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

LONDON, MONDAY E V ENING, JULY 12, 1858.

and expressly, what it has been for a considerable
time vaguely designated all along those coasts
Columbia. 'One member, it is true (Mr. WHITE),
in the midst of the general admiration excited by
the inaugural speech and measure of the
new Colonial Secretary, suggested, amidst the
acquiescent plaudits of the House, that the name-
selected might be that of BULWER-LYTTON.
Whatever its ulterior appellation, New Cale-
donia, British Oregon, Columbia, or whatnot, it
has now, under the happiest auspices, the reason-
able prcspect of assuming to itself the dignity of
a separate colonial possession, one already of con-
siderable importance, by reason of its gigantic
dimensions, of its geographical position, and of
its undoubted fruitfulness.

Since writing the above, additional intelligence
—news of a remarkable kind—has reached us
direct from Frazer's River. Our despatches from
the gold-diggings over against Vancouver's Island
will be found given at some length in another
portion of our impression of this evening. Alto-
gether, the gist of this timely intelligence will be
found in the highest degree satisfactory. The
"yield" of the precious metal gives promise of
surpassing even the first brilliant anticipations
The used up diggers of California are in conse-
quence all agog for adventure forthwith
upon the novel and attractive enterprise.
Thousands are afoot for toil, not "in fresh fields
and pastures new," but for labour more lucrative,
active research for the uncoined ingots scattered
profusely in dust and nuggets over that recently
discovered Tom TIDDLER'S ground, New Cale-
fornia, it might almost be called New California 1
Stith one correspondent at San Francisco, under
date 4th June, " Panama just in : the news from
Frazer's River is great—gold plenty as black-
berries, the city full of of excitement, the prospect
is that thousands will go!" Quoth anotherfrom the
same place under same date, enlivened of course
by the same most welcome and authentic intimation
—" There is not a doubt of the gold-fields being
extensive and exceedingly rich—as rich and large
as the California placers of 'forty-nine"—nay,
adds the writer, "if report be true, more rich !"
No wonder, with tidings such as this startling them
from their (comparative) propriety, that the more
adventurous spirits are all of them " off" to the
bran-new gold diggings of this new El Dorado of
New California ! Nu marvel that the "Pikes,"
alias the " Greybacks," are shouldering their
picks and shovels, and are carefully carrying
with them besides those delightful cradles
with which they hope to rock their new-born
fortunes into maturity ! " I will not give my
opinion as to the permanency of the new discovery,
and the effect of it on our population," writes one
of these correspondents from San Francisco—
"but," he adds, pithily, "others better informed
than I am say it will strip this State (California)
of at least 25,000 the coming year 1" Time
enough, indeed, then, is it for our Government
here at home to act promptly and energetically,
with a view to the immediately strengthening
of the " powers that be" out there, on
the spot, itself, or, at any rate, in the immediate
neighbourhood of the contiguous Island of Van-
couver. It is doubly, trebly satisfactory, all
things considered, that the New Caledonia Govern-
ment Bill, having been read a first and a second
time in the House of Commons, should be under
consideration there in Committee upon the very
day upon which we receive this startling mass of
information from the very regions to which the
Bill is designed to afford the instant advantages
of a vigorous Government.
As to the state of things out there, nine years
ago we denounced the idea of giving up that
magnificent island of Vancouver, when first the
monstrous " job" was talked of—the miserable jab
(for it was literally nothing else) of giving up that
additional territory to the company of furtraders
already gorged with the possession of half a
gigantic continent ! Nevertheless the evil deed

was done—the Hudson's Bay Company got
fairly into their possession the whole of Vancou-
ver's Island, in addition to their stupendous
continental possessions. Next year the trading
licnso of ten years' duration expires : and next
year (Sir EDWARD LYTTON consoles us with the
assurance) that trading licence will not be re-
newed ! Vancouver's Island will then, in 1859,
revert to the CROWN. But until the expiration
of the fated ten years, it continues, of course, in
the sordid grip of the Company. The mistake
was that of our eld friends the Whigs, during one
of their over-memorable epochs of maladmini-
stration. Having blundered into this engagement
with the Hudson's Bay Company cf America,
however, the imperial Government is constrained
to hold good to the conditions up to
the welcome period when the ten years license
shall Lave duly expired. Wherefore, Governor
DOUGLAS, servant of the trading company though
he is—(in his capacity as its Chief Factor)—in
error though he may be in some of his resolute
measures in regard to "certain boats and other
vessels entering Frazer's River for trade"--will
have to be supported in his anomalous position
as far as may be in any way consistent with
prudence—as far as may be compatible with the
interests of the Crown and of the Colony. The
sudden difficulty of the position, however, illu,-
trates in a very glaring way the folly of the old
insane compact entered into with the Hudson's
Bay Company, in spite of all remonstrance, by that
extremely far-sighted and patriotic imposture, the
Old Whig Government. SirE. BULWER-LYTTON, as
her MAJETSY'S Colonial Secretary, has here, how-
ever, in these (among so many other) ill-fated legacies
of the Whigs, a magi fficent opportunity. Hap-
pily, too, the Right Hon. Baronet is evincing
,a
readiness to avail himself of this opportunity in a
manner highly creditable at once to his capacity,
to his sagacity, and to his vigour as an Adminis-
trator.

