The Sun.
London, England, 1834-02-20 00:00:00

LITERATURE

PILGRIMS OF THE RHINE.-1834.

The conception of this tale is in the purest
and most refined spirit of poetry. Though it
is wholly deficient in that highest order of
genius, a severe, lofty, and ambitious imagina-
tion, yet it is bestrewed all over with the rich,
golden lights of fancy. Its prevailing charac-
ter is that of grace and tenderness. The inci-
dents of the narrative may be summed up in a
few words. Mr. Bulwer supposes a young
heroine of romance, just touched with the first
frost of consumption, traversing the banks of the
Rhine in company with her lover, who is de.
scribed as a contemplative and somewhat way-
ward enthusiast, every faculty of whose soul is
absorbed in adoration of the predestined girl.
They trace the river through all its long course
of mingled wildness and beauty, halting as they
proceed, to admire and meditate among, its most
classic and picturesque spots. The journey
over, Gertrude's life also ends, and Trevelyan,
distracted with the loss, under circumstances cal-
culated to leave an indelible impression on his
mind, of the first and only being he had ever
truly loved, returns abruptly to England, and
there, in the hurry and bustle of society, and
all sorts of public occupation, strives, but in
vain, to drown the recollection of the past.
We should add that the Pilgrims of the Rhine
contains a sort of legendary episode, being the
wanderings of a troop of English fairies along
the banks of the river, whom Mr. Bulwer has
transported thither, evidently for the purpose of
giving a harmony and propriety to the nume-
rous fairy traditions that he introduces. But this
portion of the tale, however gracefully and
airily touched, strikes us as being calculated only
to cumber .and perplex its machinery. There
was no earthly occasion for such an episode. It
is at best but an elegant superfluity, and disturbs
the painful sense of reality which it is the
author's object to awaken in our minds. Besides,
beautiful as are all fairy legends, still they derive
their beauty solely from their accordance with
national belief. Now the fairies have been dead
in England for upwards of two hundred years.
Even as far back as the 16th century Bishop
Corbet lamented that no poet could have any
thing more to do with them, and we scarcely
think that even Mr. Bulwer's genius can
" sound the trumpet of their resurrection."
Another fault we find with the Pilgrims
of the Rhine, is the melancholy—we might
perhaps add, maudlin, but we are reluctant
to speak disrespectfully of a highly gifted
author—cast of the narrative. We would
have the It visited and dwelt on, in a
sunny, buoyant spirit of joyousness—not of
gloom and hypochondriasm, however grace-
fully and soothingly this distempered mood
may exhibit itself. Having said thus much in
disparagement of Mr. Bulwer's tale, we are bound
to right the balance, and add, that for grace, ease,
ani exquisite richness of diction, " without o'er-
flowing, full," we have met with nothing like
it, since he last ceased to write. Subtle thoughts
and graceful images abound in every page.
Still, in point of invention and bold analysis of
character, it is not to be compared with his
earlier effort—" Paul Clifford." The single
sketch of Lawyer Brandon is, in point of
masculine intellect, worth the whole 'volume. It
is but justice to add, that our opinion of the
Pilgrims of the Rhine is founded on a very
hasty perusal. We subjoin a few specimens of
felicitous thought and expression that have struck
us while skimming along the pages :

" One of the common disappointments of the heart is,
that women have so rarely a sympathy in our better and
higher aspirings. Their ambition is not for great things:
they cannot understand that desire which scorns thlight,
and loves laborious days.' If they love us, they usually
exact too much. They are jealous of the ambition to
which we sacrifice so largely, and which divides us from
them ; and they leave the stern passion of great minds to
the only solitude which affection cannot share. To aspire
is to be alone."

Truer words than these were never spoken.
Surely we ought to have met with the sentiment
in Shakspeare !

" Below, in green curves and mimic bays covered with
herbage, the gradual banks mingled with the water ; and
just %%here the bridge c►osed, a solitary group of tree-,
standing thick and dark in the thickest shadow, gave that
melancholy feature to the seer e, which resembles the one
dark thought that oft:n forces itstlf into our sunniest
hours."

The word " gradual" gives extraordinary ani-
mation and identity to this description. It is a
fine sample of the pictorial epithet.

