The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-05 00:00:00

RO YA L E NOLISH OPER A, I United States; and that this house, without ex-
CO VENT GARDEN.
Undo.r the management of Miss Louisa Pyne and Mr. Wm.
Harrison, Sole Lessees.
THIS EVENING, THE PURITAN'S DAUGHTER.
Miss Louisa Pyne, Miss Susan Pyne ; Messrs. Santley,
Albyn, Corti, G. Honey, Patey, Lyall, allworth, T. Distin,
E. Dussek, and W. Harrison.
Conductor, Mr. ALFRED MELLON.
To conclude with THE TOY MAKER. Mr. H. Haigh,
G. Pyne ; Mesdames Susan Pyne and Thirlwall,
Commence at Seven o'clock.
The Box-office open from Ten to Five daily. No charge for
bucking, or tees to Box-keepers.
h Murray. Acting- Manager, Mr.
Staze-Manazer, Mr. Leigh
ward Murray.

pressing any opinion upon the points of controversy
between the contending parties, sincerely laments

those who speak the same language and share
their civilisation should be shedding each other's
blood, and desire to offer up a fervent prayer to
the Father of the universe for the speedy restora-
tion of peace."
Soon, however, they were compelled to change
their feeling. The North, calculating on a com-
mercial meanness and injustice but too like its own,
thought we should actively aid them in crushing
'• the rebels." We honourably proclaimed neutra-
lity between the belligerents, and, says the Prime
Minister of Nova Scotia, "From the moment the
QUEEN'S proclamation was issued, announcing the
determination of the Imperial Government to hold
a neutral position between the contending parties,
every newspaper in the United States, not merely
the ' sensation' newspapers of New York, had
breathed nothing but hatred and hostility to Eng-
land; and from that moment the Northern pro-
' vinces had been menaced every hour of the day
that those provinces would be annexed as compen-
sation for the territory they were to lose in the
South. For six months they had thus been menaced,
bullied, and bragged at. Perhaps seven-eighths of
the people in the Northern provinces six months
ago wished the North saccess. Now they felt as
though every man in the provinces had been per-
sonally insulted, and they wished the South success
with all their hearts and souls."

THEATIig-ROYAL, HAYMARKET,
Lessee, Mr. J. B. Backstair.
THIS EVENING, FAMILY JARS. Mr. Compton and
Mrs. E. Fitzwilliam.
To be followed by OUR AMERICAN COUSIN. Lord
Dunlreary, Mr. Si)thern. Mr. Buckstone, Mr. Farren, Mrs.
C. Young',
After which, MY AUNT'S ADVICE. Mr. Howe, Mr.
Sotheran, Nliss Oliver, &c.
To con hide with A KISS IN THE DARK.

