The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-02 00:00:00

THE ' §tTN, LOND9N, MONDAY EVE.NTNU, DECTABF.::II 2, IS3I.

of the offenders, upon the proving in each instance

of a second offouce—What if, instead of this, it
were decided next session, by the Legislature,
that duly appointed censors and analysts be em-
powered, and not only empowered, but required
to publish (in any way that might be deemed most
convenient and conspicuous) the names, addresses,
and offences—periodically. Whenever an offence
of adulteration is proved—no matter whether the
first or the second or the fiftieth—whenever the
offence, we repeat, is proved ! Numbering the
offence at the time of publication. Declaring it, for
instance, to be the first offence, or the second, or
thefiftieth, as the case might be. Let such a peri-
odical official, authorised index be ordered by the
Legislature—be held in terrorem over intending
adulterators—and we shall then, but not until
then apparently, have an end put to this disgrace-
ful and systematic aulteration of our food. Let
Mr. SCHOLEFIELD—We earnestly beseech him—
look to it.

One of the "richest" things that we can remem-
ber to have occurred for a long while past any-
where has just transpired in Galway. It is the
upshot of Sir ROBERT PEEL'S flying visit there in
his official capacity as Chief Secretary. Every one
recollects what came of that visit, so far as Sir
ROBERT'S view of the situation of affairs in that
part of Ireland was concerned. The Irish Secre-
tary's opinion of Galway and its belongings was em-
bodied in a phrase, found its most apt and telling
enunciation in a sneer, that was so directly to the
purpose, that it almost seamed to sparkle with the
wit of one of PASQUIN'S epigrams. Sir ROBERT
PEEL—Orange Peel, as some of them are beginning
to regard him in the light of, on the other side of
St. George's Channel, remembering, as they still do
very vividly. that " his father was so before him"--
Sir ROBERT PEEL, fresh from his visit to the would-
be packet-station county, spoke of Galway as having
a " hungry look." A sort of Starved Apothecary
among the Irish shires. The phrase has pierced
the sensitive nerves of Galway, and sticks there
deeply embedded, keenly barbed, cruelly poisoned,
and not very easy, we take it, of extraction. In
common parlance— the taunt has told.

But—how has it told? It is precisely in this that
lies the pith and marrow of the jest. The limes'
Irish correspondent is the witness we shall call
into court to answer the inquiry as to
how Sir ROBERT PEEL'S taunt has told in
Galway upon the more sensitive of the
Galwayites. "The Chief Secretary," he writes,
" has wrought a miracle in Galway, for he has
roused in it the long dormant spirit of indepen-
dence, which everybody thought was dead." The
writer then goes on to say,—" At a meeting of the
Town Commissioners on Thursday, the Rev. P.
DALY, the chairman, announced large donations
for the poor, the result of a spontaneous movement,
which sprang out of the feeling excited by the in-
sulting charges made by the present Secretary of
State. They did not want his aid or his help, or
his charity. If he (Sir ROBERT PEEL) were to
hand him (Father DALY) £5O, he would take upon
himself to return it to him. Galway had, without
Government aid, suppliel the present wants
of the people, and made provision for future
requirements." Now, really, than this we cannot
fancy anything more delightfully droll in its way
as an outburst of Virtuous Indignation. With
reason does the Times' Correspondent observe, drily
and sententioußly, after the above account of these
amusing particulars as to the effect produced in Gal-
way by the recent remarks of the Irish Secretary—
" This is a most satisfactory result of Sir ROBERT
PEEL'S visit." For, in point of fact, the whole pro-
ceeding amounts to this—That so indignant are the
people of Galway at the Chief Secretary's recent re-
marks anent their aspect that actually fur once they
have—helped themselves ! To put the case otherwise
and to reduce it forthwith to its own proper dimen-
sions. They regard Sir ROBERT PEEL'S observation
as so singularly unjust that they have immediately
taken the best possible means directly to justify it !
Father DALY, exulting that—(while Galway has
thus acted—at last—instigated so to act, remember,
by Sir ROBERT PEEL'S very telling, and, as the
event proves, wonderfully beneficial reproach)—
Father DALY, exulting loudly that they have done
admirably well without Government aid of any
kind ! And not only exulting at this, as though it
were something so amazingly creditable under
the circumstances, but pluming himself upon the
fact that if Sir ROBERT were to make a personal
offer of £5O to swell the funds—that £5O would
instantly be returned from the same gene-
rous impulse (there is really no other phrase
for it) of Virtuous Indignation ! Why—of
course : such must be the case. Surely—that is
only what anyone might reasonably have ex-
pected could be done with anything like decency
under the circumstances. To have any other
impulse than that would evidence only the meanest,
the paltriest spirit in the world. It were really,
in fact, the echo again, with a strong brogue upon
it, of Nlavrworm's delicious avowal of humility,
" I likes to be despised."

But for Father DALY we should really and truly
have but a dull time of it, in examining into the
affairs of Galway and the hopes and fears of its
population. He has again—in the most generous
spirit in the world—afforded us the most genuine
amusement. For doing this, we are—with a very
lively sense of obligation—his most obedient, or, as
the French politely express it, with the most dis-
tinguished consideration.