The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-08 00:00:00

NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS.

Having received complaints from many of our Subscribers,
that they do not receive the THIRD EDITION of The Sun,
containing the Debates in Parliament up to the latest hour
of Post, as well as the Gazettes on Tuesday and Friday
evenings, containing Military and other promotions, the
Betting at Tattersall's on Monday and Thursday, &c. &c.,
this is to give notice, that if any irregularity occur in
future, it will be immediately rectified by parties forward-
ing the names of the agents who supply them, to The Sun
Office, 112, Strand, London.

The Timm EDITION of 7'he Sun is published regularly
every evening at Seven o'Clock, in time for post, and may be
had 300 miles from London next day, and all over the king-
dom within 3G hours.

The Morning Sun, containing all the debates, &c., may be
had by the early trains at six o'clock in all large towns on
the main lines within a circle of 120 miles by breakfast time,
and further distances in proportion. Places more remote
from the great lines will receive their papers by the Morning
Mails.

Orders received by all news-agents, and at The Sun Office,
No. 112, Strand, London.

THE WEATHER—SUN OFFICE, FEB. 7.
THERMOMETER, Lowest, 33; Highest, 37; Noon, 40.
BAROMETER, 29.38. irVLND, W.
_ _

Nora.—The number 32 on the Thermometer denotes the
freezing point, and 55 temperate. In Barometers fair is
usually placed opposite 30, and rain at 29.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON-BRIDGE THIS DAY.
Morning .. 27 minutes after 4 I Evening 46 minutes after 4

repeal, to penetrate to the interior of every house in
Great Britain, and to the firesides of every man in
England, Scotland, and Ireland, speak for themselves.
We need not make one remark, save that the atten-
tion of the world has been drawn to the condition of
Ireland, to the real cause of this repeal agitation, and
to the necessity of doing justice to Ireland, more by
those prosecutions, instituted by the Government,
than vearq of unchecked agitation could have accom-
plished.

Thus Providence always ordains, that from ap-
parent evil, real good shall spring—out of the very
depths of sorrow, comfort shines forth,—and if
O'CoNNELL had wished to raise the character of his
country, to call attention to its wants, and to place it
on the very pinnacle whence it would attract the most
attention, he could not have done half so much as
the Attorney-General has done.

Ireland now stands proclaimed as a country whose
natural capabilities have been checked by artificial
and unnatural means—whose union with England
has produced only the results of ill-assorted unions,
disquiet and discomfort— and whose happiness
must be sought by far different means to
those hitherto employed. Ireland claims and
must have justice—not in words only, but in deeds.
She demands equal laws, equal privileges ; and then,
when she has these, will she forget, in solid, sub-
stantial enjoyment of actual benefits, the injury in-
flicted upon her by centuries of misrule, terminated
only by a corrupt annihilation of her separate Legis-
lature, to be again tortured by Tory and arbitrary
rule.

Let Ireland feel that she is truly a part of the em-
pire, and truly cared for in the Imperial Legislature,
and no cry for repeal of the union will then be heard.
Until that be the case, no wonder that " the captive
leaps to break his chains."

