The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-21 00:00:00

MR. HUME AND THE WHIGS.
The following letter from Joseph Hume, Esq., M.P., ad-
dressed to Mr. Tait, publisher, Edinburgh, appears in the
Edinburgh Chronicle :
" Bryanston-square, January, 1846.
" Sir,—l do not wonder that, at a distance, you should be
at a loss to understand the causes of the late changes of
Ministers, and of their movements, when we here cannot see
any rational grounds for the proceedings, as regards the
Whigs, at least.
" I believe that Sir Robert Peel's proposition as to the re-
peal of the laws that prohibit the importation of food was so
large and so complete, that his colleagues were terrified, and
resigned. His resolution was, however, so fixed on the mea-
sure, that he risked the long-cherished connexion with the
Duke of Wellington, and was certain of breaking up the
party of which he himself was the head. Neither of these
considerations (weighty always with men seeking place and
power) deterred Sir Robert Peel from persevering; and he
resigned, because he saw that he could not carry his mea-
sure without all the influence of the Duke. He advised her
Majesty to send for Lord John Russell, whose recent lettei,
as a kind of advertisement that he was ready to take office,
pointed him out as the person to do the work which Sir
Robert wished to have done. It is understood that Sir Robert
would have supported Lord John, had the latter proceeded to
carry out the repeal of the corn-laws. But no calculation
could be made of the number of Peel's usual supporters who
would have gone with him. I believe the number would
have been small.
"From the moment I heard that Lord John Russell had
been sent for, I foretold that he would fail; as he would not
be allowed, by his Whig friends, to make his Cabinet con-
sist, to the extent of one-half, of free traders and Liberals,
and one-half of Whigs. A less proportion of Free-traders
would not be sufficient to gain the confidence of the nation.
"The late Whig Ministry, after the death of Lord Hol-
land, had departed from the principles of economy, peace,
and progressive reform, to which Lord Grey mid his party
wero pledged ; and had, in turn, bullied all turope, attacked
unoffending. Syria, and made no progress towards the settle-
ment of the boundary on the north-east of the United States.
The Whigs had, in tb.e last three years of their administra-
tion, adopted finality in reform measures as their motto ,
had increased the expenditure of our war establishment
about three millions in each of these years beyond the re-
venue, which remained the same; and had risked a general
war in Europe by their proceedings against Mehemet All and
Syria. _ _

" It was not to be believed that all this should have taken
place, to the disgust of the nation. and its alienation from
Whig rule, without Lord John Russell and his former col-
leagues knowing it. You recollect that- they had lost their
places, without the regret of any person, except those who
lived upon the public taxes, or who expected to have a por-
tion of then by the Whigs remaining in office. Yet, when
L rd John was called on by the Queen to form an adminis-
tration, his old colleagues collected around him, confident of
being again in office, and having learned nothing during the
four years they had been in opposition.
" Lord John, of his own accord, wrote to Mr. Cobden to
offer him the Vice-Presidentship of the Board of Trade. But,
so far as I can learn, not one Liberal, Radical, or free-trader
was incited to join, or was intended for a seat in the Cabinet.
Without half of the Cabinet being composed of these parties,
1 repeat, the nation could have placed no confidence in the
Ad ministration.
" When, therefore, you hear of Lord Grey as the cause of
the Whig Administration being broken up, do not believe it.
The old Whigs would not act unless alone. And when Lord
John found how he was placed, he very prudently resigned.
Lord Grey has been made the scape-goat.
" Much as we want free trade, we want peace more. With
Lord Palmerston as Foreign Minister, the dread of war, from
old recollection, would have been almost as bad as war itself.
And, therefore, I give Lord Grey great credit for his stand
against Lord Palmerston as Foreign Minister. As Minister
for the Colonies, or in any other situation, Lord Palmeraton
would be a useful man. _ _ _ _ _
a. a

" But what will the world say of Lord John Russell's force
or sense in admitting that he could not go on without Lord
Grey, who had left him on a former occasion ?
" We have a far better chance under Peel than under
Russell. My hopes are strong that we shall have a large
measure of free trade.—Yours sincerely,
" JOSEPH HUME."

