The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-11 00:00:00

Martin Oint

LONDON, MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 184.5.

In our Thursday's edition we remarked, in reference
to the late colliery explosion at Aberdare, on the
general neglect that appeared still to pervade our
ink; DiAricts of the very valuable recommendations
of the House of Commons' Committee on " Accidents in
Mines," (owing to the want of some duly constituted
Executive to give effect to suggestions of this kind,
when they regard only the protection of life, not the
rights cf prop-rty.) Among these neglected recom-
mendations we especially instanced " the bricking up
the final apertures that have been left, marking the site
of exhausted works and demolished passages." To-day
we have to notice the singular confirmation which our
assumption has received by the actual verdict of the
coroner's inquest on the bodies of the sufferers rescued
from this very Dyffrin Colliery : for the jury, among
other things, beg to enforce the necessity for adopting
"a system that will prevent the gas oozing out from the
old or abandoned workings to tram-road airways" by
similar precautions. We cannot refrain from observing
that we have here another exemplification of the
" selfish iudiffereuee to," we are loth to call it—but, at

• least, the culpable carelessness of human life, which too
largely operates upon the relations of masters and work-
' men in some of the largest speculetions that private
capital is invested in. It was stated is the very first ac-
count we had of this catastrophe that the pit had
always been in bad repute " on account of its deficient
. ventilation." We see nothing in the return of the in-
, quest to disprove the justice of this received impression.
Now one is irresistibly tempted to repeat the question—
had the better ventilation been demanded for animal-
chattels, or other such tangible property, instead of
mere human lives, over which our anomalous law,
all tenderness under some circumstances, permits under
others the most irresponsible custody and control to
private individuals. Had these pitmen been partridges
, in a preserve, or pheasants in an aviary, or sheep in a
fold, does any one supp)se that after the first represen-
tation to their owner, that they were exposed in the
fold, the aviary, or the preserve, to mephitic gases or
noxious exhalations, these birds or beasts would have
been left there for another day ? Why, it is not long
since we read of all the leaden water-pipes commu-
nicating between the river and a dog-kennel being taken
up and replaced, at a considerable expense, by wooden
or clay drain pipes, on a bare suspicion that some of the
hounds had been from time to time affected with
symptoms that indicated the presence of some arseniate
deposit from the metal in the water.
If the higher and wealthier orders thus manifest a
comparative apathy about the tenderness for human life,
which it is not only one of the first objects of morality
to inculcate, but should be considered one of the first
duties of civilized society to enforce upon all its mem-
bers, it must be allowed that the orders below them have
not been slow to follow their pernicious example. We
gather, from a perusal of the daily reports of cases of
the police courts, some conclusions that creep out of
sight in the elaborate organization of our table of cri-
minal statistics. Whatever more favourable result these
latter may exhibit, we are compelled to inter the fact—
the painful and disgraceful fact—that among the in-
ferior classes (of the metropolitan population at any
rate), crimes of violence against the person are decidedly
on the increase. On many accounts (and for reasons
most of them too obvious to make it necessary here to
enforce them) this result is as extraordinary as it is
deplorable. To what cause shall we attribute it ? We
have long since, in our own minds, arrived at the answer
to this query. We consider the result to be ascribable
to the gross anomalies of our criminal jurisprudence.
These anomalies, however, determine in one strangely
consistent demonstration—namely, that the genius of
our laws, in modern application, is far more vigilant for
security of property than for security of life. The con-
sequence seems to be that persons of inferior condition
take up a notion that they may, with impunity, commit
any serious excesses of personal violence, seeing how in-
different those in superior ranks of society show them-
selves to be to the personal safety, and even existence, of
others. Property, indeed, as against poverty, seems to
enjoy an immunity from the ordinary liabilities to civil
action, which the latter would certainly occur, for mali_
cious, or even for mistaken, prosecution. Is there no
chance of inducing the Legislature, in the course of the
coming session, to look into these anomalies, and devise
some remedy for them ?
A very few days ago, we published the report of a
case tried at a country sessions, in which a young wo-
man, who had been accused of stealing some drapery in
the house or shop of a small trader, was, on the clearest
evidence, acquitted. During the trial the poor creature
exhibited all the emotions of terror, shame, and distress
which an innocent but timid female might be supposed
to experience in so trying a situation. Her acquittal
was greeted with the most enthusial tic, albeit indecorous
plaudits of the people in the Court. But she was again
arraigned and tried on further indictments, notwith-
standing a significant intimation to the prosecutor from
the Bench that he should not proceed with them. He
persisted. The woman was acquitted again ; but ever
since remains in a deplorable state, consequent on the
agony of her feelings under so protracted an ordeal.
The defeated tradesman retires to his shop, with no
other penalty but what it is just possible he may expe-
rience from some occasional accesses of remorse, or the
undissembled contempt and disgust of his fellow-towns-
men. At another country assizes, in a case in which
two fellow-servants had quarrelled, it appeared that the
male prisoner had inflicted a kick upon the person of the
prosecutrix, from the effects of which she had been
already confined to her bed for five and twenty weeks,—
was still painfully suffering—and, in all human proba-
bility, never would recover. All the facts were proved
to the satisfaction of the jury ; and the whole punish-
ment to which the unmanly perpetrator of this outrage
was sentenced--was six months' imprisonment with
hard labour. But might he not plead that even this
visitation was too severe, when in richer men the gross
carelessness that assigns nine and twenty men employed
upon and " in" their property to a violent and instan-
taneous death, is not visited by a deodand, even of as
many pence ?

