The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-21 00:00:00

ttennt d;szzllatt

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1844.

In answer to a question from the Marquis of Lon. -
DONDERRY, the Earl of lIADDINGTON said the Go-
vernment had altered their determination, expressed
list session, and,intended to take a vote for improv-
og still further the harbours of Port Patrick and
Donaghadee.
-The Marquis_of CLANSICARDE gave notice that
he would this'day move that the Chester and Holy-
hea_d Railway Bill be referred to a Select Committee.
Lord WIIARNCLIFYE moved the second reading ofl
the Factories' Bill, and briefly stated the principal
'Amuses ; Lord NORMANItY d ente e his
:he Bill ; and, after r protest against
afriowetniA
remarks,sE, from Lord
BROUGHAM, the Earl of‘vi and some other
Lords, it was read a second time and ordered to be
)mmitted on the 31st inst.
In the Commons a new writ was moved for the
*Jorough of Buckingham, in consequence of sir

THOMAS FREMANTLE having been appointed Secre-
tary at War.
The third reading of the Sheffield, Ashton- under-
Lyne, and Manchester Railway Bill was postponed
for a fortnight, in order to make an inquiry into an
arbitration clause introduced into the Bill.
The third reading of the Ashton and Staleybridge
Railway Bill was also postponed for a fortnight.
On the motion of Mr. GLADsTomE, the Standing
Order No. 33 was ordered to be rescinded. It had
an important bearing on railway transactions, and
was at variance with resolutions adopted by the
House of Lords relative to deposits on shares. These
resolutions had been carefully considered by the
Lords, and he thought entitled to the serious attention
of the House.
Sir R. PEEL said the carrying of the motion would
materially facilitate the construction of the Dublin and
Cashel Railway, and he hoped before the close of
the session that the Royal assent would be given to a
Bill for that purpose.
Mr. HumE wished to know if tba Right Hon.
Baronet would have any objection to lay before the
House the correspondence which had taken place
between England and Texas relative to putting down
slavery in that district ? Sir R. PEEL said the Go-
vernment was not disposed to follow the example of
another Government, and he must refuse the appli-

Cation.
The House went into Committee on the Bank
Charter, when Sir ROBERT PEEL, at considerable
length, entered into the currency question, and gave
some farther explanations of the. main points con-
tained in the resolutions he proposed on moving a
renewal of the Charter. The measure, he said,
evinced a liberal treatment of existing interests, and
he trusted would tend to prevent those shocks upon
the commerce and agriculture of the country, which
had often proved so ruinous. Mr. CHARLES WOOD
expressed his approbation of the Bill generally. By
the Act passed in 1819, a return was made to a
metallic currency, and he hoped it would continue.
None of the metals was so unchangeable as gold, and
that was one reason why he preferred that standard to
any other. The system of free trade in banking was
dangerous to any State ; it had produced the most
calamitous disasters in the United States ; and the
almost unlimited circulation of paper in this country,
too, had brought monetary affairs to such a state in
1839 that the Bank of England was compelled to
apply for foreign eredit.
Some other members afterwards addressed the Com-
mittee, and the resolutions were agreed to.
The consideration of the report on the Customs'
Duties Bill was postponed till this day ; and after the
transaction of some other business the House Ad-
journed at Half-past One o'Clock.

