The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-08 00:00:00

The Duke of PORTLAND, it would appear from
his letter to the secretary to the Agricultural Pro-
tection Society of Nottinghamshire, " cannot encou-
rage the delusion that any good can be done except
by fighting the Anti-Corn-law League with their
own weapons ;" and as the weapons with which the
Anti-Corn-law League have fought the battle of free
trade have been logical deductions from proved
premises, weapons which the monopolist bath not in
his armoury, we take it that his Grace of PORTLAND
gives up the battle of protection as lost. It would
appear as if all the leading landowners were
in the same predicament as the Duke of PORT-
LAND, for not one of them honoured the protection
meeting held at Newark last week with his pre-
sence. My Lord LINCOLN sent a civil excuse ; my
Lord JOHN MANNERS a direct refusal; Mr. GALLY
KNIGHT was prevented from attending by ill health,
and Mr. W. E;.GLADSTONE by public business. The
latter gentleman, who, like TALLEYRAND, seems to
imagine that language was given to man to enable
him to disguise his thoughts, says, in his letter of
apology:—
" I must, however say, that in whatever situation I
may be placed, I shall always be desirous to secure for
agriculture everything that, upon a just view of the
general interest, it can claim, and to see those who are
connected with it exercise a powerful influence upon, and
as part of the community."
Now there is nothing in this passage to which any
member of the Anti-Corn-law League would not
heartily subscribe, for there is not one of them who
would not "be desirous to secure for agriculture
everything flat, upona just view of the general interest,
it can claim." Our complaint, is that it claims and
possesses m ore than upon, a just view of the public in-
terest, it ought to possess. Even the Duke of NEW .
CASTLE was not present in propia persona, although
he was represented by his steward, Mr.
WinmoT, as was Earl MANYERS by his steward,
Mr. Picxna, who, as Vice-President of the
Society, presided over the meeting. The pro-
ceedings were of the usual " protection meet-
ing" charact, er. Abuse of the League in general, and
of Mr. COJVDEN in particular, formed the staple of
the talk, p.rnished here and there with threats of
what they- could and would do with Sir ROBERT
PEEL, should he attempt to diminish the present
amount of protection. There were, of course, the
usual assertions of the superiority of agriculture over
manufactures. "We have heard," said Mr. PICKIN,
"of a g-rt at fact;' but the greatest fact is what all
history tenches us—namely, that those states which
have giver' encouragement to agriculture are those
which har e prospered ; while we have, alas ! many
instances of states, once renowned for trade and
commerce, which are no longer in existence."
Now this " greatest fact" of Mr. PICKIN'S is
the very reverse of a fact. Poland has al
ways given the greatest encouragement to agri
culture--she is now blotted out from the list of na.

tions. Belgium has always encouraged trade and
manufactures, and although for centuries she has been

the battlie-field of Europe, she has always been in a
flourishing condition, and her people have had, gene-
rally, a greater command of the comforts of life than
any other people in the world. Strict accuracy,
however., is not to be expected from a gentleman,
who, like Mr. PicxrN, will venture to say, " I
do assure you that rent is the last of his outgoings
of which a farmer ought to complain. I have no he-

sitation in asserting that the tenant-at- will,
who has the good fortune to hold a farm
under a liberal landlord, is in better cir-
cumstarrces than he who occupies his own freehold."
None but a land-steward could have had the assur-

ance to have made such an assertion as this. We
look upon it as an indication of the intention of

Landlords to screw out of their tenants, if they can,
their pze!sent exorbitant rents under all circum-

stances. The farmers should form a league among
themsebo.s, so as to be prepared to act together in

self-defence and if this screwing system should be
attempteCt, every tenant should give notice to

quit, and let the landlord occupy -his own free
hold. ItY we may judge from the speecl

of Mr. WILMOT, the League have put the Duke of
NEWCASTLE into a quandary. The venerable Duke
can no lionger "do what he likes with his own."

