The Sun.
London, England, 1832-07-14 00:00:00

country will be eternally disgraced if it does not
keep faith with Russia : but it is of no conse-
quence that it violates its faith with regard to
Poland ; there is no dishonour in that. Such is
[ the patriotism—such the morality—such the
sense of equal justice, not of inveterate Tories
and antiquated boroughmongers, but of professed
Liberals—of purity-of-principle men—of leaders
of the march of intellect in the British House of
Commons in the nineteenth century ! When
we find Dr. Lushington attempting to prop up
so bad a " job " as this, we consider that he has
nearly as bad a cause, and certainly a worse ex-
cuse, than in accepting a brief to defend the
practice of burning widows in India. In the
latter case he was the hired Advocate who was
paid to make " the worse appear the better rea-
son," and to argue in favour of sanguinary crime
against the dictates of morals and humanity. In
the former instance lie volunteered to prevent
England being eternally disgraced, forsooth ! by
not keeping faith with Russia— a Power that
had just then committed a flagrant breach of
faith towards this country, and came to receive
our money covered with the infamy of that vio-
lation, and reeking with the blood of Poland,
whose independence we guaranteed as so-
lemnly as we did the payments of the Rus-
sian-Dutch Loan. As to the treaty
which guaranteed those payments, there never
was a more daring attempt made upon com-
mon sense than to say that it had not expired in
spirit, as well as in letter. It expressly sti-
pulated that the payments should be made while
Holland and Belgium continued united ; but,
when the sovereignty of Belgium should " be
severed and pass away" from Holland, the pay-
ments should " cease and determine." Can any
thing be more plain and unequivocal than this
stipulation, as contemplating the severance of
the two countries, by whatever means it might
be accomplished ? No, say the Ministers, and
the sycophants of Russia, it meant a severance
by foreign invasion not by internal violence.
There is not the slightest intimation of this in
the treaty, nor any thing to lead to it. To sup-
ply those words is, in fact, to make a new treaty.
Why did England undertake to paw the money
to Russia at all ? For what other object than
to induce Russia to favour the existing union of
the two countries ? That was the consideration
of the contract which gave Russia a legal claim
for the money. The severance having taken
place, no matter from what cause, the considera-
tion was gone, and the contract founded upon
it fell to the ground. While the two countries
remained united Russia might have been called
upon to repel by force of arms a foreign invasion.
She might be put, in time of peace, to the expense
of keeping up a larger military establishment than
she otherwise wanted, to guard and protect the
kingdom of the Netherlands; but when those
countries agreed to separate, and did separate,
there was no further necessity for the interposi-
tion of Russia—the work was done which the
sapient " settlers of Europe," in 1815, con-
tracted with Russia for—and Russia having been
relieved from the obligation of protecting a'
kingdom no longer in existence, the payment for
her protection should, as a matter of course, have
ceased. It would have been just as wise for Lord
Castlereagh to have made a contract to subsidize
Russia annually as long as old London-bridge
was in existence—for the treaty was merely a
pretext to put money into the coffers of Russia
in a time of peace, as we were accustomed to do
during the war. Supposing Lord Castlereagh
had made the payments contingent upon old
London-bridge being in existence, and had sti-
pulated that, when it ceased to exist, the payments
should cease and determine—and supposing the
bridge had fallen down—what an argument it
would be to urge that the payments should still
continue because the bridge had fallen to pieces
of itself, and had not been knocked down by ex-
ternal violence ! Yet this is the argument of the
supporters of the Russian-Dutch-Loan job, who
have the hardihood to contend that, because the
words which relate to the contingency are
general, they should be taken in a particular
sense. But Ministers themselves admitted tha

the treaty had expired, by entering into the Con-
vention of the 16th of November, the basis of
which was the necessity of an application to
Parliament to enable the Crown to continue the
payments—or, in other words, to obtain the
sanction of Parliament to a new or supple-
mentary treaty. That Convention was made h
direct contradiction of the opinions of the law
officers of the Crown, which had been given i❑

..,
preceding month of June ; but, notwithstanding
the Convention, another payment was made, in
December, without the sanction of Parliament—

and, in the debate of January
26th, the Minis,
tern relied on the law officers of the Crown, ant

did not say a word of the Convention of
November ! So difficult it is, when men get
into a crooked course, to regain the straight
Path ! As to those Journalists who defend
Ministers in this job on the ground that the
Tories, if in office, would do the same, we say
it is an extraordinary line of defence for a
purity-of-principle Government. The Tories
certainly did not spare the people's money while
in office ;—does this justify the waste of the
people's money by the Whigs ? What matters
it to the eels by what hands they are flayed
alive ?—Morning Herald.

