The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-24 00:00:00

Ail *tut

LONDON,
WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 24, 1833.

As we yesterday anticipated, the debate on
Mr. ATTWOOD'S motion was not brought to a
close last night, although a struggle was made
against its further adjournment. It may be
presumed that the division will take place
to-night, as well from the impatience last night
manifested, as from almost all who might be
expected to speak upon such a subject having
already addressed the House. The only remark-
able feature in the discussion of last night was
the constant appeal made by nearly all the sup-
porters of Mr. ATTWOOD'S motion, to the
selfishness of the landed interest, an appeal
hitherto made with unfailing success. We hope
and believe, huwever, that the passing and fic-
titious nature of the prosperity which landowners
would reap by this species of robbery, is too
clearly seen by them not to make them refrain
from doing that which, as a simple act of
injustice to the rest of the community, we
think they would not hesitate to do. This
may be thought a harsh judgment, but as long
as we are without a property-tax, as long as the
inheritance of a tradesman, a manufacturer, or
a fundholder, is subject to taxes which those of
landowners are not, as long as the stamp and
every other Act imposing taxes,favour that class
of individuals, and bear heavily upon every
other, the most charitable judgment that can
be formed of their conduct is that, like other
men, they too readily persuade themselves,
that what accords with their own interest is
for the advantage of others, albeit those
others may persist in saying that it is to their
injury. The sensitiveness of the delicacy of
some of the Honourable Members at being
told by Lord ALTHonp that no honest man
could vote for the motion, was drolly exhibited
last night. It is something like the virtuous in-
dignation of NINON DE L'ENcLos, at having

had applied to her an epithet bestowed upon
those who do from necessity what she did
from choice, or of the man brought up
to Bow-street a short time back, charged with
stealing a coach parcel, insisting that he had
not abstracted it. As it is the usage of Par-
liament—heaven knows, often found sufficiently
necessary—to assume that its Members are all
honest, honourable men, all influenced by the
most disinterested motives, all having the public
welfare only at heart, Lord ALTHORP was, of
course, obliged " to explain," as it is technically
called, or, as Mr. COBBETT WOUld say, beg
pardon " for having let out the truth."
We shall be impatient to see the list of Mr.
A TTWOOD'S minority. We expect it to ex_
hibit a strange compound of humane and pa-
triotic men, led away by a scheme 00 which
their imaginations have become heated, and
of individuals whose past conduct will afford
a sufficient indication that neither humanity
nor patriotism have been their guides on the
occasion.

Dr. BOWRING, who has been for some time
in France, following up the inquiries ordered
by the Commissioners of Public Accounts, has
recently transmitted much useful information,
which will be embodied in another report to
Parliament. Dr. BOWRING is now at Nantes,
and we hear that one of the objects of his visit
is to ascertain the practicability of the long
talked of treaty of commerce between this
country and France. The merchants of Bor-
deaux, Nantes, &c., who have great influence
with the French Government, object to any co►s-
cessions to the commerce of this country, ex-
cept on condition of a large reduction being
made on the duties upon French brandies.

Th• friends of Lord PALMERSTON have con-
tradicted the report of his being likely to pro •
ceed to India, as Governor-General. The
report, however, is still current in the upper
cbcles.

We learn by a communication from Berlin
that the " influenza there is now a universal
complaint, and above 40,000 persons have been
attacked in a few days. Almost half of the gar-
rison is suffering under it, and the physicians
think it far more contagious than the cholera."
It is a fortunate circumstance that the influenza
is not essentially a fatal disorder, like the cho-
lera, or at least two-thirds of London would by
this time have been carried off by it.

We understand that there is no truth in the
report alluded to by the Paris Correspondent
of a Morning Paper, of its being intended to
grant a general political amnesty in France on
the Ist of May. It has been resolved, we be-
lieve, that a certain number of persons, who are
now in prison for political offences, shall be
amnestied shortly, but the act is not to be general.

The German papers contain no further intel-
ligence respecting the movements of the Russians
and Egyptians. A short time, however, we
doubt not, will put us in possession of some
decisive news on this head. A communication
from Frankfort, dated the 17th, alludes to some
disturbances that have taken place in Persia, in
which, it appears, that the Russians favour the
Persian Prince, ABBAS MIRZA, " it being for
their interest that Persia should extend its
dominions as far as possible towards India,
because this paves the way for themselves." How
this may be we know not, but the supposition is
likely enough, for Russian intrigue makes itself
felt, more or less, throughout almost every part
of the universe. A more restless, meddlesome,
mischievous Power than the Cabinet of St.
Petersburgh never yet threatened to derange the
whole fabric of European policy.

