The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-01 00:00:00

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR OF THE CITY

OF EXETER.

We, thP undersigned citizens of Exeter, most deeply
deplore the violation of the Sabbaths in our hitherto
peaceful and well-conducted city yesterday and on the
-Sunday previous ; and, whilst we deeply regret such a
mode of manifesting public opinion, we should be guilty
of conceallog our own feelings, and of a dereliction of
ditty to you, were we not to express our decided con-
viction that a representation of the circumstances should
be officially communicated by you to the Lord Bishop of
the diocese, requesting his Lordship (who has the
power) to restore peace and good order to our city on
future Sabbaths.

Dated January 20. 1845.
(Signed by 151 Citizens of Exeter.)

Rishepstowe Jan. 22, 1845.
Mr. Mayor,—l have this day received the letter of the
21st instant, which, with the concurrence of the magis-
trates who have assisted you on occasion of the recent
outrages in St. Sidwell's parish, you have done me the
honour of addressing to me, " respectfully inquiring if
I can recommen.l any measures to prevent the cause of
such disorderly assemblies."
Thus applied to by such authorities, I must not
scruple to answer with the frankness which becomes me.
You and the other magistrates have not informed me
what you consider the cause to be. Thus left to my own
conjectures on the subject, I must first endeavour to
satisfy myself, on the very slight information which has
reached me, what the cause of these violations of the
peace has really been. The wearing of the surplice by
Mr. Courtemay or Dr. Coleridge in preaching, is cer-
taitily not, of itself, the cause ; for the surplice was so
worn in St. Sid well's Church, both by Mr. Courtenay
and by his predecessor. fir several years, without excit-
ing any popular disturb:nice, or any intimation, to me at
least, of any adverse feeling on the part of their
parishioners. It was not till the very extraordinary agi-
tation which has recently been excited at Exeter, that
the use of this vestment in the pulpit was visited with
any mark of popular displeasure. It appears to me,
therefore, that it is this agitation which has been the
true cause of the present disgraceful state of things at
Exeter; and as this cause has already acted, I am unable
to " recommend measures to prevent" it.
It is, indeed, within the ability of every one to recoln=
mend measures which may prevent the recurrence of so
fruitful a cause of mischief, the principal of which is the
very obvious one, of warning all, in every station, espe-
cially these whose station and influence may he expected
to be greate.t, to beware how they venture to excite the
place has proved to be much more easily
fanatical feelings of a mob, which the experience of every
age and every
excited than allaTed.

I would not dwell unnecessarily on' matters too noto-
rious to need to be recounted ; but justice to the mis-
guided populace on this occasion demands the admission,

that their present excesses have been provoked by the
unreasonable and culpable violence of marry of their su -
periors, and by the scarcely less culpable indifference of
many others. I have myself seer, mit only placards on
the walls of Exeter
,proclaiming a " Great Protestant
Meeting," but even the report of the proceedings of that
meeting in one of the most respectable public journals of
this or any other county, headed by the same danger-
ously exciting description. That a" No Popery" cry
thus, wantonly raised should issue in the excesses which
all decent persons must now deplore, cannot be matter
of astonishment to any one who regards history as a re-
cord of the follies and crimes to which the rashness more
frequently, than even the wickedness of man may conduce.
While lam writing you, I have received your se-
cond letter, brought to me by an express messenger,
containing a requisition to you signed by many (I doubt
not) very respectable inhabitants of Exeter, who " ex-
press their decided conviction that a representation of
the circumstances should be officially communicated by
you to the Lord Bishop of the diocc se, requesting his
Lordship (who has the power) to restore peace and
good order to their city on future Sabbaths."
Your own letter " adds 3 our prayer to that of the re-
quisitionists, that I will interfere to prevent a repetition
of these disgraceful scenes."
Both you and the requisitionists are pleased to ascribe
to me a "power" whieb I must in all sincerity disclaim.
I cannot undo Alt has been already done. I cannot
recal that spirit of sobir piety, of respect for the laws of
the Church and of tint State, of due regard to the con-
scientious feelings and indisputable rights of the clergy
of Exeter, which it has been the indefatigable lab"ur of
many of its iuiratutants,ilio tre above the vulgar, during
several weeks to chase away.
If the magistrates of your gmit city are now powerless
—if the law is on each succeeding Lerd's-day violated
with impunity—if the utmost boast of those who ad-
minister it be (as I understand your letter as manifestly
implying) to guard an unoffending clergyman harmless
through your streets, while no attempt is made to vindi
cate justice by punishing a single individual of those
by whom his life has been endangered—l cannot
flatter myself' with the hope that I can do anything
towards the restoration of peace, in the legitimate
sense of the word—peace, that is, which is based on
order, and insures the peaceable enjoyments of the rights
of all men.

