The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-24 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Some of the Sunday Papers are at their old
game. One of them assured the public that the
Duke of Portland, at the head of 40 other Peers,
stood pledged to vote against the Reform Bill
which he had hitherto supported, if the King and
his Ministers should dare to take the only means
in their power to render the support of the Bill
forit a majority in the
Pirectual, by obtaining
House of Lords. Perhaps they thought that
40 was the number of Peers about to be created,
aid so they resolved to quash the matter at once
and bring the account to an exact balance by a
set-oft of just 40 renegadoes, neither more nor
less. We need not say that the whole story is a
6.-ctlon, and a clumsy one moreover; for, long as
the same fabricators of weekly fables have been
at work, they do not seem to have yet learned,
that to lie usefully, it ought to be done season-
ably. Sir R. Walpole had no objection to tell
lies, nor did he care bow soon they were detected
after they had done their business ; but as it
does no sort of good to fib where the opportu-
nity is over, so, to fib a day, much more a week,
too soon, does nothing but downright mis-
chief, just as a shell which explodes prema-
turely very often damages our own works, and
destroys our own people. Now what is the con-
sequence of telling the country, and besides that
of telling Lord Grey and his colleagues, that
they are to be deserted, and even opposed, by
forty Peers who had hitherto been their allies?
Why, this statement is either true or false. If
true, then, instead of forty or fifty Peers, no
less than eighty or a hundred will be required,
and if required eighty or a hundred will be made.
If, on the other hand, the assertion be a brazen
falsehood, why the falsehood becomes so much
the sooner manifested, and with it the real weak-
ness and desperate circumstances of the Anti-
Reformers. A pretty picture of the Lords to
he held out to the British nation !—that be-
cause some few of them may not quite relish
a particular exercise of the King's prerogative,
whereby certain new members are, in the year
1832, introduced into their House of the Le-

gislature, they, the objectors, are resolved that
the people of England shall never obtain, a Reform
of the other House of Parliament ! Taking it for
granted that a sufficient number of Peers will
be created, we must repeat a hint formerly
given, with regard to the persons so to be
created or summoned by the Crown. There
are valid reasons against a numerous creation
of Peers,—first, from among commoners repre-
senting counties ; secondly, from among such
heirs apparent, or heirs presumptive, of Peers, as
may now possess, or may speedily acquire, a
place among the representatives of the people.
But there is no reason against calling into the
House of Lords several Scotch and Irish Peers,
provided men of respectable character and known
liberality of principle can be found sufficiently
numerous for the purpose. There is reason to
believe that nothing would so contribute to crush
in its cradle the wild project of a separation be-
tween Great Britain and Ireland as this very
measure of reinforcing the union interest, by a
large proportion of Irish noblemen with proper-
ties in their own country, all of whom at this
moment are naturally discontented with a state
of things which has degraded them from the
rank of hereditary legislators, which they and
their children must of necessity enjoy in the
House of Lords of Ireland, were the Union
once repealed. We have understood that no
proposition has ever filled the party of Irish
agitators with more fury or dismay, than that of
granting Ireland a permanent and substantial
representation in the Imperial Parliament
through the persons of her native Peerage.
Shaped as the Reform Bill is at present, and
precluding every chance of an addition to the
representatives of Irish population in the House
of Commons, yet a substitute may be found by
adopting what we have suggested,—viz., the re-
presentation in one House of the Legislature of
a considerable mass of Irish property and in-
fluence, to which the other House, namely, the
House of Commons, affords no probable access.
We would likewise, before we close this subject
for the present, recommend that the Peers about
to he made 'hall not be created nor gazetted by
driblets. If it be true that somehow or other
an impression has got abroad—a foolish one we
know it is—that King or Ministers have felt any
hesitation upon the policy and necessity of quel-
hog at a Now all troublesome opposition to this
great mea+re of Reform, Lord Grey ought to
bring out and array his force, like an energetic
chieftain, in such a manner as to convince .man-
kind that no shadow of hope remains to the
public enemy. Were it but to smother the
daily and weekly slanders, which now all go to
the one main point,—viz., the forfeiture of the
Royal confidence by Lord Grey, and his Lord-
ship's consequent hesitation to undertake the
few efforts necessary towards securing the nation's
confidence and his own, were there no stronger
motive than this, Lord Grey cannot create Peers
too largely or too soon, or promulgate the crea-
tion with too much diligence and spirit.—
Times.

Other Papers having published statements
on the claims of the Duke of Sussex's children
by Lady Augusta Murray, we were bound at
least to afford our readers a specimen of what
was " going on" in this respect ; and, accord-
ingly, though with regret, extracted the article
which will have been seen, from the Observer
of Sunday last ; and in order to make the case
clearer, we to-day copy at length the original
paragraph of the Chronicle. Since that puhli-
cat;on, a collection of " Papers (not generally
published)" has been put into our hands, " elu-
cidating the claims and explaining the proceed-
ings in Chancery of Sir Augustus D'Este." It
is Impossible to go into all this matter here.
We will observe, however, that the opinion of
Dr. Lushington and Mr. Richards, the son of
the late Chief Baron, is produced, with the sig-
nature of those gentlemen, in the work above
cited, as apparently favourable to the validity of
the Duke of Sussex's marriage ; we say " appa-
rently favourable," for in truth it. is but an opinion
given upon certain questions carefully selected, and
leaves the main subject in agreat degree untouched.
Ex. gr.—" Does the Royal Marriage Act extend
to marriages by any descendants of George II r
Answer—" No; it does not extend to any
marriages by any descendants of George II.,"
for it does not extend to prohibit or invalidate
the marriage of Sir Augustus D'Este and his
sister Mademoiselle Augusta, with whomsoever
they please, though they claim to be the de-
scendants of George 11. But it would impeach
the marriage of certain descendants of George 11.
(unless under express formalities), his grand-
children, and great grandchildren, for example,
in direct legitimate descent; for it was with that
express view that the Act was passed. It is ab-
surd to suppose that the Duke o fSussex, as an
Irish Peer, can violate a law which he is bound
to observe as an English Prince of the Blood.
We say this in no hostility to the parties claim •