The Dublin correspondent of the Morning
Herald in giving an account of a proposition at
the Union of Trades yesterday-week, to petition
Parliament for the extension of the 43d of
Elizabeth to Ireland, in other words to
establish poor laws, says that " A Mr. CAR..
BERRY, of Longford, acknowledged that poor
laws were necessary, and even adduced some
very strong facts illustrating the manner in which
property is managed in his county, which clearly
demonstrated that necessity ; but he concluded
with much naivete, by observing that ' he
could not conceal his opinion that a poor
law would be prejudicial to the question
of the repeal of the Union !' " This is letting
the cat out of the bag with a vengeance.
Give the people of Ireland the certainty
of earning the scantiest livelihood by the hardest
' work, and they will become so peaceable and
happy as not to care about the repeal of the
Union. This ought to make an impression
on the labouring classes of Ireland ; this ought
to make them consider whether it be better
worth their while to submit to be happy, or to
persist in being miserable, in order to obtain a
repeal of the Union.

We quote the following particulars respecting
the most recent movements of Admiral SARTO.•
RIUS from a Morning Contemporary :

" FALMOUTH, APRIL 22.—The Aid cutter, Pascoe,
master, has arrived here this afternoon from the Bayonne
Islands ; she left them on the 11 th instant. Admiral
Sartorius, with tbri-e frigates, a corvette, and brig, con.
tinned at anchor there ; the ship Edward, from London,
arrived on the day of the cutter's departure, with stores
for the squadron, and it was stated with specie sufficient
in amount to discharge half of the pecuniary demands of
the fleet, up to the period of the latter's arrival ; the crew
were in a dissatisfied state, and had refused obedience to
the commands of their officers; but it was believed, on
the portion of the arrears being paid, they would readily
return to their duty. This information being contradic-
tory to the statement communicated from the Douro,
under dote of the Bth instant, which was transmitted for
insertion in your journal, relative to Sortorius having left,
with the fleet, for England, can only be accounted for by
the writer of the letter being misinform d from a mali-
cious and sinister motive of his informant. The next
arrival from Oporto will no doubt fully explain the cause
of the error."

Captain BERKELEY has a notice of a motion
standing for to-night, which will, we suppose,
be postponed; but which, whenever it comes
on, will be of some immediate interest to the
Members of the House of Commons, and of
great indirect interest to the public at large.
The resolution Captain BERKELEY intends
proposing to the House runs thus--." That it

is expedient that a part of the gallery of this
House, or some other commodious place, be
appropriated to the reporters of the public
press, the reporters, so admitted, being ame-
nable to such regulations as this House
may think fit to adopt." The Gallant
Captain must alter the wording of his
motion if he mean to do more than reverse, as
far as regards the reporters, the standing order
for the exclusion of strangers; for it so happens
that, practically a portion of the gallery is appro-
priated to the reporters, and that they are amenable
to any punishment for misrepresentation, wilful or
accidental, they make, which the House may think
fit to impose. The public is the party really most
interested in the question, as it is the public who
have to judge upon the reported speeches of the
merits of a debate. It so happens that the
public interest and the interest as well as the
vanity of the greater part of the speaking Mem-
bers are one and the same, so that we can only ac-
count for the long continuance of the present
_system of reporting the debates by the venera-
tion the House has hitherto felt for an-
cient abuses. At present, there are not
above half the speakers so distinctly audi-
ble to the reporter as not to afford a rea-
sonable excuse for any error, however gross. To
the reporters, it can be clearly a matter of no
concern, whether a Member be audible or not
but the spirit of good feeling generated by their
education and habits, very much to their credit,
makes them exceedingly anxious to avoid er-
ror. At the same time, we are bound to ac-
knowledge, that generally speaking, they do not
for various reasons, wish for any better or more
prominent situation in the House than tha
which they now occupy. All that they desire for
themselves, is to be perfectly freed from the im-
pertinences sonic of the officers of the House
still indulge in, on the strength of the standing
orders, which makes it a breach of privilege, ac-
cording to their construction of the orders, even
to show a piece of a paper on a book in the
gallery. The payment of twenty or thirty
+iineas per annum from each paper, levied
by the door keepers, not being a voluntary
but a forced payment, without which they
cannot obtain access to the gallery, of course
produces little of the civility which an optional
payment invariably does. It is time that the
House of Commons should rescue itself from the
disgrace of being made an exhibition of for half-a-
crown, and we trust that Capt. BERKELEY, as he
has taken the matter up, will, in any alteration
he proposes, abolish a practice so unbecoming
the dignity of the House.