The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-28 00:00:00

fel tririxtrvg

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1844.

Notwithstanding that he has been three times de-
feated in his attempt. to smuggle through Parliament
a Bill for the inclosure of Hampstead Heath, the Lord
of the Manor, Sir T. M. WILSON, with a perseverance
worthy of a better cause, has' again renewed his
efforts to accomplish that unpopular object. The.
Bill now- introduced into Parliament, observed Mr.
HOARE, at -a meeting held on Thursday at Hampstead,
although different in form, had 'precisely the same
object in view at' the three former Bilk which had
been so successfully resisted. What was contem-
plated by the Lord. of the Manor by the present Bill,
was to obtain power to effect a sale of certain por-
tions of land in various parts of Hampstead Heath.
Now, if this were permitted, no one " could
doubt for a moment," added the speaker,
that the beauties of the Heath would be destroyed,
and thecopyholds of the. manor be considerably de-
preciated in value. It was therefore desirable that
resolute steps, should betaken to oppoAe this measure."
We cannot imagine a more ungenerous or obnoxious
scheme than this for the inclosure of Hampstead
Heath, which is now almost the only open, airy, syl-
van spot left us within a moderate walking diAtanee
of the metropolis. Norwood, with its umbrageous
glades, and sunny, sylvan uplands, exists no longer,
being everywhere defaced with brick and mortar;
the meadows, once so picturesque and healthy, in
the neighbourhood of Dulwich and Camberwell,
are stuck all over with notices of " This land
io let for building;" not an open space in
Islington—which but twelve short years ago
Was still a country village—but is converted
nto unsavoury brick-fields, and threatened with
he visitation, of Heaven knows how many
üburban villas; Hackney and Clapton —injured
Innnocents !--are in the same distressing plight; and
now it is seriously 'proposed to deprive the working
lasses of the metropolis, who stand so much in need
f fresh air, of their sole remaining healthy country
alk, by covering Hampstead Heath with amass of
nsightly buildings, thereby converting into private
roperty that which, for long generations, has been
he undisputed property of the public. The scheme
s about as selfish and offensive a one as could possibly
eve entered into the head of a monopolist, and we do
ope it will be strenuously protested against, .not only
y the copyholders of Hampstead, but by every Mem-
ber in either House of Parliament who takes an interest
`n welfare elfare of the working-classes. The system
commons' iuclosures has already, been carried to a
t
uch greater length . than either j ustice or right
Ef
neeling. can approve ; year after year, artfully and
oiselessly, the, poor have been shut out from the
Hands over which they had exercised, the rights of
pasturage for. centuries; field-paths have been blocked
; large portions of heaths pillaged from them
in order to make preserves, or increase the extent
of the possessions of the squirearchy of the district ;
sad—with here and there perhaps an exception—
:hey have scarcely an acre of ground left which
hey can venture to call their own, or even
,amble' over on a summer evening, after the

lay's toil is at an end, without incurring the penal-
ie's of trespass. As regards Hampstead Heath, which
s one 'of the. lungs of the metropolis, and serves to
'entilate the entire northern district, nothing can
)e possibly more injurious to the health of that

populous district, than the inclosure of this fine,
liry. tract ; .for when once it is covered with
Jrick and mortar, elevated as it is flu. above
!very other spot in the neighbourhood, every
)risk wind that blows from the north, will be
lure to bring down upon a large portion of the
netropolis immense clouds of smoke, which will half
wison the inhabitants with its pestilential vapours.
But the greatest grievance, and the one which we
vish chiefly to keep. in view, is the injustice which

rillbe ill be inflicted on the working classes of our over-
rowded capital, :who, when once Hampstead Heath
s inclosed, will deprived of one of their favourite
unday evening enjoyments—a breezy country walk
ver one of the healthiest and most picturesque spots
n Middlesex. This is no slight grievance—whatever
he Lord of the Manor may think to the contrary--
or, deprived of the enjoyment in question, many of
he working Classes may fly in despair to the tavern
pr the gin-palace:

"We freely confess," says .a Whig Contemporary of
his morning, " that the manner in which the ques-
tion of Ten Hours was treated in the House of Com-
mons was not such as to ,exalt the already low esti-
mate formed by the working classes of that branch
f the Legislature. llopes were excited only to be
disappointed.; votes were given only to be rescinded;
tllegations were made and contradicted; statis-
ics were confronted with .statistics ; speech
knawered speech''; but there • was nothing
throughout the whole controversy which conveyed
the impression of calm, deliberate, investigation and
lecision. The House of Commons has exhibited
tself to the country as dealing with a great question,
first in the spirit of rash-meddling, and' then timidly
hrinking from it under a vague apprebension of

consequences." This stringent censure more parti-
cularly • applies to the Conservative portion of the
nouse—to , that selfish, short-sighted, unscrupulous
faction—rfor, however numerically strong, they
'scarcely • deserve the name of a party—who first
voted one way, with a -View to bully, and frighten, and
reveage themselves on the manufacturers, and then
voted just .the contrary way, .from: a discreet
apprehension that their own interests might be en-
dangered by their consistency.. In the whole annals
of political tergiversatio', we know of 'nothing so
utterli indefensible as this recent wholesale apostacy
of the , Conservatives—an apostacy for which they
did not even deign to apologise, but which they
Seemed to look upon quite as a matter of course,' as
a lathes to be expected from them, and quite natural
and justifiable under the circumstances in which
they were placed.' With what sovereign con-
tempt must not the working-classes henceforth
regard this' trimming, cowardly faction ! With what
freeling indifference—not unmingled and unquickened
by „a :fierce despair—must they not 'regard every
futtire Measure which receives their sanction ! Though
strong just now iii point of mere numbers, the Con-
servatives haye not the slightest, moral influence. No
unprejudiced man has the slightest confidence in,
them—no thinking: man cares two straws for what
they say. Bad as the Tories -were, these, their illegi-
timate( successors; are 'a thousand fillies worse; for the
forrher were at least manly, consistent, and
intelligible In their conduct; whereas the latter
fling all ,-ideas:. of cons:sfency to the winds,
and speak and act under the influence of no more
generous motive . than that of pleasing their task-
master, whom, nothwithitanding their subserviency,
they hate with as much intensity as the Devil hates
holy water. Truly, it is a great credit to Sir B.
PEEL that he has manufactured such a sect out of the
shattered fragments of. Toryism. The created are
well worthy of their creator, and deserve equally, the
respect and admiration of the country. Both these
amiable parties just now find it their mutual interest
to profess a decided hostility to any further altera-
tion in the corn-laws. But having changed once,
and this without the slightest hesitation, on. one of
the most important questions of the session, who shall
say that they will not change again ? Who shall say
that when -.lr.irtmaises next brings forward his motion
for the total and immediate repeal of the corn-laws,
the Conservatives, with the ductile Premier at their
head, will not " go the whole hog" in company
with the Member' for Wolverhampton ? There is
no speculating on the course of policy they will.
pursue on ady • one public. question, though the
probability is that if there be one course more