The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-10 00:00:00

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE BRADFORD
REFORM ASSOCIATION.
Sir,—On Friday the 7th, the Secretary for the
Home Department, Sir George Grey, announced the
alterations which are to be made in the\Papal Aggres-
sion Bill. There is a shocking story among the en-
tomologists, of an unhappy locust that lived and stirred
six months after its bowels were taken out. This
ma:- be taken as descriptive of the situation of the
Bill. The second, third, and fourth Clauses are to
be taken out, and nothing left but the prohibition of
assuming Titles, which has been so often declared to be
nugatory and useless.
The fact is, the Pope and his French supporters
have conquered. Their great regret must be, that
instead of a Cardinal's hat they did not send you a
Merechal's baton. If they had, there would have
been just the same impossibility of getting up a
prompt and effective resistance. Setting aside the
Catholics as matter of course, there would have been
the seine parties to cry out for " proceeding to the
business of the country," and the same astonishment
and regret that any friend of civil and religious
liberty should be found doubting the right of all men
to be tree and equal in Dover Castle. Like the King
of Wirtemburg, I may individually console myself
with not being extensively interested in the results.
But you that have more chances of witnessing the
end, may live to see what will make you remember
what was said to you.
A painful circumstance connected with the present
aspect of affairs, is the total nullity of any influence
of the Working Classes. They either do not inter-
fere at all, or if they do, they follow those who bid
them run their heads into the fire. For example, it is
made an open boast, that on the question of PapaiAg-
gression the Working Classes have shown no feeling.
What does this amount to, but that the consciousness
the Working Classes once had of interest upon the
subject is worn out, mainly, it is true, through the
absence of personal suffering or provocation ; and
that the historical and political knowledge which
would tell them that the leading object of the Papal
power has always been to reduce the numerous and
industrious classes to the condition in which they are
found in Naples, Portugal, or Spain, is a sealed book
to them, which they have never read, or if read have
never weighed?
On another subject, the Income Tax, they show an
equal lack of ability to know their interest and sup-
port it. When Lord Stanley proposed to lay a tax
on foreign corn as the means of removing the In-
come Tax,—in other words, to stop your mills at
Bradford and apply the money raised in consequence
to relieving the rich from the fraction of the
general taxation in which they pay on something
like an equitable scale,—there can be no doubt that
he calculated on support among the Working Classes,
and that many of them would be prepared to give it.
That the Working Classes on a large proportion of
the taxation pay at higher rates going as far as
eleven times the rate upon the rich, does not make
them proof against the shallowest of outcries by
which the rich endeavour to throw from their
shoulders the fraction on which they pay with some-
thing like fairness.
All this is not consolatory to the real friends of the
Working Classes. There must be more Reading
Rooms and Mechanics' Institutes, before the Work-
ing Classes know their interests and can support
them. At the present moment, any " shoy-hoy, as
the author of the Political Register used to say,—
any cry got up, of all men's equal right to roast us
in Smithfield when a foreign power tells them, or of
the sufferings of the rich from not paying at an
eleventh of the rate on all the taxes as they do on
some, will lead them to sit still in their localities, and
let the vessel drift the way that chance may dictate.
I remain, Sir, yours very sincerely
AN OLD REFORMER.
London, 10 March, 1851.

THE EXHIBITION.
PAINTING THE STRUCTURE.—Messrs. Fox and Hen-
derson have bound themselves by contract to complete
within a fortnight the whole internal painting, of which
not an eighth part has yet been finished. To do this
they will put on 500 painters, or 1,000 it necessary; and
with them they will, at one dash, make a clean sweep of
the building.
SEASON TICKETS.—The Council of the Society of
Arts have just issued a circular to the members of the
society, urging upon them the advantage of purchasing
season tickets tor the Exhibition at the tariff charges
settled for the first issue, as it is probable that the
power reserved of raising the prices after the first issue
has been exhausted will be exercised by the Commis-
sioners. Up to Saturday night 5,200 were sold. These
tickets are not transferable; and to insure this, every
holder of a season ticket, until they become personally
known to the officers, will be required to sign their
names in a visitor's book every time they use it.

