The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-02 00:00:00

443

LONDON, TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1846.

When we felt it to be our duty to expose the sys-
tem of misgovernment in the Channel Islands, and
to trdce the numerous instances of oppression and
injustice in our possession to their true source, we
quite made up our minds to be subjecteci to attacks
from various quarters—to have our veracity im-

peached—our information questioned---our motives
I
slandered and maligned. There is no man who
has not some friends who will valiantly struggle in his
behalf, who will strain every nerve, exert every energy,
in his defence, and when he is at length brought to
condign punishment, will lament and deplore his
misfortunes. The most blood-thirsty tyrant that
ever existed had persons to bewail his fall. So it has
ever been, and so in all human probability it ever will
be. What has thus been said of a single person
may, a fortiori, be predicated of a body of men, each
of whom will have his own friends and supporters,
all of them ready to applaud a
system by which
much power is given to their friends, who at least
will support them ; and they may have
some some slight hope of one day attaining to similar
power themselves, and becoming the centres of ad-
miring circles, who will look up to, and fawn on,
and flatter them in their turns. No important
changes in the laws of a country can ever be brought
round without much exasperation and acerbity being
felt by persons interested in the maintenance of
things as they are ; and the more crying at e the
grievances, the more glaring the enormities perpe-
trated thereunder, with so much the more virulence
will they be defended, and their opponents
libelled and calumniated. It has not therefore
surprised us to find that what we had ex-
pected has come to pass, and that the
defence of the Royal Court of Guernsey has been
taken up by some of the island newspapers, whose
editors are sufficiently alive to the value of the pro-
tection that may be afforded to them by that Court,
the necessity for which may be judged from the fact
that one of those very editors was tried so lately as
the month of April last for attempting to excite
sedition among the militia, on which occasion, we be-
lieve, he received the full benefit of that friendliness
on the part of his judges. It is but a slight
return for that protection, imperatively demanded by
gratitude, for him to praise in the strongest terms the
wholesomeness of the laws, and the admirable manner
of their administration, to cry out against our En-
glish Courts, and to speak of " the injustice of those
who would thrust upon them British laws, British
usages, and British customs." We confess that we
do think that the writer in that journal would have
much cause to regret such a change. It is very pos-
sible that if British laws were extended to Guernsey,
and administered by a British judge, he might not find
for the future that protection he has hitherto enjoyed,
and which, to judge from the style and tenor of his
article—where coarse and vulgar personality takes the
place of reasoning, and where the strength of his
argument consists in the virulence of his abuse—is
so essentially necessary to his future impunity. It
is not to be supposed that we should condescend to
answer the foul-mouthed invectives contained in this
scurrilous publication, or that we should suffer it to
attain the degree of notoriety which it would
receive if we were to follow its various
statements, and to expose the Vacies con-
tained therein. It sometimes commences by giving
a paragraph containing one of the cases we have
mentioned, which, in its own peculiarly gentlemanly
style, it designates as being "quite in the style and
taste of the writer—a tissue of falsehood from first to
last." It then professes to give the true facts of the
case, from which, although coloured and distorted, it
becomes perfectly manifest that our statement wac••
substantially accurate and correct in every pir-
ticular. We have made no charge save on the
strongest and most satisfactory evidence. We cannot
doubt but that the cases to which we have alluded
will be brought forward before the Commissioners
appointed to investigate into the mode of the adminis-
tration of the law in the Channel Islands, and that it
will then be found that we have, if anything,
rather understated the facts. We have not
set down aught in malice, but with the strongest
conviction of the necessity that exists for the expo-
sure of a system so defective and unjust in all its
particulars, so incompatible with public liberty, and
partial in its operation towards such of our fellow-
countrymen as happen to reside within its sphere of
action. Until the time comes we can easily rest
satisfied on the established character of our journal
against any charge of want of veracity which may be
brought against us by such an opponent. The most
pitiable exhibition, however, is made where the writer
attempts to justify the conduct of the Court in the
case of the advocate who was found guilty, without
extenuating circumstances, of having stabbed an Eng-
lishman. Will it be believed that the defence brought
forward is, that the affair was purely accidental and
unintentional, and that it was so sworn by the pro-
secutor, and yet that the punishment was of the
weightiest description ? If this be the fact, have we
brought forward anything which tells with such fearful
farce against the Court as that asserted by its friend,
viz., that they convicted a gentleman of so serious an
offence, adding thereto that it was committed without
extenuating circumstances, in fact without provoca-
tion of any kind, and that they sentenced him there-
fore to two months' imprisonment, when it was clearly
established that the act was purely accidental and
unintentional ? We really feel that this is one of the
most serious charges yet brought against the Court,
if well founded. We shall not, however, make
any charge which is based on no better
authority than that of the writer in question; we
shall, therefore, refrain from any further comment
thereon. We feel that some apology is due to the
other parties for at ail joining their names with the
person to whom we have alluded ; for, whatever are
the errors in their statements and contradictions, they
are, at least, put forward in a more gentlemanly
manner, and with some degree of acquaintance with
the courtesies of civilised society. Mr. Ls Maim UANT'S
letter was written in the language of a gentleman,
and we hesitated not to give it insertion tl:e day we
received it, but at the same time we felt it necessary
to expose its fallacies in such a manner that we do
nu: think that gentleman will speedily rush to arms
in defence of his friends.

