The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-28 00:00:00

nsertiun

In the year 1821 there were 114 executions in England and
Wales. In 1828, the number was 'educed to 59; in 1836, to
17 ; and in I e3s, it was only 6. That this • change has been
effected without diminishing, even in the slightest degree, the
security of the persons and properties 'of men, is a matter of
the clearest evidence, the evidence of actual experience, which
cannot be disputed or falsified. The Government returns
prove, • that there have keen fewer highway robberies in the lest
seven years, w ith 5 executions, than in. the preceding seven
years, with 58 executions; that there have been fewer acts of
burglary and housebreaking in the lest seven yeers, with only
2 executions, than in the preceding seven years, when 57 persons
suffered death for those crimes; that. there has been less
horse-stealing in the last seven years, without any execution,
than in the preceding seven sears, during which, for that offence
alone, 22 convicts were cent to the scaffold.' Whatever experi-
ence has been acquired by this unexampled reform in the ad-
miniAration of public justice Las at least been safely and in.
locently gained. Some hundreds of offenders, had they com-
mitted Ow crimes a few years before, would have died by the
hand of the executioner. They hayo been allowed to live.
Life, the only season of repentance, with all its opportunities of
regaining the favour cf en offended Deity, has been mer-
cifully continued to them ; and ftma this lenity society has
derived no injury, no lose. Who
,then can fail to rejoice
at a result so consoling to humanity? For murder, no
less than oilier crimes, the pi natty of death, as an ex-
ample, is momentary, and of no beneficial effect :—it dis-
gusts the good, and brutalizes the bad, who witness the spec-
tacle of man cruelly destroyed by man ;-7-, as an act of extreme
violence, it teaches violence to the people ;—as an act of deli.
berate homicide, it diminishes the regard due to the sanctity of
life, and renders murder less revolting to the uninstructed mind.
For murder, as well as other crimes, it too often leads to im-
punity through the suppression of evidence by the associates or
acquaintance of the criminal, who recoil at the thought of be-
coming accessory to the death of one, with whom they had
formerly lived on terms of familiar interc- urse.

Mr. M'CuLLoen has just published a small paniphlet,
entitled " Memorandums on the - Proposed Importation
of Foreign Beet and Live Stock," for the purpose of
allaying the fears of the Galloway graziers, and con-
vincing the public in general that the expectations of the
.nanufacturing and commercial classes, in respect to the
teneftts to be derived from the relaxation or total abort-
lon of the existing restraints, are visionary and un-
ounded. 'Phis startling assertionwill, no doubt, afford
;Teat consolation to all those agriculturists oho place
inplicit.confidence in the prophecies of 'political eeimo-
nists, but we fear there will be many unbe-
ievers. In confirmation of this opinion he endeavours
,o show that beef cannot .be imported from Ilzm-
nagh (the only place on the Continent where any
!onsiderable supply can be obtained) for less than 7d.
ter lb., which is rather above the average cost of beef
n London; that no cattle can be expected from Prussia,
3elgium, Holland, or France, as the imports of cattle
o these countries exceed the exports; and that were
100,000 head of cattle imported into-this country an-
, many, which he regards as an extravagant and ab-
, ;urd supposition, it would net amount. to one-
hirteenth part of the supply, and, therefore, could
tot have any sensible influence on prices. Nay,
.ve are to infer that it would have s contrary effect,
.nd serious apprehensions may be entertained that were
-!Ven four times that amount imported, the prices might
ncrease. This, however, is not mere assertion, for it
:eats on the solid foundation of experience and analogy.
In 1826, for example," says the author, "we imported
shout 57,000 head of cattle from Ireland into Great
iritain ; but in consequence of the increased facilities
riven to importation, Ireland now supplies us with about
180,000 head of cattle, or betwCiii three w four times
as many as we imported from.her sixteen years ago !
3ut will any one say that the price of cattle in Great
Britain has fallen in consequence of this immense increase
of importat:on, or thatit is less now than in 1826 ? On
..he contrary, every body knows that -it has increased."
Phis is glorious news for the farmers, who ought to
.hank Sir ROBERT PEEL fur his kind exertions
tn. their behalf, and get up petitions, not for the tariff
as it stands, but for the free importation of beef and live
.cock. The farmers foolishly imagined that the 'un-
Tateful Minister had thrown them overboard, while he
was consulting political economists for their good,
And laying. the best foundation fur their future
prosperity. Notwithstanding the high authority of the
writer, we are sceptical on these points, and inclined to
believe that cattle will be reared abroad for the
English market, and that 'beef which is sold
tt Hamburgh for 4d. per lb., including the octroi
luty, while it costs in London Bd., will be imported at
aomewhat less than 7d. per lb., the price fixed by Mr.
l'l`CuiLocH. We advise all the unbelievers, however, to
my the pamphlet, and judge for them Selves.

The Madrid Journals of the 18th instant announce
• :hat at no former period was France more unpopillar in
the Spanish 'capitol. The conditct of Xll. PAGEOT, the
French Charge d'Affaires, rho has .just completed a
our of the European Courts, to influence the marriage
•,: the young QUEEN, was very sar•erely censured in the
Spanish Senate by M. 141Ant.t.iNr. What will most.an-
any France is the indifference with which her intrigues
.ire treated by the Spanish Ct\binet. The RECENT
laughs at the pretensions of the French Government to
.lispose of the hand of the SOY/ MEWS of Spain.
The Captain-General and deputations of officers of the gar-
rison and National Guards had waited
.on the Infant Don Fran-
cisco de Paulo.

