The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-31 00:00:00

rRE SUN, LONDON, rUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 31, 1857,

I auspices of the Ex-Member for the West Riding—
tke Factious Combination—no, we must talk
politely and not by any means call things by their
right names—the " Fortuitous Concurrence."
That's the correct phrase, we believe--Well, the
" Fortuitous Concurrence" has drawn down upon
itself a rather summary vengeance, it must be
allowed. Fifty-three of its " atoms" being al-
ready scattered to the winds !

Among those fifty-three, we would especially
direct attention to eight expelled Liberals whose
names are here immediately subjoined :

Mr. RICHARD COBDEN.
Mr. W. J. Fox.
Mr. MILNER GIBSON.
Mr. AUSTIN LA YARD.
Mr. EDWARD MIALL.
Mr. J. P. MIIRROUGH.
Mr. J. G. PHILLIMORE.
Captain SCOBELL.
Rejected Liberals, perverse and orotchetty Re-
formers, who have so often of late shown them-
selves to be so entirely unworthy of reliance, that
they have at length provoked, by their fitful and
flagrant inconsistency, the stern and deliberate
condemnation of eight Liberal Constituencies.
The Constituencies who have thus nobly vindi-
cated themselves from any participation in the
blame of these same monstrous inconsistencies
being no other than the following :

Aylesbury. Leominster.
Bath. Manchester.
Bridport. Oldham.
Huddersfield. Rochdale.
Honour say we to those true-hearted and tho-
roughly English Constituencies I They have de-
served well of their brother electors throughout
the country. They have "Put Down" some
half-dozen at least of the more conspicuous of
those self-sufficient crotchet-mongers who have
been the Marplots during the last few sessions of
the great national cause of progressive improve-
ment.

Does any one recollect, by the way, Punch's
whimsical sketch some time ago of the Ex-Member
for the West Riding the Rejected of Hud-
dersfield—clapping an extinguisher upon his
head that strange descending headpiece being
inscribed, after the title of Mr. COBDEN'S
own pamphlet—" What next—and next ?" That
Next, Mr. COBDEN ! The actual realisation of the
fancy of the cruel caricaturist ! It fits well—
that Extinguisher ! To a hair—to admiration !
As naturally and inevitably in its way as the
Crown of CHARLEMAGNE fitted the head of NAPO-
LEON the Great. Aud now that Mr. COBDEN is so
well suited in that way—let us recall to mind, for
a moment, what he said among other equally
sagacious things in his Address to the Electors of
Huddersfield. He boasted to them that ho had
among the supporters of his Motion—Fox, and
MIALL, and LAYARD, and PELLATT, and THOMAS
BARING ! Well—Fox, and MIALL, and LAYARD,
and PELLATT, and THOMAS BARING, and Mr.
COBDEN himself, and his Seconder, and forty-six
others besides, have all of them in rapid succes-
sion fallen into tin shade in consequence ! Clever
—isn't it ? Wonderfully sagacious I A DANIEL
—yea, a DANIEL come to judgment !

Lord PALMERSTON will no longer have any
excuse for not bringing forward—not six or seven,
or a dozen, measures—but such measures, be-
ginning with one or two of great importance, as
shall show that Ministers are truly Reformers, and
that nothing but the too finely-balanced state of
parties has hitherto cooled their ardour. So says
Lord J. RUSSELL, and he is unquestionably a high
authority on such a point. With charming
naiveté, he acknowledges that ho llas availed him-
self of that excuse and that Lord PAMERSTON
has been equally willing to follow the valuable
precedent thus established. It certainly does not
speak very highly for the enthusiasm, or even
the sincerity of either of these Noble Lords. But
it forcibly illustrates the system. Nothing will
be granted that can bo rejected or even postponed.
The " policy of abstention," as it has been eupho-
niously termed, or the " do-nothing dodge," as it
has been styled in more homely, but no leas ex-
pressive terms, is that which every Minister keeps
in view. It is of comparatively trivial importance
who may be placed at the head of affairs, unless
he be stimulated onwards in the path of Reform.
The Tadpoles and Tapers—the collective red-
tapary—would be astounded at any voluntary
offering. To give only what is imperatively re-
quired—and as little of that as practicable—
is the golden rule by which every official regu.
lates his proceedings. It is the guiding principle
of the " Ins." The " Outs" are differently cir-
cumstanced. They must offer something really bene-
ficial to the country if they desire to change their
positions; but their rule is to " buy in the cheapest
market," to make the smallest possible bidding
that may suffice to achieve their object.
It is thus that the most extensive Reforms
have been the fruits of a protracted absence from
office by the Whig party. It took a series of
years to bring them up to the mark sea far as the
modern Mag,sa Chcerta was concerned, and " Lord
JOHN" occupied the Opposition benches, more
than four years before he could discover the itn-
policy and injustice of the iniquitous bread tax.
Now again, we may hope for his aid, in-
asmuch as he has discovered that something
must be done to regain his forfeited popu-
larity : "Sweet are the uses of adversity.''
The Noble Lord has received a salutary
although painful lesson, which will, we trust, re-
main permanently fixed in his mind. He has still
a locus pcnitenticP, and we shall not despair of
seeing him once more shaking off his cautious
doubts and becoming a leader amongst Reformers.
We have elsewhere given him a useful hint on
the subject of " the Ballot," by which he may
profit. Let him take it to heart, and if he offers
something worthy of the glorious cause, and of
his quondam, reputation, his backslidings may be
forgiven, and he may once more be received with
open arms by those whom he so long abandoned.

