The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-05 00:00:00

! SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.

GLOBE.—" Let any man, after calm reflection," says
the Post, " declare whether the social and political
changes of the last five-and-twenty years have added to
the general stock of happiness? and if the answer be, its
we think. it must be, in the negative, let that man
reflect whether the further extension of principles, which,
in their operation, have caused little else than wretched-
ness, is likely hereafter to be productive of prosperity and
peace?" Happiness is a wide word: the question, at pre-
sent, is about food. It may be granted that, the "social and
political changes" of the last Live-and-twenty years have
clone nothing yet to secure national supplies of subsist-
enec. The only important measure which has been
passed, affecting to provide for that object, was the Corn
bill of 1828, which we beg to disclaim entirely as one of
the " social and political changes" effected in accordance
with Liberal principles. If that measure " have caused
little else than wretchedness"—(as we are riot concerned
to deny)—that wretchedness, at least, does not lie at
the doors of Reformers—except vs they have too
emphatically let their opponents have their own
way. We assure the Post we shall never call
for "the extension" of those " principles," which
at present govern the material well-being of the
general population. The whole responsibility of those
" principles"—in their adoption, and "extension,"
we leave where it belongs to the party whom
Wellington led, and whom Peel leads. The
party have legislated, and are legislating, on the
assumption that the agriculture of this country cannot
go on producing, unless the price of its products is esta-
blished by law above the level of the prices of the rest
of the world. To secure this fancy price, which has
varied, since 1814, in the views of its aspirants, from
a hundred and twenty—eighty—sixty shillings, down
to the average now proposed—to secure this- fancy
price, which never has yet been secured, that party
which,-as regards the Corn-laws, has been in power
all along, continuos to assume the responsibility of
keeping out some portion of those supplies which
would come in, but for their sliding machinery. They
do this in the name of the agricultural interest ; they
do it in the face of the wretchednesS which, according
to the Post, has prevailed ; they do it in the teeth, as
we believe,. of fir the largest portion of that agricultural
interest which they pretend to consult ; and which they
consult in the persons od. landlords who maintain their
political influence by withholding the sine qua non of
agricultural improvement, fair leases—and in the per-
sons of farmers, rendered sluggish and timid by such a
system. .

COURIER—A gentleman of the name of Gisborne,
who when in Parliament was wont to enliven the house
by his facelice, if did not exactly enlighten it by his fac-
tiousness, has taken the trouble to rfAieve the insup-
portable tedium of the private life and leisure to which
contemptuously condemned by every constituency once
persuaded to take him on trust, by inditing and publishing
a pamphlet under the title of " Letter to the Council of
the Anti-Corn League," with which of course our friend
of the ChronicL is or affects to be mightily taken, al-
though the wag of a panegyrist maliciously interjects
his encomium with the insinuation that the writer is
rather of the latest in.the sports of the field, meaning
that he had prudently left other people to start and
slaughter the game whilst he comes slyly forward after-
wards to pocket the brush or bag the quarry. " Much
in this world." quotly :the Critic, " depends on hitting
the proper raomen6; and through Mr. Gisborne has

dissected Sir RoberiYeol's speech on proposing his mea-
sure in an admirable inipner in this letter, yet we fear
the time has, in some measure, gone by for obtaining
for it that. attention. which it must have commanded
had it immediately followed the speech." For once we
are quite of accord:,with '-bur satirical neighbour, only
that we may take leave to stretch his " fear" into the
absolute certainty, that neither at this present nor any
byegone time could it be possible for any production
from the pen, or speech from the lips, of a person of
Mr. Gisborne's calibre to "command (public) atten-
lion," or to deserve it. That gentleman neither is, nor
ever can be, more -than one of the vulgar herd of
thinkers—one of the imitatores servum pccus—who
blindly follow the bellwethers of the flock, and, with the
morning help of the Chronicle, catch a glimpse of an
idea now and then at moments few and far between,
store up a chaos of musty arguments cast off as useless
tbr further wear by the owners, and get by heart a
multitude of fabricated facts and false assertions
long exposed and forgotten by all the world besides,
and derided, as well as repudiated, even now by the
original owners and manufacturers of the counterfeit
wares. All these Mr. Gisborne industriously hashes up
and retails, in speech or print, as the concentrated essence
of wit and wisdom to any assembly which will vouchsafe
him a hearing, or any constituency forAv hose votes, under
the patronage of Mr. Daniel O'Connell, he may go a

