The Sun.
London, England, 1828-07-30 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC. JOURNALS.

Report begins to display some confidence in
assigning to the Bishop of Chester the See of
London., about to be vacated by the promotion
of Dr. Howley to the Primacy. Dr. Blom-
f:eld's merits are -such, perhaps, as cannot, in
these critical times, be passed over by a Ministry
zealous in its Tory spirit, and in its anti-Catholic
professions. Bishop Blomfield was a good.
Greek scholar at-the University. His Lordship
has in Parliament shown himself stifrand some-
what eager in debate—a sharp and unflinching
controversialist—a willing ministerial servant—
a forward speaking Bishop. Of course it is no
argument in disfavour of Dr. Blomfield—we
mean with those who direct the translations of
the Right Rev. Bench—that he has formerly
been of politics less loved at Court than those
which he now professes and inculcates. What
is in Turkey a renegado, is here a proselyte ;
and since such men are often forced by their
condition to go all lengths for those who, eir=
ploy them, their convenience as instruments is
so obvious, that they are treated as they ought
to be if their virtues were their only recommen-
dations. We dare to conjecture, that Dr. Kaye,
Bishop of Lincoln, however distinguished fox
learning, consistency,- liberality, mildness, and
purity, for that meek bearing "(which endears
him to society) of faculties which have long
rendered him an. ornament of the church—we
dare to say that such a Prelate would be consi-
dered a far less convertible and profitable par-
tisan than one more meddling, worldly, and
pugnacious. It is probable, that whatever may
become of piety anti benevolence, which form
the spiritual portion of Christianity, the Minis-
ters will, so manage bn the present occasion that
the temporalities of the church may be sine
to-find defenders. The lands Of Canada for
that ! •Is it true that Dr. Wellesley will be the
new Bishop.? In that case, we should imagine
it must be a false report that. Lord Liverpool
refused the Duke of Wellington's application on
behalf of the Hon. and Rev. Gentleman some
years ago, and equally false that the reasons as-
signed by his Lordship for the refusal were not
of 'a
nature' the most flattering to the Rev. Gen-
tleman's pretensions.— Times.
The-Parliamentary Report on the Polite of
the Metropolis, of which we have already pub-
lished several portions, contains a great deal of
interesting matter, but does not seem to us to
exhibit, on some points at least of which it
treats, much depth of examination or acuteness
of reasoning. For the evils, .or alleged evils,
attending the system of compromise with rogues,
to obtain restitution, on certain terms, of the
property which they have stolen, there is, in
our judgment; but one effectual remedy. The
means of detection for crimes already perpe-
trated, are carried, perhaps, as far • as they can
go by the mere machinery of legislation. Little
more, we presume, can be done in that respect,
than by holding out encouragement to the dis-
coverers of the culprits, and prosecuting the:
seamed, end punishing the guilty. If; however,
the parties who have been robbed prefer, as is
most natural, the restitution of their property,
or of a considerable proportion of it, to the in-
fliction of vengeance on their plunderers, we
know not of any efictual measure whereby the
Legislature can hope to prevail on men to fore-
go their own interest for the sake of .the public,
and to sit down, under a loss ;o£ thousands of
pounds, with no other -indemnification than the
hanging, transporting, of imprisonment of 'a
notorious thief, when they have it in their power
recover their money by releasing the said
thief Iroin the consequences of a criminal.pros
seeotion, It is quite absurd to.exclairn against
this practice, so far as relates to . the parties
themselves who have been robbed, whatever I
may be thought of the officers of public ,
justice, who lend, themselves to expedients for
redeeming property by sparing the violators
of the law. The single suggestion worth ,
listening to is that of diminishing such compro-
mises, by preventing the crimes whence they ori-
ginate ; and this can-be done, as it seems to us,
by no method but that of reinforcing the means
of prevention already 'in existence—namely, by
multiplying the subaltern ministers of' justice,
raising their pay so as to make their honesty
more profitable on the overage than their base-
,less, and sthnulating their praiseworthy ambi-
tion, by holding out to them a prospect of
gradually rising in the department under which
they serve, The causes stated by the Com-
mittee as accounting for the increased frequency,
though not malignity of crime, we think are not
deserving of much attention. With the single
exception of the ruinously low price of spirits, the
grounds
alleged by the Committee, such as ne-
glect of children, ilasheliouses, &c. &e., are but
secondary or auxiliary :causes of crime ; for what
issithe reason that people PAW neglect. their
child; en, if the fact he. so, more than in former
ages? What is the reason that people frequent
flash-houses
(which always must . have existed
-
under other namb;ll more industriously now than
their ancestors did before them ? Why should
inordinately large vvago; be given to London
journeymen at this moment,
.40 as to encourage
drunkenness to a greater degree than ever
The Committee ought to. have gone,somewhat
deeper into the subject, oe been satisfied to ac-
knowledge that what they deseribaLl as originating
causes, were in reality nothing more than effects,
of which the foundations were unknown to them,
Upon one point tvd go beyond the Committee,
and are' convinced that the reduction of the spirit
duties was the most unstatesnianlike, profligate,
and calamitous measure, that could Lase been
devised for ruining the-health and inoralesof the
people.—lbid.
• "We have never known a gaol deli Very;" says
the Essex Herald, " wherein a stronger proof
snanifested itself of the great caution used by the..
ssijistracy of this county in committing.persons
to orison, Of thirty-nine prisoners, six only
wore acquitted, and two were discharged by pro-
clamation ;
one of the latter escaped in cense-
quence of his giving evidence against his accom-
pikes." 'We here see the beneficial effects of I
the attention bestowed by the Press on the con-
duct of the Magistracy. When Sir. Francis.
Burdett first brought the pra.e4es of flogging
soldiers before Parliament, he was abuse 4 beyond
measure, and it was stoutly contended that
flogging was never resorted-to, except when ab-
solutely necessary. However, the dread of pub.:
Re notice led officers to exercise a little ingpn%);ty
in the management of their men, :55 at: to be awe
to economize corporal punishment ; and tlia con-
sequence is, that it has been found that rogi,
ments can be kept under very good discipline
with very little flogging. In the seine manner,
though the Unpaid Magistracy were the glory
of England, and it was impossible for any set of
men to conduct themselves in a more merito-
rious manner, yet we see the same Magistrates.
who, a few years ago, committed with such libe
rality that the acquittals were as numerous as the