I can, indeed, write _a letter to Mr. Courtenay, ad-
vising him not, again to preach in his surplice, unless he
conscientiouslY; and on full inquiry, is satisfied that he
may not do so, without violating his solemn engagements
to the Church. But even this is a responsibility which I
dare not take upon myself. For I much fear that thus
to give a triumph to popular violence can only result in
unnerving the law, and exposing. its administrators
(whether deserving or not) to contempt.
But, while I refuse to incur this responsibility myselr,
I deem it right so far to comply with the urgent appli-
cation made to me, as to furnish you, Mr. Mayor, whose
office makes you most responsible for the permanent
peace and good order of Exeter, with a letter to Mr
Courtenay, which you will, or will not communicate to
him, as you shall think proper.
I inclose it unsealed, in order that you may read it,
and after reading, may either deliver or-withhold it.
Let me add, that I have had no communication with
Mr. Courtenay, either directly or indirectly, on this very
extraordinary occurrence.—l have the honour to be, Mr.
Mayor, with great respect, your most obedient servant,
11. EXETER.
The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Exeter.

Exeter, Saturday, Jan. 25, 1845.
My Lord Bishop,—l am in reccipt of the letter of the
22d inst., which your Lordship did me the honour to
address to me in reply to my letters to your Lordship of
the 21st inst., detailing the serious disturbances which
had taken place in the parish of St. Sidwell's, and pray-
ing for your Lordship's interference to prevent the cause
of suck disorderly assemblies. I have also received an
open letter, addressed to the Rev. Francis Courtenay
which your Lordship inclosed in the one addressed to
me, and which I delivered to that gentleman in con-
formity with your Lordship's permission.
I sin in d, übt whether your Lordship intended your
letter for publication ; and as Mr. Courtenay complied
with the advice of his diocesan, and acceded to the re-
quest of the magistrates, and himself caused the publi-
cation of your Lordship's letter to him, I thought it
better .to withhold the publication of your Lordship's
letter to me until I had again heard from your Lordship.
The full bench of magistrates met this afternoon, when
I read to them your Lordship's letter to me. They de•
sire me to request your Lordship's permission to publish
your lettei, as they feel quite confident their conduct
will meet the approval of their fellow-citizens.--I have
the honour to be, your Lordship's faithful and obedient
servant, EDWARD WOOLMER, Mayor.
The Right Rev, the Lord Bishop of Exeter.

13ishopstowe, Jan. 27, 1845
Mr. Mayor,—l have the honour to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 25th inst., which has this
day reached me, " requesting my permission, at the de-
sire of the full bench of magistrates, to publish my letter
to you of the 22d."

That letter was written, hastily indeed—for your mes
senger was waiting for it—but not inconsiderately ; for
I found myself compelled to write in self-defence, and
in order to repudiate that responsibility for " the resto-
ration of peace and good order to the city of Exeter,"
which your own letters of the 21st—then just received
(the only ones, indeed, which I had received from you
on the subject, though the first outrage at St. Sidwell's
occurred on Sunday, the 12th)—seemed by pretty plain
implication, and which the accompanying requisition
professed in express terms, to cast upon me.
A letter, written under such circumstances, I neither
at the time of writing it wished you to regard as pri-
vate, nor do I now hesitate in permitting you to publish.
Of course, the communication to which it was an an-
swer, as well as our present correspondence, will be pub-
lished with it, and no remarks appended, without my
having an opportunity of making any observations upon
them which shall seem to me necessary to be included in
the publication.
As relates to Mr. Courtenay's publication of my letter
to him, I knew nothing of his intention till I saw the
letter in the newspaper. But under his very peculiar
circumstances, I do not blame him for the publication—
especially as the letter itself does not cast blame on any
one.--I have the honour to be, Mr. Mayor, your most
obedient servant, 11. EXETER.
The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Exeter.
P.S. I am just informed, that a statement appeared ka
some newspaper, that several gentlemen applied to me
last week as I passed through Exeter, to use my autho-
rity with Mr. Courtenay to prevent his again preaching
in the surplice. This statement is altogether false.

