The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-04 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1857.

Bettar late than never ! The Government
have, even at the eleventh hour, thought it pru-
dent to act on the advice which we tendered
when the painful intelligence of the mutinies in
the Bengal Army was first promulgated. A bill
was hat night introduced in the Upper House by
Lord PAlortatt, to authorise the embodiment of
the militia between this and the 25th March next,
without calling Parliament together within 14
days after the time. This is a wise and salutary
precaution, and although it has subjected Minis-
ters to the reproach of demanding powers to do
that " which, a fortnight ago, they stated they
bad no intention of doing," they are entithd to
praise for braving that ridicule, and acting in
the
manner which the exigencies of the case may, and
probably will, require.
The state of affairs in India is far too
serious to justify apathy or indifference.
As we have already stated, the Bengal army has
virtually ceased to exist. Fifty-eight Regiments
have erected the standard of revolt, and twenty-
ono Regiments have been disarmed. And it is
more than probable that many of the disbanded
Sepoys will find their way to Delhi, the bead-
quarters of the Malcontents. It is true that we
nay receive satisfactory tidings by the next mail.
But then it is also possible that we may hear of I
the spread of insubordination, and of the perilous

position of many Eaglish families, whose safety
iI should be ensured at any cost. "Si vis pacem
para helium," may be regarded by many
as a trite and hackneyed apophthegm.
But its truth and accuracy have never
been questioned, and if we wish to restore
peace in the Anglo-Indian Empire, to say nothing
of the necessity of reconqu ming Hindostan, which
has already been] more than hinted at, our pr, -
parations should be adequate to the magnitude of
the emergency, the overwhelming importance of
the subject.
The Militia should not only be prepared to act
as a h nme garrison, so that every regiment• in the
United Kingdom should be available for service
in India, but they should also be authorised to
volunteer for service in the culonieA, and if need-
ful, at what may justly be termed, " the seat of
war." This may be a matter of vital conse-
quence before the next meeting of Parliament,
and Ministers may be obliged to convene the
Legislature at a very inconvenient period, or
to act on their own responsibility, and de-
mand a bill, of indemnity for their judicious
violation of the law of the land. Now,
all such demands are very injurious. They are
blows against the Constitution, which may serve
as precedents for less justifiable usurpations, and
should never be sanctioned where, in the exercise
of ordinary prudence, additional powers should
be demanded.

Nor is it sufficient to call out the militia for
home and colonial service, and to despatch every
troop and company of the standing army to India.
We must do more. We must strive to render
their services as efficient as possible, " the regula-
tions of the military Circumlocution office to the
contrary in any wise notwithstanding." This is
but the paraphrase of a well known legal
sentence. But how can they act ener-
getically, while oppressed with the shako,
"Albert hat," or " Grenadier bearskin," with
the apoplectic stock, or tunic attracting every solar
ray 7 The Sepoys long ago were reported to have
said, "It too cold for brave to-day." May it
nut be too sultry for valorous exploits ? May not
our best troops be rendered powerless by the beat
of the climate ? Tney will surely have enemies
sufficiently formidable to contend against without
adding the authorities at the Horse Guards to the
number. A few judicious rules at head-quarters
would more than double the strength of our forces
in India. Nv e fear, however, that it is useless to
anticipate any change. Red-tapistn is too power-
ful at Whitehall. Routine is a demon teat re-
quires many hecatombs. Bofore any practical step is
taken, we must witness the immolation of thou-
sands of victims. It would be too much to expect
Atat the authorities could recognise any distinction
between the Arctic and Tropical regions, or direct
a difference of clothing where the thermometer
was above blood-heat or below zero. Nothing
but the voic3 of public opinion can produce an
alteratiOn or modification of the system ; and the
sooner it speaks out, plainly and intelligibly, the
better fur all parties concerned.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL has carried his first reso-
lution for the appointment of a Select Committee,
but the nomination of its members was prevented
by the exercise of the privilege belonging to fac-
tious minorities. It was not enough that the
leading members of the Opposition benches, were
placed on that committee. Mr. DISRAELI, Sir JOHN
PAKINGTON, and Lord STANLEY were too enlightened
for their followers, and Mr. NEWDEG ATE—the
superlative of Spoon and SPOONER —in all matters
of bigotry and intolerance, complained,and effected
the loss of a valuable day.
A very discursive debate took place on tbe terms
of the resolutions. Some pettifogging quibbleswere
raised rE specting the important question, whether
it should be " the 25 members nominated, and
all the gentlemen of the long robe," or "all the
gentlemen of the long robe, and the following 25
members." And this was discussed with the hair
splitting acumen generally best3wed on special de-
murrers in the good old times. As 15 "Hon.
and Learned" Members, as they are usually
termed, were included in the favoured twenty-
live, exceptions were taken on this point that they
were slighted by not being considered " Gentle-
men" of the long robe; while an earnest voice was
raised on behalf of " the Gentlemen" by Act of
Parliament, whose service wool 1 be required for
the purpose of "instructing," and, we hope,
"teeing" the members of the other branch of the
legal profeesion!

