The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-13 00:00:00

mously agreed to at a meeting held at the North
and South American Coffee-house,, which waa sub-
sequently presented, on the 24th of May, 1819, by
the first Sir ROBERT PEEL, and which has been so
often referred to in our own columns. The petitioners
spoke of the contemplated propositions as tending to
" a forced, precipitate, and highly injurious contrac-
tion of the circulating medium of the country," and
they declared "that the consequences of such
contraction would be to add to the burthen of the
public debt; greatly to increase the pressure of the
taxes; to lower the value of all landed and com-
mercial property; seriously to affect both public and
private credit ; to embarrass and reduce all the ope-
rations of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce;
and to throw out of employment (as in the calami-
tous year of 1816) a great proportion of the indus-
trious and labouring classes of the community."

In ♦ain, however, did he oppose the fatal Bill by
his speeches, his writings, and his influence. The
people were determined to be deceived, and they
were deceived accordingly. It was confidently as-
serted that the alteration in value would amount to
five per cent. only, which did not appear so eery
formidable, although why a change even to that
extent should be submitted to without any ade-
quate reason, it seems difficult to determine.
The Bill received the legislative sanction, and became
the law of the land. It is unnecessary to refer to the
diastrous consequences of that Act, which became so
painfully perceptible in 1821.2 and 1825-6,

and indeed at intervals from thence to the

present time. The causes that produced
these melancholy results are still in operation ; they
have, indeed, been rendered more stringent by the
supplementary measure of 1844, and, unless the dis-

coveries of gold in California and Australia, and the
large importations of bullioa from these new districts
should avert the threatened evils, must lead to
periodical crises, and the by no means remote pros-

_
pects of a national bankruptcy.
It was in 1830, however, during tbe debates in the
House of Commons on the state of the currency, that

Mr.ATT WOOD made one of his most successful efforts.
His eloquent speech on that occasion will long be
remembered, when he entered into the history of
the question, and clearly and distinctly proved that

" the prosperity of the country had been placed
against the so-called security of the standard—that
the safety of the people bad been put into one
scale, that of the metallic standard into the other,

and the preference given to the standard." The Bth

day of June, 1830, will constitute an epoch in the
life of the distinguished subject of this
notice, to which his friends may refer

with pride, and all with the certainty o

deriving benefit from his powerful oration. He is
now taken from us at the very time when his

opinions on this most interesting and important topic
are taking deep root throughout the country. He
had not been spared to witness the success of his
exertions, but he lived long enough for fame ; and
his bereaved family may derive consolation from the
thought that in future years his name will be men-
tioned with blessings by those who will then be
reaping the fruits of his unceasing efforts to obtain a
circulating medium adequate to the wants and exi-
gencies of the nation.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
We read in the Pays —" After the sitting, in
which the report of M. DAau recommending the law
of May 31, was read, the republican opposition assem-
bled in LEMARDELAY'S rooms to deliberate on the
conduct they were to pursue in the discussion. It
was unanimously decided that their attitude should
be calm and moderate, and that only one of their
members, M. MICHEL (DE BouttGus), should speak
in their name. The meeting, moreover, resolved, that
while reserving the right of universal suffrage, it
should remove from the discussion all threats and
prognostications of civil war, which could only in-
crease the irritation. A committee, composed of five
members, were charged to come to an understanding
with M. MICHEL (DE BOUEGES) as to the important
points of his speech. This attitude of the republican
opposition is very significative; is it that the spirit
of conservatism has passed over to the Left, while that
of revolution has entered the Right ?" The following
official communication on this subject appears in some
of the journals of the minority :
._ " After having examined in every feature the situa-
tion created to the Left by the Electoral Bill of the Go.
vernment, the meeting was of opinion that what was
most appropriate to the gravity of circumstances was
less a speech than an act. In consequence, the meeting
decided that only one of its Members should appear in
the tribune, not to recommence criticisms henceforth
superfluous on the law of the 81st of May, 1850; but to
renew the solemn protest of the people and of all the
opposition against that law of civil war.
" P. LEBRANC, Representative of the People,
Secretary of the Meeting."
The following Members have inscribed their names
to speak on the Bill for the Repeal of the Law of
May 31 :—For the conclusions of the report—M.
Thuriot de la Rosiere. Against it—MM. de La-
rochejaquelein, Madier de Montjau, Sain, Rigal,
Peupin, Saint Romme, Morellet, Bac, Detours La-
fond, Lagrange, Arnaud (de l'Ariege),lFailly,"and
de la Moskowa.

