The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-15 00:00:00

THE INDEPENDENT LIBERALS.

The Post considers the Session may easily come to be
recorded as one of the most recklessly wasted in our con-
stitutional history. Given that Liberal members persist
in playing cards which the leaders of the Opposition know
—none better—how to trump, and it follows that the
game may be lost. The Ministry must stand or fall on
the principle of the Land 811. The have already gone as
far in the way of concession and conciliation as a Govern-
ment which respects itself, and appreciates the public
zonfidence which is reposed in it, can go, and they must
draw a line somewhere. But, what is of more
importance, it is manifest that the country,
guided by its own sound common sense, will refuse to
Ascend to the clouds of their theory in a fictiously-
inflated balloon. We shall be told, perhaps, that this is
strong language, that it savours of intimidwtion, and that
what it means is unconstitutional. Xgreat deal may be
said about the independence of the Legislature, about its
eights, its duties, and its dignity, and words of sober warn-
ing may be described as constituting an attempt to coerce
or to circumscribe the action of the House of Commons in
the interests of the Administration. We utterly dis-
claim and repudiate any intention of the kind.
We are not wedded to a political party, and still less
are we the bond-slaves of the Ministry. It is not the
interests of the Government that we are considering, and
we are looking beyond the views and over the heads of
mere political partisans. Peace and progress in Ireland
lepend, we firmly believe, on the acceptance by the
Imperial Parliament of the measure of justice and policy
which her Majesty's Ministers have proposed, with due
regard, we are assured, to their constitutional responsi-
bility, and we simply desire, as we reasonably and legiti-
mately may, that the opportunity for reflection presented
by the Recess should be properly improved.

The statue of Lord Palmerston for Westminster
Abbey, is just completed. He is represented as wearing
the robes of a knight of the Order of the Garter, with
mantle, collar, " George," and badge complete.

AN UNWELCOME VISITOR.—A. huge crocodile'
apparently about 20 feet in length, made its appearance
in the Pondicherry Roads on Tuesday last (March 8),
where it still remains, exciting no small astonishment
among the inhabitants of the town, who congregate in
large numbers on the beach and the pier to watch its
movements. The scaly monster paddles about on the sur-
face of the water between the ships and the beach, unmis-
;akeably (mite at sea as to its own whereabouts. It is sup-
posed to have been drawn by the current from the month of
some river in the neighbourhood, but no animal of such
a ferocious size has been heard of in the district before.
the catamaran men and masulah boatmen keep at a
respectful distance from the visitor, and although it has
frequently been fired at, the shots seem to have no effect
in the creature beyond making him dive under water for
a short time. Should the crocodile come in contact with
a shark in its cruise there will doubtless be a terrific
combat between the rival powers.—Madras Mail.
THE TEA DEALERS AND THE BUDGET.—We
understand that, following on the publication of the de-
tails of the Budget, there was cleared at the Glasgow Cus-
tom House in the course of Tuesday no less than 427,4181 b.
of tea, the average amount on which duty is paid daily
being 12,0001 b. The explanation of this exceptional in-
crease on the amount of business done is to be found in
the fact that dealers throughout the country had reduced
their stocks to a minimum in the expectation that Mr.
Lowe would apply a portion of the large surplus with
which he had been favoured in a still further remission of
the duties on tea.—Glaagow Herald.

TOWER SUBWAY.—This novel communication has
at length been opened, and, we are glad, to say, with
perfect success. It is quite true that the managers can-
not convey as many passengers as desire to cross, but the
rapidity of the service will, no doubt, be improved by
practice. We are able to say that the whole progress,
including the lifts and the passage through the subway,
is comfortable and unobjectionaole, excepting, perhaps,
the occasionally high temperature in the shafts and
. .
warting-room.—Engineer.

POISONING BY MISTAKE.--An inmate of the Is-
lington Workhouse having been recently poisoned by
taking embrocation instead of medicine, the guardians
have ordered that a distinctive bottle, of an oval shape,
should be used in future, with the word " poison," placed
upon it in raised letters. We would embrace the oppor-
tunity of calling the attention of Dr. Bridges to this im-
portant subject, and to the necessity of issuing rules as to
the prescribing and dispensing of medicines in workhouses.
Boards of Guardians cannot be supposed to b e very
deeply versed in such matters ; and we believ-e that they
would be ready to adopt proper regulations, if drawn up
by Dr. Bridges, and issued under the authority of the
Poor Law Board. The question of the contract for
supplying drugs ought also to be properly regulated. The
guardians will probably be tempted to accept the lowest
tenders, and, as they have no means of testing the quality
of the icl9s supplied, it Is
_pretty evrtai,u that adnitetw
el-r.E9Meck—rAtkanati.