The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-26 00:00:00

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LONDON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1850.

An interesting ceremony took place yest erday at
Southampton, in the welcome accorded to Viscount
GOITGII by its inhabitants on the occasion of the re-
turn of that distinguished veteran to his native
country. Before making any further allusion, how-
ever, to this occurrence, we cannot refrain from com-
menting upon the very absurd and disgraceful pro-
ceedings of the Mayor and Borough Council of
Southampton. Their conduct is only a new and
flagrant evidence of the ridiculons fanaticism engen-
dered by that greatest humbug of the age—the Peace
Society. It will, doubtless, have been already ob-
served by the majority of our readers that the mem-
bers of the Town-council of Southampton re-
fused to vote a congratulatory address to,
Lord GOUGH, and his gallant companions
on their arrival on the shores of England
simply on the plea that these same municipal
wiseacres are opposed to Hero- Worship ! To
Hero-Worship ! Why, if the proffering of an
ordinary mark of respect to a man who has done
great service, and good service, to his country be
herc-worship, then do we trust that not only we our-
selves, but the vast multitude of Englishmen likewise,
are in heart and disposition also Hero-Worshippers.
We have no adequate language in which to designate
by words sufficiently contemptuous this wretched
affectation of wisdom and moralily. Let the town,
councillors of Southampton felicitate themselves on
the knowledge that they are objects of derision to
every right-thinking man throughout the United
Kingdom.

It must have been a source of peculiar gratifica-
tion to the veteran soldier of Goojerat, that the
welcome accorded to him yesterday, at Southampton,
was the result of no mere municipal formality, but
the spontaneous ebullition of the sentiments enter-
tained
,by tLe more 103 al and patriotic among its
inhabitants. After nearly sixty years severe and
continuous service in the armies of England, it
must have proved inexpressibly consolatory
to return homewards cheered by the ap-
plause of his fellow-countrymen, and sustaiced by
the knowledge of having previously acquired the
commendations of the Parliament and the approval of
his SOVEREIGN. A life thus drawing towards its
close, amidst the universal respect of a whole nation,
one might imagine would have been spared the petty
insults of a provincial municipality. However that
may be, it is certain that notwithstanding the opposi-
tion of a few narrow• minded hypocrites, the recep-
tion accorded to the noble soldier, both at Southamp-
ton snd in the metropolis, could not, by any
possibility, have been more earnest and enthu,
siastic. Nor was the young and gediant
hero of the Punjaub overlooked by those who hastened
to welcome the ex-Commander-in-Chief of the Bri-
tish Indian army. Attention was fixed with no small
degree of interest upon the heroic soldier whose
genius and bravery had been mainly instrumental in
suppressing the revolt among the Seikhs, and in
leading to that series of victories which terminated
at last in the acquisition of the country of the five
rivers—thereby extending our Asiatic possessions
from the extreme southern to the extreme northern
limits of Hindostan.

We doubt not that suitable marks of popular ap-
probation will be accorded both to Lord GOCGII and
to Afjor EDWARDE3, not only by the multitude
themselves, not only by the military profession and
the metropolitan municipality, but in like manner by
our Gracious Sov.aumox. Besides the admission of
these illustrious soldiers to an audience with the
QUEEN, and the reception accorded to Lord Got:on
on the occasion of his first entrance into the House of
Peers, we doubt
not that tokens of the ge-
neral admiration entertained througheut these
Wands in regard to their conduct will be
given in -the customary f,rm of public enter-
tainments. Such is our here-ivor;:hip that we would
see all posSible honour paid to those who, whether by
their hands, their voice, or their intellect, do good
and true service to their fatherland. We would even
witness this manifestation of homage for the more il-
lustrious citizens of. our empire, because of all the
spectacles that can be presented to contemplation we
conceive that none is so odious and melancholy