The Sun.
London, England, 1828-08-05 00:00:00

This event seems to be hailed as the commencement of a
liberal and enlightened policy on the part of the Home Go-
vernment, and will be attended by consequences which it
is not easy to calculate : it requires, no very great power
Qf intellect to foresee that the British Government wishes
to place both her commercial and political operations upon
such a firm basis as will support her establishments, con-
tain her rapidly increasing population, and render her per-
fectly independent of Europe in the event of a war, which
may not be improbable at any very distant period. The
growing importance and geographical position of New
South Wales and Van Diemen's Land has not es-
caped the lynx eye of the Government at home.—
The Papers then go on to observe, that the privileges of
Trial by Jury, and a Constitution perhaps similar to that
given to the Cape of Good Hope, are only wanting to con-
firm and fix the gratitude of these Colonies ; and then re-
commends them to lay aside all party spirit, little squabbles
and animosities, and forgiving injuries whether real or
supposed ; to call another public Meeting, and draw up a
new petition to his Majesty's Government for these inva-
luable blessings, which it is firmly expected will be readily
attended to by the enlightened Administration. Since
the arrival of the despatches of the Beddington,
rumour is exceedingly busy, as to a variety of ial-
pormnt changes about to be made in the subordinate
civil establishments of the Colony. Our readers may rely
the reports are not wholly without foundation. 100,000
bushels of wheat will serve the Colony for one year, and it
is suggested that if the one half of the arable land of the
Colony were put under wheat, at the usual average of 20
bushels per acre, it would, even at the low rate of five
shillings per bushel, produce, on the fairly suppoied quan-
tity of 600,000 bushels, 125,000/. As the means of pay..
ing for their imposts, independent of other grain, wool,
wood, and other valuable productions, this calculation
seems to he reasonable, as we observe that, at M‘Kiml,lay's
farm, the produce has been 25 bushels per acre, notwith-
standing the dry season.

It is reported in well-informed circles, that a
promotion in the Peerage is likely to take place
very shortly. The Marquis ,of HERTFORD, and
the Marquis of STAFFORD are to be elevated
to the dignity of Dukes. Sir \Vii. CURTIS is
to be created a Peer. Mr. LLOYD, of the firm
of LLOYD, JONES, and Co. Bankers, is also
to be created a Peer—and it is said, that
Mr. J. DALY, the Member for the County
of Galway, is to be created an Irish Peer,
with some others who are not spoken of so
positively.

An Address has been published by the Grand
Convention of Ocano to the people of Colom-
bia, in a style of bombastic eloquence, embody-
ing much truth, but we have not room for it
to-day.
The following is from Portugal :

ORENSE, JULY 24.

This town is completely crowded with persons that have
sought refuge from Portugal, consisting of merchants,
Coimbra students (volunteers), and soldiers, all of whom
experience the greatest want of comfort, and are very ill-
treated ; they are not allowed to go to any sea-port, but
have the choice of being sent to Lngo or returning to
Chaves. About twenty of the soldiers have preferred the
latter; in either case they are accompanied by a military
escort.

OPORTO, AMY .19.

All is quiet here, as far as regards the.public peace, but
great apprebensions are entertained from the seizure and
confiscation of property continually taking place ; not even
such as Las been shipped in British vessels is considered safe.

So much has lately been said, and said truly,
about the impurity of the Thames water, that
public attention has naturally been directed to
every plan which has been submitted to inspec-
tion for a correction of the evil, so far as human
ingesiuity can apply a corrective. At the same
time, the public felt what they have too often
experienced in other proposed specifics, that
those plans which ostensibly held out the greatest
temptations were not in reality the best. Indeed,
so much were we impressed with this truth, that
we treated all the plans suggested for the purifica-
tion of the Thames water as mere moonshine, on
the principle that what is inherently corrupt cannot
be rendered pure by any scientific process. Act-
ing upon this impression we laughed at the
'wonders, advertised by Mr. GEORGE ROBINS,
to be performed by his iqfallible filter, and told
him that he might " puff" himself (puff is the
usual expression) as much as he pleased, but
that we were proof against the mysterious agency
of his Water Nymphs, whose corrective purity
we had no ambition to put to the test. " Then
I challenge you to be candid," was the
reply, " try the effect of my filtering ap-
paratus, and just speak of it as you find
it,—if you disapprove, I charge you no-
thing—if you approve, I expect you will pay ;
just have the candour to try, that's all I want."

The proposition was so fair that we accepted it,
and accordingly next day two Frenchmen (Mr.
GEORGE ROBINS is quite a liberal !) called
and fitted up a filter in the wrong cistern ! This
we considered lucky, as getting a filter for nothing,
as workmen can never have the assurance to charge
for their own mistakes. However, the mistake
was corrected, and for the last two months the
filtering apparatus has been daily doing its dirty
work, with a purity which we now almost regret,
for we-shall have to pay. To be serious, we
have fairly put the merits of the filtering machine
to the test, and we can freely declare that the
purity of the water is unrivalled by any thing
we have hitherto seen of Father Thames, and
our gratification at the circumstance has been as
pure as unexpected. But in the midst of our'
admiration a question presented itself—what be--
comes of the filth ? To this we are now en-
abled to give the following answer :
The prices will be regulated by the dimensions of Cis-
terns, from three, and seldom exceeding six guineas ; and
as the Filter will require occasional inspection and cleans-
ing, the proprietors have been induced (in order that
families may know the utmost extent of expense) to un-
dertake to keep the apparatus in order during the continu-
ance of their patent.for the annual sum of One Guinea.
In addition to all these wonderful properties
of the apparatus, we are informed that it will
actually make salt water fresh ! but as we
have had no means of putting this assertion
to tl►e test,. we abstain from saying any thing
about it upon our own experience. Indeed,
while we are so near fresh water we have no
ambition to try. Mr. GEORGE ROBINS may
go to sea with his filter for that purpose, where
we have no doubt he will find it eminently useful.