The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-27 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27,1850.

Last evening witnessed the real debit of one of the
most popular orators of the day in his character as a
legislator. A success more genuine and legitimate
has seldom ben obtained in the House of Commons
then that which was yesterday secured by the bold
end statesmanlike speech of the Honourable Gen-
tleman the Representative of Oldham. We felicitate
him upon the utterance of an oration which was
sufficiently complexions for its ability to elicit the
panegyrics of the Prime Minister, and sufficiently
generous and moderate in its tone to call
forth the acknowledgments of the Honour-
able Member for the University of Oxford.
Our felicitations, moreover, are only the more cor-
dial, seeing that the speech delivered by Mr. W. J.
Fox was iriroductory of a Bill destined, if enforced
with the sanction of the Legislature, to affect the
moral and intellectual condition of the population of
the United Kingdom. The subject of his remarks,
in fact, was none other than that of the necessity,
of adopting a national system of education. Al-
though lest evening's discussion was altogether of a
most superficial character, excepting only the
harangue cut of which it emanated, it is nevertheless
one entitled to very particular consideration, for in-
asmuch as it is a formal recognition of a great popular
requirement by the representative branch of the
Legislature.

Saving only the few whimsical personalities ex-
changed betykeen Mr. NAPIER, Mr. LAW, and Mr.
BaaNAL 06BORE, there was little to be regretted in
the debate of yesterday beyond the inevitable
01):r,•ction,; thrust in with so much cross-grained
and cantankerous pertinacity by Mr. PLUMPTRE and
Sir R. HARRY INGLIS. Naturally enough those two
honourable representatives insisted upon the urgency
of the danger threatened by ray proposition such as
the one then submitted to the consideration of the
Parliament. Anything at all approximating to a
negation of religion of course excited the trepidation
both of the Member for the University of Oxford,
and of the Representative of East Kent.
A godless education is as much their terror

as it is that of a certain influential '
party in Ireland. Upon this principle it
is that we have witnessed so much purblind opposi-
tion to the efforts made by the Society for the Diffu-
sion of Useful Knowledge—efforts as laudable as
they were beneficent. Unable to acquire a plan by
which they can force controversial matters down the
throats of the children of the multitude, without any
regard whatever
.to the religious predilections of the
parents of those coildren,these persevering sticklers for
a strictly Scriptural instruction, would prefer allowing I
the evil of p,pular ignorance to be perpetuated. Their
notions, indeed, upon the subject of education strike
us as bearing a considerable resemblance to those en-
tertained by Mrs. Malaprop in the comedy. "Above
all, • Sir Anthony, I would have them taught
orthodoxy!' It would be impossible for them, how-
evjr, to add to their catalogue of the requirements of
eclacation—" and I don't think there's a superstitious
article in it"—for there is. The superstition of
their objections is their most prominent cha-
racteristic. Because they cannot drill the religious
ideas of all children into an accordance with the
Thirty-nine Articles, they would keep for
ever from the grasp of the community the
golden amulet of education, the beautiful
and powerful talisman of knowledge. Upon the
sana fallacrous system the poorer members of the I
community are forced to -.lake their intellectual
thirst from the Sewer instead of the Fountain, those I
hypotlaetieal publications upon which Mr. CHARLES
KNIGHT has recently descanted so eloquently. Now
however, thanks to the fortunate interposition of IV-:
W. J. Fox, the gifted representative of Oldham, the
nation is'e fforded some reasonable prospect of placing its
moral and intellectual upon an equality with its
political and physical emancipation. Let us hope
that the sanitive cup of the national intellect and i
the national morality has not been raised once more
to the lip, only to be dashed down again into the
dust, that the " waters of life" may not evaporate in
the illusive aridity of a mirage, but that the glorious 1

day -dream of so many generations of statesmen may
at length be realised.

