The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-18 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, MAY 18, 1846.

At four o'clock on the morning of May the sixteenth,
eighteen hundred and forty-six, a British House of Com-
mons sanctioned the principles of Free Trade as incorporated
in the great measure of Sir ROBERT PEEL, by a majority of
Ninety-eight. Until the Constitutions of England are ex-
tinct, that day and that hour will be memorable. Posterity
will revert to that division as the commencement of the
most salutary system ever adopted by a Legislature. It
will contemn the factious, scorn the obsolete, and forget the
invidious among the Opposition ; but its most grateful
rec ollections will be concentrated upon the noble act with
which this discussion has terminated. In the achieve-
ment, however, the achievers will not be alto-
gether overlooked ; they will have their memo-
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Often as we have already particularised those illustrious
statesmen whose patriotism has formed the weapon through
the instrumentality of which the people have thus accom-
plished the destruction of monopoly, this momentous occa-
sion will, we are assured, more than palliate the repetition of
our acknowledgments in their regard. The victory achieved
on Saturday morning—this bloodless and sinless victory, the
deed of reason and the triumph of justice—will embellish the
reign of our most gracious SOVEREIGN more than a thousand
Agincourts. The age of VfcroaLt will be the more espe-
cially cherished and revered because it will be associated with
those evidences of a QUEEN consulting in every instance the
happiness, the welfare, and the interests of her people. Nor
can our more prominent and distinguished legislators escape the
most enviable fame which can be acquired by public servants,
by public benefactors. Sir ROBERT PEEL, as having pos-
sessed the moral heroism to sacrifice personal ties, party
power, and the most fostered policy of a career, because he
recognised the benefits which would thereby result to the
nation; Lord JOHN RUSSELL, as having, irrespective of all
other considerations,first shown that opinions might be changed
with consistency; Mr. COBDEN and his Siamese colleague, as
the most untiring and earnest orators for the dissemination
of free-trade principles without the House, and Mr. VILLIERS
as the most persevering and undaunted supporter of
those principles within the House—have individually
and collectively obtained a most enviable renown.
In anticipation of what has so recently transpired,
the readers of The Sun may remember that, on Mon-
day se'nnight, we ventured upon a prognostication that
this third and final division in the Lower House of Par-
liament would be remarkable for an overwhelm-
ing majority. That prognostication has been ful-
filled. In relation to itself, but especially in re-
lation to the antecedent majorities, the present is parti-
cularly remarkable for its magnitude. Firstly, it is a majo-
rity, short only by two of a hundred! Secondly, it exceeds
by one the majority upon the first division I Those who
would willingly deteriorate this estimate of the division list
will possibly feel inclined, at the first blush of this announce-
ment, to ridicule that single vote as an extravagant and dis-
proportioned cause of satisfaction. On a secoad considera-
tion, they would, however, speedily perceive their ridicule to
be excessively ill-timed and unfortunate ; for, on investi-
gation, the excess of the third majority over the first
proves to be vary eonsiderably more than that of a solitary
unit. " But," these malcontents will persist, " the first
division, in February, brought a majority of ninety-seven,
while the third division, in May, brought merely an addi-
tional vote, ninety-eight f' Granted; the apparent increase
is trivial enough. But the proportions show it to
be at once important and satisfactory : the ma-
jority of 97 was in, a House of 581 Members,
while the majority of 98 was in a House of merely
560 Members The arithmetical and logical inferences are
~ ,_ .. t .. ._ ,_ _ll .......:.1 neeticulars over-
whelming. Thus far, therefore, these wonder/ill measures—
germinated in the popular will, advocated by the Member for
Stockport, and advanced by the Premier—have received the
most emphatic approval of one of the three great divisions
of the Constitution. The SOVEREIGN has already evinced
her gracious acquiescence in those measures which the
greatest statesmen of the age have pronounced as absolutely
necessary for the welfare of all classes in the United King-
doms. It, therefore, rests only with the august assembly of
Peers to testify their accordance to the Bill : that their own
interests are peculiarly involved in its acceptation we shall
take an early opportunity of showing. And in celebration
of the recent sanction given to the principles incorporated in
that Bill, we may virtually date, from the present day, the
proclamation of Pree Trade.