The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-14 00:00:00

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SUN OFFICE Three e'Clock

An exceedingly irregular but by no means unimpor

tant question was addressed last night to Sir ROBERT
PEEL by Mr. S. O'BRIEN. The Hon. Gentleman asked
whether it was the intention of the Premier to recom-
mend to her MAJESTY to confer upon the Lord Mayor
of Dublin a similar mark of her Royal favour to that
confe4ed upon the Lord Mayor of London—namely, a
Baronetcy. He added that the question was of more
political than civil importance. Sir ROBERT PEEL very
properly declined to state the advice which, as a Minister
of the Crown, he might feel it his duty to give to his
Sovereign relative to the conferring of civil distinctions.
As this question—how irregularly matters not to us—
has been brought under the notice of the House of
Commons, and as a Tory Morning Paper which, affect-
ing to be very religious and very humane, is frequently
calumnious, and always foul-mouthed, has thought
proper to indulge in a scandalous attack upon
the public and private character of the Lord
Mayor of Dublin, the notice of it by the independent
Liberal Press becomes. a duty. There are occasions
hich a great Minister would seize upon with delight
to show that he was capable of rising above the trammels
of faction; and that, while availing himself of th© sup-
port of a party, his policy was directed to promote the
welfare and conciliate the affections of an empire. Such
a Minister would adopt something like what in the
Middle Ages the people called the Truce of Gun—
periods for the cessation of party strife, and dur-
ing which it would be equally charitable and
honourable to confer marks of individual es-
teem upon a political opponent. Now, no pe-
riod could be better chosen for this than

the tune appointed for the congratulating the
young and happy mother and Monarch of Great Britain
and Ireland upon the auspicious birth of the future
Sovereign of these realms. A great Minister, upon so
great and national an occasion, would take a pride
in representing his Sovereign as too exalted in station
and in feeling to inhale the common atmosphere
tainted with the breath of party. He would de-
light in impressing upon a devoted, loyal people.
that the spray of the broken waves of faction

ver rose so high as to wet the foot of the 'Throne—

that although all below was dark and turbulent, there a
noon-day light constantly shone, in which prejudice and
passion were never discoverable. But Sir ROBERT PEEL
is not a great Minister, nor has he one of the qualities
essential to one. llis mind wants the moral elevation,
which would admit of a noble and generous sentiment.
To conciliate mplions of the Irish people, he could not
forget that DANIEL O'CONNELL had been his political
Opponent—that he had kept him out of oflice—and that
he owed him a multitude of personal grudges, which he
had no other mode of revenging, than by withholding
from him the paltry honour of knighthood ! And
this towards a man who is known to have declined
tile Mastership of the Irish Rolls, and a Peerage !
Oh ! this is, indeed, miserably small policy ! Had
Sig HCBEIZT PEEL had the greatness of mind that even
WALPOLE possessed, when he extinguished the political
influence of his great rival, PuLTENEv, by conferring
upon him the Earldom of Bath, he would have rejoiced
at so favourable an opportunity of throwing a
wet blanket upon the repeal agitation. With
his large majority in the House of Com-
mons, no person could have attributed to dread
of Mr. O'CoNNELL's influence the bestowing upon
him of a customary mark of Royal favour, more compli-
mentary to the city of Dublin than to the Lord Mayor
personally. Upon no people is the influence of a. gene-
rous act so little lost as upon the Irish, and they would
have felt as done to them what was done to their great
political leader—or, to adopt the language of one
of themselves, " the MosEs of embondaged
Irish Catholicism." More generous-minded Tories
will mourn over this exhibition of the Premier's
mean and paltry spirit. The Lord Mayor of
London has alread) been created a Baronet ; the insult
offered to the Lord Mayor and the citizens of Dublin has
been mooted in Parliament, and, therefore, it is needless
to say that the time is past fur remedying a wrong of
which only a mean-minded man, and the smallest of
small Ministers, could be capable.

