The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-20 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 iislied 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 be could not carry his mea-
sure without all the influence of the Duke. lie advised her
Majesty to send for Lord John Russell, whose recent letter,
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.

"}rum 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 and his party
were pledged ; and had, in turn, bullied all Europe, attacked
unotlending 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 Ali 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 them 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 hire, 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 Tice-Presidentship of the Board of Trade. But,
so far as I can learn, not one Liberal, Radical, or free-trader
was invited 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
Aeministration.

" 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 PalmeratAm
would be a useful man.
" But what will the world say of Lord Johnlii: Russell's e
a large
nea,lnPsufordeeer
or sense in admitting that he could not go on without Lord
Gl
Russell.
e, N
e v
have a I
hopese f
ftarhiaborel
etot
snetrraoenfhogar
it°
ehe raotucncda,
under
s
occasion nl)
shall
e?
measure of free trade.—Yours sincerely,
" JOSEPH HUME."

THE CRICKET IN THE PROVINCES.—We see from
the Northern Whig of Saturday, that Albert Smith's adapta-
tion of Dicken's ' Cricket on the Hearth," has been just pro-
duced at the Belfast theatre. If the number of versions may
be taken as a criterion of merit, Boz's cricket does not sing
small.:

A MAN BURNT TO DEATH IN A CHIMNSY.—On
Tuesday morning, a man named James Horrox, a coal miner,
was found burnt to death in a chimney, at Mr. Dearden's
colliery, Birtle- cum-Bamford. It appeared he had called for
assistance, when the workmen proceeded to pull down the
chimney • but he was dead when they extricated him, and
his body 'burnt almost to a cinder. He had been seen in a
state of intoxication the previous evening, and it is thought
he went to sleep in the cabin, and that finding the door was
fastened, and supposing the fire inside had been raked out, he
attempted to get down the chimney, but got fast and burned,
—Preston Guwdieen.
FELO-DE-SE.—A sad case of self-destruction has
recently occurred at Middle Aston, Oxon, and which ap-
pears to have been committed in consequence of the indi-
vidual fearing an exposure and punishment for having c,ozn-
milted a petty robbery. The facts appear to be as follows:
Mrs. Needle, a labourer's wife, detected Sarah Hawkings
Belton' also a labourer's wife, taking pig's food from a
trough in Needle's hogstye. The latter went to Mr. C. C.
Dormer, a magistrate, residing near at hand, and lodged a
complaint against Mrs. Bolton. This preyed on Bolton's
mind, and before the case was heard she poisoned herself
with white oxide of arsenic. At the inquest a verdict of
Felo-de-se was returned, and the corpse was, on Friday night,
interred at Steeple Aston churchyard, without religions rites.
The wretched woman has left seven children, the youngest
being but three years old.
CALLING-OUT OF THE MILITIA.--.A crowded meet
tng of the working classes was held on Monday nightt the
Assembly Rooms, W ebber-street, Blackfriars-read,
o for
to the House of Commons, against the callint.g
purpose of agreeing to resolutions and a petition—
Mr. John
militia. Mr. Feargus O'Connor wasf rire
ieserie,
solutions and
Gaillard in the chair. The t_
°ler (the Chartist poet),
..(larke, Feargus O'Connor,,Graoothp, otuht•
olta tttheer
Ddvle, Ridley,
Wheekr' Mfor calling out the militia, in
pTtition, which were movedcgise °ansedcoKndnedightibywasM,essthi:ast.
the. alleged circumstance?
did not exist at the present
to press unduly on the working
tendencyreetisitnedgiffioult to get substitutes); that
'ted in Parliament, it would be
Bwae from their peaceful avoeations;
it ten,led to draw them _
tterliii-soe;ps
ti(titi,ia,o,tinaiitoi
1.4f,,:t,,,1iii
dea
fin, :de,
them to serve as soldiers. The sense of the
bard to call uPon,
resolutions
b( •
nowfe America ntail eNc,rhei :sate
e;
tt
taoenrd physicals accordanceehtttled fb()rye e
i,
Athr
"Arbitration."
rtt
ail
liteillodnlirf.
~..,
ueethig, the spirit of the and petition, and the
sentiments of the speakers, were averse to a war with the
and that not being rel .
and petition were carried unanimously, and
TfCUelornleoeinitireceeteris
0(
nSleui-tlitaigiotoicilli
resolutions and
it was agreed that the latter should be entrusted to Mr. T.
S. Buncombe, 31. P., for presentation to the House ot Colu-
mns.
TN- Earl Grey arrived at his mansion, in Belgrave-
square, yesterday, from Yorkshire. The Countess was ex-
pected late last night.

'CREATE% ROYAL, COVENT-GARDEN.
HERR K(ENEti%; ANNUAL BENEFIT, THIS EVENING,

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20.
LAST NIGHT RUT NINE OF TIIE CONCERTS.

HERR KeENIG has the honour moat respectfully tl inform he
nobility, gentry, and the public in gengrel, that his Annual Benetit
will take place this Evening, Tuesday, Jan. 20th, on which occasion
ilia following music will be performed :