The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-28 00:00:00

PARLXBAVICENTAR,Y.

The Lords received a few unimportant petitions, and read
the Customs Duties Drawback Bill a second time. They for-
warded one or two other measures a stage and then adjourned.
In the Commons Sir A. Leith Hay gave notice of a motion
anent the minutes of the General Assembly of the Kirk, and
asked Sir James Graham whether it were the intention of the
Government to bring forward any measure to settle the dis-
graceful differences in the Kirk ? Sir James Graham declined
to give any answer till4lllr. Campbell's Bill comes on for
second reading on June 15.
Before going into Committee on the tariff, Mr. O'Connell
pointed out that the result of the temperance movement in
Ireland had been to decrease the Excise revenue, but increase
the whole revenue of Ireland.
The House in Committee got through the tariff as far as the
timber duties, with one division on blubber, provoked by Mr.
Lyall, the Member for London, and which resulted in confirming
the Government proposition by 108 to 41.
Mr. C. Buller moved, by agreement, at ten o'clock that Mr.
Warburton's petition be referred to Mr. Roebuck's Committee.
Thereupon Mr. Bailie Cochrane made a spirited, though not
a satisfactory defence of his share in the Bridport transactions.
Mr. Mitchell made a weak and wordy defence of his, leaving
no favourable impression on those who heard him.
Sir T. Wilde defended Mr. Warburton, and overturned Mr.
Cochrane's and Mr. Mitchell's defence.
Sir R. Peel, Lord J. Russell, Lord Palmerston, and Lord
Stanley, all spoke, though Lord Palmerston's language
was very qualified in favour of an inquiry. Sir R. Inglis
Mr. C. Bankes, who was quite vehement, and Sir. C. Burrell,
were thq voters against inquiry. On a division, it was agreed
that an inquiry should take place, by 156 to 37 votes. But a
doubt was raised by Sir R. Peel, whether the inquiry should be
trusted to Mr. Roebuck's Committee or some other, and the
debate on that part of the proposition was adjourned. The
House sat till Half-past,Two o' Clock.

PUBLIC OPINION.
The Chronicle thus alludes to the ignorance of some of the
members of the Cabinet, as regards the Queen's Letter :
" But if they knew that it had been determined on that a letter
was to be written, was it not monstrously imprudent, to 'say
nothing of the indecency of the thing, to question the existence
of the letter, upon the mere chance that it might not have
been written? Why speak of the thin in such a manner as to
beget a suspicion in the public mind- that imposition might
have been practised? What man of any sense would allow
himself to speak lightly on such a serious subject as the over-
whelming distress of the people? Many persons doubted the
genuineness of the letter when Cabinet Ministers spoke of it in
a manner to create an impression that no such letter was in
existence. They said, however little the Earl of Ripon way
take to heart the distresses of the people, it is impossible, if
such a letter had been determined on, but that he must have
had some recollection of it, and he would not surely be such a
chatterer as to express a doubt whether it had actually been
issued, on the mere chance that it might not possibly have been
issued. We must say that the whole proceeding evinces
much disrespect towards her Majesty, and indifference as regards
the distresses of the people."
The Herald observes, with reference to the Queen's Letter :
—" When starvation stands on the working-man's hearth,
when every shilling subscribed must alleviate some pang; Lord
Kinnaird, as appears by last night's debate, is desirous of
knowing why the letter should be issued just at this parti-
cular tune,' and adds that he does not think it will do any
permanent good,' as if--supposing for an instant that his con-
jecture be right—that were a reason for withholding immediate
relief from starving people. Earl Pitzwilliam also doubts the
• efficacy of the measure proposed, and would legislate' for
famine by prospective, or, as his LOrdship terms it, permanent
assistance, when the call for temporal aid is so imperative !
The Marquis of Lansdowne, on the other hand, believing that
the letter is well-timed and the result of mature deliberation,
expresses his approval of the course proposed. Who is there,
we ask, unwedded to a system, who will temporise with such a
question, and not at once come forward with hand and heart to
follow the example already set by the Queen, the Queen
Dowager, her Majesty's Ministers, and other noblemen and
gentlemen, whose subscriptions are appended to the statement."
The following is from the Post :—" We observe in the
Whig papers a great deal of very disingenuous trash, with re-
ference to the observations which we offered on Wednesday
morning as to the fair, common•sense state of the bribery
question. We then maintained, what all persons conversant
with society know to be true, that buying votes at elections is
popularly regarded as no moral offence at all, and that men do
not stand any worse in society on account of having been popu-
larly known to have bought votes at elections. Because we
have stated this as a fact, our candid critics quote this part of
what we have said, and this part alone, adding certa4 remarks
of their own, by which their readers are led to understand, that
in stating this fact, we regarded it as a very light matter, and
one to which no particular notice should be given. But the
truth is, that had these critics been honest enough to state the
substance of all we said, their readers would have found that
we not only strongly condemned that insensibility which we re-
corded, but proposed that the Legislature should interfere to
correct the grievous popular error which exists, and also to
prevent the commission of such bribery as far as may be pos-
sible, and to provide a punishment for it where means of pre-
vention fail."