The debate upon the Right of Search question in the
French Chamber of Peers is the leading subject of dis-
cussion in ali the French Journals. They have, how-
ever, nothing new upun the subject. The following
just and sensible remarks of the Debuts upon the late
disasters in Aff;hanistan, for a pleasing contrast to the
ribaldy of the Opposition Papers against England.
" As to the moral and political consequences which may
resi.lt from the reverses experienced by the English
in
Atighanistan, we cannot imagine that they can ever acquire
a real importance. The moral and political situation of
the English in Asia will be much less affected than
many think and even desire. The Caubul campaign had
been resolved on to make English influence predominant in
UpperAiia, but eventsbave demonstrated that the capture
of Candahar and Caubul produced no result iu this re-
spect, and that the triumphal restoration of Shah
SOOJAH did not prevent Captain ABBOTT'S being mur-
dered at Khiva, nor Colonel STODDART'S being thrown
barbarously into prison at Bockhara ; the campaign
produced nothing for English trade in Central Asia ; it
made no alteration in the hostile sentiments of the Shah

English influence had
nothing to lost in ill at Tv: t.-.) any ideas exeit-
c.d. in. 1,11i9 :It ainst Engti,;l; suprc.n,7osy, ihinit it v.-xy
11-nprol6..ble. nii;:it h fiat

lit- passed at di,:tance fro in
frontier; anove all, *flat for the great mass of the
population, the war directed against the Mussulmans
is a war against the most cruel oppressors that
India ever knew. Undoubtedly the Mussulmans, who
in the north of India have survived the downfal of
tbe Mogul Empire, -,will not learn without emotion of
tne success of their co-religionists in Cauhul ; but they
are too insignificant in number, too weak, too disunited,
and too well watched to be formidable. Besides, men of
sense ought not to allow themselves.to be led astray by
the ridiculous declamations, which represent 180,000,000
of human beings in India burning with indignation
against the yoke imposed on them by 120,000 Europeans.
The English Government is about the most equitable,
the most liberal, and the most moderate that has ever
reigned over these countries, and they have the good
sense to acknowledge it."

FREE LIST.— COVENT GARDEN THEATRE. -• Mr.
Mitchell takes his benefit at this theatre on Saturday
next, the 16th, and the entertainments announced are of
the most attractive character—fully sufficient of them •
selves to draw a full house. But Mr. Mitchell has
stronger claims on the kindness of his friends, by his
constant urbanity of manners, and great desire to pro-
mote the interests of the theatre, by extreme ciTility and
unremitting attention to his duties. We are sure the
public, and especially the press-going public, will not fail
to do their best in making his benefit a bumper.
A great number of Noblemen and Gentlemen, who
yesterday presented addresses of congratulation to the
Queen, attended at Buckingham Palace this afternoon
to present addresses of congratulation to his Royal
Highness Prince Albert. The Deputation, or at least
the greater part, afterwards went to Clarence House, St.
James's, to present similar addresses to the Duchess of
Kent.

We have received a number of communications this
day respecting Good, but they convey no news of im-
portance. Up to the hour of going to press no account
had been received either of his arrest, or of any trace
of him whatever.

TURNPIKE ROADS.--A Bill has been brought into
Parliament by the Home Secretary, to continue the
I ocal Turnpike Acts, and to provide for the discharge of
the mortgage debts on turnpike-roads in England. The
latter clause, considering the great depression of
the tolls caused by railroads, is the most im-
portant. The' Bill provides that mortgagees shall
not take possession. of tolls after the first day of
October, 1842, and on that day mortgagees in possession
shall deliver up the tolls and render an exact account
to the trustees. If any surplus remains after defray-
ing the expenses of repairs and paying interest, it shall
be applied for the purpose of terminating the
mortgages in the year 11883, in the following manner:—
The mortgage debts shall be held to be paid and satisfied •
if, in the period of five years after 1847, the mortgagees
shall have received 941. I Is. Bd. for every 1001.; if during
the next five years they shall have received 871. 19s. Ild.;
for the next five, 791. 19s. Bd.; and so on in proportion
to the year 1883, when, if they have received 26/. 7s.
for every 1001., the mortgage shall cease. The Act
is to continue until the Ist day of October, 1883, and of
course no provision is made for the payment of mort-
gages after that period.

