The Sun.
London, England, 1826-09-04 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC ..TOURNAIS.

From the actual stifferings which had long been occa-
sioned by the_ Corn Laws, and the general Spirit of dissa-
tisfaction and resentment which so ill advised en inter-
ference with the supply of food had every where stirred
throughout the country; it Was not to be. doubted that
Ministers would feel anxious to seize the first favourable
moment that presented itself,Thr cenciNmti„g the middle
and lewer orders of the natiell, he
some attempt at relief
upon this most important subject. 'the parched season
and the dread of senie.:;ty-'- have furnished the opportunity
required. But it :is plain that a temporary end detaehed
relaxation °l* ".,'ne, as that which the Order in
Council ha., affected, would neither meet the whole of the
evil, e.e.;. secure the Government itself from a return of ex-
trexie uneasiness in cases which might hereafter combine,
as at present, a Snapension of commerce with a dearth of
bread, unless some plan for the admission of regular and
pertnaoent Irons 'foreign countries, should he not
only digested hut established, on ti due censideratioo of all
the interests Which ere involved in the growth, the intro-
duction,` and' consumption of cont..' We have in conse-
quence good reason to believe, that the adodisiou Of foreign,
oats, &C., under the recent order, is meant by Ministers us
preliMinary only to a. more certain, lasting, and extensive
measure; It is stated that the early 11/teeting of Parlia-
ment is not reused by the desire of innemnity moue, but
will be Made the Occasion of proposio a law for the per-
manerit'admission of all..deseriptiona of grain feorn fiireign
countries into England. We tins!, that 6'o information is
accurate in this respect, and the,;; the plain and** method
will be resorted to of tiotite't‘okie duty
.to the amount of
I2s. or 15a., on payment, of which, or Of others 1n propor-
tion, for produce of inferior value, wheat and all other kinds
of grain may iiiNly.fiNy and frecy be imported.-1 'bun.
We are diartessed to learn the state to which our bre-
thren in 0);(1' good cause, the-poor Spanish Patriots,: Ite.!
fugecs it'. this country, are reduced by a delay or suspensiou,
partly -we trust an accidental one, in the payment of that
little. stipend which they have hitherto received from the
efaripassionate bounty of Government, and unquestionably
with the free concurrence of every manly mind in the king-
dom. It is not in the way of complaint that the fact has
been communicated to us; hut still we fear it is 11 lila, that
the Monthly disbursement due on the 2iYth of August, a
fortnight ago, has not yet found its Way to these unhappy
exiled. 1e: believe, moreover, that, they have not been
eppilied of any day on which the anent will he paid up.
When it is recollected that these poor creatures exist, but
" from hand to mouth," and that twenty-route hours' delay
of i'donation'wlo,Ch constitutes their sole earthly depend-
ence, may be the. cause of their perishing through hunger,
little more, we hope, need he said to remind the proper
officers, how much of human misery may be saved by a
moderate share of ulertness on their parts in the discharge
of an urgent and most grateful duty. We Mean no reflee-
tion, on any individual. The Spanish penhirmets, from WO
to 600 in number, express VI/Hrili gratitude in many in-
.
stanceS to the'.persons under Government who are brought
into contact with them by their official }Unctions; but these
deserving people have claims indefeasible upon England,
and must not be left to starve:—.lbid.

Oar readerti will see from an account of some proceed-
ingi at 'the Witiborne Petty Siessions, Dorsetshire, with
what jealousy the unPaid view all attempts to .give pub-
licity to their .iiroceeditigs. We call easily conceive the
Consternation 4 their Worships when they found that a
Reporter ',vas amongst them taking notes, and we can
also make allowance for their wish; that the knowledge
of their transactions should be confined to a few. They
can form a shrewd peels that they would by,no means
be gainers by publicity, and they, therefore, are very
naturally opposetho :it. We may lay it doveo as e rule,
that whenever men wish to shroud their actions in dark
nes,i„ they arc conscious that they will tint hear the
light. We are all of us sufficiently anxious to have the
utmost ,publicity given to what is likely to redound to:
our bon* tw. c t edit. No man is the enemy of I as
flObbes obSesves, till truth is against him. But the
very eireutnstance of the hostility of the Magistrates
every. where to, publicity proves its absolute necessity.