(From the Times.)
If the Bishop of Exeter loves notoriety, he hae fully
accomplished his desire, but not very
creditably nor
consistently. To set a whole diocese in a flame, and
while it is raging at its worst to fall back upon his dig-
nity, and plead ignorance of the cause of the mischief,
and astonishment at the extent of it, may be all in cha-
racter with Dr. Phillpotts, but suits not the demeanour
of a discreet, well-juding prelate. From the correspond-
ence between his Lordship and the Mayor of Exeter,
which we print elsewhere, our readers will decide for
themselves how far the Bishop deserves commendation
or censure in the matter of the late tumults at Exeter.
For ourselves, we think there is much that may be
termed absurd, and something that carries a slight taint
of insincerity in the Bishop's reply. Is it probable—is
the notion to be entertained for one moment, that al-
though not officially informed of the disturbances,
he could be entirely ignorant of them ten days
after their occurrence ? He professes to say that
the surplice in the pulpit is not the cause of the
disorders, but the agitation about Protestantism and
my Lord, if the
wherever located,
cthhearn") i nNgo s (P,l°i tPuPdreYa "
detach you so far from all tidings of this gross material
fcruy.ish
oßpsetaol‘lly,e„
world, and absorb your reflections so abstrusely in
canonical studies,—it would be advisable for you some-
times to leave your remote retreat and ascertain what is
really going on, and how far you can interfere, when
need is, in affairs with which, in truth, you have some
little connexion. It is out of the question to shift the
blame of these disgraceful scenes from their proper
quarter ; and the fact of a letter to the clergyman—
strangely, indeed, enclosed to the Mayor—but allowing
the discontinuance of the surplice in preaching, proves
how well his Lordship knew where the root of the offence
lay, and how it was to be removed. But, after all, the
subterfuge about persons of a superior rank having in-
stigated the lower orders to disturbances will not avail
to excuse these Courtenays and Coleridge; nor even him
their superior, from the blame that must attach to the
imprudence and rashness of the innovators, with all can•
didjudges. The fault cannot be sulked off in dignified
moroseness, nor sneered away at the expense of the Mayor
and magistrates, who did on that occasion just what they
ought to have done. We cannot appprove the spirit of the
diffuse epistle of the Bishop, who, if he had written less,
and less disingenuously and acrimoniously,
might have
far better satisfied the parties concerned as to his posi-
tion and power in this instance. If he will permit us to
set him right, we will tell him why the surplice was, as
he intimates, so long worn in the pulpit without any re-
monstrance or popular outbreak ; simply because the
question of these novelties had not till then been sifted ;
and borne as they were at first in silence, but impatiently,
they could be no longer tolerated when it became uncer-
tain to what extent fresh innovators might be disposed to
go. When, therefore, it was determined not to submit
to them, they became a stirring cause of displeasure, and
when in spite of the public feeling and opposition they
were persisted in, they generated the riots of the 12th
and 19ih inst. Now, unless his Lordship altogether for-
gets one great principle brought in at the Reformation---
viz.,. the right of private judgment, he must concede
to the laity the privileze of sometimes seeing with
their own eyes, and jedgeg from their own convic-
tions. And until he, or some other supreme moderator,
shall define the precise boundaries of this latitude, the
laity will avail themselves of it (as they have done with
reference to these unwise measures), respectfully, but
firmly. You must allow, then; this indulgence, my Lord

