The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-18 00:00:00

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*troltbrZtlittion

SUN OFFICE, Three o'clock.

We announced some ten days ago that Government
were about to send eight or ten thousand men to
.re-
inforce the army in India, and gave them full credit
fer the vigour displayed in meeting the emergencies
reused by the protracted war with China, and the re-
verses of our troops in Affghanistan. Sir ROBERT PEEL,
in answer to a question from Lord JOHN RUSSELL last
night, admitted that the determination to reinforce the
Thdian army had been formally taken, and that a sup-
plementary estimate to that effect would be placed before
the House, but he declined for the present to state the
amount. We have no doubt, however, that the number
of troops mentioned is rather under than over the mark.
The Duke of WELLINGTON lastyear said this country could
n ,t afford to carryon a little war, and urged the propri-
-y of showing to the world that we were in earnest when
c.ice engaged in hostile operations. There is sufficient
s ope now, certainly for carrying out the plan of the
C *Bent Duke. The present cannot be called a little war.
the two extremities of Asia, Britain is engaged in two
groat contests—one with a nation of three hundred mil-
lions, and the other with a treacherous race of moun-
t:tit:leers, both at a vast distance from this country,
aid the seat of empire in India. Independent of these,
she has to watch the Burmese, ever ready to take ad-
vantage of circumstances, to overawe unfriendly States
jii IncXa, and at the same time keep up a large force
it; another hemisphere, to meet exigencies that
may spring out of the unsettled state of our
relations with the United States. If the loss
in Affghanistan turns out as extensive as the late
accounts lead many to anticipate, ten thousand ad-
ditiOnal troops would form but a miserable reinforce-
ment, and the public will probably find that twice
tbat number at least must be forthcoming from England
aLd India together. Everything in these Eastern regions
depends on opinion. This circumstance the Government
cannot fail to keep in view, and they will therefore be
anxious to show that, notwithstanding:the reverses of our
troops in one quarter, Great Britain is as powerful as
ever, and fully prepared to assert her supremacy in
63 vast territory over which she holds sway.

Amon the petitions presented to the House of Com-
mons last night, was one by Mr. O'CoxsELL, complain-
ing of the Ironmongers' Company of London having
se) ved notices of ejectment on many of the tenants upon
tlu estates in the county of Derry, for the purpose of
terrifying the rest to become tenants at will. We con-
fe:s that we cannot comprehend the meaning of such
conduct on the part of a London Company of
merchants. The tenants who occupy their estates
are nearly . all Presbyterians, whose ancestors emi-
' grated to Ireland from Scotland in the reigns of
JAMES the First and CHARLES the Second. They are a
peaceable, industrious, moral race, attached to the insti-
tutions of this country. 'We are aware that the tennntcy
at will system of letting land is unfortunately preva-
lent in Ireland. The principal causes of this are, the
religion of the people, and the absence of the land-
lo:ds
.from their estates. As most of the great landed
proprietors are Protestants, and the bulk of the tenants
Catholics, leases are deniel them, to prevent them from
exert sng a hostile influence as electors. Had the
tenantry of Ireland leases, the Members returne.l to
Parliament by that country would, in four. cases out of
five, be of different principles from what they really are,
The next cause is the unwillingness of middle
men, and agents upon the estates of absentees,
to diminish their own, almost absolute power, over the
tepantry, by granting them leases. They could neither
rack-rent from year to year, nor fine, nor exact several
days of manual and horse-labour annually from tenants
having leases, as they can, and do, from tenants at mill.
Up ,n the estates of absentees, . where the tenants
have no leases, they are the slaves of the
agents, who exact from them every farthing
they possess for their individual profit, without the
slightest regard to the injury done to such estates, or to

the wishes of the proprietors. But the London Comps_
view hMert ttl in Ireland are ?mprised of men of
a -1a; trestwa, They are men of sense and busi-
ness, as *TOOrli;a • and liberal men, and must be
aware Ott no lan;Pl. °party was ever improved in
-value by a tenantrt + '•ing at will. On the contrary,
toe refuse lesile4zik .Perish landlords and ruin their
naway, tenantseek to improve a property in
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