The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-22 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1841.

Since s e last adverted to the bombardment of
Tangiers, our readers will probably have perused the
interesting private correspondence we have transferred
to our own columns from those of a Morning Contem-
porary, and the account of the affair which has reached
.I,Lorn's through its agency at Gibraltar. In noticing
this correspondence (comprehending letters from officers
on board H.M.S. Warspite, and other vessels), we
must fairly premise that they have afforded us equal
amusement and satisfaction. They demonstrate a
few facts, from which, in cur infinite love of peace,
we now draw more cheering auguries than any we
could indulge in on a recent occasion. For they suggest
reasons for hope—we had almost said, confidence—
that the repose of Europe, and the cause of European
civilization are not about to be violated by the restless
petulance and the reckless turbulence of the French
people, or the weak and wicked connivance of the,
French Government at their offensive demonstra-
strations. These happier anticipations, however, we
derive not frum any improvement in the tone of pub-
lic feeling in France towards this country, so far as
we can collect it from the Paris journals, but we
draw our inferences from the results of the naval
field-day with Hhich the Prince DE JOINVILLE has
lately regaled the powerful squadron under his com-
mand, in the bay of Ta.pgiers.

These results, so feeble, so worthless, so utterly dis-
proportionate to the force employed, must have unde-
ceived the prepossessions even of the Prince DF
JOINVILLE's own overweening vanity. This im-
petuous youth (who could not restrain his ardour
to cut. a figure in the annals of naval bombarding, even
until
his
se
missionreturn of her hineredli3arti.tannic Majesty's Consul
fron and remonstrance on
behalf of our SOVEREIGN to tl'el Emperor of Moaocco,
to horn he had carried the finaly
.demands of the
French Crown) ;—this trirmleonst
Hell as
the.
English force before Tangiers,
tnhe Moorish
authorities an 1 inl atitants of that toasvt-
on the paciflacpppadeja.urstto.
have been all equally relying
ment of pending question,, wherewith Mr.
motan II A Y, Who arrived some three hours after the attack
was known to he charged ;—this Admiral of Franceae
for nine hours battered away at the decaying walls
of a paltry Moorish fortress, without dismounting
half-a dozen t,nns, effecting a single breach, hauling
d ,wn one enemy':; flag, demolishing any one whole
section of the town, or landing a solitary soldier, or
engineer ! The squadron sailed or were towed out of
t ie bay without even the holiday honour
of giving the last shot. Yet the Prince
DE JOINVILLE, who is so terrible on paper
and his shot off so combustible and " ultra-WARNER'
a projectile, in the shape of a pamphlet, at no less an
object than the whole British navy, had under his com-
mand, according to the Revue de' Paris, this over-

whelming armament, viz. :—" Le Suffren, 90 guns
one of the finest ships in the French navy ; Le Jem
mapes, 100/guns ; Le Triton, 80 guns, which, besides
the usual ordnance, contains half a battery of Paix-
hens mortars; La Belle Poule frigate of 60 guns ;
Gassendi steam-corvette, of 220-horse power and
6 guns ; Pluton steam-corvette, 220-horse power, and
6 guns ; Asmodee steam-frigate, 450-horse power
and 20 guns; Rubis, a steamer of 160-horse power
and 6 guns ; and Pandour, brig aviso of 10 guns.
Besides these last five ships," adds the same autho-
rity, " there are four other war steamers." So that
the " various ships and vessels of the squadron form a
total of 378 pieces of ordnance, not including howit-
zers and mortars ala Paixhans. In these ships and
vessels there are altogether 1,200 men, not including,
however, the engineer and artillery companies." The
armament certainly made " a great noise," but not of
that kind which posterity will mistake for renown !
In sober truth—if we may credit the letters alluded to,
as to the mode of taking up his position, the disposi-
tion of his fleet, and the direction in which he opened
his fire, the Prince DE JOINVILLE has still but an in-
d ifferent notion of seamanship ; and if he be but an
indifferent seaman, he is a worse officer in command, and
an absolute "muff" at gunnery. Either he had
better return to the study of his theory of steamer
buccaneering warfare on England, or put himself under
some more able and experienced direction in the appli-
cation of legitimate naval tactics. As for the French
people—if they will not hear reason—if they will not
understand the true character of our European policy,
—if they will not appreciate the generous integrity of
our deportment towards them, but at the instigation,
of a lawless and unprincipled faction, pervert, by the
worst and most unwarrantable constructions, the real
tendencies of all our administrative legislation in its
foreign branches—if they will not plumb the depth
of that tranquil, inherent, British energy and resolu-
tion whose placid surface they affect to consider as
the indication of a national timidity beneath ;—on their
heads be the disastrous consequences of such perversity,
if it tempt them. But we give them credit for abun-
dant sagacity. In virtue of that quality, they will
read clearly enough, we apprehend, the lesson which
the operations of a British armament on the coast of
Syria and these of a French armament on the coast
of Africa, are so well calculated to teach of the com-
parative naval efficiency, vigour and tactics of the two
nations. Our neighbours, we may suppose, will now
scarcely be brought, even by the ludicrous ravings of
the National, to think the Prince DE JoiNviLLE's
meditated crusade against the naval grandeur of
England a very promising one; or its own vaticina-
tions as to her being presently reduced to the rank of
a third-rate maritime power, any other but an effusion
of the most ludricrous bombast.

