The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-31 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 1850.

Having visited the imperial city of Germany, and
declaimed to their entire satisfaction in St. Paul's
Church at Frankfort, we presume that the delegates of
the Peace Association are now, on their return home.-
wards, thoroughly satisfied with themselves and their
enterprise. Of course they imagine they have done
yeoman's service in the advancement of the arbitra-
tion movement. War henceforth is to be repudiated
by the people of Europe as an abomination. Blood-
shed is to be a grim and ghastly tale of the bygone
centuries. The lamb is to lie down with the
lion, and the kid with- the hippopotamus.
We wonder,. as so many have already wondered
before us, and as so many will wonder after us, we
wonder with all the-wonder that is possible in an
age of wonders—What next ! Talk of CERVANTES
having extinguished knight-errantry with Don
Quixote! Talk of BUTLER having crushed fanati-
cism under the heel of Sir Hudibras ! Talk of
RABELAIS having quashed extravagance of aspiration
with his truthful history of Gargantua and Pante-
gruel ! The pyramids shaken down by a peal of
laughter would be a notion none the less ridiculous.
Why the hero of La Mancha never perpetrated such ab-
surdities as these redoubtable champions of humanity
have been parading in the face of Christendom, like any
mountebank upon his platform, aided by an Ojibbeway
nondescript in lieu of a jack-pudding. After this we
need no assurance whatever that other hobbies may
be ridden besides the memorable Rosinaate. Here
are men so blinded by their pleasant dreams
of impracticability, that, like the child in
the nursery song, they are crying to have
the moon for a plaything. The aspirants
for Utopia were nothing to them in credulity—
neither were the believers in beanie, nor the worship-
pers of the gods of Atalanta, nor those who sighed
after the flying island of LEMUEL GULLIVER. It is
unquestionably true, of course, that now-a-days no
one entertains any intention of going in search of
El Dorado, of hunting up the reputed haunts of
PEESTER JOHN, or of advertising in the newspapers
for the wandering AHASUERUS. Yet, while no indi-
viduals are given to such ridiculous practices,
there are those still in existence who indulge
themselves in undertakings quite as preposterous as
the roscicrucian experiments in quest of the elixir vzte,
or the alchemical search after the aurum potalnle.
Even while the soil of Europe is still heaving with
the convulsions of a recent revolution, while the
smoke of bombardment has scarcely floated away from
the principal cities of the Continent, from Paris saved
from Terrorism by CAVAIGNAC, from Vienna battered
into ruins by WINDISCHGRATZ, from Milan invested
by the forces of RADETZKY, from Buda stormed by the
heroic patr:ots under GoRGEY, from Rome Wien at
the point of the bayonet by OUDINOT, from Naples
pillaged by the lazzaroni of FERDINAND, from Mes-
sina rased to its very foundations by FILANGIERI,
while the noise of battle is still resounding loudly on
the southern shores of the Baltic, and the valiant
Danes are;repelling the invaders beyond the boundaries
of Schleswig, men are found so frivolous in judg-
ment and so dull in comprehension as to talk of
" putting down" all idea of future conflicts! What
renders their proceedings still more ludicrous to those
who don't happen to be bitten by the phobia of arbi-
tration, is the circumstance of such men as General
HAYNAU, as M. GIRARDIN, and as Mr. COBDEN,
being among the most conspicuous persons present on
the recent occasion of their re-assembling at Frank-
fort. General Harseau, the desolator of Hungary !
M. GIRARDIN, the duellist I Mr. COBDEN, the defier
of Russia, and the threatener of the police
to one of his London correspondent!, ! Nothing, in