" The Lea gue," piteously whines his Grace of NEIV•'
CASTLE, speaking in the person of Mr. WiLmoT,
" are fratn day to day increasing their numbers on
the regis.:ter ; " and even Colonel Rou.asTosr, the

only Member of Parliament present, spoke very
doubtingly of his chance of re-election. It is evident

hat the protectionists of Nottinghamshire are
;horoughly frightened, and there can be very little

doubt, but that, after the next election, we shall have
the pleasrro of seeing GEORGE WILSON, Esq., Chair-

man of the Anti-Corn-law League, take his seat in

the House of Commons as one of the Members for the

county of :Nottingham.

We have accounts by the Peninsular mail from
Lisbon to the 30th December. The resignation of
Sir ROBEIRT PEEL had caused a strong sensation
among all parties. The Cortes were to meet on the
2d of January, when the Speech would be delivered
by the QUI.EN in person. The new mode of collect-
ing the taxes had been officially published, and was
to come into immediate operation. There is no other
intelligence in the papers of the slightest interest.

Madrid. journals of the 30th ult. have been received.
The Chain ber of Deputies, at their meeting on that
day, heard the draught of the Address in reply to the
Speech from the Throne, as prepared by the Com-
mittee appointed for that purpose, together with the
amendments proposed by Senor SEIJAS on the part
of the Opposition. The discussion on these docu-
ments was fixed for Saturday, the 3d inst.
On the :30th the Three per Cents. closed at 36i for
cash, and 36 10-16 at 60 days.

The speech of Admiral MACKATJ, in the French
Chamber of Deputies, relative to the navy, has excited
much interest in France, and forms the principal
topic of dis4lussion in the Paris journals. We have
already stated that he had introduced a Bill demand-
ing a grant of 93,000,000 f., to extend over seven
years, for building and refitting sailing-ships, steam-
ships, and, adding to the naval stores in the arsenals.
The object of this grant is to put the navy into the
state prescribed by the ordonnance of 1837 and the
royal decree of 1842. The only difference is, that the
number of steam-ships fixed by that decree is to be
increased by thirty. It may be necessary to state, that
in order to carry out the original intentions
of the Government with the additions mentioned,
the total sum required is 135,000,000 r, or about
5,400,0001. This sum is to be met by an annual
payment of 6,000,000 f. for seven years, and the grant
now required of 93,000,000 f. The following is the
mode in which this large sum is to be expended :
Building ships, 70,194,000 f. ; fitting out, 24,900,0001.;
artillery and stores, 9,200,000 f. ; steam-engines,
7,800,0001. ; stores for the arsenals, 23,500,0001.—
making a total of 134,894,0001. By means of this
expenditure, France will come into possession of 270
sailing ships of war, riz., 20 ships of the line, now
afloat ; 20 on the stocks, and nearly finished ; 50

class who are likely to yield to the foul influences
of bribery and intimidation. But, On til:'
the larger are the constituencies, the more difficult
will it be to carry elections by these foul means.
Add the protection of ballot to a system of large con-
stituencies (none, as we have said before, having less
than a thousand electors), and we should be ready to
defy all the " constitutional " Dukes and all the
bribers of the Carlton into the bargain.
As things are, with a large number in miserably small
borough constituencies, where a moderate purse or
one considerable proprietor can easily turn the scale,
and without the ballot to interpose between landlords
and their tenants-at-will, who are enfranchised in the
counties, we find ourselves, notwithstanding all that
has been done by the Reform Act, with a House of
Commons which no one will pretend to call a fair re-
presentation of the people.
We believe we are under the mark when we say
that a fifth of the Members of the House of Commons
are sons and brothers of Peers. What volumes does
this fact speak for the influence of Peers in elections !
The aristocracy are not content with the House of
Lords, which they have all to themselves, but have
got one-fifth of the House of Commons, also, through
sons and brothers. And this calculation does not in-
clude all the country squires connected by marriage,
as well as in landed interest, with the aristocracy.
The members of the aristocracy and the country
gentlemen together are, at least, half of the House of
Commons.