The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-13 00:00:00

protector, and that Sir 1-JENRY HARDINOE has marched
to Lahore as through a friendly territory.

At a most opportune pause in► the Parliamentary ses-
sion, which is destined to render itself illustrious,
inasmuch as from it the freedom of commerce will be

dated, a Member of the Upper House comes forward
with a spontaneous recantation of his former opinions
upon agriculture, and confesses himself to be an
earnest and conscientious disciple of the free-

;rade doctrines. We believe him to be conscientious,
or reasons too numerous to individualise in detail ;

and the farmers, who listened to this startling announce-
ment of the Earl of ESSEX, the nobleman in question,

showed by their courteous and almost enthusiastic be-
haviour towards him personally, that they also attri-
buted his conversion to the views advocated by the

League to a sense of honourable conviction alone, not-
withstanding many of them took occasion immediately
after the Noble Earl had resumed his seat to express their

entire dissent from his opinions. These circumstances
transpired at a meeting of the Watford Farmers' Club,
on Tuesday, where the Earl of ESSEX presided as chair-
man. Now, let it be especially remembered that his
Lordship is president of this society, and that very re-
cently, at a similar assembly at St. Albans, he had
spoken in the most emphatic and decisive manner in
favour of what is commonly, and ridiculously, called pro-
tection to agriculture. A transformation of ideas so sudden
and so diametrically opposite may under a first casual con-
sideration bear a very questionable and suspicious ap-
pearance. That is but natural. Let us, however, analyse
the wherefores of the case, and we shall speedily arrive
at a conclusion somewhat different. As an unexpected
and really antithetical declaration, it must undoubtedly
have been rather embarrassing to the nerves of the
Right Honourable Peer, addressing himself, as he
was through the medium of the press, to a party
furious from the very hopelessness of their
partizanship, and ready to place any construction
upon fresh seceders from their political faith. The
Noble Earl, indeed, acknowledged that he spoke " with
a feeling somewhat akin to shame ;" but—mark the co •
rollary !—it was not shame fur his present conduct, for
that originated in the chambers of his reason, in his
sense of duty and justice, in the vitality of his conscience
and of his honour; no, it was not a shame arising from the
nature of his present sentiments, or of the course which
he now purposed to adopt—it was a feeling of shame
for having taken upon himself formerly to eulogise a
system, and to maintain it in operation, without having
in any manner considered • its advisability, or without
having reflected upon the consequences it might have
upon the community at large. It was no mauraise honte,
no paltry trepidation as to the constructions
which possibly might be put upon his beha-
viour, which agitated the thoughts of his
Lordship. It was a feeling of compunction
at a failing of omission rather than commission, a feeling
most creditable to his character, and one which exone-
rates him from every motive not strictly in accordance
with honesty of purpose. The Earl of ESSEX then con-
fesses that his previous enthusiasm for the so-called
protective system was nothing but an unreflective
adhesion to those princ:ples with which he found
himself associated by the accidents of birth and
inheritance. He acted as an upholder of the country
party merely as a ma!ter of course ; his ancestors had
proceeded upon the same undeviating system ; he took
the excellence of its effects upon himself and everybody
else for granted ; and thus, with a kind of luxurious
indifference, or from a generous wish to co-operate with
his compeers, the Noble Earl had united his voice with
theirs in the laudation ofprotection and the depreciation of
the schemes for the abolition of all restraints on commerce.
" With that facility," says the Earl of ESSEX, " with
which most people are too apt to show in adopting opi-
nions that apparently favour their own interests, I fell
in with the views of those with whom I was classed,
and I take shame to myself that I did so without duly
I inquiring into and fairly considering the subject." When,
however, it became evident that the matter would very
speedily be produced before the Upper House of Parlia-
ment, and when, moreover, he observed that he would
quickly be expected to vote upon a measure involving
the ruin or prosperity of millions, the Noble Lord began
for the first time in his life to take the matter into his se-
rious consideration ; and "then," says he, "I found after due
reflection and strict inquiry, that those opinions (which I
had hitherto professed) were erroneous." He drew his
inferences with the most elaborate caution, bearing ever
in hismind that, "as an honest man, it was his duty to
give an unbiassed vote ;" and those inferences were eon •
elusive enough. In them he perceived that all his pre-
vious fears as to the consequences likely to result from
the proposed commercial changes were altogether
visionary; but especially he felt convinced that, with our
wonderful increase of population, " a population increas-
ing at the rate of a thousand a day," home farming must
prove utterly inadequate to satisfy the wants of the coun-
try. For some novel and striking calculations as to the
good which must flow from the abolition of what he de-
signates " the broken-reed, protection," we would
direct particular attention to the address delivered
by Lord ESSEX, fully reported in another column.
And no single shadow of doubt can he hence-
forth entertained as to the opinions of the
Noble Earl upon the question of unrestricted com-
merce after he has so emphatically remarked that
under the auspices of that system " agriculturists will
arrive, I think, at a pitch of prosperity hitherto un-
known." It is not, however, so much to congratulate
ourselves upon the alteration of the views of the Earl of
ESSEX - sincerely as we do so that we have
uttered these comments upon the Watford meet-
ing. Our object was principally to demonstrate
a great fact by a great instance; to show that among the
most conspicuous champions of the Anti-Free-Trade
party there are men acting from no appreciation what-
ever of the justice of their cause, but simply as a thing
rather fashionable upon their patrimonial estates.
They inherit —that is the precise word—they inherit
their attachment to protection, just as they inherit a
title, or a town-house, or a seat in Dorsetshire. They
have become imperceptibly habituated to the idea, as they
became imperceptibly habituated to the saddle and the
stirrup. It fell easily and naturally upon them, like a
favourite rube de chambre, or a comfortable pair of slip-
pers ; reflection is irksome to them, an indolent acqui-
escence in the petty fribbles of their leaders is the most
pleasant and unfatiguing course they can follow. such
are the bulk of the supporters of the protectionists !
The Earl of ESSEX has shown them a courageous
example ; let them follow it if they are men of sense and
probity

