The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-20 00:00:00

once to render him useless and unprofitable. ARo
he does what Romans do. He cannot help himself. It me
would seem positively cruel to elevate any man not born
in Ireland to the highest dignities which Ireland has to
offer. Without raising the character of the people he
falls himself to the general level. Let him be as strong
as Hercules in intellect, it is ten to one that he proves
himself feebler than a child in bringing it to bear upon
the land of his adoption. Nobody is safe who breathes
Irish air and treads Irish soil. -The disease is endemic.,
and affects all, high and low, rich and poor. Worse than
the plague of Egypt, it does not come and go, but it is
constant and abiding, as well as vernacular. We blame
no man for being affected with the evil. We do not re-
proach the Celt for a physical and mental weakness,
shared-with the Saxon equally with himself as soon
as he sets foot in Ireland. Protestant and Ro-
manist are alike mad when the fit is on. Moral
force is as rabid as physical, and the
Archbishop of Dublin quite as eccentric as
Father O'Driscol/. A form of prayer prepared by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, and agreed upon by her
Majesty in Council, humbly imploring Almighty God
to avert from Ireland the imperilling calamity of famine,
is forwarded to Dr. Whately, that it may be read iu his
diocese as well as in every other in the kingdom : and
his Grace, instead of obeying her Majesty's Council, at
once preaches a sermon, political and religious, denying
the constitutional right of the Council to issue their
command, and proving the visitation a direct judgment
from God, which it wcu!d be blasphemy to interfere
with. Was Sir Robert Peel wrong when he pronounced
Ireland to be the great difficulty of the Ministers ; or,
would he not have been nearer the mark had he said
Irishmen, and those to whom the care of Irish matters,
political and spiritual, is entrusted ? When Shskspeare
spoke of " the antbropophagi, and men whose heads do
grow beneath their shoulders," he must surely have had
unhappy Ireland in his sagacious and far-seeing eye.
ADVERTISER.—Our readers will have seen an
advertisement in this journal a few days ago, announcing
that art address is to be delivered on Monday next, by
Mr. Charles Cochrane, in the Princess's Assembly
Roams, Castle-street, Oxford-street. The object of the
address will be, to endeavour to create such a manifesta-
tion of public sympathy and anxiety for the sufferings
of the poorer classes throughout the country, as may
lend to the imm diate removal, by Government, of all
duties on every kind of food essential to human wants.
Mr. Cochrane is an earnest and enlightened philanthro-
pist, and has a/rewly Leen instrumental in doing great
good to the lower classes of the community. His bene-
' vol -nce is not of a visionary kind: it is as practical in its
character as it is pure and praireworthy in its aims. He
was the founder, and has hitherto, we believe, been the
main supporter of the "Poor Man's Guardian Society," an
Institution whose claims to the countenance of the
charitable and humane, have, on repeated occasions,
been enforced in the columns of this journal. He will
confine himself to the remaining tsxes on human food.
On this subject we have freely and frequently expressed
our opinions. Every da3's post from Ireland brings us
accounts of new instances of the peasantry iu that
country dying from want of food. And yet Lord John
Russell restricts the supply, and keeps up the price of
corn, by persisting in the maintenance of the existing
duties. A whole nation are enduring the horrcrs of
famine ; and instant death, from the sheer lack of sus-
tenance, stares myriads in the face. Perish the harsh,
heartless theories, be they what they may, which inter-
pose between a people and their necessary food ! Lord
John Russell, in refusing to open the ports, is not only
guilty of cruelty, but of the v. ry quintescence of inhu-
manity. Nor is this all. A still graver charge lies at his
door. He is, more or less, morally responsible for the
death cf every miserable creature who perishes of want.
More than this ; if we comprehend the genius of our
Constitution, he is also constitutionally responsible. It
is idle to talk to us of an understanding among all parties
that the Corn Bill of last session was to be a final set-
tlement of the question. Away with all such " under-
standings," at a crisis like the present ! Let conven-
tionalisms, no matter what may be their nature, be flung
to the winds, when they would put a veto on the supply
of food to a nation perishing of want. It is the first
and paramount duty of Government to prevent any of
her Majesty's subjects dying of hunger. All other con-
siderationstboe tnhga t.
within And
th
etsheerMeailnmisstetor
who
nallnas musta
sin
perish for want of food, while any practicable effort
ggleivehu way
yn
remains unmade to provide the means of sustenance, is
much more deserving of impeachment than many a
Minister who has had to stand, before now, before the
legislative bar.

THE GREAT BRITAIN.
(From the Northern Whig of Saturday.)
"TO THE EDITOR OF THE RORTFIERN WHIG.
" Dundrum, Oct. 16, 1846.
" Sir,—From the handsome and open-handed manner
in which you have espoused my proffered voluntary as-
sistance towards the relief of the Great Britain, I feel
bound to comply with your request, in expressing my
opinions relative to her present position. There can be
no doubt in the minds of any scientific men but that she
may be saved, and that without trusting to the trea-
cherous spring tides. Every person who has visited
her has expressed his doubts as to her ultimate fate; and
the general opinion appearing to prevail is, that she may
be given up as a total loss. From the first moment I
was made acquainted with the exact position of the Great
Britain, I stated that she could be got off, since which
my opinion has not been altered one iota; and the more
I see the more I am convinced that if it is the general
wish of the parties concerned in her fate, she may be
again afloat.