Another writer questions the truth of a small part
of our statements, leaving the greater portion wholly
untouched, and thereby, as we stated in 11r.
LE MARCTIANT'S case, admitting the general
accuracy of that which he has not ventured
to contradict, and charitably supposes that we
have been duped by false statements. To
him we shall only say, that contradiction is no
argument, and that time will establish the perfect and
entire accuracy of our information. We shall only
add that we shall nut be deterred from fearlessly per-
forming our duty as public journalists by any de-
greeot *ituperation or calumny directed towards
ourselves.

We cannot but regard the Teenernce
Parlia-
mentary holidays as a moot retreshierig and
rating arrangement for our Legislative Council.invig°-
affords both the Representatives and Peers an It
oppor-
tunity for forethought; it gives a wholesome breath-
ing-time to the Ministry ; and, by so doing, ensures
the advantage of mature deliberation—a characteristic
most necessary for the healthy continuance of Go-
vernment. What is the more especially required in
a national conclave of lawmokers is that mens sana
which can alone enable them to discriminate between
what is judicious and what fallacious: and the
Roman has already insinuated that the mens sana is
scarcely attainable without the corpore aano.
of the. session pos-
inferential as well as
sie-:shse, ccoaussueaqlUenhtloyi:dayans
anin
perchance, have
; they purify the blood, which
may,
muddiedstor
m withof
da
ins infusionussio n ;
of a bilious charachtae;edbuereinngthe
rtheseoylutteendintothreeinrdaedrhtehreenl3c'emtpohpartiicnemipalree; aannidnitletedy and
resolute in their adherence to principle; and they en-
able the Members of the Lower House to interchange
explanations with their constituencies wherever those
explanations may on either side appear desirable.
During the present session—the great session of the
Peel Administration—we have, however, looked upon
the interposition of these holidays as peculiarly bone- 1
fieial for the cause of justice and the appreciation of
truth. The accidental position of debate has,
moreover, so happily accorded with their arrival,
as • to present to us two remarkable instances
of fortuitous good fortune. Precisely when the
Commons had proceeded to such an advanced stage
of discussion upon the commercial measures which
have engaged their attention during the greater por-
tion of the past four, months, that a momentary pause
was requisite to many minds before comini tting
themselves to the responsibilities attached to a final
vote—the Easter holidays transpired. Here lea* the

