The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-05 00:00:00

oil

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1846.

Protection to agriculture, though permanently
abrogated as the presiding principle of commerce, is
still the pet system of a minority. Discarded by th©
nation and the Legislature, it is still cherished by a
faction. We are not surprised at this ; it is in the
nature of things. Just as it was'natural for the staid
old gentlemen of a century ago to stick to those ram-
shackle conveyances, the heavy mails, in preference to
a modernized stage coach ; and as it is natural for
some nervous old ladies now-a-days to patronise the
high road and to vituperate upon the perils incident
to railway travelling, the protectionists are
terribly behind their generation : they are
precisely in as ludicrous a position in advocating
the cm nmercial policy now exploded as a man would
be in opposing the inductive philosophy of BACON as
chirneritcal, and in pinning his credence down to the

unprofitable disputation of the Peripatetics as bene-
ficial. It would be equally insanity to waste two
syllables in endeavouring to convince either of those
disputants of their error. They are beyond argu-
ment. A passage from the De Augmentis would
prove as inconclusive to the Aristotelian as a
passage from one of COBDEN'S lucid orations would
prove inefficacious to the protectionist. They are
equally beyond the reach of systematic reformation.
The children of this age can entertain towards them
not one particle of sympathy. Their emotions, ideas,
lamentations, and hopes, are so entirely of another and
a more remote generation, that we can only
listen to their harangues with astonishment, and
describe their movements as we would those of
some Anthropophagi, "or men whose heads do grow
beneath their shoulders."

The long-promised demonstration of the gratitude
entertained by this agricultural minority for the
exertions made by Lord GEORGE BENTINCK in the
House of Commons has taken place in Lynn
Regis, the borough which claims the honourable
distinction of having returned the Noble Lord as its
representative in Parliament. We have no inclina-
tion whatever to ridicule the proceedings even of a
minority as suggestive of the ludicrous as that
of the protectionists. We turn to the cir-
cumstances attendant upon this demonstration, and
the sentiments expressed by its orators with
feelings of curiosity and commiseration rather than
of scorn or aversion. We are neither surprised at
seeing a party of civilians solacing themselves after
a most crushing discomfiture by a kind of lachrymose
banquet, or to hear the Member for Lynn
and the Duke of RICHMOND repeating those common-
place phrases by the utterance of which they have
already committed themselves almost beyond the pos-
sibility of reparation. It would absolutely amount
to brutality to cast derision upon them for a proceed-
ing so thoroughly rational and so thoroughly English.
It is simply following the recommendation of
the drolls in the carnival, "And now gen-
tlemen having played the fool, let us go to
dinner!" Neither is it a matter of astonishment that
among the speeches delivered upon this occasion some
infusion of nonsense was traceable. NAPOLEON is said
to have been, after Waterloo, bereft, to a
considerable extent, of his powers of judgment
and rapidity of perception, for which at
other moments he was so remarkable. Can it, there-
fore, be surprising that Lord GEORGE BENTINCK,
after the signal victory of free trade, should betray
some deficiency of the qualities which he displayed
in Parliament ? that he should forget his charitable
and lenient remonstrances with Sir ROBERT,
his mild epithets, and rose-water rhetoric ?
Where ACHILLES failed, surely TuERsITES would not
prove victorious !
The Noble Lord was unusually discursive in his
oration. In this particular, however, he merely fol-
lowed the example of the Noble Chairman, the Earl
of OREORD, who in about ten minutes had in-
formed his audience what the Doge of Genoa
said, when he visited Paris; that twelve months ago the
late Premier had been their trusted leader; that flags
had been unfurled metaphorically, and very shabby
tricks played substantially; and that the dinner
given by a few Mister Smiths and Mister Joneses,
of Lynn, was exceedingly like some compliment
paid by somebody to General VARRO, of the
Roman legions, after the battle of Cannm.
In emulation of this very desultory style of oratory
Lord GEORGE BENTINCK acknowledged the enthu-
siasm with which he had been welcomed by his con-
stituents, in a speech of considerable length, embrac-
ing almost every imaginable topic of political small-
talk. He entreated the yeomanry of England just to
compare himself (Lord G. BENTINCK) with Lord J.
RUSSELL ; by that adroit adjuration letting the said
yeomen into the secret, that the Noble Lord, the
Member for Lynn, was prepared, if necessary, to
sacrifice himself for the good of his country by taking
office. In this pert and clap-trap sentence Lord
GEORGE was peculiarly felicitous, and experienced
the most gratifying encouragement from his
listeners—listeners, whose cries of " We won't, we
won't," and "We will, we will," remind us of the
famous Old Dozey of MUNDEN. Of the flagrant
abuse lavished again upon the late Prime Minister,
of the platitudes uttered again upon the
burdens of agriculture, the necessities of
a protective system, tha selfish machinations
of the cotton lords, and so on, through the whole
catalogue of protectionist logic, we shall say nothing,
because we have already said more upon those sub-
jects than they really deserved. We are gratified
that this banquet has taken place, and trust that
many others of a similar character will follow—
first, because they cannot possibly do any harm ; and,
secondly, because they stimulate trade among a few
bakers and butchers, and afford one evening's em-
ployment at least to a few destitute fiddlers. During
the course of Lord GEORGE BENTINCK'S me-
morable speech, on the 4th of August,
eighteen hundred and forty-six, he uttered one great
and indisputable truth. "It is sad," observed the
Noble Lord, " that we (the protectionists) have dis-
gusted the people of England!" Lord GEORGE
BENTINCK is both a wit and a philosopher; he has
condensed an eternal truth into seven words.