TIMES.—We are informed that we were premature
in announcing yesterday Mr. Cardwell's accession to the
office of Vice-President of the Board of Trade. Mr.
Cardwell will, however, take office under the present
Administration.
CHRONICLE —lt is impossible to look on Mr. Glad-
stone's retirement from office as an event without signi-
ficance and importance. The exact ground of his resig-
nation is not known ; but there is little doubt that it
proceeds from differences which have a long time existed
between him and Sir Robert Peel. Religious questions,
connected with the Irish policy of Government, are
assigned as the immediate cause ; but this is likely to
have been complicated with others. Mr. Gladstone's
position Mkt latterly have been rendered unpleasant by
questions connected with his own department ; and it
is probable that sugar had as much to do as religion
with rendering office untenable. It is difficult to under-
stand what could be the circumstances that gave so great
a weight to scruples which had so long been kept in sub-
ordination. In serving three years and a half with the
present tlabinet, Mr. Gladstone has certainly token his
share of inconsistency enough to have taken off the first
sensitiveness of canscience. We doubt whether conscience
has as much to do with the resignation as pride. Some few
years ago Mr. Gladstone published a couple of very unwise
books on the subject of the Church, the uoctrines of
which it was impossible for him to act on, and yet
mortifying to disavow. He has got sore on the subject
of his book, and the taunts every now and then thrown
on him for lending himself to measures inconsistent with
his published opinions. Probably he anticipated several
taunts in the event of his throwing over the cherished
distinction between slave-grown and free-labour sugar.
It was less grating to retire from office altogether, and
keep aloof from i esponsibility for a policy which was
everywhere running counter to his professions. At the
same time it would be unfair to suppose that a step so
contrary to Mr. Gladstone's interests can be dictated
by any selfish feeling. He must be well aware that he
retires into the falsest of all possible positions.
In quitting office he sacrifices importance and
power, without any chance of recovering either in an
independent position. The grounds of his resignation
naturally bring him into a momentary junction with
the ultras of ;his party ; but his free trade profs s-
sions have rendered him the object of their especial
hatred. Nor has he, on the other hand, acquired the
goodwill of the free-traders. Never was there a man
who has done so much to further the views of a party
without having acquired one jot of their goodwill or
esteem. Even his Church views will get him but little
sympathy among the more religious of our politicians.
Exeter Hall, which will approve his intolerance to the
Irish, will suspect his' Puse3 ite leanings ; and Young
England, while approving his High Church views, is a
warm partizan of that very policy towards the Irish
which he leaves office rather than countenance. In quit-
ting the present Ministry, Mr. Gladstone leaves the only
body of public men with whom he can ever hope to act.
Personally his only course will be to get back to them as
soon as he can. But this can hardly be, with credit to
himself, while they remain in office : for there is
little chance of their measures doing anything but
widen the difference which his resignation has evidenced
to the world. His character has none of that pliancy
which will enable him to retrieve hie position. He
is eminently deficient in the qualities which attract
either general popularity, or the warm attachment of
friends. He is neither the favourite nor the necessity of
a party, nor even of a clique. In fact, we know of no
instance in which a man of his vigour and talents, by
leaving office, has gone so far, to all appearance, to throw
himself out of public life. In discussing the consequences
of his retirement, we do not think it likely that he will
be inclined, like Lord Stanley in similar circumstances,
to become the opponent of those with whom he has
-acted ; nor do we believe that, if he were so inclined,
his opposition would have much effect. His resignation
on these particular grounds may add a little to the
bitterness of the No-Popery feeling. But it will for the
same reason conciliate the Liberal party ; and on other
grounds it will generally please both the country gentle-
men and the mercantile body. On the whole, it will
rather strengthen the Government in public opinion. On
the other hand, the loss of Mr. Gladstone's assistance
as a debater will be seriously felt by Sir Robert Peel.
He has recently been deprived of his main supports in
the House of Commons ; and there appears to be no
talent in his party coming on to supply the place of those
whom he has lost. The speaking force of the Minis-
terial bench is now reduced to Sir Robert Peel and Sir
James Graham, backed by hardly any one to whom the
ifilboeursl yglisten..naatni
resignation
tTh ishe The
ascahhmaonei
ng es in the Government are,
on the whole, very favourable to our views. Mr. Glad-
stone'spa ge
lei e
yt o
itsh the ns
seecretsesd by
i t yo f
thea
selection of the new members of the Government. Mr.
Sidney Herbert, on a memorable occasion during last
session, committed himself to the most liberal views on
the subject of Ireland ; and of the other two members
of the Cabinet we know no harm. All the three are
young men, and all may be regarded as likely to be con-
stant supporters of Sir Robert Peel's views. And while
he, with all his faults, is very much the best of his
party, the more we can see him surrounded by col-
leagues who will carry his views into execution, the
better for the country. Indeed, as we have before
said, his great difficulty consists in the necessity for
his having colleagues or party at all. We should
wish that the good results of getting rid of Mr.
Gladstone might tempt him to dispense with other col-
leagues, only that, were he to do this on a great seal?,
he really might stay in for ever. We must not omit this
occasion of expressing our approval of the choice of Sir
Thomas Fremantle as Secretary for Ireland. While
Sir Robes t Peel is limited to selection from the Tory
party, he can find no one whose good sense, liberality,
and courtesy more fit him for the post. We shall, in-
deed, be disappointed if Sir Thomas Fremantle should
prove unworthy of our favourable auguries. The pro •
bability, however, is, that there are more changes in
store. Mr. Gladstone is not by any means the only
member of the Cabinet whom an imroved policy towards
office. Ireland ought to drive out of We do not, of
course, attach any credit to the rumour that conscien-
tious scruples, and a sense of what is due to his own cha-
racter, have induced Sir Edward Knatchbull to resign.
Conscience and character will, indeed, assert a mighty
empire, when they;coerce Knatchbull into abandonir g the
cup of political degradation, with 2,000 L a year remain-
ing at the bottom.
HEIZALD.—It is in the management of newspapers as
it is in theconduct of life generally, the most serious sa-
crifices are sacrifices of forbearance. To act is easy,
but to abstain from acting when interest and the wish to
please urge to action—this is painful and difficult. The
sacrifice is, however, one which honest men will offer
when a sense of public duty calls for it. At this par-
ticular moment we are required to offer such a sacri-
fice. The necessary retirement of the Earl St. Ger-
mans from the office of Chief Secretary for Ireland has
required some modification, though a slight one, df the
official arrangements of the Ministry. It is certain, or,
at least, nearly certain, that the Noble Earl will be suc-
ceeded by Sir Thomas Fremantle, and all admit that
a better appointment than that of Sir Thomas could
not be made. So far we have had no difficulty ; but a
new Secretary at War must be found, and the oppor-
tunity of one change leads to other modifications ;
but as to the successor of Sir Thomas Fremantle,
and as to the other modifications, nothing, we can posi-
tively affirm, has as yet been finally arranged. How,
then, are we to act ? We have the means of knowing
various propositions and suggestions, and the means of
guessing, with a reasonable approach to certainty, at the
propositions and suggestions that will be adopted; and
if we consulted only our own interest and the gratifica •
tion of public curiosity, we might hazard a list of new
appointments, with as good a chance of hitting the mark
as others. But then comes the question, would our pub •
lishing our guesses be fair to the Ministers, to the par-
ties chiefly interested, and to the public ? Is it just to
the Ministers to embarrass their free selection by an an-
ticipation of :their choice ? Is it just to gentlemen
who may. without any fault on their part, be passed
over, to advertise them, as it were, for offices which
they are never to obtain ? Is it just to others to exhibit
them in the light of men who hereafter may perhaps ob-
tain offices of which no one ever thought them so far
worthy as to name them among the candidates for these
offices? Is it just to the public to throw so many difficul-
ties in the way of arrangements in the proper determination
of which the public has a deep interest? And for what
are we to do all this ? In order to be considered a