All the fire-eaters of France seem to have taken
great alarm at the plain and honest statements made
by the sailor-son of LOUIS PRILIPPE. They have
not, however, surprised the rational and thinking men
of France. They have not surprised the merchant
seamen, nor the builders of steam-vessels, nor those
who forge engines for the French steam navy. These
men know the vast resources of this country for any
maritime purpose, whether with sails, or paddle-
wheels, or Archlmedean screws. They know also
that English sailors, and English engineers, and
English admirals, too, are a subborn and persevering
race, and that if they were by some mischance to
sustain one defeat, the country would only be roused
to more activity, and never rest satisfied till the dis-
grace of a naval defeat was wiped away, and
England asset ted, as she has done for no
small number of years, the supremacy of the
seas. The Prince DB JOINVILLE admits the
fact. " I will suppose," says he, " that
which is unexampled I admit—that twenty ships and
fifteen thousand English sailors are brought prisoners
into Toulon by our victorious squadron. Will they be
the more decisive ? Shall we have vanquished an
enemy who suffers himself to be crushed by 'a first
blow, to whom resources are wanting to retrieve a
defeat, and who, when an outrage is to be avenged,
is 'accustomed to reckon his sacrifices ? To all
such as know the English people, it is evident
that, in such circumstances, they will see them
animated with an immense desire of avenging a
reverse unknown in their annals—a reverse affecting
their very existence. All the naval resources of
that immense empire, its numerous personnel, its
physical riches, will be united to efface the stain cast
upon the honour of the British navy. In a month,
one, two, three, squadrons, as powerfully equipped
as the one we have captured, will appear before our
ports. What shall we have to oppose to them ? No-
thing but urecks." And what would follow? The
remaining French sailors would enlist on board pri-
vateers, and try the more profitable trade of capturing
stray vessels, and gaining a temporary livelihood as
marauders in creeks and channels. The French
fleets, as in former times, would be locked up in their
harbours, and all the commercial advantages which
France now enjoys, and which has increased her re-
venue
to an unusual extent, would, in a few months,
be annihilated. For, be it remembered, that even if
sailing squadrons were to get out of fashion, if one-half
of our numerous and hardy sailors were laid on the
shelf, and if the contest were to be decided by steam,
England has still a greater superiority in that respect
than she even had in the days of JERVIS and NELSON.
We have an abundance of iron and coal and every
material for the construction of steam-vessels; we
have—and the fact is admitted on all hands—the best
mechanics for forging engines, and the best engineers
for managing them ; nay, what is more, we have at
present a larger sea steam navy than all the world
together. Has any other nation but England tried
the experiment ? We have brought steam into prac-
tical use both in war and peace. We have steamers,
fit for every purpose of war, traversing the Atlantic
Ocean, the seas around the countless British islands
in the west, and at the same time keeping at bay the
vast population of China, and the whole of the Asiatic
continent. England gave a striking proof of her
snkaivlyl
ai nw
etphti st h
en eswyr:engine oas
tf
lwi
kaer
awhhnernr i
etahe
ne
,an Britishd a
handful of men penetrated into the heart of the Chi-
nese
candour,any otll
popularitynes e empire.
by etrhunsatiaodnmiiettthreiedfacsst_-ar
.• on the new system? We do not put forth these
i facts as matters of boast. We state the simple truth ;
no one can refute it, and even the bitter enemies of
England, the writers in the Paris National, who vaunt
so much the power of the French navy, losing confi-
. dente in their own resources, look for aid to the Ame-
ricans. The Prince BE JonnuLLE, who may lose some
" It has cost me much, in the course of this brief
article, to subject my country to a painful comparison
with "a mciantrr-which precedes -it at so great a dis-
tance in the knowledge of its interests ; it has cost
me much to disclose the secret of our weakness as
contrasted with British power. But I should deem
myself happy if I could, by this sincere avowal of
these melancholy truths, dispel the illusion which so
many sensible persons entertain as to the real state of
the naval forces of France."

At a meeting of Roman Catholics which took place
yesterday in the Concert-room adjoining the Princess's
Theatre, for the purpose of adopting measures to ex-
tend the operations of the Catholic poor-schools in
St. John's-wood district, Mr. O'CoNNELL, who was
in the chair, after making some pertinent and forcible
remarks respecting the gradual spread of education
both in Great Britain and on the Continent, proceeded
to observe :—" But turn to France and to the state of
public instruction in that country. He considered
that more diabolical conduct had never been pursued
than that which Louis Pnu.IPPE• had adopted in the
case of the French University. It was equalled
only by some of the monstrous atrocities of tho
French Revolution. It would appear that he was
determined that none but infidels should educate the
people of the kingdom which he ruled. But such
disgraceful conduct was not surprising, when it was
pursued by one coming from the class that fomented
and brought about the revolution. From the bishops
and clergy of France, however, LOUIS PHILLIPPE
would meet with the most uncompromising opposi-
tion." This constant abuse of the KING of the
FRENCH comes with a very ill grace from Mr.
O'CoNNELL, whose. great boast of late years has '
been, that he is a lover of peace and order, and
a sworn enemy to all war. If he be really in earnest
in his boast—if it be something more than a mere
empty flourish of words intended to tickle the ears of the
community, he should entertain sentiments of the
sincerest respect for Louis PHILLIPE, who, whatever
may be his other faults—and we are by no means
blind to them—has at least the merit—and a merit it