The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-20 00:00:00

in Spitalfields—one ship, though a large one—
(taking it metaphorically)—among a whole flee
And, suppose the Admiral of that fleet should
allow his ships in succession to perish for want
of timely help—and, in this life, time is every
thing—where would be the end of his fleet and
his command? The ocean of time would an-
swer, " Thou hast been an unwary pilot—come
and share the fate of those whom thou wouldst
not or couldst not protect. Thy race is run, be.
cause thou wouldst not take heed in season."
Even so is it with a great number of the poor
sufferers in SPITALFIELDS and other places—
they basked in the sunshine of prosperity, with-
out making due allowance for the shadows of
the coming night. Their hearts were so full of joy
and gratitude—it may be thoughtlessness—that
they supposed the flood-tide of prosperity would
roll on for ever. People running down the hill
of pleasure never dream of the difficulty of re-
covering their mountain ground of independence !
The flood-tide of enjoyment leaves them on
the dry sands of adversity, where they remain
—to pine and starve !
From such extremity, Providence has wisely
ordained, that one portion of society should,
in brotherly kindness, relieve the other. In
the present case that is being done, and done
w"th spontaneous generosity.—" By whom?"—
" Ask not—but, go and do thou likewise !'
But if thou wilt have value for thy charity—
know that the Citizens of London bestow their
benevolence without value and without price I"
With them—Virtue is its own reward.

Since our appeal of yesterday to the charity
of the humane, we are gratified to learn that the
LORD MAYOR has offered his cordial support to
relieve the distressed; in which he has been most
unanimously supported by the CORPORATION of
London, Aldermen and Sheriff; included. With
such a respectable body, the only question is,
who shall do roost?

In another column, we insert with pleasure
.Isro letters, addressed by that ardent friend of
liberty Mr. Ti ICHOLSON to the LORD MAYO 4
and to this Journal. Mr. NICHOLSON is pleased
lo give us the honour of originating this good
-work in the cause of charity, but we beg respect-
fully to disclaim it. Our maxim has been, and
ever will be, " Honour to whom honour is due."
We may have thought of such a possibility,
and we did ; but we gave it no publicity—we
were pondering over it, when Mr. THORNBORROW,
the active friend of the distressed, called our
reflections into being. We have no other merit
but that of endeavouring to do our duty.
After all, the question is not, in a cause of
benevolence, who was the first to originate a
good idea, but who was the readiest

to contribute his mite according to his
means. One may knock at the door of
charity without hope, because the house is
empty—but it happened to be our fortune to
touch the door of human kindness when the
heart was full ; and behold the result I—the ME-
TROPOLIS outspreads her arms to clothe the
naked and to feed the hungry. This is not our
merit, but her benevolence!

The scheme for transporting the people on a
large scale, in order to put an end to Corn-law
agitation, to which we have called public atten-
tion, finds great favour with a large body of per-
sons in the City of London. To their disgrace,
and to the eternal dishonour of a metropolis that
was wont to take the lead in every good cause,
they have never given the repeal of the bread
tax the least assistance. They have, however,
got up a requisition to the LORD MAYOR to call
a public meeting, and have prepared resolutions,
with a view to petition the QUEEN and the Par-
liament to promote emigration. We never
doubted that numerous classes, such as are de-
scribed in the letter of our Leicester Correspon-
dent, would be most desirous to promote the
scheme. By every kind of loan or Government
expenditure, these gentlemen find their advan-
tage; and to borrow money partly from them to
carry out labourers to fertilize the untilled lands
they have acquired, or expect to acquire, in the
colonies, is a scheme abounding in attractions.
Looking on emigration, when voluntary, as
essential to the national prosperity, we shall regret
to see it jobbed by landlords and money lords, to
stifle the piercing demands of the bread-taxed
people.

Since the world began, the history of mankind
has been, on a large scale, a history of migra-
tions. The go-ahead system which has been
latterly spoken of as peculiarly characteristic of
the Anglo-Americans, in contrast to the some-
what stationary population of Europe, is as old
as the dispersion at Babel. In obedience to the
command, Increase, multiply, and replenish the
earth, the generations of men spread themselves
gradually over its surface, one empire being
destroyed and another founded as the successive
-;vaves of population rolled over and impelled
one another, and, as they came from different
directions, crossed and were jumbled together in
' one destructive confusion. We consider migra-
tion, therefore, to be natural to man, and as ne-
cessary to the welfare of his race, and the ful-
filment of the great purposes for which he has
been created, as the continued propagation of the
species. We make no objections to emigration ;
we rejoice to see the time-honoured name and
noble language of Britons spreading over the
whole world ; but we protest against the Govern-
ment undertaking to promote it as a remedy for
the existing distress. We shall protest at all
times against Government meddling with the
matter; but to meddle with it in order to
get rid of the difficulties which at present result
from improper legislation, deserves the most
earnest opposition.
The Government is already overwhelmed with
business, and all that it undertakes, from consti-
tuting a National Church to issuing an Exche-
quer bill, is done so as to disappoint the public
hopes. It seems for ever trying a 'prentice hand
on same new scheme which never succeeds. It is
the most vague, gigantic, unfeeling projector that
ever existed, carrying its crude schemes into exe-
cution—whether they relate, like the present in-
trigues of Louis PHILIPPE, to an ambitious ex-
tension
of external influence and power, or, like
the existing Corn-law, to some supposed aggran-
disement of a
lives and Propcelratsys,atthheomhee—altaht thanedexplaepupsienoefs'stle
or
the people. We are, on principle, decidedly op-
posed—contrary,
we know, to the Frenchified
disposition which
the operations of Government.
With
now unhappily prevails—
to
extendingation it has hitherto had little to do,
emigration
mg r
and it ought to be repelled if it endeavour to
' make that subservient to its
purposes.
Our great master, and we know none of his
disciples who have yet equalled him in sagacity,
taught us this important precept : Tit,
STATESMAN," said Dr. ADAM SMITH, " WHO
SHOULD ATTEMPT TO DIRECT PRIVATE PEOPLE IN

WHAT MANNER THEY OUGHT TO EMPLOY THEIR
CAPITALS, would not only load with himself a
most usnecessary attention, but ASSUME AN
AUTHORITY WHICH COULD SAFELY BE TRUSTED
NOT ONLY TO NO SINGLE PERSON, BUT TO NO
COUNCIL OR SENATE WHATEVER, and which
would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands
of a man who had folly and presumption enough
to fancy himself fit to exercise it." What, how-
ever, is a scheme of emigration in the hands of
a Government but an assumption of authority to
direct private people in what manner to employ
their capitals? The Government has no ca-
pital, and in the proposed case would do this:
It would assume the direction of a capital tanta-
mount to the sum it borrowed, and would
undertake to direct all who must use
and all who must be sustained by that capital, to
employ their industry and to use that capital in