The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-31 00:00:00

PIRIT or the JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENI:,G PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.

GLOBE.—The English, as contrasted with the
French press, and the pet qualities with John Bull,
fora " leading journal," have been humorously de-
scribed (as our readers may have seen in our columns)
by a weekly Contemporary. They correspond to
partly weak and partly strong points of the English
mind, and may be pretty well comprised under the
two heads of the Sea-saw and the Fault-find.
Nothing can tend more to suicide in this immi-
nent month of November, than the contemplation
—not of " London's column"—for that the civium
largitas has now rendered anti-suicidal—but of Lon-
don's columns. As we run our eyes down them,
what do we see, but now a violent attack upon a party
of country gentlemen, met for the innocent purpose
of eating and drinking and improving the condition
of the poor—now " dreadful doings ' in a union
workhouse, and then an elaborate exposure of prison
discipline, lunatic asylums, and the Dean and Chapter
of St. Paul's. A little lower down we have a letter
from a poor old woman who has been run over by an
iron hoop—or a gentleman complains that his peace
of mina is disturbed by the matutinal beating of
mats at house doors—or some unfortunate person his
strayed into Mr. Close's church at Cheltenham, and
seen that gentleman turning in his devotions towards
all quarters of the compass but the East, when straight-
ways he rushes to pen and ink, and unbosoms his sor-
rows to the Times, knowing full well the condoletnent
he will meet with in that quarter. There never was a
paper which had so many unhappy correspondents as
that journal. All its "old subscribers" and " constant
readers" are the most melancholy race of beings in
existence, fit only for the company of Mr. Croaker,
in the oodnatured Man. If we are to believe them
all, society would, indeed, be in an awful state. The
least crimes that we have to reproach ourselves with
appear to be irreligion, avarice, cruelty, oppression,
injustice ; and how Heaven has spared us so long, and
still continues to spare us, is really a matter of won-
der. We certainly must be in a very deplorable
condition ; but there is one pleasing reflection left to
console us, and that is, that if the world is " out of
joint" (as it would undoubtedly seem to be), there
is one at last born to " set it right." We presume it
is because the Herald (as Punch lately affirmed) is
not a newspaper, that it no longer follows, even at
humble distance, this Flagellant procession. In con-
sequence, we suppose, of having ceased to have any
thing to do with journalism, how cheerful and con-
tented the Standard and Herald are, and have been
for some years past ! Everything with them is
couleur de rose since the Tories have been in. We
have, as they assure us, the best of all possible Minis-
tries, the wisest magistrates, the most enlightened
country gentlemen, the most exemplary Bishops
—in short, everything to please us, and nothing to
complain of, if it be not a plethory of riches, and
a superabundance of physical comforts. They know
nothing of harsh
.poor-laws, oppressive guar-
dians, disorderly prisons, and ill-conducted lu-
natic asylums—nothing of the long train of evils
on which the Times is for ever dwelling. Their
friends are never run over by iron hoops, besprinkled
by the twirling of a mop, or driven to madness by the
conduct of unfeeling housemaids and the beating of
mats ; no, these misfortunes they escape, and all their
clergymen, we have no doubt, turn the right way.
There are classes which must make up their minds to
be treated as fere nature by the small print " pro-
viders" to the lion's mouth of leading journalism.
Amongst these may be reckoned Low Church Bishops
or Archbishops, Deans and Chapters, Poor-law
Commissioners and Guardians—and, it would seem
also, Wesleyan Missionaries. These, like the rest of
animated nature, have particular descriptions of vermin
which prey on each; and which, in journalist entomo-
logy, are classified under appropriate appellations—as
" Catholicus," " Churchman, " Master of Arts," "-Rate-
payer," &c. &c. There are individuals, however, of
more sensitive minds than can be supposed in any of
the above categories ; who are not class •hardened
against censure ; and to whom the position of dangling
?ibbetted in the columns of the Times (for example)
is truly formidable. We would venture, therefore,
to recommend (except, of course, in the case of pre •
lanes or poor-law guardians) that such individuals
should be spared from figuring in this way, when
milder treatment might be sufficient; and that, as
our leading Contemporary has a giant's strength, so
it should exercise that strength with the bonhommie
which, notwithstanding the dreadful apprehensions
we were taught to entertain in our nurseries, we
have every reason to regard as rather a giant-like
characteristic.