Our observations upon the contemptible and dis-
graceful proceedings of the Borough Council of
Southampton, in reference to the reception of
Viscount GOUGH and Major EDWARDES, appear to
have stung the subordinate servant of that munici-
pality into a state of excessive irritation. Another
column of this evening's impression contains a letter
from that person, in which we are told that a certain
resolution referred to in a paragraph inserted in last
night's Sun, and " commented upon in our leading
article, was not moved and carried at the Town
Council meeting, held at Southampton." Now, be
it observed,
,the paragraph referred to was
copied verbatim et literatim from the Daily News of
yesterday morning—the Daily News being noto-
riously the avowed organ of the Peace Movement.
And be it observed, moreover, that the comments
contained in our leading article of last evening had
no reference whatever to the said resolution in the
said paragraph. Our observations in that article—
observations which we here beg most distinctly and
most emphatically to reiterate—had reference to an
announcement made in the Times newspaper of Mon-
day. After alluding to the meeting convened on
Friday by the naval and military officers resident at
Southampton, the Times of Monday, February the
25th, 1850, proceeded as follows:—
"On the following day the Mayor, Mr. Andrews,
called a meeting of the Borough Council for the same
purpose, and an address from the corporation to his
Lordship was proposed. The motion, however was op-
posed by Mr. J. Clarke, a town-councillor and member of
the Society of Friends, who objected to hero-worship,
and ultimately, on a division being come to, there were
nine for and nine against the projected address, where-
upo9. the Mayor giving the casting vote against it, the
motion was lost."

That was the occurrence we alluded to in our
leading article of last evening—an occurrence which
we still consider to be disgraceful to the individuals
concerned in it, and in scorn of which we have no
words at our command sufficiently expressive. Sub-
sequently to the appearance of this damning state-
ment in the Times of Monday, there was
printed in the Daily News of the follow-
ing day the subjoined assertion—an assertion
which we thence transferred in a paragraph
headed " Lord Gough and Major Edwardes at
Southampton," to the columns of our last evening's
impression :

" The following resolution was moved and carried at
the Town-council of Southampton last week, in anticipa-
tion of the arrival of Lord Gough, and which prevented
his Lordship being welcomed by the civic authorities of
that town when he landed on Sunday night :
" That as war has ever been opposed to the best inte-
rests of mankind in its fearful consequences against the
pecuniary, physical, and moral well-being of the people:
that as it is diametrically opposed to the precept and
spirit of the Christian religion : and as this council is
composed of men professing Christianity, it would be
grossly inconsistent for them to manifest any demonstra-
tion of approbation on the landing at this port of any
general officer or other warrior: and more especially of
one who has been so recently engaged in a most destruc-
tive war in India, almost a war of extermination, where,
in many cases, no quarter was given, and the most bar-

barons excesses committed"
This was the statement of the Daily News, the
organ of the Arbitration Movement, and this state-
ment Mr. CHARLES E. DEACON, the town-clerk of
the borough of Southampton, declares to be erroneous.
As one of the subordinate members of that council,
he is of course anxious to dissipate a notion calcu-
lated to reflect such lasting odium upon the munici-
pality. In endeavouring, however, to wash clear
the reputation of the Borough Council of
Southampton he has begrimed it still more. " The
resolution in question," he says, " was moved but not
seconded." Here then is an official authentication of
the principal portion of the statement made by the
Daily News, the organ of the Peace Society, and
copied into The Sun of last evening. The resolution
" was moved." True, the Daily News was precipi-
tate in adding that it was "carried," for, according
to Mr. CHARLES N. DEACON, it ," was moved but not
seconded." At any rate it " was moved." That
at least we have on the authority of this same
town-clerk—who, nevertheless, in the sentence im-
mediately preceding the one containing the acknow-
ledgment, begs to acquaint us that the resolution
referred to in the paragraph " was not moved" and
carried at the meeting. Subsequently, as we have
observed, he confesses that "it was moved'—but not
seconded. That a resolution of such an absurd and

