The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

it is ctecitied, says the Times, that M. Rochefort is to r.
raised to the dignity of a hero and a martyr. Thei
Legislative Body has authorized the prosecution of the
Deputy of the First Paris District. The Marseillaise and
its Editor will have to take their trial before a Correc-
tional Tribunal, on the charge of having insulted
the Emperor's person and family, and incited the
people to insurrection and civil war. Such has
been the will of M. 011ivier and the other members
of the new French Ministry. We would not
lightly venture upon blaming their resolution. It is
fair to presume that they best knew what they were
doing, and it remains to be seen how far events
will justify their policy. Judging from a distance
it would seem that scarcely ever was a mea-
sure adopted against which more unanimous warning
had been given. There were no two opinions on the
subject among the friends of the Ministers or among their
opponents. Arguments of no little weight were urged to
shake their determination. With the trial of Prince
Pierre Bonaparte, it was observed, the Ministers ought to
have their hands sufficiently full. The interest arising
from a mere press prosecution would be sure to pale by
the side of a trial for homicide ; and the sight of a Prince
in the dock would draw all attention from the appearanee
of a journalist in the same predicament. M. Rochefort
had never been worth the notice that was taken of-him, and
of late his faint-heartedness and mistrust of his followers
had not only rendered him harmless, but even useful in
allaying the commotion himself had raised. All these
considerations, however, although they might and,
perhaps, should have had duo weight before the Chamber
was first addressed on the subject, became of no avail when
the proposal was formally made. It is not for a Govern-
ment on its first coming into power, and in the midst of a
momentous crisis, to recede from an important step
delib erate'y taken. Between M. 011ivier and M. Roche-
fort, between rational freedom and senseless revolution,
the challenge has been given and accepted; the war has
been declared, and it must be fought out. But for that fatal
Auteuil tragedy the contest might have been looked upon
as decided, and the trial of strength might have seemed
superfluous. But Prince Pierre Bonaparte, perhaps
unwittingly, aroused the sleeping lion, and it is absolutely
necessary that his newly-appointed keepers should shew
courage enough to beard and strength enough to tame
him. It was hardly necessary that M. 011ivier should de-
clare that he and his colleagues looked upon the procuring
leave to prosecute M. Rochefort as a Cabinet question.
Even without this strong adjuration, the Chamber was
sure to support the Ministry on such a subject, and to
sacrifice, if necessary, its own inclinations to the exigen-
cies of the occasion. It is not a case in which every
deputy has consulted his own judgment. By far the
greater number of them have acted as M. Thiers professed
that he would do. His convictions, he said, were against
the prosecution; his vote should be for it.
The Telegraph advocates a change in the class of clerks
employed in the Civil Service. A married man obliged
"to keep up appearances" in London, with a wife and
children, on a salary of £2OO a year cannot be a very ener-
getic or contented clerk; he must detest the position.
And yet the work, regarding it as a marketable commo-
dity, is often overpaid. But if an open competitionbrought
into the service a humbler class of men—men like the
sergeants in the British army—very intelligent and trust-
worthy, but with wives who work hard, and rough rosy
children who require no nurserymaid, the change
would be great. One hundred a year secure is
wealth to a working man, while it is " genteel"
starvation to a gentleman; a man of humble
society could support ten children on the £2OO a year,
which to the well-born married clerk of fastidious habits
is a painfully small pittance. We do not say, that even all
these considerations would induce us pass any absurd
decree, saying that the Civil Service is to be kept for the
working man, and "tabood" to the aristocrat; but, con-
sidering that the work done is, as a rule, humble enough,
..onsidering that ordinary steadiness and intelligence can
master it ; considering that the salaries we can give are
as a rule not enough to support "gentlemen" who
follow the old, but ip some cases indispensable, prac-
tice of taking a wife—then we say that it might be
a gain if the opening of the service brought in
men of an humbler grade. An Irish sportsman, who
found some bog land newly reclaimed, and, as a
result, " red snipe," exclaimed, " The country is going to
the devil !" " The service is going to the devil !" will be
the exclamation of some " exquisite " forced to sit next to
a new clerk in fustian or corduroy. But if the work done
is inferior, if the wages are low—in fact, "corduroy" work
and " corduroy" wages—why always summon gentlemen
in purple and fine linen, who like to fare sumptuously
every day, to execute most ordinary tasks? Of course
there are situations—even whole departments—where we
do require educated gentlemen, and we should -take care
to get them and pay them well. But let us not have a
staff of civil " oilicers and gentlemen" to do what could
be carried out by a civil army of sergeants, corporals, and
`private soldiers " of the pen.