We are rejoiced to observe that a public demonstra-
tion is at length being made in this country in favour of
a most distinguished public servant—for in that light we
must ever consider Lieutenant "Waoscoars—whose in-
estimable exertions in marvellously abridging the period
occupied in communicating between England and India,
and, indeed, all the coasts of South-Eastern Asia, ought
not to have remained until this day unacknowledged by
some signal and tangible token of the reipeet of his
compatriots. The advertisement we have published in
Our columns, from the Provisional Committee fur the
management of tne business connected with the pro-
posed " Testimonial," succinctly recapitulates the pro-
gress, nature, and singularly successful results of Lieut.
WAGHORN'S efforts in establishing our existing overland
communication between Great Britain with India and
China, by way of Egypt, and sufficiently indicates, by
simply adverting to, " tLe benefits it has conferred on all
those who have political, social, or commercial relations
with the East." These benefits it is surely very fitting
that a mighty, commercial, and opulent community like
ours should compensate by scme pecuniary reward.
Although such services might well be left to plead their
own cause with an enlightened public, it is highly pro-
per that we should remember at what sacrifices to the
party rendering them they have been achieved. Lieut.
WAGHORN, in prosecuting his boldly conceived scheme,
with that characteristic energy and absorbing constancy
of purpose, without which it never could have been car-
ried out into practical working, must be considered to
have sacrificed his prospects of professional advancement.
On the other hand, in how vast a degree has the short-
ened route, in the opening of which he is truly described
as having been the "pioneer," advanced, multiplied, and
improved the resources of those to whose Indian and Chi
nese connexions so vast and almost miraculous a deve-
lopment has thus been given ! The Committee remark,
with equal truth and impressiveness, that by some "it
may be assumed that a national reward is always be-
stowed, in one shape or other, upon those generous spirits
who devote successfully the energies of their lives to ob-
jects of great public utility ; but, unfortunately, it too
often happens that the public gratitude is not sufficiently
aroused till the grave has closed over the public b enefactor,"
It is delightful to thisk that the case of Mr. WAGHORN
Will, now, net be added to that ion; list of great inven-
tors, great discoverers, and mast meritorious public ser-
vants to whom contemporary gratitude has been so
shamefully wanting at different epochs of our history.
The pen of Robertson would have honoured, with a
noble record, the name of that Englishman, to whom the
glory was reserved of restoring the land journey and
maritime route of the old Venetian traders to the East,
in combication with the most perfectly organized admi-
nistration of that new power in navigation, the applica-
tion of which is the most signal glory of the nineteenth
century. In the first rank of those who have brought
together the remotest parts of the two hemispheres, for
all purposes of intercommunication, and by that means
of civilization, knowledge, refinement, morals, and hu-
manity, Lieut. WAGIIORN will assuredly assume, with
posterity, a prominent position. In justice to the en-
lighiened spirit of the present age, let his memory de-
scend to another, unconnected with any dishonouring
associations of national neglect and unrequited devotion.
We speak of this kind of approximation of two hemis-
pheres advisedly : and we may here quote another pas-
sage from the address or memorandum of the Committee
to this very point.—" Not only England but even Ame-
rica participate in the advantages which Mr. WAGHORN'S
services have secured, and therefore owe an acknosvledgs
ment to the individual who first stepped forth, in the
manner of a forlorn hope, to open a path which all men,
now, safely tread." This is strictly true. In a few
words, let us thus concentrate the grand results of his
spirited and unremitting labours in bringing the noblest
dependencies which ever owned the dominion of the
British sceptre within a distance now measured by the
lapse of a few days instead of many weeks. "Before
this zealous and enterprising individual stepped forth to
devote himself to a task of such magnitude, no part of
India could be reached in less than four months. The
mails from Bombay now reach England in thirty-four
days ; and the regularity with which the overland com-
munication is now conducted, is the practical demonstra-
tion of his original views on this subject."
Honour, then, to Mr. WAGHORN; and we respectfully
entreat at the hands of the enlightened British public a
prompt and liberal response to an appeal which has the
sanction and guarantee of individuals so distinguished
by the rank they occupy, the public stations they haw