egregiously impertinent character should have been

moved at all in the Town-council of South-
ampton, or, at the very least, that it should
have been listened to without calling forth
an indignant protest from the prolincial Dogberries
present, is a circumstance which will not fail to
attach a lasting disgrace to the Mayor and the Town-
councillors of this most sagacious municipality. Mr.
CHARLES E. DEACON, the town-clerk of Southamp-
ton, contradicts through ourselves the statement put
forward by the Daily News of yesterday morning
but, in doing so, he presumes a little further to
gainsay the comments made in our leading
article of last evening—erroneously asserting
that in the article referred to we commented on the
resolution contained in the paragraph published in
the same impression. Our editorial observations
yesterday on the proceedings of the Borough Council
of Southampton had no reference whatever to that
resolution, with the very existence of which we were
unacquainted until after the leading article was com-
pleted. What we there reprobated as being dis-
graceful to the municipality was—we quote our own

words verbatim the circumstance " that the
members 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 !" That " these same municipal wiseacres"
did so refuse to welcome Lord GouGn is sufficiently
proven by the fact that the address presented to that
veteran soldier was not the formal act of the
Town •council (the Town-council having nothing
whatever to do with it), but the spontaneous ebulli-
tion of the feelings of the inhabitants generally,
beaded by the naval and military officers resident at
Southampton. Before impertinent charges of inac-
curacy are levelled at any individual it is always
advisable to discover from whom the statement called
in question has originated. More especially still is
it advisable not to address point blank contradictions
to a journalist upon a misconstruction, or, we will
say, a misapprehension of the subject upon which he
has really "commented." Without any further
effort on its part, or on the part of its subordinates,
the Borough Council of Southampton has already
rendered itself in this matter, we can assure it, suffi-
ciently ridiculous and contemptible.

TIER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—It has at length been
settled that Mr. Balfe will continue in office as the musi-
cal director of this establishment.

DEATH OF SIR. WM. ALLEN, R.A., P.R.S.A.—
Sir William died at his residence, Edinburgh, on Satur-
day f Tent on, in his 68th year. He had for a consider-
able time been suffering from bronchitis.
NAVY ESTIMATES.—According to the navy esti-
mates for the year 1850-51, just published, the total sum
required to meet the expenses of the present year
amounts to 5,849,4231., being composed of 4,325,0861. for
the effective naval service, and 1,388,6371. for the non-
effective, and 135,700/. for the conveyance of troops for
the army and ordnance departments. The sum voted
last year was 6,273,4281., which includes 12,6881. voted
on the supplementary estimate for the Arctic expedition.
The net increase in naval estimates for this year is
424,0051. The account of moneys for old stores and
extra receipts paid last year into the Exchequer, instead
of being appropriated in aid of the naval grants, shows a
total of 201,601,83. 11d.

ERRATUM.—In our leading article of Monday re-
specting the Sewage Trlanure scheme of Mr. Stothert,
e
the annual amount of the sewage matter of tb
metro-
polis was erroneously printed 2,000,000 instead o
200,000,000, the actual quantity.
CORK AND WATERFORD RAILWAY.—The seventh
half-yearly general meeting of the shareholders of this
company was to have been held at three o'clock yester-
day, for the purpose of electing three directors and an
ruditor, bet a sufficient number of shareholders to form
a quorum not being present, the Chairman declared it
to be no mpeting, and adjourned it until to-morrow, at
the same time and place. In answer to an observation
from a shareholder, the secretary said that a Bill was
before the House of Lords to enable railway companies
to wind up their affairs; but unless some of its require-
ments, which were almost impracticable, were modified,
the Act wonld be entirely useless to all companies. The
meeting then separated.
Colonel Romilly, brother of the Solicitor-Genere!,
in consequence of an invitation from the Liberal electors
of Canterbury, has gone down to stand as a candidate
for the representation of that city, in the room of Lord
Albert Denison, who has accepted the Chiltern Hun-
dreds. We believe Lord Albert Denison will be raised
to the Peerage by the title of Lord Londesborough, the
name of an estate which he has recently purchased.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
The National publishes the following letter, which
M. LEDItU ROLLIN has addressed to the editor of the
Patrie :
" Sir,—l am not in the habit of contradicting all the
inventions that are propagated about me, but that which
is contained in your number of the 22d February car-
ries with it such an affirmative character, that I feel my-
self obliged to contradict it. I have never had a confe-
rence with Lord Parlmerston—l need not add I have
never demanded one.
" Notwithstanding, then, the exactitude of your in-
formations, your account is thus an invention from be-
ginning to end.
" Yours, &c.. " LEDRIT-ROLLIN.

