The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-20 00:00:00

ME. LOWE.

Complaints are made of Mr. Lowe's sarcastic man-
ner of dealing with independent members in the
Lower House. It is noticeable that Mr. Whalley, who
rarely elicits any sounds but those of derision from
members, was cheered the other night when he told
the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he was both
idle and impertinent. The first charge is scarcely
appropriate. Mr. Lowe is busy now in preparing for
a deficiency Budget. The question is whether he will
pay off the Abyssinian war at once by imposing an
additional penny of income tax, or spread the pay-
ment over two years, when the increased receipts
will be in all probability sufficient to meet the charge.
The first plan has the disadvantage of throwing the
burden of taxation upon ono class, while the whole
working class goes free. The second plan has also a
disadvantage, inasmuch as it delays the reduction of
indirect taxation, which reduction is very desirable
on both fiscal and moral grounds. The general belief
is that Mr. Lowe will adopt the first course.

MR. VILLIERS.
Mr. Villiers has received the offer of a peerage,
but has declined it. He wants a seat in the Cabinet,
but there is no room for him. Should the Pensions
Amendment Bill pass he will be entitled to a retiring
provision of t 1,200 a year by virtue of his continu-
ous service as Judge Advocate and President of the
Poor-law Board.
TIIE ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARMY.

It is stated that a special inquiry has recently been
resolved on by the Treasury into the organisation
of the A\ ar Department and the Horse Guards,
with a view, it is supposed, to their closer identifi-
cation, as well as to economy and reduction of future
estimates.

TILE SHIP OF THE PERIOD.
At the annual meeting of the Institution of Naval
;architects, Sir John Pakington who, whether as
Minister for the Colonies or Minister for War, will
never forget that he once wielded Neptune's trident,
and ruled the sea as First Lord of the Admiralty,
presided. He referred to the new ships which Mr.
Childers is about to build, ships without masts or
sails, and carrying their guns in turrets, ships
which Mr. Corry does not at all fancy.
Sir John Pakington apparently likes them
very little better ; yet, being not in the House of
Commons, but at the Institute of Naval Architects,
not in a political, but in a professional assembly, he
said he had no wish to decry these ships. We
should not run down anything new without good
reason. lle had much doubt that they could be so
l
safe without masts, acid the quantity of coal which
they should carry wcs immense.
s npeleak.Elle:
that in
war the masts and rigging were greatly in the way.
to zllow
IsAilrt.ocg ehtillideerrsStio try
Sir .fohtihie s
experiment
grac.iou ly
THE DEFORM LEAGUERS.

ndisaingresolution declaring
the Ernest Jones
demonstration
hav feor
their intention to persist in holding the meeting at
committee
poarsgsae
Trafalgar-square on Good Friday, orders from Scot-
land Yard prohibiting the demonstration notwith-
standing. It is to be hoped that Colonel
Henderson will think twice before he issues
any such orders. If left alone the absurd affair is
likely to be tame enough, but with the prospect of a
row all the roughs in London would be brought to-
gether. While in the one case we should have a
few loafers—dangerous enough, it must be admitted,
but controllable by a strong body of police—in the
other we should nave all the rascais or
London brought together to see the " bobbies "
thrashed and help to thrash them. It is a
case of choosing the lesser of two evils. It
may be an evil to allow the letter of the Act pro-
hibiting meetings so close to Westminster Palace to
be broken ; but as the meeting is not intended to
overawe the Houses of Parliament (which will not
be sitting), and the spirit, of the Act is not broken,
the evil is much less than would be a repetition ir
Trafalgar-square of the Ilyde Park riots of 1807.