The The per Cents. were done on the 18th at 225 for
cash, and 23 at sixty days • the Five per Cads. at 27% for ea.h,
and 286 at sixty days ; and the debt bearing no interest at 6i
at sixty days.

One of the most amusing, and not the least instructive
essays in the " Spectator," is that which recounts the ex-
amination before Judge BHADAMANTHUS in the infernal
regions, of an old woman who, in answer to the question,
" What had she been doing while on earth," admitted
that she was so occupied in rebuking and retailing the
vices of a parcel of flirts that she had never any time
to think about her own affairs.' Rarely have
we an opportunity of opening the French Jour-
nals without being reminded of the defence of this
old woman. France is an impersonation of her. So
occupied is she on all occasions with watching the flirts-
. dons, of other States that she can hardly devote a moment
to the vital concerns of her own people.. No neighbour
can make it pie, but she must have a voice in suggesting
the ingredients, or in some nay or other insert
a finger in it. Last week she was all for regulating the
diplomacy of England and the United States—this week
she is worrying herself lo death about the marriage of
.the young Queen of SPAIN, who is yet but a child of
eleven years of age. She will now forego the project
of marrying the .young QUEEN _to a son of Louis
PHILIPPE, but nothing will do for her but a Bounnwi.
file intermarriages of this family have already
produced more than enough of idiotcy and im-
morality to revolt Europe. • No. nun can wade
ihrough the matrimonial connexions of the Neapolitan
and Spanish branches of the House. of BounnoN, with.
out being shocked at the bare recital of so many in-
cestuous alliances. No Royal line in the word is
more contemptible, • and has produced a greater
number of Royal idiots and seoundrels than the
line of BOURBON. As for the reputed father of

the young Queen of SPAIN, FERDINAND VII., he was
more an ape or a baboon than a Man.. But if France
must have a BOURBON IDISbalDi for the young Queen,
what would Louis PHILIPPE say to tin alliance with the
young Duke of BORDEAUX ? 'We are certain that such
a proposal would be cordially supported by the Emperor
of RUSSIA. HENRY V., as the French Royalists style
him, would have no objection to opett the campaign
against the House of ORLEANS by constituting Madrid
his head-quarters.
The Courrier Francais states that the Government are
about to• despatch the steam-frigate Corner from Rochefort tor
the West Indies, being the first of the French tract-Atlantic
steamers• which are to compete with the 'English company.
Three Commissioners, under the direction of M. Saladin, In-
spector of the Finance Department, are to-proceed with this
vessel, fur the purpose of organising the packet service through-
out the West India Islands, and the Spanish Main. The Curn_
missioners will proceed first to Port Royal, Martinique, which
is fixed on for the principal station. It is expected that un
ttie return of the Corner the other steam-boats will be ready,
and that the trans-Atlantic communications will proceed regu_
lady and without interruption.
The Cowrie,. de Lyons, the journal of the Prefecture, has
the following article :
.

A letter from Turin, after giving some particulars cf the
fetes in the capital of Piedmont, on the occa,ion of the mar-
riage of the presumptive heir to the throne, adds—
" • The Marquis of Dalmatia, the French Ambassador,
set off on the very day that the new married couple made their
entry. He had offered, in the swine of the King of the French,
to give a fete in their honour, which was flatly refused. The
Sardinian nobility in general appeared to be pleased with this
proceeding.'
Though the letter from which we quote the Passage conies
from a pet son worthy of credit, we are disposed to doubt the
fact which he mentions. We must soon know the truth, both
with respect to this fact and to the departure of the Marquis of
Dalmatia."
Ihe Antoinette brig, Captain Rozet, whieh left St. Louis,
on the 20111 of February, brings news up to that
confirm all the
in Senegal,
These accounts folly
date front that col.my.
preCeding. The Governor was waiting for orders of the Ali •
nister to open the trade, and the traders, were still utrvrtairs
rbspectin4 the manner in which the trade would be carried on.
At all events, it was certain that no gum, would come down for
a long time. News had been received that the inundation at
the beginning of the year had ex endc d to the "urn
Islantations.
A letter of the 18th February says;_, OU'r affairs with the
River seem to be _in a Very prec.aiiouS state. The
tribe of the Trazas first of all carried og a. drove
of oxen belonging to 119, then killed a trader at Salem,
and plundered one of our vessels. The Governor has written
to the Chiefs, that if they dirt not immediately give up the
guilty persons war would be declared. If such a misfortune
should happen, what would become of our affairs this year ?
No engagement could be fulfilled.. It is :aid that the brother
of the King of the Trazas led the aggressors,. its order to make
us go to war with his brother, with whom he is himself in a
state of hostility. This affair pretty much resembles that of
the Moos ish Prince who was shot in 1833.—Commerce.

POLAND.
We learn from Vi'arsasv that since the last journey of the
Prir.ee Governor Loin St. Peterst,urgh, thePolili Government
is more zealous than ever with regard to the making of the

s,:eu lids cailett uur tcatluu t() the tullutA Ines el.:cilia
(roin a ram hlet, published by the Committee -for the I
Abolition of• Capital PuniArnents, in re erenee to a !
~rmer article in The Sun, to which we here readily give