The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-09 00:00:00

doubt that the liberation of the deposed and
imprisoned Ameers of Sinde—the purpose of Lord
Ashley's motion—whatever the justice and humanity
of the motive for the act, would result in years of
war and desolation, and rivers of blood. The ques-
tion is not whether these princes have been justly
dethroned and imprisoned—a matter to be other-
wise decided—but a matter in which we do not
disguise an opinion, that no more than justice has
been done—but whether they are to be let loose to
kindle a new war, for the affliction of mankind.
`We rarely venture to differ from Lord Ashley, but
on this point we cannot agree with him, probably
because we cannot reach his elevation of sentiment
Mr. Roebuck's speech is as characteristic of the
speaker as Lord Ashley's ; this is saying enough of
it. The Member for Bath abundantly villified all of
whom he spoke, reserving as usual his most bitter
reproaches for the people of Englind. We know not
to what country or race Mr. Roebuck belongs,
but we suppose that he is not an Englishman.
The speech of the Premier, however, disposed
of the whole question, by showing the impossibility
that the Parliament could, without risking the most
fatal consequences, undertake to prescribe in the details
of a Government administered at a distance of five or
six thousand miles—or adopting the Dutch mode
of measuring distance, by time—at a distance of three
or four months. There is one passage of the. Right
Hon. Baronet's speech which ought to be care-
fully remembered as often as our Indian policy comes
under consideration—it explains a principle which
some of our readers may remember to• have been
more than once advanced in the Standard:—

" Sir, it is very difficult to act upon abstract
principles, which are applicable to civilised states,
when we have to deal with barbarous states.
In such circumstances abstract principles cannot
be enforced. I think it would not be pos-
sible for us to rigidly adopt such principles with respect
to the States in India as we should be governed by
were we dealing with the States of Europe. Take
the case of Affghanistan for instance, assuming
that it was believed that some unfavourable design
were entertained against our Indian possessions by
Persia or Russia, and that Sinde was to become a party
in that design. Would it be possible for the Go •
vernor-General of India to do his duty to his country
if he did not take such steps as were in his
power to thwart such a 'proceeding, when, by taking
possession of Sinde, or subsidising the troops of that
country, of the taking of such steps as should prevent
the carrying into effect a scheme like that to which I
hare alluded ? If we look at civilised nations when
they come into contact with barbarous ones, we find it
impossible, from some cause or other, inherent to bar-
barous states, to carry out those principles which govern
civilised nations."

The reason of the difference is obvious—law, like
like language, to be understood and observed, must be
ex institute, and it would be as absurd to attempt
dealing with men according to laws of which they
know nothing, as to attempt communicating with
them in a language that they never heard before.
There is, indeed, the moral law, which is common
to our unsophisticated nature ; but if human nature is
unsophisticated anywhere, which we doubt, it certainly
is not so among the princes of India, with whom
cruelty and injustice are in daily practice, successful
falsehood and treachery occasions of pride.
" A stirring life they lead who have such neighbours near."
In dealing with them, treachery may not be retaliated
for treachery ; but all those rights which are allowed
among civilised nations, as resting upon the hypo-
thesis that they will not be perfidiously abused, may be
lawfully withheld from those who will, we know, abuse
them to our injury upon the first convenient opportunity.
According to the proverb, " cords must bind those
whom honour cannot." Hence it happens that a
moral and civilised nation, placed upon the confines
of immoral and uncivilised nations, must, in its
own defence, subdue its neighbours if they do not
enlighten and reform themselves by its example.
Hence it is that Butler, in a passage referred to last
night by Lord Ashley, includes lawful conquest
among the means by which a purely Christian Go-
vernment could ensure universal dominion. The
wise and pious writer saw that in the perverse
nature of man were the seeds of occasion
when conquest might be lawful. Such oc-
casion surely arises when a nation is thrown,
by any cause, into contact with another
which owns no law, and has no respect for truth
or justice. It may be well for the rigid
moralist in politics to avoid the difficulty or
such proximity to evil ; but we doubt whether the
enlightenment and civilisation of the world would
gain by such prudent reserve, and it is certain that we li
can neither withdraw from India, nor maintain our
position there, by a strict observance of the code of pub-
lic law recognised in Europe. Such a strict observance;
indeed, would compel us to a more frequent, and a more
fierce, course of aggression than any British Governor
has ever pursued in the East, and so little would the
native princes gain by it that they would soon have
reason to say—summum jus summa injuria. The
truth islithat in Indian government, and in
all distant governments, where the neigh-
bouring states are uncivilised, the Governor
must act upon his own discretion, according
to circumstances, with little regard to any
fixed rules, and the attempt to fetter him by any,
cannot be otherwise than mischievous. The House
of Commons last night was of that opinion, for it re-
jected the motion for the liberation of the Ameers by
a majority of 202 to 63.

COURSE OF EXCHA.
Amsterdam CF. 12 6
Ditto, at sight
Rotterdam .........2 U l2 6i
Antwerp -25 90
Harnburgh M. B. 13 15
Altona
Paris, 3 days' sigkt ... 25 65
Ditto, 3 months 25 85
Marseilles
Bourdeaux 25 90
Frankfort on Maine 122

I..VGE.—' THIS DAY.)
Gibraltar
Leghorn .... 3O 75
Genoa 25 95
Milan
Venice
Naples 3?
'Palermo, per oz 1181
i I isbon
Oporto fr3
IRio Janeiro 23
Bahia
'Buenos Ayres
New York, 21 days sight
Philadelphia
PRICK OF BULLION, PER OZ.
'Foreign Gold, bars X 3 l 7 9
Portugal Gold Coin.. 3 17 5
New Doubloons 0 0 0
New Dollars. 0 4 94
Silver in Bars... 0 4 11

Petersburgh, 3 Us.: 36i
Berlin 7

Vienna, effec. fl. 3M. 955
Trieste, late ... 9 56
Madrid

Cadiz 36 i
Bilbao ...36

Barcelona

Seville . ...... -

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT
(THIS EVENING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'Clock, but as
there were only 35 Members present the House adjourned
until to-morrow.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'Clock.
The School Teachers' (Ireland) Bill went through
Committee, and was ordered to be read a third time
on Monday next.
AFFAIRS OF SPAIN.

Lord CLARENDON stated that in consequence
of the illness of the Noble Lord, the Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, he should postpone his question on
the state of affairs in Spain until Monday next.
ACTIONS FOR PENALTIES ON GAMING