-711 e Tintes, alluding to the bribery and corruption practised
'at elections, says :—" We do not underrate the practical diffi-
culties of these questions; we do not overrate the advantages
to be derived from any one act of severity or of justice. We
know (with Mr: Bernal) that the evil is too deeply seated in
the constituencies of our great towns to be expelled by any
sudden discipline or any vaunted legislative nostrum ; that
among these constittu-ncics bribery and treating, like smug-.
gling or poaching, are not looked upon as crimes, and that it
is vain to legislate when you have no public moral sense with
you to back and enforce your laws. Yet we cannot but think
that what bears the appearance of indifference to this great
stain on the character of our voters is an important and absolute
evil ; and therefore, without saying what could have been done,
we must express our regret that the House of Commons should
have sent out to the world what appears very much like a care-
less refusal to do anything at all."
IVIONEY—TIZADZ—COMMERCE.
Not less than 1.100 salmon have been caught in the Tay;
near Perth, during the past week.
The South-Eastern Railway was opened as far as Tunbridge
yesterday, and four trains are to run daily.
IMPROVEMENTS.
A new bridge was last week thrown over the piece of orna-
mental water leading from the inner circle in the Regent's-
park, across to Macclesfield-gate. Two other bridges are also
in formation. . . _

The contemplated improvements which were to have taken
place in Piccadilly have been postponed till the autumn, on ac-
count of some difficulties that have- arisen relative to the parish
boundaries.

.
The Rev:Mr. Sibthorp, who has recently created so great
a sensation by his desertion of the Church of England for that
of Rome, was on Saturday last admitted to priest's orders at
the Roman Catholic College at Oscott.

'"' ZALVT:aIiTZIP POLICE.
At the Surrey Sessions on Thursday Samuel Rosamond was
convicted of stealing from his father, a policeman in the M
division, two coats, and other wearing apparel. It appeared he
had been tried at the Central Criminal Court for embezzling
the wages of his fellow-workmen, and sentenced to six months'
imprisonment. The Court sentenced him to be transported
for seven years.
The case of " Lady Galmoy," who has lately sought an
allowance of alimony in the Prerogative Court, at Dublin, was
determined on Tuesday last, when the Court ordered her 50/.
a-year, pending the suit for a divorce with Sir Thomas Staples,
LL.D., commonly called Lord Galmoy.
In the Common Pleas en Thursday, the case of Crawshay v.
Thompson came on again for hearing. A rule had been
obtained for a new trial on the ground of misdirection, or of the
verdict being against evidence ; but the Court thought the
question had been properly left to the Jury, who gave a verdict
for the defendant, and accordingly discharged the rule. The
action, it will be remembered, was brought for a supposed imi-
tation, by Alderman Thompson, of the initials "W. C.,"
stamped on the iron manufactured by the plaintiff.

FINE ARMS.
A tine statue of King George 111., sculptured by Turnerelli
for the late George IV., has been presented by Mr. Henry
Pownall,
of Spring Grove, to King's College, where it will be
placed in the Museum.
The new bust of Alderman Lucas, which is to be executed
by Mr. Behnes the sculptor, will be placed, when finished, in
the Royal Naval School, an institution of which the Alderman
has long been patron.
A valuable bronze cast of the far-famed shield of Achilles,
the composition of Flaxman, has been presented by Messrs.
Rundell, Bridge, and Co., to each. of the Universities of Oxford
and Cambridge.

bOrnear-11SIIIONAT3LE.
The Grand Duke Gustave o ,11f
Mecklemburg-Schwerin, uncle
of the Duchess of Orleans, arrived in Paris en Thursday.
Lord Wharncliffe, Lord President of the Council, arrived in
town on Wednesday from Wortley Hall, Yorkshire.
The Earl of Cassilis gave a sumptuous dinner at the Cla-
rendon, on Wednesday, to a party of twelve.
The Earl and Countess of Orkney have arrived on a visit to
Sir George Warrender, at Clifden House, and the mansion will
be full of company during the Ascot races.
The Earl of Seaford, and Lady Jane Grant, are shortly
expected at Clifden.
Earl and Countess Ducie and family left the Clarendon on
Thursday for Woodebester Park, Gloucestershire.
A grand ball was given at the British Embassy at Paris on
Tuesday, in honour of the birth-day of the Queen of England.

:44ITSCELL A,NI:IOITS.
Victor Hugo has presented two highly-wrought holy water-
founts to the church of St. Paul at Paris, at which one of his
daughters lately made her first communion.
r'he King.of -Prussia has conferred the order of the Bla4
Eagle upon the Duke of ,Sussex. "

Lady Keane, married in 1814 to Sir Richard Keane, Bart.,
the brother to Lieut.-General Lord Keane, of Ghuznee, died at
Cappoquin House, the family seat, near Waterford, about ten
days since.
Riley-house, a handsome brick-built Seat, in the occupation,
of a gentleman named Weekes, situated at the village of Hin-
flock, in Devonshire, was totally destroyed on Monday last by
fire. The amount of property destroyed is considerable, and,
it is feared, attended with loss of life.