In these observations, however, we are far from in •
tending any disrespect to the French nation. We an
quite as ready as the Morning Chronicle to render
all honour to the undoubted courage, the spirit,
genius, and enterprise of the French people. But we
cannot concur in those censures of our Contemporary
which it has dealt out so unsparingly against British
naval officers for the freedom of their disparaging
opinions as to the behaviour of the French squadron
off Tangiers, that are -expressed in the " Private
Correspondence " we have alluded to. Surely
it was a matter open to the animadversions
of all the world. Nothing could be more
absolute or unqualified than the principle of "might
is right," on which, in this affair of Tangiers, as in 5(
many other analogous cases of recent occurrence, th(
French Government, or its servants, have rushed
upon the last extremities of hostile demonstration to
carry out the immediate objects of territorial acquisi-
•ion, pecuniary compensations, or political resent
ments they have had in view. Nothing could bt
more offensive and impertinent than the attempted
reflections upon our strength and our honour, th(
wholesale calumnies upon our political and public
morality, the blustering menaces and gas
conading in which—within and, without th(
walls of the two Legislative Chambers, at the
Court, or public theatres, at fetes and festivals—in-
dividuals, private and official, ministerial and opposi-
tionists, ex-ministers, and authors, including the
Prince DE JoINvILLE himself, have indulged, where-
ever England or the English greatness could be mad(
the subject of their malevolence. We have done n(
more than our duty, and acted only as a brave an(
wise people, in not suffering ourselves to be provoke(
by such unworthy fooleries into similar courses, m
still graver acts of excited indignation. But
if we can claim no credit for the abstinence
because we have only smiled at these ebul-
litions of a too exciteable temperament—surely
we are at liberty to laugh at such a ponderous
pantomime as this of Prince DE JOINVILLE, disguise(
is an admiral, popping away at Tangiers for a whole
morning, and popping away again before sunset.
after accomplishing exactly nothing, at a very serious
expense of powder, ball, rockets, coal, and steam
power. Besides, English officers of the navy had
-tome right to quiz a precocious genius who, in mental
reveries, had already achieved so many nautical tri-
umphs between his departure from the coasts of Cen
tral America and his last sailing out from Toulon, a
to have expressed himself in terms of no very higl
respect for their service or themselves. The Prim(
has desired us all to " wait a little and see what he
shall do ;" and a very pretty piece of business he has
made of it.

But shall we learn no lesson from this angry
though ridiculous and most unjust feeling of tht
French public ? Is there no moral to be culled from
the experience of such a fact, as that the French De-
partment of Marine could fit out so promptly and st
creditably such a fine squadron as, all of us muse.
allow, the Prince DE JOINVILLE commanded ? It i:
clear that all their prejudice and illiberality do not
lead the French people or Government so far to un-
dervalue our maritime force and power, as not tt
have induced them to make ample and timely pre-
parations for this or any other such exigency. Wt
read in the Revue des deux Mondes the following an-
nouncement :

" A flotilla of smaller vessels, carrying six, eight, ant
ten guns, and consisting of goelkttes, balancelks, any'
trincadores, and such other light vessels now very sel-
dom used, is to be sent to the Prince ; they are intended
to approach the places to be attacked, whilst the large;
shipi discharge at a distance their bombs and howitzers
Whatever determination the Ministry may come to, the
state of our ports and arsenals is such, now, that thou'
decision can be promptly carried into execution."