" Action is that Letbe in which we alone forget our
former dreams, and the mind that, too stern not to wrestle
with its emotions, seeks to conquer regret, must leave itself
no leisure to look behind. Who knows what benefits to
the word may have sprung from the sorrows of the bene-
factor? As the harvest that gladdens mankind in the
suns of autumn was called forth by the rains of spring,
13,) the griefs of youth may make the fine of maturity."

"To revi.•it the scenes of our youth, is to commune
with the ghost of ourselves."

" The history of the heat is not easily translated into
language, and the world will not readily pause from its
business to watch the alternations in the cheek of a
dying girl."
r • • • •

" Here too lived the maligned hero of the greatest
drama of modern genius, the traditionary Faust, illustrat-
ing in himself the fate of his successors in dispensing
knowledge.—held a monster Er his wisdom, and coo-
signed to the penalties of hell as a recuaipense fur the
benefits he had conferred on earth."

Gibbon, if we recollect rightly, in contrasting
the slow progress of knowledge with the sudden
spread of gunpowder, has a remark of this
sort in his unequalled History. One word
more, and we close our hasty notice. If, as
Mr. Bulwer inclines to think, " Childe Harold,
seemingly so profound, owes its profundity to
its style," why does he condescend to borrow
its thoughts, in his prefatory poem to the
Ideal? The passage beginning with—

" In vain we yearn, we pine, on earth to win
The being of the heart, our boyliood'b dream,"

is all but a literal, though unacknowledged,
transcript from that fine stanza in Lord Byron's
fourth Canto, which commences (we quote from
memory) as follows
• We wither from our youth, we gasp away,
sick—sick, unfound the prir,.."

ALLAN BR.ECK. 3 Vora. Lowno.v, 1834

This tale is by no means devoid of talent,
but in no one instance does it arrive at first-
rate excellence. It is full of bustle, incident,
and character, but without the slightest pre-

'ensions to originality. Still it will amuse,
for Mr. Gleig is a practised author, and
can scarcely put pen to paper without pro-
ducing something that shall be worth at-
tention. In the tale before us, his more im-
passioned scenes are his best ; his descriptions
of landscapes among his worst, though most
pains-taking. There is a coldness—a minute-
ness—a monotony in these portions of his work,
that wholly deprive them of effect. He does
not paint, but catalogues his scenic descriptions ;
item, one rock—item, one loch, a mile and a
half wide—item, one cottage—as if an inventory
like this was all that was necessary to place a
landscape in its full picturesque beauty before
us. Scott does not paint in this mechanical style.
A few bold, vivid touches, and the scene he would
pourtray, starts up vividly before us. We have said
that the more impassioned parts of "Allan Breck"
are the best. We allude here to those scenes
with which the hero is mixed up, some of which
have a stern depth of feeling that approaches to
tragedy. The gradual development of Allan
Breck's character is finely shown, especially in
that scene where he meets with Hatfield in a
gaming-house at Edinburgh. A portion of
this we subjoin, and with it we must close our
hasty notice :

" It so happened that throughout the evening's enter-
tainment Hatfield had uniformly backed Allan in all his
wagers. Allan now challenged Hatfield with reference to
a hand which he was himself about to deal, and the other
accepted the challenge, to the amount of all his adversary's
winnings. The deal proceeded. The players had secured
each his two cards—the third was in the act of distribu-
tion—indeed all, except Hatfield and Allan himself, had
been supplied, when the former leaning towards the dealer,
said in a low whisper, Beware!' Allan shook in his
chair. He cast a hurried glance towards the speaker,
whose eagle-eye watched him with an acuteness not to be
deceived; and after a vain effort to recover his self com-
mand, went on with the game. Hatfield's card was high
—it was the ace of clubs—decidedly the best that bad
been thrown ; and, as was usual on the occurrence of such
a piece of good luck, a murmur, expressive of different
passions, burst from the lookers or'. Again Hatfield took
advantage of the momentary confusion. 'lt won't d,,
with me, throw away your hoarded diamond, or 1 will
expose you !' This was uttered in a suppressed tone, yet
it penetrated the brain of the listener like an arrow. He
did drop his hoarded diamond, and turning up a five of
hearts, saw his gains pass on the instant into the posses-
sion of his former creditor. Allan's senses became con-
fused. He gasped for breath, and leaning back in his
chair, remained for the space of three seconds totally un-
conscious
of all that was passing around him.
" Perhaps there is not, throughout the compass of what
is called civilivd society, a spectacle more humiliating than
that of a company of persons engeged in deep play. Not
only is each regardless of the feelings of his neighbour,
but, as it would seem, blind to their very existence ; for
gestures the most extravagant, and exclamations harrow-
ing to common ears, pass in such cases absolutely un-
heeded. Overwhelming as Allan's dismay and confusion
were, they escaped all eyes in that excited assembly, save
those alcine beneath whose petrifying glance he found it
impossible to hold up. Yet it was to no purpose that he
roused himself to appear calm. His forehead burned as
he gaud elsewhere round the table, and it became deadly
cold again, when be observed the hellish leer with which
Hatfield watched his very looks. His skill totally f.rsnok
him. He played on, therefore, but it was absolutely a,
random, without ingenuity, almost without an aim. He
accepted every bet that was offered, and we need scarcely
add, that nine out of ten proved unfavourable. Allan's
brain reeled, his throat was parched and dry—he called
for ',randy, and drank it off in despair. Bit the meisure
to which lie had recourse as an immediate relief froth
misery, served only to increase the fever that boiled in his
blood. He could not succeed in steeping his senses in
forgetfulness, so as to become callous even to the events
that passed around ; and hence, though rendered fierce
and dangerous to any who might inadvertently thwart
him, he was still responsible for his actions, and liable to
be treated as one that was so."

