The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-30 00:00:00

Csltentikt

THE SUN,

the journalist, still addressing himself to these baffled
traitors of Democracy, assures them that the people
will protect them (the intriguers) against the perils
of their own folly—that the people will force them to
respect the Constitution by respecting it themselves—
that the people, in a word, in the teeth of all their
plots and machinations will perpetuate the reign of
Democracy. "And meantime," he concludes,
"continue to intrigue as much as ever you
like against the Constitution, against the
Republic, against the People." Why, in
testimony of the wisdom and the reasonableness of
all this contemptuous indifference for party conspi-
racies, take the conclusion deliberately arrived at by
the foremost of all the English organs of legitimacy.
The Quarterly Review, in the number published this
vary day, at the close of an elaborate analysis of the
c ause, the career, and the character of the last French
Revolution, declares very explicitly, "Whatever is to
be done must be the act of the nation at large, guided
not by the feelings of individuals, but by the ex-
perience of all—by the effect, in short, of public
•opinion—regina del mondo—of the grand experiment
in which France has been so unfortunately involved,
but which she must work out." Immediately after-
wards adding " Time and events will teach the French
people whether a republic suits their tastes, their
temper, or their interests." Yet M. DE LA ROCHE-
, JACQUBLIN, in the perverse egotism of his judgment,
dreamt of surprising the Assembly into an abandon-
_ment or the present secure ground of Republicanism,
and, by so doing, of startling the people into a timorous
treason to democracy. The hardihood of the attempt
is only to be equalled by its most pitiable failure—
the most daring of the upholders of Legitimacy
slinking away from the side of the unfortunate delin-
quent who thus hazarded and lost the fortunes of his
faction. Not a word of exculpation was audible from
the benches of the Right ! Not a vote was tendered
in support of the proposition ! But, with a premoni-
tory protest on the part of M. Bumf, yea even of
.M. DIJPIN, the Royalist President of the Legis-
lative Assembly, to the effect that the motion was
inadmissible from its illegal and unconstitutional
.nature—the Legislature, with all its mighty pha-
lanx of Monarchists, crushes the proposition
with the silent unanimity of its condemnation.
The party, we should say the so-called party of
Order, have happily, by this ridiculous escapade, fully
and utterly committed themselves. So utterly, that
it is as if Guy FAWKES had boldly walked into the
House of Lords, on the assembling of King JAMES'S
Parliament, with that monster mask, and that
gigantic match, and that Brobdignagian lantern,
which are familiar to the frequenters of the regions of
Pantomime. To this eccentric incident in the
discussions of the Assembly we might apply
the title of °TWAT'S tragedy, it being, in fact
and in truth, nothing less than " Paris
Preserved, or the Plot Discovered." Not without
reason have we intimated that the thanks of all
real Republicans are due to the unwitting blunder of
that PILL GARLICK of Legitimacy, the Honourable
Representative, M. DE LA ROCHEJACQUELIN.

The community in general, and the owners and
occupiers of property in the Holborn division of the
county of Middlesex, in particular, are deeply in-
debted to Mr. MAYES for having raised, and con-
ducted with so much zeal and energy, the important
question on the unequal and unjust assessment of the
land-tax in different portions of the metropolis.
Although the efforts of Mr. MAYES have not as yet
been attended with success,—although the Commis-
sioners have refused to adopt the sound views put
forward by the Learned Gentleman who so ably
argued the case on behalf of the appellant,—a spirit
has been excited which cannot be appeased until
a full and complete measure of justice be rendered
in the premises, and a more equitable principle
introduced for the guidaace of the Commissioners.
The law itself, undoubtedly, requires amendment, for
it is monstrous that one district or locality should
be bound to contribute more than one hundredfold,
in proportion to its actual value, of that which is
demanded from a more favoured and prosperous
quarter. But much could be effectea, even under
the present defective system, if the Commissioners
would fully and fairly carry into operation the ex-
tensive powers with which they are entrusted, and
not adhere with obstinate and unreasoning
pertinacity to the mischievous and ill-considered
precedents established by former boards.
There is nothing whatever in the 38 Geo. 111., c.
6, the last Act relating to the subject, and the
statute under which the tax is now levied and col-
lected, or in any former statutes, to render the de-
cision of the Commissioners with respect to the quotas
assessed upon the different subdivisions of " the rest
of the: county of Middlesex final and conclusive."
There is no possible reason why the inhabitants of the
wealthy parish of Marylebone should pay less than one
half afarthing in the pound, while their less prosperous
neighboxrs, in:St. Paul's, Covent-garden, are compelled
to pay more than one shilling and tenpence-halfpenny
in the pound—why St. Pancras should be assessed
at the rate of one farthing in the pound only, while
the Liberty of the Rolls is charged at the rate of
2s. 6d. An equal rate of little more than one penny
in the pound (1 1-64 d.) would raise the entire sum
charged upon the entire Holborn division, being
13,6791. 13s. sd. on an annual value of
3,232,597/. ; but, in place of that easy and
equitable charge being made, we find Maryle-
bone, the real property in which is valued at
1,132,3241., only called upon to provide 564/. ss. id.,
and St. Pancras 1,399/. ss. 2d. out of 1,251,7371.,
while the Liberty of the Rolls must contribute
1,4371. 56. Bd. out of 14,5001., and St. Paul's,
Covent -garden, 4,8401. 12s. out of 51,3451. This is
4` robbing Peter to pay Paul" with ss vengeance, or,
:perhaps, it would be more correct Do say "robbing
Paul to ease Pancras, and all but exonerate Mary
..from a common liability."

LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1850.

Happily for the cause of French Democracy, the
Legitimatists have, betimes, been unmasked by them-
selvea. -Thanks to M. DE LA ROCUEJLCQUELIN
Through the inopportune proposition of that heredi-
tary BoarboniSt, 'the intrigues of the aspirants for
monarchical government have been suddenly dissi-
pated ; the whole scheme of the restoration has been
abruptly cropped off long before it had approached
even the preliminary stages of ripeness. The pear of
conspiracy was green—green like the conspirators,
aye as green • even as M. DE LA ROCHEJACQUELIN.
Never wag there before so bald and bootless an ad-
venture. Certainly, if the representative of the his-
toric family of the pays_ des bocages dreamt of being
aided bj, a
swarm • of supporters, the conduct
of the Assembly proved him to have " counted without
his host" altogether.
,Even the most venturous of
the quasi men- ofeorder shrank from the contamination
of a pronamed.complicity. The Blondel of the scene
was left,rl-5 much alone as the Roman at Corioli—
only (a slight difference) the Volscians of Repub-
licanianfwere not fluttered. It was ORLANDO with-
out Darandel, but with a " dagger of lath." It was
the King-Maker, not on the back of his destrier
bd astride of a jackass. It was the Heart-
of-Lion.ooquetting,with e.• scullion in lieu of Berets-
tkever before; we repeat, was there so bald
and bootless an adventure. M. DB LA ROCHEJACQUISON
thought to appear before France and Europe as the re-
deemer of Legitimacy. He has by his late preposterous
exhibition only stood forth as the unintentional con-
solideter of the RePublic. There is something
delightfully proVoking, in the contempt, the serene
and siaidiMe contempt, scattered over the Honourable
Representative and his colleagues, in a few blighting
syllables by .the;-democratic organs of Paris. They
hurl defiance at the whole squad of monarchical
conaair4ors '.1(1/41) that, evident sense of derision
which of all things is the most irritating to men of
ambition, and mensibility. Foremost of all
the Republican Journals in the French ca-
pital in inflicting this- finest insufferable of
all kinds of expiation is the National. Its
tone • of mingled scorn ana banter, whether
emanating from Le.Orola.) DURAS we know not, but
worthy of .the sarcastic genius of ARMAND MARIUS;
is exquisite. " We know you well," exclaims the
organ of Dernoaacy, apostrophising; the Legitima-
*its as " men of intrigue and not of principle ri
" Yoti Wish, before the elections cf 1342 to quash
the Constithtion! Eh, well! we tell you beforehand,
you will not do it ! You v. isle to overthrow the
Thoublic ?:•yott will rot do it! You wish to restore
tie Monarchy ? you will' -not do it ! You are
nothing, and that is the best that can possibly
be said of you / You can do nothing !
You will do nothing ! It is the People
who Will ! If is the People 'who Act ! But
not et all in the manner von desire." Subsequently

The Act itself would seem to eh.force an annual
'equitable distribution of the sum (107,6021. lls. 2d.)
-charged upon " the rest of the county of Middlesex."
section 7 the " Commissioners for the whole
county" are required, at a general meeting,
"to ascertain the proportions which ought
to be charged upon every hundred, lathe,
wapentake, rape, ward, or other division," towards
raising the sum charged upon the entire county, by
charging in proportion to the sums which were as-
sessed on the same hundreds and divisions respectively
'by the 4th William and Mary, c. 1. And yet it
:now appears that there has been no general meeting
.of the Commissioners for " the rest of the county of
_Middlesex" since the year 1826, except when they
were called together to select a commissioner under
the "property and income-tax." Mr. COPPOCK was
:perfectly justified in asserting that such a general
:meeting was essential to "the legality of
the tax," and that through this unaccountable
negligence the assessment is void a2b initio. But
-were it otherwise, it is quite clear that no length of
time can justify a palpable robbery, rod that a long
submission to injustice cannot deprive the aggrieved
parties of the rights and privileges to which they
were entitled under a solemn Act of Parliament.

