The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
TlMES.—Nothing could be more misplaced than tine Pre-
mier's tragic remonstrances on Monday night at the conduct
of his uncertain and desultory supporters. To read his ex-
postulations, one might imagine he was addressing rebellious
children, or an ungrateful dependent, or faithless spouse. All
the favour, all the confidence, is on his side. " Have I not
made you what you are," he seems to say, " a prosperous and
united family? Have I not taught you, and trained you,
and admitted you to all the secrets of my heart? Do you
not participate in a mighty design, conceived for your sole
benefit? Why suddenly turn upon your only friend and
leader—why band yourselves together against your lawful
head—why dally with the treacherous foe?" We do not
exaggerate a bit. Such was Sir Robert's tone. " Sir (says
he, addressing the Speaker),if it be a matter of unimportance,
we cannot consent to accede to the proposition." The Right
Hon. Baronet, we are told, pronounced this with more than
usual emphasis, and proceeded, after a pause, in atone forcibly
expressive of wounded feeling—" it was carried by a combi-
nation of those who are our general supporters with our political
opponents. If the measure, I repeat, be an unimportant
one, in proportion to its unimportance it is significant of a
want of confidence in our Administration." * * * " I
may be wrong, but my impression is, that it was a precon-
certed arrangement between some of those who usually op-
pose and some of those who usually support us." In fact,
everything—everything, that is to say, in the speech itself—
was tending to a scene. It is impossible to say what we
might not have had; Sir Robert on his knees, perhaps, un-
baring his bosom to the shafts of calumny, ingratitude,
treachery, and all the rest of them, protesting his integrity
to the skies, and flooding the house with his tears. But some
very unkind interruptions spoilt the affair. " Ironical cheers
and laughter" came in very awkwardly at the end of the sen-
tence, and broke the beautifully gradual descent of the
pathos. So the worthy Baronet, unmanned for a moment,
remembered his magnanimity and his figures. From affec-
tions unrequited, and confidence withdrawn, he returned with
double energy to sugars, foreign and colonial, slave and free,
cloyed and refined. Indeed, in the very depth of the pa-
roxysm it must have occurred sometimes with rather a ludi-
crous force that a question whether a certain duty should be
20s. or 245., or whether a certain reduction should date from
to-morrow or the 10th of November, or should be levied equally
on all kinds, was hardly theme enough for so moving a
declamation. If Sir Robert Peel's measures were the best
ever conceived by the most consummate wisdom, inspired by
the highest virtue, he would have no claim to the absolute
confidence, the utter prostration of judgment, which he de-
mands ; for this plain reason—that his supporters are the
very last persons in whom he reposes confidence. No confi-
dence can last which is not reciprocal. Sir Robert does not
communicate with his supporters—does not prepare them—
does not identify himself with them—does not stand by
them—does not protect them—does not give them the small-
est credit, or the smallest share in his successes, such as they
are. On the contrary, every step in his course is their hu-
miliation and confusion. He deals with them as with his
most open enemies. He takes them by surprise at every
turn. All his measures are coups d'etat. He brings them
into a defile, with the enemy in their front, and some dread-
ful extremity in the rear, so as to cut off all retreat, and then
says, " I don't trust you ; but you must fight or be destroyed
to a man." Sir Robert acts like a Premier, and affects to
talk like a friend. Will he just attempt to think and
feel as a friend for one moment, while we beg to suggest the
following topics of meditation ? He talks in heartrending
terms of a measure "carried by a combination of those who
are our general supporters with our political opponents."
Does he not regularly lay himself out for the support
of " political opponents ? Does he ever fail to
overawe his "general supporters," whenever need be,
with some Whig contingent, which he is always able
and ready to purchase at the expense of those " gene-
ral supporters ?" Every Conservative knows that the
moment he ventures to think for himself, he may expect to
find the Whigs on his flank. Nay, more. As soon as Sir
Robert finds a supporter troublesome, he does not scruple to
deliver him, bound hand and foot, to any particular " politi
cal opponent " he may find ready for the work. With a
glance at the other side of the House, he strikes a compact
that has all the force of " preconcerted arrangement," and
forthwith his too conscientious supporter finds himself in the
hands of his bitterest enemies, without either rescue or com-
miseration. A man must have a wonderful power of sponging
conscience and memory who can act as Sir Robert has 'sever
failed to do when convenient, and yet can talk as he did on
Monday evening.
POS'r.—ln the performance of pantomimes and ballets,
when it is found convenient to convey to the audience some
piece of information beyond what the powers of gesticulation
can impart, it is usual to resort to the expedient of a printed
placard. Thus the rule against plain-speaking is not in-
fringed, nor is the auditory left in the perplexity of ignorance.
