The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-01 00:00:00

of examining its provisions, he should support the mo-
tion of the Noble Lord. He had been much pleased to
hear the allusion of the Hon. Baronet, the Member for
Sussex, to that great constitutional principle, that no
man's property should be taken from him, and given to
another. He trusted that at a subsequent period of the
session, when the proprietorship of land was the subject
of discussion, the Hon. Baronet would keep that princi-
ple in view.
Colonel SIBTHORP withdrew his opposition to the
motion.

Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
At a subsequent period of the evening Lord WORS-
LEY brought in the Bill, which was read a first time,
and ordered to be read a second time on Wednesday
week.
PRISON DISCIPLINE (SCOTLAND).
The LORD ADVOCATE moved for leave to bring
in a Bill to amend the law with respect to prisons and
prison discipline in Scotland. lie stated that previous
to 1839 the laws of Scotland relating to prisons and pri-
son discipline had been very unsatisfactory. The prisons
were not fit for the reception of any human beings, and
there was no sufficient security for the safe custody of the
prisoners. The expense, both of erecting and main-
taining the prisons, fell exclusively upon the Royal
burghs, and the consequence was that very inadequate 1
provision was made. In 1839, a statute passed, to im-
prove
the then existing state of the law. That statute
had been in operation ever since, and it had caused a
great improvement in the discipline of prisons. There
was a general Board in Edinburgh, for the manage-
ment of prisons, and they reported annually on the
subject. Their reports were most valuable documents.
They showed that the new system had in general worked
admirably ; but, of course, some defects had been found
in it, and to remedy those defects was the object of the
Bill. The report of last year stated that the
system had been in operation four years, and that
experience had proved the soundness of the system upon
which it was founded, at the same time some imperfec-
tions might be pointed out. A Bill had been introduced
last session to remedy those inconveniences, and for af-
fording additional facilities for• improving the manage-
ment of prisons. The measure which he was about to
propose was essentially similar to the measure of last
year, and its objects were to remedy those imperfec-
tions and to afford those facilities. He would not weary
the House with details, but would content himself with
alluding to two points. Since 1839 there had been a new
census, and as the contribution of each district towards
the expense of maintaining these prisons was regulated
by
y the amount of population, it was necessary to have an
enactment authorising the authorities to take the last
census as the basis for the assessment. It was also ne-
cessary to remedy some imperfections in the plan at pre-
sent used for the transmission of prisoners. The Bill,
therefore, contained provisions for the better removal
of prisoners. The Bill was, in fact, the same as the Bill
of last year, with some few alterations.
Mr. WALLACE would not propose the amendment
of which he had given notice. He had now on the paper
a notice for the appointment of a Committee to inquire
into the subject, and he thought that would be a more
convenient time for discussing the subject of prison dis-
cipline in Scotland than the present. He should not,
therefore, oppose the motion of the Learned Lord Advo-
cate. He believed the system of prison discipline had
been greatly improved in Scotland since 1839.
The motion was then agreed to, and the Bill was
brought in. and read a first time.
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.
Mr. M. GIBSON postponed to that day fortnight the
motion of which he had given notice for this evening on
the subject of agricultural statistics.
The remaining Orders of the Day were then disposed
of, and the House attourned at a Quarter before Eleven
o'Clock.

LIVERPOOL GRAND STEEPLE
CHASE.
(FROM OUR TURF CORRESPONDENT.)
WEDNESDAY Nrcntr.—The disappearance of the frost,
and the favourable state of the weather, this morning, sue-
ceeeding to several hours of heavy rain, removed all appre-
hensions of a postponement, and enables us to state, not only
that there was an excellent show of company, but that the
gratification afforded by two very sporting races was un-
alloyed by accident, wrangle, or mismanagement ; still, in
speaking of the numbers present, we are forced to admit
that the variable state of the weather in the early part
of the week prevented hundreds from the metropolis and
other distant localities from risking an expensive, fatiguing,
and, it might be, bootless journey, and that the assemblage
in consequence was somewhat below the average. We men-
tion this with regret, from a knowledge that the lessee's
heavy responsibilities in the shape of rent, money given to be
run for, and incidentals, must of necessity make any falling ofl
a matter of serious anxiety. The start for the principal event
was fixed in the cards at two o'clock, but as the precision
observed at the legitimate races is not looked for in sports of
this description, it was nearly three before the horses were
in the starting field. Until the stated period for starting
the weather had been favourable ; the sky then became over-
cast, and just before the race commenced the rain set in,
accompanied by a mist, that rendered it next to impossible
to distinguish the colours of the riders a quarter of a mile
from the stand. For this reason we shall make no apology
for confining ourselves to and official return of the starters
and their riders, and a brief general " idea" of the manner
in which the race commenced, progressed, and terminated.