We don't doubt it. It is obvious, moreover, that
the Prince's squadron is excellently manned. Now,
having before our eyes this unhappy distortion of
the public mind in France, this rankling sentiment
of towards us, let not our ardent love of
peace—no, nor yet this coup manquee, on flit
part of the Prince, divert our Government, for one
moment, from the solemn, all-important duty o
multiplying and expediting, on our part, all the objects
of naval preparation. Above all, let them apply them-
selves, we repeat (for it is but very recently that we
urged this call upon them), to some such scheme of
encouragement, rewards and provisions, as :shall at
all times ensure the full manning of our ships on any
and every exigency. Let a fair and well digested
system of registration in all our ports be the first
guarantee for the extinction of the odious and dan-
gerous and unconstitutional system of impressment.
Induce and persuade—do not seize and compel—
your sailors to enter the noblest department of their
country's service. Instead of tearing men away,
reluctant victims to your political perils, with arms
and violence from the ties, comforts, and occupations
of their homes, make it their solicitude to enlist
themselves under the banner beneath which BLAKE,
MONK, and SANDWICH, RODNEY, DUNCAN, and
NELSON, ST. VINCENT and EXMOUTH £0 often led
their fathers to victory, over all antagonists. Remove
from them the appalling prospects of an old age of
unrequited service, and physical suffering ; of
aching wounds, unsolaced by national grati-
tude ; of disabled limbs, or declining powers,
unaided by the fostering care of national support.
Give them encouragements at their entry; pre-
miums for stated terms of subsequent good conduct;
honours and medals for distinguished services ;—above
all, be just,
and allot them fair pensions on retirement
for lenzli of service, or wounds, &c., received in the
course of their duty in peace or in war. Let not this
" length of service," so good and proud a title to such
pensions, be made, as
element in it, that the youngestnowsof
saairloran indispensable
on
board—who
severely
have
.erelyhamndoslet signalisedd,andhopelheismf
slyseldisaand been
bled, i 3 most
eluded from this benefit of pension by the necessarily
limited period for which he has served you. But if it
be objected that the public revenue cannot afford such

an extended charge as this scheme of rewards and
provision by pensions would entail, we reply, "Pro-
vide, then, the necessary funds, by cutting down all
unmerited pensions, all idle expenses, now borne
without equivalent or value by the State, for the ad-
vantage of individuals who have no claim upon their
country. Let the sinecures which still support so
many useless scions of the most unproductive branches
of the aristocracy be diverted to the support of your
best, your bravest, and your most efficient servants.
Atone for the neglect of former Governments in the
last two centuries ; and signalise this, by the most wise,
beneficent, and righteous act of public justice, of
national gratitude, which this empire has ever ren-
dered to the promptest and the boldest of its cham-
pions."

The Third Report of the " Commissioners on the
Fine Arts," with Appendix, has just been issued from
.the Printed Vote-office. It is one of the most in-
teresting papers in some respects, one of the most
whimsical in others, which has ever issued from that
officina libellorum. The importance of the objects of
the Commission itself; the valuable articles which
one or two of its members have contributed to the
Appendix now printed ; and the travelling out of in-
structions which characterise one, at least, of the
pieces attached to the Report, combine to give it a
character of peculiar interest, which will not allow of
our dismissing it with a single notice. Before making
any extracts from this remarkable document, how-
ever, we shall recur, for a moment, to the progress of
the magnificent works at Westminster, destined to
comprise the New Houses of Parliament.