short, could exceed the inappropriateness of the
whole of the late demonstration. The rendezvous
was the very city where only a few months before
the artillery was brought out to clear the streets
from insurrection. That city, moreover, is the
metropolis of a nation ripe, from one extremity to
the other, at any moment for an outbreak into the
bloodiest revolution. Then the military chieftain,
whom we have already mentioned as having
appeared in St. Paul's Church during the progress
of the three days' declamation, was perhaps the most
villanous hero that could have been decoyed into that
dovecot, as a token that war now-a-days is more san-
guinary, more cruel, more horrible, and irrepressible
in every way than it has ever been hitherto. His
presence there, reeking from the shambles of
Austrian vengeance, was as though the bril-
liant periods of the orators of peace were
responded to by the laugh of a hyena.
Never was the dream of a visionary more abruptly
or more painfully dissipated than that of the ad-
vocates of arbitration, when IIAYNAU walked into
the very midst of their paeific conclave. After the
entrance of this infamous soldier into the council of
the Peace Association, nothing remains to be said or
written in disproof of the practicability of its
principles.

The Commissioners for the Sale of Encumbered
Estates in Ireland, having completed the first year of
their labours, have published an authentic account of
their progress during that period. When it is con-
sidered that the Act (12 and 13 Vic., cap. 77) under
which they were appointed only received the Royal
assent on the 28th of July, and that the new
Commissioners held their first meeting on the 28th of
August, the amount of busines' transacted in the
interval will appear as extraordinary to those accus-
tomed to the long and lingering Iroceedings in Chan-
cery, as the journey of the present day by express
train, to the dilatory and tedious transit by the
lumbering waggon or the heavy day coach of the_
last century. Rapidity is now the order of the day.
Everything must be quickly decided, and right glad
are we to find that the spirit of the age has led to
the acceleration of legal procedure. _ _

It is not by the value of the property disposed of
that the labours of the Commissioners are to be
appreciated. The gross total produced by the sales
from the 211 t of January, on which day the first lot
was submitted to public competition, to the 31st July,
up to which time the return is made, was 541,253/.
163. 61, an amount not exceeding, probably not
equalling, that realised during a similar period
by Messrs. DANIEL SMITH and Son, at the Mart,
Witerloo-place, Pall-mall, or by one only of our many
eminent estate-agents. This may not be regarded as
a very extensive change of property in Ireland, par-
ticularly when the embarrassed condition of many
landowners in that country is taken into considera-
tion, and the fact that the new tribunal, from the
superior advantages it is enabled to offer to purchasers,
in the shape of a clear Parliamentary title, with a
new root, a short conveyance, and a settlement of all
doubtful questions with the occupiers and tenants,
which, under other circumstances, might possibly
lead to expensive and vexaticu3 litigation, has
practically superseded all other modes by which
real property is di,posed of in that country.
But the industry and efficiency of the Commissioners
will be better understood when the detailed account
of all they have got through during the twelve
months is taken into consideration.

As we have already stated, the three gentlemen
who had been carefully selected fur these arduous
and important duties met, for the first time, on the
28th of August. Their earliest, and by no means
least, difficult task was to frame rules for the regula-
tion of the practice in their court. This onerous
undertaking was accomplished in less than three
weeks (20 days), and, on the 18th of September,
the new general rules, eighty-five in num-
ber, together with a body of forms, and
directions for " facilitating proceedings under the
statute," the whole forming a complete and well-
considered code of procedure under the new tribunal,
was submitted to the Irish Privy Council for appro-
bation. The members of this body did not exhibit
quite as much activity as the Commissioners. They
took a full month to consider what bad been pre-
pared in less than three weeks, and their final sanction
was not given to the general rules until the 17th of
October.

r On the 25th October the Court was first opened
for the dispatch of public business, and during the re-
mainder of that month 17 petitions were filed. From
that time to the 31st July 1,085 petitions have,
been presented, of which no less than 997 were ad-
judicated on, 105 being dismissed ; so that on the
31st July there only remained standing over 88 case?,
of which 82 were filed within that very month.

