The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-21 00:00:00

o X F OR D,

bility and calmness were equal to the right he de-
fended "—on all this Lord JOHN was not, officially
at least, better informed than the rest of us. The
one thing in favour of the statement is, that is what
Austria would like ; but the one thing against it is
that Austria must know France would never con-
cede it.

Lord JonN was able, however, to confirm
another rumour, that the Spanish and Austrian
Ambassadors at Paris, had proposed in general
terms that the Catholic Powers should act in con-
cert with regard to the temporal power of the
POPE. Armies and arms were not mentioned ; the
proposal was made in quite a general form, and
had been met by Franco with a direct negative.
One of the principal reasons assigned was, that
the Protestant Powers, Great Britain, Prussia, and
Sweden, had taken part in the settlement of the
POPE'S affairs in 1815. A fact which, from the lips
of the man who has paid no kind of attention to
the treaties of Vienna, when he wished for a little
pleasant annexation, or for a military position
formidable to Switzerland, can hardly be regarded
as more than a pretext.

We are still as much in the dark as ever on the
question—When will the French evacuate Rome ?
Still left to conjecture whether they will ever do it
spontaneously, and in deference to the mere right
of the case. Rome having been seized on basely
hypocritical pretexts, is now held on pretences
equally false and selfish. There is no hazard of
anarchy, or of abuse of liberty ; on the contrary,
the present Gallic and ecclesiastical manage-
ment at Rome is the cause of anarchy, and
of cruel disturbances in the middle and
south of Italy. Only two reasons can now be
thought to influence the Emperor in this unjust
occupation of a city which does not belong to him.
One the ambition of being master of the capital of
Roman Catholicism, the other the hope of making
a profitable exchange. Hence the rumours every
now and then of his designs on Sardinia or Genes,
or on both. And we can quite believe that he
continues to put off the evacuation of Rome with
the hope that the chapter of accidents may yet
enable him to make a good bargain. Sardinia,
however, with its noble naval harbour, can never
be his if our Mediterranean fleet be as strong as it
ought to be and does its duty, of which last we
have no fear. Our present navy and our Arm-
strong guns will, we trust, keep the Emperor of
the FRENCH sober.

Although Sir GEORGE LEWIS was, without an
instant's doubt, perfectly in the right last evening
while protesting that it is not usual to inquire into
the grounds upon which a recommendation has been
made to the Crown for the exercise of the Royal
prerogative—the case of Mr, KING HARMER was
altogether too flagrant of its kind to be passed by
"as usual" sub silentio. The facts of this case
require here no recapitulation. They are by this
time only too notorious. It is not so much that the
person accused and, let us add also, convicted as
the principal in the late outrage perpetrated at
Cremorne Gardens—an individual described in the
police reports as "a gentleman of large fortune"—
it is not so much that Mr. KING HARMER
has been dealt with over-leniently by a sort of
after-thought through the intervention of the Sec-
retary of State for the Home Department! It is far
worse than this—though that itself, we cannot but
think,would have been bad enough under the circum-
stances—it is rather that one of the worthiest, one of
the most zealous, one of the most devotedly pains-
taking among all our excellent London magistrates,
Mr. ARNOLD, of the Westminster Police-court, has
been, we cannot but think, gratuitously insulted !
Insulted, that is, by the abrupt reversal of the de-
cision arrived at by him on a careful consideration
of Mr. KING HARMER'S doings—the sentence deli-
berately pronounced by Mr. ARNOLD having been
forthwith coolly set aside without a with your
leave, or a by your leave, by the autocratic power
of the right hon. baronet the Home Secretary.
Let it be remembered that it was Mr.
ARNOLD, and not Sir GEORGE, who had adjudicated
upon this case, who had examined into it carefully
himself, from the very commencement, who had

previously questioned and cross-questioned from
the bench the various witnesses, and who, after the

most cautious scrutiny, and the most mature deli-

beration, had sentenced the culprit brought be-
fore him to ten days' incarceration by way of
punishment. Mr. ARNOLD, recollect, acted thus
throughout simply, solely, exclusively in
his responsible position as a metropolitan
magistrate. He obeyed the dictates of
his conscience, he followed the guidance of his
judgment, while so doing—bent alone upon admini-
stering the laws with an even hand, and upon thus
doing his duty at once to the Crown and to the
great mass of his fellow-countrymen.
Now, before we write another syllable upon
this matter, however, let us remark here, quite
plainly, that in writing at all about it we do so
without any perFonal feeling whatever for or
against the individual whose outrageous con-
duct at Cremorne Gardens had led first of
all to his conviction of the offence charged
against him before the Westminster Police Magi-
strate, and subsequently to the impertinence to
which that excellent magistrate has been, we can-
not but conceive, most unjustifiably subjected in his
judicial capacity. Our animus in the matter is just
nil—For, as to Mr. KING HARMER, " the gentleman
of large fortune" here mentioned, he is to ourselves
a mere name and nothing more. Indeed, so ex-
clusively is he " a mere name" that we can't for the

life of us discover in any way his identity. The
" Court Directory " throws no light whatever
upon the existence of any Mr. KING HARMER
at all. So that—remembering the circumstance
(a circumstance, by the way, that certainly ought
not to be overlooked in the consideration of the
very extraordinary decision arrived at by the
right hon. baronet the Home Secretary) remem-
bering the circumstance
"
that the person called Mr. KING HARMER" was
accompanied down to
the police court by a noble lord and several mem-
bers of the House of co
iowne
that
are led
conclusion
this
" gentleman of large fortune," in
calling himself
Mr. KING HARMER, is indulging Commons
almost irresistibly to the
in a little
amiable masquerade—is speaking of himself (shall
we say) figuratively. However much of 4. a gentle-
man—of fortune" he may be, he is certainly but a
'
sorry KING of men at the best ; but if a KING,
also a HARMER—remembering all the disgraceful
smashing and crashing that took place at
Cremorne Gardens, when he and his fellows
honoured with their presence that place of public
entertainment. Whatever his name, wherever his
residence—taking his individuality and his social
status all for granted—there was the ratan, there
was the ojeuce—there was proof positive as to " the
man" being well known in this way as an offender,
alai as to " the offence" having been by himself and
his associates a thing not simply of once-in-a-way,
not merely an occasion of yesterday. Taking
everything into consideration. Mr. ARNOLD
decided that the culprit before him (call
him what you please, Mr. KING HARMER or Mr.
THOMAS SNOOKS, a Gentleman, or Anything Else)
was clearly guilty, was obviously culpable, was
quite manifestly a person deserving punishment.