The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-11 00:00:00

land, because they think that England is on the eve of
a war with France, and they see no readier means of
kindling the war they desire than by murdering our
fellow-subject, under the abused forms of justice. Mr.
M‘Leod's mock trial has been fixed for performance in
this month of twenty-eight days, and Lord Palmerston
postpones his interposition on behalf of the menaced
victim from the Gth, when he admits to have been
fully apprised of his danger, to the 9th, so as to ren-
der it almost a moral impossibility that that in-
terposition shall not be too late. To pass by the fact,
that Lord Palmerston must have been well aware of
the facts long, very long before the 6th, whether
from unofficial or official intelligence, makes no dif-
ference, for official intelligence is required only
when a record is to be secured—to pass by, we
say, the neglect of that intelligence, which Lord
Palmerston must have had long, very long before
the 6th, the three days that he suffered to elapse
admit of no excuse,afor these three days may make
the difference of life or death as a felon to our brave
countryman—the difference of peace or war between
this empire and the United States. Had the peremp-
tory demand of Mr. M'Leod's liberation and safety
been expedited as it ought to hare been on the 6th
by a fast-sailing steamer, it might, according to the
average of the late passages, have reached Wash-
ington with tolerable certainty on the 24th or 25h,
and there would be just time to communicate with
Albany or Loekpert, whichever is the place of Mr.
M‘Leoci's imprisonment, before the end of the month.
By delaying for three da:.s, however, a step upon which
no true Englishman could hesitate a single moment, it
has been rendered all but impossible that the inter-
position of the English Government can be felt in
New York in any manner bejiire the month of Marcia,
it being resolved, as we have said, to sacrifice our
countrymen in the month of February, and this, ter-
rible as it is, is not the only ill cousequence of the
three days' delay. Tao American authorities and
the American populace cannot think the Government
of England very much in earnest in a matter upon
which they proceed thus leisurely. Promptitude
they know is the only sure proof of determination in
Cases of great injury or great danger ; and when they
see our Government thus dallying about the life of
one of the Queen's subjects, they will naturally con-
clude that they have not much to fear, although they
murder him. It is thus her Majesty's Ministers deal
with the lives of the people. How diferently do they
act where their party or their personal interests are con-
corned. When did they take three days to delibe-
rate upon sending down bribery fowls and a candidate
to an election contest, or peuse three days in exertion
to whip up their major ties of fives andiburs, and threes
end twos, in the House of Commons ? Where the
emoluments of office are in peril, there is no want of
promptitude or energy ; it is only when an English-
man's life or the peace of the empire is concerned,
that they can afford to yawn over the case for three
whole days.