The advices from Alexandria are to the 29th ult. On
the 22d the first wife of the Viceroy, MEHEMET ALI,
had died at Cairo, after a short illness. His Highness
was deeply affected at the loss. The funeral, which was
attended by the Viceroy himself, took place on the 23d.
The transit of the desert (except the stations from
Cairo to Suez) has now completely changed hands. All
the employes of the old "Egyptian Company's Transit''
are retained by the new " Transit Administration," ex-
cept the directors. The following has been fixed as the
passenger's tariff :
First Class, from Alexandria to Suez, (and X. s. d.
vice versa) ... 12 10 0
Second Class 9 0 0
••• ••• -•• '••
First Class, Suez to Cairo ... ... 210 0
~_ Cairo to Alexandria ......9 10 0
Second Class, (and vice versa) 610 0

The tariff regulating the conveyance of merchandise
and luggage will shortly be published.
On the 28th, at 45 minutes after 5 r.m., two violent
shocks of an earthquake, lasting upwards of half a
minute, had been felt at Alexandria. There had like-
wise been the shock of an earthquake at Malta.

By the Levant mail, in addition to the news from
Constantinople, which will be found elsewhere, Malta
papers to the 3d instant, and Athenian journals, to the
30th ult., have arrived. It would appear that the Greek
Minister CoLETTI was approaching to his fall. The
Exchequer was in a state of bankruptcy, none of the
employes of the. Government having received any salary
since January. The Budget has not yet been pre-
sented, and having been beaten in the Chamber on the
question of the election of Questor, and out of the
Chamber in the election of Mayor of Athens, he dared
not ask for a provisional vote of credit, for fear of a
refusal.

_________
The following letter, from the correspondent of the
iTlalta Gazette, exposes the present state of affairs in

Greece :

" The Ministry, strong in the protection of the Court
intot
and the French and Austrian Ambassadors, still main-
tains itself in po!ver, notwithstanding the Ministerial
phalanx is dally diminishing, by itselfthrowing
ranks of the Opposition.
" The state of the finances is veryembarrassing
to
Signor Coletti. The budget is not yet presented, and
he dares not ask for a provisional credit, fearful of a
refusal by the Chamber. The employes are without salary
since the Ist of January, and are in the greatest state
of misery.
" The Senate during the last few days have begun
the discussion of the laws upon cattle. The Chamber
of Deputies is discussing the laws upon penal punish-
ments, and the reports of the petition.
" The election for the Mayor of Athens took place
feeffatuerdts.
of the Ministry,
the yesterday
Ministerial
;
nhdsitdaa ntdeinvfts thed e
" On the occasion of the election of the Questor of the
Chamber, the Ministerial candidate had only 34 votes,
notwithstanding
whilst the Opposition had 56."
The Athenian journals mention a debate which