The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-30 00:00:00

whose instincts and sympathies are less English, and
whose policy is more easily overreached. But the
people of England will see with alarm—not, indeed, the
stability of the Russell Ministry endangered," but
the "interests of this nation" imperilled at a time so
" unusually critical in the affairs of Europe," by the
"sacrifice' of a statesman against whom the only
complaint alleged is admitted to be that he loves his
country so well, and serves his Sovereign so faithfully,
that he prefers the independence of the one and the
dignity of the other to the good or ill pleasure of
certain foreign politicians, who are named the "elder
statesmen of Europe," Great pains have been taken,
by the very few papers that attempt any defence of
the Ministry, in this novel and most disgraceful pro-
ceeding, to shift the ground of justification. There is
no change of policy, they tell us now, in the Cabinet.
And it is not " foreigu agents" who have done this
thing. The retirement of Lord Palmerston is attri-
butable now altogether to a wide and marked dif-
ference between the "views" of that statesman and
the " views" of his late colleagues upon—as well
as between his " mode " and theirs " of dealing with
such an emergency " as that created by the recent
events in France. We are, nevertheless, assured, en
the same day, from sources equally authentic, that
the " views' and "modes of dealing" in question are
identical, and we have affirmed, upon authority which
will be found to be correct, that the French Govern-
ment has been diligently assured of the fact. These
after-thoughts are inadmissible in so weighty a mat-
ter, and they are not less destructive of themselves
than of the original and official explanation with which
we are dealing. But we transcribe from another
part of our paper the following words, written at
Vienna, on the 23cl instant—the day immediately
preceding the announcement in the Times. They are
not from our own correspondence, but reach us, in
common with all our contemporaries, via Paris, and
amongst the usual public intelligence from the former
capital. They are as follow :

" Vienna, Dec. 23.
" Rumours aro current here of negotiations said to
have been engaged in by high personages in England
with our Court, without the knowledge of Lord Pal-
merston. Their object is said to be a rapprochement be-
tween the two Courts, and the retirement of the Noble
Lori from offiee is announced as certain to happen soon.
'rho first index of this rapprochement has been the ad-
mission of Lord Westmoreland to an audience, and his
invitation to dinner by the Emperor.
" There are many persons who affirm loudly that
England will return to the continental policy, which
does not mean the institution of a military Government
repugnant to the habits and tastes of the English"—
[How very condescendingl]—" but her adhesion to the
counter-revolutionary system. It is to be commenced
by the expulsion of the political refugees, and by sup-
porting all measures that can destroy the European de-
mocratic propaganda."
Now, let the reader note, first, that here is an an-
nouncement in Vienna, on the 23d inst., of a fact
which became known to the people of England only
on the morning of the following day. And, secondly,
that " high personages," meaning, doubtless, the
same nobleman or noblemen, member or members of
the English Cabinet, who is or are said to have main-
tained a clandestine correspondence with similar
" high personages" in France, but not of the French
Cabinet, on matters of national business, for the con-
duct of which Lord Palmerston was officially and con-
stitutionally responsible—nay, for the misconduct of
which the Noble Viscount was liable to impeach-
ment. We do not stop to inquire who these per-
sons are. The proceeding agrees so completely
with the Ministerial explanations put forth in
the Times on the 24th instint, and the following

