The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-17 00:00:00

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THE FUNDS-(CLOSING PRICES.)
BRITISH FUND,
Bank Stock
3 per Cent. Red. .. 931 ,Ditto Bonds .......».. 51 pm
3 per Cent. Cons.... 94i Ditto Old Annuities ...
31 per Cent. Red... 100 i Ditto New Annuities...
New 31 per Cent... ...... 101* Ex. Bills, 1,000/....2d. 56 pm
New 5 per Cen'.. — Ditto 5001...... 58 pm
Long Annuities to expire Ditto Small ...... 58 pm
Jan. 1860 ....•.... 121 Bank Stock for Acct. 169
Oct. 1859
Jan. 1?60 l2l Consols for Acct....... 94i
FOREIGN FUNDS.
Austrian, 5 per cent.... Po Newu 5 per cent.
Belgian, 5 per cent --Ditto, Ditto —
Brazilian Bonds.
BuenosAyres6 per cent Russian, 5 pen cent...... 113
Chilian, 6 per cent... 69 Ditto, itletallic ...... . ....
Colombian, 6 per eerk — Spanish, 5 per cent. I8&
Ditto, 1824 — Ditto, Deferred.... .
Cuba Bonds, 6 per cent 79 French, 5 per cent. —f. —e.
Danish, 3 per :ent — !Exchange —f —c.
Greek, 1825, 5 per cent. I French, 3 per cent --f. —c.
Mexican, 5 per cent..... 33 I Dutch, 21 per cent. 521
Ditto, 6 per cent. 1837 IDitto, 5 per cent. .. ... 101
Peruvian, 1825, 6 per ct. I
SHARES.
Birmingham and Derby (100 paid)
Eastern Counties (23 pail) Bl
Ditto New (—paid)
Ditto Debentures ( paid) .10,1
Edinburgh and Glasgow (50 paid) ... ... 471
Great Western, (65 paid) ... B3l
London and Brighton (50 paid)
London and Birmingham (90)
London and South Western (4116 s 10d pd) 591
London and Croydon Railway (Trunk) . ... PI
Northern and Eastern (45 paid)
Ditto Scrip ( 5 paid) Bi
North Midland Railway ( IOU)
Paris and Rouen (20 paid)
.`'oath Eastern and Dover (50 paitl) _22l
Ditto Scrip (20 paid)

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

FROH THE EVENING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.

GLOBE.—It would seem that the selection of the
new functionaries for carrying out the provisions of
the Bankruptcy Bill, had been dictated by a determi-
nation to see how far instinct can be made available in
the place of education ; for nothing short of a sudden
inspiration can have qualified the majority of the gen-
tlemen who have been appointed by Lord Lyndhurst.
From nine out of ten the only answer that could con-
scientiously be given t) a question as to their fitness to
administer the law of bankruptcy, would be the same
reply as that made by an individual who, when asked if
he could play on the German flute, observed that " he
really did not know, for he had never tried." The law
of bankruptcy is about as mysterious to the greater
number of the new officials as was the German flute
to the gentleman who had never tried to play upon
it. We were, however, about to observe, that, if the
Commissioners are bad, the Registrars are not likely
to shame the incompetency of their superiors by a
display of a higher degree of ability. Like Peachum
and Lockit, they are very likely to be " both in the
wrong ;" and as each of them owes his official exist-
ence to jobbing, neither can make the other feel shame
at a display of inability. Among the Registrars we find
the name of Mr. Wilson, a nephew of Sir Robert Wil-
son, a politiCian of that peculiar turn which was likely
to recommend- him to the favour of Lords Abinger
and Lyndhurst, the first of whom made the renegade
Baronet's relation a revising barrister in Kent, while
the Chancellor has converted the " Learned" gentle-
man into one of the new Registrars. When pre-
siding.over the Registration Court at Rochester, Mr.
Wilson, though he only received five guineas a day for
his services, was so exceedingly lavish of the time he
generously gave up to the public at the low stipend
we have named, that he manifested the greatest
deliberation in considering and delivering his judg-
ments. It is said that on one occasion the learned
Revising Barrister was applied to by the attorneys act-
ing as election agents for both parties, to "make up his
mind one way or the other ;" for it was felt that the
continued sacrifice of his valuable time to the public
for only five guineas a day, was more than either
par+y had a right to expect from him. If Mr. Wilson
gives as much satisfaction in his character of Regis-
trar as he did in that of Revising Barrister, we feel
that any compliment we may be disposed to pay him
on his recent appointment, would be completely super-
fluous. If the other similar situations have been
filled in the same way, we can congratulate Lord
Lyndhurst upon havin,g.displayed a very nice regard
to uniformity in the bestowal of his patronage by se-
lecting Registrars in every way worthy of the Com-
missioners over them.
STANDARD.—In the selection of men - to exer-
cise the important functions of a Judge, some more.
certain test than the caprice of Fortune is to be con-
sulted ; and a man to whom the duty of selection is
assigned must, if be is honest,. avail himself of all
the lights within his reach. If he knows of his own
knowledge, or from the report of those upon whom
he can place a firm reliance, that A. is a more able
and learned man than 8., and equally incorruptible, ha
will prefer A. to 8., though fortune or vulgar suffrage
may have declared ever so loudly in favour of the latter.
Lord Lyndhurst, says his accuser, "recollects with
feelings of regard those who 'were his associates
at the bar in early days ;" and the Noble Lord is
elsewhere blamed for having accepted " the associates"
of Lords Brougham and Cottcnham, upon the recom-
mendation of those Learned Whig Lords. Now, to
be the professional associates of such men as Lords
Lyndhurst, Broughain, and Cottenham, surely some
qualifications—and some qualifications Of not a mean
order—are requisite. The most distinguished men
at the bar do not select their associates from
the class of ignorant or idle dunces ; and if we
knew nothing of the new Judges in bankruptcy
but that they have been the professional associates of
three Chancellors in succession, we might take it for
certain that they are not incompetent men. To be-
lieve them incompetent, we must assume the paradox
that Whig and Conservative Chancellors not only
have preferred dunces for their professional asso-
ciates, but they are all so indifferent to the public
interest as to agree in filling the benches with incom-
petent Judges—a paradox in which it is not easy to
acquiesce. Stripped, then, of what is personal, unjust,
and ungenerous, the complaint comes to this—that
Lord Lyndhurst has not made the appointments in
the Bankrupt Courts in a spirit of political feeling—a
complaint natural enough in a supporter of " the
political jobbers" who unfortunately administered the
Government for the eleven years ending September,
1841, but one with which the public will scarcely
sympathise. It is a new complaint, and one which
we may venture to say will never be directed against
a Whig Government, should the country be again
dishonoured and endangered by Whig rule.