SACRED CLASSICS. Vol. 11. LONDON, 1834.

A valuable monthly publication, which has
our sincerest wishes for its success. The pre.
sent volume consists of " Cave's Lives of the
Apostles," with an introductory Essay from the
joint, we suppose, pens of the editors, the Rev.
Messrs. Cattermole and &ebbing.

THE WATER-WITCH. I VoL. LoNnox,lB34.

As we reviewed Mr. Cooper's tale of the
Water-Witch at some length on its first ap-
pearance, it is scarcely necessary to say more on
the present occasion, than that it has received
the last finishing touches of the author, is illus-
trated with two cleverish engravings, and forms
the thirty-sixth number of the Standard Novels.

HUME'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
VOL. 1. LONDON, 1834.

A valuable republication by Mr. Valpy, to
whom we are already indebted for our com-
pletest edition of Shakspeare. It is well
printed, and, i❑ point of price, accommodates
itself to the most ill-furnished pocket. The
engravings of our earlier Kings, beginning with
William the Norman, are very skilfully finished.
The countenances of some of these odd sam-
ples of royalty strike us as being singularly
characteristic of their actions. Henry the Se-
cond, for instance, has just the imbecile, drawl-
ing expression of face, that one would expect to
meet with in a monarch who could for years suf-
fer his authority to be set at nought, and himself
to be laughed at, bullied, and led by the nose
by a bluster►ng, factious ecclesiastic. All the
Norman fierceness and hardihood, dashed by a
sort of rough good humour, speak in the coun-
tenance of William the Conqueror. The iron
broad-sword is in his hand, and the iron crown
on his brow, quite as a matter of course. Any
thing else would be out of keeping. The minute,
subtle features, sharp as the blade of a pen-
knife, the compressed thin lips, hanging brows,
and restless eye of the first Harry, bespeak the
wily and accomplished Statesman, fitter to pre-
side at Cabinet Councils than councils of war.
The profile of this lace is as perfectly Grecian,
as that of Pericles, to which it is not unlike.
We would have noticed this volume earlier, had
we not been prevented doing so by the press of
Parliamentary and other 'natter.

THE RECESS: A TOUR IN THE HIGH-
LANDS AND LOWLANDS.
LONGMAN AND CO LONDON, 1834.

There is a certain degree of cleverness in this
volume which, with those who are readily pleased,
will make it a favourite. The author has great
tact, infinite good humour, and occasionally ex-
hibits a graphic power of description. It is not
a little to his credit that he has given the fresh-
ness of novelty even to such a hackneyed subject
as the Highlands. One charge, however, lucki)t
not a very serious one, we have to bring against
him. In page 83, in his account of a Caledo-
nian Sabbath, he has thought fit to adopt as his
own, a trifling squib of ours, entitled a " Hymn
to Sir Andrew Agnew," which appeared in The
Sun some months since, and was afterwards

copied into the Times. Now we have no ob-
jection to this sort of thing—indeed we are
rather flattered than o herkvise by the compli-
ment he has paid us by in erti•liz our trifle in his
volume—but we would just whiTer ill his ear that
fair play is a jewel, and that when a gentleman
publishes a book, it is perhapi as well that he
should state distinctly what part of it is his own,
and what, the property of others. Verbum sap.