STANDARD.—The Soult-Guizot Ministry has
completed the fourth year of its existence. It would
be no novel remark, either in the way of wonderment
or praise, to say that the present French Cabinet is
the longest in duration of any that has been formed
since 1830. Such compliment was paid to the states-
men composing this Administration last year, and
even with no slight emphasis the year preceding.
But we can ray now, confidently, that which, at
the periods referred to, we could only utter in
hope, that we see no likelihood of change,
within any given period of time, so far as we may
be allowed to look forward to, without being open to
the charge of rash speculation in the composition
of the administration of France. Our hope in
the stability of the French Cabinet rests upon
three distinct grounds. Firstly, upon the policy
which they are engaged in perfecting ; secondly,
upon the success which has hitherto crowned their
measures ; and, thirdly, upon the character of
the statesmen who form the Administration.
The policy which actuates the Statesmen, in
whose hands are the destinies of France, has lately
received an exposition from the mouth of his Majesty
Louis Philippe, in his replies to the addresses from
Portsmouth, London, and Dover. It is peace with
Europe, guaranteed by the cordial understanding of
Great Britain and France, and we need hardly add,
that so long as the two great Constitutional Govern-
ments of the west are united, war in Europe is impos-
sible. We believe that the sentiment of peace is in the
hearts of the great majority of the French people, as
we know it to animate those of our own. We be-
lieve so, because we see the people of France in a state
of unexampled prosperity. We believe it, because th
whole country is in such a state of repose, that we
have almost forgotten that there were such things as
enteutes, that previous to the accession of the present
Ministry were the familiar expression of ceaseless
discontents. And we believe it the more firmly, be-
cause we see France, through the enterprising spirit of
her Government, entering that wide field of com-
mercial exertion, abroad and at home, which, inde-
pendently of the creation of bonds of interest and
friendship with other nations, and our own especially,
affords an outlet for the restless activity of a viva-
cious people, in a manner free, healthy, cheerful, and
happy, different from the mad stimulants of war and
invasion, because constant and continual and ever re-
warding. We place in the next degre2 of order the
history of the measures of the administration, because
the great policy of the day has only been approached
through difficulties the most complex and disheart-
ening-. We think it a grateful pleasure to stand upon
the hill, and at the one view look back upon the path
we hare laboriously trodden, while at the same time
we command the promised land. Having thus
enjoyed ourselves, w e may, if we please, once more
toil through the detail of differences, such as we
trust we shall never have to encounter in reality
again. The history of the past four 3 ears is one of
immortal honour to M. Guizot and his colleagues.
When he was summoned from his ambassadorship
of London to take the helm, he found the
Anglo-French alliance broken, France regarding
England as incarnated in Lord Palmerston, and
consequently all that Lord Parlmerston is. M.
Guizot, with his happy art of characterising a
situation, pronounced the word isolation. This
word England blamed and could not understand. But
it expressed the feelings of France, and satisfied them.
With the accession of Sir Robert Peel that isola-
tion began to thaw ; the two Governments quickly
understood each other. When men at both sides
are animated by good intentions, and possess
frank manners, with clear heads, they soon speak
out without fear or equivocation ; and M. Guizot
again, by a happy phrase, "cordial understanding,"
hit the mean between suspicious reserve and full alli-
ance. In France this phrase, entente cordiale, has
been attacked right and left. We think late events
have tested its propriety. Cordial understanding
means goodwill, or the disposition to treat in the best
temper, and with the best spirit, such incidents as
might, in the case of mutual irritation or suspicion,
lead to hostile results. Now, suppose that in the late
complicated questions of Otaheite and Morocco, there
existed at either side a predisposition to take offence,
and having taken offence, to demand unwarrantable
satisfaction, could those questions have been resolved
as they have been ? If neither Otaheite nor Morocco
feel to war, ye thank the entente cordiale, uttered
a year ago, in that foreseeing spirit, and with that
pregnant meaning, such as only men of the first
order of genius can give to expression. The
journals at this side of the water, who at the fir.,t
blush of the matter fulminated threats about
Otaheitie and declared war about Morocco, were cer-
tainly not among those who understood the entente
cordiale as the resumed exposition of a grand policy, to '
which England and France were equally parties. We
now enter, we do believe, upon a third phase of policy,
in which cordial understandingweh will be changed for
cordial alliance. doubt that Louis Phi-
lippe will, with that avfween.nrio_eess_nfratnk.ness exhibited
so lately in his replies
dheiblateiandhis
.country, call
the policy
upon the Chambers
yttiot willt be
adhered to by his Government;
manindriasttiraaf
the glory of the Soult-Guizot Ad
consummated the great scheme of turning bare
critical point at which France, abandoning the
spirit of war invasion for mere war's sake, shall
adopt the ideas, already established in England,
of civilisation through free institutions, with
honourable labour and conimercialenterpriso The