The debate on Monday evening, on Captain
LAYARD'S motion, was remarkable fur the unanimous
feeling that existed, on all sides of the House, for the
necessity of some alteration in the plans by which
our military affairs are regulated and carried on. The
able and convincing speech of the Gallant Member, on
introducing his motion to the House, most clearly
demonstrated the existence of abuses of the most se-
rious description. When so great a dislike to the ser-
vice is created in the mind of the soldier that he will,
unhesitatingly, accuse himself of the most serious
crimes, and prefer even transportation itself—a
punishment the most weighty and formidable that
can be inflicted for any crime, with the exception
of capital offences—when in too many instances he
will have recourse even to mutilation or self-murder,
in order that he may escape from the stringent
severity of its discipline—there must be something
radically wrong in the management, which demands
the most careful consideration, the most anxious at-
tention, to be given to any suggestions for its amelio-
ration. Captain LAYABD appears to have maturely
weighed the various points, and to have brought his
military experience, and a cool, reflecting, well-dis-
ciplineel mind, to their consideration. He thinks
that the enlistment should be for a limited period, fur
ten years, and that if the soldier has acted worthily
duxing the time,
he should receive his pay for six months
after his term, and that if he re-enlisted within a cer-
tain period, say two years, and served eleven years
longer, he should be entitled to the old rate of pension,
namely 103. a day if in a sound state of health, and
ls. if reported unfit for service by proper medical
authority, and that if he served on, his pension should
be still further raised. We cordially approve of the
suggestion. If adopted, it will afford, at least to the
soldier, a prospect of being one day released from his
irksome duties, and being restored to his rights and
privileges as a British subject—a hope that will cheer
and sustain him, that will enable him still to struggle
on during the residue of his term ; it will go some way
towards inducing a better class of recruits to tender
their services, and remove the temptation to desertion
which has hitherto unfortunately been so prevalent in
the army. The human mind is naturally buoyant,
and while a fair hope presents itself of an improve-
ment of condition at a future time, however remote,
will preserve its elasticity, and undergo any
present hardships and privations ; it is the total
absence of that hope that induces a feeling
of recklessness and despair, most injurious to the in-
dividual and to the service to which he belongs, which
leads to the most horrible scenes, the most degrading
and harrowing punishments. But much must be done
for the soldier besides limiting the period of his com-
pulsory service he must be educated, his comforts
must he attended to, a cheerful employment
ran amusement must be provided for his leisure hours.
"'he condition of the soldier, in place of being worse
amd more irksome than that of the labouring man,
must be so far raised above it as to afford the
strongest inducement to the sons of small farmers or
tradesmen
ra
e
nreadily to enter themselves, and to regard
their diserge as a serious misfortune, instead of a
t
looked forward to with the most
to
be
blessing
anticipations. It may be said that such
pleasing
roductive of much expense to the
charges livould be p
nation. Pre do not believe that such would be the
case; on the contrary, we are satisfied that the addi-