On Tuesday last an extraordinary general meeting
of the Commissioners was held at the Sessions-house,
Clerkenwell, "for the purpose of taking into considera-
tio n the present unequal distribution a the tax in the
different parishes and divisions of the metropolis, and
to take such measures as might be best fitted
to effect an equalization of the assessment:,
Many of the Commissioners on that occasion took
a bold and manly view of their pullers and duties,
and were prepared, so far as practicable, to remedy
the existing grievances. A majority, however, were
unwilling to grapple with the difFbeulty ; they de-
sired to cast the responsibility from themselves upon
the Legislature. While none venture dto defend the
present system, or to advocate the continuance of the
existing state of affairs, five-sixths of those present re-
fused to undertake the duty of re-assessment, but de-
cided that they should "petition Parliament for an
Act in which their powers shall be more correctly
definedAand that a committee should be appointed
to carryout that object."
Although we cannot but condemn this timid and
vacillating policy, it ir, perhaps, fortunate for the
entire country that such was the determination. It
is now certain that an appeal will be made to Parlia-
ment on the subject, and that the question will be
forced on the consideration of the G-overnment and
the Legislature. Undersuch circumstances, it is im:.
possible that the Act can be limited in its
operation to a single district or county ; that

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 30, 1850

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.

The Ordre contains an article on Russia- from tiin
pen of N. THIERS, an article which fully justifies the
bold front which Lord PALMERSTON has assumed in
regard to that most designing and unprincipled of the
European Powers, and which shows that war with
Russia is safer and cheaper than peace with her, so
long as she pursues her present craftyand encroaching
policy. Such an article from the pen of the personal
and political opponent of Lord PALMERSTON, is most
valuable, as it is an unwilling testimony borne to the
justice of his views and to the soundness of his
policy. N. THIERS begins by saying that Russia
keeps up her immense armaments for the purpose of
ruining the powers of the West by forcing them to keep
ap large armies, whicb disorganize their finances
and ruin their credit. The article then proceeds
thus :

" To this fearful method (says the Ordre) of a forced
armament she employs a second means no less delusive,
that of an exaggerated custom-house system, which
amounts to a continental blockade. Thanks to the dis-
memberment of Poland, and the practical subjection in
which she holds the northern provinces of the Ottoman
empire, the Russian Government has become the master
of all the great lines of communication by which the
Austrian monarchy and the German Confederation
might have intercourse with the East. And what has
this Government done ? It has batted these lines.
Upon the Niemen, the Pregel, the Vistula, and
a part of the Warta, the Cabinet of St. Peters-
burgh has, in contempt of the treaties of 1815, in-
terdioted not only exchange, but even transit. The im-
mense commerce in corn and Lithuanian timber, which
the Poles carried on with the ports of the Baltic, in
exchange for German manufactures, has ceased. Russia
has hermetically closed her frontiers against Germany.
At the same time master of the months of the Danube,
the Russian Government reigns over Austrian commerce
in the Black Sea, against which it is every day raising
fresh obstaclev."

The writer then proceeds to show that, in addition
to those methods, Russia is continually employed in
fomenting differences between the European States,
for the purpose of weakening them, and of adding to
her own power by acting as arbitrator or protector,
according to circumstances ; and that she is constantly
endeavouring to foment troubles in the interior of
each European State by intriguing with the different
political parties into which the state may be divided.
The writer then proceeds to observe :
" Peace thus gives a preponderance to Russia such as
she would not derive from the most fortunate war.
Every day she accustoms the minor states to look to her
as the arbitrator of the destinies of the world and the
dispenser of universal good fortune or misery. The
menacing immobility of her forces adds a hundredfold
to their prestige. She keeps weak Governments in fear,
and the world in suspense, and she derives as much ad-
vantage from apprehension as she could from a series of
victories; she holds high language to great states; she
counsels and conducts the little—in a word, she reigns.
Look for proof at what is passing in the Austrian mo-
narchy, the Gorman Confederation, at Naples, at Por-
tici, at Constantinople, and at Greece ! Who over this
immense space is feared and attended to? Who counsels
King William at Stuttgardt, and Otho at Athens? Who
speaks as never did ambassador like Prince Gortschakoff
at Frankfort? Who addresses to the Whig Cabinet at
London such unheard-of remonstrances? Who ? The
Russian Government."

