The Sun.
London, England, 1835-05-08 00:00:00

was to last for ever, and that for them on earth t'-ere would
be no day of reckoning, no period of retribution. Like
their worthy prototype Sir John Falstaff, they did not
" like that paying back," and they felt themselves strong
enough to have what they liked, and to eschew what they
liked not. The thieves bound the true men, as Falstaff
and his comrades did the travellers. " Strike ! down with
them ; cut the villains' throat : ab I whoreson caterpillars!
bacon-fed knaves they hate us youth : down with them ;
fleece them."
But they must be taught a different lesson yet ; and
there are precedents enough for it when the time comes.
One of the first acts of the Long Parliament was to make
some of the Ministers of Charles's extortions disgorge their
ill-gotten gains. In that way 1.50,0001. were refunded by
the farmers of the Customs alone. One of the first acts of
the Reformed Parliament was to admit the justice of the
claims of these much injured British merchants. Their
claims ought to be made good out of the quarters to which
the proceeds of that robbery and oppression were directed.
Mr. Warburton said, 1' Strictly, and of the droits of
the Admiralty form a security for doing justice to the
natives of this country for' acts of injustice done to them
by foreign States. Our Government made a seizure of ten
times the amount of the property seized by the Dauisit
Government, and yet refused to appropriate a tithe of it to
compensate the parties who now make these claims. This
was most unjust. It does not appear necessary to tax the
people of England to pay these claims. The property
seized by the Crown was divided among the Members of
the Royal Family ; therefore, while there remains a single
acre of Crown land, it ought to be sold in order to do
justice to those parties who have been so greatly injured."
The question, in these analytical days, is easily brought to
a statement. Do the Tory Ministers or their successors,
maintain that the Royal Family are part and portion of an
honest Government, or is it their design to hold them out
to the community as lawless swallowers of other people's
property, whom the people must endure as long as they
cannot help themselves. Here is a nation, one by the
courtesy of falsehood called free, which supports the ex-
pense and risks of war, and sequestrates the property of a
supposed enemy, as part compensation for the evils that
have arisen or may arise from his hostility. But, lo ! in-
stead of this beinc, applied to any public purpose, even to
the compensation of the merchants who suffer on our own
side by the act of war,.—itis to be expended on the private
pleasures of the Members of the reigning family, and both
the public and the sufferers may whistle for a remedy.
This is making men sound the base strir°, of subservience
to kingship. Venture the question in America, or any
other reasonably governed State, and try to calculate the
consequences.

It is due to justice, that these claims, even to the utter-
most farthing of principal and interest, should never be lost
sight of. It is* of no use preaching morality, or recom-
mending industry and honesty to " valiant rogues, strong
and mighty of body," unless you have stronger argument
than words at your command. The Danish claimants, in
common with thousands more of their fellow citizens, pre-
sented petition after petition, prayer after prayer, in vain ;
they might have gone on doing so with the same effect for
a thousand years with the old House of Commons. The
writer of this knew one individual, the ruin of whose ex-
pectations in life had been produced by his losses from this
robbery, who used to send a petition either to Parliament
or to the Treasury every year on this subject for nearly
twenty years, till at length he gave it up in despair, and
died broken in spirit as in prospects. The confiscation of
the whole wealth of the embezzling parties, would be no
equivalent for that poor man's ruined fortunes and em-
bittered age. The Long Parliament restored Prynne to
liberty, but could not restore his mutilated body ; and
though it could punish the murderers, it could not brine
back the murdered Elliot from the tomb.

At a time when the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the
orthodox Mr. Goulburn) coolly informed the petitioners and
the House of Commons, about twenty years after the
event, that he had not had sufficient time to make himself
acquainted with the merits of the case, and declared that
no pledge had been given to liquidate these claims, or that
if done, it would open the door to innumerable other claims
(an admirable ground for denying justice), and when even
Members professing themselves friends to good government
spoke tenderly on the subject ; it is highly honourable to
Mr. Hume's moral courage that he characterized the act
as " a downright robbery," and said that if there were no
other means of compensation, we were bound to levy a tax
for that purpose. And yet these Tories accuse Mr. Hume
of stinginess in his ideas of economy. They are liberal
enough when the question is of putting money into their
own or their dependants' pockets ; but when it is of an act
of justice, their cry is all of " the hardship of taxing the
people of England," and the like. Nobody wants the people
of England to be taxed ;—take it from those who got it.
It is but justice at the same time to state, that however the
Tories, as a public and governing body, have acted in the
matter, several of them have individually expressed their
strong sense of the injustice with which the Danish claim-
ants have been treated. For example, in the debate on
Mr. Parker's motion, Sir Edward Knatchbull said " I have
heard with great satisfaction, the Noble Lord (Althorp)
declare his intention to inquire into the case of these par-
ties, with a view to do them that justice which they have
so long sought for in vain."