We beg to point the special attention of the
electors of the United Kingdom to the result of

the petition, which was presented last night, from
the parish of, Marylebune, by Mr. Hume. It
_ .

prayed that the day fixed, as the last on which
the payment of poor-rates and assessed taxes, up
to the 6th of April, could be made, so as to
qualify the different classes of electors for
voting at the ensuing election, and which
is fixed by Act of Parliament for Friday
next, the 20th instant, might be prolonged,
so as to enable every one who, by his property,
is otherwise entitled to a vote, to qualify himself
for the use of his franchise ; but, as will be seen
from Lord Althorp's reply, there is no possibility
of complying with the application. In the Re-
form Act, the usual clause which provides for
the alteration, or total repeal of any act, in the
course of the Session in which the Act has been
passed, was purposely omitted, and the clause,
in consequence, which renders it necessary for
all persons, otherwise qualified, to pay up all
rates and taxes which were due previous to the
6th of April last, on or before the 20th July,
cannot be altered. Let every elector, therefore,
bear in mind that he must, on pain of disqualifi-
cation, comply with this clause of the Bill on or
before Friday next ; and let him prove his
sense of the privilege conferred upon him by
taking care to qualify himself accordingly.—
Morning Advertiser.

The debate upon the Russian Dutch Loan
terminated in favour of MauEters by a majority
of 46. Thus have the Representatives of the
people recorded their deliberate sanction of one
of the grossest and most extravagant jobs ever
perpetrated. The decision of yesterday morning

will doubtless excite regret, but it cannot create
surprise. All persons who are acquainted with
the materials of which the present House of
Commons is composed must have been prepared
for the termination of this debate. No act per-
formed by such a House can possibly create sur-
prise. A majority of its IVlembers obtained
their seats by pledging themselves to pay a
slavish obedience to the mandates of Govern-
ment ; and in accordance with this pledge they
have supported every Ministerial measure with-
out discrimination, whether tending to a sacrile-
gious assault upon the Constitution, or to a pro-
fligate waste of the public money. After such a
decision it would of course be useless to refer to
the many able arguments which have been advanced
against Ministers ; to the lucid and convincing
exposition entered into by Mr. Herries, or to
the forcible case in point adduced by Sir Robert
Peel. 'We must be permitted, however, to ob-
serve that a plainer case was never brought for-
ward against any Government. The words of
the treaty were before the House, stating the
precise circumstances under which payment
should cease ; the identical circumstances thus
alluded to in the treaty were admitted on all
hands to have actually taken place ; Holland
had ceased to pay her portion of the stipulated
sum ; and yet, in defiance of all this, Ministers,
the " economy and retrenchment Ministers,"
assert that they are bound to continue to pay the
money, and do pay it accordingly. If ever any
act of the Government called for the censure of
Parliament, surely this act of extravagance calls
for it. Why the very arguments of Ministers
themselves tend to prove the weakness
and rottenness of their cause. It was
asserted by Lord Althorp, and not by
Lord Althorp alone, but by all the Ministe-
rial speakers, that, notwithstanding the separation
of Belgium from Holland, the treaty of 1815
remains in full force ; and yet, on the 16th of
November last, Ministers entered into a con-
vention, the first article of which states that,
" in virtue of these considerations, his Britannic
Majesty agrees to
.recommend to his Parliament
to enable him to continue the said payment."
If the treaty remained in full force where was the
necessity for this new convention ? And again,
on the 21st of May, Messrs. Hope aneCo.,
the agents in Amsterdam for the Russian loan,
applied for the usual half-yearly payment ; and
what answer did Ministers return ? Why, that
a new convention had been entered into with
Russia, and that until the said convention had
been ratified by Parliament they had no autho •
rityf or paying the money ! These were the
very words used in answer to the application of
Messrs. Hope and Co., of Amsterdam ; and
therefore it is plain, by the confesssion of
Ministers themselves, that they have paid
away the public money in defiance of the
authority of Parliament. The fact is, the
treaty of 1815 is altogether nullified by the
forcible separation of Belgium from Holland ;
but Ministers, anxious to purchase the good will
of the Autocrat, have entered into a new Con-
vention, by which England is still to be com-
pelled to pay her portion of the loan, after the
other party (Holland) has peremptorily refused
to pay. That Ministers should be anxious to
secure their places at the national expense, is
very natural: but we apprehend that those
liberal Members who have constituted them-
selves the peculiar guardians of the public purse,
and who have frequently charged the Tories
with extravagance, will find it very difficult to
defend their votes upon this occasion. It is
true, Lord Althorp, perceiving how fast the tide
of argument was setting against him, threatened a
resignation in the event of defeat ; but is this paltry
threat deemed by the liberal Members a sufficient
excuse for the support of a profligate job ? Do
they pretend to argue that they are justified in
consenting to a shameful waste of the public
money merely because Lord Althorp threatened
to resign ? or are they of opinion than that the
mere threat of resignation is to be deemed sufficient
at all times to protect Ministers from the conse-
quences of every act of knavery or ignorance which
they may choose to perpetrate ? If such be the
sentiments of the Liberals in Parliament, we can
only say that they entertain odd notions respect-
ing the proper duties of a legislator. It is need-
less, however, to argue the question now; the
debate of Thursday has decided the point, and
doubtless the country will be saddled with the
expense of completing the payment to Russia.
This is certainly a serious evil under our pre-
sent embarrassed circumstances ; but at the same
time the debate has effected some good by dis-
playing, at this critical period, the true character
of those charlatans who talk so loudly about
economy and retrenchment. Doubtless the
liberal Members who supported Government on
this occasion, will be able to explain satisfactorily
to their constituents why they voted away some
millions of the public money, at a time when
the country is required to hoard up all its re-
sources against the chances of a war, and at a

