The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-27 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The Standard, last night, in the citation of
the article from the Globe, copied into the
Chronicle of yesterday, wasted a column and
a half in futile commentary on the Corporation
Commission ; reviving the old 6, hobgoblin"
alarm, on the laughable position that " the com-
mission ought to be an object of terror in the
country." The simple error of our affrighted
contemporary consists in the notorious fact, that
the commission is a natural terror to the self-
elected Corporators who have usurped the muni-
cipal franchise of the people, and a correspond-
ing delight to all the liberal advocates of secu-
rity of property and renovation of political rights.
As the Standard condescends to state no rea-
sons for its nervous agitation, we shall not fight
with shadows. We pass over the often-re-
peated abuse of Lord Grey, the Lord Chan-
cellor, and the reformed House of Commons—
spiced with unfounded and frivolous reflec-
tions on the commissioners—because such un-
meaning spleen is unworthy the superior powers
of our contemporary, or any serious reply.
The only redeeming topic is the gratuitous
recommendation to the corporators to pay obe-
dience to the powers of the Commission—very
sensible advice, which we do not doubt the
Municipal Authorities will accept and act upon,
as throughout the country they have hitherto
done. The Corporations, indeed, well know
that they can no longer retain usurped and mis-
used power. The day of reformation is arrived,
and a contumacious Town Clerk or Mayor
would not like to stand at the bar of the House
of Commons, or become an inmate of Newgate.
The shrewd Corporators have too much discern-
ment to jump from the frying-pan into the fire,
and, like the close boroughs, the only wonder
when they are reformed will be, that such shame-
ful nuisances so long existed. Our contem-
porary recommends the Corporators to hire
reporters : a great advantage would result
from such a precaution, viz., that the coun-
try would know still more of the mysteries
of Corporations, and Corporators would know
more of themselves—self-knowledge not being a
natural consequence of self-election. The Sun
closely and sharply comments on the subject ;
" The public interest in the progress of the
Corporation Commission continues to increase,
as is natural from the incomparable political im-
portance of the inquiry. We yesterday extracted
two able articles from the Times and Morning
Chronicle on this great question of Municipal
Reform. They embrace all the topics of the
present Conservative discussion and objections.
Doubtless the corrupt, close bodies would desire
to perpetuate that power, authority, and sinister
possession so palatable to their pride and politi-
cal prejudices; but their throes of expiring
life are only the tail-splashing of an harpooned
whale. They will soon be laid high
and dry,' and their blubber securely lodged
in the safe hold of an early remedial mea-
sure of the Reformed House of Commons.
The amendment of the representation was
their certain death-blow; and this the crafty
Corporations discerned when, as a body, with a
few honourable exceptions, they so fiercely
and virulently opposed the recent great national
measure of political regeneration. The muni-
cipal question is treated by the Tories much in
the same cunning way the priests deal with the
popular reformation of Church Establishments.
The evil practices and exclusive privileges of cor-
porators, when attacked, are said to be designs
against municipal institutions, as churchmen con-
veniently describe a reform of church abuses and
the control of priestcraft as an attack on natural
and revealed religion. But these feints and
perversions of logic will no longer avail the evil-
dcers. 'f he people are too wise, determined,
and omnipotent, to be humbugged by such
trashy arguments, miscalled reasoning. The
town clerk of Leicester, and his magisterial mas-
ters, will not cloak their evil acts, nor any longer
secure impunity. We agree with the Times,
that there is no such thing as justice, if
the Leicester Corporators are not legally forced
to replace the scandalous misappropriation of the
public funds to the promotion of their individual
politics and local Toryism. In the meanwhile,
the Commissioners may expect and deserve
abuse from the Tory press and its blind readers ;
and the more gross and repeated the calumnies,
the more assured we are that the Commissioners
are effectively and zealously discharging their in-
valuable office of a public and searching inquiry."
The puerile alarm about " insecurity of pro-
perty is a Cock-lane Ghost.—Morn. Chron.
We insert a letter from Mr. Cooper, a inem•
ber of the Society of Friends, denouncing a great
enormity, but suggesting a questionable remedy.
An immense step has been taken towards the
complete suppression of the slave trade in all
foreign vessels by the concession of the mutual
right of search between England and France,
stipulated in the French and English conven-
tion of March in the present year. While such
a right was denied on the part of France, all the
conventions of her Government, and all the pro-
fessions of her Ministers, were of little avail.
Vessels might be fitted out at Nantes or Bor-
deaux, and might proceed to the coast of Africa,
under French colours, to supply the Spanish or
Brazilian markets with negroes, and no British
" preventive service" men could interrupt or
question the infernal traders, though seen with
the evidence of their guilt on board. We had
tardily obtained the suppression of the trade from
Spain and Portugal,—we had tardily secured
the right of search over Spanish and Portuguese
vessels. The North Americans, though justly
jealous of our naval interference, were more
deeply impressed with the laudable motives of our
conduct, and had agreed to the mutual right of
search, but the French flag remained as the protec-
tion or excuse for a traffic which the French Go-
vernment itself affected loudly to condemn. The
Government of the Bourbons, while at all Con-
gresses, and in all negotiations, it pretended to
concur in our policy, refused to agree in the
right of mutual search ; nay, the dominant
party in France pretended to think that the
English Government had a selfish motive in our
humane policy, and that the treaty of abolition,
which deprived the French colonists of an al-
leged privilege in our favour, ought to be as
loosely interpreted, and as often violated, as
possible. We even find such ungenerous sus-
picions announced in the speeches and writings
of M. de Chateaubriand, who, from having
been in England, and from being acquainted
with the sentiments both of our statesmen and
of the nation, ought to have held a different lan-
guage. The only party which during the detest-
able government of the Restoration zealously in-
si,ted on the execution of the treaties for the abo-
lition of the African slave trade was the party of
the Liberals, who were suspected of being the
enemies of England. Among them M. B. Con-
stant, the Duke de Broglie, and M. de Stael
never ceased to exert themselves in the cause