S I'A'NDARD.—The Bill, for leave to introduce
which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, moved last night,
appears to be well calculated to do all that can be de-
sired in the matter of the Exchequer-bill fraud. It is
a Bill empowering the Crown to appoint commis-
sioners, with the usual authority of a court of law,
fully to investigate the affair. These Commis-
sioners will thus be able to extort evidence by a com-
pulsory process, to demand access to all necessary docu-
ments, and, in short, to take all steps necessary for the
development of the truth, while, acting under the autho-
rity of a special statute, and, as it were, under the eye of
Parliament and the country, they must discharge the duty
allotted to them diligently, zealously, and honestly.
The report of men even less skilful and upright than
those whom Sir Robert Peel may be expected to se-
lect for the office of Commissioners, must, therefore, be
satisfactory, much more satisfactory than the report of a
mere prerogative commission, which would have no power
of extorting evidence, or a Parliamentary Committee, sub-
ject to no responsibility. In the course that Ministers have
taken they have, therefore, done the best that could
be done for the country. Nevertheless, some objec-
tions were last night raised, if not against the course
itself, against the manner in which the subject of it has
been treated. It has been suggested, that a hope of com-
pensation ought to be held out to innocent holders of
forged bills. This, we think, a mistaken view. There is
nothing more dangerous than to assign to the same
parties the conduct of the investigation of an
alleged wrong, and the measuring of the reparation to be
made for it. Men charged with the discharge of offices
so naturally distinct will he sure to confound them, and
too often allow their sense of an injury suffered to stand
in the place of evidence that it has been suffered wrong-
fully. Our laws take all the precaution that human wisdom
can devise against such a confusion. A wrong is complain-
ed of, the Judge first determines that the wrongcomplained
of is one for which the law provides a remedy ;
he then strictly superintends the evidence on both
sides, as to the commission and amount of the
alleged wrong-- taking care that no evidence pro-
perly due shall be withheld, and that no evi-
dence but such as law and experience prove
to he conclusive to the elucidation of truth shall be ad-
vanced ; and then he leaves a Jury to decide upon the
fact and the degree of the injury. This is the principle
by which our administration of justice, in cases of al-
leged wrong, is governed—a principle never departed
from by Judges,' rarely by Juries, and never departed
from without causing mischief.

LAW IN'T'ELLIGENCE.
HOUSE OF LORDS, March 4.
HAMILTON V. HAMILTON.

Mr. GORDON then proceeded to open this appeal. The
arguments not having concluded at four o'clock, the further
consideration of the case was adjourned to Thursday next.

ROLLS' COURT, March 4.

PARIS V. HUGHES.
Lord LANGDALE gave judgment to-day in this case, the
arguments in which engaged the Court for the last two days.
It came on for exception to the Master's report, that he had
not found as to the state of facts, that the defendant Bright-
more had notice .of the transaction in question. The bill had
been tiled in the year 1831, and a decree of reference to the
Master obtained in 1833; and the exceptions taken to the
report then made by the Master formed the question now
befiwe the Court.
The suit had been originally instituted to set aide an al-
leged fraudulent sale of the estate of Paris. He had had ac-
I counts with Messrs. Debutts, his solicitors, and had been
arrested and imprisoned by them in 1820. Debutts
insisted, as a condition of his release, that he should
execute a deed with power of sale of his estate ;
otherwise that he would have a commission of bankruptcy
issued against him. Paris consented and executed the deed.
Under that deed the property was put up to sale, and Mr.
Brightmore became the purchaser. The question was whether
Brightmore had notice of the transaction respecting the
deed of sale. It was said that Miss Paris, the sister
of the plaintiff, had given him notice. The master
found the other way, and to that report exceptions
were taken. His Lordship allowed the first exception ;
The second exception he referred back to the Master to review
his report, with directions to examine Miss Paris viva core
and whatever other witnesses, and in whatever manner might
seem best.

VICE-CHANCELLORS' COURT, March 4.
(Before Vice-Chancellor WIGKA3I.)
BULTEEL V. LORD ABINGER.
The further hearing of this case was continued throughout

the day.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, March 4.
IN RE WILLIAM RITCHIE.
The insolvent in this case had been a gentleman's servant,
and lately the occupier of the Blue Posts public-house, Rupert-
street, Haymarket. His petition to be discharged was sup-
ported by Mr. Woodroffe, and opposed by Mr. Cooke, on be-
half of Miss Elizabeth Francis.
Mr. COOKE examined the opposing creditor at great length,
when she stated that she and insolvent had lived together as
fellow-servants, and having saved about 4001. he induced her
to lend it to him for the purpose of setting up in a public-house.
In March, 1841, the Blue Poats, in Rupert-street, being to be
let, she advanced, at different periods, the sum of 3421. to
effect the purchase ; and after the insolvent had got the sum
into his hands he told her the house belonged to Alessrs. Whit•
bread and Co., the brewers, and as they had an objection to
rceeivilg inglc ietuales as tcaaats, Lc: would be .0
lea: o the house taken, and also the lice:tie,. up, iuhie :tame.
However he said she could remain in the house with him and
his wife until such time as the money advanced was repaid.