The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-24 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF SATURDAY.

GLOBE.—The debate on the motion for inquiry into the
alleged detention and opening of Mr. Duncombe's letters at
the Post-office, terminated at an early hour this morning,
after a spiriteddebate. The numbers were—for the proposed
committee, 145; against it, 240; thus giving a majority to
Ministers of 95. By refusing inquiry, the House has shown
itself far more regardful of the wishes of the Government,
than desirous of possessing the respect and confidence of the
country. With the motives which actuated the majority of
the honourable House we have no disposition to meddle. That
they were pure and disinterested, there can be no reason to
doubt. Those who compose it are all honourable gentlemen.
And yet we should be unwilling to impute to one of them,
in his individual capacity, and outside the walls of Parlia-
ment, the conduct which they have unitedly approved. To
plain, unsophisticated minds, unskilled in the logic of St.
Stephen's, the question appeared to be as simple as the prin-
cirde,sfirtominvohliysedpalraeceimipnortthaent.HoAuseZ: lemeohmerplaornsthethaLteghisis-
tuie
letters have been intercepted in their passage through,
and opened at, the Post-office. The letters of other
persons had been similarly dealt with. Both Houses of Par-
liament had appointed Committees of their own to investigate
and report on the other cases ; but in the case of the com-
plaining Member, his especial case was not included in the in-
quiry nor alluded to in the report. With this he was naturally
dissatisfied; and avails himself of his privilege as a Member
of Parliament, :to ask the Home Secretary whether he had
issued any warran authorising the Post-office authorities
to detain and open his letters. That the Home Secretary
possessed power to issued such a warrant was not denied.
That he is responsible to Parliament for the way in which
he uses that power, is beyond all doubt. The question was
one of course, and ought to have been replied to in a mono-
syllable--" Yes," or "No," as the fact might be—without
equivocation or explanation. The Home Secretary thought
proper to shroud himself within the veil of official secresy.
His oath of office would not admit of his disclosing the secrets
of his department! That which, under the special circum-
stances of the case and of the country, might be capable of a
good and substantial defence, becomes mysterious, and is justly
suspected of being an art itrary and wanton aKlication of a
power, the use of which can only be justified under circum-
stances of extreme peril to the peace and safety of the
country. As Mr. Chas. Buller, in the course of his admirable
speech of Thursday evening, observed :—" I certainly
think one of the most justifiable !questions I could ask
any man, if I suspected him of opening my letters, would
be, Pray sir, did you open my letters ?' I don't
think that is an idle question. I conceive that a
man's letters ought not to be opened ; and that, if
he finds they have bean opened, he has a right to
en explanation. No reason can be given why
there was not a 'Yes' or a ' No,' at once. Every-
thing would have gone right if the Secretary of State
for the Home Department bad been able to give a civil
answer to a plain question." By refusing to supply the re-
quired answer, Sir James Graham has surrounded himself
with suspicion ; and exposed himself to imputations which,
in private society, would be intolerable to a sensitive mind.
We can readily understand that duty may demand from
a public functionary the performance of acts from which
he would, as a !private individual, instinctively recoil
But, we apprehend, when placed in such a position, he
will be anxious to show that, in being a party to those
acts, he had no alternative. If when he is asked as to his
participation in those acts, he wriale and twist ; admit and
retract ; and, finally, take refuge in the secresy of office—
whenever conduct such as this is exhibited by a public officer.
those who witness it will be apt to cast upon the individual
the odium of acts which might be defensible, and even praise-
worthy, if done under the imperative obligation of public
duty. Lord John Russell, in his more-than-usually ex-
cellent speech of last night, placed this pave are persuaded,rt of the ques-
that
ques-
tion in a powerful point of view..
the Noble Lord's clearly- defined distinctions will
regarded as the constitutional ground on which the power
invested in the Executive can alone be allowed to rest, either
with safety to the rights or in consistency with the honour of
the country. The question, as presented to the House by
Lord John Russell, seemed really to forbid the possibility of a
negative being placed upon it. The Noble Lord's observa-
tions in condemnation of the practice of using the extra-
ordinary power—vested in the Executive for the preservation
of the public peace of this country—for the gratification of
Foreign States, were conceived in a spirit, and delivered in a
tone, which will be responded to by every man who under-
stands and appreciates the benefits and blessings which dis-
tinguish Britain from the continental states of Europe. We
feel assured that henceforth that invidious power can never
again be put in motion for purposes so base as those which
occupied the attention, and called forth the indignation of the
of the last year.
country in the course

DUTCH AND HAMBURG MAILS.
THE HAGUE, FEB. 20.—1 n the sitting of the Second
Chamber to-day, a Royal Message, accompanying a
project of law, with an explanatory memorial, contain-
ing modifications of the transit duties and some other
points relative to trade, was presented. These documents
were referred to the Sections. In the same sitting reports
were brought up on numerous petitions respecting the
tariff of import, export, and transit duties.
THE HAGUE, FEB. 19.—The sections of the Second
Chamber have been again engaged to-day in examining
the proposition which has been referred to them for re-
vising the fundamental law, which has been submitted to
the Chamber by nine Members. The examination will
be resumed to-morrow.
AMSTERDAM, FEE. 19.—The 28th anniversary of the
birthday of his Royal Highness the Prince of Orange
was observed to-day in the usual manner:
FLUSHING, FEB. 18.—This afternoon his Majesty's
frigate the Series, Capt. Enalie, having on board Rear-
Admiral Vanden Bosch, left the road ; this frigate is
bound to Java, where Admiral Vanden Bosch is to take
the command of his Majesty's naval force in those seas.
AMSTERDAM, FEB. 2l.—We are positively informed
that the Directors of the Dutch Iron Railway Company
have resclved to have an electric telegraph on the rail-
way from Amsterdam to Haarlem.
THE HAGUE, FEB. 21.—According to the notice re-
ceived by the department of the Interior, it appears, that
in the negotiation of the 3d series of the loan for cover-
ing the expense of the draining of the lake of Haarlem,
amounting to one million of florins, there have been sub-
scribed 9,743,000 florins, of which 6,934,000 were sub-
scribed at Amsterdam, and 2,563,000 at Rotterdam.
HAMBURG, FEB. 17TH.—We learn from Cuxhaven
that the English brig, the Countess of Eglington, having
discharged a small part of its cargo into a Heligoland
boat, has got afloat, and arrived at Cuxhaven.
CUXHAVEN, FEB. 16111.—The mails brought by the