" My plan of prccecding with respect to this ship is
founded on purely scientific principles. We well know
that wo have a large body to contend with, the dead
weight of which is upwards of 1,500 tons. To move this
ponderous mass by any other means than those of many
adjuncts is quite impossible. No power of traction could
bo applied to any one point, and even if applied to dif-
ferent points would be as useless and futile as were the
attempts at the last spring tides. The ship's position is
as favourable as it can well be for any proceedings that
may be taken towards her rescue. The means applied to
her Majesty's steam•frigate Gorgon are, from their re-
sults, sufficient of themselves to recommet d them; and
upon the same principles would I proceed in the case of
this ship. She has from seven to nine feet water along-
side at high water, (pita sufficient to float her. Upon
the whole I'do not consider her position so precarious as
is generally supposed. She is well secured by the head
and stern; but as to how she may weather the ensuing
six months' gales and seas, I should be sorry to venture
an opinion..

" I have been actuated to offer my services upon this
occasion merely from the fact of having the advantage
of practical and sucoessful experience" in similar cases,
and from which I form my opinions with respect to the
Great Britain. Many nautical and scientific gentlemen
have consulted with me, to whom I have explained my
plans; and I am happy to state they are all of one opi-
nion as to my success, if employed.
" Many and various rumours have got abroad, and are
daily gaining ground, not only in this neighbourhood,
but all over the country, and questions, some of
no slight difficulty to answer, are constantly being
put as to the ultimate intentions with respect to this
ship.
" I intend remaining in this neighbourhood for a few
days longer, in order to give the directors due time to
reply t.my offers relative to the Great Britain, and
must conclude by quoting the old adage of Where
there's a will-there's a way.'
" Your most obedient servant,
" THOMAS S. S. GABRIEL, R.N."

LORD ROSSE'S MONSTER TELESCOPE.—A paragraph
has gone the round of the papers stating that an attempt
was made by some, fanatics; a few days ago, to "injure
the speculum of Lord Bosse's monster telescope in the
Armagh Observatory." There is not the slightest
foundation for the report ; we publish the paragraph to
show up the fabricator of such a story capable of manu-
facturing monster falsehoods, and decking them out in a
somewhat plausible style. The whole fabrication is an
ingenious, but at the same time a flimsy hoax—Armagh
Sporting Chronicle.
CAPTAIN HOSKEN.—Yesterday morning Captain
Hosken, R.N., the commander of the Great Britain, ar-
rived here, ,'id Midst, from Dandrum Bay. He will
remain, during his stay in Liverpool, at the Adelphi
Hotel. Yesterday he was waited upon by several nauti-
cal gentlemen, and to-clay he will have an interview with
the agents of the vessel, Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co.
We believe that, after a brief stay here, he purposes
going
.to Bristol, to communicate personally with his
directors.—Liverpool Albion.

THE LATE FIRE IN SOUTHWARK.—Last night, at
eight o'clock, Mr. J. Payne, the Deputy Coroner, held
an inquest at Guy's Hospital, respecting the death of
John Cantell, aged 21 years, who died from the effects of
injuries received at the late explosion upon the premiEes
of Mr. John Sharp, printer, of Kent-street, Southwark.
It will be recollected that the deceased was an appren-
tice, and on the night of Friday, the 9th instant, the de-
ceased and two females ware engaged in making squibs
for sale for the sth of November, when a portion of the
combustibles ignited by accident, whereby the deceased
and the females were most frightfully burnt. Ellen
t
the deceased lingered until Saturd ty,
now
lies
Sharp, aged 18, was killed on the nigh,tvii,neuqubeestdii9end;frunt
the effects of the injuries. Another daughtert
e- on the ease ; aitlicrtwhy, hthe jury -re-
turnedcinotrhuenearbroevme in a very gangclrccus, s ate.. The
At the same
a verdict of " Accidental
ahrrpdital,
time they expressed their unanimous
to make disapprobation
against the
practice of allowing children_
fire-
works, more especially in such a crowded neighbourhood.
TEMPERANCE MOVEME,NT. Yesterday evening,
the ninth anniversary of the .Walworth and Camber-
well Total Abstinence Society was celebrated by a public
meeting, in the school-room, Queenhead-row, Newing,
ton. The meeting was ino,,t numerously and respectably
attended.. The Rey. W. W. Robinson, M.A., presided.
The repcirt stated, that 400 persons had joined the so-
ciety, and that amongst these were several of the most
inveterate drunkards in the district ; that 500,000 per-
,ons in Great Britain were notorious drunkards ; that
no less than 60,000,0001. were spent annually in intoxi-
catingo drinks ; and that 50,000,000 of bushels of grain
onmt tihseus vergetenac oft
ileas
n,fer human
a
e. eee used to manufacture them, and that at a period,
too, when one of the great aursta
had been destroyed: cud thq
fa nine. Reoltitioi,s to support the soci •
ety, and pro-.
mote the cause of total abstinence, were agreed to; alter
which the meeting sf-paraterl.
IMMENSE TRAINS.--Two luggage trains passed by
the Rugby station on Saturday last, on the London and
North-Western Railway, one of which consisted of 96
carriages, containing nearly 400 tons of goods, impelled
by one of Stephenson'a six-wheel engines, and two
others; the other train consisted of 84 carriages, and
contained 354 tons of merchandise, &c., drawn likewise
by three engines. The length of the rst train was up-
wards of a quarter of a mile. _ _

Miss Martineau is about to proceed, in company
with some friends, to Egypt, where she proposes to spend
the winter.—,Liverpool Albion.