The House of Lords has now an opportunity of
substantially relieving the public, and doing a
statesmanlike act. To-night we believe Viscount
GAGE will give notice of moving the second read-
ing of the Marriage L tw Amendment 13111,
which Viscount BURY has carried so successfully
through the House of Commons. It is to be
hoped that the Lords will not deem another vic-
tim necessary, to console them for their penurious
liberality on the Jewish question. In the pre-
sent case it cannot be pretended that there is not
a real grievance ; nor that, considering the na-
ture of the question, the number is small who are
interested in it. To us, the bitterness of opposi-
tion in some persons is wholly unaccountable.
Lord CAMPBELL, for instance, is a Scotchman,
and that may account for a good deal of perti-
nacious prejudice, on what ho holds to be a theo-
logical question ; but Lord CAMPBELL is also a
staunch friend of religious liberty, and how,
titherefore,e,i!gy: he
and refusee
ancolegal rights to a man whose
consistently make law of his
theology differs from his own, it is hard to say.
If Lord CAMPBELL'S neighbour thinks it an act
acceptable to the ALMIGHTY, as well as consonant
with nature, to marry the sister of his deceased
wife, will Lord CAMPBELL step in with his Romish

interpretation of the Jewish law, and compel a ;
Protestant Christian to act upon it ?
Were it possible for any man to propose a law 1,
like that of the Jews, compelling a man, under
certain circumstances, to marry his brother's
widow, we could justify the revolt of all brothers
and of all men of common sense, against what
would now be such a monstrous proposal. But
the simple demand that Lord CAMPBELL'S and Lord
CHELMSFORD'S interpretation of Leviticus shall
not bind those, who, both reject the Levitical
law as a guide for Christians, and interpret that
law itself quite differently, is so eminently rea-
sonable, that the difficulty lies in inventing de-
fences of what ought to be its own argument.
It will, however, be a disgrace to the Lords if
they do not look at the measure in a practical light.
There are now thousands of innocent children,
and we may with truth add, of innocent men and
women, branded, by a recent decision, with legal
disgrace, and subjected to legaldisabilities ; the
former, indisputably, without any fault of their
own ; the latter for nothing which they can feel
to be a fault. The Legislature in deference to
past superstitions, has created an artifi-
cial sin, and these persons have innocently
fallen into it. Something must be done.
The rights of so many British subjects
and the necessity of clearing up the relations of
property, necessitate the confirming of the mar-
riages in question. Lord CAMPBELL says the bill
is worse than previous ones, because Ireland and
Scotland are omitted ! Whose fault is that ? Cer-
tainly not the fault of Lord BURY, or of the
friends of the measure, but of Popery and Pres-
byterianism shaking hands over the matter. If
Lord CAMPBELL will assent to the second reading
of the bill, and then move the omission of the
limiting clause, the promoters of the bill will
gladly vote with him. That limitation ought not
to exist, but if requisite to propitiate some oppo-
nents it could be easily repealed any session, as it
ought to be. Let Scotland and Ireland be as free
as England on this point. We, poor mortals,
have real sins enough to answer for, and no legis-
lation do we more detest than that which creates
artificial sins at the bidding of superstition and
asceticism. Let each religious sect, the Episcopal
and Presbyterian sects as well as others, be con-
tent to punish with Church censures offences
against the rules of the Church ; that is fair,
since no man is compelled to belong to one church
more than another ; but let not any sect be allowed
to inflict legal penalties on free Englishmen fur'
not conforming to its views to their Gospel
according to LEVITICIIS•
We may add that the marriages just declared
invalid must be declared valid soon, and the legal
right of marriage in the disputed case conceded,
too. We put it, therefore, to Lard DERBY whe-
ther he ought not at once to interfere, and pre-
vent the Marriage Amendment Bill from becom-
ing another of the standing quarrels between the
Upper and the Lower House. The repeated
judgment of the latter, and the very numerous
petitions, coupled with the urgency of the circum-
stances of thousands, require that the question
should now be settled.