The petitions in 177 cases had been presented by
the owners for the sale of estates producing a gross
rental of 189,9441. ss. 2J., and encumbered to, the
extent of 3,028,5561. 13e. 41d., or rather more than
one quarter of the gross rental, and less that one
quarter of the encumbrances brought under
the' jurisdiction of the Court. This fact of the
owners taking the initiative in so many cases
sufficiently proves that so great a terror is not enter-
tained by the landlord class of the "confiscation" and
" sacrifices" that were said to be of daily occurrence,
as asserted by some of the opponents of the ne w law.
The total number of orders made was 2,789, of
which 938 were conditional orders for sale, 666 abso-
lute orders for sale, and 1,185 miscellaneous orders.
This was "independently of numerous orders daily
made by the Commissioners is chambers." The annual
rental of all the properties comprised in the petitions is
665,4701.185. 7d, and the gross total of encumbrances
as specified in the petitions is 12,400,3481. 63. lid. It
will therefore be seen, that if even the very moderate
sum of 1 per cent. be set aside for the costs of the
sale and of the entire proceedings, it will require the
property to bring on an average from 18 to 19 years'
purchase to pay the encumbrances without leaving a
shilling for the former proprietors. As many, how-
ever, will exhibit considerable deficiencies, it is to be
hoped that there will be numerous cases in which
handsome balances will remain for the use of the

inheritors.
There have been already 87 different estates
sold in 257 lots. Receivers had been appointed over
fifty-four of these estates, so that they had passed
from the control of the inheritor to the hands of the
worst possible landlords—the C Jurt of Chancery or
Equity Exchequer; and in twelve cases only were
proceedings not pending for a sale in one or other of
these courts. There were altogether 64.802 A. 3a.
15r. sold, of which 50,793 A. Oa. 12s'. were held in
fee simple or fee farm, 12,420 A. 3a. 35r. for lives re-
newable for ever, and 1,585 A. 2a. SP. for other leases
for long terms. The total produce of the sales was,
as we have already stated, 541,2531. 16s. 61, of
which 22,8051. was obtained for house property in
Dublin, Colic, Limerick, or Belfast, and the re-

mainder by the average aforesaid, or on the average
of rather less than 81. per acre for the lands.' Already
the distribution of the proceeds has been commenced,
and it was anticipated that nearly 200,0001. would
have been allocated by the 20th of this month, and
200,0001. more in November. This is, inched)
astonishing progress, and shows how greatly the nation
is indebted to Sir Joux ROMILLY for his bold and
vigorous attempt to overcome the monster grievance
of the 191 century.

THE PARLIAMENTARY SUNDAY.—DUBLIN, FRI.
DAY.—Oilicial orders arrived yesterday rescinding the foolish
and mischievous rule for suspending postal communication
during.two days in the week. The delivery will take place
as formerly from Sunday next. The reverting to the old
system has created no dissatisfaction among the employes of
the Post-office, to whom the " boon" was little better than
sheer humbug.
APOTHECARIES' TIALL.—The following are the
names of the gentlemen who passed their examination in the
science and practice of medicine, and received certificates to
practise, on Thursday, August •i 9 : —Robert Turner Bywater,
Leeds; Thomas Evans Evershed, nilli
_____nr-r,hurst, Surrey;
Thomas Itobecs, Hitchen Herts; Charles Harriott Roper,
Mountradford douse, Exeter;: Ribert Harrison Wilson,
Ilowdon Pans, Newcastle-on-Tyne.:
THE TRINITY-HOUSE.—Captain Picket has been
elected an Elder Brother in the room of Captain Reeve, de-
ceased. We understand that the Right Hon. Sir Francis
Thornhill Baring, Bart., M.P. (the First Lord of the A.dmi-
r,:lty), is to he proposed as one of the Elder Brethren in the
place of the late Right lion. Sir R. Peel, Bart.
LORD LYNDHURET.—We are happy to learn that
the operation the Noble and Learned Lord found it necessary
to undergo for the recovery of his sight has proved most
successful.

The Wesleyan Conference is to be Lela next year
at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Four mare English fishing-smack,, the Navarin,
the Five Brothers, the S,t. Croix, and the Oyster, have been
seizid and sent into Hayre for violating the fishery lam,

THE SUN, LONDON,

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