THE YOUTHS' DRA W OK.
La:ti:at, 1834.

An ingenious idea well executed, and worth a
hundred long, elaborate treatises on design,
grouping, fore-shortening, perspective, and so
forth. Affixed to the volume are a few brief
and pertinent observations on the different
specimens of landscape, &c., introduced; by
which, without the aid of a master, the young
student may, if he pay but ordinary attention,
make himself a tolerable proficient in the art of
drawing, whether in pencil, Indian ink, or
water-colours. It is gratifying to see how all these
elementary treatises have been simplified of late.

His Majesty holds a levee on the 21st inst.,
and on every succeeding Wednesday till further notice.
The same regulations as to sending in cards and addresses
as were adopted last year are to be observed. The draw-
ing-room of the 24th is to be a collar day.

- •
His Majesty is expected to honour the Master
of the Horse 1t ith his company at dinner on the 10th
March, at the Royal Stud-house, Hampron Court Palace.
The Noble Earl, it is expected, will invite a select circle
to meet the Sovereign.

Her Royal Highness Princess Augusta is
expected to arrive this day in the Stable Yard, St.
James's, from Brighton.

The Duke of Richmond gave a grand Ca-
binet dinner yesterday, at his house in Cavendish-square.

Sir Robert Peel has been among the nume-
rous visiters to view the library of Mr. Hartrott, the sale
of a third portion of which has now commenced.
The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland
are expected to arrive to day at Northumberland House,
from Alnwick Castle. The rumour is revived that his
Grace's heir presumptive, Lord Prudhoe, formerly Lord
Algernon Percy, by the advice of his brother, is going to
take to himself a wife. His Lordship has been making
great improvements at his beautiful ,eat in Yorkshire;
called Stanwick Park, near D Arlington.

The report is current amongst the electors of
Marylebone that Sir William Horne has, on second
thoughts, declined the offer made him of the vacant seat
on the Bench in the Exchequer, and that there will be
for the present no election for that borough. We believe,
however, that this will make no difference in the other
arrangements, which are understood to be definitively
settled ; and that Sir J. Campbell has received his ap-
pointment as Attorney, and Mr. Pepys as Suicitor
General. We do not know whether Sir J. Campbell's
writ has been moved (if it has, it must have escaped our
reporter), but we believe he has announced his' promotion
to his constituents at Dudley. Of course, therefore, if
Sir William Horne is not the new Baron of the Exchequer,
he will retire to his practice at the Bar, or to private life.
—Morning Paper.

The Solicitor-General it was stated last night
at the House, had been appointed Attorney-General in the
room of Sir W. Horne, now named to be a Baron in the
Exchequer, in the room of Baron Bayley. This pro-
motion of Sir J. Campbell, was mentioned as the reason
for his not bringing forward the motion for a Bill to abo
lish imprisonment for debt. The notices of Mr. Hume
and others. fixed for last night, were tes,) postponed, and
without any reason being assigned, The House was con-
sequently up at an uni.xpectedly early hour.

It was generally circulated yesterday in the
lez,ll circles that Mr. Pepys will be presented to his Ma-
jesty to-morrow at the levee, on his appointment as Soli-
citor-General. The Rinourable and Learned Gentleman
will, as a matter of Court etiquette, receive the honour of
Knighthood, as Sir Charles Pepys. The new Solicitor-
General is second son of the late, and brother to the pre-
sent, S.r Wm. Weller Pepys, Bart., and nephew to the late
Sir Lucas Prays, Physician General to the Army. The
Lady of the Hon. Member is a daughter of W. Wingfield,
Esq., the Master in Chancery, and grand niece maternally
of E rl Digby.

There was much hustle yesterday in the poli-
tical club houses in St. James's•street, on the su' j-ct of
the small majority in favour of Ministers, on Mr. Whittle
Harvey's motion for a Select Committee to inquire into
the pension list, which is considered the precui stir to their
being le t in a minority, when the subject comes to be
discussed in the Gimmons after a call of the House.

