The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-08 00:00:00

since achieved the highest Parliamentary distinction;
and Professor Blackie's verses have beyond all doubt
the merit of vigor, if purchased at the cost of some
rudeness. Then, again, if one of the disputants was
a Professor of Greek, the other has been a Confessor
of Chartism, and it may be doubted whether, for the
purposes of the debate, the practical education in-
volved in some months' imprisonment were not as
valuable as a perfect knowledge of the history of
the ancient republics. Lastly, if Professor Blackie
be Scotch, Mr. Jones is, or ought to be, a Welsh-
man. Here are all the elements of a very pretty
encounter—imagination, knowledge, temper—at
which bystanders, and especially English bystanders,
may look on, applauding a good blow on whatever
side it is struck, and inspired by a more assured im-
partiality because of the conviction that nothing
serious can result from the affray. The passage at
arms is gentle and joyous in spite of no blood flow-
ing from it. The Professor, by arrangement, com-
menced the attack. On Thursday night he appeared
in the field armed with a pamphlet of 54 pages,
wherewith to demolish his adversary and put down
democracy for ever. From this he discharged argu-
ment after argument, supplementing them occasion-
ally by oral additions, when he found the opinion of
the ring condemning his written words as too few
or too ineffective for his purpose. He concluded, wo
are told, amid loud cheering. Mr. Jones took the
offensive on Friday night, and was equally vigo-
rous, equally declamatory, and equally successful.
But impartial bystanders must confess that the at-
tack and defence were alike superficial and unsatis-
factory. Professor Blackie's best arguments were
derived from the American Republic, and ale worth
attention as so many reesons to dissuade men from
copying the institutions of the States ; but demo-
cracy and the Union are by no means identical. It
is quite possible for an advocate of democracy to
admit that the American Constitution is radically
wrong, and against such an advoeate Professor
Blackie would have little or nothing to say. If Mr.
Ernest Jones had replied that in a true democracy
the representative or legislative body ought to cor-
respond in its composition to the varied c'aaracter of
the people governed, and that each class ought to
find its spokesmen there in exact proportion to its
own strength ; if he had gone on to admit that this
ideal is not approached, and never can be approached
under the present constitution of the United StateE,
and that the English House of Commons is far more
nearly a copy in miniature of the English nation
than Congress is of the Union ; but, allowing all
this, had contended that the representation of the
several classes of society in Parliament did not ob-
serve the law of proportion either in respect of num-
bers or of importance, and that it would increase our
strength and better our legislation if we made a
step towards observing it, what would Professor
Blackie have been abl to reply ? He might say,
and with truth, that his arguments had beendirected
against Mr. Bright and the Reform Bills of the late 1
`Government ; but when a learned professor descends
into the arena we expect him to do something more
than to expose elementary fallacies, or, if he defends
such a course by the position of his opponents, to
show that he is aware of the extreme narrowness of
his ground. But Mr. Jones was as feeble in defence.
as his adversary in attack. Like many another rea-
soner,-he glorified Democracy without attending to
what his opponent had to urge against it. He ad-
mitted, indeed, the shortcomings of New York, but
excused them on the ground of the mixed character
of the inhabitants of New York city. The plea is
not without force, but it leaves Mr. Jones's abstract,
praises of Democracy without a leg to stand upon.
If the form of government of a country must de-.
pend upon the traditions, feelings, and habits of
its inhabitants, we cannot argue upon the applica-
bility of Democracy to a nation without taking into
account a thousand circumstances which Mr. Jones
disdained to consider. We are, in fact, relegated
to the domain of expediency as the true method of
inquiry. We must weigh the history of the past
.
and the temper and composition of the present be-
fore venturing to recommend any alteration in the:
constitution or government of any people. The due
between Professor Blackie and Mr. Jones over the
body of Democracy will probably do little harm if
it does not do much good. Should it set anybody
thinking on the subject, it will need no further jus-
tification, fur nothing was more evident last sum-,
mer than the ignorance of the House of Commons
on Reform. It was plain that it had never been
considered as a practical question, and that men
had talked about it for years without caring to ex-
amine what was meant by the phrases they glibly
repeated. Anything would be better than such a
condition of the Parliamentary mind. To be thus
ignorant is to be the subject of blind impulse, of
raw haste, and of rash errors which may
rable. We may hope that some improvement has
since taken place, but it would be idle to pretend
that much does not remain to be done before any
satisfactory legislation can be achieved, and if Pro-
fessor Blackie does nothing but draw attention to
the fact, that small result is not without its value. -'

COUNTRY MARKETS.

COLCHESTER-JAN. 5.

At the market to-day wheat was in short supply, and
the trade was inactive, at is to 2s over former terns•
Barley also is to 2s higher. All other articles were un-
altered.

Wheat, white Us 708 Beans, Mazagan......33s 408
red G2s 67s Middle and small..l4d 488
Barley ... l2s Hs Peas, white. 38s 126
Oats