Handicap Sweepstakes of 20 sovs. each, 10 ft, with 100 added,
the second saves his stake. (41 subs., 19 declared.)

Mr. Quartermaine's Discount, 10it 121 b (Crickmere 1
Mr. S. Crawfurd's The Returned, 12st (Scott 2
Sir T. H. Goodrick nd Tom Tug, lOst 71b (Rockley 3
Lord Maidstone's Ccesar, flit 101 b (Barker 4
The following also ran :—Mr. Ekins' Peter Simple,
12st 121 b (Frisby) ; Mr. Millbank's Robinson, 12st 71b
(Parker) ; Lord Maidstone's Wiverton, 12st 41b (Oli-
ver) ; Mr. W. Scott's Heslington, 12st (Mr. W.
Benett) ; Lord E. Russell's Lather, I Ist 2lb (Ball) ;
Sir J. Gerard's Louis Philippe, list (Cowell) ; W.
Hollinshead's Little Peter, lOst 121 b (Day) ; Mr. Moore's
Nimrod, lOst 101 b (A. M‘Donough) ,• Lord Sefton nd. Ma-
rengo, lOst 101 b (Brotherton) ; Mr. Kennedy's Teetotaller,
lOst 71b (Sharkey); Lord G. Bentinck nd. the Romp, lOst 71b
(Byron) ; and Sir W. M. Stanley nd. Charity, 10st 71b
(Powell).
Betting-5 to 1 agst Marengo, sto 1 agst Discount, Bto
1 agst Heslington, 8 to 1 agst Wiverton, 12 to 1 agst Charity,
14 to 1 agst Robinson, 14 to 1 agst Nimrod, 15 to 1 agst The
Returned, 20 to 1 agst Louis Philippe, and 25 to 1 agst the
Romp.
No sooner were they all fairly off, than Tom Tug, emerging
from the crowd, took the lead at a middling pace, attended
by The Romp, The Returned, Lather, and, after the first
three or four fields, Discount, Heslington, Wiverton, Caesar,
and a ruck of horses lying up. Except that Peter Simple
found his way into a ditch, nothing occurred to give variety
to the race until they reached the hurdle fence that inter-
sected the line a few strides below the artificial water jump.
It was taken first by Tom Tug, followed by The Romp, at
the next moment by The Returned, and afterwards, in quick
succession, by Lather, Heslington, Discount, &c. ; in nearly
the same order was •the Water cleared, without a mistake,
except The Romp, who fell oil her knees, but recovered her-
self in an instant, arid without losing her place. Tom Tug
went on with the running to about the fourth fence, which
he refused, and The'Returned was left in advance. Toni,
however, speedily resuated his position, and was first in the
throng up to the lane; here he was joined by The Returned,
The Romp, and Cesar, and the four raced together nearly
abreast along the lower end of the course. Discount, who
had waited on them, then drew upon them, and getting up
inside as they entered the straight running, passed them one by
one, was ahead at the distance, and, improving his advantage
every stride, passed the winning chair at least 20 lengths in ad-
vance. The Returned headed Tom Tug at the distance, and beat
him for second by about a length and a half. Caesar was six
lengths behind, and was placed fourth ; Lather was fifth,
Marengo and The Romp next, but all beaten off a long way
Most of the others were pulled up some distance from home.
Charity fell after jumping the water, and Lather broke down
near the end. ' These, and Peter Simple's mistake at the
ditch, were the only casualties. We s;.iould state, in conclu-
sion, that the ground run over was precisely the same as last
year, with the exception of the walls, for which a hurdle
jump was substituted ; and that the rain en Tuesday night
had made it very heavy.
The Champion Hurdle Race Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each
with 50 added ; the second saved his stake. Two miles.
(11 subs.)
