The Sun.
London, England, 1832-05-17 00:00:00

of Wellington had treated the wavering or half-and-hall
Lords with contempt, for so abandoning their original ob-
jections to the Reform Bill, and entertaining any middle
course whatever, " weakness" is an epithet which by no
means adapts itself to the conduct of that man who could,
in his quality of closet counsellor, advise the King to
" repeat" in principle the proposition for the first sug
gestion of which he had covered Lord Harrowby with
scorn ! What ! this champion of salaried chivalry en
courage the Sovereign to set his Ministers the eximplr
of deserted principles and of forfeited pledges,—to bur-
render the fairest and noblest attributes of the Re-
fo:in Bill, that he might not be called upon to fulfil
the obligations by which he had bound himself to pro-
mote its triumph ! Thus briefly stands the case. The
King now, it is said, insists on modifying—that is, in
fact, mutilating—the Bill, which he supported his Minis-
ters against Lord Harrowby in preserving, and at the
alleged (if not authenticated) instigation of the Duke of
Wellington, who had condemned them both ! Is this, or
is it not, dragging Royalty through the kennel ? Is this
proceeding " couservative" of monarchy ? We do believe
that the King has demanded of his ostensible Ministers,
and at the evil -suggestion of his secret ones, modifications
of the Reform Bill, contrary to their pledges to avert the
necessity of creating Peers; for if not, there was nothing
more simple than that his Majesty's re-opening of a corre-
spondence with his Ministers should have been followed by
their instantaneous resumption of office. But the delay is
returning to office proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, that
the Cabinet, as patriots and men of honour, have ac-
cepted—and will accept—no such conditions. They
know too well what they owe to their country, any to
the deluded Court itself,—they feel what is due to their
own inward consciences and their unstained reputations,
too well to send any other than a firm negative to
this mandate of the Duke of Wellington, though sanc-
tioned by a more illustrious hand. We are satisfied,
as of any the most obvious truths, that Lord Grey and
his colleagues, if they return at all to office, will
have first obtained a distinct assurance from the
King that he will create Peers, if necessary, " to carry
the Bill umnutilated." That sonic declaration equivalent
to this has been made by the Cabinet, we are thoroughly
persuaded, because on no other supposition can we account
for the delay. That has been `•submitted'' to the great
champion of all public grievances, is not improbable ; but
that an answer to it, and one free from all ambiguity or
evasion, must he communicated to Lord Grey and his col-
leagues before the sitting of Parliament at five o'clock this
day, we believe the public may safely take for granted. If
the answer be unfavourable, the struggle against our
liberties will have already commenced, and Arthur Duke
of Wellingtion had better look to consequences. His Grace
is as well acquainted with the feelings of this country as
he is with that of the Japanese or Chinese. He prepares
to meet it by coercive laws and polio) ; but what is that
law worth which is universally odious to a mighty nation ?
And what sort of legislature will pass ►uch laws ? A
minority in the House of Commons ! A minority of the
people's representatives pass laws in the teeth of the majo-
rity to put down the whole people ! Heavens what mad-
ness ! But oppressive and revolting laws must be enfurced
by violence—there is no other method. It is not then
the people's Bill, but the people's butchery ! That is to
be our prospect is it ? If so, may the hand of every
free Englishman perish from his body if he do not
himself, and his children, and country, right upon the
Lead of the murderer ! We know full well, that intrigues
are going forward. Why should the Wellington and
Lyndhurst fiction be suffered to interfere between the
King and his present (Lords Grey and Brougham are his
present) Ministers? Is this common delicacy? Is it
good faith? In the mean time, there are noble and ge-
nerous acts to be recorded, but the intriguers and place-
hunters have not been parties to them. Lord Mansfield,
like Sir Robert Inglis, carries his hatred of Reform to the
extent of fanaticism : but, like the Hon. Baronet also, he
is a thoroughly honest man. What was his Lordship's
language when pressed by an illustrious person to support
the Duke of Wellington's /Ministry ? " Sir, I hare had
enough of the Duke of Wellington and his conduct."
The crisis is not one for suppressions or perversions of fact.
The people have a right to know all. There is a lady of
very high rank who must be taught a salutary, though it
may be a painful, lesson. She may be bold as an ama-
zon ; she may be troublesome, importunate, or overbear-
ine ; but her present course is one from which can follow
naught but final wretchedness. Why has she so eagerly,
within these few hours, bid her gossips "not despair?
Why such haste to tell them " all will be well; the King
will do without the Whigs." Yes, Madam, but England
will not ; still less will England do without the unmuti-
lated Bill.— Times.