We trust, however, that the Noble Lord
may carry the general principles, so bold!y
enunciated in the hour of triumph, into

practical operation.

We cannot, however,

forget that no intim uttered " prayer 'or&"
during the late war, while but few were prepared

to make such extensive concessionkto Germanism

Ha now declares that " he trusts to see the edifice

of religious liberty perfected." Will lie press for-

ward the Jews Enfranchisement Ball and the

Marriages Affinity Bill in such a manner as to

permit no excuse for their rejection? If any
decided collision takes place, the Lords must
yield. There are constitutional modes of en-
forcing their assent. But no attempt has
hitherto been made to turn the screw, and
ohtlin t'ne benefit of a little yentl6 Coercion. Ho
also horws " to P.0.'3 free trade completed by the
' abolition of some obnoxious duties." But surely
no man knows better than himself that the great
desicieriltuna cannot be achieved save by the adop-
tionjudicious and well-regulated system of
irl
et oj taxation,
astinn
t 0 f t
or, in other words, by the equit-
ab he Income Tax. In the begin-
ningof 1/43 he indicated in his capacityas Miuiste-

rialLeaderof the representativobranchof th© Legis.-
lature a speedy soltitii.m of the important problem.

But he permitted the well-founded expectations of
the people to be frustrated, and was a consenting
party to the GLADSTONE " dodge," that promised
the abolition of the impost in 1860, although
that abolition would be fatal to the removal of
obnoxious. duties Lord JOHN RUSSELL must
ponder over these matters. He has a glorious
opportunity before him ; but if it be neglected or
misapplied his case will be irredeemable ; he neve,
can again retrieve the position from which he
has fallen.

There is another " fair penitent", before the
country. Lard ROBERT GROSVENOR is repent-
ing in sackcloth and ashes the grievous mistakes
committed on the Chinese question, and the at-
tempted legislation for the "bitter observance."
Tie tries to show that he was deceived on the
latter question, and promise, like a naughty
child, that, if forgiven, he will not do so any more.
He confessed that he should have a species of
courage amounting to foolhardiness if

he again sought to bring in such a
bill. But he gave no pledge that
he would vote against such a measure, or that his
views were really changed on the point ; and he
also spoke decisively against " the Ballot," which
ought to be the great "Shibboleth" of the Par-
liamentary Reformer's Creed. We'll have none
of Lord ROBERT GROSVENOR. He ought not to
be the man for the Great Metropolitan County.
Surely some sincere Liberal, who would allow the
poor man the enjoyment of his Sabbath, might
be obtained. We are well aware of the enor:l
mous expenses attendant on a contest for Middle-
sex. But surely some one may be induced to
oome forward even at the eleventh hour to
rescue the county from such hands. The
electors ought if necessary to purchase their
own independence, and not sacrifice great
principles for paltry considerations of J.L. S. D.
Lord ROBERT GROSVENOR has a very long purse.
He hasalso a hi,gh title, but we can discover no other
qualification. TIANBURY is a suitable candidate,
but we confess we cannot approve of the Coalition
that has been formed, and which savours strongly
of a private arrangement for the over throw of the
independence of Middlesex.