Treasury organ forsooth—a character which we have
er as anxiously disclaimed as others, with certainly no
higher pretensions, have schemed and laboured for it.
In one respect, indeed, we have qualified ourselves for
the coveted distinction—we have tried so to act as not
to make a connexion with the Herald disgraceful, or
likely to involve an Administration in suspicion, either
at home or abroad. But this is all. We wish well to
the Government, because we wish well to the country,
which can have no better Government—none other,
indeed, so good; but we neither are, nor desire to be,
the servants of any Administration, or to pass for its
servants, To come back, however, to the expected
modification in some of the less prominent departments
of Government. There will be, we believe, a change in
the Presidency of the Board of Trade, and Lord Dal-
housie is unquestionably the fittest man in the empire to
preside at that Board should Mr. Gladstone retire from it;
itl4o in the Viee-rresideney of the Board. Lord Dal-

housie is not as well known as he ought to be, and as he
soon will be; he is like the Premier, a statesman of the
bold, vigorous, and decisive temper, and what Minister
was ever more strongly characterised by boldness
sigour, and decision, than Sir Robert Peel? It is a
fashion with those who seem to take pleasure in always
inverting the truth, to reproach the Right Hon. Baronet
with defects exactly opposed to those great qualities by
which he is characterised; but we challenge any one to
produce three measures so daring and effective as the
property-tax, the tariff, and the constitutional prosecu-
tion of the Irish agitators within any three years of our
history. We name these measures only; bat look to
the last three years—to China, India, Canada—have
not Sir Robert Peel's bold, vigorous, and decisive,
and yet noiseless and calm measures of Govern-
ment advanced the empire a whole century? If
we were at liberty to speak of measures, which we believe
to be in contemplation, and of men likely to be called to
the councils of Governmeet, we could show that the hap-
piness of the very humblest classes of the people is no
less the care of the Premier than the wealth, power,' and
general prosperity of the emaire. The session of 1845
will, if we are no.. much mistaken, be a remarkable one
—one never to be forgotten by the labouring classes—
Non operariis tacenda geetibus. We may not, however,
go farther in this direction. Lord Dalhousie is a man
of great commercial knowledge, of great talent, as bold,
vigorous, and decisive in his views of public policy as Sir
Robert Peel himself, and as kind-hearted and
humane. Such a man will be in the situation in
which he can be most eminently useful to his Soya •
reign and his fellow-subjt-cts, at the head of the
Board of Trade. It ie....however, certainly not true
that Mr. Cardwell bas been definitively selected as
Vice-President. Mr. Cardwell's character and talents
qualify him for that or even a higher office ; and there
is little doubt that, if he wishes it, he may command an
eminent station in the public service ; but it can serve
no good purpose to retail what are known to be false-
hoods, or what, as having no higher voucher thanthe
gossip of the Clubs, may be fairly presumed to be false-
hoods. We fairly tell our readers that we will give
them no guesses, either our guesses or the guesses of
others—as anything but guesses. If they wish to be
cheated with conjectures retailed as facts, they must go
to another shop ; we do tot deal in the commodity. To
recapitulate :—Sir Thomas Fremantle will be the Irish
Secretary ; there will be some other changes connected
and unconnected with the vacancy of the Secretaryship
at War ; and the session will be distinguished by some
most gratifying measures.
POST.—Our readers are aware that we anticipated
some changes in the constitution of the Cabinet before
the meeting of Parliament • but we confess that the re-
tirement of Mr. Gladstone ;rum all share in the Govern-
ment has taken us somewhat by surprise. We are in-
dined to think, too, that it has put the Prime Minister
to no small inconvenience, and that the arrangements
he has at last come to—because, with the opening of
Parliament so near at hand, they could no longer be
postponed—are by no means those which he could have
wished. We should be very sorry to offer any disparage-
ment to such excellent and gentlemanly persons as Lord
Lincoln and Mr. Sydney Herbert; but we think the com-
mon sense and common observation of the country will
be with us, when we say that they do not add much
strength to the Cabinet. They are very fairly diligent in
their business, graceful in their deportment, having the
best intentions, and an average facility of expressing
their views in the House of Commons. But the task of
conducting the Government of Great Britain, and of
usefully contributing to the deliberations and determina-
tions of the Cabinet Council, seem to us to require some-
thing more than belongs to the talents of these very
respectable persons. Political knowledge, experience of
feisiness, habits of energetic thoughtfulness, force of
character, earnestness of purpose, readiness and vigour
in the debates of the House—these are the requisites
for high station in the Government. These we do not
find—at least not in any considerable degree —in the
very respectable gentlemen who are to be added to the
Cabinet Council. We do not think it is a good thing to
have a Cabinet containing two or three men of admitted
leading power, while all the rest are men more fitted by
nature, by acquirements, and by character, to take sug-
gestion than to give it. And this, we think, is more
