The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-30 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF SATURDAY.
GLOBE.—lnsignificant little islands are, of late
years, decidedly at a premium. The Anti-Jacobin
once ventured to express an opinion that "it was
unlikely England should ever become a small island
in the Pacific Ocean." What appeared recently not
quite so unlikely was, that England and France
might have gone to loggerheads about "a small island
in the Pacific Ocean." There is a story told about
two imperceptible islets somewhere in the Firth of
Clyde, which, it seems, rejoice in the designation of
" the Greater and Lesser Cumrays." The minister of the
little flock therein—putting up special prayers for
their welfare, according to the manner of the
Scottish Church—delivered himself as follows :
" 0 Lord! bless and prosper the Greater and
Lesser Cumrays ; and do not, 10 Lord ! in thy Provi-
dence forget the adjacent islands of Great Britain and
Ireland." We cannot guess why all men are disposed
to jibe so at little islands, from the Cannibal Islands to
the Channel Islands. It is certain that these (latter)
have the best of it. They have thriven in the cool
shade of contempt. Nobody has thought them worth
evil handling. We except, of course, such " eccentric"
personages as M. Dupetit Thouars and Sir James
Graham ; the former of whom celebrated so inglorious
a triumph over fat Queen Pomare, and the latter would
doubtless have triumphed over rebellion in Guernsey
—had his warlike expedition to that powerful de-
pendency found there the rebellion they were sent to
ernsh. these are amongst the evidences of the growing
importance of little islands to great statesmen. Another
is afforded by the gracious attention bestowed recently
on the Isle of Man. That slighted dependency was
regarded no more than, like Moab, till lately—as a
wash-pot. " Talk of a rebellion in the Isle of Man—
tell me of a storm in a slop-basin." We now, how-
ever, perceive the rationale of no-rebellion in the Isle
ofMln. There has been no fisc to rebel against—no Cus-
tom--house myrmidons to do battle with "fair traders."
There have been the seme good reasons for no rebellion
in the Isle of Man as there have been in Guernsey—
as the Home Secretary might have known before-
hand, if he had known what rebellions are made of.
Who ever heard of rebellion where there are no im-
port duties, and where loyalty can get drunk almost
gratis ? Happy Monads! least but most felicitous
of philosophic atqms !
Felices nimium, bona si sua norint,
Monicolas
Human felicity, however, is hardly ever complete.
One craving void still ached within the breast of the
Manx free-traders. It seems there were certain har-
bour dues and licenses to carry on business, &c.,
imposed by the general or local government. The
new Customs Act, passed last session by the Legisla-
ture, has put an end to those grievances, and the
consequence is that we find the grocers of Douglas,
Castletown, &c , advertising " good Muscovado
sugar at 265. to 365. per cwt. wholesale, and by
retail 3d., 4d., to sd. per lb. ; refined sugar from
sd. to 6d. par lb. ; congou teas, from 2s. 3d. to 2s.
9d. per lb.; port and sherry wines, from 12s. to 21s.
per dozen, &c. &c. It seems Dr. Bowring is the be-
neficent genius to whom the Manx people are in-
debted for this consummation of bliss, utterly un-
known elsewhere in Europe or America—of ab-
solutely having now no fiscal impositions at all.
Men of Man, you are too happy ! The wis-
dom of antiquity would suggest to you the po-
licy of voluntarily sacrificing some part of your
insolent good fortune ; as such unalloyed prospe-
rity cannot fail to excite the malice of the fates.
But the men of Man think, it seems, of nothing
except voting some testimonial to Dr. Bowring. Could
not they establish a small sliding-scale, or trifling
sugar duties, or something or other, just detrimental
enough to their general prosperity, to propitiate the
vindictive Powers which must be regarding thorn
with jealous leer malign ! Not they. They do not
seem to think their condition better than is
good for Man. There is something in the
following that reads almost ironically to the
wise men of Europe and America. Gentle-
men, you like dear clothes, and dear corn ! We
prefer both cheap, and you kindlyindulge our idiosyn-
crasy. Either hemisphere bars out the other ; but
our rulers kindly give us free leave to, prove to the
millions of both hemispheres how much wiser we are
than any of you! " There has also been acceded to
the inhabitants of this island the privilege
of exporting from bonded warehouses in the
United Kingdom all foreign goods to this island,
free of duty, thus enabling us to consume such
goods on nearly equal terms with our continental
leighbours, as well as the advantage of manufacturing
from foreign produce goods in the island for exporta-
tion to the markets of the surrounding countries.
Take also the abolition of the import duties on Bri-
tish manufactures, which, when added to the conse-
huent charges in England on export, and the her-
lnur dues here, make fully five per cent. on these
golds, and it is clear that to .this extent there is a
gain to the consumer on wearing apparel, &c. &c."
