The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-24 00:00:00

sure, contributed to his overthrow. Throughout
the country, in all ranks of society, and on both
-ids Of both heuees, it wee felt as a public scanual
—as an outrage ou public fel Lug, it has been fol.
lowed by other appointments Lot less disgraceful,
though less prominent, of which we shall probably
hear re 070.
" Within the last few months, it is useless to
deny it, there has been a diminution of Lord Pal-
merston's popularity." How happens it then that
during these "last few months " the Times never
made the discovery. What could have been the
cause of its not having even seemed to suspect that
there was any diminution in the Premier's popu-
larity ? It is all the more strange that the Times
never before now told us a word of the fading popu-
larity of the Prime Minister, when it now coolly
assures us that the fact of this fading popularity
"is easy to account for." The way in which our
contemporary does " account " for the diminished
popularity of Lord Palmerston is certainly any-
thing but creditable to his lordship personally. It
is by charginghim with " favouritism and jobbery."
And then our contemporary proceeds to adduce
illustrations and confirmations of the truth of the
grave accusation.
But the last charge is that to which we wish to
call especial attention. It is that of having ap-
pointed the Marquis of Clanricarde to a seat in the
Cabinet. We, of course, concur with the Times
in regarding that appointment as the very worst
which it would have been possible to make ; but
then the difference between the leading journal and
ourselves is this—that we at the time denounced it
in the strongest language we could employ, and did
, not cease to do so until the very day on which the
I Palmerston Cabinet received the blow under which
it has fallen ; whereas the Times by its silence seemed
to acquiesce in the propriety of the appointment so
long as Lord Palmerston-was supposed to be in the
plenitude of his power, and only turns round and de-
nounces the appointment and condemns the Minister
who made it when that Minister is prostrate and
powerless. There is something un-English in this.
However much we may disapprove of the conduct
of Lord Palmerston in reference to that appoint-
ment, and to other parts of his policy, there is
something in thus striking a man when he is down,
by those who heaped their fulsome adulation on him
when in all his glory, against which every generous
feeling revolts, and from which every noble mind
will turn away with abhorrence.
We have been among the most uncompromising
of Lord Palmerston's opponents in reference to the
policy which his Government has pursued in its
relationswith the Ruler of France,—because as the
head of the Government, he was constitutionally
responsible for that policy. But now that the
noble lord is under a cloud, we deem it right to say
that, morally, he has been less to blame than Lord
Clarendon. We have the best reason for believing
that, in our intercourse with the French Govern-
ment, Lord Palmerston has of late surrendered his
own judgment and feelings too much to the Foreign
Secretary. The truckling, ignoble, anti-English
policy we have pursued in relation to Imperialism
in France, has been inspired, unless we grievously
err, incomparably more by the Foreign Secretary,
than by the Premier. If any doubt could pre-
viously have existed on that point, it must have
been removed by Lord Cowley's despatch to Lord
Clarendon, published in our paper of yesterday.
The Foreign Secretary is obviously the party
responsible for not having answered the insultieg
despatch of Count Walewski ; while the reasons
which Lord Clarendon assigns for not having re-
plied to it, are the most puerile and feeble that
could be imagined. A fear of offending the sus-
ceptibilities of the French Government, is the chief
reason given by the Foreign Secretary for his silence.
Did any consideration of that kind prevent Count
Walewski from calumniating and assailing us ?
Our silence, so far from making matters better, had
a necessary tendency to make them worse. It was
construed into a fear of France. It was inferred
that we would submit with inglorious tameness to
any indignities which the Imperial Government
thought fit to put upon us. And accordingly we
soon bad a practical proof furnished us, that the
Imperial Government flattered itself it rni,ht insult
us with impunity, by the insolent menaces from
French Colonels with which the pages of the
Moniteur teemed for a succession of days.
As the apology of Louis Napoleon has not yet
found its way into the Moniteur, we have no means
of knowing whether or not the swaggering Colonels
who lately figured so prominently in the plenitude
of their Bebiddistn, in its columns, are aware that
ho has repudiated their braggadocio, and conse-
quently rebukel themselves. But the fact must
before long transpire, that Louis Napoleon
has thrown them overboard. There can be
no doubt as to the result. Their fierce
animosity towards England will give place to a
settled and sullen hatred of the man who has thus,
in the face of Europe, affronted him. Conse-
quently, instead c f his continuing master of the
army, the army will become his master. He will
ba at its mercy; and therefore it is probable that
the very army which he his petted and pampered,
and on which his whole reliance has hitherto
been placed, will become the instrument of his
destruction.
In the meantime, it is not unlikely that, with
the view of propitiating his incensed army, Louis
Napoleon will be prepared to do anything which
he may suppose agreeable to it ; and as the inva-
sion of England is, of all things, that which would
be most congenial to the tastes of the army, it
behoves the Government and people of this country
not to lose a moment in making every possible
preparation for such a contit gency.