It is, therefore, more than ever necessary that the'
policy of resistance which Lord PALMERSTON has
adopted should be carried out to the utmost, and that
the people of England should not suffer themselves to
be misled by the misrepresentations of the obscuran-
tist agents of the Russian policy, whether those mis-
representations may be made in the House of Peers
or in the columns of a reactionary journal.
The National has the following on the conduct of
the Royalists on the motion of M. LAROCHEJAQUELIN :
" Can monarchy proceed, as M. de Larochejaquelin
would have it, from a delegation of the people? Can
monarchy exist in virtue of any other right than its
own? And if it has popular right given to it for its
origin, is it still monarchy? Is that monarchy which it
depends on the will of the people to abrogate? The
faculty of delegation implies that cf revocation, and th©
act itself by which the people might establish the monar-
chical form would be tke negation of the monarchical
principle, and the affirmation of the popular sovereignty.
A fortiori does what we here say apply to constitutioLal
royalty? It may be seen, therefore, that as right and
principle, monarchy has ceased to exist. Inexorable
logic says it, and general feeling proclaims it. As a
usurping and revolutionary fact, monarchy may, it is
true, he re-ettlblished by violence and surprise; but
only, as we have said, as a usurping and revolutionary
fact, and transitory. It is an atuse of language to say
that monarchy can be restored. The form of monarchy?
Yes! We have just said how, and at what price. But
the principle! Never. For once again monarchy is by
itself. It cannot be—in its. essence and its truth—even
in consequence of an abdication of the nation, which
cannot abdicate its right over itself, and can always undo
what it has done. Consequently the object intended by
the proposition of M. de Larochejaquelin is nothing but
nonsense. It ought to be well known that this word
monarchy—legitimate or quasi legitimate—signifies no-
thing more titan revolution, violent triumph of injustice,
and at a given moment, popular vengeance. Let those
who wish for a restoration of any kind no longer speak
if compromises impossible and necessarily perishable,
except by oppression and abuse of force. Such is the
question, and it must be accepted in these true terms :
Eight and Republic, immortal as right—monarchy and
usurpation, ephemeral as everything which is the fruit
of iniquity and of violence."
The Moniteur du Soir states that five soldiers were
arrested on Thursday near the column of July, where
they had placed a crown of immortalles.
The review which was to have taken place in the
Champ de Mars on Easter Monday has been post-
poned.
The trial of the Legitimatists who were arrested
some time since in the Rue de Rumford, on a charge
of conspiring to overthrow the Republic, was con-
cluded before the Assize Court on Thursday. They
were found guilty of having formed a secret society,
and - sentenced to various terms of imprison-
ment, varying from one month to six days. The
mildness of these sentences contrasts curiously
with the severity of those recently passed on
the editors of the Reforme and of the other
tthheesae passed by the su-
preme Republicanc our journals, ooufr ne l s,
Versaillesan d woi with
of June. Sentences such as these passed on the Le-
gitimatists are premiums to Royalist treason, and
the Court which passes them is more guilty than even
the conspirators, of whom it makes itself the ex post
facto accomplice.
The following is the Bank account for the week :
Francs.
Specie ... 340,841,273
Ditto in branches ••• •.• 140,266,031
Bills in portfolio •.• ... 41,122,531
Bills in branches ... ... 64,046,262
Bills lying unpaid ..• 1.356,263
Ditto in branches ..• 1,435,202
Bank notes in circulation ... 408,040,700
Ditto in branches ... 70,598,675
Credit to Treasury ... ... 53,944,320
Private credits ••• 97,633,585
Ditto in branches ... ... 24,026,910
Discounted bills account shows an increase of two
millions for Paris, but a eecrease of a million for the
provinces. The issue of bank-notes has increased about
15 millions, while specie remains about what it was.
There is a diminution in the credit to the Treasury of
nearly 34 millions. Private credits show an increase
of about 16 millions.

PARIS BOURSE, MARCH 29.—Latest Prices—Fire
per Cents., 90r. 25c.; Three per Cents., 55f. 90c.; Bank
Action, 2,200 f.

---SPAIN.

Madrid journals of the 24th have arrived.
The Commission intended to be sent to Havannah,
under the superintendence of General Mntason, is to
consist of M. DOILAL, an officer of the navy, M.
AnfAT, military engineer, and M. NEARIAL DEL VAL,
emplo36 of the finance department.
The Balsa was closed on the 24th.

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