Mr, BRIGHT, as counsel for the North, avails
himself of arguments from all quarters. He makes
use of both the argument ad misericordium, and the
argument in terrorem, he appeals both to our pity
and our fears. America—that is, the Fugitive
Slave Law States—are now in distress ; do not add
to their difficulties. But, in a few years these twenty
millions of Freemen will mount up to thirty, and
to fifty millions—beware how you make them angry.
Now, we certainly do not wish to make them angry,
but Mr. BRIGHT would do better if he used his
potent eloquence in rebuking the bullies, like the
Minister SEWARD and the naval Captain WILKES,
on the other side the water. The Ministers who
would make Nova Scotia and Canada tremble with
the prospect of invasion, and an invasion for no
earthly reason, but that the North wants to be com-
pensated for its Southern losses—these are the
really guilty causes of the alienation which Mr.
HOWE so strongly expresses. Mr. BRIGHT says
that only " misrepresentation the most gross, or
calumny the most wicked, could involve in a war a
people with such close ties." True ; but even the
French press bears witness to the wonderful modera-
tion of that of England. It is the American 4th of
July orations, the American press, American Minis-
ters, and American captains, who stir up the
American war feeling against England. We are
exhorted to calmness ; but really we have seen
nothing but what, under the circumstances, must
be considered the most exemplary calmness.
General SCOTT'S letter is right so far as
it goes. There can be little doubt that
Captain WILKES acted on his own responsibility.
He has, it would appear, a character for indiscre-
tion already, and has even been convicted of it by a
court martial in his own country. It strikes us
that it would have looked better, especially if such
men as Captain WILKES are numerous in the
American navy, that general instructions had been
issued to err in the case of neutral vessels in
excess of caution rather than in excess of zeal.
The Government might have been aware that
its dangers were greater from affronting
friendly powers, than from letting pass a cargo
or two, or a prisoner now and then, which it would
be their interest to stop. As to the worthy gentle-
man's argument, that the rebels were really contra-
band of war, all that may be excused in a soldier.
The worthy old man does not touch what strikes
us to be the real gist of the grievance, that a neutral
vessel, taking a rebel, or a belligerent envoy, or
what you please, from one neutral port to
another neutral port, should have her passengers
taken from her. We do not complain of
the stoppage and the inquiry. Captain
WILKES had a right to be satisfied of the character
and destination of the vessel, though that, indeed,
he knew full well. What can never be tolerated
is that, after he knew all about her, he should
think he had any more right to touch a man or
thing on board, than he would have had to seize
the same in the centre of London. We are glad
the old gentleman thinks his country desires to
avoid a quarrel ; she will be mad, if she does not ; but
there is only one means by which it can be pre-
vented—reparation:

Attention was drawn by a morning contempo-
rary, on the recent occasion of the opening of the
Middle Temple Library by the Prince of WALES, that
the time when men became barristers-at-law by means
of eating so many dinners was well nigh over. The
subject of legal education, and the defective state of
it, in the Inns of Court, and the necessity of a com-
pulsory examination for every student previously to
his call to the bar, which was exciting so much
attention about 10 years ago, just at the period of the
closing of our first Great International Exhibition,
has during more recent years gone entirely to sleep.
Men's minds have of late been by far too much
occupied with Crimean Wars, Indian Mutinies,
Volunteer Movements, and last, not least, the Ame-
rican Question, to trouble themselves about legal
education and legal reform generally, to the same
extent to which they did trouble themselves
about it some 10 or 15 years ago. And yet
the subject and necessity of an extended legal
education in our Inns of Court has, instead of
being diminished, increased and multiplied tenfold
in the time—as we are now aboat to shew.
The years 1861 and 1851 exhibit a marked and
striking, not to add a lively, contrast as regards the
system of competitive examinations, and examina-
tions generally. Ten years ago there were no exa-
minations for officers entering her MAJESTY'S ser-
vice, nor for any branch of the civil service, nor for
Indian appointments. All this, it is well known,
has for several years completely changed. For the
last quarter of a century there has been an examina-
tion, which is, and has always been, compulsory for
what is termed the lower branch of the legal pro-
fession. Anal within the last five years prizes have
been awarded and given to the most successful,
most industrious, or most talented, as the case may
be, of the articled clerks. And only this last ses-
sion the Legislature has, through the medium of the
Law Institution, passed a law which will be applic-
able to all men who will be articled after the be-
ginning of the year 1862, enacting that all men
previously to being articled shall undergo an exa-
uination in French, Latin, or Mathematics ; be-
sides having established occasional examinations
in law for young men during their articles. And yet
what is the position of the ILr who pioiess to look
down upon the attorneys and solicitors, not only as
regards their position in life, but also with respect
to their legal knowledge, tosay nothing of their skill ?
Why, that they undergo no compulsory examination
whatever, either before entering as students or be-
fore being called to the Bar. The attorneys and
solicitors are, in
point of fact, looked upon by the
Bar as mere clerks to go about and obtain evidence,
411C1 10 run to and from counsel's chamber after