" Gentlemen of the grand jury, on the last occasion
when it would have been my duty as well as my pro-
vince to have presided here, I was disabled from doing
so from my then
being engaged in making a somewhat
extensive tour in America. I was not there, how-
ever, as anidler, but as one seeking all the information
I could obtain during the shortness of me stay, and
of endeavouring to obtain knowledge of the state o f
that great country, not only of a social, but of an econo-
mical, and of a moral importance; also to ascertain the
mode of their application of capital in procuring that
state of discipline.and good order everywhere prevalent
amongst that great people. Dialy of the points upon
which I satisfied myself, however, it will not be neces-
sary for me to touch upon this day, although I consider
them to be of no little importance; yet there is one sub-
ject which I think deserves our serious attention as mem-
bers of the English community. This subject resolves
itself into two points; first, the manner in which educa-
tion is conducted, and secondly, the method in which their
gaols and penitentiaries aro managed. It is strange,
that in a comparatively new country, that education
(to use a common phrase) has gone so much a-head
of the mother country, and that particularly amongst the
lower classes, where every man feels ashamed who has no
education, and where every man who is educated feels
ashamed of committing a crime. In our own country there
is a prejudice against going a-head in education ; and in
this immediate neighbourhood a foolish prejudice
prevails amongst the middle classes against having
their children educated where the children of
the labouring classes receive their education.
But in America it is totally (Efferent. I had,
during my stay in Philadelphia, an opportunity of visiting
one of the largest scholastic establishments in that city,
and I found that children of all classes, not only in that
city, but throughout the whole state of Pennsylvania,
were there congregated, and were all taking an educa-
tion in common, not being asked what were the cir-
cumstances, or situations in lite of their respective
parents, or what churches or chapels they attended, but
all seemed bent upon attaining the object for which they
were sent, that of a sound and practical education to tit
them for their respective stations in after life. I found
many of these youths exceedingly acute, and put seve-
ral questions to them, all of which were answered in a
surprising manner ; and on inquiry, after a lengthened
examination, as to who the young man was who had
acquitted himself the best in the establishment, I was
answered that he was the son of the lamp-lighter of the
city:With respect to the management of their gaols and
penitentiaries, I find that they have established a system
of discipline and correction which is working most ad-
mirably, and this is to be found in the great decrease of
the offenders under confinement. The prison I inspected
is capable of holding 700 prisoners ; and a few
years back the average number confined was about
600, but latterly these have dwindled down to about
an average of 35
0. I enquired, in the various states
which I visited, whether the same system was adopted,
and was invariably told that it was, and that with the
same results. I mention this fact, not knowing what has
latterly been done in our own gaol, but it appears to
me to be worthy of our consideration, aad, if practi-
cable, of our adoption ; and I have not the slightes t
doubt on my mind that the practice of the same causes
will produce the same effects. Education going
hand in hand with proper discipline, must produce re-
sults which are not only highly desirable, but which must
in time lead on to a sounder and better state of society in
general. There is one other benefit in America which
cannot always be had here, and that is plenty of labour.
Now when a prisoner gets out of gaol, and after
having suffered that penalty for his crime which the
law awards, he ultimately emigrates to another state
where his former course of life and his crimes are
unknown, and where he can redeem his character by
following a different course of life from what he had
previously done where his crimes had found him out.
Now there is one case which will be brought before
you to-day upon which this argument will bear. A boy
of the name of Smith, about sixteen years of age, is
charged with stealing a tame rabbit, along with an-
other person, greatly his senior in age. If he should
be sent before us for trial for the felony and found
guilty (although an excellent character has been given of
him to the bench), his character will be gone for ever.
He cannot leave the district, but must continue to reside
in the midst of a densely populated neighbourhood,
where he will be liable always to be reminded of his
having been convicted of a felony. From the depositions
it appears to me that his guilt is extremely questionable;
and if you can consistently with the oath you have taken,
and the nature of the evidence which will be brought
before you, throw out the bill, you may satisfy the jus-
tice of the case, and spare his future character."

