The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-03 00:00:00

PUBLIC OPINION.

The Times gives the following advice to the opponents of the
New Poor-law Bill :—" If Ministers have declared themselves
during the recent debates, upon any one point more decidedly
than another, it has been in their reiterated professions of ab-
solute, unlimited confidence in the wisdom and humanity of
the Poor-law Commissioners. Who can doubt, therefore,
that whatever review of the question may take place,
it will be directed, superintended, and controlled by
these officials ; that Sir James Graham will look to them,
and them only, for information upon every point ; that they
will, in effect, determine what new legislation shall be pro-
posed, that they will have the preparation of the Government
Bill, and furnish the reasons to be assigned for every clause of
it ? Under these circumstances, we advise all who do not
place absolute confidence in the Poor-law Commissioners, to
hope nothing, but to be on their guard against further en-
croachments. Let the opportunity afforded by the recess be
taken such advantage of, that, when Parliament meets, an im-
posing expression of the sense of the people upon the general
question oxiay be ready to,.lse brought -forward. Some people,
we know, are very indifferent about petitioning, on account of
the contempt with which petitions, however numerous and re-
spectably signed, appear to be treated when they thwart, in-
stead of backing up, the views of a Parliamentary majority.
We think this a mistake."

The Herald says—" The Conservatives of Southampton,
Nottingham, and Belfast may be assured that the " purity
system" is the only successful one in the long run : it is, like
honesty, their best policy ; and though adherence to it may
produce one or two defeats at elections, and one or two con-
tested returns, yet persistence in it is the road to permanent
supremacy. Let the Conservatives leave this " dirty work" to
the Whigs and the Radicals. They can beat the Destruetives,
they may rest assured, by union, resolution, and perseverance,
without following their venal example. Let them neither
bribe nor treat—neither give head-money, basket-money,
ticket-money, nor drink. Let them rely principally on the
greatness and justice of their cause, and secondarily, let them
vigilantly watch and note the dishonest practices and the mer-
cenary tricks of their opponents. The return of a Conservative
to the House is not worth purchasing by bribery and treating,
or through drunkenness and gluttony, or intimidation and
coercion ' • and the success of the very best candidate that ever
professed Conservatism at such a cost and by such means is in
reality a source of weakness instead of strength to his party.
Never had the Conservatives a more favourable opportunity of
inrifying their cause than at present; their present strength in
the House of Commons, their existing majority of ninety,
affords them means which for ten years Fast they have not pos-
sessed."

The Post observes, in reference to a proposed American
loan—" The speculators of the United States are, it should
seem, anxious to borrow a few millions more of English money.
Proposals for fresh American loans have been recently circu-
lated with considerable vigour. If these schemes shall be
crowned with success, the English lenders will deserve to be,
once mere, duped and cheated by their American debtors. The
policy of lending, in any circumstances, masses of English
capital to foreigners may admit of grave doubts. To supply
foreign nations with the means of calling their indnstrial ener-
gies into fuller action is to assist in converting foreign nations
into formidable rivals in the arts of peace, or, it may be, in the
arts of war. The capital of England is created by the labour of
England ; and, therefore, so long as any portion of the labour
of England lacks profitable employment, so long must the
withdrawal of any portion of English capital from the sphere of
native productive industry inflict severe injustice on that most
numerous class, of which the well-being is lessened by every
movement that tends to lessen the market, and, by consequence,
the dem nd for labour."

Alluding to the expunging of one of the most important pre-
visions of the Bribery Bill, the Chronicle remarks—" Only
one plain effect from the rejection of that clause can be pro-
duced, or by any shrewd intellect calculated upon; and that is,
to diminish most materially the chance of detecting bribery.
That is what the Government Law Officers have achieved, that
distinctly, and nothing more. They have saved no one from
false crimination or unjust punishment. They have only pro-
tected the guilty and the crime. The majority of the House
went with them very readily, and another impulse is thus given
to the public mind, driving it onwards in the course it had al-
ready taken very decidedly, as to the political morality of that
House. Nobody believes it to have any earnest purpose of
grappling energetically with electoral corruption. Faith in it
is gone ; cast to the winds ; leaving merely a curiosity to see
how much of cant is yet to be uttered on the subject, and what
show to be made of ineffectual remedies. The restrictions,
however, that bear upon individuals, often fail as to large
bodies. The conscious briber may be muzzled in his loquacity,
or sheltered in his silence, by a rule of evidence, but no
rule or power can now prevent the House of Commons from
being self-criminated, as to the tolerance of bribery, in public
estimation."
MONEY—TRADE—COMMERCE.

Seven Gravesend steam-boats on Sunday, averaging 600
each vessel, conveyed upwards of 4,200 passengers there, and
the same number back. Twenty others conveyed to the same
place, in thirty-six trips, 12,000 persons. More than 1,500
persons were taken to Canterbury; and the Woolwich and
Greenwich Companies carried to and from those places 30,000
individuals.

A meeting of the creditors of the firm of Messrs. Acraman,
Morgan, and Co.'s bankruptcy took place on Monday, at Bris-
tol. A proof on behalf of Messrs. Hulbert, Layton, and Co.,
of London, for ten promissory-notes of 1,000/. each, was re-
jected. Messrs. Baillie, Ames, and Co., bankers, were then
elected as treasurers ; and Mr. W. D. Bushell and Mr. W.
Tothill, merchants, assignees.
A great meeting of the colliers and others took place on Mon-
day evening, at West Bromwich, Staffordshire. Upwards of
20,000 were present. A variety of resolutions, declaratory of
their determination to enforce their just demands upon the
masters was passed, when the vast assemblage broke up quietly.
_ _