Mr. Raworth's Chance, aged (Bradley) 1
Mr. W. Scott's Heslington, 6 yrs (Oliver) 2
Mr. Milbank's Robinson, aged (Parker) 3
The following were not placed :—Mr. Dauber na Baronet,
5 yrs (Thomas) ; Mr. Ekins' Peter Simple, aged (Frisby) ;
and Mr. J. G. Watson's Mudlark (Brotherton). Betting—
Even on Chance ; 5 to 2 agst Heslington ; and 4 to 1 agst
Robinson. Peter Simple made all the running to the last
hurdle but one, at which he was passed by Heslington and
'Chance, the horse leading; the mare, however, was well in
hand, collared him at the last jump, made him safe at the
Stand, and won cleverly. Baronet and Mudlark were beaten
off several lengths,
Match, 300, h ft, Lord Maidstone's Wiverton received 1201.
from Hon. S. Herbert's Arctic.

Amongst the company present were the Earl and Countess
of Sefton, Lord De Tably, Earl and Countess of Eglintoun,
Lord and Lady Craven, Lady C. Townelev, Lord Curzon,
Lords Macdonald, Maidstone, Cosmo Russell ; Sir G. Hous-
ton ; Honourables Stanley Fitzroy, F. Craven, Captain Stan-
ley ; Sir W. M. Stanley; Sir R. Brooke, Sir H. Brownrigg,
Sir F. Bathurst ; Messrs. Payne, Errington, J. Stanley, Mill-
banke, F. A. Millbanke, Bagge, A. Graham, J. Bell, J.
White, Mare, Heywood, Blackburn, &c. &c.
The Waterloo and most of the principal hotels are full ;
but time will not admit of our giving a list of their visitors.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE DAILY PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.—Certainly, the party in power are curiously
chequered in ecclesiastical policy. On the one hand,
they have a Stanley, a Graham, and (facilis descensus)
Perceval directly charging, or indirectly insinuating
perjury on the part of those Roman Catholics who
show any disposition to help the Anti-Ascendancy Pro-
testants in their efforts to " subvert tae present Church
Establishment, as settled by law within this realm," and
" disturb or weaken the Protestant religion or Protestant
Government of the United kingdom." On the other
hand, they have the Monckton Milnes, John Manners,
Smythes, and the rest of those tasteful Young Eng-
landers, who have " softened and elevated" their minds
of late years by a sort of steeple-chase throughout Roman
Catholic Europe, and are striving, sub rosu, to smuggle
those ultra-montane doctrines into old England, which si-
milar geniuses, on thrones and off them, have been seeking,
likewise, to revive on the Continent. Lord J. Manners
thinks that if we had only an ambassador at the Papal
Court, and free trade with Italy—not in corn, but in
monks and nuns—there would be no risk of riots in
Birmingham and Manchester. How he accounts for
popular tumults and military precautions lately in Rome,
we are not informed. Mr. Milnes thinks we should
" soften and elevate"—by paying—the Irish priests. And
we are credibly informed that one or more of the
Cardinals of Rome have almost daily correspondents
from Oxford. Thus we have one section of the Tory
party strenuously repelling, and the other strenu-
ously promoting Romish agencies on our institu-
tions. And both these sections of this most united
party profess themselves to be pulling these oppo-
site ways equally' out of pure love of the Church.
What is it possible for plain men to make out of
these opposite bents of Tory Churchmen ? The one
set of them tend to reunion with Rome ; the other to
war with Ireland. Each of them, as it appears to us,
though by opposite routes, would travel towards re-
storing undivided ecclesiastical dominion over the spirits
of men. The exclusive Protestant aims at this by main-
taining for Protestantism an universally marked as-
cendancy. The Churchman of the new Oxford school
aims at it by edging towards Rome; to show her prestige
and traditions. This is the party which has sought
avowedly to un-Protestantise the National Church, and
to which the payment of the Irish priesthood seems
naturally only a sort of Church Extension. If Sir Ro-
bert Inglis thought as Mr. Milnes does of the Romish
Church, he would consider his plan to subsidise it simply
as carrying out his Church Extension views. Now
zealous men of either school may rejoice in prospects
of union in the Church, either by Protestant absorp-
tion of Roman Catholicism, or Protestant assimilation
with it. We rejoice, for our part, to think that
neither the one nor the other is possible by tlir me-
thods. Of
,course we hope for the ultimate triumph
of truth ; and we have our own views of truth.