HEALTH OP LONDON DURING TBE WEEK,

(From the Report of the Registrar General.)

The deaths registered in London, which in the
previous week were 1,195, rose in the week that
ended last Saturday (Feb. 20th) to 1,275. In the
ten years 1848-57 the average number of deaths
in the weeks corresponding with last week was
1,164, but, as the deaths of last week occurred in an
increased population, they should be compared
with the average, when the latter has been raised
in proportion to the increase.—a correction which
will give 1,280. The number of deaths actually
returned agrees very closely with the number ob-
tained by calculation.
By comparing the results of the last two weeks
it will be seen that the deaths caused by zymotic
diseases were successively 241 and 230, the cor-
rected average for last week being 282 ; those caused
by " constitutional" diseases rose from 208 to 257,
the corrected average being 255 ; those from
" local" diseases rose from 533 to 607, the average,
being 539 ; the deaths from " developmental"
diseases were respectively 145 and 141, the aver-
age being 146 ; and " violent deaths were 45 and
25 in the two weeks, the average being 33. Herne
it appears that the mortality from zymotic diseases
has been nearly stationary during the fortnight,
and that the same remark holds with regard to those
of the developmental class. The increase under two
other heads :arise,: from phthisis, whie't rove iii tit(

two weeks irorn 130 to 158 ; from convulsions, which
rose from 34 to 43 ; from diseases of the bra*
which rose from 8 to 19 ; and from diseases of the
heart, which rose from 39 to 53. The continuance
of cold weather does not appear to have raised the
mortality of bronchial disease within the period re-
ferred to, for, though the mean temperature of the
last fortnight was only 34 deg., or about 4 deg.
below the average, bronchitis was fatal in the two
weeks in 193 and 191 cases ; pneumonia in 104 and
102. But the mortality of bronchitis is considerably
greater than is usual at this time, for if the dew hs
did not exceed the average of corresponding weeks
they would not be more than 137. The three oldest
persons returned were two women 90 years of
age and a man 91.
The deaths from measles declined from 57 to 34.
Whooping-cough has carried off rather more than
50 children in each of the last five weeks. Last week
39 deaths were referred to scarlatina, and chiefly
included under this head is an unusual number of
cases in which the disease is returned as " diptheria."
These last amount to 15, and are given in detail in
the notes. Four persons, of whom one was a man,
aged 46 years, died of measles between the Bth and
llth inst. inclusive, in the St. Pancras Workhouse.
Last week the births of 1,021 boys and 942 girls
—in all 1,963 children—were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1848-
57 the average number was 1,593.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.872
inches. On Wednesday and Thursday the mean
reading was above 30 inches. The highest reading
in the week occurred on the former day, and was
30.04 in. The mean temperature of the week was
34 deg., which is 4.2 deg. below the average of
the same week in 43 years (as determined by
Mr. Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was
below the average throughout the week, and on
the last three days the extent of depression was
7 deg. or more. The highest point a:tained by the
thermometer in the shade was 47 deg-. on Tuesday;
theFrnseoher aulaeotrt
meanhwl uy- ree seata
all
south-east.
was
24 deg. on Friday. The mean daily
range of temperature in the week was 12.7 deg. ;
on Wednesday the range was 18.1 deg. The dif-
ference
windr eeerntween the mean dew point temperature
the first hofallf?1
fererc_t .
temperature was 4.1 deg. The mean tem-
perature water of the Thames was 38.9 deg.
zee of humidity of the air was 84.
from a.north. easterly point durinc,
w 1
measured
w thereafteras fromo7
itnCe
Thhaithe rain-falleek
c occurred on Sunday. • 7