The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-05 00:00:00

THE
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SAr r D A y
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irmi

the uncertainty as to the time at which such telegrams I
reach the Foreign-office, and the impossibility, when 1
they arrive either in the night or out of office hours, of
immediately making so many copies of them as would
be required for supplying the information separately to
the papers and telegraph offices ; and the consequent
probability that the papers and the public might be dis-
appointed in obtaining early communication of intelli-
gence from India received by her Majesty's Govern.
ment.
"But, simultaneously with sending the manuscript to
the Times Office notice of the arrival of the telegram
will be sent to The Sun.

"Foreign-office, Sept. 4, 1857."
A similar arrangement was formerly adopted
for a brief period, and it elicited such an
all but unanimous expression of disapprobation
from journals of all shades and varieties of poli-
tical opinions, that it was forthwith abandoned by
the Government. As might easily be expected,
the Times did not by any means hurry itself.
The despatch remained until a new edition
was ready for publication, and the pro-
mised copies were not transmitted to other
journals until the Sunday newsvendors' boys
were howling at the top of their respective
voices—" third edition of the Times—new and
important despatches from the Crime►."
The Jupiter Tonans of Printing-house Square
was, of course, contented. It would under-
take the Government on a pinch, and be prepared
to assume functions as multifarious as even Lord
JOHN RUSSELL himself, according to the estimate
of the late SYDNEY SMITH. But the question is,
whether the community at large- will be contented
with such a monopoly? Whether it will not earnestly
protest against a system which, without any adequate
cause, may delay the publication of the most
vitally important accounts in many districts for
some 12 or even 24 hours. It is quite obvious
that if the system announced by the foregoing
letter had been in operation on the 12th August,
there would have been very great and unneces-
sary delay.

The Times never publishes an edition at so late
an hour as 5.30 p.m. ; and even if it did it would
not be heard of in the country. Our subscribers
know that they may rely on obtaining the latest
news up to the post hour, and they seek nothing
else. The Sun was received by the morning de-
livery in almost every part of England, and at
many railway stations, the same evening, where
the Times, or any other morning journal, could
not be seen for many hours subsequently. It is
the new rule, then, that may "occasion public dis-
appointment in obtaining early communication of
intelligence from India received by her MAJESTY'S
Government."
The pretexts resorted to are so palpably nnten-

able that it scarcely requires argument to ex-

pose their absurdity. The impossibility of
making so many copies as would be required
for supplying the information separately to
the papers and telegraphic offices is hinted
at. Why, what can be the meaning of this
twaddle. Has Lord CLARENDON, or any of
his subordinates, ever heard of " the Copying
Machine ?" Can he or they have any con

ception of the time required to multiply the
copies? Is "flimsy" utterly unknown in
Downing-street ? If so, they must be even

behind the Admiralty itself, for we have received
many communications in that mode from the
naval department. The attendance of many
" Peter Dicks," would not, therefore, be re-
quired. All that could be required would, with
proper material, be prepared in less than one
minute from the time that the original docain ent
for Printing-house Square was completed.
Now, we may remind our readers that in going

to the Times office, the messenger who is " to
give notice of the arrival of the telegram,"
must pass the offices of The Sint, th 0
Globe, the Morning Post, the Morning
Herald, the Morning Chronicle, the Daily
News, the Morning Advertiser, the Stand-

ard, and several others. It would occasion

a considerable loss of time for each of these
journals to send special messengers to Printing-
house-square, and to wait until the delivery of
the promised copy ; and if they do not do so they
will have to wait long enough, particularly at the
critical hour when the mail is making up.