tional expenditure, if any, would be very
trifling. But, even were it otherwise, there
are few Englishmen who would permit a
pecuniary consideration to obstruct the attainment of
so great a blessing to our rnili:ary brethren, and
which is but the performance of an act of conenon
justice towards them. Schools should be estab-
lished in every regiment, by which the blessings of
education would be placed within the reach of every
recruit, the majority of whom are attested at ages
when they might well be at school. Every soldier
should be taught at least to read and write, with a
knowledge of figures or accounts ; he should be in-
structed in some trade or handicraft, by which, in
the event of his discharge, he may be enabled to
maintain himself, and which would enable him use-
fully to employ his leisure hours, and to earn a
small sum, a portion of which he might he permitted
to expend in the obtaining of additional comforts,
the residue to be invested in some sort of savings'
bank, to form a fund to start him in business on
his leaving the army. All this might easily be
done without abridging the time devoted to the
active duties of his profession, and a re•.
source would be afforded to him which, in a
great many instances, would keep him from the can-
teen, the fertile cause of insubordination and outrage,
ending in grave and formidable punishment, to which
he is by the present system driven from the want of
an occupation for his leisure hours, and the
want of comfort in his barrack-room. Libra-
ries should be provided in every regiment,
to which the soldier should have access, and
from which he would be permitted to take
books under certain regulations. The petty vexa-
tions and annoyances which irritate and provoke the
men, without any corresponding advantage to the
service, should be, as far as practicable, removed, and
the first care, the principal duty of the commanding
officer, should be to promote, as far as in him lies, the
happiness and comforts of the soldiery. Let this be
done, and the abominable and degrading practice of
corporal punishment be abolished, and there will be
no difficulty in procuring the number of men re-
quired ; nay, many that offer themselves will neces-
sarily be rejected—a good character will be required
before the new recruit will be accepted. The same
anxiety to get into the army will exist that exists now
shown to procure a situation in the police, and a better
class of soldiers will be obtained, which on all hands
is admitted to be so desirable. Besides, in
the event of a war unhappily being forced upon us at
any future period, we shall have a body of men trained
to arms, and acquainted with military discipline, ready
to offer themselves for the protection of their country.
These are considerations not to be overlooked, and
well worthy the consideration of the Legislature.
The attention of the Government, we are happy to
find, is turned to the subject, and we think that
Captain LAYARD acted wisely, at this late period of
the session, in leaving it in their hands for the present.

The Levant mail has arrived, bringing intelligence
from Constantinople and Athens of the 20th, and
from Malta of the 24th ult. On the 19th, MEIIEMET
Au arrived in Constantinople, and was received in
the most distinguished manner by the SULTAN, who
stood up on his approach, and then conducted him to a
chair close to the throne. A modification has taken
place in the Turkish Ministry, by the appointment
of PLIZA PACHA to the office of Minister of Commerce.

At Pera a fire had broken out and destroyed 100
houses. The British merchants of Constantinople
have presented an address to Sir STRATFORD CAN-
NING upon the occasion of his departure, expressive
of the gratitude they feel to him for the uniform
attention which he has paid to their interests.
The Chamber of Deputies of Greece were engaged
in a discussiou on the budget, and the COLETTI Mi-
nistry had suffered two defeats in Committee. The
most frightful brigandage prevailed throughout the
country.

The Prince DE JoINvILLE and his squadron were
in the Malta roads on the 20th. The Malta Times
of the 21st publishes the following, which is highly
complimentary to the Prince and his officers :

" We have been requested by Captain Burke, of the mer-
chant vessel Dewdrop, to return his sincere thanks to his
Itcyal Highness the Prince de Joinville, and to Captain E.
Penaud, of the Pluton steamer for the following act of cour-
tesy, during a time of need.' It appears the brig Dewdrop,
laden with sulphur, left Catania, in Sicily, four days ago, but
meeting with a heavy sea, rolled away her topmasts, and
sprung a leak. The Prince making out in the distance the
distressed vessel, immediately ordered the steamer Pluton
to her assistance, and yesterday towed her into the Grand
Harbour, where she arrived with five feet water in the hold,
and the crew much exhausted from the fatigue of pumping.
The Pluton having left harbour last night before Captain
Burke could acknowledge his gratitude, he begs, through the
medium of our columns, to do so,: hoping it will meet the eye
of these to whom he feels so much indebted."