But we deprecate the triumph of an undivided ecclesia-
tical power—and that is the triumph which Ascendancy
Protestants on the one hand—Romanising Oxonians on
the other—would achieve. We deprecate all assistance
by the secular power to the ascendancy of any
Church. A Church which is that of the majority of a
people will naturally receive that treatment from its
representatives which the feelings of that majority
dictate. But we consider it a political advantage (we
speak of no other here) that the several divisions of an
empire should not belong to one Church. There is
the less risk of success to that everlasting ambition of
Churchmen to dictate the whole direction of mental
training, of moral inquiry, and thence, in the end, of
social and :political institutions. Two Churches are
better than one ; three better than two ;—spaaking po-
litically. We are latitudinarian enough to think none
of them may monopolise true religion ; and we 'are very
sure that to aid one of them to monopolise establishment
is no true policy. Such is the source of our alienation
from an Anglican Church-ascendancy in Ireland. We
rejoice that the Scotch wrenched it from our hands ;
and we wish the Irish had done so three centuries back.
But when Churchmen of the peculiar colour of
Young England adopt the plan of State payment of the
Irish Catholic clergy, we are forced to ask ourselves—
Is not this tending by an opposite way from Sir Robert
Inglis to the renewed ascendancy of one Church ? It
is certain that the tendency is that way in. the minds of
our Romanising Churchmen. Now, although we do
not think there is much danger of their getting the upper
hand, and establishing their mode of interpreting the
Thirty-nine Articles into consistency "with the decrees of
the Council of Trent," still, we must say distinctly, that
'the very motives which draw them near Rome, keep us
farther from it. We should look upon what they would
call the renewed union, and what we should call the re-
vived centralisation of the Church, as the greatest of all
evils. We look on its existing outward divisions as the
greatest of all benefits. Whatever course we would
take, therefore (we make no pretension to unerring in-
sight in the matter), we should take from exactly oppo-
site motives to those which dictate the exactly opposite
courses of old and new Oxford Divine-politicians.
STANDARD.—" What is the League about ?" asks
a Contemporary. Why " the League is about many
things," we may answer. The League is holding
meetings with closed doors in the manufacturing
districts, where it has been long known—and handing
over to policemen and gaolers all intruders on its
privacy. In the rural districts, which it has but
lately honoured with its acquaintance, it is getting
handsomely beaten, and its,,esaissaries getting all but
horse-ponded, as the other day at Thirsk ' • and in the
metropolis, it is delighting to hon Our " Mr. Daniel
O'Connell," the great father of the science" of " rent
robbery," which it prosecutes with so great success.
On the 12th prox. Mr. O'Connell is to be entertained
at a dinner at Covent-garden Theatre, to which
dinner the Leaguers will, of course, be the prin-
cipal contributors ; but surely this cannot be all that it
is proposed to bestow upon poor old date ololum in the
clay of his distress. A dinner, even a fortnight off, is a
good thing, and it is on many accounts convenient to the
aged mendicant to have an excuse for remaining in Lon-
don. In Ireland he must attend the Repeal Associa-
tion meetings, and, perhaps, say things that it
would be inconvenient to have remembered on the 15th of
April; besides, who knows? His bail is at present com-
paratively light, and the Folkestone Railway places Lon-
don within five or six hours of the French coast. There
is a great probability that the collection of rents of
all kinds approaches its end, and why should a
patriot give his presences for nothing to an ungrate-
ful country, or place himself under the obligation of
being strongly lodged at its expense ? These, are
all advantages which Mr. O'Connell derives from the
politeness of the Leaguers' promise of a dinner—
an excuse for not attending the Association and
an apology for fixing himself
within a
five
or six hours' run for the Continent ; but this is
not all that the Leaguers ought to do for
their old friend; why, even in the trifling business of
the Factory Bill, he had 1,0001. from them for only
changing sides—will. they do nothing for him now that
he has almost given them the opportunity of a rebellion
—to fish in the troubled waters? " What is the League
about?" We never expected to rattle Mr. O'Connell's
begging-box, but the shameful neglect of "the League "
forces us to do so.

TIMES.—Sir R. Peel is unrivalled at dropping facts into
their right places. But it must be confessed that even he
s°ofmleretilmaned was an instance
s, drops
xe success in this de-
partment of political art. On Tuesday night he was not so
them wrong.
of
unmixed His late speech on the state
happy : he dropped his fact, to our taste, singularly awry.