emphatically true when even the leaders are men rather
of first-rate talents than of high genius. If such a man
as the Duke of Wellington, or rather a man with
capacity for civil affairs analagous to that of the Duke
in military affairs--if such a man were at the head of
the Cabinet, affairs might go on all the better for the non-
interference of his colleagues of the Council. But while
every one must admit the comprehensive knowledge of
the present Premier, the care with which he studies the
public business, the sincerity of his views for the public
welfare, and the discretion with which he leads his Par-
liamentary forces, still his is not the master mind, nor
his the iridomitable energy, which needs no assistance.
He may indeed think with old Nestor—
" It is not strength but art obtains the prize,
An to be swift is less than to be wise,"
which, indeed, we ourselves venture to maintain, not-
withstanding the furious railroadism of this " en-
lightened age." But we also must maintain that a man
who is not gifted with the towering mind and fiery
energy which go straightforward to their point, only
requiring instruments to which they supply the need•
ful inspiration—such a man, however consummate
in art, requires another sort of assistance for governing a
great state than that which mere average sense and ac-
complishments can supply. How does the Premier ex-
pect to get on in the House of Commons ? Is he to take
all the important speaking on the Ministerial side to
himself ? His chief assistants were Mr. Gladstone,
Lord Stanley, and Sir James Graham. The first retires,
the second is gone to the House of Lords, the third,
indeed, remains, and a very clever speaker he is in Oppo-
sition, where the object is to wound, but a very danger-
ous assistant on the Ministerial bench. Besides, he is
an extremely unpopular man, and almost every thing he
says is received with more or less of prejudice. Un-
less, then, the Premier take all the important
speaking to himself, what is to be done ? Say that
Sir Robert is a match for Lord John and Lord
Palmerston, will he think it safe to turn over Lord
Howick, and Sir George Grey, and Mr. Macaulay, and
Mr. C. Wood, and Mr. Vernon Smith, and the rest, to
the replying abilities of Mr. Herbert and Lord Lincoln ?
As for Francis Baring, he may be assigned to the care
of worthy Mr. Goulburn, and that will be enough for
each. But we had forgotten the new man, Mr. Cardwell.
Oh, Mr. Cardwell ! Yes, he will do wondrous well if he
be given three hours to write his speech, and thirteen to
commit it to memory. Mr. Cardwell may, indeed, turn
out an able House of Commons debater, as Sir R. M.
Rolfe turned out a very able Judge when no one ex-
pected it ; but we believe that even Mr. Cobden will not
think much of making minced meat of Mr. Cardwell.
His free trade principles (if such they may be called)
go, indeed, as far as Mr. Cobden's ; but for
this very reason we assign him over to the
tender mercies of the modest Member for Stock-
port. Two of a trade can never agree, especially when
one is the pet and the other the aversion of the Minis-
ter. But why has Mr. Gladstone left the Govern-
ment ? That is the question. Has he listened to pa-
ternal counsel, and ceased to think that to buy in the
cheapest markets of the world is the best national policy?
Has he learned that, in the present state of Great Bri-
tain, the employment of the people is of more importance
than profit upon capital devoted to foreign trade ? Is
he fearful of facing the practical results of the Tariff
and the Canada Corn Bill, and of going on in the same
course P Or are we to apprehend Government measures
with regard to the Church which Mr. Gladstone, as a
conscientious churchman, cannot support ? This is
what strikes us as most probable. The Church and
the landed interest generally go in the same boat.
The landed interest has had its pleasant experience of
the application of a liberal policy to its position and
its prosperity. It is but conformable with custom
that the Church should come next. If it be so, the Go-
vernment will not hold together. Other defections will
occur as well as that of Mr. Gladstone, and Whigs must
be taken in to fill the vacant places. And then the end
will not be far off. We confess we do not regard with-
out apprehension the changes which have been an-
nounced. They look rather like the beginning of the
end, and we are sorry for it. We think that a firm
mind and a kindly heart might keep the present
Government together ; but dexterity and labo-
riousness, combined with Liberalism, will not.
A morning Contemporary, which looks upon the
announced changes more hopefully than we do, says that
it can scarcely remember any former period at which a
Government had before it greater inducements and occa-
sions to promote the public vol. or when it was more
able to encourage its friends and silence its opponenta
in
a policy worthy of the great party which placed_,ll„„!,_
office. The great party which Placed the
Whether
nistry in office was the agricultural
be adopted we do not
policy worthy of that party is to
were
eted would give it but
the Contemporary we have quo
small
mn thingAu iwr) a; butysass dR we
Hnootn.eGxepnectlteemd
abny,susse.cesTsihoen
SFR.—The President of the Board of
importance.
Iv We
deferbulnr.tilGtola-dmsotornroevy's
We prepared our readers the
Trade has resigned.
for changes in the Ministry, but this is one
other day ypvo reason to
we
fearan such
that
s
fascwruni :eamiencseghPs tesehwoc eurei Government,iarns
toitiLnosne:roodcnfoDalhousie.ntgbferees great
inw Rightatsh e hope that the darkness
which rests upon its causes may be cleared up in the
course of to-day.
r.7;csee.u:ctahi
certainly