MONEY and COMMERCIAL NEWS.
CITY, QUARTER TO THREE.
The sole occupation of parties connected with the Stock
Exchange, is that of arranging the various accounts, this being
the settling day in Consols and Shares, and to-morrow in
Foreign Bonds. Settling in the latter has now become a
dead letter since the public have ceased to deal in most of
these documents, the speculators, therefore, having the
whole of the jobbing in their own hands. This state of
affairs is not to be wondered at, when it is considered that the
generality of the Governments have atually repudiated their
debts, and the Bonds can be purchased at less than the amount
of the interest now due upon them. Besides, a large number
of these republics and monarchies have been so wilfully un-
mindful of obligations contracted under the most solemn and
binding circumstances, the Spanish Treasury Bonds, for ex-
ample, that no reliance will be placed upon any future pro-
mises, each as it is made being received as the basis of some
new trickery.
Prices of English Funds and Railway Shares are firm ; the
Account, in the former, having been a bear one. The Money
price of Consols is now 91 911, and 911 !for the Account;
New Three-and-a-Half per Cents., 1001 100} ; Three-and-a-
Half per Cents., Reduced, 991 99i ; Bank Stock, 166 1661 ;
India Bonds, 18 ; and Exchequer Bills, 38 40 prem.
York Midland Shares, 94 95; South Western, 60 601;
South Eastern, 291 ; Manchester and Leeds, 82 4 ; Eastern
Counties, 91. Brighton have been principally in demand and
have improved to 361.
The nominal quotations of Foreign Bonds are, Mexican,
401 41 ; Spanish Five per Cents., 241 241; and the Three
per Cents. 251.
It had been expected that some alteration would have been
proposed in the rates of duty on confectionery made in the
Channel Islands, for the purpose of affording a degree of pro-
tection to the work people here ; but the expectation has been
disappointed. According to the duties now levied, the articles
produced in Germany can be sold here much below the cost of
making them in England, owing to the sugar used in the manu-
facture being imported there duty free, and by the intended
scale they will be admitted upon terms still more advantageous
to the outward makers. It has been urged in extenuation that
by allowing them to be imported, and then re-exported in bond,
that new markets will be opened, on account of the reduced
price ; but this has been met by the fact that a new business is
being taught to the inhabitants of Guernsey. which will in time
supersede the employment of our own artisans in it.
LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, APRIL 13.—The trade
was decidedly steady to-day, but prices were unaltered. The
sales comprise 5,000 bales, viz., 500 Surat at 3d. to 41d. ;
2(10 Maranham, 50. to 6id. ; 30 Bahia, 61d. ; 100 Egyptian,
7d. to Bd. ; and 4,170 American, 4id. to ti d. ; of which 500
American were taken on speculation, anti 300 for export.
LIVERPOOL SHARI? MARKET, APRIL 13. There was
mere disposition to sell towards the close of business, but the
market generally was steady. The Sales were—Eastern
Counties, 91 ; Debentures, 11/. le. Bd. ; Ditto Ne w, 41.55. 2d. ;
Edinburgh and Glasgow, 50 ; Grand Junction, 189 ; London
and Birmingham,
sth Western,
te 1r7n6,;601 the 32/. Shares paid up, 591 ; Brighton,
; Manchester and Leeds Quarters,
3ou
; North Midland, 701.
MANCHESTER STOCK EXCHANGE, APRIL 13.—There
continues to be a good demand for most kinds of Railway Stock,
particularly in the lines of the greatest experience :—Eastern
Counties, 91 ; Edinburgh and Glasgow, 49-i 491 and 50;
Liverpool and Manchester Halves, 88; Manchester and Bir-
mingham, 284 ; Sheffield and Manchester, 30; Alliance
Bank, 241.

CLOSING PRICES.
BRITISH FUNDS.
_ _

Bank Stock ............... 1661 !India Stock ........ 242 k
3 per Cent Red 904 Ditto Bonds
3 per Cent Cens 94 (Ditto Old Annuities ...
3 per Cent Red 99-- !Ditto New Annuities...
New 3.4 per Cent
New 5 per Cent. — ! Ditto 5001...
Long Annuities :,oexpire ' Ditto Small 4O pm
Jan. 1860 ..... ..... 12 7-16 Bank Stock for Acct ...
Oct 159. .....••• 12i India Stock for Acct —
Jan. 1860. ..... ••• Consols for Acct 9lg