The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-04 00:00:00

moderation with which the representatives of our
SOVEREIGN, the Governors of Colonies and Presi-

dencies and Provinces, and the commanders of her
fleets and forces have, almost invariably, availed them-
selves of success. They will honour the steadiness of
purpose, the enlightened humanity, and the geherally
upright policy, wherewith the power of command,
the rights of conquest, and the empire of the law,
have been exercised. But their most cordial appro-
bation, their most favourable verdict, will be assuredly
secured for those who shall have rendered themselves
mainly instrumental in drawing closer the bonds of
amity betwoen nation and nation ; in inducing the
more distrustful races in one quarter of the world to
enter into friendly relations with the more powerful
and influential States in another ; in breaking through
the traditions, prejudices, and conventional observances
that had isolated, for many centuries, one great section
of mankind, numbering, perhaps, nearly one-third of
the whole human race, from all their fellows beyond
certain assigned limits ; and in securing the results,
thus arrived at by the genius of a sagacious diplomacy,
seconded by the undaunted valour and energy of the
military and naval forces at his disposal, through the
establishment of commercial relations with that
mighty and swarming people, founded on the fairest
and broadest principles of a reciprocity of advantages
as to each of the contracting parties. Now such,
precisely, are the merits—such, precisely, have been
the effects, of Sir HENRY POTTINGER'S administration
of his most responsible appointment to China. The
honours of a Roman triumph—the splendours of an
Imperial Ovation,:involve less of pure and unchal-

'engeable glory than the final accomplishment of
;hose honourable and beneficial negotiations with the
most numerously peopled of nations, and the most in-
tractable and bigoted of Governments, that are to un-
seal an extensive and lucrative trade to foreigners,
heretofore jealously excluded, and to open valuable
ports and marts which have been hitherto shut against
the Christian world, for the interchange of the com-
modities of the most remote regions with those of
China, and its islands and dependencies. The attain-
ment of ends like these carries with it the extension
of comforts and luxuries—of the means of improving
physical health and extending social enjoyment, to
unnumbered semi-barbarian tribes and, individuals, as
well as to more fortunately conditioned classes, who
will rise, as it were, in the scale of existence, by
becoming habituated to their use. It reacts, on the
other hand, upon us, their (in some sort) 'new com-
patriots and allies, by multiplying the markets for
our commercial enterprise, and developing the re-
sources of our industrial energy at home.
Thus highly estimating the invaluable services
which Sir HENRY POTTINGER has been the fortunate
instrument Of perfecting, in the unflinching discharge
of his high duties to his country and to his SOVEREIGN,
we are not surprised at the enthusiastic reception
with which he has been greeted at Bombay. Thus
far, indeed, throughout his whole homeward course
his grateful countrymen, and his native fellow-sub-
jects of India, have expressed their respect for him in
terms burning with all the eloquence of grateful ad-
miration. .Cold, indeed, must be the heart which does
not thrill in the perusal of the address delivered, with
a sumptuous present, to his Excellency, or the touch-
ing answer in which he responded to the generous ex-
pressions of confidence and regard comprised in that
address. But still more impressive, if we mistake not,
will be deemed the speech of Dr. BURNES, who at a
dinner given to Sir HENRY by a military club of
which he had been elected a member, favoured his
hearers with a highly 'graphic and interesting sketch
of the personal manners and appearance of Sir HENRI'
in the earlier years of his Indian career—his life of
incessant peril and wild adventure, which he had led,
when disguised as a native horse-dealer, and in the
execution of a mission under instructions from the
Hon. Company's Government, he had penetrated
almost froth the eastern to the western extremities of
Asia, from Bengal to Cutch, from Cutch to the Cau-
casus, among wandering hordes, who were robbers by
profession, through remote and savage countries, un-
trodden by European foot since the days of ALEX-
ANDER, amidst nations the most jealous in the world
of a foreign, but more especially of a Christian,
intruder, and with the conviction, ever present to his
mind that the penalty of a cruel death would ensue
upon the detection of his disguise. Dr. BURNES had
particularly illustrated, by many agreeable remi-
niscences, the undaunted interference and the in-
domitable activity of the "young POTTINGER," com-
bined with his singular good-nature, his festive
talents, his happy art of attaching all who partici-
pated in his society, whether in cantonment, on
march, in residence, "up the country," in camp or
bungalow ; and after ti rapid, but brilliant, contrast
of the splendour of his more recent achievements
and fortunes, as compared with these wayfaring pas-
sages of former years, proposed his health and
"continued glory," in terms of the most manly and
affectionate, yet respectful, friendship. The great
diplomatist, almost overpowered with emotion; re-
turned his acknowledgments with singular good
taste and profound feeling ; but the genuine incident
of Sir HENRY'S responding at once to the call of
some hilarious comrade of " auld lang syne" for "a
song"—by giving one—did infinite honour to the
convivial kindliness of the whole club—to the ex-
cited comrade; and to the excellent Plenipotentiary.
The utter absence of all self-glorification at such a
moment—the unstudied promptitude with which, at
the well-remembered voice of an early friend, the
High Commissioner of her MAJESTY could thus put
off the pomp and prestige of his present state, and, in
the abandon of a moment, which neither the lapse of
after years, nor the increase of subsequent honours,
may bring to him again, realised, as it were, a sunny
vision of the past, such as Dr. BURNES had just
before been describing, in obeying the " festal
Gall;"—this simple fact supplies to our mind an addi-
tional evidence of that simplicity of mind, that
singleness of heart, that sterling frankness which
must have been essential and guiding principles of
the wonderful career, and winning deportment, of
this extraordinary man. It is gratifying to find from
his own declaration that, on returning to Europe, he
does not retire from the public service of his country.
How could she excuse the retreat from that service
of one who has acquired for it so much benefit—for
himself so much honour—with the public (as with
the individuals who have enjoyed his friendship) so
much popularity ?