Loa' Durham was under the gallery, during
the whole of the debate in the House of Gimmons on Mr.
D. W. Harvey's motion respecting the Civil List Pensions,
and evinced the most anxious attention.

THE DUNGARVAN ELECTION.—Mr. Jacob
has been nominally reurned by a majority of 30, but new•
has arrived that the election has in fact and in law a very
d.ff•rent result. It is stated that Ebenezer Jacob and his
p rty carried on the system of bribery so openly tint Mr.
Barron's party resolved to give up the contest and petition
against Mr. Jacob'• return. To complete his discomfiture
th, y proposed Philip C. Crampton, Eqq., Solicitor-Ge-
neral, as a fit and proper person to represent the borough
of Dungarvan in Parliament. Seven persons voted for
bun, nil the election closed. Everything depends now
on the petition an I the proofs it can embody.
Meetings are at present being held in various
parts of Norfolk for the purpose of petitioning for the
repeal of the malt tax.
ENGLISH OPERA-HOUSE.-011 Monday
the workmen employed in preparing the ground for laying
the foundation of t. e English Opera-house refused to con-
tinue at work without an advance of wages. One of the
chef objects of some of the workmen is to procure an
equalisation of their wages from the 'motets, besides an
advance. The masters object to the first proposition, on
the ground of the superiority of some of the workmen,
compared with others. 13ut, as the increase has not yet
been complied with, they have not yet returned to their
work ; and yesterday several of them assembled in the
pa•sa.te leading from the Strand to the ground, to see
who remained on the premises, but they observed strict
order and decorum.

GLASGOW COUNCIL.-A rumour is current
in town that there i* a good deal of hole-and corner work
going on in the new Council, and that the first-fruits of it
will be seen in a grant of ten thou*snd pounds to be voted
away on Thursday. Th;s is surely apocryphal. At all
event•,we won't credit it till we find it actually realised.—
Scots Times.

NAVAL AND MILITARY LIBRARY AND
MUSEUM, SCOTLAND YARD (3,740 MEMBERS). •••••
The Council of Management beg to acquaint the Member.,
of this Institution, that the Third Anniversary Meetine
will be held at the Thatched House Tavern, St. James's-
street, on Saturday, the I.t of March.—Toe Chair wilt
be t.lten at Two o'clock ; Lieut -General the Right Hon.
Sir John Byng, G.O B. G.C.H. will preside.
C. STODDART, Secretary.
Confirmed HENRY Dowerts, Coin. R N., Director.

ARRIVAL OF THE ROMNEY, JUPITER,
AND ATIIOL.-Ye.terday his Majesty's ships Romney, of
50, Jupiter, 50, and Athol, 28 Luna, arrived in our har-
bour. The first named vessel brcnight over the depots of
the 51st and 94-h regiments, the latter of which were
landed at Spike Is this morning, to replace the de-
tachment of three officers and 70 men of the 96th from
Kinsale, that art ived at Spike, to replace the Royal Ma
nines under orders for embaik ition. To-morrow morn-
ing the Slat will land in this city, and immediately marsh
for Buttevant ; and on the same day detachments of ih.-
36th, 67th, and 69th Regiments will proceed to Cove in
one of the steamers, and rail> irk on board the Athel, to
jtnn the service companies at Barbadoes. On Wednesday
401 Thursday the 92d R-gitnent will be conveyed from
Billinacurra to the Jupiter, which will proceed to Gibral-
tar, and v,e 64th will embark in the Romney for Jamaica.
We are aware of other army movements of interest, but
must reserve them fur the present. The 18th Royal hist)
expect to pr,.ceed t Quebec, ti relieve the 79th WO-
tuent. Tue 89 h Regiment, now in this city, it is
expect to proceed to Canada.— Cork Evening Herald.
LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, FEB. 18
Sales to. ay 3,000 bags, a good business for Tuesday ;
1,500 are on speculation and 200 lor export; remain 'e.
200 Bahia., 9.1. to 9,d. ; 100 Maranhatn., a, 1041. ; ,n.
50 Peroanis, at 10f.t., at !miner pikes. N 'thing mate
vial tram Manchester, and we conclude no important
change has occurred.

