The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-07 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 7. 1856

the authorities relied on may be eliminated by
striking six-of the ten cases from the calculation.
Two others held hereditary Peerage; and there-
fore their successors who could put forward any
claim to the dignity would, under any circum-
stances, be entitled to sit and vote at all future
times. Another case, that of Lady RI-TERS, con-
ferred no seat in Parliament, while the only re-
maining one, that of Lord FAUNHOPE, may, and
—if the question had been properly raised before
the constitutional tribunal, the House of Lords
—would probably have been held to possess the
incidents of a Peerage created by writ of summons
when no remainder had been at all noticed,
but which has been clearly decided to confer a
hereditary Peerage on the heirs general of the
body of the party, who has once sat in the Upper
House. It is, therefore, by no means improbable
that the patent to Lord WENSLEYDALE may, not-
withstanding the limitation for the term of his
natural life, convey hereditary rank to the heirs
general of his body ; and although the Noble
Lord has no son, he has descendants iu the female
line, some of whom may be enabled to put forward
a claim. Of this point the House itself will be
the sole judge. Its decision on a question relat-
ing to its own dignities will be final and conclu-

sive.

The question, then, is one which, as it seems
to us, should properly be dealt with by Parlia-
ment itself. As there was a Reform Bill for
the House of Commons, there may also be
a Reform Bill for the House of Lords. Pre-
viously existing rights were abrogated by
what has justly been termed the modern Magna
Charts, -while others have been conferred
by the same statute. Besides, by the Treaty of
Union with Scotland, the ancient Peerage of that
kingdom were deprived of their seats in Parlia-
ment, and only allow ed to elect sixteen of their
number to represent the whole body, and at a
dissolution a new election should take place. In
like manner in that with Ireland—it was stipu-
lated and agreed that twenty-eight representative
Peers were to be chosen, who should hold their
seats for life. In neither of these cases did the
seat in the House confer any hereditary privilege,
and in the case of Scotland, not even a life one.
There are, therefore, indisputable precedents in
favour of a certain portion of the Peers abating
their privileges, and consenting to become
the electors, from whom a chosen body
should be selected, who would constitute
the members of the Upper House.
The Royal Prerogative was also limited in each
case. No Scotch Peerage could possibly be created
subsequent to the Union, while only one Irish could
be. made for three that became extinct in that
kingdom. Thus the danger of "swamping the
Lords" by an extensive creation of uew Peer,
would be averted, and the house, from bein,,2
composed of the more intelligent and respectable
members of the body, would acquire a weight
and influence far beyond that which it now pos-

SESSCS.

It would, of course, be essential to retake some
provision for the immediate elevation of mea who
bad rendered. important services in the State, the
military, legal, diplomatic, or political depart-
ments. This, however, would be only one of the
details of the contemplated PEERAGE REFORM BILL,
which for many reasons is very urgently required.

The pressing and imperative cause for the ex-
periment that has been adventured on is the
notorious want of Law Lords. The Upper House
abides as firmly by its privileges, as the ultimate
appellate jurisdiction, as the Commons of being
the purseholders of the nation. But there is no
Royal road to judicial eminence. The QUEEN
may make a Peer, but she cannot confer the dis-
criminating judgment that would qualify the party
to decide between the conflicting opinions of
men who had devoted their lives to legal pur-
suits. Unless means be adopted to procure the
services of experienced and duly-qualified parties
the jurisdiction would become a farce, which
would disgrace rather than confer an honour on
those by whom the privilege was resolutely de-
fended.

A governmental system under which the claims
of merit were superciliously ignored in appoint-
ments to office could hardly, with fairness, be
expected to hold out any encouragement to
honesty and fair dealing to the mercantile coin-
munity in any transactions with its members for
the supply of the wants of the public service.
That such expectation was pretty generally enter-
tained, however, is past dispute, as it is that the
folly of so unwarranted an expectation is signally
exploded in the Report of Sir JOHN M'NEILL and
Colonel TuLnocit on the state of the Crimean
Army. There it will be seen that R natine, am-
bitious to set an apparent economy against a
wasteful expenditure, instead of contracting with
respectable traders fur serviceable articles
of veering apparel at a reasonable price, reck-
lessly accepted the lowest tenders, and was
served accordingly. Not only was the cloth-
ing inferior to that supplied to the French
soldier, but so abominably bad that the
credit of our manufacturers, the honour of the
country, and the lives of our men were to a large
extent sacrificed by it. What foreigner that
looked on the rotten garments and soleless shoes
but newly supplied to our suffering army, dying
by hundreds of exposure, but must have
deemed our merchants adventurers, our
governors heartless imbeciles, and ourselves short-
sighted, ungenerous, and cruel ? And yet all the
while we regarded ourselves as the greatest nation
in the world in manufactures and self-government,
and were desirous, of all things, that our brave de-
fenders should be liberally dealt with. Are we to
go on, after this fashion, disregarding the plainest
lessons of experience—or shall the humiliations we
have experienced in the Crimea stimulate us to
enter on a more creditable course ? Surely if the
lessons taught us before Sebastopol prove ineffica-
cious, we would not be persuaded though one rose
from the dead ! Let us, in HEAVEN'S name,
leave "cheap and nasty" to the slop-sellers, and
extravaganc3 to the despot, and offering a fair
bargain for the article we want, good govern-
ment as well as clothing, accept nothing less at
any price.

