The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-29 00:00:00

int2lerable, interminable, unconscionable Abo-

minations

Sir GEORGE GREY had a taste of this Mini-
sterial Delight yesterday—and evidently a
taste rather larger than he had anticipated. We
can almost fancy the expression of the Right
Hon. Baronet's face as they streamed in, one
after another, in appalling procession. For
we read in the report of the proceedings
" The Right Hon. Gentleman was evidently
unprepared for so large and influential
an assemblage." And no wonder, for, we 'find
enumerated first, to begin with :—"The deputation.
was introduced by Mr. B. DENISON, M.P., and
Lord GODERICH, M.P., and was accompanied by
the following—H. W. WICKHAM, Esq., M.P.,
General THOMPSON, M.P., EDWARD AICILOYD,
Esq., M.P., H. PEASE, • Eqq., M.P., S. GURNEY,
Esq., M.P., T. B. HORSFALL, Esq., M.P., J.
CHEETHEaI, Esq., M.P., B. WOODD, Esq., M.P.,
and G. HARDY, Esq., M.P." Taking breath for
a little, we go on :—" The deputation included the
following gentlemen—From Leeds," So-and-so, and
Sc-and-so ! from Bradford, such others ; as also
from Liverpool, from Halifax, from we don't know
whereal ! They had previously been—the mem-
bers of this monster, or rather, let us say, this
monstrous deputation—to the private dwelling-
house of Lord PALMERSTON, in Piccadilly. And,
having given Kim a benefit, proceeded with nil•
wearied determination to visit, as we have said,
Sir GEORGE GREY—down at the Home-office. We
cannot wonder, in the least, when we find the re-
porter observing, as already remarked, that when
the Home Secretary met the Deputation, ho ap-
peared to be " evidently unprepared to meet so
large an assemblage." His feelings must have
been something like those of the Brickmaker in
Bleak House when—invaded in his cottage by
an incursion of the Pardiggles—leaning upon
his elbow he growled out " Any more on you ?"
Adding —" because, I thought there warnt enough
of you p'raps I" Indignantly entering his pro-
test immediately afterwards against " being
dravvt, d like a badger I"
With or . without his leave, Sir GEORGE
GREY was decidedly subjected to this agree-
able
operation yesterday, by the modest
deputation above (partially) enumerated !
And all about what ? About Mr. HARDY'S
Bill for the amendment of the law relating to the
sale of beer, et cetera ! Mark that itc.,—for it
includes a variety of other localities besides beer-
shops coffee-houses, concert-rooms, dancing-
rooms, what are -called casinos, and all sorts
of queer out-of-the-way places of low festivity and
mean amusement. All these scenes being fre-
quented not by the people Mr. THACKERAY de-
lights to call swells, but by n,umbers of the poorer
and humbler classes. The good sense of Sir G.
GREY appears throughout the whole of the
tiresome gabble of the deputation never
once to have left him. The Right Honour-
able Baronet, throughout, seemed to recog-
nise as clearly as a perfectly sane and vigilantly
observant man could hardly fail to recognise it—
the fact that the purport of the whole project
kept in view by the deputation was to interfere
unnecessarily with the social habits of the humbler
and poorer classes of society, with their comforts
and their amusements. Sir GEORGE GREY, we •
do believe, is as earnestly solicitous (to say the
very least of him in this particular) .as any
one gentleman in the whole of that
enormous Deputation—to repress vice, to diminish
crime, to crush out the seeds of depravity, to
extinguish every spark of villainous incentive to
evil, anywhere kindling into a flame, in the
dens of infamy, the foul byways and the back-
slums of our great city—and tending to spread a
demoralising influence through largo masses of
our population. But—Sir GEORGE GREY never
seemed to tire of saying, again and again, to the
Deputation that the Magistratei are scarcely
aware of their powers in these cases, and that the
law is not sufficiently enforced. That is just
precisely it. Try the law as it is, before you
venture to botch and cobble it with wholesale
amendments ! Particularly if the amendments
you contemplate, involve an interference, here,
there, and everywhere, with the social
condition of the humbler classes, with their
comforts and amusements. Every pot of
ale sold over the counter of • a • beer-shop
does not necessarily lead to drunkenness. It-
would_ be perfectly monstrous to' argue that every
coffee-house was a brothel, and every com-
mon-looking public room where a song is
sung, or a dance danced, must invariably be the
haunt of thieves and prostitutes. The
Deputation yesterday proved too much, and
thereby defeated its own purpose. Diminish im-
morality, if you will, or rather if you can, in
Heaven's name—but Don't, in the name of hu-
manity and in the name of justice, Don't, for the
furtherance of some particular whimsies and
crotchets of your own, sweep down what may be
to the poorer classes of the community sources of
everyday comfort, and of rational and innocent
amusement.