In the present- state of the law, they are absolute within
certain limits; they:may commit all manner of acts of
petty oppression, without subjecting themselves to re.-
sponsibility. , Public opinion is the only available check
on them.. It is allowed on all handl, that, without, pub-
licity; we. could have no security for the pure administra-
tion of justice ; hut how.much more necessary is publicity
in these obscure. Courts than in the , Supreme Courts!
In the latter: the: Judges are observed by an intelligent
Bari interested ,in detecting any partiality or departure
from lani ; but in Courts of Petty Sessions, the Magi-
strates 800 no persons near them, of whom they stand in
any. ,awe,' They know that the poor creatures .brought
before them have not the necessary measure of knowledge
to enable them to challenge .their decisions, even if they
tirst, Though we are. by no means astonished that
Magistrates should wish to, exclude Reporters,
,we confess
we are not a little astonished at the unblushing effrontery
with *Welt these men dare, in the face of an enlightened
nation like
,this, to arrogate to themselves a power, so
utterly irreconcileable with every principle of justice. We
are, astonished that they dare, in such an unequivocal
manner; to say to the nation, we know that our deeds
will not bear the light of day . we are fond of the plea-
sure of tyrannizing it in a lawless manner, over the poor
wretches in our respective neighbourhoods—keeping each
other in eountemtnce, end aiding each, other in the unhal-
lowed work—and we would allow no Reporter to appear
among us, because the dividgation of the cases of oppres-
sion might he inconvenient to indiiidnal Magistrates. We
know thatpublicityis ewsential to the pare administration of
justice ; but we do not wish a pure tohninistration of jus-
tice, but such an administration its will be most convenient
to ouiselvests will enable Us to gratify our inclinations,
and indulge our passions, without having any thing to ap-
prehend from diselosure.—Morning Chroniele
Although the determination of the 0.-overnment to npittn
the ports on the payment of certain duties for the impitttation
of such grain, time crops of which have principally failed in
this country at the last harvest, was only announced in
the ernzetfir of Friday, still we received many eommtmi-
ittiollll from the country last night, indieative of the satis-
faction that had been experienced in consequence of the
adoption of this meitstire. Indeed the more the snhject in
all its bottling% 10 eonsidered, the more grateful must the
mintry feel towards' Ministers for the promptionle with
which they have acted, The advicee of last night only
show what we have to expect from all parts of the country
as to the feelings of the' people ; and we are 'convinced
thatr with the exception of the few senseless advocates for
exploded doctrines in the ititoito Of polities; the measure
in question will 4hWuhe universal joy t hrOughout the nation.
Those who were so reedy to twit - Mr. Litiskishon in not
system, with the trade in'eorn commencing his free-trade
must now see that it was not want of 'nerve, but comm.,
mate prudence, that led that gentleman into the path he
took. At the period this system was wormed to Par-
liament, probably the. most-powerful bony in the country
was .unconvinced of the mischivous tendencyofi tbe.Corn
Laws. Discussion, and the ;powerful reasooing of the
President of the Board of , Trade, -have done notch to alter
the opinions of many of the Inem. htrsnf that
i hotly, amid
even had that not been the case, the delay his taken
war; intended o'lllll
one of their most powerful arguments, that this t-Z1
the Corn Trade, under any regulations, WI y
•
as an attack on the agrieniturat interest ; whereas now they
see prisetiCally that this is only to make part of a Arre
tem which is in actual operation.
lint we have reason to
have undergone a
believe, that the Minds of agriculturists ,
considernblO clump on the subject of the Corn Laws; but,
whether that had been the cast or not,
believing that Mr. Iluskisson and hi
stronger
:reason for
we have mu_clat
colleagues would not have shrunk from their duty by an at-
tempt at compromise nit till* point of paramount impor.-
tance in their inn-restrictive ve Vherne. The last act of their
Administration bears as out in the assertion. They are
supportei by lie, mutnimona..voiee of the nation; they
know that, and, ItiOliftitleterebilenta and integrity, they
h„ hilly ttiOrlootlarsio...T.Oriiists Press.