We noticed the other day Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S
apology, by proxy, for his anti-Ballot answers.
It is an unmistakeable sign of the times. Not a
sign that Lord JOHN RUSSELL will endorse his
brother's liberal hints and interpretations. Lord
JOHN has managed too cleverly for that. He has
managed to have the bill accepted by Lord C. J. F.
RUSSELL, made payable at Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S
—and the advocates of the Ballot will find
" effects" there or not, just according to the ad
vantage or disadvantage to the Noble Lord him:
self of honouring the bill. Nothing is more cer-
tain, however, than that at this election the friends
of the Ballot have most generously made large
deposits with his Lordship. Without the votes
of those who claim the Ballot, Lord JOHN RUSSELL
would have been in the position of Mr. R LIKES
CURRIE. So changed are the times, that Lord Jon N
could not have been member for London without
the votes which his brother did his best to procure
for him. It is this fact of which the paternal
Speech was the sign ; and the mind of electors on
the question is of far mere consequence than the
mind of a Lord, even of suck a Lord as the
" fruit of the BEDFORD family."
There is one of the stock arguments of professed
Liberals which always rouses our indignation, and
which we are ashamed of Lord JOHN RUSSELL for
reproducing this time. Far better, like the Cana-
dian judge, have given his opinion without his
reasons. The very obstinacy of a lord is more re-
spectable than his hypocritical arguments. Who
believes for a moment that Lord JOHN RUSSELL
believes in the argument we allude to ? That
" the electors are but one in six or seven of the
adult public, and that therefore the six or seven
ought to know how the one votes." We affirm
that this is pure cant—or if it be more respect-
able, at least but special pleading. Those who
use this argument, and none more so than the new
First Member for London, know that there is lite-
rally nothing in it. With scarcely a solitary ex-
ception, the one elector cares not a straw what the
six non-electors think of his vote. What harm
can they do him ? What bribe can they offer him ?
What influence can they bring to bear upon him ?
We will own that we once heard of a fifth-rate
manufacturing town where the "mill-hands" threat-
ened nut to deal with shopkeepers who did not vote
for the advocate of the -Ballot and all the other
points of the Charter ; but we never heard of a
single other place in which the non-electors had
the smallest weight with the electors. They there-
fore could lose nothing by the present voters ob-
taining entire independence.
But what we hate most of all in this detestable
cant is, the pharasaical ostentation of generosity
to the non-electors, covering the grossest arist i-
cratic selfishness. Why, if it was really wished
that these tenderly-cared-for non-electors should
influence the formation of the House of Commons,
not give them votes to do it in a straightforward
manner? The poor outcasts of the constitution
are put forward, but it is those who fare sumptu-
ously under it that are the real objects of concern.
" Do not deprive the half-dozen labourers of some
honest farmers of the privilege of knowing how
their master votes 1" As if the labourers ever
thought or cared about it ; or as if any anti-
ballot lord cared a straw about the farmer's vote
being public to any one but his landlord. And so
the shopkeepers' poor customers, the master
builders' workmen, and all other of the employed
class, are paraded as those in compassion to whom
the present voters may not be emancipated ! As
if, again, the carriage customer, and the gentry
who give their orders to the employers, were not
the only parties who could influence their votes•
We thoroughly believe that all the arguments
against the Ballot now in vogue amongst the
aristocracy are but special pleading for a foregone
conclusion, but this wretched argument of the
non-electors' interest is but impudent plaice
pharasaistn.

We repeat---if you wish to have non-electors to
have influence give it them. The friends of the
Ballot all wish it. Every elector who demands
the Ballot will, almost to a certainty, be found
demanding a large extension of the Suffrage also ;

rate book suffrage at least, perhaps household or

universal suffrage. The advocates of the Ballo

are not th© men who resist the enfranchisetnen

of their fellow citizens, fell*/ tax payers, and
fellow subjects. The opponents of the Ballot are
the opposite of extended suffrage also. Occasion-

ally, indeed, as in Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S last

Reform Bill, they may sum willing to enlarge the
electoral con3',itueney, hat ex wnine their

schemes, anal you invariably find that they
devised a, cleverly-modalattid ext3nsicn, by which

the non-electors gain little or nothing, because 01

who are or become electors will remain as exposed
as before to the power of the local constituency.
We see some hope, however, that Mr. BERKF
LEY will have better support than ever in the
new Parliament. No article of the Reformer's

creed has obtained more notice, favourable notice
frequently, on the hustings than the Ballot.
Many have had to swallow it who evidently do
not quite relish it. In other cases the candidat©

felt his position the stronger because ho was pre-
viously known to be a friend to perfectly free
voting. We do not believe any Reform Bill will
excite popular enthusiasm which does not compre-
hend the Ballot amongst its provisions. We are
equally 'confident that the people would never let
the Minister fail, that they would force both
Houses to accept a measure in which the Ballot
was an essential feature. The Ballot, in fact, must
be the essence of the next great Reform Bill.

