The Sun.
London, England, 1832-03-12 00:00:00

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LONDON,
MONDAY EVENING. MARCH 12. 1832.

The Reform Bill after having been nearly as
long in Committee as an ordinary suit in
Chancery, had the rare-luck to escape scot-free
on Saturday. We are now therefore in precisely
the same position that we were six months since,
with this sole difference in our favour, that we
now know the number and strength and tactics
of our enemies, and have every reason to
believe that the Cabinet is better prepared
to withstand them, and ensure the triumph
of the Bill. Still it must be admitted,
there are reasonable grounds for apprehen-
sion. To be sure, Lord GREY has told us,
and this in the most formal and authorative
manner, that the measure is speeding to "a
certain and successful issue ;" but against
this, otherwise decisive, declaration, we must
weigh the continuous, inveterate hostility of
the Anti-Reformers ; their repeatedly vaunted
resolution to die in the last ditch ; their ac-
knowledged pluck, their veteran skill, their
loud, incessant shouts of defiance ; their wealth,
their influence, their numbers—comprising in one
vast, united body, all the tax-eaters, and half
the Clergy and Magistracy of three kingdoms ;
their much lauded Chapter of Accidents, which
has so often declared, and and may again de-
clare, in their favour ; and above all, the
subtle, tortuous, trimming policy of those
Janus-faced diplomatists, the prelates of the
Episcopal bench. Against these manifold
pressing hazards what have we to oppose ? Why
nothing, positively nothing but the simple decla-
ration of Earl GREY ! Now this, cie contend,

is, under existing circumstances, meagre and un-
satisfactory. The country, which has already
made, and is again prepared to make, should the
emergency arise, such unprecedented sacrifices
for Government, have a right to know, without
further delay or reserve, the exact nature
of the ground on which they stand. To
tell them that they have a very fair chance
of Reform, is to tell them nothing ; they
knew this even when the 'WELLINGTON Admi-
nistration was in office ; what they now desire to
know is simply, shall the Reform Bill be carried ?
And this fact they can only ascertain through the
medium of the Gazette.

Let us have then—for is it not our due ?
the requisite creation of Peers. The Bill will
never be carried without such creation, for who
can trust the words of those who have every
thing to lose by sincerity, and every thing to gain
by finesse ? The question will come to this in
the end ; why not then take time by the forelock ?
While Lord GREY vacillates, the Tories de-

cide. His hesitation strengthens their resolution.
The people too become dispirited and distrustful
trade of every sort languishes ; comparisons are
unavoidably made between the past and the pre-
sent—for who will think of a future over which
tie deepest shadow broods without a sun beam ?
—and hence from this very want of confidence
arises a fresh accession of strength to the Anti-
Reformers.

We conjure Lord GREY, then, by the
love he entertains for his country—for that
country which has made him what he is ;
and which has placed him on an emi-
nence on which no British Statesman ever
yet stood ;—by the value which he sets on his
own high character ; by the ardent desire, he
cannot but feel, to stand well with posterity ;
by each, by all:of these considerations, we conjure
him to do justice to his country and himself. Let

him bear in mind that Reform Peers are not
merely wanted for the Bill ; they are wanted also
to neutralize the high Toryism of the House
of Lords, and cause it to identify itself more
liberally with the great interests of the nation.
As at present constituted, the Upper House
is no more British in feeling or opinion
than a Congress at Vienna or Verona.
It is wholly and systematically exclusive. But
this, Lord GREY—unless he avert the sad ne-
cessity by a timely creation of Peers—has yet to

learn ; and the lesson, we foresee, will be a most
humiliating one to his Lordship, fond as he is,
and naturally must be, of his Order.

The news of the occupation of Ancona by the

French, reached Vienna on the 28th February, and

occasioned, as we anticipated, a very great sensa-
tion, which soon manifested itself in the funds—

that unerring barometer of public feeling.
The interference of France in Italy cm never

be palatable to Austria who looks with a
jealous eye upon the fair domains of the
South as her own. Equally unwelcome
is the presence of his kind friends the French, to
his Holiness the PoI'E, who is in constant ne-
gotiation with the Court of Vienna, upon
the subject. That the French have taken posses-
sion of Ancona without much ceremony they admit
themselves—nor do we sec that they were much
to blame as to the manner, seeing that they had
determined on the act. The remonstrances of
the POPE and the objections of Austria would
be all the same, let the French conduct
themselves in the most gentlemanly manner.
With such parties their visit would be consi-
dered intrusive and offensive, go in what shape
or fashion whatever. The die is now cast ; and
we must wait the result. So far as the POPE is
concerned nobody will pity him—not even the
Cardinals—for he owes it all to his own
duplicity ; and as for the Austrians, we do not
see what right they have to grumble—they
having themselves twice set the example of inter-
ference by invading the Italian territories. It is
no answer that the POPE invited them ; for it is
well known that they were ready and determined
to go as self-invited friends or arbitrators in a
quarrel which they had privately fomented in
order to display their address in its adjustment.
The news in the French Papers of Saturday
is not of much importance. If we may believe an
article in the Journal des Debate, dated Trieste
February 23, the fortune of war was going
against the Pacha of Egypt—his on having
been defeated before St. Jean d'Acre, with
great loss. The fleet too was obliged to fly,
and 2000 Egyptians went over to the
Governor of St. Jean d'Acre. We can-
not vouch for the truth of this news, which
may be a new version of former reports.
The French funds improved on Saturday to
69f. 40c., which was attributed to the increasing
confidence that peace would be maintained.
Extracts will be found in another column.

