The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-03 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Yesterday the Session of Parliament was
closed, by a Speech in the King's name, read
by the Lord Chancellor as chief of the Commis-
sion. These documents are usually barren of intel-
ligence, and the present does not in that respect
deviate from its predecessors. Indeed, occur-
rences of a strictly Parliamentary nature have
not been many or important during the Session;
the change of Ministry being rather an affair of
the Executive than of the Legislative Bodies ;
and it would not have been modest in his Ma-
jesty's present servants to compliment him on
the prudence and firmness which he displayed in
the selection of them to conduct the affairs of
State. The Speech at the close of the Session
mentions, in almost the same words with that at
the opening, the efforts which his Majesty is
making in conjunction with his Allies, " to ter-
minate the existing hostilities and maintain a
general peace ;" but 110 hope, we regret to say,
is even yet expressed that those efforts will be
successful in putting an end to the miseries of
Greece. Our anticipations, therefore, of yester-
day assume a more substantial form. Has not
the treaty for the preservation of Greece been
signed? And if not, what is the cause of the
delay ? The part of the Speech addressed ex-
clusively to the House of Commons states, that
directions have been given for a careful revi-
sion of the financial state of the country, with
a view to the diminution of expenditure."
Were this the first time that we had been pro-
mised a " diminution of expenditure," the pub-
lie might have received the proffered boon with
confidence and joy ; but, alas ! we have had too
many flattering professions of this nature al-
ready ; they have now almost lost the power of
affecting the mind. However, the present pledge
is tendered by new men ; may it be redeemed in
a new method! But the time when honest re-
trenchment might have sufficed, we fear, is almost
past. The " gradual revival of employment in
the manufacturing districts" is noticed ; and the
permanent settlement of the Corn question is to
form the subject of deliberation on the opening
of the next Session. Upon this question, no
doubt, the comparative strength of Ministers and
their opponents will be first tried.—Times.
In the case of " Hemming v. Rothschild" a
singuLar question is raised by the Court ; which
is, whether it be legal " for any subject, without
the " express consent and authority of the King,
" to advance a loan to any foreign Power." We
recollect that we asserted some time ago, that
this Government was in no degree pledged to
recover, at the point of the sword, the debts of
foreign Powers due to its subjects,—that is, that
the people of England were under no liability to
be saddled with the miseries and expences of a
war for the purpose of recovering money due to
certain loan-contractors; and we fear some of
our friends in the city were not very well content
-with our opinion. But what will they say now,
to the doubt raised in the Court of Common
Pleas respecting the original legality of the
loans ?—lbid.
The Parliament, after a Session, during one
half of which nothing was done because there
was no Administration, and during the other
half nothing was done, because the House of
Lords were determined to thwart the Adminis-
tration when one had been obtained, is now
fairly dispersed. We believe the nation will feel 1
little regret at the cessz,tion of its labours.
House of Lords in passist;Jar has pressed like an
incubus on the intellect of the nation, and the
separation of so heavy a mass of stupidity,
ignorance, conceit, and arrogance -111::9-11,--
ments, must be felt generally as a relief from a
heavy burden. Some of our Parliaments ha:re
received titles from the character of those who
composed them. Thus we had once what we
shall never have again—a Parliament without
awyers, which thence received the title of
Poliamentum indoctunz. There is an unre-
pealed law, which awards banishment to those
who may be instrumental in bringing either
House of Parliament into contempt, and there-
fore we shall be careful not to say that the Par-
liament, now dismissed for a season, might be
styled, from the character of its proceedings,
Par/is/men:am contemtissimunz ; but if other
people were to apply that term, we do not think
that we should glve ourselves the trouble to
contradict them. It is owing, perhaps, to the
circumstance of the Houss, of Lords having been
drawn out more this Session than usual, from
the belief entertained by the Members that their
incomes were at stake, that the pubic have be-
come aware of the circumstance (which, so long
as the debates were confined to four or five
sralsers distinguished for talents, they could
onot discover), namely, the extraordinary in-
compeSency of a very large proportion of the
Members for the discharge of either Legisla-
tive or Judicial functions. The amazement
caused by the display of ignorance, imbecility,
and prejudice, to a degree so much beyond
what the public were prepared for, tended in a
great degree to deaden the feeling of irritation,
which the sacrifice of the best interests of the
nation would otherwise have produced. It is
most certain that the impression produced on
the public mind by the proceedings of the Lords
during the last Session, is a very powerful one,
and we are much mistaken if that impression be
soon eradicated from the minds of the people.
It was observed some time ago by Mr.
Brougham, that the diffusion of knowledge
among:, mechanics would compel the higher
classes to make corresponding advances in
knowledge in self-defence. But if the ignorance
of the higher classes should not be removed,
while the lower are making rapid advances in
knowledge; and if the latter perceive that they
suffer greatly from that ignorance, svtlat must be
the consequence? Can any laws ensure men
against the contempt with which ignorance must
always be viewed by knowledge ? But all power
rests on opinion, and contempt, therefore, must
necessarily undermine it. A writer in the Lon-
don Magazine for July quotes the following
passage from Niebuhr's Romaii History, which
" may be useful (he says) to some other people,
at the pressmt !moment." The passage is—,
" Every Oligarchyis envious, oppressive, 'and
deaf to moderation and ,prudence ; not that this
peculiarity adheres nserely to all order designated
by a particular name. It is the sassie spirit of
oligarchy, under the canvas frock of the peasan t
of Uri, who not only denies id neighbours,
how long soccer their forefathers have been
settled in the Canton, the higher privikges of
participation in the Government, but robs
them of the ordinary rights which they have long
enjoyed, and under the satin tdar of the Vene-
tian nobile." Now, that our Oligarchy have
been deaf to moderation and prudence, is a.
which Boone would dream of contradict-
position whiing. In fact, so little moderation and prudence
have been displayed in .thwarting the well-metuilt en-
deavours of the Government to promote the gineral
interests, and to protect, as much as possiblN the
industry of the nation amidst the difficulties with