LATEST N E WS.

THE INDIA MAIL.

TUESDAY MORNING.
We have been favoured with the following tele-
graphic despatch :

"The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
Company's steam ship Valetta, with the India and
China mails from Alexandria, arrived at Marseilles
at 7 a.m. this day, the 31st inst.
"The mails were to leave for London at 10
a.m.

AMERICA.

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY EVENING.

The steam-ship Kangaroo, with one day's later
dates from New York than the Persia, passed Cork
to-day, and is due in the Mersey about noon to-

biet here has already brought up its report on the
Sound Dues Treaty, and bath of them unani-
mously recommend the House to adopt it for
ratification. This will, do abt'ess, take place to-
morrow, as the subject is already on the list of the
business for that day. Prussia will pay her quota
in 40 half-yearly payments of 121,7311 thalers
each (18,2601.), retaining to herself the tight at any
future time that it - may be convenient to pay up
the remaining instalments in advance ; the first
paymentswill amount, with interest on the outstand-
ing balance, to aboirt 240,000 thalers each.. Small
as this jhalf-yearly sum is compared to the advan-
tages gained to Prussia by the abolition of the
Sound Dues„ the revenues of the State will not be
burdened by an addition of more than.three-fifths
of it, or 'about 1 t 4,000 thalers yearly, inasmuch as
the State has always been in the habit of allowing
its own subjects a drawback of 2i per cent. to be de-
ducted from all import duties in the Baltic ports, as a
sort of palliation of the burden of the Sound Due 9,
and has also paid on salt alone, of which it has the
monopoly, on an'average of the last 11 years, 11,000
thalers a year for Sound Dues ; these two sums of
11,000 duty on salt and 85,000 drawback on import
duties must therefore be first deducted from the
240,000 thalers before one can appreciate the extra
burden which the redemption of the Sound dues
imposes on the revenue, and that too only for 20
years.

NAPLES.
The Nord contains a violent article against the
Morning Post, and other London journals, for hav-
ing published pretended letters from Naples on the
cuijia di silenzio, or new instrument of torture, of
which the English journal has given a woodcut,
and "declares that the said letters were sent to it,
but that, knowing them to be full of calumnies, it
refused to publish them. • It says that the publica-
tion is an electoral manoeuvre on the part of the
Morning Post, which is highly discreditable to it.

DENMARK.
A letter from Vienna, of the 26th, in the Cologne
Gazette, says : "A long interview took place yes-
terday between Baron de Budberg, Ambassador of
Russia to our Court, and Count de Buol, in re-
ference to tfhe Danidh question. The Russian
Minister rekesented the dancrer that would jbe
incurred were that question submitted to the Diet,
and he endeavoured to prove the advisability of
settling' it in a general conference of the great
Powers. Count de Buol replied that the fact of
the King of Denmark being represented in the
Diet removed all fears of danger. The question,
it is believed here, will be certainly laid More the
Diet." •

SPAIN.
•
The Madrid journals of the 26th have reached
us, but their contents are not of importance. The
Emperor of Austria, says the Epoca, had conferred
the insignia of the first class of the, order tog the
Iron Crown on M. de la Torre Aillon, late minister
of Spain at his court. The Government had de-
spatched to Marshal Serrano, ambassador at Paris,
the leave of absence which it promised to accord
him some time ago. The Government had raised
the state of siege in Granada, Malaga, and Valen-
cia, but not either in Catalonia or Aragon. In the
elections at Madrid, the progressist candidates,
MM. Olozaga, Asenio, Patric() de la Escosura,
General Prim, and Marquis de Perales, had been
defeated by large majorities.

The Moititeur contains a letter from Venice,
which states that the Archduke Ferdinand Maxi-
milian arrived there from Trieste, on the 23d of
March. He was saluted on landing, from the
Fort of St. George, and subsequently reviewed the
troops on the Place de St. Marc. At a later period
he received the civil and military authorities, and
in the evening visited the Theatre de la Fenice,
which was illuminated a giorno by the municipality.
On entering the Imperial box he was loudly ap-
Plauded.

The ex:King of Bavaria, Louis father of the
reigning sovereign, left Munich on Friday for Italy.

The session of the States of the Grand'Dueby o:
Nassau was opened at Wiesbaden on the 26th.