The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-19 00:00:00

But a change was at hand. " Experience," so
continues the Registrar, " proves that this prosperity
has but a limited term ; and, viewed calmly at a dis-
tance, there appears no reason why all the world, it'
they buy twice as many lamps, buttons, fire-irons, &0.,
in any given three years, should do the same in the
three years fulluwin,c, but, on the contrary, it is
probable that the abundant stock of articles laid in
will not be consumed immediately. Is it not quite
possible, then," he asks, " that Birmingham, at the
same time that its permanent trade was extended, did
part of the trade, anticipated the profits, and earned
Me wages of future years in the three years 1844, 1845,
18.16?" This is an exceedingly ingenious and
most plausible supposition, but we should hesitate
fully to coincide with it, nevertheless. According to
the established doctrines of political economy, con-
sumption multiplies with more than geometrical
progression. The greater the quantity of anything
consumed, the more will be required, and the more
will be consumed again, and so on fur ever. This
rule, however, like many others, works better in
theory than in practice. But whether the Regis-
trar's supposition be correct or no, there cannot be
two opinions as to the excellence of the advice that
he has based upon it—namely, frugality in time of
prosperity, as a preservation against suffer-
ing in the time of scarcity. This advice
is, in the main, excellent, and, as we have
said, there cannot be two opinions. Still, in accord.
ance with the doctrines of the political economist, we
could not, even in this instance, entirely agree with the
propositions of the Registrar. He says, and with
sufficient plausibility, that it is only when wages and
profits are expended, as well as gained in prosperous
years, that the population is afterwards distressed, panic-
struck, and driven to the brink of ruin. This assertion
is indeed not only plausible, but to a certain extent
truthful. Prosperity, and especially sudden and un-
r.uopriity , UlLell Vilgenuel z al4 asterui
and reckless extravagance, which, as is daily evidenced
by families and individuals, only results in ruin and mi-
sery. A sober frugality is, next to industry, undoubtedly
the best preservative against want. But the Regis
trar's theory (if we do not misapprehend his mean-
ing) goes beyond this. He speaks of the " lean''
years following the " fat" years, and it is evident he
had the history of the son of JACOB in his mind. His
proposition of putting aside the products of the day
of plenty, in order to use them in the day
of want, is an exact counterpart of the system
by which Egypt was preserved. That system,
originally most successful, would undoubtedly
be similarly successful under similar circumstances.
If it were as certain that the day of panic must suc-
ceed the day of plenty, as it is that winter must suc-
ceed to summer, Men, indeed, the plea of hoarding up
might be very advantageously advocated. But as it
is such a system would only be productive of the
evils it is now intended to counteract. The diffusion
of capital is well known to be the best stimulus to
trade, and the best preservative of prosperity. Hav-
ing thus expressed our dissent from this particular
assertion of the Registrar, we can the more heartily
concur in his denunciations of extravagance and im-
providence, and the more conscientiously commend
the philanthropical tenor of his remarks.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

I -...----
We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
The elections were going on, and Paris remained
perfectly tranquil.
The National says that the list of the votes of the
army and the Invalides published in the Presse of the
Preceding day, and quoted in The Sun of yesterday,
was incorrect, and that the real state of the poll is as
follows:

Louis-Napoleon
Edmond Adam
Fould ...
Bugeaud ...
Delessen ...
Roger ...
Girardin ...

... 4,758
... 2,317
... 2,310
... 2,228
... 1,663
... 1,132
... 1,111

Thore ... ... ••• •.• 968
Say (Horace) ••• •.•
•" 900
Raspail ...
••• ••• ••• 853
Gervais ... ••• •.• ... 755
Cabet •.• •.• ••• ••• 599
Kersausie ... ••• ... ••• 331
The list published in the Frew gave to M.
EMILE DE GIRARDIN the third place instead
of the seventh. This is an electioneering
trick worthy of a manager of the Carl-
toll Club. M. EMILE DE GIRARDIN profits by
the instructions of his Tory friends. More than
2,000 Invalides recorded their votes for the nephew
of the EMPEROR. It is generally imagined that
. _ _

pretended to inspect, this very asylum, speak of it
in very favourable terms. The fact is, that from the
paucity of their numbers, it is physically impos-
sible that the Commissioners of Lunacy can
perform their duties. While the law continues
in its present state the necessity for the existence of
this society will continue, and it is only when the
law shall perform those duties in all cases which the
society, in spite of difficulties innumerable, endeavours
to perform in some few, that the Alleged Lunatics'
Friend Society can safely cease from its labours.

The last annual report of the Registrar-General of
Births, Deaths, and Marriages contains something more
than an abstract of the births, deaths, and marriages
registered during the last year. It contains a faithful
but melancholy retrospect of the fluctuations of trade
and the vicissitudes of the popular condition during
recent years. It contains, moreover, what is far snore
valuable—a very lucid exposition of the causes which
have contributed to the recent depression, or rather
stagnation in trade, and some very valuable sugges-
tions, which, if generally adopted, would prevent any
future recurrence of a similar calamity from being pro-
ductive of such a state of suffering as has recently
afflicted us. The retrospect unfolded in this report,
ranging from 1842 to 1848, embracing the years of
plenty and the years of privation, presents a subject
of deep importance and powerful interest to the con-
sideration of the political economist and the philan-
thropist. The former will exult over the records of
such years as 1846, when trade was seemingly at the
ne plus ultra of prosperity, and "demand" and "sup-
ply" went hand in hand in the race of reciprocal benefi-
cence, while the latter will sigh over the heart-breaking
chronicle of the years r,of panic and privation. In
order tc, facilitate his statistical explanations, and the
better to illustrate the theory which he has based
upon them, the Registrar has taken the case of one
individual town, Birmingham, as an example for all
the rest. In 1845, 1846, and 1847 trade was re-
markably active at Birmingham. Various causes
co-operated to promote this activity; but, whatever
the causes, the effects were unmistakeably apparent,
and are thus described in the Registrar's report :
" Because there was a demand for double the usual
quantity of goods the retailers' 'shelves were emptied ;'
all the workmen were fully employed and worked over-
time ; the masters meanwhile realised liberal profits ;
the men's wages were raised, and boys got the wages of
men, for promotion among ,these gardes mobiles of in-
dustry is rapid in times of crisis. Youths married, and
furnished houses or lodgings ; the expenditure of fami-
lies increased ; employers enlarged their establish-
ments, and young men opened new factories—for this
extraordinary prosperity appeared at the time per-
petual."