A LONG FAsT.---The Memorial de Rouen says---
" There is a woman 24 years of age, at Vizonchaux,
who has kept her bed for two years, obstinately refusing,
during the whole time, to take food of any kind. She
has preserved her embonpoint, and appears to be in good
health, Several physicians, and amongst them some of
the most eminent of Paris, have been consulted, but are
unable to explain this anomaly." The best explanation,
we conceive, would be received from putting a strict
watch over her person ; it would then, probably,. be
found that the affair is an imposture.— Galignanes
Mer-
sen9er.

73d Foot—W. P. Hodgson, M.D., to be Assistant-
Surgeon, vice Martin, promoted in the 55th Foot, Jan 31.
87th Foot—Captain A. Murray, from the 18th Foot,
to be Captain, vice Staveley, who exchanges, Jan. 31.
Rifle Brigade—Capt. W. H. Phibbs, from half-pay
LTnattachcd, to be Captain, vice E. H. Glegg, who ex-
changes, receiving the difference ; Capt. W. Elliott, front
half-pay Unattached, to be Captain, vice W. H. Phibbs,
who exchanges ; Lieut. E. A. Somerset to be Captain,
by purchase, vice Elliutt, who retires ; Second Lieut.
A. A. Cartwright to be First Lieutenant, by purchase,
vice Somerset ; S. Lord Kilworth to be Second Lieut.,
by purchase, vice Cartwright, Jan. 31.
Ist West India Regiment—Surgeon J. E. Stewart,
from half-pay 84th Foot, to be Surgeon, vice M'Donald,
appointed to the Staff, Jan. 17.
BREVET.—Capt. G. B. Berkeley Calcott, of the 36th
Foot, to be Major in the Army, Jan. 10, 1837.
HOSPITAL STAFF.—II. Huish, M.D., to be Assistant-
Surgeon to the Forces, vice: Townsend, deceased, Jan. 31.
MEMORANDUM.—The Christian names of Ensign Mo-
r?T.t, of the 68th Regiment, are Horatio Harboard. The
Christian names of Lieutenant de Robeck, of the Bth
Foot, are John Henry Edward.
Commission by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire.
Sherwood Rangers--J. Hardcastle, Gent., to be Lieu-
tenont, vice C. Colville, resigned, Jan. 24.
ADMIRALTY, JAN. 29.
Corps of Royal Marines—Gentleman Cadet IL S.
Baynes to be Second Lieutenant.
COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.
Hilary Term.—ln the Eighth Year of the Reign of
Queen Victoria.
Wednesday, the 29th day of January, 1845.
The Court will, on Thursday the 13th day of February
next, hold a sitting, and will proceed to givejudgment in
certain of the matters standing over for the consideration
of the Court. N. C. TINDAL.
WHITEHALL, JAN. 24.
The Lord Chancellor has appointed Josias Bull York,
of Coleshill, in the county of Warwick, Gent., to be a
Master Extraordinary in the High Court of Chancery.
WHITEHALL, JAN. 29.
The Lord Chancellor has appointed Richard Grave
Hindson, of Penrith, in the county of Cumberland, Gent.,
to be a Master Extraordinary in the High Court of
Chancery.
DECLARATION OF INSOLVENCY.
J. White, leather-seller, Great St. Andrew-street,
Seven. dials.

BANKRUPTS.
W. Burt, lodging-housekeeper, Lisson-grove, New.
road, to surrender Feb. 7, at half-past one, and March
13, at half-past twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy.
A lsager, official assignee, Birchin-lane ; Lowrance and
Flews, Bucklersbury.
James Argent, victualler, Golden-lane, Barbican,
Feb. 6, at eleven, and March 14, at one, at the Court of
13Inkruptcy. Belcher, official assignee, King's Arms-
yard. City ; Cook, King-street, Cheapside.
Edward Cooper Floss ers, cattle dealer, Whitchnrch,
Buckinghamshire, Feb. 6, and Mareh 14. at twelve, at
the Court of Bankruptcy. Belcher, official assignee,
King's Arms-yard, London ; Close, St. Mildred's-court,
Pt .ul try.
Richard Harris and John Hill, tailors, Newgate-street
Feb. 15, at two, and March 15, at one, at the Court of
Bankruptcy. Green, official assignee, Aldermanbury ;
May, Queen's-square, Bloomsbury.
Samuel Brice, tailor, St. John-street, Feb. 7, at twelve,
and March 14, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Graham,
official assignee, Coleman-street; Garry, Chancery-lane.
Richard Greenwood, bookseller, Bradford, Feb. 13,
and March 6, at eleven, at the Leeds District Court.
Young, official assignee,
.Leeds ; Nethersole, New Inn,
London ; Cariss, Leeds.
John Collirs, grocer, Sheffield, Feb. 13, and March 6,
at eleven, at the Leeds District Court. Freeman, official
assignee, Leeds ; Duncan, Featherstone buildings, Hol-
born ; Unwin, Sheffield ; Blackburn, Leeds.
John Hepworth and David Hepworth, cotton warp
dyers, Raistrick, Feb. 10, and March 3, at eleven, at the
Leeds District Court. Fearne, official assignee, Leeds ;
Lever, King's-road, Bedford-row, London ; England and
Hellawell, Huddersfield.