The other day we drew attention to the Report
of the Royal Free Hospital, presented at the
twenty-eighth annual meeting of the Governors,
and subscribers of that admirable institution. In
doing se our main object was to hold up the
example of the worthy founder for imitation to
the benevolent, and more especially to the young.
" Rarely" we remarked had it fallen to the lot of
a public journalist to present au illustration more
striking of what may be achieved by the enter-
prising spirit and energetic efforts of a single
philanthropist than the institution and career of
that hospital afford." Labouring under the con-
viction that, however, much might have been
done to meet the wants of suffering humanity in
the metropolis, a pressing need existed for the
establishment of a hospital to which disease alone
should be the title to admission, Dr. MARSDEN,
as we took occasion to show, manfully resolved to
set about it, confiding in the goodness of his aim,
his own exertions; and the benevolence of the

public ; ald the primary result was, he became the
founder, and not the least efficient supporter of
the hospital in question. What obstacles he had
to contend against, what heartaches he had to
endure, how often he had to muster fresh courage,
and address himself again to his task, how labori-
ously he strove to interest the benevolent public
in his scheme, what pains he took to stimulate all
connected with the hospital to renewed exertion
—of these things, and others, we know positively
nothing, we can but guess at them. What we do
know, however, and noticed then, is a grand epi-
tome of exertion, endurance, and triumph, and
testifies to no mean oblations offered up on the
altar of humanity. Since the establishment
of the hospital, no fewer than 521,493
patients, not only from the metropolis but
also from all quarters of the kingdom,
including many utterly destitute, many objects
of disgust and loathing, many on whom
the shadow of death had seemed to darken,
and many, though fewest of all, from whom no
earthly skill could remove that shadow, have had
occasion to bless the name of the benevolent and
enterprising founder. It struck us then, and it
strikes us still, as a remarkable fact, involving an
example worthy of imitation in every walk of life,
that to the philanthropic spirit and persistent
energy of one man, right-minded enough to have
won the confidence, and bold enough to rely on
the benevolence of the public, the medical relief
of considerably more than half a million of th©
population is owing. The man for the public,
charitable or political—find him, and the public
will follow or support him, while everybody may,
to a limited extent, be a leader to somebody else.
In thus holding forth the example of Dr.
MARSDEN for imitation, and referring to the suc-
cess of the Royal Free Hospital—whose obvious
claims, by the way, on wealthy country residents
is well as dwellers in the metropolis, we sin-
cerely trust, for the credit of provincial philan-
thropy, will be generously responded to—the reader
must acquit us of any invidious intention. That is
and was the furthest thing from our thoughts. Who
could willingly overlook or seek to depreciate the
splendid illustrations of humane feeling which
the numerous hospitals scattered throughout the
:netropolis afford ? Who that knows anything of
the contributions to science which owe their origin
to these schools for the education of the youthful
tnernbers of the profession ; of the immense indi-
rect as well as direct services to humanity they
have rendered and continue to reader ? Who that,
oppressed with the unceasing uproar of the busy
crowd hastening along the crowded thoroughfare,
each absorbed in his particular business, has
turned aside, oppressed with a sense of isolation,
and in some less frequented spot has been cheered
by the sight of an inscription over some refuge of
distress, testifying that the genius of Humanity
had its worshippers and ministrants as well as
Hammon in the metropolitan wilderness ? Who
that, in his peregrinations, has lit on St. Bartholo-
mew's, Guy's, St. Thomas's, St. George's, the
Hiddlesex, the London, the University, King's
College, Charing-cross, and other general hospitals
—those noble institutions *here the highest scien-
tific skill is gratuitously available to the victim
of accident, and the sufferer from any of the
thousand and one dangerous diseases to which the
human frame is liable ? Who that has stumbled
on the special hospitals for consumption,
for small-pox, for fever in its various
forms, for cancer, for opthalmia, for de-
formity—on the asylums for the blind, the
deaf and dumb, the insane, lying-in women,
the orphan, and, worse than orphan, the female
unfortunate, who„ in the bitter anguish of her
repentant heart, longs, yet dreads, to be restored
to the forfeited home and friends of her childhood ?
No one that has a heart to feel and a head to com-
prehend could overlook or seek to depreciate insti-
tutions like these. They are among the chief glories
of London—the oases in its wilderness, and can-
not but be remembered with pride ! Oar object
will not be frustrated, but the contrary, should
this notice lead to the preferment of the claims
of other institutions, not invidiously, but by way
of appeal, to the sympathies of the bene-
volent. At the present moment we have
reason to apprehend that no help afforded
to any of them but is sufficiently needed
to be gratefully received ; and we, there-
fore, earnestly invite our readers to single out
whatever institution has especial claims on their
notice for the reception of their charitable contri-
butions, quite satisfied that where merit is re-
warded, the hospital which has elicited these
remarks will not be overlooked.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, FEB. 6.
The Queen and Prince drove out in an open carriage
yesterday afternoon.