hiatus most yearned for—here was a natural inter-
regnum of meditation, and one, too, which could
scarcely be presumed to agitate those who, out of
doors, were chiefly anxious fur a speedy set-
tlement of the question—because the delay was
one of ordinary routine ; it was as little
to be cavilled at as the whole holiday of Saturday
and the half-holiday of Wednesday every week.
What were the latent consequences of good resulting
from the Easter recess it is impossible, of course, to
calculate to a nicety; but the division which followed
the subsequent meeting of Parliament—the majority
•of ninety-eight—showed clearly enough that benefit
aid accrue from the habitual adjournment. It enabled
the wavering to bring their opinions to an equilibrium,
to judge from the past, to infer for the future, and to
decide definitively, calmly, and absolutely, for the
present. Various circumstances testified, likewise,
in an open and more appreciable manner, the
advisability of such benificent intervals of repose :
the acknowledged conversion of the Earl of ESSEX
from an enthusiastic protectionist to a still more en-
thusiastic free-trader—the dispatch and reception
of petitions from various influential bodies in different
quarters of the kingdom—the refusal of Mr. COBDEN
to assist at public demonstrations in favour of the
Ministerial policy, because he regarded them as essen-
tially superfluous ;—these and a number of similar
occurrences tended to illustrate the advantages arising
from Parliamentary holidays, and also to mature the
thinking portion of the Commons in their mode of
considering the great question at issue, previously
to a division upon the third reading. What is
poisonous to a Lord is equally poisonous to a Com-
moner, and what is nutritious to a Commoner is
equally nutritious to a Lord. Hence it is that we
consider the Whitsuntide recess, which has already
commenced under precisely analogous circumstances
to the Upper House as the Easter to the Lower, is a
coincidence in all respects of a fortunate character.
For one thing, it would be utterly futile to
grumble at the fact of the procrastination,
because it is a constitutional procrastina-
tion, and one, therefore, not likely to be
interfered with by all the grumbling in the
universe. So much for the social Mawwoasas and
the political SCROOGES. Public time is all very pre-
cious, is all but invaluable, it is true ; but the health,
and by inference the healthy judgment of our legisla-
tors, is equally necessary for the continuance of na-
tional prosperity. It is only those who are agitating
for a diseased and unwholesome policy who would
precipitate its adoption in either House of Parliament,
surrounded by the promptings of party, of personal
pique, or of petty political prejudices. Excitement,
whether for or against, must by necessity blurr the
judgment. It is by a happy coincidence, therefore,
that the last division of the Peers is preluded by
Whitsuntide.

Accounts from Beyrout of the 16th ult. state that
the question of Lebanon has been satisfactorily
arranged, and that CHERIB EFFENDI end EMIR
PASHA were about to return to Constantinople. The
territorial tax is to be assessed in the manner prac-
tised under the former Administration. The Exe-
cutive power in each of the caimacans is to be exer-
cised by a divan, or council, in which every class of
the population is to have a representative. A riot
occurred in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, at
Jerusalem, on Good Friday, between the priests of
the Greek and Latin Churches. The Latin fathers
repaired in precession to Golgotha to adore the cross.
The Greeks had, however, previously obtained pos-
session of the chapel, and denied their admittance.
After some altercation the two parties came to blows,
and the Governor of Jerusalem at length int9rfered
to preserve peace, and ordered a Turkish regiment to
clear the place. Syria was perfectly tranquil.

The Cologne Gazette announces that during the
course of the present month the King of PRUSSIA will
make known his views on the subject of a constitu-
tion to the Members of the Provincial States, and that
the royal propositions will, some time in the course of
the autumn, be submitted for discussion to a General
Convocation of the States, to be assembled in Berlin.
It is stated in a Berlin letter that 30 noblemen
of Posen had met at the Archbishop's palace to
consider the propriety of addressing the KING to im-
plore his clemency for the Polish prisoners. inas-
much, however, as the parties were desirous of not
committing themselves by writing to any opinion on the
subject of the late insurrection, it was determined that
the Archbishop should wait upon the KING, and per-
sonally implore his MAJESTY'S clemency for the pri-
soners. The KING, it is stated, very graciously com-
plimented M. DE PRZYLUSIII on his arrival at Potsdam,
and immediately invited him to dinner, without,
however, granting him a private audience, or speaking
to him of the particular object of his journey. It
would appear from this, that the Monarch !‘does not
approve of this sort of intervention. Nevertheless,
the Archbishop set out again for Berlin, and presented,
on the 18th ult., a written petition to the KING, which
was accepted.