The Post of yesterday will be read with exceed-
ing satisfaction by all who have a taste for grumbling,
and a quick conception of a grievance, for our Con-
temporary is in one of his most dismal moods, and sighs
and groans, and shakes his head and wrings his hands,
through two columns and upwards of the gloomiest
twaddle it was ever our lot to peruse. Some of our
readers may perhaps remember that diverting scene in
the " Miseries of Human Life," wherein'the author re-
presents one of his characters as sitting down by his fire-
side on a dullwinter evening, with the deliberate inten-

tion of making himself as miserable as possible, by con-
juring up all sorts of real and fancied misfortunes.
Following the example of this hypochondriacal gen-
tleman, and inspired apparently with the glorious
ambition of rivalling, if not of surpassing, him in the
grievance line, our afflicted Contemporary has sat
down with the cool determination, not only to make
himself as miserable as possible, but his readers
also ; and if he have not succeeded in his bene-
volent intentions, except among political Quidnuncs
of his own turn of temperament, but •has elicited
smiles where he had hoped to draw. forth tears,
the fault is not so much with him as
his subjects—which, as he has been compelled to treat
them—are calculated only to excite emotions of
laughter. Lord WHARricrarra, Sir ROBERT PEEL,
and DANIEL O'Cormax.x.—these are the burdens of
his song; and JEREMIAH himself never bewailed in
more touching terms the errors of the Ninehvites,
than does the Post the backslidings of this notable
triumvirate. His Lordship, it seems, like another
MELBOURNE, has inflicted a " heavy blow and great
discouragement" on poor dear old Mother Church
by his late" education speech at Leeds ; the Premier
by his " economical policy " has brought the
country to the brink of ruin ; and as for Mr. O'CON-
NELL, he is preparing to get himself proclaimed King
of Ireland, by the style and title of DA/418L the
First ! Serious grievances these, and well worthy
the attention of the hypochondriacal ; but the last
being somewhat problematical, and having, moreover;
a little improbability attached to it, our Contem-
porary does not state it of his own knowledge in his
editorial capacity,' but has recourse to an
accommodating correspondent, yclept ". Censo,"
who enunciates it - hypothetically- 'these