ACCIDENT WHILE HUNTING. —Lord Charles Russell
narrowly escaped a serious accident on Monday last. The
hounds met at Cranfield, when his Lordship crosing an arch-
way over a brook, it gave way, and the horse fell, throwing
Lord Charles to the ground. his Lordship lay with one leg
under the horse; at length, by the aid of some ropes, he was
slowly drawn from under the horse, after remaining more
than twenty minutes M so precarious a situation, without

sustaining any serious injury.
The Fairy steam-packet, belonging to the Wool-
wich Company, brought down 72 female c nvicts on
Monday from Alillbank Penite: Vary, and put them on
board the Emma liumtene, hired coavict ship, moored off
the Royal Arsenal. One hundred additional are expected at
Woolwich to-morrow for embarkation, for conveyance to Van
Dieman's Land.

The Emperor of Russia's splendid new schooner_
yacht building at Cowes is in a very forward state, as well as
those for the Marquis of Donegal and the Earl of Cardigan.
Ills Excellency the French Ambassador, accom-
panied by his son, the Marquis St. Aulaire, and suite, is
expected to arrive this evening at Manchester House, from
Paris, to resume his diplomatic duties after a lengthened

congE.
The Marquis of Sligo has arrived at Jerusalem
from a tour in the Ottoman empire. Lord James de Burgh
Browse is doing duty with :hie regiment, the Pill Lifters, in

ndia.

MADAME CELESTE AND WEBSTER IN GLASGOW.-

The rapidity with which performers of note are brought for-
ward in succession on the Dunlop-street boards is certainly a
novelty in that theatre, and to that extent certainly au im-
provement. The latest accessions are Madame Celeste, the
celebrated French lady, although an English actress, and
Mr. Webster, lessee of the Haymarket in London, who are
engaged for a very limited period. Celeste has obtained high
and deserved celebrity as a ballet dancer, but her melo-
dramatic powers are not less striking, and we were equally
delighted with the fidelity of her assumptions of character,
and the rapidity, gracefulness, and expression of her pan-
tomime, by means of which she most successfully contrives
to rivet the attention of her audience. Mr. Webster is one
of the few comedians left upon the modern stage, who is
equally at home in high comedy and light farce, and who,
With rich powers of humour, never descends to buffoonery or
grimace. He is well worthy to rank in the same class with,
Farren, Murray, and Keeley. His Ally Croaker, in the Mi-
series of Human Life, is a picture of its kind, and kept the
house in convulsions of laughter. The visit of these artists
has been well received by all who can appreciate the dra-
matic vivacity and gracefulness of the one, and the quiet ex-
pressive humour of the other.—Glasgow Herald.
FATHER MATHEW.—The Apostle of Temperance
arrived this morning from Kilkenny, and will leave on to-
morrow to preach and administer the pledge at Galway. He
will visit Kilcornan, Kinvarra, and Gort, in the same county,
on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and will return to
Cork on Thursday next.—Cork Southern Reporter.
RAILWAYS AND COACHES.—AII the coaches be-
tween Norwich and London have ceased to run, the last being
the mail through Bury St. Edmund's, which was discontinued
on the Gth inst. The others have been discontinued for some
time. The sole means of land conveyance between this
Counties'
Railway, London is now by the Norfolk and Eastern
managed than hitherto,
Railway, which, we understaanndd,
or seven coaches
satisfaction of the public. But ttougtlltt
n six
ued, and about 700
direct to London have been q
now
Thetford,
or
rt yd coachesßra
Bran-
don, wcainllsabgenfeanromyonrieoreeffectativtelliya
the principal
constantly running from van
Yarmouth and London, -
towns to
stations
stati horsesn thrownbetwe
between
ffsotrhwaitc aAd.t.tatiaebibaes
being Yarmouth, orc:rouagreh
Cambridge, Chesterford,
Thetford, two ; at Brandon,
three; atel‘n Al Ed et
Its: eehnbahol
ral
omu ,ghS Road,
tot rw t foo
;r1 Broxbourne, and Waltham,
at
At Yarmouth, one coach meets the train ; at Norwich,
four; at Cam-
bridge,three ; at Mildenhall Road, one; at Ely,
tEhlesseenhcosamc,heSs,totrhtfeirdere ,areßoromxnhiobuurnsees:
six ; at Chesterford, two ; and one each at Wenden,
which and Waltham.meet
rßyetsri Besides
at Yarmouth, Norwich, Ely, Cambridge, and London ; and
many cabs, flys, kc., at the intermediate stations. The rail-
way has, therefore, much increased the number of horse-
conveyances to and trom all the towns along the line, and
consequently increased the number of horses, drivers, ostlers,
and horse-keepers employed. In fact, horses are dearer than!
ever they were, and more in demand ; and the consumption of
oats is not likely to be diminished, but rather increased. The
apprehensions of agriculturists on this point, therefore, we are
happy to say, are not, according to present appearanees,
likely to be realised.—lpswich Express.
A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO A SOLITARY.—On