The Earl and Countess of Malmesbury entertained
at dinner, on Thursday evening, his Excellency the
Austrian Minister and the Countess d'Apponyi, the
Duke of Rutland, the Marquis and Marchiones of
lily, the Marquis and Marchioness of Bath, the
Countess of Jersey and Lady Clementina Villiers,
the Earl of Cardigan, the Earl of Carnarvon, Hon.
Mr. and Mrs. Duncombe, and Mr. and Lady Augusta
Stint.
The Countess (Dowager) of Harewood and Lady
Manche Lamelles, a ccompanied by Lady William
Thynne, are on the eve of going on a continental tour.
Lord and Lady John Russell have arrived at Far-
rance's Hotel, i❑ Belgravia, where they purpose stay-
ing during the present season.
THE TURKISH EMBASSY.—Madame Musurus, wife
of his Exceliency the Turkish Ambassador, has issued
cards for an assembly, at the residence of the em-
bassy, on Tuesday, the 9th of June.
The Countess Poulett and Viscount Hinton are shortly
expected. in London, on their return from a tour on the
coast of Spain. The noble Viscount has eat irely reco-
vered from the effects of the severe accident he met with
while hunting with the Duke-of Beaufort's hounds last
autumn.

DEATH OF LADY MARY SINGLETON.—We have to re-
cord the demise, after a protracted illness, of Lady Diary
Singleton, who died at her residence in Curzon-street,
Mayfair, on Tuesday.
VISIT OF THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE TO BIRMINGHAM.
—A public reception on a very extensive scale is to be
given to his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, on
the occasion of his visit to Birmingham on Monday next.
Messrs. Slade and Rodwell are. counsel for the Bath
petition ; Mr. Phinn and Mr. Clerk have been retained
by Mr. Tite.
COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT, M.y 28.—The American
steam frigate Susquehanna, Captain J. A. R. Sands,
' arrived here toelay, and fired a salute of 21 guns, which
was returned by the Eurydice.
some weeks back attention was called to a disclosure
in the Sydney newspapers of a method by which the
Lendou underwrite's were liable to be defrauded. It
appeared from. a letter inserted in the Sydney Herald
that instances had occurred where the consignees of cer-
tain descriptions of unmarketable goods contrived to ge
them certidsd as damaged by sea water, so as to enabi.
he shippers to came upon the underwriters for the dif-
ference between their nominal and realised value. Sub
sequent advices mention that an action having been
droughtr n
aoagainst
etrheed atnh tehmo
sr
eel
vf
etsh e letter
aggrieved,
ggr i e v ebdy an
, n v
e rdi
c t importingw a
fireturned for the defendant. The evidence at the trio
plainly showed that the certificates in question were
tamed and acted upon in the most lax manner, and U
Sydney Herald, upon a review of the case, natural],
• xpresses sw wise at the indifference shown by the un
,erwrit,rs iu not establishing seine effectual system f•
their own pr,:tecLion. It suub things are tolerated ti
losses must be heavy, and these cannot be met excel,
by an indiscriminate increase in the sale of premium:
and a consequent injury to the legitimate trader.