The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-24 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The communication headed " Sinecures in Doctors' Com-
rnons—Jobbing," may be all correct, but we cannot insert
strong comments on public functionaries on anonymous
authority

THE WEATHER.--Sux OFFICII, Nov. 24.
/knitiugomlrrillt, Lowest, 29; Highest, 40; Neon, 36.

BAnomwrsit, 80.06.
WIMP N.N.W. ; fine sunshiny weather.

Milli WATER. AT LONDON-MUDGE THIS DAT.
Mornira .• 1 Minutes after 9 % Evening .. 35 minutes after 9.

TA

slavery will appear there in all its horrors, and be spread
over every plain and along every river in that extensive
territory. It will afford one of the finest markets for
the slave-rearing states ; the trade for years will be in
the most thriving condition ; the planters in Virginia
and the Carolinas and Georgia will join heart and hand
with those of Texas, and, as a matter of course, look
with the utmost jealousy on the 800,000 negroes in the
British islands, enjoying all the blessings of liberty, and
thereby holding out an inducement for the millions of
American slaves to obtain the same rights and privi-
leges. Whatever course, therefore, the other European
states may pursue under present circumstances,
England has no choice. The crisis is forced upon her,
and those who thus wantonly provoke her to the contest
will not find her unprepared or backward in asserting
her rights. To her trade and commerce she owes her
great power. liar countless ships, manned by hardy
and skilful sailors, her extensive and numerous colonies,
and the constant flow of wealth into the country, all
spring from the same source, and England, therefore,
cannot stand aloof while another power is springing up
as a rival, with no concealment of its intentions, and
threatening to control her trade in the West Indies, in
the Pacific, and even the Indian and Chinese
seas. The north eastern states of America can
have no desire for such a contest as that to which
these endless and vast encroachments lead ; but, if they
have not the means of outvoting in Congress their most
dangerous enemies, or restraining them by force, let
them take the consequences. England must defend,
and in time too, at all hazards ber supre-
macy at sea. The American Republic puts itself
forward as a rival—the most dangerous mari-
time rival perhaps that she can have, on account of
the large commercial transactions in which the inha-
bitants are engaged, but still the danger must be met,
and it will be met manfully. There is abundance of
wealth and skill in the country, and no lack of stout
hearts and true to assert her rights and maintain
them.

We have risen with feelings of pain and melancholy
from the perusal of the:proceedings of the " Yeovil and
Wincanton Agricultural Protection Society." It would
seem from the report of these proceedings, which are
given with the most praiseworthy minuteness in the
Sherborne Journal, that all public men of the Conserva-
tive party are false and traitors, except (and the excep-
tion only proves the rule)—except MILES.
" Amongst the faithless faithful only he" (MILES)
alone stands true to his promises, and has deceived
neither Yeovil nor Wincanton. Though we are not
Conservatives, we are Englishmen ; and we blush to
read of such political depravity in a gnat party in our
country, and that the party which holds the reins of
Government, and almost doubt whether we should give
it more publicity.

Yet is it always best to know the worst ; and we will
therefore not refuse to chronicle the fact that when the
" Yeovil and Wincanton Agricultural Protection So-
ciety" held their (this year's) anniversary meeting, both
the Members for West Somerset refused to attend.
Mr. BICKHAM ESCOTT, formerly a sure card at Somer•
setshire protection dinners, no longer figures among the
performers (he is now expected to come out at the next
Covent-garden meeting of the League)—and MILES was
not there either in person, but was undoubtedly present
in spirit, and was the only Somersetshire senator who
gave a civil reply to the invitation to the dinner. To be
sure, there was a special reason why MILES should be
civil ; for the "Yeovil and Wincanton Protection Society"
are determined to fight the League in the Registration
Courts, and if the League are determined to oust MILES,
they are as determined to keep him. A letter was read
from MILES, which is one part of the painful picture :
" I need, I hope, scarcely say that in the decided views of
the society I most cordially concur; and think that if its
formation was necessary last year to oppose the overt acts of
the League, it has now a more difficult task to play in con-
firming wavering friends, and confronting and putting down
those, uho (haring been chosen at the last general election as
farmer's friends) hare made use of the power so conferred
upon them to betray the interests committed to their charge.''
Strong language. Mr. MILES; but not too strong for
the meeting. The report says that the letter was
greeted with loud cries of "Capital," and " That's
friendly." And who are these foul traitors ? Unfor-
tunately, no doubt is left on this point. First, there
are Mr. ACLAND and Mr. DICKINSON, the Members for
West Somerset: they both declined to attend the meet-
ing, or to have anything to do with " Protection So-
cieties." See what one'of the speakers, Mr. BLANDFORD
(whose name ought to be Bland-word), says of them :
" Now for the Members for the western division.—(Cheers
and derisive laughter.) They rarely met them, and never
served them.—(Great cheering and laughter.) Where were
they?—(A voice, 4- Not here.') This was not the first
meeting they had had since this society was formed. Had
not they frequently had, he might say, paltry excuses from
them.—(lmmense cheering and 'Bravos.') The time had
come when they must not flinch ; and if their Members did
not serve them, they must endeavour to select those who
would.—(Renewed and loud cheering.)"
After this, the Chairman was either a very bold or a
very wicked man to give the West Somersetshire Mem-
bers as a toast. We suspect it was wickedness in the
Chairman, who said—
" Allow me to give you, with gratitude for their services, the
Members for the western division of the county.—(Loud
shouts of ' No, no,' laughter and confusion.)
" Sir A. Hood rose—Gentlemen, I'm sure you'll be generous
—(Renewed cries of ' No, no, we won't have them,' &c., and
increased confusion, amidst which the Chairman rose and
gave the hips.') Some thirty gentlemen rose with him,
but the great body of the farmers remained sitting. Two or
three cheers were given, mixed with notes of disapprobation,
and at last the hisses grew so powerful that those who were
standing resumed their seats, and the Chajrman significantly
said—' We shall be obliged to the gentlalnen vocalists for a
song.' This good-natured effort to turn the attention of the
company elicited loud cheers and laughter, and apparently
restored general good humour.
" Song—' The Flaunting Flag of Liberty.'
And deeply must Messrs. ACLAND and DICKINSON now
rue the day when that flaunting flag seduced them. We
pass on from them to Lord ASHLEY. Is he, too, a
traitor ? Then many will say, there can be no character
left in the country. Virtue must have taken wings and
flown. But so it is. The Yeovil and Wincanton pro-
tectionists even impeach Lord ASHLEY'S veracity. No
less than three of the speeches have a fling at him.