The following coincidence is curious and not unworthy
of remark. A Treasury minute, dated 9th October, 1830,
ordered 6,710/. Os. 10d. to be paid out of the droits on ac-
count of Buckingham Palace. This is the identical sum
which was stated by Mr. Shillito, at the interview with Mr.
Herries, on the 4th December, 1827, as the amount of his
individual claim upon the droits. Unfortunate Mr. Shillito
—that his 6,710/. Os. 10d. should be taken from him to
build palaces that nobody can live in ! But so it must be,
till the people of England choose to return to the rock
whence they were hewn.

The country at large, and the Danish claimants in par-
ticular, are under great obligation to Mr. Parker for the
manner in which he brought this case before the House.
Towards the conclusion of his speech he said ; " To the
House, then, as the parens patrice,—as the guardian of
British commerce,—as that branch of the Legislature to
which the mercantile portion of the community looks natu-
rally as most connected with their interests, and bound up
by the closest sympathy with their pursuits,—as the peo-
ple's House, bound to maintain the people's rights,—l now
appeal. I place my case, as I said before, on the notoriety
of the grievance,—on the contemporaneous existence of
sufficient funds for compensation,—on the hopes held out
of diplomatic interference,—and the complete frustration
of those hopes. I have shown that the British claimants
have not committed any lathes,—there has been no acqui-
escence on their part in any abandonment of their claims.
I have endeavoured to convey this case to the House as
concisely and as clearly as I can. I thank the House for
its attention ; and I trust that as last year they agreed to
a vote (in which I cordially joined) of 20,000,000/. for
the emancipation of the slaves, they will not this year re-
fuse to act with justice. I ask no act of generosity ; I
only ask you to be just."
Mr. Parker concluded by moving " That a Select Com-
mittee be appointed to examine into the claims of certain
British subjects, to be indemnified for the confiscation of
book-debts and other property by the Danish Government,
and to report the same, with observations, to the House."
Many members spoke on the subject after Mr. Parker, and
there appearing to be a strong and unanimous opinion in
favour of the caimants, and respecting the extreme hard-
ship of their case, Lord Althorp said—" The expression of
the opinion of the House upon this subject appears to me
to be so unanimous, that I think it would be quite incon-
sistent with my duty to let it waste more time in the dis-
cussion of it. The Government having so completely the
authority of the House to act in this matter, I beg to state
that measures shall be taken to pay such claims as may be
found to be just ; and I would suggest to my honourable
friend to withdraw his motion, in order that Government
may consider what steps it will be proper to take. I felt,
throughout the discussion, that it was impossible to resist
the justice of these claims ; at the same time, I did not
think I ought, individually, and without the sanction of this
House, to take upon myself the responsibility of proposing
their liquidation."
The motion was then withdrawn, and the claimants for
book-debts have been desired to " transmit their claims, ac-
companied by proofs, for the purpose of inquiry, to Com-
missioners, appointed to receive and investigate the same.*
Now it is to be observed, that no mention is made here but
of book-debts ; whereas some of the cases of greatest
hardship were those of cargoes confiscated though shipped
under Admiralty licence, granted after the sailing of Admi-
ral Gambier's expedition. Moreover many of the Danisit
creditors do not appear to have paid any thing into the
Danish Exchequer, as commanded ; consequently the
proofs of such claims will be proportionally difficult to pro-
cure, and will require time.
[By a subsequent order, the Commissioners have been
directed to receive claims for goods and ships.—En. SUN.]

A few days since a man entered a barber's shop in
a town on the western coast, and incautiously inquired whe-
ther any smuggled brandy was wanted, when the exciseman,
whose chin happened to be at that moment in charge of the
man of razors, jumped up with his face half lathered, and
seized the contents of the stranger's cart which was standing
at the door.

An awkward circumstance occurred recently at
Ugborough and the neighbourhood. A fellow, calling himself
a woman, has imposed upon the credulity of several, females,
without being yet taken into custody. He usually
.sought
refuge for the night attired in female apparel, assuming the
character of a lady's-maid, housemaid, cook, &c,, and arriving
late, said he was not in time to proceed to his place, and too
often succeeded in obtaining share of a bed, which was fre-
quently offered and accepted. The peace of families has been
outraged by this wretch, who, it is hoped, will be soon detected.