The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-08 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.—The quiescent state of the political
atmosphere in Ireland has experienced a slight inter-
ruption. Dr. Maunsell—whose speech in the Dublin
Corporation in favour of rotatory Parliaments ex-
cited considerable interest among all parties in
Ireland at the time of its delivery—has published
his oration as a pamphlet, and appended to it an
elaborate " Note, on the present state of political
parties in Ireland." The position which Doctor
Maunsell occupies in the Conservative party, would
give considerable importance to any publication
on the state of political parties which might issue
from his pen ; the causes he assigns for the present
disorganised state of that party in Ireland, and the
telling blows he aims at the Government, give ad-
ditional interest to his present production. Apart
from Dr. Maunsell's proposed remedy for Ireland's
maladies, by holding the Parliament in Dublin once
in three years, or oftener—the fallacy of which we de-
monstrated at the time it was broached by the Learned
Doctor in his speech before the Dublin Corporation
—there are some facts and opinions put forth in the
" Note," which, emanating from one whose position
enables him to see and know what is passing around
him, will excite considerable interest on this side of
the Channel. Assuming, as an unquestionable fact,
" that the policy of English statesmen has, from the
remotest periods, led them to govern Ireland, through
the medium of a party," Dr. Maunsell attributes the
present disorganised and enfeebled state ofthe Irish Pro-
testant party to the dissolution of the Orange ledges.
" The revival of the Orange Institution in 1830," was,
according to Dr. Maunsel I, " a general party movement
—the result of there-action that succeeded the depression
of the Protestant party by the passing of the Catholic
Relief Bill of 1829. It was actively supported by
the aristocracy of this country, and was joined in by
the middle and lower classes, under the belief that it
was at least favourably regarded, if not directly en-
couraged, by those English statesmen who then
formed the Conservative opposition in Parliament.
The head of the movement was a Prince of the
Blood ; its responsible, and often active local agents,
were the highest of the Irish aristocracy, and included
many Members of both Houses of Parliament."
The connivance of Sir Robert Peel and the Duke
of Wellington in the proceedings of the Orange-
men was often asserted during the proceedings in
Parliament which resulted in the breaking up of the
confederacy. The fact that deputations were given by
the Grand Master to non-commissioned officers in
the army, empowering them to constitute Orange
lodges in their respective regiments, was proved
beyond all question. The doings of the Duke of
Cumberland, the " Prince of the Blood" alluded to
by Dr. Maunsell, and his man-of all-work,
Colonel Fairman, were established in evidence. The
direct breach of the Articles of War which these pro-
ceedings in the army involved ; their dangerous re-
sults on military discipline; and their unconstitutional
character and tendency—of these no doubt could
be entertained. Yet the " English statesmen "
who passed the Cetholic Relief Bill did not
hesitate to sanction the establishment of these
Orange institutions, and to defend to the last
their introduction into the army, for the purpose
of neutralising and counteracting the political power
conferred on the Catholic population by that
measure ! Such is the statement made by Dr. Maun-
sell, who reproaches these "English statesmen"—the
"leaders of the Conservative opposition," with even-
tually abandoning the Orange lodges to their fate.
" The Whigs were wise in their generation ; they
persevered in their assaults upon Irish Orangism until,
in a moment of panic, the English Opposition leaders
were weak enough to advise, and their Irish allies in
the House of Commons were imbecile enough to per-
petrate, the act of pusillanimous treachery which led
to the dissolution of the Orange body. This act,"
continues Dr. Maunsell, "was the beginning of that
breaking up of the Irish Protestant party which is
now all but finally accomplished." We desire no
stronger confirmation of the imputation upon Sir R.
Peel's dishonesty in the matter of Roman Catholic
Emancipation than is here supplied. It furnishes a
clue to the practical exclusion of Catholics from posts
of honour and of trust, under Sir Robert Peel's ad-
ministration of the Government. It explains why—
notwitstanding the removal of Catholic disabilities by
the Legislature—the insidious distinctions between
Catholics and Protestants were kept up, and the
contests between the professors of rival creeds were
continued.
