The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-14 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY

be found in some appointments to the Govern-
ment, and an addition to the Privy Council, which
were made at that period ; and, if we are rightly
informed, the violence of our contemporary, at
the present moment, must be considered to indi-
cate that the services of one of those gentlemen
who joined Lord PALMERSTON'S Government
during the first summer of its existence, are now
at the disposal of the country, and that any Prime
Minister who does not avail himself of them will
incur the high displeasure of the Times.

The telegram from India, received at the
Foreign-office at 5 p.m., read in both Houses of
Parliament, and published in the third edition of
The Sun of last evening, will be received with
universal satisfaction throughout the entire
oountry. Lucknow has fallen. The last strong-
hold of the insurgents is now in the hands of the
British army. Sir COLIN CAMPBELL has added
another triumph to those he had previously
achieved, and, happily, with a comparatively
trivial loss on our side. Our brave Commander
has shown that sound discretion may be combined
with unflinching valour, and that while no neces-
sary risk is avoided, he is still chary of the lives
of his valiant soldiers, and will not expose them
without adequate cause. This is one of the
highest qualifications that can be desired in a
general ; and the man who was passed over in the
Crimea has shown that he possesses it in a pre-

eminent degree.
The last accounts clearly indicated the fate im-
pending over the capital of Oude. The well
planned combinations of the Commander-in-Chief
left but little chance of its holding out much
longer. The nation was therefore prepared for the
glad tidings which it has so recently received.
But still the details were anxiously looked for.
It was desirous of hearing not merely of the fall of
Lucknow, but also how it fell, and the lino of
policy adopted towards the insurgents. That
desire has now been gratified, and although a
large body of the rebel sepoys have escaped for
a time from the trap into which they had volun-
tarily entered, there is every reason to believe
that their career will be brought to a speedy close
and British supremacy re-established throughout
the length and breadth of the land.
It was on the 19th ultimo that the rebel city
came fully into the possession of the British army,
with it no less than 117 guns were captured, and
"about 2,000 of the rebels were slain during the
siege." This alone was a heavy blow and groat
discouragement to the mutineers. It has, in fact,
broken the neck of the rebellion. The towns-
people and villagers being protected were resuming
their occupations ; and the principal landholders,
who had been led astray, but had not stained
their hands with the blood of helpless and inno-
cent captives, had made full submission, which
was accepted. There is no portion of the intelli-
gence which will cause greater jey throughout the
country than that which announces the rescue
of Mrs. ORR. and Miss JACKSON. They must
have suffered fearfully during their protracted
captivity, knowing the terrible fate inflicted
on the innocent victims at Delhi and Cawn-
pore. Their sufferings have, however, ter-
minated, and they are restored to their families
and friends without having sustained irreparable
injary.

At the last moment some 50,000 of the rebels
escaped from the doomed city, making for Rohil-
cund and Bundelcund. A considerable force was,
however, in pursuit, and it may be anticipated
that a good account will ere long be rendered of
the fugitives. They were, in fact, surrounded on
every side, and but for the unfortunate delay of
~he column under Sir Huai ROSE, which was
detained for three weeks at Saugor, owing, we
believe, to the want of provisions, the plan of Sir
CoLIN would have been completely successful, and
the rebels intercepted in every quarter towards
which they directed their flight. Sir HUGH had,
however, reached within 25 miles of Jhansi on the
21st of March with the second division of the
Rajpootana field force. It was said that there
were 30,000 of the insurgents, most of wlynn
were mutineers, in his front. He could certainly
prevent their escape until the pursuing troops
came up, and they were thus placed between t
fires. Brigadier CHAMBERLAIN was also advanc-
ing from another quarter, with the Punjaub
so that they would find escape all but impossible.
General ROBERTS had marched from Nusseerabad
to Kotah on the 10th and 11th March ; whip
WHITLOWeS force remained in charge of Saugor,
the cavalry only having pushed on to Allahabad.
The Calpee mutineers had seized on the fort of
Churbard, making the Rajah a prisoner, but this
had been more than atoned for by the capture of
Chunderee on the 17th March by STEWART'S
brigade. On the whole, the intelligence is emi-
nently satisfactory, and we may now indulge in
the reasonable expectation that we have witnessed
" the beginning of the cud" of the Indian mutiny
and rebellion, which some of our neighbours
vainly fancied were to prove destructive to British
prestige and British power in Hindostan.

