The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-26 00:00:00

must above all things be looked to. Lord HARD-
WICKE has told us quite enough to show that it is
not what it might be—that an additional utlay is
required, and additional powers for e nsuring its being
adequately manned at brief notice. The nation will
I never again tolerate the infamous system of im-
pressment, or at least until every fair means has
been tried and found wanting. We must try
what fair . pay, good food, and proper treat-
ment can effect, before press-gangs are again
authorised to steal human beings, and carry
off, for compulsory and unwelcome service, men who
fancy themselves to be free, and who are required
to fight in defence of their quasi liberties (!)
Let proper means then be adopted to provide
proper ships, suitably manned with volunteers,
who, after all, are far better than " pressed men."
This provides for the ocean, but there is a second
and very important line of defence—the coast
itself. Let us for a moment suppose (Dii avertite
omen) that the British fleet had been evaded or
conquered ! that by any means the way was open
to the invaders. The landing on such a coast
as ours of a large force would be a work
of no ordinary difficulty. Even under the
most favourable circumstances, and receiving
asistance in place of opposition from the
shore, against any judicious resistance it would
be virtually impracticable. A well-managed band
of navvies would, in a few hours, throw up a line
of earthworks that could be readily defended,
and would effectually prevent the landing.
On this point we refer to the letter above referred
to, which clearly and distinctly points out the
mode in which the coast or leeward defence might
be made available. But we shall repeat usque ad nau-
seam what we have already said as to the necessity
of training the people. Rifle practice is all imp-or-
tant, and a little drilling could easily be associated,
so that a number of picked shots could be turned out
at a moment's notice, with quite sufficient knowledge
to associate and work together whenever occasion
required. It would be an amusement to the rising
generation, who would willingly make as many
sacrifices to join the local rifle club as they
do at present to join the cricket club. It
only requires a little Government aid and a
little Government encouragement to set the
thing going, and it will speedily become
self-supporting. These are matters worthy of
notice, and we earnestly hope that the attention of
the Government may be directed thereto, so that
the national defences may be placed in every
respect on the most satisfactory foundation.

According to all reasonable probability, the
comprehensive Charge delivered on Thursday last
to the Grand Jury, at Kingston-upon-Hull, by the
learned Recorder of that borough, may be one of
the very last to which he will have the opportunity
of giving utterance in that particular character.
Mr. WARREN'S career as Recorder of Hull has now
extended over 'a period of six years, during the
lapse of which he lias rapidly acquired for himself
a high judicial reputation. Latterly—namely
within the narrow compass of the three sessions
which have elapsed since his first election to a seat
in the House of Commons, as member for
Midhurst—the hon. and learned gentleman
has attained for himself no mean position,
in fact, a really distinguished and con-
spicuous position, among the ranks of the more
independent of the national representatives. As a
constitutional lawyer, his repute was thoroughly
established long before his entrance into Parlia-
ment. Since that period, however, it has been very
considerably enhanced. Mr. WARREN has not
remained inactive as a member of the Legislature.
He has himself initiated some of the most important
legal reforms recently brought under the considera-
tion of the two houses. An epitome, therefore, by
him of the legislative achievements of the last
Parliamentary session becomes at once a matter
doubly interesting, because clearly reliable and
authoritative. Elsewhere in our impression of this
evening we accord with great pleasure to the
latest and in some respects the most
masterly of those judicial abstracts by Mr.
WARREN, whatever advantages may accrue to
it from our circulation. Its perusal can hardly fail
to be pre-eminently instructive to the generality—
comprising as the charge does within it the very
pith amd marrow of all the manifold changes in
the law effected in 1858 by numerous Acts of Par-
)
liament.

The simultaneous enumeration and analysis of

all these various enactments will be found in the

course of this address, presented in consecutive
array with a terseness and lucidity in every way
eminently characteristic. It is an epitome, in fact
of recent legislation not unworthy of one of the
the ablest of the later editors of Blackstone. The
Learned Recorder has, moreover, taken especial care
to bring (according to Lord BACON'S phrase) directly
" home to men's businesses and bosomes," the facts
he has here voluntarily undertaken to enumerate.
For example, he startles the mercantile men by the
revelation in a few words of the law as it really is
in regard to crossed cheques—astounding some in-
deed, for the first time with the intimation that
they might subject themselves to the penalties of
felony by simply obliterating with a pen-stroke
the words " and company" upon crossed cheques
through sheer inadvertence. Nevertheless,
while descending thus to particulars, the
learned Recorder of Hull embraces within this
luminous synopsis of the session the whole diver-
sity of the late enactments of the imperial legis-
lature. He specifics at the very outset what he
aptly terms the "monster topic," the act tranfer-
ring the Government of Hindostau from the
Company to the Sovereign. He then makes
particularly and most honourably mentions the
splendid act making provision for the future rule
of the new colony of British Columbia—according
(while so doing) to the right hon. baronet the Colo-
nial Secretary, " a statesman of brilliant genius and
an ornament to his country's literature," that
noblest tribute of all, the enviable meed laudari a
viro laudato. Subsequently there are passed ra-
pidly under his survey, as he speaks—the Act
remodelling the Scotch University System ; the
Act regulating anew the whole of the Medical
Profession ; and immediately afterwards the cluster
of six Acts intimately affecting the actual Consti-
tution of Parliament. " The first of these," observes
Mr. WARREN, "is to prevent seats in the House
of Commons remaining vacant during a whole re-
cess, in the case of a member's having accepted office
under the Crown, since n propagation or adjourn-

ment of Parliament ; when that is the case, the
Speaker may issue his warrant for a new election
during the recess. A second totally abolishes the
property qualifications of mc-nlwr3 of Parliament.
A third continues the Corrupt Practices act of the
year 1854—varies the statutable definition of
" candidates" and renders it lawful for them and
their agents (appointed in writing) to provide con-
veyances for voters for the purpose of polling, but
o
prohibits paying money or giving any valuable
consideration to the voter for or in respect of such
travelling expenses. By this last, and one or two
other provisions, it is sought to prevent bribery
under color of paying travelling expenses. A fourth
abolishes the three oaths of allegiance, supremacy,
and abjuration, substituting for them one short oath,