The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-15 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING,

They did not wish to bring back the bread-tax, but
merely to punish the Minister who had written the
"Anti-Papal aggression" letter to the Bishop of
DURHAM, and introduced a diluted measure to the
House. The Honourable Gentleman the Member
for, and ex-Lord Mayor of Dublin, clearly acknow-
ledged the reasons by which he was influenced in
giving his vote on that occasion. He said that
" after the division on the motion of the Hon. Gen-
tleman the Member for Bucks, it could not be said
that the POPE had not, indirectly at all events, tem-
poral influence in England; and really the thing was
natural enough, for those who firmly held the creed
of Rome could scarcely be expected to swell the Par-
liamentary ranks of a Government which sought to
forge chains of oppres►ion for them and their consti-
tuents and co-religionists. He himself had voted for
that motion, and he distinctly wished it to be under-
stood that ,in so doing he had not at all voted on the
merits of the question. No, what he had voted
for, was want of confidence in the Ministry. He
was prepared to record the same vote
.again and
again. And were he not so prepared—
though his own conviction went with him—he should
not dare to show his fsce in Ireland." This was at
least a candid confession. It distinctly explained the
causes of the diminished majority, and may serve to
repress the bucolic exultation at the additional wor-
shippers ;at the shrinEt, of Arts, the Ox-god of the
agriculturists.

Next came the Budget—the PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS
BUDGET ! ! That miserable abortion—the result of so
preparation—was kicked out of the
Hmouuchselabaomriiodu
amidst the
derision and contempt, of
veriest parasite, who tre-
its Members, The
mulously watched the crumbs of patronage falling
from the Ministerial table, could scarcely conceal the
ridicule provoked by tiat unlucky and inequitable
SCHEME. Risum tenedis amid, was a salutary
rule, that could not be observed. The "statement''
was like Mr. IlAnnoAermes story of " Old grouse,
in the gun-room," which afforded a legitimate
occasion for merriment, a species of legislative satur-
nalia, in which the most servile might freely
indulge without being called to account
or questioned for their untimely hilarity. The Pre-
mier himself, though ready, as SIDNEY SMITH said,
"to take the command of the Channel fleet," or any
other situation vacant, could not be induced to face
his brother representatives on this point. The dis-
cussion was postponed again and again—it was
then fixed for the 21st instant to be brought forward,
with modifications,. an interval of a fortnight being
taken to enable the incomparable Minister of
Finance to prepare himself thoroughly -for the ordeal
he was to encounter. But even that it appears
was not sufficient, the subject was again adjourned last
evening—adjourned sine die. The Premier eagerly
grasped at the opportunity afforded by the notice of
motion recorded by the lion. Gentleman, the Member
for Inverness-shire, for further procrastination. He
could not " think it right with a vote of censure hanging
over his head to propose the financial arrangements"—
the altered financial arrangements—the second
time of asking !—for the year. The Noble
Lord seems to anticipate defeat. He feels that
destruction is before him in some shape,
that it cannot be averted, and he prefers rather that
it should come in the shape of the maladministration
of his prolegi and relative TORRINGTON than of the
imbecility of his colleague WOOD; and he is right.
Bad and disgraceful as the former may be, it was yet
at a distance that the transactions, so loudly and
justly complained of, occurred. As the CAMP-
BELLS said, "Itis a far cry to Lochowe," we may
say that it is a considerable distance to Ceylon, and
though the topic may serve to unseat a Ministry, it
will not be remembered long in this country,
nor prejudice the attempts to form a Government ano-
ther time, when his misdeeds, whether of omission or
commission are buried in oblivion. An obstinate ad-
herence to the in;teities of the present system, of
equally taxing all descriptems of income, no matter
from what sources derived, would, however, have

different effect ; it would r4nkle in the minds of the
people and oppose a permanent obstacle to his re-
sumption of office, under any circumstances what-
so3yer.