Mr. Turner, apropos, we presume, of the late unfortunate
misdemeanour of the Irish Attorney-General, begged to know
isaPbeleeL in disclaiming any such inten-
tion,to take credit for having refused
whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Government
"to bring in a Bill fur the more effectual prevention of
duelling?"thaaa andthought
it Sird Rv
the usual pension to the widow of the unfortunate Colonel
Fawcett. Sir Robert Peel does not often utter what is emi-
nently and completely ill-judged. But this, we think, is the
least that can be said of his answer to Mr. Turner. "If
the practice still existed," he said, and truly, "it was not from
any defect in the law, and her Majesty's Government doubted
whether any good object could be promoted by altering the
law." We agree with him. The law is as severe as need
be. To change it, even for the better, would not touch
the root of the evil. The " leges sine moribus" are just what
we have already. It is the feeling of society itself which
has to be changed. Society has to learn that patience and
forbearance are not mortal sins ; and we hope, with Sir
Robert Peel, that society is learning this, and is beginning to
re -zognize its own guilt and absurdity in attempting to en-
force upon all its members that foolish mimicry of ven-
geance involved in the " code of honour." " Duelling," he
told the House, "was fast declining—the feeling of society
was against the practice,-and would, therefore, produce a
salutary effect." So far, so good. But the great Parliamen-
tary speaker—the watchful politician—could not be content
with disposing of the question. He could not resist claim-
ing for Government the credit of moving along with the
public feeling. " Her Majesty's Government had availed
themselves of an opportunity during the recess of exercising
their influence and authority in discouraging the practice
as far as they could." Colonel Fawcett, he told the House,
"was a man of great military reputation, and had distin-
guished himself in the service of his country. Ho was un-
fortunately killed in a duel ; and when his widow applied for
that pension to which she would have been entitled had he
lost his life in any other way than by the hand of his adver-
sary, her Majesty's Government felt themselves compelled
to refuse to grant that pension. • • . . The widow of
the deceased officer having been refused the pension, and
the survivor superseded, he thought her Majesty's Govern-
ment had sufficiently evinced their willingness to exercise
their legitimate power and influence against the practice of
duelling. We are very far from wishing to revive a clamour
against the Irish Attorney-General—still less to excuse the
most unhappy affair in which Colonel Fawcett lost his life.
We have spoken our minds on both cases, and abide by what
we have said. But the merit of Government in this exer-
tion "of their legitimate power and influence" should really
be illustrated by a comparison of these two cases. Mr. Smith,
smarting, we allow, under a series of most ungenerous insults,
but still, it must be remembered, engaged in the very act of
solemnly vindicating the law by a Government prosecution
of the deepest moment—himself a lawyer, and almost in
the face of the Judges of the country—with everything
around him to deter, and nothing beyond the mere sense of
insult to force him upon such an act—flies in the face of
every kind of law, moral and political, human and divine, by
challenging the lawyer who has affronted him. What is the
result ? . Mr. Smith's ability, integrity, firmness, knowledge
of his work, and, finally, Mr. Smith's present success, and
promise of future service, give him a claim on the defence of
Lis party. Ministers made a brilliant and generous apology
for his "indecorum." Tables are turned. He appears him-
self amidst the cheers of the Ministerial benches, lays before
the llouse a manly exposition of his conduct and expression
of regret for his misdemeanour, and sits down, not only un-
censured by those whose praise he courts, but triumphant--
absolved, by the " prolonged applause" of the House,
" Non solbm culpi, verum, opprobrio quoque culpte"—
and rather advanced than impeded on his road to the Chief
Justiceship. We do not mention this to complain of
it. .But let us look at the parallel case. An officer
who has also, Sir Robert Peel says, "distinguished
himself in the service of his country," is challenged. If lie
does not fight, he will lose caste in his profession—nay, lie
will be lucky if he be not publicly disgraced by the formal
decision of a military tribunal. The last West Indian mail
brought home news Of a court-martial held upon an officer of
the English artillery, against whom one of the charges was,
that he had omitted to "take notice of insulting language."
This " distinguished officer" then went out—whether he in-
tended or attempted to take the life of-his adversary, we