" Lieutenant Steele—He lived in a retired part of the
county represented by a Noble Lord, who had recently sent
a letter to the papers, which he might say had not given him,
for one, any great satisfaction. He hoped to meet with that
Noble Lord face to face, as he now met that company; and
he hoped to have the satisfaction of hearing from his lips
some better explanation of his conduct than he had given in
that letter.

" The Chairman—Might he allude to the letter that had
been addressed bv the representative of Dorsetshire to his
constituents. He had said (he might be stopped if not
quite correct) that he had made terms, compromised, com-
pounded— (A Voiee--‘ No, no')—or something to that
effect.

" Mr. Pope—Reference had been made to the letter of Lord
Ashley ; it was with considerable regret that he had read
that letter, inasmuch as it first conveyed to him the intimation of
a requisition haring been signed. He had made many in-
quiries, and had not yet heard any one who knew anything
about the requisition; but let him observe this, that an affir-
mation of any statement by Lord Ashley was sufficient to
make it a fact."

We cannot go so far as Mr. POPE. There either was
a requisition or there was not. If there was not, Lord
ASHLEY'S saying that there was will not make a requi-
sition to satisfy tig. Mr. POPE'S statement seems con-
clusive as to there having been no requisition. Lord
ASHLEY'S letter asserted that there was. Alas l for
poor human nature.
Mr. SANFORD, the former Whig Member for West
Somersetshire, a Whig but a protectionist, unchanged
while his Tory opponents have veered from protection
formerly opposed by Mr. BICKHAM ESCOTT as a greater
protectionist than himself, turned out at the last
general election by Mr. DICKINSON, spoke on the occa-
sion, and was entitled to indulge in a little self-gra-
tulation :

" lie had felt in these days of unhappy and lamentable
changes,—changes, some from conviction, some from a de-
sire to be attached to a political leader, and seine for not so
high an object, the gaining of a little notoriety—(near, hear,
and sheers)—he had felt it to be his duty to come some
little distance for the purpose of being present among them,
to prove that among some people there were no changes,
and to prove that th(,se opinions which he entertained in
former years be still maintained.—(Cheers.) . They
knew, and he had himself heard the Prensier's words, for he
was sitting opposite to him, that Sir R. Peel had said, I
will not put into the lottery of legislation for the purpose of
getting a better corn-law than now exists.' A few short
months, not a year, elapsed, and he did put into the lottery
of legislation, and they (the farmers) had not drawn the
prizes but the blanks." t
Even if Mr. SANFORD were not I,..Whig, we should
have preferred him, as an honest.; protectionist, to a
shuffling Peelite; and the farmers of West Somerset-
shire now lament the day when they substituted DICKIN-
SON for SANFORD. And West Somersetshire is not a
singular case. There are other counties which, at the
last general election, sent Whig gentlemen into retire-
ment for Cobservatives, then calling out loudly against
Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S eight-shilling fixed duty, but
since steadily following PEEL against protection ; and,
having thus strengthened Sir ROBERT PEEL'S hands
against themselves, they will have, many of them, to
thank themselves at the next general election for a state
of things in which they can return neither Peelites nor
Protectionist Whigs, but will have to submit to being
represented by total, immediate, and unconditional free-
traders.

We have received Madrid journals of the 16th. The
Gazette of the 15th contains two royal decrees—one
appointing PEREZ DE CASTRO Vice-President of the
Council of State, and the other nominating eighteen
additional members to that body. According to the
Government papers, the new election to supply va-
cancies caused by Members accepting office were pro-
ceeding favourably ; and it was anticipated that nearly

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