The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-03 00:00:00

•
SPIRIT of the P UTIL IC JOURNALS.
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF SATURDAY.
GLOBE.—Sir R. Peel grows wanton, or careless, and
seems inclined to trifle alike with his supporters and the
country. One or two triumphant- divisions happening to
combine with a little personal altercation in public, have ap-
parently weakened his discretion • and he is tempted to abuse
his " little brief authority" with those "fantastic tricks"
which " make even angels weep." Members of Parliament do
not weep,—but then t hey are not angels. Mr. Hogg, looking at
the new differential duty on East India sugar, as a dry matter
of business, and having faith in the Premier, sees nothing
fantastic in the attempt to declare a difference by Act of Par-
liament where there is no distinction in fact. Ile, therefore,
gravely remonstrates, makes a 'motion and a long speech ;
and Mr. Hume seconds the motion in a short one. We do not
counsel weeping in such cases; we think laughing would here
have been somewhat more to the purpose. The utter impos-
sibility of carrying into practice a distinction between sugars
equal to white clayed," and " not equal to white
clayed," is evidently not unknown to these gentlemen, and
might, we should have supposed, have been deemed
a sufficient guarantee that the attempt would either
never be made, or be very quickly abandoned. Mr.
Hogg's proposal to add the words, "in quality," and
so make subject to the higher duty only sugars "equal
in quality to white clayed," does not get rid of, and
scarcely diminishes, the difficulty. The other pro-
posal, to adopt as a test the amount of saccharine
matter contained in the sugar to be charged, has the aps
pearance of being more definite; but the adoption of any
such standard is clearly at variance not only with the propo-
sition of the Government (so far as that can be made suffi•
ciently definite to admit of comparison), but also with every
other proposition yet submitted, and also with every distinc-
tion, in respect to quality, hitherto made in fixing the
duties. It can scarcely be necessary to say that it is
not in ,the quantity of saccharine matter it contains, that
the superiority of refined over raw sugar consists. 'The chief
points of its superiority are, obviously, a higher degree of
crystallisation, and a comparative freedom from colouring
matter. But the former increases the quantity of the water
of crystallisation in a given weight of sugar, and so tends
to diminish the proportion of saccharine matter. Now,,
both the degree of crystallisation and the colour
may, and do, vary infinitely; and if we may place any
dependence upon the assurance of those who possess the
best practical information on the subject, it is not possible
to draw a line at any particular point of refinement suf-
ficiently definite to be made the basis of any fiscal re-
gulation whatever. No two sugar dealers in England are,
we believe, at this moment agreed as to what precisely
is, and what is not, white clayed sugar. The Govern-
ment pretends ignorance of this. Mr. Goulburn knew
it last year, and made good use of it in the debate upon
the last alteration of the sugar duties. Yet, this rear,
Sir Robert Peel has not yet arrived at a know-
ledge of it. But then he declares he was not at liberty to
make inquiries. Had he done so, people might have formed-
some notion of what he was about. The present measure re-
quired careful and secret preparation. Admitting this to be
true is, at least, highly characteristic. Like a conjuror behind
his curtain, preparing his next trick, Sir Robert is con-
tent to " dress up his statement" in the dark—to
give altogether to his audience the benefit of what-
ever light there may be, in order to preserve the more com-
pletely the mystery of the coming display. He is willing to
be ignorant of what everybody else knows, provided he.can
only keep them from guessing at what he is going to do.
Flowerer, the display has now been made, and the effect
found decidedly defective. The audience have enligh-•
tened our worthy conjuror, and he will retire to con-
sider, and, if he can do no better, withdraw his "trick."
A definition of what is meant by " white dived sugar"
is loudly called for. Sir Robert will try to make one, and
—if lie finds he cannot—why, he'll give it up :—" To the
consideration of this point the Government would apply
themselves; they had had communication with the
Custom-house, but it was, of course, difficult at present
to speak to details ; and, under the circumstances,
he should say the , best course would be to allow
the resolution to pass now ; and, unless the Go•.
vernment could adopt some established rule as to what
should be the quality of the sugar, it should be un-
derstood that his Hon. Friend should be at liberty, to make
a motion similar to that lie had now proposed to the House
In the interim the Government would consider the question."
Of course, what does not exist it is idle to seek for ; but if
the new duty be at once abandoned, we shall escape the dis-
putes which must have arisen from having upon the statute
book, even for a shoe t time, a distinction which could not
have been enforced in practice.
STANDARD.—Mr. Duncombe last night brought for-
ward his motion, and what is more, brought forward his
proofs. Mr Duncombe's notions of a proof are extremely
amusing, but not quite original. The genius of Fielding has
in fact anticipated, though it has not equalled, the concep-
tion of the gay Member for Finsbury. " Can you deny,"
says Mrs. Gobble, " that you are a vagrum and a dilatory
sort of person ? Han't the man with the satchel made an
affidavy of it?" "Can you deny," says Mr. Duncombe," that
vou opened my letters ; did not my man with the satchel,
M. Mazzini, tell me last summer that some Post-office clerks
?I'''imAthnadttltibiser ears be-
fore?" Mr. Duncombe's whole case. our letters two
We are
had opened y
notftoorled surprised that he held it so long and se carefully
in reserve. .Mr. Mazzini told him that he (Mazzini)
had heard from certain Post-office clerks that they had
opened Mr. Duncomhe's letters in 1842. Mr. Duncombe
having been, when ho heard the fact, full two years quite in-
sensible to the painful pressure of that public disgrace, which
he has found so intolerable ever since—informed of the open-
ing of his letters. To make the matter, however, If possible,
more absurd, Mr. Duncombe moved, to call Colonel Ma
oughtberi i
Y tq
the bar, to explain what he (Mr. D
n the first place to prove bythe evidenceuncotnb
e2f
the clerks. And then the whole was to be made the
foundation of a legal proceeding l Of what legal pro-
ceeding—a prosecution or a civil action ? Of 4 pro..
