The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-14 00:00:00

*front Ibition

SUN-OFFICE, Half-past Three o'Cloch.

The speech of Sir ROBERT PEEL on Wednesday, which
made but a feeble impression on the House of Commons,
has caused what our Gallic neighbours call a "profound
sensation" throughout the country. All accounts re-
ceived from the provinces this morning concur in de-
scribing the disappointment among the manufacturing
and working-classes as grievous and universal. No
excitement at all resembling it has agitated
the people since the Reform crisis in 1832
The scene which occurred at Derby on the re-
ceipt. of the news mentioned in The Sun of Friday,
showed the utter contempt with which the inha-
bitants treated both the measure and its author,
and, though expressed in a different way, the feeling
throughout the whole of the midland and northern
counties manifests itself with: no less intensity and
bitterness. Manchester is up in arms and ready for
the affray. In a few hours was signed by more than 1,200
merchants, manufacturers, tradesmen, and other inhabi-
tants, an,adclress to the Mayor to convene a public meeting,
for the purpose of considering what measures should be
adopted in +'the present depressed state" of theconntry,
and his Worship immediately acceded to the request,
and appointed Tuesday the 15th inst. The meeting
held at Leeds on Saturday requires no comment. At
Sheffield the indignation is even still stronger. Party
differences are merged in the great question—class legis-
lation, and all Reformers are resolved cordially to
unite in demanding the, total repeal of the Corn-laws,
Vote by Ballot, and Extension of the Suffrage.
Even the quiet cathedral city of. York has caught
the contagion. Petitions are in the course of signature
at seven different places, and the walls are placarded
with stirring appeals like these :—" No time is to be
lost in the expression of the national disappointment."
" The people have always triumphed over every attempt
to crush them, and THEY WILL DO so NOW." The
Liberal Member (Mr. YORKE) comes manfully forward
on the occasion, and thus addresses his constituents :

" Our friends need not despair if they will be true to themselves,
but Representatives in a minority can only prevail through the as.
sistance—the legitimate assistance—of the people, who, by peace-
ably persevering, will become irresistible. Moral courage—moral
perseverance for a little time, and victory is ours."
"

The experience of the last twelve years confirms this
truth. The voice of the people subdued even the strong,
rotten-borough Parliament, and' caused the borough-
mongers, and the great. patrons of class-legislation, for a
time to desert their seats. They now find they were
betrayed. The Reform Bill• was mutilated, every mea-
sure in accordance with its original spirit was resisted by
the Tories in both Houses, and at the present moment
they are now stronger, (if we reckon by figures) than
they were in the eventful autumn of 1830. The people,
however, will not be deceived a second time.
The mad resistance to the repeal, nay, even
to the modification, of the Provision-laws has roused
them to action, and the DUKE and the PREMIER will find
that, as in the case of Catholic Emancipation and Par-
liamentary Reform, resistance to the redress of griev-
ances has only increased the ratio of demand ; and that
a measure which would have been received even three
short years ago with gratitude, will now be rejected with
indignant contempt. Tory statesmen cannot understand
the character of the British nation, and, while resisting
the general will, are happily, tinder the blessing of Pro-
vidence, made the instruments of their own defeat. We
write not without good authority. Let Sir ROBERT PEEL
direct his Secretary to glance at the country papers
brought by this morning's post (some fifty now lie before
us), and he will find that we do not exaggerate the im-
portance of the movement. , For the Right lion. Ba-
ronet's convenience, we have selected a few extracts,
which are recommended to his especial attention, under
the head of " Public OpiniOn." .

