The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-28 00:00:00

lenders to-philauthropy who set about promoting
improvements at a railroad pac'e, as if it were the
manufacture of some new species of cloth which
can be multiplied at pleasure. T .It exposes with-
out mercy the shallow delusions propagated by
well-meaning empirics and quacks, who, make
the benefit of others the stalking-horse
to the gratification of their own yearn-
ings after- distinction. It leaves no rag to
cover the nakedness of the-, "conceited enthu-
siasts," who plan. fine schemes to civilize man-
kind. But our Contemporary, to whom incon-
sistency seems so delightful that it opposes in
one column what it advocates in another, has a
second article on the Anti-Corn-law League,
in which the subscribers at the late pub-
lic meeting to the League Fund, such as
Mr. MUNN and Mr. ThostAssosi, are taken
sharply to task for discarding all pretence
and all humbug, and boldly avowing that they
_subscribe the money to serve themselves. They
see their property melting away under a restric
tion on the supply of food, and on their trade,
and they openly give their money as a means of
,getting rid of that restriction, and saving them-
selves from decay and ruin. Can any thing be
more straightthrward and honest, and more
praiseworthy ? . for it is every man's first duty
to help . himself. But the League does
not act on the advice of the Times, and
cares nothing for the ease of that party
to which the Times is the slave. It de-
spises the empty words that bide principles; it
resolves to do its best to get rid of a vile law,
in spite of the sacredness of the Constitution,
which is now always invoked to protect political
iniquity ; and therefore the Times, in its second
leader, advocates quackery and empiricism, just
like Sir F. BUXTON and Sir G, STEPHEN ; talks
with unctuous cant of promoting "humanity, jus-
tice, and religion," and treats with scorn
the honesty and fair dealing of the mem-
bers of the League. We bad learned
from our Contemporary in his vigorous days, and
from some observation of the motives which
usually actuate men, that they are to be much
distrusted when they disavow those self-seeking
purposes which are the main-springs of all human
actions, and pretend, to have nothing at heart but
to promote the good of others, and the success
of justice and humanity. These 'are the pre-
tences on which priestcraft builds its altars; these
are the pretences on which tyranny erects its
thrones. These are the pretences on which self-
seeking legislators enchain the human race, and
make liberty an unknown blessing. It is all for
the love of justice and the promotion of
humanity that the landlords pass Corn-laws, and
daily torture the half-starved multitude. It is
all for the benefit of the poor, and the advance-
ment of. religion, that the Church extorts from
the public several millions a year, and that its
Archbishops and Bishops wallow in luxury at
the expense of the very classes whose welfare
they pretend to promote. We delighted in
nothing more at the meeting at Manchester,
than in the honesty with which the gentlemen
there cast aside all false pretences, and boldly
and openly avowed that they subscribed their
money and sought the repeal of the Corn-laws to
benefit themselves. That is, perhaps, the only
motive for all human exertions, and it is proper
to avow it. Nothing can more strongly prove.
the twaddling imbecility that sometimes comes
over our Contemporary than thus to find the once
bold and manly Times become the opponent of
an honest avowal of motives, arid the maudlinli
advocate in one column of the empiricism and
the quackery it exposes to ridicule in another.

We have received a great number ofletters re-
specting the origin and justice of the war with
China, some of our Correspondents blaming the
British Government for carrying fire and sword
among a defenceless people to maintain an odious
traffic, and others justifying them in equally strong
terms. The . only letter for. which we can
find room is the following, and we trust our
brief reply will satisfy other Correspondents,
.who join with the French in reprobating a sys-
tem of policy which will confer great good, not
only on England, but China. " A great dif-
ference of opinion," says ourL C.rrespliiiderrr,--
who styles himself a " Barbarian," " exists re-
pp...reiiiii the justice of the Chinese war ; if you
can conveniently insert a short account of its
origin in the columns of The Sun, you will
greatly oblige a number of your. Bradford
readers." The answer to this question is
very simple. For many • years the opium
trade with China had been carried on at Canton,
and, notwithstanding occasional proclamations
1 against it, was sanctioned by the official authori-
ties, the regular duties were paid, and the impor-
ters therefore confidently believed that they were
justified in carrying on the trade'as usual. Sud-
denly, hoWever, an edict was issued from Pekip,
ordering the seizure of all the opium at that
place, and the Commissioner sent to carry it into
-effect imprisoned the English Plenipotentiary,
who was guiltless of all blame, and threatened
him and all his countrymen . with death if
opium to the value of nearly three millions ster-
ling was not instantly given up. A considerable
portion of the opium was in ships out of the Clii-

nese waters, and all the rest bad been ad-
mitted in the usual form. There was no plea
whatever, therefore, for pretending that
it was smuggled. But even admitting
that the trade was contraband, the Chinese
Government acted contrary to the laws of nations,
and insulted the Sovereign of Great Britain, by
imprisoning and threatening to put to death her
representative. We may add, that to the best
of our belief, no foreign writer, however hostile
to England, has justified this atrocious outrage
on a public functionary, whose character is held
sacred among civilised States.

The grand public dinner given on Tuesday
last to the late Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr. Al-
derman O'CortzfELL—by the bye, how strangely
sounds the meek, dull, pacific word, "Alder-
man," when coupled, with that synonym for
fiery, ultra-Radical agitation, " O'CortivEu. ! "
the dinner given to this gentleman by a great
majority of the Dublin Corporation is another of
those marked signs of the times which may well
bear a word or two of comment. The Irish me-
tropolis has, it is well known, been remarkable
ever since the memorable year 1688, for the fiery
zeal of its Protestantism, its attachment to the
English connection, and its inveterate hostility
to the Catholics. Among its members are to be
found the names of some of the most desperate
political bigots in the empire. No expense has
it spared—no labour has it grudged—no sacrifices
has it hesitated to make—in order to show its ram-
pant loyalty and uncompromising High Church
principles. As for listening to any speeches in fit-
votrr ofa repeal of the Union, we firmly believe Ella t
there is not a Protestant member of the Corpora-
tion who—but a few years ago—would not will-
ingly, if he could, have hanged any man who
should have dared even to suggest such an
hypothesis. But how are the mighty fallen !
How are the. bullies tamed, and the zealots so-
bered ! The late Municipal Reforms have
completely cowed! the spirit, and broken the
strength and unity of the Dublin Corporation;
and accordingly they listened to a long speech of
Mr. O'CONNELL, in favour of a Repeal of the
Union, not merely with calmness, but with de-
cided approbation ! " The spirit had gone
abroad," observed the Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man, " the sound bad gone forth on the wild
winds of Heaven; it was scattered through
the land ; and every' heart in Ireland
throbbed more or less to restore their beloved
country to her national dignity ls' 'When we
sa, that this exulting language was welcomed
with loud cheers by a great public body, always
foremost to toast the " Glorious, Pious, nd Im
mortal Memory ;" and to wish the detested aid
persecuted Catholics a speedy departure to "'fell
or Connaught ;"—when we say this, and
state in addition, that Alderman BERESFORD of
pitch-cap and triangle notoriety, was 'a favourite
and leading member of this body—we have said,
we conceive, quite enough to justify our assertion
that of all the political revolutions now pressing
forward in this most revolutionary age, this
ultra-Radical one in the sentiments of the once