secution, then, the law would not allow parties
to be examined to criminate themselves. Of a civil
action P We should like to see the instructions to
the pleader who would have to draw the declara-
tion. " Certain letters unknown, upon certain days
unknown, written to or by Mr. Thomas Duncombe,
by or to certain persons unknown, wtrc, fit lOW time
uncertain, in the ytmr 1844, (paned tty 4., 0,, and C., clerks
Duncombe. Please draw a declaration in this case, and as-
in hef Majesty's post-office;
sign the special, damages • very precisely.* We think
that this were a task to puzzle a pleader. But,
to the special damage of Mr.
if no criminal or civil proceedings at law could
possibly be founded upon Mr. Dunoombe's motion,
if successful, what was the use of it ? Mr. (Des-
pard's plot) D'lsraeli shall tell ; for, that everything might
be harmonious and complete, Mr. Duncombe's motion was se-
conded by the author of " Coningsby." Mr. D'lsraeli ad-
mits that such motions as he seconded are inconveniences,
and evils ; incident to free government t as the burning of
cities and other like things are inconveniences and evils
flowing from the same cause. Had he not beeh modest he
might have added that the writing of libellous and immoral
books and the libelling of honest and upright men by pri-
vilege of Parliament, are also inconveniences and evils
arising from a free constitution. So far Mr. D'lsraeli's
propositions are indisputable; but his inference la open
to exception. Our free Constitution may disable us from
guarding against stupid and mischievous debates, fire
raising, and slander ; but surely it does not justify
any of these very inconvenient and mischievous
practices. The poor feilows who were hanged at
Bristol, by their brother reformers, were not al-
lowed the benefit of Mr. D'lsraeli's plea, and we do not
see why any others ought to be allowed to avail themselves
of it, when it was refused to those protomartyrs of reform.
We did hope to hear no more of Mr. D'lsraeli ; however, we
scarcely regret that be obtruded himself last night, as his
doing so gave opportunity to Sir Robert Peel to deliver a
splendid speech, in a style from which his constitutional
mildness and good humour generally restrain him. Mr.
Duncombe's absurd motion was of course rejected.

BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET, FEB. 28.—We have a
very quiet market, nor do we expect to see much doing here
until the details of the new duties are known and in force.
A few sales have been made in Barbadoes sugars since our
last, at steady prices; but in other descriptions there is very
little doing.—Bristol Mercury.
HYDROPHOBIA BY THE BITE OF A HEALTHY HORSE.
—A strong hostler, aged thirty, never leitten by a dog, but
three years ago a healthy horse, to which he was giving
fodder, bit him on the left fore-arm, but the wound healed
by Itself without any perceptible sear. Now, after a rest-
less night, the patient was found labouring under all the
symptoms of hydrophobia. He did not complain of par.
by which he was
y, to more .tke
forced
dlar
tpoainths,rbowut ohfiimnsecitpreassilaib4lte ac,ongniutithti
limbs lielginly, aid to scream out incessantly. His con-
sainisness was unaffected, he showed no tendency to bite,
pupils contracted ; respiration accela.•
rated and difficult; the skin thodmtv4—
highly
yould congested;c oiltrolhtihmeself sufficiently. The conjunctiva was
,ip v.%-isitt and moist.
The patient soat frpui-,ntiv, and expectorated a tough scanty
articaei, the pliiiitous membrane of the mouth being very red
and dry. During the whole disease neither stool nor urine
was discharged. The pulse was small and irregular, and a
was dead in nine hour. aftg ;Ito commencement of the at-
bright light increased the patient' s an
tiqi..,-:4476<iicat Shtmes. anguish M4daraiilY. He
of spirits OM recollected to have been im•
AVALUABLE Canco.—A vessel which has recently
arrived In the London Docks had on board the most yahlahle ()am°,
and the greatest quantity
Ported in One vessel, consisting of no lees than 2,000 casks and 3,000
cases of brandy, the duty on which alone, if paid, would amount to
the RIM of nearly 60,0001. The importation in this instance, U
;
A i
how-
ever, being from America, and, consequently, inadmissible for home
use, under the navigation laws, the whole of this valuable cargo kel
.-i
been necessarily entered for exportation only. •
++4t LL V.—The surveys of
THE FIRST SPANik;i
We ranwaY from ilareelona to Mataro have just been completed, and
the line turns out to be remarkably favourable, being nearly flat; it
is twenty miles long, and is estimated to cost 200,000/. This will be
the first Spanish line, and its success will probably decide whether
Spain shall enjoy the blessings of railway communication and of the
Spain, and nearly the whole of
civilization to which it inevitably leads. The conceistoli 04. this 114
was made some tme ago to Don J,q;il lii4i,t4 14tiot; ana .pluood in the
',..-qaaj pi' on r,p„gilsn wny;l4o,lll,l.l4nolie. Ono half of the shares are
been taken up in Barcelona alone; the vther_half
of the capital is to be raised is Eugland.—liailway chronick.
ttioiebsoe-aiikai,,!ro
aeileodto
ythe oapitalists of S