The Law of Libel Bill, moderate as it was
admitted to be, has been rejected by the House of
Lords. The second reading was last night
refused by a majority of 28, there being but
seven in favour of giving protection to the Fourth
Estate, while 35 were willing still to encourage
speculative actions, which, while giving but a
farthing damages to the injured (!) party, might
still saddle the defendant, who was only seeking
to discharge an important duty fairly and effi-
ciently, with enormous and almost ruinous costs.
It is now universally admitted, that notwith-
standing the great improvements effected by Lord
CAMPIIIILL'S previous exertions, the law of libel
is still in a very unsatisfactory and defective
condition. It was the case of DAVIDSON v.
DVNCAN, on which we have already com-
mented, that proved, beyond the possibility
of doubt, the great injustice that might
be inflicted on an innocent publisher, who had
not the slightest ill-feeling against the person com-
plaining, but who, if he would maintain the cha
ratter of his publication, should faithfully report
the proceedings at meetings of great localroergneted
gene-
ral interests. Numerous petitions were
presented
praying for an amendment of the law, which would
give complete immunity to the innocent publisher,
and render the really malignant slanderer respon-
sible. This could only be effected by assimilating
the law of libel and defamation, and making the
person who wantonly and vindictively assailed
another in
' the hearing of reporters, and welt
knowing that wouldapbpen written
ntune
course,
as
sfuny his statementsliableasif
they had been
o
or printed by him. Lord CAMPBELL
svnow stoeodd, theth
showed
extent of the mischief.Asthe
say that a man was a coward, a liar, and a scoun-
drel afforded no cause of action unless some spe-
cial damage had been sustained. The vilest false-
hoods may be uttered, calculated to bring a man
into contempt and disrepute, and against which it
would be essential that he should vindicate his
character, but unless a specific crime, punishable
by law, were imputed, the vindictive and lying
scoundrel that coolly and deliberately uttered
those slanders would escape with impunity, while
the proprietor of the newspaper in which they

appeared would be subjected possibly to heavy
damages and the costs of both sides, and, under
the most favourable circumstances, to his own ex-
penses. Surely it would be right that the man,
who was really guilty, and who knew that what
he was saying would be published, should bear the
consequences. In like manner, a lady might have
her reputation irreparably damaged, be assailed
in the coarsest and most outrageous terms, and
yet—unless, indeed, the foul imputations were
cast upon her in the City of London—she
would be left without redress, save for the special
damage which she might be enabled to prove.
Snrely, it is high time that the absurd distinction
between oral and written slander should cease,
and that if a wrong has been inflicted, the real
party should abide the consequences of his own
conduct, and that all that should be required from
the journalist was, that he should show that he
was not actuated by malice ; and that what ap-
peared was a fair report of the observations which
fell from the speaker.
Lord CAMPBELL did not even go this length.
Re merely desired to extend the privilege be-
stowed on the report of proceedings in courts of
justice, to those in Parliament, and a certain class
of public meetings, viz., those called by lawful au-
thority, and which it was highly important should
be made known to the community ; or, at all
events, in the district to which they referred.
The bill was founded on the report of a Select
Committee of the Lords. If any objection could
be taken to that report, it was that it did not go
far enough. Too much caution was manifested
to maintain what the Lord Chief Justice truly
designated as the "preposterous distinction"
between written and spoken slander. It was,
however, thrown out by a considerable majority.
Even the suggestion that it should be referred to
a Select Committee, after the second reading, was
disregarded, and public journalists are left with-
out protection for another year. Or perhaps some
other grievance as flagrant as that which occurred
in " DATIDSON v. DUNCAN" may be perpetrated.
The cause of public justice is frequently greatly
promoted by the publicity given by the press, and
yet for that publicity proprietors, or publishers,
may be heavily mulcted. If the late Mr.
PALMER'S career had not been cut short by the
hands of the common hangman, it is probable that
he would have brought numerous actions against
those who, by bringing suspicious circumstances to
light, directed inquiries into the proper channels,
and thus caused the majesty of the law to be vin-
dicated by the exemplary punishment of the tree,.
oherous poisoner. If the people are so proud of
the liberty of the press—if they truly describe it
as a palladium of national freedom—it is surely
time that that liberty should be established on a
proper foundation, and that full protection should
be afforded to those who may be regarded as
public benefactors, that they should not be ex-
posed to serious losses for the proper exercise of
their functions—losses from which all other
classes in the community are exempted.