Besides a very important class of our
contemporaries, the Sunday journalg, will
ba altogether excluded. If the news should
arrive at a late hour on Saturday, their
readers will hear nothing of it until the
following week. Now it is but justice to say that
that they are entitled to more courteous treatment,
not only on account of the overwhelming number
of their readers, and the magnitude of their cir-
culation, but from the excellence of their manage-
ment, and the soundness of the principles which,
generally speaking, they advocate. We respect
our weekly contemporaries, and would not calmly
witness so great a slight on them, and the
millions for whom they are so peculiarly

adapted. We trust, then, that they in common
with the daily press will take up the case and con-
demn the new rule, nominally adopted for the
purpose of saving trouble to the _clerks of the
Foreign-office, but really for the purpose of afford-
ing a monopoly to thelTimes, We unhesitatingly
repeat that the public despatches are the pro-
perty of the nation, and that they should be given
to all who can make them available without fear,
favour, or affection. The only interest that
should be looked to is that of the people, and the
Minister that acts differently is unworthy of his
high position.

The promised Reform Bill of 1858 has a pros-
' pect, we fear, of being shelved by our Asiatic
difficulties. There is a possibility, if not a pro-
bability, of thislindy that ought to be looked at
boldly, and talked of plainly, and examined into
scrutinisingly. And all this—betimes. Other-
wise we shall most certainly run a very great
risk of finding another session of the new Reform
Parliament frittered away without yielding us any
material advantages in the way of internal im-
provement. Recollect what is actually the case in
regard to the session just completed—,that the one
"precious boon" of that session is the Divorce
Bill 1 An enactment that may be described as
constituting, to all intents and purposes, the be-
ginning, the middle, and the end (for this 20. h
21st of VICTORIA) of our grand legislative achieve-
ments. After which we are naturally enough
fain to ask, What nex, and next ? according t)
the phrase of the poor snuffed-out and extinguished
ex-member for Haddonfield. Another matrimo-
nial cautery cannot possibly-, during two years in
succession, absorb the attention of the nuu!titude
—and satisfy it—somewhat upon the old prin-
ciple, literally driven to death, by ST. JOIIN LONG,
that of counter-irritation. Once in a way the
4Pterri may prove successful, as it has done
vtitY recently in both Houses of Parliament. But
"Hansard" requires more variety in its themes,
a more wholesome administration of Dings with
S iyings, than can be
anywhere found iu the re-
cord of the last quarter's
discussions within the
walls of the Legislature.

However much, therefore, a Mi
n;
-I —or, ....LIMERSTON
may calculate upon the distractinc, influence
of the Wars in Asia as affordi him the
chanc3 of another delightful opportunity fur
a fresh Put Off for that obnoxious Necessity
(sooner or later) called a Reform Bill—we do not
think so meanly of the present House of Com-
monsas to imagine for an instant that the majo-

rity of it will consent without a murmur, or rather
at the very least without some show of restiveness,
to the prospect of a second tricky evasion ! Even
a new divorce measure won't do in the way of
compensation. If we can't hope this time to get
" The Bill, the whole Bill, and nothing but the
Bill"—at any rate we mnst try and get a bit of
it. We must make a dash for it, at last, even at
the hazard of finding we have snatched at the
shadow rather than at the substance.

Warlike difficulties have been too long accepted
as constituting sufficient excuse for our adminis-
trators refraining from even an attempt at inter-
nal legislative improvement. We must waken
at last from this frivolous subjection to a sophis-
try so manifestly illogical. It is simply prepos-
terous to argue that because we are at war, there-
fore we must forego for a while (as long, indeed,
as that war may chance to continue), even the
hope of our social, political, or commercial ad-
vancement. This is really tantamount to saying
that the war department embraces within it all
the other departments of our administration ; and
that beca.use the energies of our military authori-
ties at the Horse Guards and at the Ordnance
were, in a manner, absorbed a year or two ago in
the events then transpiring in the Crimea, a tem-
porary paralysis necessarily fell at the same time
upon the Home Secretary and the Colonial Secre-
tary, and all the other members of our motley
system, not immediately or directly implicated in
the struggle then going on before the walls of
Sebastopol. It is the simplest mockery ima-
ginable this evasion of duty upon the plea
of preoccupation. The preoccupation being
all the while departmental ! The duty being
at the same moment at once imperative and in-
alienable.