" London, Feb. 23, 1850."
The debate on the Public Instruction Bill still con-
tinues, and the members of the parti-pretre, incapable
of supporting this cause by argument, seek to put
down their opponents by noise and interruption.
In the course of the discussion on Monday,
M. JULES LEROUX moved as an addition
to the 83d article, a proviso authorising
any citizen who should have previously made the
required declaration before the Municipality to open
a course of lectures on any subject relating to in-
struction, professional or otherwise, provided no per-
son were admitted to such lectures who was not more
than 15 years of age ; a proposition worthy at least
of consideration. The Da MONTALEMBERTS and the
TRIERS, and the DE FALLOUX, the biographers of
saints and defenders of inquisitions, the apolo•
gists of the imprisoners of GALILEO and pane-
gyrists of the massacre of St. Bartholomew, would
not, however, listen to it, and they actually
proposed and carried a proposition that M.
LEROUX should not be heard, and they rejected his
proposition by a majority of 467 to 146. It would
really appear as if these gentlemen desired to make
apparent to all the world the necessity for a new re-
volution, and to justify beforehand any excesses of
which the promoters of that revolution may be guilty.
According to the Presse, M. Durex has resigned
the office of President of the Assembly, in conse-
quence of ill health.
The pamphlet of M. LEDRU ROLLIN, entitled Le
24 Fevrier, has been seized by order of the Procureur
de la Republique. Several election placards have
also been seized.
The list of candidates prepared by the reactionary
club of the Council of State does not give satisfaction.
The Union complains that it does not contain the
name of one Legitimatist, and refuses to accept it ; and
the Dix Decembre, a Bonapartist journal, but op-
posed to the Ministry, puts forward a list of its own,
consisting of General PIA; M. BONJEAN, and M. A.
THAYER.
The PRESIDENT of the Republic has ordered the
liberation of another portion of the insurgents of
June, detained at Brest and at Cherbourg.
The Moviteur contains a circular addressed by the
Minister of the Interior to the Prefects of depart-
ments, recommending the establishment throughout
France of banks of loan on honour. These institu-
tions are exclusively intended for the relief of the
labourers and indigent classes, and no loan is to exceed
the sum of 200 f. _

Letters from Brest of the 22d state that the expe-
dition for La Plata, consisting of the steamcorvette
the Caffarelli, the sloops. of-war the Egerie, the Aube,
and the Manithe sailed on that day.
At the sitting of the Assembly on Monday M. Casi-
mir Perier having ascended the tribune to deposit on
the table the report on the Bill relative to the credit
of 527,000 f. intended to pay the dividend due on the
Greek loan, M. Piscatory rose and insisted on the re-
port being publicly read.
The Assembly having acceded to the demand, M.
Casimir Perier said, that civilized Europe had already
protested against the untoward aggression directed
against Greece ; but the attitude assumed by France
in the affair imposed on the committee the imperious
duty of observing the strictest reserve. He trusted
that it would be equitably adjusted, and placed every
confidence in the justice of the great nation
which had guaranteed with France the
independence of the Greek kingdom. France,
however, owed her feeble ally a mark of sympathy
and an efficacious support. The moment, however,
was not opportune to discuss the question. The:com-
mittee had heard the explanations of the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, who assured it in the most formal
terms, that the negotiations would be conducted in a
manner becoming the honour and dignity of France.
The Assembly afterwards declared urgency, and
fixed the discussion for Wednesday.
The President of the Republic drove out in an
open carriage on Sunday with two servants in green
livery, behind. The throng prevented him from
moving otherwise than at a slow pace; and finding it
difficult to return all the salutations he received he
remained bareheaded nearly all the time, and was
constantly engaged in bowing to the right and left.
He was hailed with a respect that very nearly ap-
proached enthusiasm, and frequent cries issued from
the crowds of well-dressed persons of " Vice le Pre-
3ident, Vier Napoleon r
As the President turned from the Champs Ely-