l'efailt

j
-

i

r Yom.
JOURNAL
./4/4;
We have already stated t h at. Miri stern pp
to have resisted, for technical reasons
Hai vey's motion for a Parliamentary inquiry into
the grounds on which each pension in the vo-
lumnious list laid before the House of Commons
in the course of last session, had been granted
by the Crown and its advisers. We also stated
that the present Ministers would have had
nothing to fear from the results of such an In-
quiry, not having been responsible for any one
of those corrupt and odious grants, for the sake
of exposing and recalling which the inquiry was
to have been instituted. It is not, however, a
full justification of Ministers, that their conduct
in this instance, so far as related to past trans-
actions, was void of all selfish motives. They
had before them the discharge of a public duty,
and the redress of a grievous public wrong. We
regret, therefore, that they did not lay aside all
considerations suggested by mere generosity
towards their predecessors, and did not aspire
to higher praise than that of being purely disin-
terested. We must premise, that the term
"lawful" when applied, as it was frequently in
the course of the debate, to the title by which
the holders of pensions during pleasure may
henceforth claim an exemption from any inquiry
or interference by Parliament, seems to us ex-
tremely vague. It is true that the Crown has
not exceeded in its grants the aggregate sum to
which the whole pension list is limited by
statute. In that sense, therefore, the body of pen-
sioners may be said to have a "legal" title. So, it
cannot be denied that in the grant of each individual
pension, the Crown has exercised a prerogative
which is, strictly speaking, " legal ;" but is not the
manner of exercising every Royal prerogative under
the advice of responsible Ministers, a recognized
subject for the control of Parliament ? If the Royal
bounty be grossly misplaced, and that portion of the
public treasure of which the Sovereign (or rather
his Minister) is a trustee, be iniquitously or im-
providently squandered, shall there be no revision,
no redress, because, forsooth, the power exercised
was according to Act of Parliament, although every
power, without exception, is given, subject to the
regular constitutional guarantees against abuse '
The Act of 1832, so repeatedly appealed to, latticed
at the disposal of the King's Minivers an aggregate
sum of so many thousand pounds per annum; but
he who insists that it applied a sponge to the delin-
quencies of former Ministers for the abuse of the
Royal confidence, is little skilled in the construction
of legislative acts. It is evident that Lord Althorp
could not have meant a serious, much less a final re-
sistance to inquiry upon this important subject; and
that he could not have employed the word legal
otherwise than in an opposite sense to " constitu-
tional," when he affirmed that all these pensioners
without exception held their pensions by a " legal
title," while he admitted in the same breath that there
were many names upon the list which ought not to
have been there,—that there were many pen-
sions which it would be impossible to vindicate,
—that there were many bestowed for no merit
or public service whatsoever,—that he (Lord
Althorp) would have felt serry to be the p rty
who enjoyed, or the party who had advised, the
giant of them; it is, indeed, evident that the Noble
Lord, entertaining these sentiments of the pro-
fligate and unprincipled nature of such pen-
s or,s, nzust have intended to convey an ad-
mission that the advice under which they
were given ought to be condemned, and char each
unwarrantable pension, which in itself constituted
the corpus delicti, ought to be rescinded on sn ad-
dress from the House of Commons. But it is clear
hat neither one nor the other could be safely
ac-
complished without a previous inquiry into the
facts and merits of each individual case. The only
fit method, therefore, of carrying to their natural
conclusions Lord Althorp's own explicit premises
(however ostensibly contrasted wiih the amendment
moved by his Lordship) was, us it seems to us, the
appointment of a Committee to inquire—for the
Noble Lord would not surely wish the H lose to act
upon his impressions, or on Mr. StaWey's, of the
offensive and guilty details comprehended in the
pension list, without arty investigation whatsoever
Upon the whole of this question we are deeply con-
cerned at the course which his Majesty's Muds.ers
have thought themselves on this occasion compelled to
follow. To us it appears, though a well-int ent.oned,
yet a most erroneous course. It is not the fiat
time Ministers have had the misfortune to c:tuse
regret, not altogether unmixed with astonishment,
a: their extreme and gratuitous subserviency to re-
quests which ought not to have been complied with,
or commands a hick ought to have been decidedly,
though most respectfully, disobeyed. The Cow tis
an appendage to the monarchy ; but neither a reFpon.
s;bie Minister nor a great nation can or ought to be
an appendage to the Court. .13. r that as it may,
nothing was ever more hum:Hating than to see a well-
inearmig and in many points an estimable Adminis-
tration ignorant of its own intrinsic strength, arid
acting as if it were conscious that it lived by suffer,
mice only. It mortifies the true friends and steady
supporters of a Reform Government to see its direcs
lion vacillating and its footsteps tortering—crutching
itself up, oue day by Radicals, the next by Tories,
hat it may at last be derided by both, and possibly
smashed between them. In one short week an alternate
tr,umph has been achieved for It ish anarchy awl Ultra
Tory corruption. They have voted an inquiry jut°,
the conduct of a Judge, in spite of acknowledgments
from all sides of the House, that even if every charge
against that learned person could be es:ablished ii
would form no justifiable ground for his dismissal,
Tney have voted for no itiqtrry into the pension
I.st, in the teeth of their own asseverations that
there was much of it which they could nor, and
were ashamed to, defend. Is it not, then, deplorable
t tat a Government for which both principles arid
circumstances have done so much, should thus in,
vest itself with all this adventitious weal.oes*,
when, give it but head erect and straightforward
movement, arid there is no power in this country,
oumerical or moral, from which it need for one mite
ment shrink ? One secret fur obtaining the confi-
dence of others is to show that we are confident in
our own integri:y and resources—

