The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-07 00:00:00

PRICE OF SUGAR.

The Average Price of Brown-or-Muscovado Sugar, for the
week ending Dec. 3, 1844, is 325. 34c1. per cwt., exclusive
of the Duties of Customs paid or payable thereon on the im-
portation thereof into Great. Britain

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.--Posterity's Plutarch (who will perhaps
look back to a Lord Mayor as a Megalatherion,
which, we may inform our mere English readers,
means a great beast—no longer extant) will perhaps
amuse himself, after the manner of his classical pro •
totype, with drawing a parallel—or rather contrast
between the present Lord Mayor and the pre-
sent Bishop of London. The characteristic effort
of the former exalted functionary seems to make
differences, and the characteristic effort of the latter
(as Sir Peter Laurie says) to split them. If Bishop
Blomfield and Lord Mayor Gibbs both ener-
gised in the same sphere of action, the latter would
bloW up billows for the former to ride up and down
upon. The all-defying soul of Gibbs would complete
what is wanting to the scolding one of Phillpotts.
The Lord Mayor's soul is above scolding, and seems
to find its exclusive satisfaction in assuming attitudes
of defiance on grounds no one else would think tenable.
With such a Primate, the Church would witness the
days of Archbishop Laud back—and something more.
We have not brought these spiritual and secular digni-
taries into mere arbitrary juxtaposition, as our readers
will perceive, it' they turn to the scene in yester-
day's Common Council. The Lord Mayor again ex-
hibited himself in his character—unaccountable, and
immoveable (again too on a matter of finance)—the
juAtum et tenacem propositi virum, on whom the civium
ardor prava jubentium is simply thrown away. If
the Puseyites ever elect a Pope (and for some reason,
best known to themselves, they don't choose to obey
the existing one, whom Mr. Ward nevertheless calls
the " Chief Bishop on Earth," and concerning whose
infallibility Mr. F. Faber cites with approbation the
sentiment of Manzoni—that it is " the main point,
from which the smallest deviation is damnable heresy")
—if, webnay say, the Puseyites ever elect a Pope of
their own—and they seem on the point of doing so—
we should strongly recommend them to take into con-
sideration the unique aptitudes for their purpose of
the present Lord Mayor, when the term of his present
office shall have happily expired.
" Jove in the chair
"Of the skies Lord Mayor,"
was a joke to L( rd Mayor Gibbs in this crowning
year of his astonishing Aldermanship. His "dogmatic
decrees" are just what the Puseyites want—decisions,
namely, which are not to be criticised' or questioned
" without presumption." Any—attempt to get either
an account eran argument from him—in short to
question the infallibility of his sum total, whether
of mind or money—is an attempt not to be enter-
tained or discussed, but to be put down as damnable
heresy.. The scene of yesterday was a specimen of this.
The matter which had been under discussion was
the report made to the Court by their Finance Com-
mittee, to whom had been referred the petition of the
Rev. James Tyler, 8.D., rector of the parish of St.
Giles's-in-the-Fields, praying for pecuniary aid towards
the erection of a new free church in that district,
which was brought up and read.—lt recommended a
grant of 2001. in aid of the undertaking. On the mo-
tion that-the Court agree with the Committee in their
report being put, Sir Peter Laurie made an oration,
in reading which we were tempted to exclaim—" Mon
fine parle, et meme it park bien." It is not, perhaps,
known so universally as, we think, it ought to be, that
Sir Peter Laurie has set his heart upon two things,
as his special earthly mission, and which he looks
upon himself as the honoured instrument destined for
accomplishing. One of them is the taking up of wood
pavement and the other the putting down of
Puseyism. When Sir Peter Laurie shall have accom-
plished both these great works single-handed, he will
sing his Nunc dimittis. There may be more far-
sighted sagacity even than usual in these two enter-
prises, which the City champion of our Protest-
antism and paving-stones is thus carrying on, as it,
were, abreast. If Puseyism and wood-pavements
continue extending themselves concurrently any far.
ther, we are evidently threatened with the double
danger of a revived disposition towards autos da fe,
and of the temptation to celebrate such acts im-
promptu, afforded by wood ready at foot. We must
refer our readers to Sir Peter Laurie's own words for
a full estimate of his wisdom, only remarking that we
.have, for once, the satisfaction in a good measure of
agreeing with him. But Lord Mayor Gibbs's last
-pew exhibition of infallibility was the immediate sub-
ject.of our notice. After some discussion on the mo-
tion for agreeing to the report—
" The 'Lord Mayor, after referring to the original
petition and to:•the terms of the report, and conferring
upon them with the Recorder, stated that the report not
being hi accordance with, the reference, it must fall to the
ground, as the question could not be put.
" A stormy scene here ensueitt. in which it was con-
tended by Mr. Wire and several others, that it was for
the Court to judge of the fact whether or not the report
accorded with the terms of the reference, and that the
Court would surrender its privileges if it submitted in
such a matter to the dictum of the Lord Mayor.
" A scene of great confusion prevailed, but
"The Lord Mayor persisted in his decision, and called
for the next order on the paper to be taken, upon which
" Mr. De Jersey moved that the Court do now ad-

journ.
" On this motion a division took place, when there
appeared—For the adjournment, 38 ; against it, 31 ;
majority 7.
" The Lord Mayor then retired with the other autho-
rities, but
" Mr.- W. H. Ashurst called upon the members to
remain, as he main taiad the privilege of the Court had
been invaded by the decision at which the Lord Mayor
had arrived."
A large body remained accordingly, and agreed to
a resolution Cu the effect. that " It is the opinion of
this meeting that the ruling of the Lord Mayor on
the discussion 0f the report of the Finance Com-
mittee, touching the grant of 2001. to the new free
church in St. Giles's-in-the-Fields, is subversive of
the rights of free discussion, and interferes with the
privileges of the Court of Common Council.". It is
clear the magnanimous breast of Gibbs confronts a
world .vvhich is not worthy of him. It is equally
clear the Press should vote him a piece of plate—we
forbear to say what Metal. At this dull season, the
Fourth Estate owe him a deep debt of gratitude.