The Liberty of the Press in Germany is at
this moment beginning to reap the fruits of the
sensation created throughout the Continent by
the Revolution of July. Every day now de-
velopes the progress which has been made in se-
cret, and in spite of the various obstacles
interposed by the despotic Governments
of the petty states throughout Germany.
Indeed so discreditable has the office of Censor-
ship become in many States, that no person can
be found to undertake it ! This is the best
homage that private virtue can make to public
opinion. The day of darkness is clearing up
apace, and the sun of intelligence begins to dif-
fuse its beneficent rays. A little longer and
the greater States—those of Russia and Aus-
tria must follow the example set them by the
smaller, but more liberal principalities. It is not
now become a matter of choice, but necessity.
The Holy Alliance has asserted its supremacy
over Europe too long, and must yield to the
irresistible force of public opinion, founded on
the universal law of nature—public liberty and
personal safety, guaranteed by the enjoyment of
national independence. Without these property
is not safe, nor life to be coveted.

By the German papers received yesterday and
this morning, we perceive that the people of that
country are seriously bent upon asserting their
rights, and taking the proper measures
to ensure them should such be ne-
cessary. Would it not be wiser in
those Governments who must note feel that
their day is coming to anticipate the storm,
and make that a matter of grace which must

ere long, become one of necessity ? The fol-
lowing are some extracts from these papers:—

MANNHEIM, FEB. 29.—1 t seems that a Central Board, for
the navigation of the Neckar, will soon meet at Mannheim, as
the most convenient place; and it is supposed that in the course
of the summer the free navigation of that river will be orga-
nized on the model of that of the Rhine. Counsellor Zeller, of
Stuttgard, Plenipotentiary of Wirtemburg, has been for some
weeks at Carlsruhe on this business. It is probable that the Com-
missioners for Baden and Hesse will be the same as that for the
navigation of the Rhine, viz.—M. Buehler for Baden, M.
Verdin for Hesse. The regulation for the navigation of the
Neckar is of such great importance to Heilbronn, that that city
has solicited permission to send with theWirtemburgPlenipoten-
tiary a deputy chosen among its merchants,as a consulting mem-
ber, and we are assured that this application has been favourably
received. The Prussian Government, taking advantage of this
moment, when the water in the Rhine is extremely low, causes
the rocks in what is called the Hole of Bingen to be blown
up. This most useful work has for some days hindered
the passage by that place_ It is supposed that the operation
will be finished this week, and the navigation which is besides
partly interrupted by the shallowness of the water, will resume
its usual course.

CARLSRUHE, MARCH 3.—The day before yesterday, the
day on which the Press became free, was celebrated in se-
veral public meetings. The health of the Father of the coun-
try—Leopold, who has declared his children sufficiently enlight.
ened to enjoy this benefit, was drank with enthusiasm.
CASSEL, FEB D.—ln the Assembly of the States yesterday
the Commissioner of the Government said that he was obliged
to request the States to consent, as soon as possible, to the pro-
ject of law on the Press which had been laid before them, be-
cause, according to the laws of the Confederation, promulgated
in Hesse, the censorship could not be abolished till effectual
measures were adopted to prevent the abuses of the Press, and
now the public functionary at Cassel, who has the censorship of
the periodical Papers, desires to be released from that duty, al-
leging on the one hand the numerous difficulties to which he
was exposed, and on the other the affairs of his own office,
which could not be reconciled with those imposed on him in
his capacity as censor. This request, said the Commissioner,
could not be long refused. The Ministry, he added, had done
every thing in its power to induce some one of the public func-
tionaries, capable of the task, to take on himself the honorary
and wholly gratuitous office of Censor ; but all have declined,
one alleging his inability to penetrate at once into the
often hidden meaning and tendency of the articles; ano-
ther says that his knowledge is not sufficiently varied ;
a third, that he had not paid sufficient attention to the events
of the day, the developement and modifications of ideas in Ger-
many and other countries, or that he was incapable of under-
standing many allusions ; others had an insurmountable distrust
in their own abilities which would always hinder them from
passing a speedy judgment on productions which were often
the result of profound research and long meditation. Some,
again, alleged their situation as public officers or citizens, which
would be affected by the odium to which a censor is always ex-
posed. Many others proved they had not time to perform such
a duty conscientiously. In short, nobody will be censor of cer-
tain journals, and the Government of Hesse is obliged, by the
laws of the confederation, to continue the censorshfp till some
other arrangement is made.
The Department of the interior will, therefore, be under the
painful necessity of hindering the publication of the Papers
for which it cannot find a censor, unless the editors can find out
some means of removing the difficulty till the law on the Press is
passed. The Commissioners added that the present state of
things would be maintained as long as possihle, but that it could
not continue more than a few weeks.