The Manx Committee conclude with the following
repeal to their labouring population :—" Fellow.
countrymen ! your weekly eereinge will now pro-
cure for your families a larger supply of the neces-
saries and comforts of life than they formerly did, and
consequently your warms are increased in value.
Let all calculate what they save by the change, and
give accordingly. Let the tribute of gratitude be
commensurate with the boon."
STANDARD.—A letter from Mr. Tyrrell, the
s .iieitor of Mr. Alderman Gibbs, has been published
I y his committee, which, we are glad to find, con-
ii, ens the opinion we expressed in yesterday's
Standard, of the groundlessness of the insinuations
of which he has been the victim, in regard to his
accounts as churchwarden of St. Stephen's, Walbrook.
As we anticipated, the inquiry now before the
Master has substantially established the accuracy
of these accounts, and the honesty . (equally im-
peached) of the four gentlemen by whom they
were originally audited ; and but for the obstacles
which have been interposed to the progress of the
luiry by the plaintiffs themselves, there is no
manner of doubt that the report might have
been completed in time for production at the
meeting of the Livery, fixed for this day. The
prospect, however, amounting to certainty, that this
investigation would completely exculpate the
Alderman from the imputations of his accusers
Las driven them half frantic with mortification.
from Mr. Tyrrell's letter it appears that the credit
si le of the account has been disposed of, and that for
the debit side, " all the vouchers have been pro-
eliced and allowed, excepting for a few items
which do not effect the general balance of the
printed accounts," and which have also been pro-
duced by the plaintiff's solicitor. But for the
naaccoptable delay which has arisen, and which by
Mr. 116cles guarded admission in a letter which he
El es published in this day's Times, appears to have
leen occasioned by his "directions to his solicitor to
d nothing out of court, but let the cause take its
natural course" (we all know what this means),
the repott of the Master might by this time have
baen. in the hands of every member of the livery
As it is, Mr. Tyrrell informs us, that if the plaintiff
pits' him to the formal "service of the accounts,"
nieh he promises to do, the inquiry may not be
e.nnpleted until Tuesday week. Meanwhile, it is
hoped that the calumnies, of which Mr. Alder-
lean Gibbs has been the object, will have served
their turn. After heaping upon him the most
s i rulent abuse, and insinuating that he had
fraudulently misapplied the funds of his fellow-
e:tizens committed to his keeping, the Times and its
correspondents, having learned that the vaunted
Chancery suit was not progressing as they had anti-
e,pated, they are fain to moderate their rancour,
and admit that the disputed accounts may possibly
torn out to be correct ! that is to say, that the
brutal clamour by which they have endeavoured to
ls:,ar down Mr. Gibbs may prove wholly unfounded.
.1 We have no wish (says the Times of to-day)
to assume any, the slightest matter against the
alderman without proof." But although our
t3ontemporary must have been aware that the
Waster in Chancery had already virtually es-
tablished the correctness of the accounts, and
aro? ld, but for the vexatious opposition of the
plaintiff, have completed his report—it has the shab-
biness, the pettifogging meanness, to call upon the
Livery to regard the issue of the question as doubtful,
ese I protect themselves against the possible contin-
rosy of the Alderman's failure; as well as to return
to the oft-repeated and explained facts that he had re-
lksod to submit his accounts to Messrs. Rock, Flight,
Itowett, and Co. ; and that although churchwarden for
20 years (that is to say, elected to that office nineteen
times in succession by his fellow-parishioners !) of the
*conjoined parishes of St. Stephen's and St. Benet's
Elerehog," he had suffered the church to fall
Into a state of serious dilapidation. The Times was
f Gibbs
of course aware that Mr. Alderman never
Wis churchwarden of the last-mentioned parish, and
equally cognisant of the fact that the Fhureh had
been more than once repaired at his instiga-
tion (once at a cost of 2,0001.) ; and that after having
•btained and procured the approval of the sur-
-Iteyors' reports of the necessary repairs, by the
parish of St. Stephen's, they had been rejected by
the churchwardens and vestry of St. Benet's ; for
although the two parishes were united by the Fire
Act, they have had distinct churchwardens and dis-
tinct vestries. He might, we are told, have made a
rate ; but although he was largely in advance to the
parish, he does not appear to have done so—
os= sufficient, according to the Times, for
his rejection by the Livery 1 Driven from charge
to charge ; convicted of having falsely asserted
that the alderman had already been rejected by
that body; and suppressing its knowledge of the
fhvourab program of the suit (namely, that all
the payments made by the churchwarden personally
had been declared to be correct, and that those
wh:ch remained to be examined were such only as
were dgliarsed by his subordinate officers), our Con-
taapporary does nob scruple to suggest to the Livery