefit on the
public in general ; and, strange to say, although they
interfere materially with the interests of two great
and influential parties, they have been suffered to pass
almost sub silentio, without a single voice being raised
in deprecation, or a single Member attempting an
opposition. A general truce appears to have been
proclaimed, party tactics and party warfare for once
have been wanting. The extraordinary nature of the
emergency has silenced the most fastidious caviller
and Whig and Tory, Free-trader and Protectionist,
Conservatist and Radical unite in according to the
Government the tribute of admiration, which the tone
of their statements, the spirit of their propositions,
and their manifest desire to meet the extraordinary
difficulties of their position, in an enlightened and
statesmanlike manner, so eminently deserve, and appear
to be animated with a sincere desire to judge each
measure on its intrinsic merits. And, although there
may be some slight differences as to the details, the
general features of the Ministerial propositions have
hitherto been received with almost unanimous appro-
bation.

The magnificent statement of Lord Joux RUSSELL
on Monday evening, setting forth the Ministerial
views with respect to Ireland, and the projects by
which it is hoped that the social state and condition
of that unhappy land may be permamently ame-
liorated, and her destitute inhabitants provided with
their daily bread during the continuance of the
famine that has reduced the strength and prostrated
the physical energies of the sufferers, presents so
wide a field, so great a variety and abundance of
topics, all worthy of the fullest discussion, that the
mind is bewildered, and feels a difficulty in selecting
from the ample store of materials the points to which
it will first direct its attention—each appears to be
most pressing—until it is displaced by some other of
more paramount importance. It is valuable, not
merely from the enactments which it shows to be in
contemplation, but also from what it expressly
negatives the intention of bringing forward; from the
principles it enunciates and those it repudiates. It
deals with the temporary provision for present
exigencies and the means for the future regeneration
of the people, for affording them a lasting prosperity,
and averting, as far as human foresight is capable of
doing, the possibility of the recurrence of such
harrowing scenes of misery and wretchedness as have
been exhibited in the sister kingdom within the lust
few months. The House felt the necessity of some
breathing time before they could enter into the calm
and deliberate consideration of the several matters,
and the discussion was by common consent adjourned
until Monday next, in order that the Members may
have full time to reflect on it in all its. bearings. We
alluded briefly yesterday to some of its propositions—
to some only, for it was manifestly impossible within
the space that could be devoted to any subject in a
daily journal to advert, however slightly or passingly,
to all its comprehensive details.

His Lordship brought before the House the general
state of Ireland, its present condition, the motives by
which the Government was influenced in bringing
forward what is generally termed the Labour-rate
Act, and what bad taken place under that statute and
the other enactments in force—how far these several
measures had succeeded, and where they had failed,
and the causes of that failure. There was no desire
to cast blame on any parties, or to reproach them,
either for omissions or commissions, but there was a
perfect justification of the Executive, and the clearest
evidence afforded of the gigantic nature of their
exertions, without which the destitution and suffering
would have been fearfully augmented. The numbers
of persons employed on the public works, amounting
to half a million of labourers, the staff engaged in
superintending the labour of that vast number show-
ing no less than 11,587 persons so occupied ; two and
a half millions, or nearly one-third of the entire
population of Ireland, supported by advances from
the national exchequer of from 7,000,0001. to
8,000,000/, sterling per month ; presentments amount-
ing in the whole to 2,410,2161., a moiety of which is
to be defrayed by the public, and the remaining half
only to be repaid by the landowners in the several
districts by easy instalments—all attest the anxiety
of the Government to mitigate the evil, to make the
burden fall as lightly as possible on the proprietors of
the soil. His Lordship at the same time explicitly
warns the landlords of the necessity of great exertion
their own parts, and the danger of hoping or expect-
ing too much from any Government; they must fully
discharge their duties incidental to their own posi-
tion, and assist the Government and Legislature by
their cordial co-operation in carrying into execution
the measures that may be adopted.