(From the Globe.)
Lord Palmerston will he considered to have said all
he could say with prudence, respecting the " final and
conclusive instructions" to Mr. Fox on the case of Mr.
M'Leod. It is necessary that every werd and every act
should be measured and guarded, in transactions touch-
ing what may almost be termed separate and jealous
nationalities—as embarrassing to their own federal
government as to our colonists. We must make every
allowance for the very slignt nature of the system of
rule which individual and local impatience cf al re-
straint as yet admits in America ; and we must not be
in too great a hurry to look forward to a national quarrel,
whenever there is a border raid, with a spice of kidnap-
ping. A correspondent suggests to us—" Ask any oi*the
American gentlemen of this city what they think of the
matter, and you will find them refer you to the old
adage, that " Poverty sharpens the wits." The poor
owners of the Caie!ine would be glad to get payment
for their lost boat, by fair or by foul means ; and finding
that the buccaneers had nothing to give them but
the muskets they had stolen frum the Government
arsenals, they and their sympathisers' threaten largely,
and seize on an innocent person. It is impossible to
suppose for a moment that the great body of the Ame-
rican public partake in these " interest-begotten" pas-
sions and plots of the frontier ; but whatever may be said
about the omnipotent will of the majority, it is most
certain that, in America, as everywhere else—where
no sufficient central control has yet been established
—the tffeetive majority is the majority in motion
on any given spot, and not the majority either of the
minds or bodies of the whole community. For these cir-
cumstances we must make allowances ; and while, of
course, we can yield no point of justice, affecting the
life or liberty of the most obscure British subject, we
must appreciate the difficulties of the Federal Govern-
ment in dealing with the independent and uncontrolled
spirit of a growing people. We are glad to find our
Government firm and distinct in asserting the right ;
but we would not have our countrymen look forward to
hostile consequences from misunderstandings inevitably
surviving the recent disturbances.
(From the Courier.)
The explanations of Lord Palmerston yesterday in
the Commons' House were so incomplete and evasive on
a question touching more nearly t'ann all others the ho-
nour of the country, and so felt and reprehended by all
reflecting; persons both in and out of the House, as to
induce Lord Stanley to bring the subject once more
forward last evening, and endeavour to pin the slippery
Secretary to something like a plain statement of the
actualities of the case. Although dodged with some per-
severance by Members on both sides of the House,the No-
ble Secretary of the Foreign Office contrived, by turning
and doubling artfully, to avoid being earthed, and even
when hardest pushed at the last managed to carry off his
brush not materially damaged by the friendly curs in his
own neighbourhood, who pressed upon him most sorely.
This will be best understood by the order of proceedings.
After certain preliminary remarks directed to another
branch of the subject, Lord Stanley said he had speci-
fically asked, " whether her Majesty's Government
had taken any, and, if any, what steps for the liberation
of Mr. M‘Leod." The Noble Lord's answer was,
as we recollected, this :—" Her Majesty's Government
will, indeed, have already taken such steps as they
thought necessary for that purpose." Lord Stanley
rejoined that "ho had not asked the Noble Lord
what those steps were, if he found it expedient to
withhold that information ; but he did ask him whe-
ther the Government had taken such steps for the
protection and liberation of Mr. M'Leod, who had
been in custody since the 12th of November, 1840,
as would be effectual in point of time, in refer.
ence to the proceedings which were going on." To
this plain and simple query Lord Palmerston an-
swered by referring to instructions sent out to Mr.
Fox, in view of a similar case which " happened, or
was about to happen, a year or a year and a half
ago," which is tantamount to an avowal that not the
slightest action had been taken since the arrest on the
12th of November last, known probably at the Foreign-
office by the first day of December, in the special
case of Mr. M'Leod. So far as the authorities of
Dawning-street are concerned, he has been left to swing
or swim as the case might be, and it is now only on
this 10th of February, which is about the day of the
unhappy patriot's trial, preparatory to condemnation
and execution at New York, that, as we are coolly in-
formed, " an opportunity had presented itself for send-
ing out final and conclusive instructions ; they were
then ready prepared, and were upon the point of being
sent off." Was ever official instance of more disgusting
indifference and neglect where the life of a fellow-
subject and British citizen was at stake ? The Foreign
Secretary apathetically folds his arms and looks on whilst
murder is in course of commission ; pleading, in answer
to indignant remonstrance, that, some year and a half
since, provision had been made in a similar instance, by
rules laid down for the guidance of the Envoy, which
might serve for reference on the recurrence of such an
event.

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS

TIMES.—A(TuEsnaT EVENING.)
good deal of business was transacted
to-day in the Government securities, and under the
pressure of sales, which created a demand for money,
towards the close of business prices gave way nearly a
quarter per cent. Several
scli reasons are assigned for this
decline, but the more
t
respecting the result of thdeopneens adinpgpeacregtoo be
tiaticdcisstrbe-
tween our Government and the United States, and the
expected introduction of the new French loan into the
Paris
notices which have appeared in the Cape of
Isomef t narke t.
Gooel Hope rsewspapera are not impudent forgeries, the
tted to be credit of the Government there appearwould
btot tetio n.
As a
re-
duced to so low an ebb, that debts admitted
le-
gally due from it are actually put up for sale
sample of colonial misrule it is calculated to auction.
nigh Lord John Russell himself. The following is an
advertisement on the subject from the South African
Commercial Advertiser :
" CLAIMS ON THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENT.
" For three horses, ordered out and supplied by Frede-
rick Meeding, of George-town, for the service of the
Caffre war in 1834, which were duly appraised and certi.
fled by field cornets, amount 15/. ; after many applications
at office of Civil Commissioner of George-town for pay-
ment of said claim, answer is, No objection whatever to
claim, but no funds; and all the certificates and documents
were sent to Government some years ago.'
" Notice is hereby given, that unless this claim is paid,
together with the interest thereon, before Saturday, the
19th September next, it will be sold, as a bad debt, by
public auction, on the stoop of the Commercial Exchange.
" JOCELYN PERCY INGRAM, Q. Q.

" N. B. As there are upwards of 7001. still unpaid of
th-se claims to different parties, and which may likewise be
sold at same time, if forwarded, a good speculation is
afforded to influential men, particularly public servants, as
most of the sufferers wish to settle at Purt Natal."
It should be observed, that the merit of drawing pub-
lic attention to this subject belongs to a weekly publi-
cation, called the African Colonizer, which, in a number
published on SAturday, has copied this advertisement,
with some appropriate remarks.
To.c French paper, Le Commerce, in diseussin
projected customs law now before the French Legis-
lature, contains rattoh that is interesting, as showing