The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-12 00:00:00

TAB SUN,

were implicated in one of the most atrocious out-
rages ever perpetrated on innocent persons.
It cannot be doubted that the SULTAN will
adopt the most energetic measures for the con-
dign punishment of the miscreants concerned.
Such a course is due to France and Eng-
land. It could not be safely refused. Nor
shall we do ABDUL-MEDJID the injustice of
supposing that he would, under any circumstances,
remain insensible to the demands of justice. That "
he will give stringent instructions to his sub-
ordinate officers is certain. But will they be carried
out in a fair and bona fide manner ? That is
a totally different question, and it must
be ascertained that there is no collusion, no
connivance with the offenders, by the agents of
the Government. The avengers of innocent blood
must be prompt and decided. Every drop so
wantonly shed must be accounted for ; and should
there be any slackness on the part of the Turkish
authorities, the Western Powers will be prepared
to take the matter into their own hands, and to
exact ample retribution.
We cannot for a moment tolerate this outrage
on the honour of the Western Powers, who so
boldly stood forward on behalf of Turkey in the
dark hour of danger and distress—who spared
neither the lives of their gallant soldiers nor their
treasures to restore " the sick man" to health,
and to guard his possessions from the hungry
expectant of his assets. Our own position, as
well as the security of our fellow-Christians,
require vigorous action. We are now traversing
the Red Sea, and should it fora moment be sup-
posed that such an outrage could be perpetrated
with impunity, there would be no security for the
crews or passengers on board British vessels.
The telegraph is also to be established
by that route. What would be the fate
of the clerks at the different stations, or
how could it be ascertained that messages could be
safely transmitted, when any fanatic could sup-
pose he would be permitted to wreak his wrath
on " the Christian dogs " who might be within
his power? The question is of vital importance, and
must be dealt with in a proper manner. Not only
the Christian name and the Christian people, but
the honour of the two mightiest nations in the
world, have been outraged. Let the SULTAN see
that full redress be granted ; if not, we shall
look to it ourselves, and deal with the subject as
it deserves.

Another giant monopoly is now doomed. Im-
mediately after the disruption of the East India
Company as a governing body in Asia—the
Hudson's Bay Company, as a ruling power in Ame-
rica, will in due course, according to legal phraseo-
logy, cease and determine. It is the prospective
realisation of one of our own long-cherished day-
dreams. Years and years back, in the columns of
this journal, we have inveighed against the mon-
strous incubus imposed with the leaden weight of ab-
solute stagnation upon one of the noblest and fairest,
one of the most gigantic and prolific among all our
colonial possessions. It extends—this stupendous
monopoly—across the whole width of the great
North American continent, from the shores of the
Atlantic to those of the Pacific ; from the Gulf of
Georgia to the Coast of Labrador. I& excludes
from these enormous territories the whole teeming
population of the British Empire—preserving the
wild forests as the hunting ground of the fur
traders : the haunt of the servants of the Com-
pany, sent forth in parties of twos and threes in
quest of the skins of the wild beasts most valued

in the trade—the furs of the otter and the beaver,
of the musk-rat and the martin, the bear, the
deer, and the lynx, the ermine, and the buffalo.
The monopoly we speak of dates back to a period
nearly removed from us by two centuries. It
virtually commenced in 16TO, when a charter
was grantel to Prince RUPERT and others by
King CHARLES' the SECOND, almost immediately
after the Restoration. It empowered those named
in the royal charter to trade exclusively with the
aborigines in and around Hudson's Bay, and
thereupon sprang into existence a commercial

association, known even then by the name, style,
and title of the Hudson's Bay Company. At
length, however, after an existence of 188 years,
it is announced by Her Britannic Majesty's Secre-
tary of State for the Colonies that the trading
licence over a portion, at least, of the terri-
tory hitherto granted to the Hudson's Bly
Company, shall, at the date of its next
expiry, namely, next year, A.D. 1859, alto-
gether torminate. After that year, according to
the explicit declaration of Sir E➢WARD LYTTON,
on Thursday evening, in the House of Commons,
the Company will have no other privileges there
than any other of Her Majesty's subjects. A
bold and sweeping, a magnificent and compre-
hensive measure this—opening up at last to the
energies of the Anglo-Saxon race a considerable
poitionof the gigantic dominions hitherto abandoned
entirely to the development of a purely selfish and
most exclusive mercantile enterprise. The de-
struction of this huge monopoly is, as we have
said, necessarily delayed until next session, when,
by the expiry of the trading licence, the CROWN
will be afforded the requisite opportunity. Mean-
while, however, we have at last the solemn and

explicit promise of the long-desired change—a

promise frankly given and readily volunteered by
Her Majesty's Colonial Secretary. Nay, now,
even now, there is the small end of the wedge
already actually inserted and driven home. The
Government of New Caledonia Bill has been read
a first and sec Ind time, and is down for this day
to be passed through Committee. The unanimous
and cordial acceptance of this measure by all
parties is a sufficient testimony as to the wisdom
of the proposed enactment. It received the
earnest commendation at once of Sir EDWARD
LYTTON'S predecessor in office, Mr. LABOUCIIERE.
It was forthwith pronounced by Mr. ROEBUCK,
the most outspoken of our popular Tribunes, as a
step in the right direction. It elicited from the
hon. member for Boduain—a high authority, one
of the highest authorities among our geographers
—a congratulation proffered to the right hon. baro-
net upon that his first ministerial effort at legisla-
tion. There appears, indeed, to be only one positive
objection to it, and that a mere objection of &tail,
namely, that in reference to the name henceforth
to be accorded to the territory affected by the
measure now before Parliament.
The territory in question-400 mile, in
breadth, 800 miles in length—lies between the
shores of the Pacific and the range of the Rocky
Mountains. It has been called, for want of a
better name, New Caledonia. But then it is ob-
jected that, not far from AuAralasia, there is
already an island of no inconsiderable dimensions
down upon the maps by the same name as New
Caledonia. Beyond which, quoth Mr. LOWE, in
the course of the discussion on Thursday—is there
nct already on the opposite shores of the same

North American continent a province called by a

name conveying very much the same meaning—
Nova Scotia ? Some have proposed that the
lerritory upon which the house is now legislating
should be called Oregon—but then immediately
contiguous to it is the Oregon of the United
St ite!. It might with more reason take to itself
the glorious name of the immortal discoverer of
henceforth, distinctly
the New World—becoming