It would almost seem as if the Spanish Chambers
only met to vote an answer to the Speech from ,the
Throne. Sixteen days has the Chamber of Deputies
wasted in the discussion of an address, of which only
six paragraphs were voted on the sth inst.—the date
of the last Madrid Journals. Heaven only knows
when the real business of the Session will be-
gin, if the Deputies be allowed to indulge in
endless tirades upon all manner of subjects in the discus-
sion of such matters as an address in answer to the
Speech from the Throne. We are aware that the forms
of preparing and voting addresses.in the French, Spa-
nish, and Portuguese Chambers, do not admit of the
expedition observable in such proceedings in the British
Parliament ; but to waste the best part of a Legisla-
tive Session in getting through them, is worse
than ridiculous—it is, as concerns the nation,
criminal in a very high degree. Good laws, not frothy
declamations, are wanted in Spain. Deputies, instead
of legislating, do nothing but indulge in dull harangues,
with here and there a spice of personal scandal ; so that
when their colleagues are not asleep they are together
by the ears, after the most approved bear-garden
fashion. And so little does the Opposition know about
acting in concert, and so saving th.!-; time of the Chamber,
that as many as seven amendments were proposed upon
one article of the address ! As for the debates they
have not the slightest European interest.
On the Madrid Bourse on the sth, twenty-two trans.
actions took place in the Five per Cents. for 13,380,000
reals at 32 for cash, and 32 1-16th 32i at 60 days ;
the Titulos proceeding from the converted foreign debt
sold for 25i at 60 days, and the Three per Cents. for
221 and 21i at 16 and 50 days.

The reform of the Chamber of Deputies is one o f
those important measures which must precede the esta-
blishment of a really constitutional Government in
France. With nearly one-half of its Members in the
service of the Administration, and consequently tools of
the Cabinet, and a large proportion of the remainder
candidates for official appointments, it is morally 'impos-
sible that it could adequately represent the political
opinions, feelings, and wishes of the mass of the French
people. The Chamber of Peers, as a constitutional body,
is beneath contempt. It is neither more nor less than
an agglomeration of professional prejudices, popular
jealousies, Court sycophancies, and Ministerial sub-'
servencies. In the days of the old Monarchy the
King's fool was just as important a, state append-
age as King Louis Piniappu's lack-land Chamber
of Peers, most of whose real 'estates are susceptible
of an umbrella covering. It has therefore been one of
the constant endeavours of the honest Reformers of
France since the Revolution of July to purify the re-
presentation of the people.' Hitherto a sort of regular
Sessional motion has been brought forward on the
subject, of which the Chamber disposed much after
the fashion of the English House of Commons upon Mr.
BROTHERTON'S motion against after midnight legislation.
The hero of former defeats was usually M. DE E.ExtusAT,
but this year the proposition was brought forward by M.
GANNERON, who, after two days' debate, was 'only left
in a minority of eight-190 votes being given in favour
of the measure, and only 198, headed by the Cabinet
against it. This the liberal French papers regard as a
moral victory on the part of the Reformers, and.they are
right. It is a victory, and a very important one too.
The following are the articles included in the motion of
M. GANNERON :
Art. I.—The Members of the Chamber of Deputies who are not
paid public functionaries at the time of their election, cannot be-
come so whilst they are Members of it, or for a year afterwards.

Art. 2.—Excepts from the operation of Art. 1 the following :
Ministers, Ambassadors and Ministers Plenipotentiary, Procureu rm..
Generaux at the Court cf Cassation, Cour des Comtes, or of the
Ceur Royale of Paris, Governor of the French possessions in Af-
rica, Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, Governor of the
Dank of France.

Art. 3.—The interdiction declared by Art, I is not to apply to
Deputies who should resume their public tunations after having
quitted them during the existence of their legislative duties.
Art. 4.—Deputies who are paid public functionaries at the period
of their election cannot be promoted, except in the cases provided
for by Art. '2 to higher functions.

Art. s.—Declares that the following cannot be Deputies, viz.,
Procureur-General, Avocat.General, and Substitute of the Procu.
reur.General in all other Courts than those excepted by Art. 2 ;
Procureur du Roi, and Substitute of the Procureur du Roi of the
Tribunal of First Instance, Engineers of Departments, Secretary.
General, Director, Chef de Division, and Employes of the different
departments of the Ministry.
Art. 6.—The Presidents and Judges of the Tribunals of First
Instance cannot be elected as Deputies by the electoral college of
the arrondissement in which they exercise their functions.
Art. 7.—These conditions to be put into force at the period of
the next general election.

The Ministers were severally obliged to admit that
the public functionaries swamped the Liberal votes in the
Chamber. All that they contended for was 'it at the
evil was not increasing, and therefore there was no rea-
son for giving a more independent character to the Cham-
ber by abating it. Out of fOur hundred and odd mem-
bers composing the Chamber, the Minister of Public
Instruction was obliged to admit that the average num-
ber of paid functionaries in the Chanaber exceeded one
hundred and fifty. The Government tools opposed the
nu mitre, on the ground of its republican tendency.