Monday., evening, shortly after six o'clock, a fire was dis-
covered in one of the bedrooms of Belle Vue Villa, Bathwick-
hill, the residence of the Honourable Mrs. Southwell. An
alarm being given, Captain Carroll ar d the police brigade
were almost immediately on the spot. Inspector Smith
having procured a ladder, ascended and reached the window
of the room, where he perceived the curtains of the bed to be
on fire. Having broken the window, Smith and another
policeman entered, and found the Hon. Mrs. Southwell on
the floor insensible, both of her arms being a little burned.
The flames of the curtains were speedily extinguished, and
Mr. Kilvert, surgeon, attended the lady, and dressed the
parts which had been scorched. But for the aid of the police
there is little doubt the house would have fallen a prey to
the fire, and its owner, who is very eccentric, and resides
alone, would have perished in it. The peculiarity of the
habits of this old lady, has for a time attracted the notice of
the police and others who have had occasion to call at the
house. It appears that for upwards of ten years no domestic
of any kind has been permitted to reside with her, so that
the cause of the accident cannot be stated. The method by
which she has been supplied with the necessaries of life has
been front a plan of her own contrivance—taking t_haer.pT a_.t.,
her drawing-room window by means of a string ain(tt c
kandly
her orders having been previously given thzouurhgilg
offices of sonic parties in her confidence. v
period, the residence has undergone noocflithyansinspectacle, and
person of the old woman presented a m
st
had apparently been as great a stranger t o any ablutions !
cleansing; and
Bath Journal.
F exec.—The agricultural re-
AGRIC ULTURB IN
and early barley all bear a pro-
llitherto the wheat, r_ partsß of France are very satisfactory.
I'lle sowing has been well finished, and
arm rains have been favourable to ve-
-The parishes of Caber-
ports from varioteisi
egtuihelltaes°eiestn:iC:ban:an.eNP:PNueia:Liritale:mne'Toi ir.(Rs TRIBUTE.--The parishes
64/. 12s. 6d. to the
iln'htehesulbassctribEexrsano,fintehri,s
hseuamd e xbtye n
etsos
column's lepErneA.gnisttl..o:
for
liTvehpeomunidldaneeaschs .—of Cork
pErxeastenniitters.eason
Kean Mahonv, and John Primrose, Dr. Barry, and the Rev.
J.
,Niyualushs,
is, we should think, unprecedented. At this time, the 14th
of January, the Swede. turnips in warm situations have)
commenced runr.ing ; turnip-greens, many inches long, hav-
ing been picked during the past week in this neighbourhood.
....Humps/Lis e Advertiser.