The Dachess of Wellington, the Hon. Beatrice Byng,
and the Hon. Mary Bulteel followed in a second car-
riage. The Equerries in Waiting attended on horse-
back.
There was no addition to the Royal dinner party.

Mr. Stewart, Judge of the Admiralty Court in Nova
Scotia, had an interview with Mr. Secretary Labou-
chore yesterday at the Colonial-office.
A deputation, with respect to the Thames Marsh
Drainage, had an interview yesterday with the Right
Hon.W. Cooper, at the office of the General Board of
Health, Whitehall. The deputation consisted of Mr.
James MacGregor, M.P., Mr. George Bower, Mr. Ren-
shaw, Mr. South, the Rev. Mr. Acworth, and Mr. F.
Homtray.„

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat yes-
terday in the Council-chamber. An appeal from Madras
(part heard) was resumed " Nagalutchmi Ummal v.
Nadaraja Chetty."
Despatches for the Governors of the Australian Colo-
nies were sent last evening from the Colonial-office.
Despatches were received yesterday from the Gover-
nor of Malta.

The Duchess of Sutherland has left Stafford House,
to join the Duke and family, at Trentham, Stafford-
shire.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Blandford have come
to town from visiting the Duke of Marlborough, at
Blenheim Palace.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Westminster and
family are staying at Motcombe-house, Dorsetshiro.
The noble marquis and marchioness will not remove to
Grosvenor Hotel until Easter.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury have
arrived in Arlington-street from Hatfield-house. The
noble marquis and marchioness will shortly give a series
of dinner parties.
The iViarchioness of Ormonde is among the fashionable
residents at St. Leopards-on-Sea.

The Earl of Eglinton received a distinguished circle
at diuner, last evening, at his mansion in St. James's-
square. The guests included the Marquis of Salisbury,
the Marquis of Bath, the Earl and Countess of Derby
and Lady Emma Stanley, the Earl and Countess of
Desart, the Earl of Elgin, the Earl of Efardwicke, the
Earl of Donoughmore, Lord and Lady Naas, Lord and
Lady Cloncurry, Sir J. Fergusson, Mr. Cockerel), &c.
The Earl of Vernlam has left town for Gorhambury.
His lordship will not come to town for the season until
E ester.

The Earl and Countess of Elgin have arrived in town,
fr )rn their seat in Scotland.

The Earl and C )untess Amherst are passing the
winter at Knowle Park, near Sevenoaks. The noble
earl and countess have liberally relieved the aged and
infirm poor in the surrounding villages during the late
inclement weather.

Lord and Lady Willoughby de Eresby left town yes-
terday for Torquay, Devon, with the intention of so-
journing there for a few weeks, and then repair to Grime-
thorpe, the family seat in Linc)lnahire.
Lady Adeliza Manners has quite recovered from her
attack of the measles. Her ladyship is still staying
with the Duke of Rutland, and the family circle, at
Belvoir Castle.

A company has been fennel for the construction of a
railway between Rome, Ancona, and Bologna, under the
direction of M. Escarra.

The D.rblin University, it is said, is about to confer
the honorary degree of LL.D. upon Sir James Willis
and Mr. William Howard Russell, the Timcs corre:-
pondent in the Crimea. Mr. Russell was formerly an
undergraduate of Dublin, but, we believe, graduated at
Caulbridge, •