At a very late hour, and after writing the preceding ob-
servations, some intelligence has reached us which throws
a somewhat mote favourable aspect on the state of affairs.
It is understood that the Duke of Wellington and his
party have, in order, as they profess, to save the King the
pain of exercising his prerogative, undertaken to with-
draw their opposition to the Bill, and retire from the
House. The Ministers, of course, must have the po-
sitive assurance of the most complete and unequivocal per-
formance of this undertaking; for they may be persuaded,
that should there be a point to hang a doubt upon,—an
opening for a mite to creep through,—there are those who
would unscrupulously use the advantaee, and trip up the
too-confiding Government, even at the eleventh hour.
Some sophism of distinguishing the promise to support the
leading principles of the Bill from the consent to some
pat ticular provision,--some hypocritical pretence of
i pro-
tecting the King from being " bullied" (for such s the
slang of these worst enemies of the King and people),
may be put forward by an unexpected movement, and the
Bill be defeated by a surprise. There is, therefore, but
one plain course : the Ministers must not resume office
while a shadow of a doubt remains of the possibility of the
Bill suffering any, even the slightest, mutilation. There
should be no negotiation,—there has been enough and too
much of that already : no discussion of any but the only
means of bringing the Bill to a speedy and triumphant issue.
The Ministers must, for the sake, no less of supporting the
respect and dignity of the Crown than of maintaining the
tranquillity of the empire, respectfully but firmly refuse to
resume the Government, unless they have full security of
succe,s, either by being armed with powers to create a
majority, or by the most explicit declaration, on the part
of the Duke of Wellington and his friends, that their op-
position is totally withdrawn. This declaration must,
we suppose, be made this evening, and on its fullness and
clearne•s will depend the issue whether the Ministers may
honourably resume their functions.— Times.
Our attention has been called to the fact, that in a
Gazette, a week or two ago, among the military promo-
tions, a certain Major P. Dundas, of the 7th Hussars,
was appointed to an unattached Lieutenant-Coloneley,
and without purchase. Now, every body knows that there
is nothing at present more difficult, or, in other words, no
difficulty which it requires greater interest with the gran-
dees to surmount, than the obtaining of unattched pro-
motion, even by purchase,—except, indeed, the getting it
without purchase. It seems, therefore, desirable to
ascertain who this favoured officer—this " Major P.
Dundas"—may be, who has vaulted into a Lieutenant-
Colone!y, from being junior Major of a Hussar regiment,
without paying any thing for the step. Is it credible,—
is it possible,—that he can have been the same
Major Dundas, the relative of Lord Melville, who
was, only last year, obliged to pay damages for one of the
most unfeeling acts of seduction on record,—the seduction
of an Irish clergyman's child, attended with circumstances
of the most shameful depravity. is it, we say, that same
relative of Lord Melville whom Lord Hill has hoisted
over the heads of so many officers of older standing and
of unstained reputation, distinguishing him by so signal
a mark of favour, and by such very enviable patronage ?
This inquiry ought to be answered, and it it can he
no otherwise answered than in the affirmative, then ought
Lord Hill, or possibly Lord Hill's old chief, who is com-
monly supposed to have still a finger in the Horse Guards,
to be called upon, by some more rigorous interrogatory, and
compelled to satisfy the country, which pays the troops and
has a deep interest as well in the morals of the service as
that
ottihterryw,
ise on
qu whatali-
in the justice and integrity with which promotion is
grounda‘s- awarded—t
canto satisfy,have
we repeat,
aea person the
no country,
been
tied than this Major P. Dundas, the party cast in the
above action for damages, was picked out from the entire
army and indulged by such gratuitous preference over hun-
dreds of candidates to whose name there was affixed no
moral stigma? Why have private virtue and public de-
cency
been insulted by the prominence now given to his
professional advancement? Had he been desired to sell
out of the servici., instead of being promoted in it at no
expense to himself, every reflecting person would at the
time of the transaction alluded to have been sincerely gra-
tified.— Times.

No definitive arrangement has yet taken place in re-
gard to the new Ministry. Both Lord Grey and the
Duke of Wellington had severally interviews with the
King yesterday; but the final determination of his Ma-
jesty remains for this day. In the meantime it is highly
gratifying to find that the Monarch's late nolA and con-
stitutional conduct has so much endeared him to all the
respectable classes of his subjects, that his Levee yesterday
was the most numerously attended of any of the season.
The cowardly and calumnious assaults which have been
made in the House of Commons on the honour of the Duke
of Wellington are doing more to arouse ai,d invigorate
the real friends of the Monarchy than even the peril