The Daily Yews thinks that Mr. Forster's speech at
Bradford justifies the expectations which the public have
formed of it. It was known six weeks ago that the
Government had an Education Bill to submit to Parlia-
ment. Mr. Forster on Monday said that he expected to
carry it this session, and that not as a party measure, but
with the aid of both sides of the House. If any mem-
ber of the House of Commons is entitled to count
upon the candour and public spirit of opponents, it
is the Vice-President of the Committee of Council ;
no man has so well proved the power of conciliation as
he. We hope that Mr. Forster may be as fortunate with
his Bill for the education of the children of the poor as
he was with his Endowed Schools Bill. His emphatic
language at Bradford with reference to the importance of
legislating at once shows the high place which the Govern-
ment assign to their Education Bill among the measures
of the session. Mr. Forster thinks that " when
the work is done it must be done completely ;"
"an efficient system " of national education must
be established; and no economical or religious or irre-
ligious difficulty must be allowed to hinder the achieve-
ment of that design. We can do no more than refer to
the very decisive language in which Mr. Forster declared
the necessity of securing to every child the means of an
eleemosynary secular education. We must return to the
consideration of this speech, which we believe is destined
to inaugurate n new era in the history of national educa-
tion in this country.
The Pall 211-all Gazette declares that on education Mr.
Forster was outspoken to some purpose. That is a subject
as to which we do need confidence that the Government
has courage; and if Mr. Forster speaks with the voice of
his colleagues, then our minds may be at rest on that
score; soon we shall have an Education Bill against which
"no economical, or religious, or irreligious difficulty will
be allowed to stand." As we read those words we are half
inclined to withdraw all we have said about the
stump ; for certainly nothing has been heard of so cheery
a nature from that or any other elevation for many a day.
And besides that, the Government, Mr. Forster says, will
deal with the licensing system and the trades' union
question (of which also we are very glad to hear) ; and he
hopes, even after what Mr. Bright has said on the subject,
that Mr. Gladstone will find time to permit the introduc-
tion of a University Tests Bill. Mr. Forster spoke
for himself boldly throughout his whole harangue. Ho
sturdily advoCated the entrance of working men into Par-
liament ; he was almost vehement in expressing his admi-
ration of the present state of things on the Continent
(especially of the progress of affairs in France), and of his
belief that in America we shall never lose a friend, nor in
our colonies the strength of the empire. Altogether, Mr.
Forster's speech was a good, loud, frank speech—cheerful
and cheering.

The Standard observes that it is the unfortunate peculiarity
of Liberal statesmanship that it is apt to increase the
difficulty of dealing with an admitted grievance by exag-
gerating its magnitude or misrepresenting its real charac-
ter. Last year we were told that the Irish Church was
the cause of Irish discontent. It was "the shameful affront
of Protestant ascendancy," which lay at the bottom of
Fenianism and disaffection, and the policy of disestablish-
ment was forced upon the Legislature as the all-sufficing
cure. Yet the Irish Church Act has proved a total failure,
and the state of the country is infinitely worse than
it was twelve months ago. There is too much reason
to fear that a similar blunder will mar the efforts of the
Ministry in dealing with the land question. They are en-
couraging the people to cherish hopes which no Govern-
ment can satisfy. Mr. Sinclair speaks with authority
upon these points in his double capacity as a landlord and
a tenant farmer. His conclusion, in spite of the exag-
gerations of Mr. Bright and agitators of the same
kidney, is, that " the increase of rent in Ireland
has progressed at a much lower ratio (some
thirty per cent.) than in England and Scot-
land, and, in fact, that the Irish grievance in this respect
is one which would be laughed out of court in either
country." As for the " excessive competition for the pos-
session of land," it at present resolves itself into a compe-
tition for "free land." As Mr. Sinclair points out, the
Irish peasant has the acuteness to see that his land-
lord has not raised his rent in the ratio which
the increased value of agricultural produce would
entitle him to do. He p with the "that
,
he has got hold of a good thing, which the assistance
of a paix a tout prix Government, he is determined to hold
upon his own terms." Is not this the secret of many
threatening notice and many a landlord assassination
Mr. Bright holds out to them the prospect of getting " free
land "by the action of Parliament. In the meantime they
employ the pistol and the bludgeon, and the geutio
agency of lilolly_Msp.kre,
.to the name Ontl.

