The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-02 00:00:00

situated on the Baltic, from Oldenburg to Pomerania,
and further eastwards to Russia, from Otterndorf to
Dollart, and south-westwards to the Zuider Zee.

Of this consequence there would be every assurance
on the nomination of his Imperial Highness the
Archduke STEFHENI to the dignity of Palatine of
Hungary. Of that nomination there is now happily
but little question. All Hungary, all Austria, all
Europe, are looking with confidence for this welcome

announcement. We shall, however, be filled with

anxiety until the arrival of the intelligence.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
The letter which Lord Jolts RUSSELL has just sent
to the Duke of LEINSTER, the President of the Agri-
cultural Society of Ireland, may be regarded as the
official vindication of the ..-ft;+,.+ +I,.
cnarges of neglect and inattention that have been freely
poured forth from time to time against the Executive.
They havejbeen accused of incapacity and helples-ness,
of a total inability to grapple with the present emer-
gency. Not only their talent has been impeached,
but their motives ; the integrity of their intentions
has been most severely commented on. Scarcely a
day passes that the most violent philippics are not in-
dulged in, and the most invidious comparisons drawn
between the conduct of the late and of the present
Ministry. Our present rulers are termed "poli-
tical jugglers ; " their policy is said to be
of the most cruel, procrastinating character,
The Premier himself is accused of truckling to his
constituents, the merchants of London, and of refusing
the adoption of the only steps that by a possibility
could avert destitution and starvation from unhappy
Ireland, in order that large profits and famine prices
should be wrung from the suffering and misery of the
people by that highly-favoured class; and this not-
withstanding the repeated assurances given by the
sagacious and intelligent patriot who has so justly
obtained their entire confidence and respect, of his
full appreciation of the conduct and motives of the
Libt•ral Cabinet, and his full trust in the benevolence
and purity of their intentions towards his beloved
country.

_Had not the course of policy of the Whigs, for a
long series of years, been of the most enlightened and
liberal character—had they not evinced, at all times,
the most ardent solicitude for the removal of the
various grievances affecting our sister island—had
they not laboured to restore the Irish to a full and
perfect equality in every respect with ourselves, to
purify the-, statute-bock from every vestige of the
atrocious and vexatious penal laws, to remodel every
enactment of a persecuting or inequitable character,
to permit every man to worship his CREATOR in the
manner which he conscientiously deemed right, and
to take care that, in so doing, he should not be sub-
jected to either insult or injury—their conduct during
the past session, both before and since they assumed
the administration of the national affairs,
most undoubtedly deserved, and ought to
have secured the esteem, respect, and confidence
of the people, as it has of their veteran leader. Can it
be forgotten that it is to their exertions, while still

out of office, that the rejection of the Coercion Bii

is fairly ascribable; that when they obtained place
and power, they abandoned the " Arms Act," which
had been so long in -operation, and gave the people
the full benefit of their past good conduct; and in the
short interval that elapsed before the close of the
session, when opposed and burdened with the enor-
' moos weight of business cast upon them, their first
deliberations were directed towards the state of Ire-
land, an., he means necessary to be taken to meet
the id., mg difficulties and exigences, they carried
through the Legislature the Labour-rate Act,
which an enormous sum will be advanced for the
relief of Irish necessities, and the repayment of
which, at a moderate rate of interest, is
to be accepted by easy instalments spread
over a period of ten years ; and that when they
discovered the injury that might be sustained by
reason of a strict adherence to the letter of the statute,
with a courage and decision that has not often been
paralleled, they acquiesced in the determination of the
patriotic Nobleman whom they selected for the high
and, at the present crisis, arduous post of Viceroy of
Ireland, and gave their sanction to advances being
made for useful and profitable works of a reproduc-
tive character, although of a private nature? Our
space forbids a recapitulation of the other measures

relating to Ireland brought forward within the last
few weeks of the session, nor indeed is it necessary
to allude to them further at this time. The
measures and the conduct we have spoken
of should have silenced the railers against
the Government; and if anything was
necessary to be done, the suggestions should have
been offered in the most respectful terms, and the
language of reproach, and of coarse and virulent

cord the departure of any ruler who has acquired the
confidence of a people, and who has invariably evinced
his anxiety to promote the happiness and to ensure the
commercial prosperity of the population. It is al-
ways a matter of earnest regret to contemplate a
vacated throne when it is remembered at the
same time that its recent occupant was illustrious
as a national benefactor. But it is peculiarly sorrow-
ful, peculiarly matter for regret, when we are con-
scious that the excellence and efficiency of the suc-
cessor of the deceased is rendered more than ever
dubious by the fact of the Palatine being elective
instead of hereditary. In the course of nature the
anointed head is hardly swathed in its shroud, the
new escutcheon barely hung upon the mausoleum, be-
fore the eyes of a community are turned with mingled
anxiety and curiosity to the quarter whence the suc-
ceeding ruler is most likely to appear. However
such may jar upon our susceptibilities, it is solely the
consequence of one of the most divine of ordinances ;
it is the fulfilment of that mysterious scheme, both
in the moral and physical world, which the. Poet of
Poets has defined, where he says, " All things are
recreated." At this moment the destinies not merely
of Hungary, but of the Germanic body likewise,
are to a considerable extent dependent upon the
selection which must be made from the four candi-
dates offered by the Crown to the discrimination of
the Diet. With that selection may be decided the
social and political retrogression or advance-
ment of many millions of the human race, because it
is mainly upon the impetus afforded to, or the obstruc-
tion raised against, the supreme councils by his Im-
perial Highness the Prince Palatine of HUNG ART
that the condition and prospects of that vast empire
are dependent.
The astonishing influence thus acquired by the
Hungarians, and the uniformity with which, during
the last quarter of a century, that influence has been
exerted in behalf of enlightenment and political eman-
cipation, are principally attributable to the intel-
ligence, the independence, and the benignity of the
late Archduke JOSEPH. We are, therefore, most so-
licitous that that influence and liberality may not be
lost by the election of an incompetent candidate; we are
most desirous that the successor of so eminent and laud-
able a representative (of the EMPEROR should in some
measure be endowed with similar qualities. Two of
the four candidates for the Palatinate are already ru-
mo ured Prince ESTERHAZT and the Archduke
STEPHEN. The Archduke STEPHEN will unques-
tionably be nominated as a claimant upon the atten-
tion of the Diet, and there is but little question that
his claims to their favour will be sufficiently
substantiated to ensure his election. Sincerely do
we hope that such may be the result of the approach-
ing deliberation. A fitter successor to the Archduke
JOSEPH could scarcely be discovered in the central
districts of the Continent than his son the Archduke
STEPHEN, at present Governor of Bohemia. Imbued
with as earnest an anxiety for the regeneration of his
country, and gifted with more eminent abilities for
the fulfilment of that high ambition ; possessed of
more youthful energies, and master already of the
enthusiasm of the Hungarians, this Prince would, if
declared the Lord-Lieutenant of that province,
be the almost certain instrument of the social
liberation of the people, and of the healthy
consolidation of the powers of that enormous
empire. Identified even now with the cause of free-
trade, Hungary would thus be enabled to declare
herself definitely in favour of the total removal of
restrictive imposts, and thereby disseminate those
noble principles of political economy among surround-
ing states. Should such be the case, as would be
almost inevitable on the elevation of the Archduke
STEPHEN to the vacant authority, we should, in time,
be enabled to enter upon a system of reciprocal
benefit with the population of those dominions. Our
merchandise would be freely introduced to the ports