Another postponement of the practical con-
sideration of the Main Drainage Question !
And meanwhile, as a most ingenious com-
promise, the outlets of the sewers are to be
extended. So that every possible facility is to be
afforded for the still further contamination of the
waters of the Thames. It is impossible to purify
the river at once—and, therefore, until its purifi-
cation can be taken in hand comprehensively,
efforts must be made during the interim
with a view as much as possible to secure
its more wholesale contamination. That is
literally the last deduction drawn from the
contorted logic of those who are unhappily
entrusted with the responsibility of supervising
the drainage of the metropolis. Otherwise than
by this oblique reasoning, it is impossible in any
way to explain the decision just arrived at by
the Metropolitan Board of Works—to the end
that the outlets of the sewers shall forthwith be
extended. The stream is not sufficiently turbid
—let the feculent supply, therefore, be poured
into it more freely. The Sanitary HERCULES not
having yet made his appearance—measures must
be adopted energetically in anticipation of his
advent, so that the Augean stables may be yet
more impure than heretofore. If our social
reformers in this one department of the public
service could but at least recognise the truth—per-
fectly glaring and transparent to every one besides
themselves ! That the sanitary change of all the
most desirable and important for this vast city
would incontestably be, the diverting of the
drainage of the metropolis front the river Thames,
rather than the facilitation of that drainage into
it ! Compared with this all other sanitary im-
provements are notoriously subordinate. It is a
fact which is only failed to be recognised distinctly
when viewed from within the precincts of Gwydyr
House—or other kindred strongholds of what are
called the vested interests. Examined from any
other point of view, the thing is perfectly obvious
and beyond the reach of one moment's contradic-
tion. Looked at point blank in this way—if we
may be allowed to call things by their right
name, to call a spade, a spade, and so forth—we
ought in reason no longer to talk of the River, but
rather of the Open Sewer by courtesy "known as"
the river Thames. It is a river still, no doubt,
above bridges—whore the clear water runs spark-
ling among the green aiti and between the rushy
banks from the remote region of the Seven
Springs in Gloucestershire, to the contiguous por-
tion of its channel passing between the opposing
shores of Surrey and Middlesex somewhere in
the neighbourhood of Twicke:ham. But below
bridges—a river it is no longer, but a sewer, a
stream in every way very different. A current
rolling to and fro twice each way in the
twenty-four hours according to the ebb and flow
of the tide—carrying backwards and forwards
between the most gigantic and populous city in
the world a loathsome and pestilential mass held
there in horrible solution to contaminate the air
and thereby poison the inhabitants. How long
are we to wait for the Sanitary HERCULES who
is to cleanse this vast open sewer, to destroy its
odious exhalations, and to restore its original
salubrious and beneficent character ? Mr. CLARK-
sox put an end to slavery. Mr. VILLIERS opened
our ports for the admission of cern. Mr. WALKER
closed with a benignant hand the horrid system
of intramural interment. There is work yet to
be done by many another great public benefactor.
Here, in regard to London, especially in the mat-
ter of its drainage. Who bids for the office ? It
is, as the advertisements phrase it, an eligible
opportunity. Whoever seriously and energetically"
undertakes the task will secure to himself the
really enviable glory of accomplishing an enter-
prise of true philanthropy.

His Excellency the Earl CJwley, the British Atnbw-
sador at the Court of France, arrived at Lord Ebury's
residence in Park-street yesterday from Paris en confie.
We understand his Excellency will resume his diplo-
matic duties in a week or two.

Tue Earl and Countess of Cork come to town to-mor-
row from Marston House, Somerset.

SAD FATE OF A ROYAL RELIC.--The gold watch which.
Charles gave Jane Lane, and which ho requeted might.
lescend as an heirloom to the eldest daughter of the:
house of Lane for the time being, was CH lately at Charlcd,
cote-house, near Stratford-on-Avon, from whence it w,„
stolen, and melted down in some Birmingham rtee;,ving_
honee.— iVestminster Review for April,