The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-29 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THL VCTBLIC JOURNALS,

When attempts are made, upon any subject or oc-
casisti whatsoever, of such a nature that it is im-
possible that they should succeed, it is perhaps the
most prudent course to leave such attempts unre-
proved, and even unnoticed altogether. NN.re do notkt-inw, therefore, that we are acting wisely. in makmg
:it known, that some public prints are calling for the
interposition of that authority (which no one living
ever knew exercised) for the purpose of defeating
the Repeal Bill of the Test and Corporation Acts.
We shall, however, be brief. There are no consti-
tutional means of knowing that his Majesty is of a
different opinion from his Ministers respecting the
measure in question : but were he to exercise his
dormant prerogative of refusing to pass the Bill,
which they, his official advisers, had with great
zeal and much cautir
carried through both Houses
of Parliament, tkere is at once a separation between
the King and, the 'Ministers. He casts them from
him, not the most frank and open, but in the
most revolting, insidious, and to them most humi-
lir"ctug and disgraceful manner possible. They arc
of course no longer a Ministry, but become opposed
to their Royal Master almost personally. The next
step of Parliament would no doubt be, to vote those
traitors or enemies to their country, by whose advice
the King should have interposed his Le Rois'avisera.
This is sufficient to show the absurdity of the course
for which some are calling. We shall not, therefore,
contend longer against a nonentity ; but we cannot
help adding, that the high and ingenuous character
of his Majesty is security enough to his Parliament
and his people, that the business of the state will
proceed in its usual train. The triumphant manner
in which the Bill was last night passed in the Upper
House, without even a division, must convince even
the most obstinate that the project above referred to
would be as insane in purpose, as it would be ulti-
mately ineffectual.—Times.

The questions put by Sir J. Graham last night,
relating to the currency, were of same importance
floubtless in themselves, and of perhaps; a still more
interesting sort of value, because of the index they
afford of what we may expect from country gentle-
men, if left the power of influencing, though ever so
slightly, the price of human sustenance. There is a
desperate push to be made, we understand, in fa-
vour of small note circulation. The agriculturists
are now secure of their ecru law, and of such en
effect in raising prices as mere legislation can ac-
complish. They are therefore trying the other tack,
mid endeavouring to aggravate, by an extension of
the currency, the barbarous consequences of a dimi-
nution of the supply of corn. One gentleman takes
for granted that Ministers will not persist in the exe-
rut ion of the law for hindering an issue of notes under
3/. value : another hopes thtit nothing will be done to
obstruct the circulation got small Scotch notes through
the north of EnglaniL That is to say, that any and
every expedient must be resorted to for bolstering up
and perpetua.ting as much as can be kept together of
that rotten paper system, by which country bankers

were rendered the sovereign lords of the community—
credit, often fictitious credit, substituted for solid
eoin,—and knaves and paupers raised to the same
level with, or set above, the industrious, the inde-
pendent, and honest. The answers of the Minister
to a string of questions on these subjects were given
with decision and promptitude. He said that Mi-
nisters would enforce the law, and sign the death-
warrant of the unnecessary paper : and that a mea-
sure would be introduced for preventing the circa-
lation throughout England of small notes issued on
the other side of the Tweed. With regard to the
suggestion of Mr. Curteis, that Ministers should
take some step towards establishing a silver standard
in the anticipated absence of paper, we have only to
observe, that if a silver circulation be wanted, the want
will of itself produce the remedy, without any legis-
lative operation in aid of the vigilance and activity
of commerce. A sufficient amount of silver may be
made to circulate for all the petty transactions of
business, without making silver a standard in com-
pany with or in lieu of gold ; though upon such a
modification of the standard we beg to be under-
itood as not at present starting an objection or offer-
ing a decided opinion.—Mid.
The Finance Committee are still occupied, we
believe, with the Ordnance. There has been a di-
vision of 11 to 10 on the question of trigonometrical
surveys. The expellee does not exceed 3or 4,000/.
a year ; and the majority have decided, that it is
better to permit this not very extravagant outlay,
than to forego the advantage of the most authentic
and scientific maps which have ever appeared in the
kingdom. The point is not a very important one,
but the earnestness with which the necessity of even
so small an item has been discussed, affords a very
fair test of the general zeal and sincerity which ani-
mate the members of the Committee.—lbid.