Thomas Whyte, hardware merchant, Birmingham,
Feb. 7, at half-past eleven, and March 11, at eleven, at
the Birmingham District Court. Valpy, official assig-
nee, Birmingham ; Ryland, Birmingham.
Edwin Llewellin Robinson, fellmonger, Moulton, Lin-
colnshire, Feb. 11, at half-past twelve, and March 11, at
twelve, at the Birmingham District Court. Christie,
officialassignee, Birmingham; Bonner and Son, Spalding;
Motteram and Knowles, Birmingham.
William Upton Lester, silk manufacturer, Newcastle-
nuder-Lyme, Feb. 8, and March 4, at twelve, at the
Birmingham District Court. Whitmore, official assignee,
Birmingham; White and Co., Bedford-row, London ;
Ward and Co. Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Blinkhorn, manufacturing chemist, Little
Bolton, Lancashire, Feb. 18, and March 10, at twelve, at
the Manchester District Court. Fraser, official assignee,
Manchester ; Fox, Finsbury-circus, London ; Earle,
Manchester and Ashton-under-Lyne.
John Irving, linendraper, Blackburn, Feb. 13, and
March 6, at twelve, at the Manchester District Court.
Hobson, official assignee, Manchester ; Milne, Parry,
Milne, and Morris, Temple, London ; Wilding and
Fisher, Blackburn.

William Fielding, hat plush manufacturer, Taunton,
Lancashire, Feb. 11, and March 5, et twelve, at the
Manchester District Court. Holt, official assignee,
Manchester; Gregory, Faulkner, Gregory, and Bour-
dilion, Bedford-row, London; Cooper, Manchester.
Absalom Francis, William Davy, and Matthew
Francis, ironfounders, Dee Bank Forge, Bagilt,
Flint-
shire, Feb. 10, and arch 4, at twelve, at the Liverpool
District Court. Morgan, official assignee, Liverpool ;
Cox and Williams, Lincoln's Inn-fields, London ; Old-
field, Holywell, Flir.tshire.
Robert Jones, bootmaker, Liverpool, Feb. 14, and
March 14, at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court.
Morgan, official assignee, Liverpool; Troughton, Liver-
pool; Keddell, Baker, and Grant, Lime-street, City.
PRICE OF SUGAR.
The Average Price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, for the
week ending Jan. 28, 1844, is 295. 6id. per cwt., exclusive
of the Duties of Customs paid or payable thereon on the im-
partation thereof into Great Britain.
• (Dividends, &c., in our next.)

THE IMPROVEMENTS IN WESTMINSTEIL•-•-011
Thursday miming, about half-past eight o'clock, a dread..
ful accident took place in Orchard street, Westminster,
a part in,endud for the new line of improvement. The
corner house of Old Pye-street has for some time been
shored up, and he resident lodgers gone away. The
first intimation was by a man who lived in the cellar,
ho finding his bed drop three feet, thought it prudent
to move out of the place. The house is stated to belong
to the Gni n Coat School, and Mr. Wardle, of Dart-
mouth str,et, collected the rents. At the time above
named, M 1 s. Coldnick, who keeps a chandler's shop op•
posite, states that tin first intimation she observed was a
brick falling from the roc,f, and then another from the
side wall. This was followed by the falling of the roof,
and fortunately no person was passing. The ruins are
lying across the two streets, and the next house is in a
very dangerous state. In about ten minutes the children
would have been going to the parochial school in Old
Pye-street. Information was sent to the surveyor, and
Mr. Barefoot and Mr. Taylor, the inspectors of the B
division, directed the men in their force to keep the
place free of passengers. Men were then engaged to
protect the remaining walls. It need hardly be ob-
served that there has been culpable neglect in some
quarter, as this occurrence might have caused the loss
of many human lives.
FRAUDS ON TILE REVENUE.—SeveraI causes in the
Court of Exchequer, at the suit of the Crown againston
certain parties, for being concerned in the late flarataud
went of the ensuing week, and a numberrof
the revenue, are appointed for hearing at thet
t of the Crown,
officers have been subpoenaed on eatptahe
present time,
though they can be but ill spared.
ishpping from all parts of
owing to the recent influx of
pressure of business in
the world, and the consequentt. ceocatteentncea:
every department of the port.