We are sorry to find that a collision has taken
place in the Roman Legations between the Swiss
troops and the people. It is to be hoped that the
POPE will follow out his original intention, which was
overruled by LAMBRUSCMNI and the se:viles in the
Council of State, and will dismiss the Swiss troops
from his service. A letter from Ancona of the 23d
ult. says—

" In all the towns of the legations, and particularly la this
place, at Bologna, Forli, and Cezene, the inhabitants, as soon
as they were intormed of the amnesty, were anxious to tes-
tify to the new Pope their gratitude and their affection, by
illuminations and public rejoicings. It is to be regretted
that at Cezime and at Imola these demonstrations were ac-
companied by events which disturbed ehe general joy. There
are at Cezene two parties, between whom a deep feeling of
'animosity has long existed, one composed of the retrogrades,
called Papeling, and the other of the advocates for prouress,
or liberals. The Papelins under the reign of Gregory XVI.,
supported by the Government, evinced their power on several
occasions over the liberal party. The latter, since the acces-
sion of Pius IX., wishing to make a striking manifestation of
the triumph of their opinions, menaces and provocations
were frequent on both sides. At length a time and place was
fixed on to settle their quarrel by arms. The Swiss troops
in garrison at C6zene wished to prevent this collision, and
used some efforts to disperse the liberal party ; but they were
met by a discharge of firearms, and in the struggle which
ensued four men were killed and a great number, principally
inhabitants of the town, seriously wounded. Some days
after the colonel of the Swiss regiment in garrison at Imola
was fired at, and severely wounded. This act is considered
as one of revenge on the part of the liberals, who still retain
their former hatred against the Swiss troops in the Papal
states. In fact, public opinion throughout all the legations
appears to demand, as an act of the most argent reform, the
cessation of the treaties which exist between the Holy See
and the Swiss Cantons for the supply of troops to the Papal
Government."

Letters from Rome, of the 28th ult., state that at
a consistory, held on the 27th, Cardinal Gnu had
been formally appointed Secretary of State.

We learn from the Post Ampt Gazette of Frankfort,
that the King of DENMARK has returned the address
transmitted to him by the States of Holstein, on the
subject of his MAJEsTr's proclamation for regulating
the succession. His MAJESTY, in returning the do-
cument, notified to the States that it was not compe-
tent for them to present to him any address on the
subject of the succession to the Duchies, or of their
political situation. It is supposed that the States will
appeal to the German Confederation.
We find in the Augsburg* Gazette a letter from
Alexandria, dated July 16, which states that the
object of MEHEMET ,ALI in visiting Constantinople
is to endeavour to induce the SULTAN to change the
succession to the Viceroyalty of Egypt, by substi-
tuting ABBAS PACHA, his second son as his successor
for IBRAHIM, on whom the succession is at present
settled. We find in the same journal the following
on the affairs of the Caucasus :

"Schamil alone has been able to collect together 4,000
cavalry. The forces of his predecessors have never exceeded
8,000 in all, and the war had never been carried on with any
regularity. Schamil is now at the head of 20,000, and his
appearance with such a force has spread consternation
throughout the country. The inhabitants of the capital (,f
trans-Caucasia dread a visit from Schamil, but up to this
time he has not attempted any expedition of importance.
The Kabardes have not dared to declare themselves for
Schamil, although his arrival amongst them has caused
great alarm. Prince Woronzow appears to attach great im-
portance to his line of forts, but it is considered by many
that they will be of no utility. Since the last excursion of
the Tchetchenzes, a great number of places in the Caucasus
have declared in favour of Schamil, but all the tribes pro-
tected by General Sabadowski have remained faithful to the
Russians. Schema's plan will be to retire before any large
force. The Russian columns are at this time marching on
three different points against him. Nothing, however, can
be known of the result of the summer campaign before Sep-
tember next."

Letters from Lisbon, of the 23d ult., state that the
Queen of PORTUGAL was on that day safely delivered
of a Prince. IBRAIIIM PACIIA, who arrived in the
Tagu3 the same day, attended the Te Deum which
was sung in the Cathedral on the occasion.

Madrid journals of the 30th have been received.

The announcement of the alterations proposed to
be made in the sugar duties by the English Cabi-
net, had produced a considerable effect at Madrid.
The plan of Lord JOHN RUSSELL was spoken of by
all parties in terms of unqualified app:obation.
The Clamor Publico publishes a letter from Senor
OLOZAGA, declaring that he had never supported