day, that it seems impossible to question the
astounding fact, that underhand negotiations, involv-
ing not only " the sacrifice" of their ablest and most
honest colleague—but, as they have confessed, " of
the interests of this nation," at a moment of European
peril, were carried on by members of the English
Cabinet, with Ministers of foreign States. For the
honour, we will not say of the English character, but
of human nature itself, we wish rather than hope that
these miserable and self-imposed charges may yet, by
some means or other, be cleared away. We now see
clearly enough the meaning of " sacrificing" a Minis-
ter, and of endangering national interests, to please the
elder statesmen of Europe. These latter are not only
to dictate to our gracious Sovereign, who is, and
who is not, to be her Foreign Minister—but,
according to the letter before us—it is
owing to their indulgent forbearance, that the " rap-
prochement" between the Governments of England
and Vienna involves for the time the "sacrifice" of
Lord Palmerston, and the consequent " instability
of the Russell Cabinet, and the peril of national inte-
rests" only. We are not yet to have a " military
Government," which may be " distasteful" to us. The
" elder statesmen of Europe" are contented with the
" sacrifice" and the " danger" which have been made
and incurred. The rest—our Constitutional Go-
vernment and our Reformed Church, they probably
think will follow in good time. Still these victors of
the hour—the people of England will take care that
their hour shall be short—have in their turn been de-
ceived, if they have been led to believe in the expul-
sion of the refugees as part of their bargain. We
have no alien act under which it is possible for our
Government to fulfil—if they were disposed to
fulfil—such au expectation. Without pretend-
ing to be in their secrets, we will add that they
have no intention of applying to Parliament to change
our ancient municipal law in this respect. These
clandestine correspondents have, therefore, either
duped " the elder statesmen," for whose " alliances"
and " friendships " they have, as they tell us, "sacri•
ficed" so much—or the said elder statesmen have
taken for granted an amount of compliance, which
even the Russell Cabinet is not disposed to yield.
And this, though, pc.ihaps, the first, is by no in4lrit
the (~,jy disappointment which they are assuredly
doomed to suffer. Again, we remind our readers that
our reneirks throughout, o❑ ministerial conduct, have
been made only on the ministerial statement of this
unprecedented case. We have made no attacks from
grounds of our own. Nor, had the Ministry been
silent, should we have been tempted to say one word
until the affair should have been fully discussed in
Parliament. Prom the discussion which has been in-
troduced by themselves we have not shrunk, and we
cannot regret that means have been so early and so
amply afforded to the public for arriving at a prompt
and just decision.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, DEC. 29.
The Queen and Prince Albert walked in the Home
Pails and Slopes this morning.
The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and
younger members of the Royal Family, took walking
and pony exercise.
The following have received invitations to the
Castle, and are expected to arrive this afternoon
Serene Highness the Prince Nicholas of Nassau,
the Baron Bentinck, Lord and Lady R'bert and Miss
Grosvenor, Lord and Lady Cowley, Baron Hadein,
and Baren Roggenbach.
The Earl of Westmoreland was erroneously named
as having been present at 'Windsor Castle on Friday
last, and having had an audience of the Queen.
Baron Brunnow, the Prussian Minister ; Count
Walenski, the French Ambassador; Monsieur Charles
Sallandrouze de Lamornaix, Commissaire General
du Gouvernement de France ; Lord Cowley, and
Earl Granville, arrived from town this forenoon, and
had audiences of her Majesty at half-past two
o'clock.
The Marquis of Ormonde, Lord in Waiting, and
Colonel the Hon. N. Hood, Groom in Waiting, were
in attendance upon her Majesty.
Luncheon was served before the Queen gave au-
dience.

Sir George Grey left town yesterday, on a visit to
Sir Francis Baring, at his seat, Stratton Park, Win-
chester.
Earl Granville left town yesterday morning for
Windsor Castle, to have an audience of the Queen.
Dispatches were received yesterday afternoon at
the Colonial-office from the Governor-General of Ca-
nada. Dispatches were also received yesterday from
the Governor of Van Diemen's Land.
A deputation from the conference held at Birming-
ham on the 10th of December, on the subject of Re-
formatory and Preventive Schools, had an interview
with Sir George Grey on Saturday, at the Home-
office. The deputation consisted of Mr. David Power,
Recorder of Ipswich; Rev. T. Carter, chaplain of
Liverpool Borough Gaol ; Mr. J. Adshead, Man-
cheater; Mr. J. Hubback, Liverpool; Mr. W. Locke,
Hon. Secretary to the Ragged School Union, Lon-
don ; Rev. J. Field, Chaplain to the Borough Gaol,
Reading; and the Rev. Sydney Turner, Red-hill.

SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.
Gross traffic receipts for passengers
and goods, week ending Dec. 27,
1831 £ll,llB 11 8
Ditto, Dec. 23, 1850 ' ... 10,509. 12 6

Increase in 1851 ...
London Terminus, Dec. 29, 1851.

... £6OB 19 2

RAMSGATE HARBOUR. —We are glad to find
that the trustees of this harbour, during the ensuing session,
intend applying to Parliament to amend and repeal some of
their Acts, so as to make it no longer obligatory upon them
to vary suck rates and duties rateably and proportionably,
but to enable them to release any Glass of shipping from all
or any of the proportions of the rates and duties paid by the
said Acts, and to release the foreign dues. This will be a
great boon, as it was these dues that pressed so heavily upon
the South-Eastern and Continental Steam Packet Company,
while running their boats hence to Ostend, they having paid
upwards of 1,2001. for dues during the time. If the release of
this burden be effected, we may hope to see the route to
Ostend, vid Ramsgate, re-established.—Canterbury Journal.
DEATH OF ADMIRAL GEORGE BARBER.--This
gallant officer on the reserved list died on the 25th inst., at
Spring-vale, Isle of Wight, in the 92d year of his age. Ad-
miral Barker entered the service in 1771, and i,was present in
many gallant actions with the enemies of his country. He
attained the rank of captain on the Bth of June, 1792 ; vice-
admiral on the 12th of November, 1840; and admiral on the
27th of December, 1847.