The Electoral Committee of the Democratic So-
cialists has recommended the democratic electors of
Paris to abstain from taking any part in the election
which is fixed for the 30th inst., a piece of advice
which the Moniteur Parisien, one of the trusted
organs of the PRESIDE/VT of the Republic, gives to
the whole constituency of Paris. The following
very remarkable article, addressed to the electors of
Paris, has appeared in this semi•official organ of the
Government :
" A decree of the President of the Republic fixes the
30th November for the election of a representative for
Paris, in the room of General Magnin'. This election
assumes a peculiar character in the presence of the recep-
tion hitherto little favourable given by the Assembly to
the proposition for the repeal of the law of May 31.
The question is not to know whether a fraction more or
less important of public opinion intends to continue its
system of abstention, but to examine whether the Mes-
ssm so guu er
a,c e.itu or
oo
bpbe woi
trirteneogtrngeeirnngi out the evil, dues not reveal the
means of preventing the explosion of it. Whether
rightf
e
st il e
i dn
thed itvhliess.iwporneositnenttlib, eaaneydle3catlimuneesns establishes i
fsoihsre stt
hhaee
future. The proof that the authority of that law is much
weakened, that it is dying, if not dead, as General Ca-
vaignac said the other day, is, that since the convocation
of the electors the Government has not found a Curtius,
nor parties a Cataline. And, in fact, who is the sensible
man who would be so little jealous of his future as to
subject himself to the unfavourableneSs of a ballot, the
conditions of which are found by the Government to be
too limited, 0
I:iteds, and which
tw
Assoembly itself appears
disposed powers
oppor
so

still continued in the direction of the Provincial Bank
of Ireland, above referred to ; of the Pelican and
Pbceaix Assurance Companies, and the Imperial and
Continental Gas Association—in all of which vacancies
occur in consequence of his melancholy decease. His
greatest claims to political distiaction,which will make
his name long remembered with honour, were
founded on his zealous, efficient, and consistent exer-
tions as a monetary reformer. He was never for a
moment deceived or taken in by the bullionist
humbug—fearlessly and ably he exposed the snares
that were laid for the unsuspecting community by
designing or mistaken men, who rushed
headlong into theories of the probable re-
results of which the great majority were totally ig-
norant. Mr. ATTWOOD, however, clearly foresaw
and boldly declared the future consequences of the
contemplated restoration of cash payments more than
forty years since. On the formation of the celebrated
" Bullion Committee" he uplifted his warning voice,
and implored the people steadfastly to resist a mea-
sure one of the inevitable effects whereof would
be the duplication of the value of money, and conse-
quently the proportionate increase of every debt
or liability then due and owing. While there was
yet a prospect of averting the evil he continued his
indefatigable and disinterested efforts. We say " die
interested," although the term is utterly inadequate to
express our meaning—it was a total disregard, a
complete abnegation of self, when placed in the scale
opposed to the common weal. He was well aware
that his own large fortune would be enormously en-
hanced, more than doubled by the change, but he
knew that the nation would be deeply in-
jured, if not ruined, and he looked only to the
welfare of the community. Such instances of public
spirit are unfortunately but too rare; and the thanks
and gratitude of society are due to all who have given
such unequivocal proof thereof.
When the Bill of 1819 was introduced, Mr. ATT-
WOOD made use of his great influence to collect a
numerous body of the merchants, bankers, and
traders of the city of London and its vicinity to peti-
tion against the unwise, impolitic, and inequitable
measure. No less than from four to five hundred of the
most respectable merchants of the metropolis responded
to his call, and the important document was unani•