The public interest attached to the Irish State pro-
secutions which had been flagging for some time past,
was revived in all its ardour on Monday by the an-
nouncement that the chief traverser, Mr. O'CoNNELL,
was on that day to be heard in his defence An im-
pressive speech was expected from him on the occa-
sion, and the expectation was not disappointed, for
his defence was admirably conducted—skilful in its
management of details—lucid and forcible in its lan-
guage—argumentative and, to a great degree, matter
of fact in its tone—and characterised throughout by
a temperance—a moderation—and even a deference to
his legal opponents. Mr. O'CONNELL kept the strictest
watch and ward over his feelings throughout his
speech, preferring rather to convince the understand-
ing, than to rouse the sensibilities of the jury. Ile
made out a strong case in his favour, and was par-
ticularly happy in his comments on the " conspiracy''
part of the charge, on which, it maybe remembered, the
mild and gentle-natured Attorney-General laid great
stress in his opening address. " The entire strength of
this prosecution," observed the Hon. and Learned
Gentlemen, " consists in that cabalistic word ' con-
spiracy.' If I look to the dictionary for its import,
or if I ask common sense, I find it means a secret
agreement among several to commit a crime. Really
it is too bard for one to defend himself against any
conspiracy committed in open day, and com-
mitted by public announcement with the ring-
ing of bells, to know who would come as wit-
nesses to the conspiracy. A conspiracy ! Where
was the secret agreement made—when was it made
—how was it made ? Was it made in winter or
in summer—in spring, or in autumn ? When was it
attended ?On a Sunday, or on a work-day ?
Who was by—who made the secret arrangements—
who moved and seconded the resolutions ?" Mr.
O'CosNELL continued, at considerable length, to
comment on the folly of his public agitation for re-
peal being tortured into a secret conspiracy, and his
pungent, apt, and forcible remarks will not, we sus-
pect, be without their due effect on the jury. This
new doctrine of conspiracy, indeed, applied to
public agitation that may happen to be unpalat-
able in Downing-street, is one that cannot be too
strongly reprobated, for it strikes at the root of all
freedom of discussion. Once establish the precedent
in Ireland, and the malign consequences will not be
slow of developing themselves in England. Such a
convenient doctrine—so admirably suited to Ministe-
rial views—will be sure to cross the Channel ; and,
Mr. O'CONNELL being convicted of conspiracy for
agitating an obnoxious question in Ireland, what
is to prevent Mr. COBDEN being convicted of the
same misdemeanour, for agitating the ugly
question of the corn-laws in England ? Hav-
ing succeeded in the one country, Government—
goaded on by the furious monopolists—will exhibit
no great reluctance to try their chance in another ;
and should their efforts be crowned with success, a
stop will be put to all public agitation the instant it
reaches a point that may render it troublesome to a
Tory Ministry. If there be a conspiracy in Ireland,
it is not on the part of the traversers, but on the part
of the Irish Executive, who, it is clear, have con-
spired together to bring the word into contempt, and
drive common sense out of court.

Mr. WALLACE has followed up the notice he gave
to exclude from the Committee on Railways all those
Members on the list given in by the President of the
Board of Trade, who were directors of railways, or
shareholders ; and the Honourable Member succeeded
in so far as to stop the appointment of the Committee
until the names should be revised, and a more fair
selection be made. The Member for Greenock has
done good service, by attracting the attention of the
House of Commons and the country to the construc-
tion of Parliamentary Committees; and it will be the
fault of the country and of the public press if the
evils arising from the shameful manner of appointing
Committees, in which almost always are to be
found many who have direct pecuniary interests
to protect, be not remedied. It says but little
for the composition of the House of Commons, while
it speaks volumes as to the notorious existence of
class legislation, that men of all parties are always
ready to become members of Select Committees in
which their own interests are or may be concerned.
Take the case before us. A Committee was to be
appointed to inquire what changes should be made
in the Standing Orders of the House of Commons
respecting railways, and also to see how far the re-
gulations under which the existing railways are
conducted are such as the public are entitled
to. A more important question cannot be found ;
for now the existing railways have superseded all
other modes of conveyance, and having attained
thereby a monopoly far more complete than even the
most sanguine of their projectors anticipated, it is
time that the system should be overhauled and
thoroughly sifted by an impartially selected tribunal.
Let us see how the President of the Board of Trade
views this. Being officially called upon to
select proper persons to place on this impor-
tant inquiry, he fulfils his official duty by select-
ing no fewer than six Chairmen of Railways to be
of the number of the Committee, in addition to him-
self—a large shareholder of railway stock. Here are
seven persons out of fifteen, all having a direct inten-
tion to protect themselves and their railway sharehold-
ing constituents, placed by the President of the Board
of Trade on a Committee of the utmost importance to
all ranks, and especially to the working classes! We
do not know how many out of the eight remaining
Members are concerned in railways.
A new list of names must now be laid before the
House of Commons at least one day previous to their
being appointed members of the Railway Committee,
and we trust that those who have so well defended
the public from the infliction of an injury by a
Committee evidently nearly all on one side, will
take care that this principle of impartiality shall be
carried out in the choice to be made—and that men
of tried ability as well as integrity shall be entrusted
with the discharge of the difficult and all-important
task to be assigned to them.

, • 6 -41.1
Alt
fr.'
• .I.A ',...,*;;; i ,
__
_._J ..., .. -,.
. - -•-•,\ - , : ii.srt7 ~,
. _.7e .s.- , ,:- ,'-.4•:,. ~ , . ..,..,:w-..,
,40.
,;,....‘. ifi v • ~,,,,..- ,itote... - ',..f.,.•.,i0 71: ~,:j0.wic.',..." bko 11
.'":,..e'l..Niilt.
.....--
i. - -... . ...t . . .4 .-
--=-. ~...., _,,