Within these few days we adverted to a strange
occurrence which had come to light, involving the
disposition of a sum of public money reputed to
amount to 250,000/. The subject it as delicate as
it is painful. After the peace of 1814, a consider-
able number of British subjects preferred claims
upon the French Government, for indemnification
of losses sustained through acts of that Govern-
ment or its officers. After some negociations be-
tween the two Courts, that of France handed over
a sum of money to Great Britain, in full satis-
faction of the claims as estimated, leaving the de-
railed distribution of it to the British Government
—as the claims of its own subjects might be decided
on by its own tribunals. A commission for the in-
vestigation and settlement of these claims wasappoin-
ted by the Ministers of the day. After intervals of no
very short duration (including several years), two clas-
ses of claimants were successively satisfied or rejected ;
and at last the Commission closed its sittings, de-
claring in substance, as is said, that no further de-
mands could be authenticated, and that no further
distribution of the fund ought to be made by the
Government of Great Britain. A large balance, of
from 200,0001. to 300,000/., was thus left unappro-
priatedin the hands of the Biitish Treasury ; and
the money so left over became, beyond all question.
public property, to be accounted for to Parliament,
and not disposed of without its sanction. By a
stroke of the pen, however, it is.said that the First
Lori of the Treasury transferred this large balance
of public money from the Treasury, where Parlia-
ment ought to have foundit, to another department.
The affair, we presume, will undergo a rigid investi-
gation.—lbid.
We wish that Mr. D. W. Harvey would move
for an account for any one year of the number of
bankruptcies which have taken place i n London, the
dividend paid on each bankruptcy, the debts proved
in each case, the sum paid in respect of law, includ-
ing the Commissioners, and the
.sum paid the ac-
countant and the auctioneer. This would be a cu-
rious table, and would, we think, throw much light
upon Bankrupt Law. Taken in general, the Bank -
rupt Law is of little or no use. The dividends in.
general will hardly compensate creditors for they
vexation and loss of time. In most bankrupt cases
the solicitors, the Bar, the Commissioners, the ac-
countants, and auctioneers, divide the assets. Very
few estates pay any thing worth a man's while going
after. Under the present Bankrupt Law, a man has
nothing to do but to get into credit in every possible
shape and way', and to as large an amount as pos-
sible—buy goods in every quarter—turn merchant—
ship off such goods to every quarter of the world—flykites in every possible way—keep no books, or those
so confusedly that no man called in by the name of an
accountant could make head or tail of them—carry this
system of ltuying
and exporting ,ind kite-flying to its
utmost extent—purcbasegoods n credit at any price,
and for the greatest length of time—declare his in-
solvency, go into the Gazette; the solicitors, the
Bar, the Commissioners, the accountants, the auc-
tioneers, &c. &c. would set to work ; the larger the
amount of the man's debts so much the better for
the legal, accounting, and auetioneering agents. In
such case the legal men call it a " good fat bank-
ruptcy ;" and if they can get into Chancery, so much
the better; and, in general, it is contrived that " a
good fat bankruptcy" shall get into Chancery. The

?e'buit In general is—ten or twelve years' meetings of

Commissioners, actions, bills in Chancery; and at
length, when the legal men have received the assets,
they tire, and the creditors are told—" Here, gentle-
men, are the accounts." The bankrupt gets, in the
first instance, his certificate, because, if he be a clever
man, he will have so entangled the thing in kite-
flying, that his certificate will be given to him as a
matter of necessity, in order to his evidence in
future suits. We have often thought that, if there
were no laws of bankruptcy, it would he beneficial
to the public; there would be then less credit, be-
cause less supposed security. arising from the Law of
Bankruptcy.—MornEng

The expectations of the public from the Commis-
sion for Inquiry into the State of the Law respecting
real Property, about to be appointed, are likely, we
fear, to be disappointed. We were, indeed, pre-
pared for such a result, from the ominous manner in
which Mr. Brougham alluded to the subject on
Thursday night. If Ministers are not determined
to put on the Commission individuals of character
as well as professional skill, and on whose freedom
from narrow prejudices the country can rely, they
had much better leave the matter alone. What is
wanted. is a fair and dispassionate inquiry into every
part of the System, and not a sham Commission to
gloss over its defects, while some unimportant altera-
tions are suggested with a view to deception. Had the
Members on the Finance Committee been all thick and
thin men, or men unknown to the country, that Com-
mittee would never have obtained credit with the
nation. In like manner, if the Commission be com-
posed exclusively of men either known to be wedded
to the abuses of the existing system, or who have
no title to the public confidence, the object will be
easily seen through. We are not advocates for rash
innovation, nor do we say that the task is an easy
one, on which an honest Commission will have to
enter. All we contend for is, that the question
should not be prejudged, but that the inquiry
should be conducted in a bold and fearless manner.
Too much light cannot be let in. Let it be seen
that the evils under which the people of England
labeur, with regard to the transmission of real pro-
perty, are irremediable, and they will patiently
submit to them; but let investigation precede the
decision. We wish it may turn out that we are
mistaken in our anticipations ; but we own that what
we have heard prepares us for the worst.—Morn-
lug Chronicle.

A contemporary (The Times) has alluded to a
misapplication of about 250,0001. of the public
money, which the recent investigations in the Finance '
Committee have brought to light. We believe the
following is the affair alluded to :—Agreeab!y to
treaty, a joint Commission was appointed by the
French and English Governments, to liquidate the
claims of British subjects on France. At first the
creditors were entered in the great book, as their
claims were liquidated ; but at length the French
compounded for a certain sum. It seems that after
all the claims were liquidated, there remained from
two hundred to two hundred and fifty thousand
pounds, which came into the hands of the Commis-
sioners of Woods and Forests; who, without any
authority, permitted the money to be expended in
the erection of temples, palaces, cottages, &c., with
which a certain Great Personage amuses himself.
That the money expended on these objects greatly
exceeded the sum allowed by Parliament has long
been a matter of notoriety, though the particular
source whence it was obtained was a mystery. No
comment is necessary on this matter.—lbid.