Reform is generally supposed to have been put
off till next session. But has it ? Has 1859
really and truly secured to itself this monopoly of
legislative improvement ? Has all Parliamentary
amelioration literally been denied to 1858 ?
Will Hansard for the present year have nothing
whatever to record of changes for the better
effected by mutual consent of the Lords and
Commons down at Westminster ?

Why—in answer t') these inquiries—first and
foremost the historian of the present session (this
still incomplete Parliamentary Session of 1858)
will have to record that, " at one fell swoop,"
down came one of the Points of the Charter en-
rolled by universal consent upon the statute-
books of the nation—part and parcel henceforth
of the laws of England—meaning, of course, the
dissipation from this time forth, and for ever, of
the old bugbear, Property Qualifications !
Secondly, the anuallist of our Parliamentary
doings in 1858 will have to relate how, during
this same notable session, the House of Peers
"gave in" at length in regard to its hitherto most
,obstinate and pertinacious opposition to the pro-
posed admission of the Jews to a seat in the Im-
perial Logi:lature.

Thirdly, it will be told, in regard to 1858,
;hat iu that j ear, and not in its vaunted successor,
cho monstrous fully of a double Government for
Elindostan was done away with by a single
sweeping enactment—a measure by which the
sceptre of imperial rule over from 100,000,000
to 200,000,000 of the human family was trans-
ferred from a company of merchants to the grasp
of the Sovereign, guided by the councils of the
Government.

Fourthly, it will be remembered of 1858 that
then at last came the guarantee of another over-
turning of a monopoly of a most monstwers de-
scription—the old odious monopoly, delivering
over to a sordid gang of fur-traders the half of a
huge continent, natrely, the vast, and it is not
extravagant to say, the stupendous, dominions of
the Hudson's Bay Territories.
It will be gratefully borne in recollection how,
in 1858, the reduction of the income tax duly took
place according to preconcerted arrangements,
without necessitating any grinding addition, in
any other way, to the system of either direct or
indirect taxation—this, moreover, despite the
puzzling fact of a deficit of very nearly 4,000,000/. !
Neither will it be forgotten that Parliament
laboured staunchly this year at the monotonous
but most usetul mill-wheel of Committees ; fore-
most among its now memorable toils of this de-
scription being the Committee organised with a
view to the purification of the Thames, by means
of some more rational system of drainage applied
to the difficult problem of rapidly and effectually
removing the sewage of the capital from its im-
mediate neighbourhood.
Besides which, there have been two most praise-
worthy and conscientious committees of inquiry
held in regard to individual cises, each of them,
however, though subjects strictly personal,
affecting matters of general principle, and one of
them of paramount importance. There has been
the committee inquiring
into the cruel charges
directed against Mr. BUTT, a member of the
douse of Commons—cut of the satisfactory settle-
ment of which inquiry has came forth incidentally
the solution of a difficulty not unfrequently
fraught with vexation and embarrassment to the
professional representatives. There has been yet
more recently, again, the other interesting com-
mittee of inquiry holden in regard to the grievous
and most inhuman wrong inflicted upon an un-
fortunate gentleman, unjustly condemned, and
subjected therenpen to the harshest, cruellest, and
most dastardly series of ignominious punishments.
'fhe conclusion arrived at in Mr. BARBER'S case
was but the simplest act of justice—it was an act
of justice reserved far 1858, however : and may
it now lead swiftly and surely to something as
nearly as possible approaching to adequate com-
pensation !
Altogether, we do not think 1858 will shine
indifferenlly as a year of Parliamentary reforms
and legislative ameliorations.

L &TEST NEWS.

...---,4,sr*s

INDIA AND CHINA.

ALEXANDRIA, JULY 17.

The Calcutta and China mails have arrived to-
day with intelligence from Calcutta to the 3d of
June, Madras to the 10th, Hong Kong to the 22d
of May.

On the 31st of May Sir Colin Campbell was
still at Futtehghur. The Calpee rebels were ad-
vancing upon Gwalior. They were not plunder-
ing, but paying for everything. A British column
from Calpee was marching in pursuit. General
Rose had refused the command in Gwalior on
account of ill-health.

Scindia is reported to have been beaten by the
rebels on the Ist of June, and to have arrived at

Agra.

The rebels were again becoming troublesome in
Central India and re-occupying many forts from
which they bad been driven by General Rose.

General Jones had burnt Mohumdee and the
adjacent villages without opposition. Chundy
was occupied by Smith's Brigade.
Troops were marching against the Moulvie at
Shahabad, and working parties had been set to
destroy the jungles in which the mutineers still
held out.

The Barrackpore regiments have received the
option of disbandment or of service in China.
At Calcutta the import market continues gene-
rally active ; the business in produce dull.
The money market was unaltered. Exchange,
2s. ld. for credits ; 2s. lid. for documents.