The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-07 00:00:00

glietntltele-winvhoeornkihawOdenethßinilkl
SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.--The present session promises to be in no
respect inferior to any of its predecessors in the do-little
course of legisTatirer— There has--been • much noise, but
broughtaftertoo forward n
readily—consentedo t l e
measures
ha s been
fintroduced,or
t othe
with-
trhe
to be debated, and withdrawn. Others have been pro-
mised by the Government as an inducement to Mem-
bers- - -
moval of acknowledged evils, which Ministers could
not defend, but had no disposition to remedy. These
drew their measures, on a pledge from the Government, .
that Bills of a comprehensive kind, in which the removal •
of the grievances complained of should be provided for,
were to be forthwith introduced. Week after week
has crept away, but nothing has been heard of these
promised measures. The end was answered. Time
was gained by the promise ; which, like "dicers' oaths," '
were worthless. The evils which brought gain to a few. • -
at the expense of the many; were thus preserved, _
at least 'for another session ; and by some fortu-
nate chance, may even escape the threatened extirpa-
tion altogether. When Lord Worsley drew the atten-
tion of the House of Commons to the disproportionate
amount of fees on summary convictions to the penalties
inflicted for the offences, and from the returns furnished
by order of the House of Commons, established an unan-
swerable case for legislative redress, what was the conduct
of the Government? The evil of the existing system was
admitted: it could neither be denied nor defended. Thd_
notice of the Government having bten directed to the
subject, it had already given directions for a Bill to be ,
prepared to abolish the present, and provide a better
mode of paying the clerks of petty sessions. It was
therefore to be hoped that the Noble Lord who had
brought the question before the House—at whose
instance the returns upon its table had been ordered,
and by which the evil had been exposed—would leave
the matter in the bands of Government, and withdraw
his motion. Lord Worsley yielded to the request. Mr. .
Manners Sutton's bland compliments were irresistible. ,
Lord Worsley did, indeed, venture to ask when the
promised measure might be expected to reach such a .
maturity of preparation as to be in a tangible shape for
the legislative process ? The Hon. Under-Secretary of
State for the Home Department could not exactly say
when. No time would, however, be lost ; certainly
the Bill would be before the House during the present
session. As the session was yet young, there was
some reason to look for a fulfilment of' the pledge, The
matter rested thus till last evening, when the Noble
Lord (Worsley), who had received the promise, "wished
to know from the Right Hon. Baronet when the Bill
would be introduced by the Government for regulating
the fees to magistrates' clerks." Sir J.. Graham, with one
of his sweetest smiles, gave the matter-of-course intima-
tion, that the measure inquired after was precisely in that
hopeful state which rendered all idea of its making its ap •
pearanco during the present session wholly out of the
question :—" The measure was in course of preparation ;
but it was now, he feared, too late to introduoe it, with
any hope of its passing into a law during the present
session. So much for the measure ! I3ut what shall be
said of the faith of Government—of the promise -
which induced Lord Worsley to resign his measure,
which he had prepared with great care and diligence ? The
information contained in the speech by which his Lord-
ship brought the subject before Parliament, had made
so powerful an impression on the House and the coun-
try as to insure the passing of his Bill. The obvious
inference from Mr. Manners Sutton's language was,
that the Government measure would be immediately
introduced. And now, after waiting nearly three
months, the chief of the department comes forward ,
to announce that nothing can be done in the
matter during the present session ; but without de-
signing to tell why—except the old, worn-out official
apology, that at this advanced period of the session it is
"too late" to introduce the promised Bill. Thus " The
Fees to Clerks in Petty Sessions Bill" is added to the
measures which were promised—to be postponed, sine
die—apparently with the hope that they will never be •
again called for ; or if called for, in so faint a tone as to
enable Ministers to avoid fulfilling the pledges they
have given to Parliament and the country respecting
them.
STANDARD.—It would be curious and instructive
to trace the history of the " Socinians' Usurpation Con-
firmation Bill," or, as it is improperly called, the "Dis-
senters' Chapels Bill," which is, as our readers know, to •
come before the House of Commons this evening. The
inquiry of which we speak would be curious, because we
believe that the starting into life, fully armed and
equipped, without any ostensible parent, of a measure of
such deep interest and such vital importance, has no
precedent.. The inquiry would be instructive,
because the process by which these sly imitators of the
cuckoo, the Socinians, have deposited their odious mea-
sure in the hands of the Government, might explain the
contrivances by which they have furtively smuggled them-
selves and their accursed doctrines (the Holy Scripture
calls their doctrine accursed) into so many chapels raised
for Christian worship. Nobodycan believe that the Mi-
nisters, Oppressed as they are with an overwhelming
mass of indispensable public business, and frequently
as they are compelled, in the faithful discharge of their
public duty, to give offence to their friends, have willingly
encumbered themselves with the labour and the odium
of this unjust and hateful measure. That would be, in-
deed, to realise what Sheridan said of the practice of the •
Whigs," to build a wall for thelourpose of knocking their
heads against it." There must have been some misrepre-
sentation, some unwary promise made upon that mis- •
representation, hastily caught up—for the thing is so
completely out,. of the regular sphere of Government
measures, that. we are persuaded, though it were just
and harmless, as it is iniquitous and mischievous, no
Government, unimportuned, would ever think of it
for fifty years. We trust, for the sake of the Mini-
sters, whom we sincerely respect, and whom it is our
most anxious wish to support in all, their measures,
that the true history of the Bill will- he given in
the approaching debate. If the Government has
been entrapped by the crafty and dishonest infidels,
who can only benefit by such a Bill, the ex-
planation of the fraud will at once enable Parliament to
relieve them from all difficulty. The difficulty in which
the Bill involves the Government is indeed a serious one.
It places the Conservative Cabinet, and those who sup.
port it, in open and direct hostility with all their best
friends without exception—with Churchmen of all sec-
tions, Presbyterians, Wesleyans, as well as with Baptists,
Independents, and all other denominations of Chris-
tian Dissenters—the only allies, as respects prin-
ciple, upon whom the Government can count being
the Socinians themselves- and the political Romanists.
This is an unpleasant view of affairs to the many to ho,
like ourselves, wish to see the present Government
strong in the confidence of the country and in the
affections of their countrymen, and not relying altogether
upon the strength of pliant votes secured merely by the
consideration that the only choice lies between the
present Government and a worse Government. Such a
title to office is surely below the pretensions of
her Majesty's present advisers, both from their
character and their talents. What in the world
has her Majesty's Government to do with Socinian
chapels ? Is there nothing else in the law that
requires reform, that they will stumble upon this
unhappy question, on which they must give
to nine-teutlis of the people of the United
Kingdom that kind of offence which is never
forgiven by conscientious men, because it is
believed, and, as we think, rightly believed,
to be an offence against religious truth ? It
was painful to many to be compelled to oppose
Sir Robert Peel's Government upon the factory ques-
tion, and doubtless the consideration which made it
painful to those who opposed the Government upon
the occasion referred to, was the motive that ral-
lied so many supporters to the Ministerial benches
This, however, is a more serious question than the factory
question, either morally or politically considered. Clearly
convinced as a great majority of the nation probably is of
the sinfulness of affording unjust facilities to the pro-
pagation of Socinian doctrines, men cannot com-
promise with conscience themselves upon the point,
or forgive those whom they suspect of making such
compromise. One holding the opinions that are gene-
rally and justly held of the nature and tendency of
Socinian doctrines would no more, upon considerations
of expediency, promote the propagation of these
.doc-
trines, than he would, upon such considerations, join in
the opprobrious vote of the tenth Thertnidor. He re
there is a line which conscientious Christians cannot
pass themselves, and which, if passed by othearss
adwelai
• *th their eyes open, must
berately and with operate
it 1
who pass and
of perpetual separation between those
those who do not.