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC

" Above all things to thine own self be true,
And then it follows as the day the night,
Thou canst not then be false to any man,"
—Times.

The division on Mr. Harvey's motion, on Tues-
day, gives rise to many reflections on the present
sate of parties, and the general tone of feeling and
opinion in the reformed House of Commons,
'lice Government eviden ly were dragg,ed most tut,
willingly into the discussion, and supported wi h
equal reluctance and a most chivalrous integrity
!heir understood contract with the Crown, and thr:,
iiireiest of their enemies on the pension list. The
large, and we may add tliump!tant minority, did
their duty by the people. In saying this we are
id
fficung to make every allowance for the delicate
and lt pion of the Ministers. They could
scarcely obtain the consent of the Crown to the
teoolpdroatienicti,letlov tandeheurtemnorsst
ofo of
tthheeicr
Court
great measure of teform, unfettered by some en-
gd
ga
ve omuerns st
h
—the Tories of the reign of George 111. --the
pandrrers to the profligacy of that of his successor, or
he probably less ohjec.ionable dep n.lants of the
new reign, who figure in the pension list, and
!oust otherwise have expected to be its first victims.
On striking the bargain, also, for the civil list, a
more specific contract appears to have been made ;
and we admit that the consideration of the redu -
!ion of the pension fund, on the accession of Wit
liam the Fourth, to one-half its former amount, w is
accepted from the Crown as the condition on which
Ministers undertook t,) defend existing iiacresfs
miser former grants. So far, we hive no :et•••rc. tz)
t,perich the purity of the grounds upon v,
vernment considered themselves bound in honour to

resist Mr. Harvey's motion. Still less are we disposed
to condemn harshly the motives of the popular Mem-
bers of the majority, many of whom considered this
sacrifice pare of the price paid for the Reform
Bill; and who rather voted from a dislike to aban-
don their friends, acting in their particular situation
on honourable feelings, than from any di-position to
withhold from the public redress and reparation for
the plunder of this system. With all these admis-
sions, we, nevertheless, rejoice at the result of the
debate. The pensioners—at least those of them
who have no legitimate claims on the beneficence or
compassion of the country—may be assured that
their rent-day has passed, if that of retribution;
and disgorging has not arrived ; and that the most
decent and becoming course to pursue, is to sur-
render that which they are conscious they could
no deserve, and ought never to have enjoyed.
Conduct of this kind will b 3 more Credi'eble to
themselves—show a reasonable sense of gratitude
to Ministers, who have done their best to pro-
tect them—and save the exposures and discussion,
without in the least affecting the necessary conse-
quences of the further proceedings with which the
divisioe o (Tuesday must he followed up. The state
of parties in the House was curious and instructive.
A large portion of the Tories were for some time
in doubt, when their scouts ascertained the probable
result of the division, whether it might not be more
for their interest to sacrifice their pensioned friends.
Some left the House, but after all about .55 voted
with the majority. A large phalanx of the Ministe-
rial rank., feeling strongly in favour of the motion,
went away to avoid dividing against Ministers. We
did not hear that any official Members, bound, of
course, to vote on what was considered an open
question, were absent. A very considerable num-
ber of popular Members voted in deference to the
merits of the case brought forward by the Govern-
mem, rather than to the opinions of their constitu-
ents, or in pursuance of their own feelings and in-
terests; and many of them, we can tell ti-ei4
friends, complained grievously—with what rea-
son we pretend not to say—of having been
left in the lurch by some near relative'
of Cabinet Ministers, not supposed to be over li-
beral in their opinions on other occasions, whose
devotion to their constituents in this instance was
the more meritorious, as it does net appear to have
been in the least affected by the least partiality for
their Ministerial connections. If we suppose fifty
Members to have acted on more generous, if not on
more correct feelings, and to have sacrificed their
opinions on this division to their personal attach-
ment to Government, and the policy of maintaining
them in office, and make a reasonable allowance for
official votes, the number of independent names in
the majority must convince Ministers of the impos-
sibility of further resistance to public opinion in this
case. They have done what was necessary for the
vindication of their own honour, in what turns ont
iu the opinion of the country to be an imprudent
contract ; and we entreat them at once to retreat
with a good grace from a hopeless and unavailing
eontest. If the pensioners will not take our advice
and resign their ill-gotten gains, let a further in-
quiry precede an address for their removal from the
list.—Morning Chronicle.