STANDARD.—" There is some soul of goodness
in things evil," says Shakspeare ; and we so far
subscribe to the proposition as almost to regret
the reign of the Whigs, for we do not recol-
lect a single day of the Whig dynasty upon
which the journalist had to ask himself the
question, that now recurs with such painful fre-
quency—" What has one to write about ?" The
Whigs were indeed capital hands at raising food for
newspapers—such benefactors to the press as Sultan
Amurath was to the owls of the desert, whom he
provided for amply with " ruined villages." Sir
Robert Peel will do nothing for our order—we have
no pleasant speculations of European wars, Canada
rebellions, defeats and disgraces in Asia, monster
meetings in Ireland, Chartist risings in England—
not even a falling revenue and a lively per-
spective of national bankruptcy, wherewithal
to interest our readers. All is peace abroad,
in spite of some of us; peace at home,
notwithstanding the laudable exertions of others :
all is peace, and the Three per Cents. are
at or above par. We have nothing to engage us but
deliberations upon the best means of improving the
condition of the labouring classes, and tattooing the
face of the country with railroads • but, as Mr. Hood
says, " There's no romance in that." The truth is,
we are hard " put toi t" for topics, and the public
does not deal fairly with us if it fails to make allow-
ance for a little impropriety and a great deal of
sameness—oh, do not call it dullness—in our
lucubrations. Let our condition be candidly
considered. Write we must, but what ? Essays,
in the manner of the " Spectator," " Guardian,"
" Rambler ?" This is easier said than done. But,
were we as competent to the task as we are the re-
verse, would the people read our essays upon abstract
topics, such as engaged the pens of Addison, Steele,
and Johnson ? Are the treasures bequeathed by
those great masters in fact read to the extent that
they ought to be by professedly reading men ? We
fear not. Sure at least we are, that of the
readers of newspapers not one in a hundred would
rea-1 such essays as those we speak of. The
age is practical and specific; people read with a
view to some distinct object to be obtained, some
e ell-known interest to be defended, or some well
defined danger to be resisted. When we are left
without these resources, what have we to do? Why,
there is nothing, for it, but to try to magnify some-
thing—a Otaheite affair, or the misdoings of the
Bridgewater Union, or the disposal of the Old Fleet
Prison, or to imitate the respectable example of rats,
who, shut up in a trap without food, relieve
the monotony of their position by biting and
eating one another. The exaggerations and the
squabbles of the newspapers always bear an exact
ratio to the paucity of topics, and the absurd extra •
vagance to which we push the one and the excessive
Litterness with which we prosecute the other, may
' al ways be taken as the best proof of public pros-
perity, and of course of good Government. We have
a .'CSN' such proofs before us. The Morning Chronicle
points our attention to an example of most 'absurd
exaggeration, not merely in the details of the affair
referred to, but in the importance imputed to the
„hole subject :
" In the Times newspaper of yesterday appears the
following advertisement 6
To EGG-MERCHANTS AND IMPORTERS.--Wanted,
fr.,m 300 to 500 chests of eggs of low quality, to be de-
livered into warehouse in London, on or before Friday
next, the Bth inst. Letters, pre-paid, with lowest prices,
including cartage in, for cash on delivery, to W. L., New
Corn Exchange Tavern, Mark-lane.'
" In another and more conspicuous part of the paper,
in a communication from Portsmouth, appears the fol-
lowing paragraph :
" Upwards of 100/. worth of rotten eggs have been
Turchased within the last few days from the various im-
porters in this and the adjacent towns, by London agents,
for service on the 9th inst. in London.
"This is egging on the ruffians and blackguards of the
metropolis with a vengeance ? From 300 to 500 chests
of eggs, 'of low quality' (of a high quality ?) to one
order ; 1001. worth of rotten eggs purchased in one day
at one town, with the advantage of five clear days 'to
keep' and do due honour to the pageant of Saturday
next. The Times is determined that nothing shall be
wanting to complete the ovation of Mr. Alderman Gibbs.
6' We have taken no part in the discussion about Mr.
Gibbs's accounts—not because we did not think his
conduct highly censurable, and still more foolish. But
another and a competent tribunal will decide upon the
worthy magistrate's guilt or innocence. Until that
decision is come to, we will not pronounce him
to be guilty. We have some reason to think
that the decision will prove him innocent. If
it should turn out that he has only been
ruilty of great and foolish obstinacy—of what
people call pig- headedness'—we think most men will
be disposed to think that he has already suffered quite
enough for such offence. But under no possible circum-
stances can the brutal persecution threatened in the dis•
graceful paragraphs we have quoted be justified. If Al-
derman Gibbs were a common malefactor, every just and
honourable feeling would revolt against such an outrage.
Everybody knows how easily the refuse of a city like this
can be incited to outrages like those to which they are in-
vited by the correspondents and advertisers of the Times,
and how malignant and interested opponents can meta-
morphose such an outbreak of venal blackguardism into
an indignant expression of public opinion.' But we
hope the only effect of such abominable proceedings will
be to awaken the sympathy of men hitherto indifferent,
or even hostile, and at once protect a fellow-citizen from
insult and danger, and save the metropolis from the dis-
c race of tolerating the tyranny with which it is menaced."
NNe7reallgiyve the article at length, because we admire the
good spirit of the Whig journalist, and concur very ge-
in
n its opinions. We make the extract, however,