01111
" ,~3"•~.f~:t

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Jan. 17.

Her Majesty, accompanied hy her Royal High-
ness Princess Beatrice, walked in the grounds
this morning.
Their Royal Highnesses Princess Christian and
Princess Louise also went out.

LATEST INTELL WINCE

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.

(Per French Atlantic Cable.)
NEW YORK, Jan. 17.
The North German Lloyd steamer Weser arrived
here at 8 a.m. to-day.

The Europa (of the Anchor line) arrived here

yesterday.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
CLOSING PRICES.

Gold closed at 121 a ; the highest quotation dur-
ing the day was 121/ ; the lowest, 1211.
Sterling Exchange on London lOB,
5-20 U. S. Bonds, 1882 ll5/.
cc " 1885 llbk.
" 1867 ll4k.
10-40 it
112 k.
Illinois 142.
Erie 22/.
Cotton—Mid. upland 2sic.
Petroleum—standard White 3llc.
Flour, extra state, ss.oc. to $5.60c. Corn, old
mixed, sl.2c.

BOSTON, Jan. 17.
The Inman steamer City of Boston arrived out

yesterday.

GREENCASTLE, Jan. 18.

The Allan steamer Prussian, which left Portland
at 7 on the evening of Bth inst., arrived in Lough
Foyle at 7.25 this morning with 38 cabin and 19
steerage passengers.
The London mails were not landed.

BREST, Jan. 18.

The Transatlantic Company's steamer St. Laurent,
from New YOrk, arrived here at 3 a.m. to-day.
She brings 62 passengers and $24,400 in specie.

BOMBAY MAIL.

GIBRALTAR, Jan. 17.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Ripon leaves at 2 p.m. to-day for Southampton.
All well. She may be expected early on the morn-
ing of the 22d inst. (Saturday).

THE BANK OF MADRAS.
BOMBAY, Jan. 10.

The Bank of Madras has declared a dividend of
8 per cent., and not 5 per cent, as previously an-
nounced.

FRANCE.

PARIS, Jan. 18.
No serious disturbances are reported to have oc-
curred last night.

The Gazette des Tribunaux of to•dap says :
"About six o'clock some 400 individuals stationed
themselves near the Palais Bourbon, shouting
4 Vive Rochefort,' Vive la Republique,' , A bas
011ivier.'"

The crowd was dispersed by the sergeants-de-
fine, but assembled:again in the Rue d'Aboukir in
front of the office of the .11arseillaise uttering the
same cries as before.

Another group, numbering about 200 persons,
traversed the Rue Saint Denis, vociferating sedi-

tious cries.

At about 11 p.m. a crowd, principally composed
of lads and children, passed along the Boulevard
Montmartre singing the " Marseillaise," and shout-
ing " Vive Rochefort." Some of the passers-by
and the neighbouring tradesmen quickly dispersed
them with sticks.

At midnight cavalry patrols traversed the
Boulevards at a walking pace, and the sergeants-
de-yille dispersed any groups:that had collected.
BOURSE, Jan. 17.—Three lo'clock—The mark t
.closed as follows :
iper Cent.

End of mouth
per Cent
End of month 73 30
'redit Mobilier 207 50
Transatlantic 192 50
;redit Foncier 1752 50
Paris Gas 1650

Bank Shares 2890 --
Ital'an 'ivos 55 05
Austrian Fives -
lOttoman Loan
Do. Debt 44
Spanish Threes 26 50
Home Debt —
Deferred

RAILWAYS,

Orleans ... Cash.
970
Western
Northern ... ll3O
Strasburg • • 590
i,yons and Mediterranean
Southern..... 605
Sardinian
Austrian BOO
Lombard 5151
North of Spain 56
Saragossa
Roman 49