of African humanity, in opposition to Ministe-
rial indifference and colonial cupidity. Baron de
Stael even went to Nantes, and procured some
of the fetters and other apparatus for slaving, al-
ready on board a slave ship, for the purpose of
showing the Government of Paris how openly
and audaciously the traffic was conducted.
Yet nothing would move the Villele Adminis-
tration to a more rigorous prohibition of the
trade, or to a more cordial union with Great
Britain for its entire suppression. We were
even told that the national jealousy would not
permit the French Government to concede a
right of search to England, and that the English
people must rely on the faithful discharge of
their duties by the French cruisers, whose own
Government showed no disposition to stimulate
their activity or to punish their negligence. The
recent conventions of November, 1831, and
March, 1833, between the Government of Louis
Philip and the Reform Ministry of England
show how groundless all these assertions and
alarms have been. By these treaties the right
of mutual search is conceded in its fullest ex-
tent, with certain necessary limitations, and the
condemnation of the ship and captain engaged
in the traffic secured. Our philanthropic cor-
respondent, in alluding to the late cnnvention
between France and England, has forgotten some
of its provisions. In order that a vessel may be
condemned, it is not necessary, as he supposes,
that it should actually have slaves on board. If
it is fitted up as a slave ship its condemnation
may be secured. Without having room to enter
on a further discussion of the subject at present,
and without attempting to explain the affair at
Bonny, we shall merely confront the statement
of our correspondent with the following article of
the convention :
" Any merchant-vessel of either of the two nations vi-
sited and detained in pursuance of the Convention of the
30th of November, 1831, and of the provisions hereinbe-
fore recited, shall, unless proof be given to the contrary,
be held and taken of right to have engaged in the slave-
trade, or to have been fitted out for the purposes of such
traffic, if any of the particulars hereinafter specified shall
be found in her outfit or equipment, or on board of her,

Vii, :-

" 1. Having her batches fitted with open gratings, in-
stead of being close hatches, as usual in merchant-vessels.
"2. Having more divisions and bulk-beads in the hold,
or on deck, than necessary for trading vessels.
"3. Having on board spare planks, either actually
fitted in that shape, or fit for readily laying a second or
moveable deck, or slave deck.
" 4. Having on board shackles, bolts, or handcuffs.

" 5. Having on board a supply of water, more than
sufficient for the consumption of her crew, as a merchant-
vessel.
" 6. Having on board an unreasonable number of
water-casks, or other vessels for holding water, unless the
master shall produce a certificate from the custom-house
from the place at which he cleared outwards, stating that
sufficient security had been given by the owners of such
vessel that such casks or other vessels should only be used
for the reception of palm-oil, or be employed in any other
lawful trade.

" '7. Having on board a greater quantity of mess tubs,
or kids, than requisite for the use of her crew, as a mer-
chant vessel.

" 8. Having on board two or more copper boilers, or
even one larger than requisite for the use of her crew as a
merchant vessel.

" 9. Having on board a quantity of rice or farina, flour
of the manioc of Brazil, or cassada, or maize, or Indian
corn, beyond any probable requisite provision for the use
of her crew, and such rice, flour, maize, or Indian corn,
not being entered on the manifest as part of the cargo
for trade."