When the invitation of the Legislature to the
'architects of Great Britain to furnish designs, plans,
:&c., for the fabric which was to replace the ancient
:edifice which had been destroyed by fire on the night
.of the 16th of October, 1834, had been responded to
::by numerous parties, candidates for the premiums
offered, we were satisfied, at a first inspection of the
drawings exhibited, that, taken as a whole, the eleva-
tions furnished by Mr. BARRY had left the Commis-
sioners scarcely any alternative but that preference
which they had accorded to him over all his competi-
• tors. Among the other designs, however (and we
allude especially to those of DONALDSON, REPTON,
RAILTON, MOCATTA, &c.), there were some which,
in respect of internal arrangements and accommoda-
tion, appeared to us, from an examination of the sec-
tions and ground plans, far more eligible and better
composed than Mr. BARRY'S. The roofs of the pro-
posed Legislative Chambers we thought much more
'characteristic and natural in one or two sets of these
plans than those projected by Mr. BARRY ; and we
found this opinion, to some extent, confirmed by the
First Report of the Commissioners themselves to
whom they were referred, and in a still greater degree
by the critical judgments of many competent profes-
sional authorities, who had taken no part in the con-
test for the work, or the struggle for the premiums.
But when, after being selected as the architect for
the New Palace, the building began to grow into
stately proportions under Mr. BARRY'S superinten-
lence, none of his well-wishers watched their pro-
gress with greater interest or solicitude than our-
'selves. It would be absurd to deny that many faults,
which did not strike the eye in the mere elevations
(carefully, and even pictorially got up, as these had
been), began to develop themselves when brought
out in their full proportions in substantial masonry.
These were, from time to time, incidentally—not un-
kindly—noticed in Parliament. By some recent
letters addressed, probably, by some injudicious
friends of Mr. BARRY, to certain of our Contem-
poraries, we perceive that all objectors and cavillers
run great risk of being very cavalierly dealt with 113
ignorant intermeddlers," " unqualified critics," &c.
And when, some little time since, it became a ques-
tion whether or not a new Westminster-bridge should
be built, and Mr. BARRY subjected himself to a little
legitimate quizzing for the naive simplicity and
egoisme with which he had strenuously urged in a
report of his own, that Parliament should direct the
removal of the existing structure, because, especially,
the span and dimensions of its arches were too large
Ind simple not to overpower and destroy the effect of
the broken lines and diminutive arches of his _N ew
Palace's river front—backing this recommends-
don by other considerations, the validity of which
Ar. WALKER, the engineer, demolished, in a
responsive report, in a few sentences, remark-
ible alike for their strong good sense, and
anruffied good feeling, we were sorry to per-
ceive that Mr. BARRY exhibited some symptoms
of impatience under the criticism he had provoked—
is if his own work was so faultless, or so important,
chat all others ought to give place to it; or his own
Jpinions so infallible, that those of no other men could
with any propriety be alleged against them. But all
„his time it had become apparent that Mr. BARRY had
erred in not giving greater height to an edifice with
so extended a front, and to be flanked by so over-
whelming a tower. The menagerie of heraldic mon-
sters in stone was found to be overcrowded, obtrusive,
werdone—the niches and canopies, and statues of his
enriched wings, pitifully small. Still there was so
much of effect in the general composition of the build-
ing, that it retained a character of gran-
leur and appropriateness, so far as the
works had yet been carried, when Mr. BARRY ven-
tured on a most unheard-of departure from the cer-
tified plans, illustrated and explained by himself, and
settled and confirmed by the approbation and signa-
tures of the Lords' Committees. To whatever foolish
Ind presumptuous suggestions, from whatever quar-
ter, Mr. plumy may have listened, before he al-
lowed himself to be seduced into the costly and un-
meaning excresence of the new gallery conducting
to the robing-room, he has, doubtless, now had lei-
sure to lament his indiscretion. The Lords' Com-
mittees examined him on this point so home, and ex-
?ressed themselves (Lord SUDELEY in particular) in
terms of such significant censure, that we have no
wish to recur to the matter more particularly. But
it is necessary, for the purpose of some remarks we
shall have to offer on matters comprised in the Re-
port now before us, to remind our readers that the
noble personage in question assured the House of
Lords, that by the unauthorised addition to his plan
which Mr. BARRY had thus carried into execution,
he had deprived the interior courts of the New Pa-
lace of the great advantages of light and ventilation
they would have derived from the adoption of
:he original design. Thus the walls of an ex-
crescent gallery, never heard of or contemplated by
their Lordships, or proposed to them by Mr. BARRY,
was proved to have been carried up to the height of
the parapet of the main fabric. All the plea that
Mr. BARRY could offer, to excuse this expensive and
foolish caprice, was that " somebody" had obnervel to
him, with deep regret, that the original design did
not offer sufficient space for fresco paintings and
lecorative enrichments. So, " upon this hint," he
built what might be called " BARRY'S Folly."
'Che Commissioners state in their Report that, " con-
sidering the inexperience even of the best artists in
the practice of fresco-painting, they are satisfied with
the promise of superior skill which has been afforded by
the artists win had contributed for public exhibitien, in
compliance with the invitation embodied in their for-
mer Report specimens of fresco-painting on portable
frames." The Commissioners further propose to
commission six artists, to be selected by them from
among the present exhibitors in Westminster Hall, to
furnish designs, coloured sketches, and specimens "of
this kind for certain subjects proposed by the Corn-
tnissioners to be executed in the House of Lords."
They proceed in these terms :
"Being desirous to give a further opportunity to
artists, other than the above artists, to offer specimens of
their ability in cartoon-drawing and fresco-painting, we
propose to advertise the subjects already referred to for
general competition."
And again—

"We have also humbly to state to your Majesty, that
having invited an exhibition of models fur sculpture, in
order to assist us in the selection of sculptors to be em-
ployed in the Palace at Westminster, and having been
satisfied with the evidence of ability displayed by many
of the exhibitors, we are prepared to recommend the
artists, whose names are contained in a subjoined Report,
as worthy to be employed on such works, to be placed
in the Palace at Westminster, and for such remunera-
tion as may hereafter be determined. At the same time,
we wish to be understood that the selection now made
does not imply the exclusion of other sculptors, whether
they may or may not as yet have submitted to us speci-
mens of their ability.
" We also humbly state to your Majesty that having,
in furtherance of the objects proposed by us in our last
Report, invited artists to submit for our inspection, and
for exhibition, specimens of arabesque-painting, and
likewise specimens of glass-painting, wood-carving, orna-
mental metal-work, and ornamental pavement, accom-
panied by designs ; we have now humbly to state to
your Majesty that the exhibition of such specimens and