The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-14 00:00:00

THE

SUN?

reason, it would appear, that the authorities are re-
solved to terminate the duration of their responsi-
bilities at the precise moment stipulated in the agree-
ment. Now, we must protest at once in so doing we
conceive that the personages intrusted wi tn these
regulations are acting upon an extravagant principle
of pertinacity rather than upon a laudable anxiety to
be true to their promises. They cannot by any possibility
mar the good already effected by the Exhibition in
keeping it open during one or two weeks longer in
compliance with a wish very generally expressed
throughout, the population. They cannot enhance
the merit of their previous course by refusing to
comply in a particular of this kind with the hopes
expressed by the community. They cannot in any
way increase the reputation already acquired by them
as the conductors of the most gigantic enterprise of the
kind ever adventured upon by gainsaying the advan-
tages that might accrue from the acceptance of this
very prevalent suggestion. But by taking the hint
thrown out to them by the public, by following the
advice tendered by the leading journalists of the United
Kingdom, by yielding to the dictates of their own good
judgment, they might, and would, unquestionably,
advance their fame in the estimation of Europe as the
most energetic and far-seeing body of men that has
ever superintended any similar undertaking. We
speak thus not with any intention whatever of ren-
dering our argument more palatable by sweetening
it with complimentary phrases. We commend the
Royal Commissioners in these words of eulogium,
because we look upon them as eminently entitled to
such commendation. Their entire proceedings have
been characterised throughout by a spirit of liberality,
of activity, and of unprejudiced ardour such as com-
mands in their favour our most cordial admiration.
All that we are solicitous to witness in their
regard by way of improvement is the evidence of
a little less resolution at a time when that reso-
lution amounts to nothing less creditable than obdu-
racy. Therefore it is that we still flatter ourselves
with the hope that they may be_ultimately induced,
on a little further reflection, to yield the boon
demanded from them by a considerable sec-
tion of the "community—te boo of that sup-
plementary month or forthninghtn which should
appropriately crown their most arduous exertions,
with another token of their very generous considera-
tion for public convenience.
Several among the exhibitors appear to have che-
rished an expectation that a month such as the one
above suggested would be resolved upon by the
Commissioners, and that the proceeds of those four
weeks additional would be appropriated to their
own especial advantage, for the payment in some
measure at least of their very heavy expenditure.
The notion, it must be allowed, is in every respect
sufficiently ingenious. It would have defrauded no one
and would at the same time have removed the
only subject of complaint cherished in any quarter in
relation to the conduct of the Exhibition—namely,
the supposed slights passed upon the exhibitors by the
Royal Commissioners. Possibly it is not even now
too late to alter the system previously resolved upon,
so as to carry out in some way the hopes and sug-
gestions of those parties to whose skill, and industry,
and enterprise the whole of this great Exhibition
is indebted for its success. Of course it may
be argued that if the exhibitors have incurred
the expenses here alluded to, they have done
so with their eyes open, and upon their own
responsibility. Correct though such an argument un-
doubtedly is, we cannot but regard it as also most un-
deniably ungenerous. With such an enormous sur-
plus in hand it would be magnanimous on the part of
the Commissioners 'to endeavour by such means as
those which have been here indicated to diminish in
some measure the large expenditure incurred by the
exhibitors in the manufacture of show contribu-
tions, and in their transmission to the Crystal
Palace. In many instances the cost of carriage
has necessarily and obviously been very great, more
particularly in the instance of our own colonists and
of the foreigners. It would be graceful, therefore, as
well as magnanimous to decrease the onus. of this ex-
penditure. Our convictions, indeed, upon this head
are earnest enough to render us still sanguine of wit-
nessing the announcement of some such supplemen-
tary arrangement in obedience to the decision of her
MAJESTY'S Commissioners.

The Irish " Es4duB," as it has appropriately been
termed, now forms the topic of chief interest on the
other side of St. George's Channel. That the inhabi-
tants of a country, which has already been so deeply
and so severely afilicted, should regard with astonish-
ment, not unmingled with alarm, a movement that
is rapidly transferring to another hemisphere the
labouring population, the thews and sinews of their
native, land is by no means surprising. They
see those who, under more favourable circum-
stances, might be the creators and producers
of national wealth, day after day, flying from
their shores, and seeking refuge where there will be
a more fitting appreciation of human labour, and
fairer remuneration for those able and willing to work.
Those who were previously the most strenuous and
indefatigable advocates for a wholesale system of emi-
gration—for driving the " surplus population"(! !),
as they impiously termed Gon's creatures, their
equals in every respect except the adventitious
circumstances of rank and wealth, forth to
seek their fortune in other climes, are
beginning to think that the matter is going
rather farther than they had anticipated
to reflect upon the mischief that may arise from no
longer having "hewers of wood" and "drawers of
water" to answer at the first " beck or nod" of the
task-master. The almost miraculous natural capa-
bilities of the country and the necessity of " cheap
labour" for their thorough development are at length
taken into consideration. The wages of working men
must be very largely increased, when the demand will
be for labour and not for employment, when the
difficulty will be to find " a man to undertake a job,"
and not to find " a job for a man to undertake." It
is manifest that the long talked-of improvements
which were only talked of when " labour was a drug
in the market," but which were never even at-
tempted to be carried into practical execution, must
be wholly relinquished, when the wages of those by
whom they were to be effected will have been more
than quadrupled.
The great question at the present moment, how-
ever, appears to be, when and by what means
can the movement be arrested ? We fear
that it will be exceedingly difficult to return satisfac-
tory responses to these interrogatories. It is much
easier to excite a popular feeling than allay it. This
will more especially be the case when the personal
interests of the parties concerned are all involved in
continuing that excitement. No man who can hope
to obtain beef and mutton at the other side of the
Atlantic will be contented with simple potatoes
at home, even if potatoes of the best quality
could be obtained, and that an adequate remedy
could be discovered for that mysterious disease that
consummated the ruin which bad been preparing
through ages of mis-legislation and maladministra-
tion. Why should they remain in their own unhappy
country when everything dear to their hearts had pre-
viously been transferred to the land of promise—
when relatives and friends were to be found,, not in the
in their
._Green lsland, but in the fertile valleys and rich prairies
of the west? None. who could procure the means of
escape would remain, and even those who could not
procure the ,4 passage money" found liberal benefac-
friends of their
tors
and submitted to
them in the blessings might
who strained every nerve,
childhoodevery privation, in order that the
who
hust reward.
where labour received! participate with
sitof the Transatlantic Paradise,
One word to those
h a
indulged in in-
cessant vituperation
Celtic race, who
as beyond the
ph
aalvee 0
f spokenaal
v a t i
oonf
_t hae Irish peasantry th v
ed bode
e every
oanie
inig
we
any
br ho should be
exterminated before there could b
hope of the regeneration of Ireland. `Pe
vny rational
findon them
hmss
succeeding in every country in which they
shelter and refuge ; their kindliness,on, their patient to y passing
evil, their find
0ef7141, the%positeinergetic submission
and and almost superhuman exer-
tions which they are prepared to make, when ob-
humblest fair days wages for a fair day's work"—
fio fidelityr tla
prosperity
at
inducesPeasant,e i
it themlie.
_pioehiteness perceptible in every, even the
ob-
taining II a f •
the natural
but, above all, the sterling
them," combine to to devote the first fruitsg
friends they've left behind
of their hew eXclillates. The
respect the friendship and
Irish by birth