Madrid papers of the 25th ult. have arrived.

A Cabinet Council was held on the 23d in the
QUEEN'S presence. The state of the negotiation with
the POPE is stated to have been the subject discussed,
and a courier was dispatched the next day to Rome
with dispatches, stated to contain propositions calcu-
lated to facilitate an arrangement. The report of the
assassination of RUBIN DE CELTS is contradicted.
General VILLALONGA has been ordered to station a
corps of observation at Orense, and the steamer
Isabel 11. has been sent to Lisbon to protect the
Spanish residents in that city. The accounts from
all the provinces of Spain continuo to be satisfactory.
The Three per Cents. were done on the Madrid
Bourse on the 25th at 33i for cash ; the shares of
the Bank of San Fernando, at 396 ; and those of
Isabel, at 200. The official list observes, that al-
though only one operation in the Three per Cent".
was quoted at 334, that stock had solo' at 33 13-16
for call), with a tendency to rise. The Five per
Cents. were done at 20i 'I; the Passives at 6i ;
and the Coupons at 20k.

r We have received the Paris papers of 1% idAy and
Saturdly. M. GUIZOT, on Fri,ay, obtained a fresh
triumph in the Chamber of Deputies, which rejected
by a majority of 220 to 147, an amendment proposed
by M. OTILON BARRoT, fur a reduction in the
amount of the Secret Service Funds for the Minister
of the Interior of 10,000 francs. In the course of
the debate, M. TRIERS renewed his attack upon the
Government, and through the Government attacked
the KING himself, taking as his text his own famous
maxim :—" Le Rui refine et ne gouverne pas. He was
replied to by M. GUIZOT, and the conflict between
these two eminent orators is thus described by the
Presse

"The sole interest of the sitting was in the single
combat between M. Thiers and M. Guizot. M. Thiers
being wounded by words which fell from the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and in which he fancied he recognised
a feeble echo of attacks made upon him by the Debuts
on the occasion of Lecomte's attempt upon the King,
wished to protest against insinuations which he con-
sidered not only as personal, but against the freedom
of speech in the tribune. If he had confined himself
to expressing his indignation at a polemic into which his
name was introduced, he would not have incurred the
least blame; for the whole Chamber appeared to have but
.me opinion on the impropriety of these attacks. He,
however, enlarged upon his famous maxim—the King
reigns but governs not. M. Guizot succeeded him upon
the same thesis, and obtained an immense success. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs evidently touched the true
ecanooidnec morela declaring thatthisd
principle of constitutional government, and never was it
expounded
lp
magnificentiscluasnsguionag
is to b
language, Still,
dtilieepwlye
regretted. Such theses cannot be entered upon without
danger either in the press or in the Chambers. When
a month ago we declined meddling in co •
ntroversies of
this nature, which then occupied the journals, we con-
ceived we were acting with a wise prudence. From the
svne motive we now abstain from all comment upon the
debate of yesterday—a debate which was replete with
eloquence, but which it is not right to prolong."
~ The question is decided," says the Epoque.
i, The Chamber has passed sentence: M. Thiers, the
Live heir of the Ministry, as M. Blichard desig-
natedpresump
in so picturesque a manner, will not yet in-
herit him
ssion he is so anxious to enjoy : 221 votes
herit a stlece d that the Government had declaredone
to 147 have
nothing to
forfeit the confidence of the country.
Thus, after traversing two Legislatures and six
Parliamentary sessions—after surmounting the
diffi-
culties to which i towed its origin, and those that since
a-use, and continuing
office double the time of any
in
Cabinet of the 29th of October,
• 1830—the
Ministry sinceof its force, credit, and
lost any „ ,
so far from baying
t d in rani ament by one of
vitality, finds itself supported _
by
any
Administration
the largest majorities obtai,n3doutof
367 voters." " The
during the last 16 years—
' may now choose between
country," adds the Epoque, '
the two rival systerw,—the system pursued during the
the
system
held
last six years by the Goveroiliest, and