bees into the avenue leading to the Elysee, the crowd
was so dense, and the rush so great to see him, that
not only his carriage but the entire line of vehicles
of every kind was brought to a stand. Not a
single gendarme, sergeant de vine, or other func-
tionary was visible; and it was only by the exertions
of the two servants who beckoned to the people to
allow him to enter that at length a passage was made,
and the Prince moved slowly along, accompanied to
his very door by the crowds, and hailed with
cries still more frequent and of more fervid affection
than even before, and to which he responded with
respect and gratitude.
PARIS BOURSE, FEB. 26.—Latest Prices—Five per
Cents., 95f. 75c.; Three per Cents., 57f. 65c. ; Bank
of France, 2,290 f.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE. FEE. 26.

Boulogne and Amiens, 6X—East Indian, 5% Ditto,
2214 Luxembourg, I—Namur and Liege, 7—Orleans and
Bordeaux, 3 Paris and Strasbourg, 5% Rouen and
Havre, 9;i.

GERMANY.

Accounts from Vienna state that HArrieu has
called out the former Mobile and National Guards
of Presburgh and Pesth, for the purpose of raising a
forced levy of 24,000 men. Large numbers of Hun-
garian fugitives have fled to Bosnia, and are treated
with great kindness by the Turks.
The Kolner Zeitung has a telegraphic dispatch
from Berlin, of the 25th, stating that the First
Chamber had adopted, in that day's sitting, the re-
solution of the Second Chamber relative to the tax
on beet-root sugar. The law relative to the pro-
vinces and the relations with Posen were then pro-
ceeded with. The Chamber was to hold an evening
sitting.
The Second Chamber had elected the State Debt
Commission. Deputies PORCLIAMMER, GErrERT, and
GAMES were chosen.
President Vou.rxtecirr was to proceed on the 26th
inst. on his mission as Commissioner to the Duchies,
in consequence of which the Council would hold a
most important deliberation. Among the Commis-
sioners appointed to arrange matters with the Diet
are VOLLPRACHT, SEEBECII, Von BODELSCHWINGH,
and BLOMER.

The men accused of assassinating Prince Licn-
NOWSKI have been acquitted, as have those accused of
attempting the life of the Prince of PRUSSIA.

SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN.

REFUSAL OF PRUSSIA TO RENEW THE

ARMISTICE.

BERLIN, FEB. 23.—Prussia has refused to renew
the armistice with Denmark for six months, on the
ground that she cannot countenance the continuance
cf a Provisional Government in the Duchy of Schles-
wig, which is entirely paralysed by the universal
resistance of the people, whose acts are in direct op-
position with the reasonable wishes of the people, and
whose administration cannot he defended by any prin-
ciple of political or moral right.
There is little reason to be alarmed at this news.
The war will certainly not be renewed between
Prussia and Denmark or Germany and Denmark. It
may, however, be renewed between Schleswig-Hol-
stein and Denmark. however deplorable the last
result may be, British commerce will be affected in a
very different degree from what it was during the
blockade of the German ports.
The armistice runs on of itself indefinitively ; but
denunciation on either side renews the war in six
weeks. The consequence of Prussia's declaration
will be the breaking up of the Administrative Com-
mission in the Duchy of Schleswig. Count EULEN-
BURG will retire, and then, of course, Colonel HODGES
and Count TlLLlscet will follow.