We respectfully recommend a similar device to her Majesty's
Prime Minister in the House of Commons. After what has
happened, he need not be very delicate, and his chief aim
ought to be the saving of time and trouble. Whenever a
doubtful question comes before House, therefore, let him have
a large placard erected behind his seat, stating that he does,
or does not, intend to carry the question as he has proposed it
to the House. Honourable Members (very Honourable in-
deed !) will thus be saved the trouble of coming down on a
subsequent evening to rescind the vote to which, in the sim-
plicity of ignorance or misapprehension the House has pre-
viously come. It is clear that, with regard to the sugar duties
question, a good many Members shared in the opinion
avowed with so much naiveté by that independent weekly
journal the John Bull, that Ministers would be very well
content to be beaten. They had great confidence in the
duplicity and insincerity of their friends on the Treasury
bench, and felt well assured that their friends, when pro-
posing their vote of Friday night, wished for nothing more
than to make an appearance of an intention, while in reality
their views accorded with the views of Mr. Miles. This
turned out to be a mistake but it.. was a
mistake at which we are not at all surprised. Some
men are slow to shake off impressions and to
acquire new ones. Gentlemen who had listened to the Pre-
mier in 1841, who had heard the contempt expressed by him
for the cant of " cheap sugar ;" who had listened to the
great concern he expressed for the West Indies ; who had
witnessed his extreme anxiety about the moral and social
condition of those colonies ; who had been elevated into an
enthusiasm of indignation against the Whigs by Sir Robert's
denunciation of the policy which might render it impossible
ever to raise sugar at a profit by free labour in those colonies
—gentlemen, we say, whose memories were full of
these statements, and who are not quick to catch
up new views of things, might naturally suppose
that Sir Robert Peel could not be quite in ear-
nest at the present time. No doubt they said to
themselves that though the Premier might have reasons of
expediency for appearing to have lost all concern for the in-
terests of the West India colonies, yet his views of 1841—
those views upon which, and by the declaration of which he
obtained office, must be what he really wished still to promote ;
but they were in error. Upon this occasion they finessed too
much, and have been obliged to contradict themselves. Upon
such a class of men, however, Sir Robert Peel ought to have
mercy. Let him remember that they have been very busy
ever since 1841 learning the lesson he then taught them, and
trying to " soak into their brains," as Lord Palmerston would
say, the wisdom which he then imparted, touching the cant
of cheap sugar, and the necessity of taking care of West
Indian interests. All that he has to complain of is that they
cannot unlearn what he has taught, quite so fast as he can ;
but this may be because they received his opinions with more
respect and more earnest belief than he received them himself.

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THE METROPOLITAN IMPROVEMENTS.—During the
last few days much progress has been made on the various
lines of streets connected with the improvements of the
metropolis. In Whitechapel, for the formation of the new
street to lead from Shoreditch Church to the London Docks,
on Friday last twenty-nine houses were sold to the south of
and adjoining Spitalfields Church, and which are now in
course of demolition. When these are removed, there will be
a direct communication with Whitechapel. In Red Lion-
street, passing to the docks, on the east side, above half the
houses are being cleared away. In upper St. Martin's-lane,
being the continuation of the new street from Leicester..
square to Plumptre-street, the width of the road is marked
out, and which is also done in this latter street, in each of
which thoroughfares the carriage way is above thirty feet
wide. In Plumptre-street the arches for the new houses are
turned, and are -ready for the buildings, there being
left for a French Protestant chapel, at a short distance a T ace
Bedford chapel, the foundation stone of which will be shortly
laid. On the new line of street in this neighbourhood, from
Oxford-street to Holborn, there is now a direct opening
made, though there are several houses to be removed to form
the entire width of the street. When the houses are cleared
away, which is being rapidly done by the workmen, a new
sewer will have to be formed in what was once called the
Rookery, and, when that is completed, the carriage and foot-
way. will be made, the whole of which is expected to he
carried into effect bout Michaelmas next.
The authorities of Eton College have received all
intimation from Prince Albert, through the medium of Mr.
G. E. Anson, that his Royal Highness is desirous of attending
divine service in the College Chapel, previously to his laying
the foundation stone of the new buildings on Thursday next.
The Provost, in order to meet the views of the Prince, has
appointed the service to take .place on the morning of that
day,at half-past twelve o'clock.
Yesterday being the anniversary of the battle of
Waterloo, the household troops, cavalry and infantry,
mounted guard, wearing laurel in their caps, and having their
colours also decorated with evergreens. The Chelsea pen-
sioners were also decorated in a similar manner, and num-
bers of private individuals who are out-pensioners, and who
, served on that memorable day, wore the Waterloo medal on
their left breast, and laurel leaves in their hate.