There is no doubt whatever, of course, that we
have a tolerably clear prospect of baying a great
deal to do in 1858 at the opposite extremity of
the eastern hemisphere—in consequence of all
our Asiatic complications. Not a doubt of it.
We take the truth of this to be universally ad-
mitted. There is Persia scarcely brought under
submission. There is India requiring to be dealt
with rigorously and energetically. There is China,
which will have to be reasoned with by the logic
of bayonet and. cannon-ball immediately after-
wards. Enough and to spare, certainly, for one
year in the way of warlike collisions—even sup-
posing the lapse of time in the interim brings
about no supplementary complications elsewhere.
Yet—while acknowledging all this at once, and as
a matter of course—we do assuredly conceive, at
the same time, that the manifestation of military
and maritime energy need not be regarded as
incompatible with the evidence of a no less deter-
mined resolution in other departments of the Go-
vernment. For example, Sir B. HALL has accus-
tomed us to look for such a continuous dis-
play of vigour in his department that we
count upon the office of Public Works yielding us
in 1858 no appreciable disappointment—the In-
dian and Chinese wars to the contrary notwith-
standing ! As with that department, so with the
others. As with Public Works, so with Reform.
The country has the right to look, even at these
crises, for no such wholesale disappointments.
Reformers, therefore, we maintain, should be on
the alert—lest, again, upon a most irrelevant and
inadequate plea, they should be deprived of an-
ther entire session. It behoves them to be pre-
pared by anticipation, otherwise they will inevi•
tably, when too late, find slipping from their
grasp—eel-like or sand-like—another golden
opportunity. " Nothing venture, nothing have"
—it is a trite proverb, of course, but the truest
proverbs are often the tritest ; and remember,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S admirable definition of
what a proverb is—" The wisdom of many and
the wit of one !" To enjoy the hope of even a
modicum of reform, let us, at least, try to obtain
it. Rather than content ourselves with sitting
down quietly for another while, cross-legged and
with arms folded, let us, at any rate, be up and
doing ! While our gallant fellows are fighting
the good fight in Asia, let us at home here bo
fighting the good fight too, for them and for our-
selves.

LATEST NE WS;

PARIS, SEPT. 5.
The King of Wurtemberg has quitted Biarritz
to return to his capital.
It now appears certain that the Emperor and
Empress of the French have resolved to return
the King's visit, and that their Imperial Majes-
ties are expected at Stuttgardt on the 25th of
this month.

From that place the Emperor of Russia will
have gone to Baden to rejoin the Empress Maria.
Both will remain at Baden from the 20th to the
24th, and arrive at Stuttgardt on the latter day,
where they will stay till the 28th.
It may, therefore, be looked upon as positive
that the interview between the two Emperors will
take place at Stuttgardt.

The most perfect understanding exists between
the French and English Governments on the sub-
ject of China. If the Court of Pekin does not
give immediate satisfaction to Lord Elgin, war
against the Celestial Empire will be declared
simultaneously by the two Governments..

Intelligence has been received from:Constanti-
nople to the 29th ult. The Sultan was about to
send an envoy to Spain to consolidate his-relations
with that power. Nothing new had taken place
concerning the principalities. From Palestine the
intelligence was not satisfactory, as disorder was
increasing. At Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarch
was so menaced that he bad tendered his resigna-
tion. The consul of France had interfered.
Throughout Syria nothing was hoards but threat s
against the Christians."

AMERICA.
(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

SOUTHAMPTON, SATURDAY MORNING.

The European and American Company's steam-
ship Argo, Captain Benson, has arrived at Cowes,
and proceeded on to London.
She left New York on the 19th ult. at 3.30
p.m., and her news has been anticipated. She
has had strong easterly winds.
The Argo brings 104 passengers for South-
ampton, London, and Havre, and 83 for Bremen.
Her cargo consists of 1,000 tons of general mer-
chandise for London and Bremen, and 20,000
doll. in specie.

Spoke August 25th, in lat. 43 N., long. 53
W., the Achilles, of Philadelphia, for London ;
September 23, in lat. 47 N., long. 16 W., Nor-
Wester, of Baltimore, steaming east ; September
3d, in lat. 48 40 N., long. 10 W., Louise Bri-
gandon, [from Valparaiso, fur Liverpool, and
Seraphina, bound east.