time, too; when the revenue is daily and hourly
upon the decline. The radicals are clever fel-
lows, but they will find it difficult to get over this
affair. The General Election must take place
soon ; and it is to be hoped that wherever a Mi-
nisterial tool makes his appearance, some patri-
otic Tory will start up to remind him of the
Russian Dutch Loan. Thus will the mask be
torn from a crew of paltry impostors.—Morn-
ing Post.

GRAND TITHE MEETING OF KILKENNY,
WEXFORD, TIPPERARY AND WATERFORD.

REPEAL of the UNION, A DEPUTY LORD
LIEUTENANT IN THE CHAIR.
The most splendid exhibition yet made in Ire-
land of the public detestation of tithes, took place
between Knocktopher and Ballyhale, Sunday last.
The general impression was that less than 200,000
persons could not be present; every part within
twenty miles round, of the four above-named coun-
ties sent forth their inhabitants, men and women,
in dense masses. While the Committee were pre-
paring resolutions, &c., we watched the continued
procession of people passing from the Waterford
side, through the village of Ballyhale, proceeding to
the field appointed for the meeting to be held in,
and, for upwards of two hours, did the line continue
unbroken, while an equally imposing mass of human
beings on foot, and in chaises and cars, and on horse-
back, moved into the field from the roads in the di-
rection of Kilkenny. Between the pauses in the
cheerings were heard on every side the sounds
of fifes and drums, and full bands of mu-
' sic; and the inhabitants of each district were
arranged under their respective banners, hun-
dreds of which might be seen, orange, green or
tri colour, floating as thickly, and far more widely
extending, than the mast-head colours in a spacious
and crowded port. Numbers of Protestant gentle-
men attended, who took a deep interest in the pro-
ceedings. No military or police appeared. This
was judicious.
Among the banners was one bearing a well exe-
cuted painting from the "Parson's Horn Book,"
representing a starving Irishman and woman, carry-
ing one of the bloated dignitaries of the Church, and
behind was added a spavined horse, carrying a
figure said to have a likeness to one of the witnesses
examined by the Tithe Committee, and who, in the