SPORTING NOTES.
No. XVII.
DERBY, MILNTLIORPE, AND SLOUGH STEEPLE
CHASES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—The present week is replete with sport, to-morrow
we have the
Derby and Milnthorpe, on Wednesday the
Slough, and on Thursday the Burford and Doncaster Steeple-
chases; and likewise on Thursday and Friday the Doncaster
Flat-races. With the exception of Burford, I intend to touch
upon them all; to begin with Derby—out of sixteen entries
for the Midland Steeplechase, eleven have accepted, in-
cluding Vain Hope, i Ist 71b; The Victim, 1 ist 51b; British
Yeoman, lOst 121 b ; Abd-el-Kader, ost Illb ; Ben
Lomond, 10st slb ; Miss Collingwood, lOst 51b; Trust-
me-Not, lOst 31b; Tipperary Boy, lOst 21b; and
Volatile, Bst 81b. From the above I shall strike out Vain
Hope as not likely to win whether he runs or not, The
Victim fer having exactly his penalty (51b) for the Coventry
Steeplechase, too much on his back, and Abd-el-Kader as
dubious runner, considering how close this meeting is to that
at Doncaster. I fancy the race will lay among the follow-
ing four : The British Yeoman, Tipperary Boy, Miss Col-
lingwood, and Trust-me-Not, and were I certain that the
first-named would run, I should have but little hesitation in
placing them thus
THE BRITISH YEOMAN ............ 1
TIPPERARY BOY. 2
MISS COLLINGVY OOD
TRUST-ME-NOT 4
Should the Yeoman not go for the main, the race will be
between the Boy and the Miss, and a very close affair it
will be, the former probably just nicking it; " the money"
says the latter.
The Hurdle Race, one mile and a half (rather short), will
furnish a good race between Cogia, Lucy, and May-day,
and although it is said to be a certainty for Cogia, it would
not surprise me to see one of the other two the winner; it
is said that the Swift, Matilda, Loddington, and the Slug will
also run.
The Milnthorpe Steeplechase will have some six or seven
runners, among whom Isaac, list 101 b, Falcon, lOst 71b, and
Valiant, lOst 71b, will figure conspicuously, and I think it
just possible they will catch the judge's eye in the order I
have placed them. This is the only race of any importance
at Milnthorpe.
On Wednesday we have the Slough Steeplechase of 5 sovs.
each, with 40 added; for this race, as for the last, I imagine
it will be between a trio, Kilkenny lOst 101 b, Rendsburgh
lOst 71b, and Volatile 9st 101 b; but as Volatile's running is
not at all certain, he being engaged at Derby to-morrow, I
must set his chance aside ; but should he run, he wins !
In his absence I shall place Kilkenny first, and Rendsburgh
second.
The Doncaster events I shall touch upon to-morrow ; in
the meanwhile I may as well observe, that Peter Simple, if
run to win, would be my fancy for the Steeplechase, but as
the money declares this to bo dubious, I must anchor my
hopes on Maria Day and Abd-el-Kader, the former for choice.
In the cArse of the ensuing fog tnight or three weeks I
&lan la bet': re you my annual observations on the metro-
politan " SPORTING HOUSES," which met with such ge,er,l
approval last year, noting down those " lists" which are,
far us human juegment can discern, cf the substantial and
most stable kind, and adding thereto such memorand s con-
cerning them as I may deem worth recording.
I am, sir, yours, &c.
March le, 1851. THE SPIRIT OF THE TURF.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
DONCASTER SPRING MEETING.
Acceptances for the Free Handicap Hurdle Stakes.
yrs. st. lb yrs. st. lb.
Wharfdale Maid all 0 the Wild Hero ...a 910
Little Queen 5 10 9 JohnLawrence(hb)s 9 6
Shinrone a 10 2 Psyche 4 9 4
Tally-ho (h b) alO 2 Fanny (h b) a 8 12
The Swift, .... ....... 5 9 10

TEE FIRE IN LAMBETII.—The following is the
official report f the damage done by the fi-e, which to.-)k
place in Lambeth. on Friday evening '• In Paradise-street,
Lambeth :—Meisrs. C. Ogieby and Co., oil merchants and
chandlers, cause 01 fire unknown. Insures in the Imperil!,
London, and Phoenix fire offices. The fire was extinguished
by firemen and others. Engines that attended: one of he
parish, two private, one of the West of England office, the
float from S. uthwark-bridge, two engines of the D, one of
A, and two of the B district of the London Brigade. The
oil warehouse burned down, stock in yard and candle-makers'
room considerably damaged by fire, water, 6c. In Cuurch-
street, Lambeth : Messrs. Hodges and Co., distillers. The
roof d the distillery damaged by breakage. Insured in the
ptcenix, West of England, and ether fire offices. In Nor-
folk-row, Lambeth : No. 6, Mr. G. Hornsby, private, back-
front, burnt and furniture damaged by removal. Insured in
the British Mutual. No. 7, Mr. R. Todd, private, premises
injured by fire, and furniture broken by hasty removal. Not
insured. No. 8, Mr. W. Pearce, back part of premises much
injured by fire, and contents damaged by water and re-
moval. Uninsured. No. 9, Mr. G. Hicks, considerable
damage to furniture and premises by fire, water, and re-
moval. No, 10, Mr. Mackay, back premises seriously
damaged by the falling of a wall on them."
It is better to paint virtue to be imitated, than
vice to be shunned.—Eliza cook's Journal.
Prince Albert has manifested the deep interest which
he feels in the operations of the Society for Improving the
Condition of the Working Classes, by engaging to build, at
his own expense, an Exhibition model house, for four families,
and to place the saint, in the stable-yard at the west end ot
the cavalry barracks, Hyde-Park, immediately opposite the
Exhibition building. The intended house is to be of hollow
brick, with fire-proof floors and fiat roof ; showing the ap-
plicability of these important principles to houses of but
very moderate dimensions.
REPRESENTATION OF BURT, LANCASHIRE.—A
meting is in c ontemplation by the electors of this borough
toe nominate a candidate in the Liberal interest to be put
forward at the next election. The state of Mr. Walker's
health has long rendered it a matter of notoriety that a v-
cancy is likely to arise whenever the present Parliament is
dissolved.
A BENEvoLENT BARBEII• —Not many miles
from the south-west side of the bridge in this town, there is
to be seen written, in large rcund-hand,
in a shop window,
and hanging at the door, the following:—" Sailors on strike
shaved gratis on Mondays and Fridays. Sunderland Herald.