EXPRESS

EDITION.

SUN-OFFICE, Eight o'clock.

INIPERIA LPA RUM,' ENTI

THIS EVENING.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

The House met to.day at five o'clock.
The Royal Asscnt was given by commission to the Fac-
tories' Regulation Amendment Bill. The Commissioners
were the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Ripon, and Lord
Auckland.

Earl CAWDOR presented a Fetition from Llangollen,
in the county of Carmarthen, comVaining that prose-
cutions had taken place within the last few years for
the purpose of enforcing the p.yment of tithes, and praying
for their abolition. The Noble Earl also presented a pe-
tition from the Matirrates of the county of Somerset in
Quarter Sessions assembled, praying the House to adopt
measures for the purpose of relieving the householders of
the county from the burdensome rates on account or county

prosecutions.
Lord BEXLEY presented a petition from Cranbourne,
in the county of Surrey, in support of the Established
Church. The petition was signed by a great number of
Dissenters. The Noble Lord also presented a petition
from the parish of Blair, playing for an equitable arrange-
ment of the tithe system.
Lord KING presented a petition from the Dissenters
of Bridport. praying for relief from Church rates and
Eater-offerings, and also for a general rsgistry of birth•
and baptisms. The Noble Lord also presented a petition
from a parish in Callow against tithes.
The Earl of DURHAM presented two petitions, one
from the Dissenters of Newport, and another from the
Dissentrrs of Newcastle upon-Tyne, praying for relief.
TEe Noble Lord also gave notice, that he should present a
petition to-moi row f.orn the parish of Allhallows, Lom-
bard-street, with respect to the appointrn• nt of the Rev.
Mr. Dawson to the rectory of that church.
On the motion of Lord AUCKLAND, the report of tl e
Committee appointed to inquire into the best mode of
measuring the tonnage of ships, was received, and ordered
to he print!d.
Lord STRANGFORD said that it was his inten-
tion to give notice of a motion with reference to
the foreign policy of this country with regard to it.
commercial affairs. The time at which be would bring
that motion forward would depend upon the production
of the documents to which he referred when last be
brought the subject before the Heuse—(Heir, hear)—
namely, the Report of the Commissioners appointed
to inquire into the commercial relations between this
country and France. He wished therefore to know
when it was prob,ble that document would be laid upon
the table?

Lord AUCKLAND said that there could be no ob-
jection whatever to laying the documents upon the
table as soon as thy were ready. He was afraid,
however, that they would require some time for correc-
tion. _ .

Lord STRANGFORD then said that he would give
notice, that after the recess be should bring forward a
motion with regard to the policy of thiv country in rela-
tion to her commercial affairs with foreign countries.

l'hf. Duke of RICHMOND pr. rented petitions front
West Grinstead, Shipley, and several other parishes in the
Bounty of Suriex, in favour of the Labour Rate sill. On
the motion of the Noble Duke, the Turnpike Road Coo.
Ong, -ion Pill ••:ia read a a-cond t;rne and ordered to bp
..outwitted to-morrow.
The house then adjourned.