It was to this desire of doing nothing" that the
count-out of Thursday evening was attributable.
Lord Joirsi must have anticipated a speedy fall, when
be declined 30 favourable an opportunity of bringing
forward the question of the Jewish disabilities, and
of convincing the people of his continued loyalty to
the great cause of " civil and religious liberty." If
he was really anxious to make a House, and that his
exertions for that purpose proved unavailing, how
melancholy a picture does it present of the debilitated
condition of the Cabinet when forty persons could
not be collected together in its name. In either case,
whether the Parliamentary holiday were occasioned
by design or accident, it affords evidence equally
powerful of the helpless condition of the " Transition
Ministry."

On the only other subject that has been brought
forward, the Ecclesiastical Titles Assumption
Bill, there has been worse than no progress—
therea
backsliding ; the measure never very potent,
hasbeen retrograde movement,
has
dbeaennd emasculateda until it has become
the laughing-stock of those who resent the Papal
aggression, although it is still regarded as an insult
by the ultramontane iparty. And such is the state
of affairs, and the position of questions, on this 15th
day of March, the end of the sixth weck of the Par-
liamentary session of 1851. Verily, we may rejoice
at the great progress of business under the auspices
of the Whig Government I

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We
'Thursday
received
ce v
Marshal
ed the Paris journals of yesterday.
tXCELMANB had an audi-
enceeoftahhvueerPs RESIDENT of the Republic, who delivered
to
Thethe veteran
differences the baton
f a Marshal f France.
between the Legitimatists and
Orleanists are now avowedly irreconcileable. Even the
Journal dos Diboll, the most moderate and certainly
the most able organ of the Orleanist party, declares
" the fusion " to be a chimera which has failed, and
which always must fail. The same journal speaks
in the following terms of M. BERRTER's notable pro-
position for robbing the poor to put into the pockets
of the rich, under pretence of reimbursing the tax of
45 centimes.

"At first sight (it says) the word reimburse-
ment looks very captivating to the eye of the taxpayer,
and opens all sorts of seductive visions. We begin to
fancy, that, like our fortunate neighbours, we too have a
couple of millions sterling with which our Chancellor of
the Exchequer knows not what to do. God knows it is
not a surplus which embarrasses us. But leaving aside
fabulous suppositions, we must regard this proposition
to refund the 45 centimes as a useless measure. There
is nothing which is so completely an accomplished fact
as a tax once paid. The tax man never refunds, and
even if he did, he would win no gratitude. The day the
45 centimes fell on taxpayers as the first benefit of the
Republic, the impost was received with universal male-
dictions. Bat to-day people have ceased to think of it.
Even if there was a surplus it would be much better to
diminish existing taxes than to repay that which has
long since been disposed of.
The following are the chief items of the Bank ac-
count for the week

Francs.
Specie in Paris .„ 377,827,136
Ditto in branches 143,365,019
Bills in Paris portfolio 49,322,363
.Billsnotes
inbra
in circulation 77,079,651
Bank ., 414,296,700

Ditto in branches ... ... ... 91,710,125
Credit to Treasury ... ... ... 113,574,033
...

Private credit accounts ... ••• 68,303,705
Ditto in branches ... ... ... 23,891,879

It is in the branches that gold has increased, and
that by upwards of four millions, while the portfolio
under the same head of branches or succour sales
shows a falling off to the same amount by which the
gold has increased. The credit to Treasury has again
increased nearly 4} millions. Private credit ac-
counts have increased six millions. There is no re-
markable change in other items.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, MARCH 14.
Boulogne and Amiens, 10 Central of France (Orleans
and Vierzon), 17%—Dutch Rhenish, 3 Nl—Great :Indian Pe-
ninsula, 234—Luzembourg, 27i —Namur and Liege, 83A—
Northern of France, 15E4—Orleans and Bordeaux, 4—Paris
and Strasbourg, 11—.Rouen and lime, 11 Vt—Sam,)re and
Meuse, 416,—Tours and Nantes, 5%.