The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-19 00:00:00

" I never could have believed that I was so
grossly ill-treated, until I heard the statement of
my counsel," said an unfortunate plaintiff, when he
was non-suited. Lord CANNING may alio say that
he could not have suspected that the despatch of
the 9th of December, until referred to by Lord
JOHN RUSSELL and another " good - natured '
friend, was either " a sneering, taunting, or
ironical despatch," or one which in any degree
merited Legislative censure. It is but a few days—
within the present week—since we published the
able document referred to. It will be found
in extenso in our impression of Tuesday last. Let
any disinterested and unprejudiced person carefully
and dispassionately consider the question, and then
declare, if he possibly can, that the despatch was
either "sneering, taunting, or ironical." That may
be the opinion of Lord PALMERSTON, and he seems
to have rather unusually, of late days, coincided.
with Lord JOHN RUSSELL, who had complained of
its "cold and. sneering tone;" but it will not be
the feeling of the country. The community will
understand the perfect truth and justice of the in-
culpated despatch, and the correctness of the
criticisms passed on some parts of Lord CANNING'S
conduct, while he is, with equal justice, applauded
for his general administration.
We believe that there is but one potentate who
claims infallibility—and certainly a Governor of
one (we shall not call it a dependency), but an
auxiliary kingdom, cannot complain of the fair
suggestions of the Minister of the Sovereign of
whom he is the representative.

The uneasiness of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, the rest-
less anxiety of Lord PALMERSTON, might be ap-
peased by the assurance that it was intended to
include Lord CANNING in the vote of thanks about
to be bestowed on Lord CLYDE and the other dis-
tinguished persons who, whether in a civil or mili-
tary capacity, have so largely contributed to the
complete suppression of the rebellion an d
mutiny in India. Surely the greatest friend
of Lord CANNING could not complain at the
answer given by Lord STANLEY, who declared
that the only reason why it had not been proposed
at the commencement of the session, was that the
disturbance had not then been completely sup-
pressed, or order restored, and India ;pac ified.
Lord STANLEY could fearlessly appeal to the
terms in which he spoke last session respecting the
Governor-General; and surely if there could be
selected in the entire house, in one whose hands the
reputation and honour of Lord CANNING would be
preserved!in tact, it would be in those of theipresent
Secretary for India.

An admirable precedent, as to the revision of our
street nomenclature, has just been afforded in the
reconstruction of a block of buildings in the Inner
Temple. It may be remembered by many that last
year witnessed the removal of a dilapidated row of
houses on the right hand side of Inner Temple-
lane, immediately after passing out of Fleet-street
under the arch of the ancient gateway. There, at
No. 1, Inner Temple-lane, was the writable abode
of the celebrated Doctor SAMUEL JOHNSON. There
it was. that, on Tuesday, the 24th of May, 1763,
Dr. JoinisoN received- his• first visit from his
future biographer, JAMES BOSWELL, Esq., of
Auchinleck. Mr. BOSWELL having, eight days
previously, been introduced to the Doctor by Mr.
THOMAS DAVIS, actor and bookseller, in the little
back parlour at No.B, Russell-street, Covent-garden,
behind the shop kept by the said actor and book-
seller. There it was—at No. 1, Inner Temple-lane
—that BOSWELL (in the words of Dr. BLAIR, of
Edinburgh)
"found the Lion in his den." The
Lion, by the way, being habited at the time in a
rusty suit of brown clothes—having a little
shrivelled, unpowdered wig,
much too small for his
head, perched on the top of it—his feet thrust into
unbuckled shoes by way of slippers—his black-
worsted stockings ill
drawn up—his shirt unbut-
toned at the neck and his breeches at the knees.
Altogether a lion with his mane strangely dis-
hevelled, There it was—at No. 1, Inner Temple-
lanc—that (according. to TOPHAM DEAUCLERK'S
account of the incident) Dr. JohNsoN, receiving a
visit from A.ladalllC DE BOUFFLERS, conceived
(after she had left him) that it was incumbent
upon him .in politeness to see her to her coach, the,
waiting for her in the Strand.. " All at once," said
13EAUCLERK, wbo accompanied the elegant
Frenchwoman in her. visit, "I heard a noise like
thunder." It was JorrNsoN—" eager to show
himself a man of gallantry, hurrying
down the
staircase in violent agitation"—JOHNSON, in just
such another state of dishevelment as we have just
described. BEAUCLERK describes his "costume
almost in the same words as BOSWELL —" a rusty