The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-08 00:00:00

THE LATE EARL FITZWILLIAM.

Earl Fitzwilliam was a man of chivalrous hon-
our, the highest moral courage, perfect indepen-
dence, and a disinterestedness altogether beyond that
of statesmen or public men in general. There were
two or tqree acts of his life so noble as to entitle him
to a monument even more splendid than that of the
Marquis of Rockingham in the mausoleum at Went-
worth. We refer, in the first place, to his conver-
sion from the views of an opponent of Parliamen-
tary reform, in which he had been educated, to
those of a bold and ardent advocate of that m"a-
sure ; which, considering that his family
possessed several pocket boroughs, and that he
was among that Whig aristocracy who so long
regarded the government of the country as
their prescriptive right, was au act deserving
of historical fame. But still more extraordinary
was his early advocacy of the repeal of the
Corn Laws, when his own fortune depended mainly
upon the land, and when the all but universal belief
of landowners was that free trade would ruin them.
He stood almost alone in his own order, and that
for a long course of years ; and the position which
he held was a proof of an intellectual sagacity
nearly equal to his own disinterestedness and moral
courage. There was another act of his public life
only less singular in its boldness and rectitude than
the two we have mentioned. Some 40 years since
it was the unanimous opinion of the manu-
facturers, merchants, and clothiers in this
great seat of the woollen trade, that to
allow of the exportation of English wool would
be the absolute destruction of our manufacturing
superiority. Earl Fitzwilliam (then Lord Milton),
who had been returned for Yorkshire by the exer-
tions of the manufacturing interest, was waited on
by a deputation of the constituents to solicit him to
oppose a measure which was then anticipated, per-
mitting English wool to be exported. His lordship,
who had embraced the principles of free trade with-
out qualification, told the deputation somewhat
brusquely that he would not walk over the room to
prevent such a measure being carried. It will be re-
membered that Lord Milton fully concurred with his
father, the former Earl Fitzwilliam, in openly corn-
demning the conduct of the Manchester magis` rat es
at the Peterloo massacre of Aug. 1819 : for which
act, or rather for petitioning that the event might
be inquired into, the noble earl was deprived of
the Lord-Lieutenancy of the West Riding. Those
whose recollection goes back to the county meet-
ings and county elections held in the Castle-yard
at York before the year 1830 will remember how
Lord Milton (the Earl just deceased) used to stand
in front of the hustings, erect as a dart, his
fine eye dilating, and a smile of proud honour
upon his lips, while his voice rose under
emotion to a stentorian compass, and he thundered
forth his denunciations of what he deemed unjust
and wrong. He was not eloquent, neither was he a
man of very distinguished ability, but so noble was
his spirit that on such ocoasions he became eloquent
and produced a popular effect upon his audience
which few orators could surpass.—Leeds illercury.

SUICIDB.—A. young man arrived in a cab on the
Boulevard Chopinette on Saturday evening, and, after
paying the driver, walked to a deserted spot near tha
octroi wall, and discharged a pistol into his breast.
Some persons attracted by the report hastened to the
spot, and found that, though a bullet had passed com-
pletely through him, he was not dead. Medical assist
'ince was procured, and his wound was dres3ed. He
declared that be is the son of tradespeople of the Fau-
bourg du Temple, but positively refused to state his
reason for his attempt at suicide. His parents were sent
for, and they had him removed to their own house. lie
is only 20 years of age.
THE LATE STORMS IN SOUTHERN ITALY.— The offi-
cial Journal of the Two Sicilia of the 221 ult. continues
to give accounts of the damage done by the violent
rain which occurred lately in various provinces Of the
kingdom, especially in Terra di Lavoro, and in the neigh-
bourhood of Molise and Bari. A bridge of boats ever
the river Volturno was washed away ; the communica-
tion between Cusano and Cerreto was interrupted, ar'
a young woman of the latter place was carried away by
the current, and drowned. Tee communes of Cs,al-
duni, Ponte!andolfo, Foiino, an l Carnpolattare suff..red
immense losses in cattle aryl farming stores ; but, tap-
pily,•no lives were lost. At Canosa, in the province of
Bari, a hailbtorm devaststed the district; the hailstones
were of the biz )of a walnut. At San Marco di Cavoti
in the province of Principato Uiteriore, the Taannerec-
cio overfl iwed its banks, committing great ravages ; a
woman in a state of pregnancy and her four children
were drowned, and the bridge of Pesciariello was
carried away.

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