The decision, as we have stated, was postponed,
and the topic will again be ventilated this evening.
We suppose that the Select Committee, consisting
of some 122 members, will be duly appintel.
We hope that the jurists will constitute " a cool
hundred." We cannot, however, anticipate so
ple;ising a result. Where the disputatious element
eo ;ready preponderates, we should imagine that
it would rather resemble the audience chamber
of the " Kilkenny cat,," of historical renown, and
t hat the tail of Sir F. THESIGER'S wig, with, perhaps,
a fragment of Lord JOUN RUSSELL'S tunic, may
remain as the only relics of the contest.
It is to be regretted that the Gordian knot has
not been already cut, by the appearance of Baron
ROTHSCHILD at the bar of the House. We have
not the sli6htost doubt that Mr. DILLWYN is a
more judicious adviser than Lord J. RUSSELL,
under existing circumstances, and that the course
which he was prepared to mark out would stoner
lead to the desired goal than that of the ex•
Premier.

The temporising and vacillating policy hitherto.
pursued has been but exposing the nakedness of
the laud, raising artificial impediments when
none really existed. It is true that it might
prove a trump card in the event of a Tory Go-
vernment. But we cannot tolerate tactics
that would keep such a matter in aboy-
ance for such a purpose. Our liberal rulers
should not teach the country to desire
a Derbyite Cabinet, for the purpose of eliciting ,
the real opinions of their opponents. They should
rather do what they can under existing circum-
stances, and they may rest assured that, if they
keep pace with the spirit of the age, they will
find quite enough to do without maintaining so
useless a reserve. The question must be settled
one way or other during the present session, or
the people will bo inclined, and with much reason,
to exclaim—" a plague on both your Houses !"

The gold taken from the Bank yesterday was only
5,000/.

DEATH OF EUGENE SUE.—PARIS, August 3.—Eugene
Sue died this morning at six o'clock.
The leather-market has become much more animated
throughout the week, with an upward tendency, owing
to anticipated requirements for the army and general
shortness of stocks in the hands of consumers.

At a meeting of the Berlin Waterworks Company yes-
terday, Mr. W. H. Goschen in the chair, the report was
unanimoutly adopted. A satisfactory progress in the
permanent business of the undertaking is stated to have
taken place, the contracts for house supplies having
considerably increased. The palace to be occupied by
the Prince of Prussia and the Princess Royal will be
supplied from these works.
Accounts from Naples of the 30th ult, state that the
Neapolitan Government has authorised the establi-b-
Imeat of two lines of submarine telegraph uniting Sicily
to Malta and Turin. A decree pronounces the re
torn of the postal system ; other decrees will corn
plate this reform, which is basfd on the French system
po;tr„i. A body
has t a
ok
fe t2t,
opolaocep.aetastetreniiii;
invaded etdh e
thee
übmj eucnticoi.
Au enzeute
munici-
pality with cries of •' Long live the King I" The autho-
rities soon restored order, and the ringleaders were
arrested.