filled, or the princel:,l mercantile establishments they re-
present, as those which grace the list of the Committee.
Six Earls and four other Peers unite with, we know not
how many, Members of Parliament, and of the first
among the merchants and bankers of Europe, to com-
mend this application in favour of Mr. WAGUORN to the
beneficial consideration of this country, and, we might
say, of the civilised world entertaining relations of
commerce with India. If Mr. Wm:moan needed one
additional claim on the gratitude of the great family of
commercial nations, be would have established it, in our
opinion, by his share in the memorable work of elicitirg
from MEHEMET ALI, the noble Pacha of Egypt, under
circumstances of peculiar political irritation and annoy-
ance, that sacred and unaltered respect for treaties
securing the facilities of postal and mercantile com-
munications between Asia and Europe, which the Go-
vernments of the oldest-established monarchies of
Christendom may contemplate with some feelings of
conscious shame, or more wisely determine Govern-
ments to emulate in future.

Swiss papers of a late date have been received. The
discussion of the Jesuit question in the Diet was fixed
for the 3d inst.

The Swiss journals state that General DE SONNEN-
BERG, who commanded the troops of Lucerne in the
late disturbances, has returned to his military duties at
Naples.

Letters from Copenhagen of the 31st mention the dis-
covery of a Republican plot in that city. One of the
leaders had fled, and taken refuge, it was supposed, in
London. Prince FREDERICK of lIEssE was expected
in Petersburgh, on the invitation of his father-in-law
the EMPEROR, who is desirous that he should marry the
Princess WILIiELMINA of ORANGE. It is not yet a
year since his late wife (the Grand Duchess ALEX-
ANDRIA) died.

Accounts from Madrid have been received to the Ist
instant, and from San Sebastian to the 3d.
Several persons had been arrested on the I st. The
QUEEN was at San Sebastian, and the physicians con-
sidered a long course of treatment necessary for the
restoration of her health. Her sister, the Infanta LUISA
FERNANDA, was also suffering from health. All
parties seem to consider that the marriage of the QUEEN
with the son of Don CARLOS would be a dreadful
calamity for Spain. The marriage of the Infanta Luese
with the Duke of MONTPENSIER is spoken of as a matter
decided on.

We have received the Paris papers of Thursday.
The Moniteur publishes the official dispatch of the
Maritime Prefect of Toulon on the subject of the late
fire. He estimates the damage done at 2,400,000 francs.
It has been ascertained, according to some of these jour-
nal>, that the fire originated in a plot among the convicts.

The Jesuit establishment in the Rue des I'ostes was
broken up on Tuesday.

The Duke and Duchess DE NEMOURS and the Duc
D'AUMALE, arrived at Bordeaux on the sth.

M. MARTIN DU NORD, the Minister of. Justice, set out
from Paris on Wednesday fur Eu.
Accounts from Posen, quoted in these papers, state
that tranquillity was perfectly restored in that city on
the 30th.

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