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS.
CITY, WEDNESDAY EVENI;N:I.
TIMES.—The premium on gold at Paris: is 12 per
mine, which, at the English Mint price of 31. 17s. 100.
per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchangeondonat osfho2:t
453- ; and the exchange at -Paris on London
being 25 50, it follows that gold is 0.18: per cent,
dearer in London than in Paris. .
By advices from Ilamburgh the price of gold is 43:Si
per mark, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 178. 10i .
perounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 1310 i;
and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at short
being 13 10, it follows that gold is 0.11 per cent.
dearer in Hambnrgh than in London.
The course of exchange at New York on London is,
iogi per cent., and the par of exchange between Eng-
land and America being 109 23.40 per cent., it follows
that the exchange is 0.83 per cent. agiiinst England.
But the quoted exchange at New York being for billa
at 60 days' sight, the interest must be deducted from
he above difference.

CHnoxottwrnios.r. -EarimmON.—ln our number
1,4'13 we stated that, in the ensuing summer, the objects
of the Russian expedition will be to determine the differ-
ence of longitude between Altona and Greenwich. The
transits between the two observatories, the difference of
whose meridians is to be determined, have now commenced ;
and our Government has afforded the, expedition every
facility, by the removal of customs and port delays, &c.
Our former notice recorded the triumph of British
chronometrical workmanship, in the instance of Mr.
Dent's chronometers, in competition with others
of all nations. Since then the Emperor of
Russia has been pleased to honour Mr. Dent with a
gold medal, as a reward of merit. We trust that a
similar distinction will attach to him or some other
British chronometer-maker in the present extended ex-
pedition. When completed, the Russian Government
will have determined with a greater number of chrono-
meters than has ever before been simultaaeously used,
the meridian distances between PulkowtaAltoaud,
Greenwich.—Literary Gazette.
THE NEW ROTAL EXCHANGE.—During the last
two days the process of raising the sculptural embellishments,
executed by r. Westmacott for the pediment of the grand
facade,
thehas whole
ep rboecienegd e d
seventeenwith. Tinh The
number,pr nci Is oar
colossale til
personation of Commerce, ten feet in height, and chiselled
out. of solid stone.