The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-28 00:00:00

PIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF SATURDAY.
Sir Robert Peel's position might justify his use of
the language which Shakspere puts into the mouth
of Wolsey
I have ventur'd
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
But far beyond my depth."
The Right Hon. Baronet has floated into office upon
the tide of confidence created in the monopolists by his
plausibilities, which led each section of his supporters
to infer that he would gratify their cupidity, by leaving
their particular interests untouched by any modifica-
tions he might propose in the commercial system; aided
and assisted by Anti-Poor-law agitators who were quite
sure that a Peel Cabinet would gratify them by abo-
lishing the Somerset House Commissioners, and leave
the management of the several Unions to the un-
controlled discretion of the local guardians—with
this special provision, that the question of the
out-door relief to able-bodied labourers and their fa-
milies be revived, and the separation of the sexes in the
workhouses be discontinued. Then started up another
class of sapient sentimentalists ; who were quite
is satis-
fied that the way to prevent over-production, to which
the distress of the manufacturing operatives plainly
attributable, is to work the mills ten
hours instead of
twelve 1;
and that Sir Robert Peel, if in office, would
adopt their suggestion—regardless of the fact, that the
poor operatives are unable to procure sufficient food by
much more protracted labour, and that to restrict them
to ten hours' work would be to consign them to starva-
tion.
Then, there wereathe Church Extensionists ; who
unchristianized the Whig Cabinet, because it refused
to adopt their scheme for increasing churches and mul-
tiplying clergymen at the expense of millions added
to the national taxation. nese were quite sure
the patriotic piety of Sir Robert Peel would in-
duce him to patronize and support their panacea
for restoring the nation to prosperity. Sir R. 11.
Inglis only postponed his annual motion in the
last session of the late Parliament, to bring it
forward, " under happier auspices," in the present
one. Well ; the Premier is now fairly afloat. But the.
inflated bladders on which he depends to keep him so,
are bursting in succession. The West India interests
are in alarm. The Canadian timber interests also
_ complain that he has deceived them, and evidently
designs to desert their cause by adopting the proposi-
tions
relating to the importation of timber which the
late Ministry introduced as a pai i of their fiscal
schemes. The Duke of Buckingham, as the head of
the agricultural monopolists, has seceded from the
Cabinet, reared the flag of rebellion against the Chief
under whom he consented to serve, and is rallying
his forces by the cry of "No surrender !"
STANDARD.—The discussion in the House of
Commons last night was more practical than any of
the preceding discussions on the same subject. Still
it was protracted to enormous and disproportioned
length by the irregular interference of the Op-
position„Apeakers. Mr. Christopher proposed a mo-
dification of Sir It. Peel's graduated scale, the
effect of which modification would be, . in
the opinion of the Hon)urable Mover, to ensure
more complete protection to agriculturists. The pro-
pos ed scale of Mr. Christopher has been for some time
before ,the public. The Hon. Member for North
Lincolnshire recommended it in a very abla speech,
bat without: as we must candidly acknowledge, prov-
ing that it -ought to be preferred before the scale of
Sir Robert Peel. This, however, is a matter upon
which men may conscientiously differ, without
affoiding ground to impeach the honour or the
judgment of those who think in one way or the other.
It is. plainly for the common good-that our domestic
agriculture be protected up to that point which
shall hold out the highest encouragement to the
investment of skill, labour, and capital in the culti-
vatia of the soil, so as to produce from our own
fields the greatest possible amount of grain ; but it is
no less plainly for the common good that beyond
this.point agriculture be not protected. In this de-
partment, as in every other department of human
indt'stry, some external pressure, as well as full en-
couragement, are required to carry it to perfection, and
even for the, ultimate security of those enenged in it.
- 1-Ve-have an example of the latter use of external pres-
sure in the case of manufactures. Our manufacturers
haves had nearly to themselves the markets of the
world for several years, and the effect has been, a
cruel and ruinous competition among -themselves
as to who shall toil their labourers most severely,
and- who shall sell at the lowest price, until at length
they find themselves in danger of being driven
from the markets they lately commanded, by the
disgraceful inferiority of the goods they send into
them. But while all wise and good men are agreed
as to the necessity of protecting agriculture up
to the point 'of highest encouragement---a point
much short of absolute monopoly, were absolute
monopoly possible, as it is not—the wisest and
best men must fail to agree in fixing the precise
point /.) be preferred. In this matter each will be
necessarily directed by opinions form):1 from his
own ex?erience ; one, estimating the remune-
ration or the farmer from the returns of a particular
descriptiou of soil, must f)lni a ilitl%rent estim:lte
tom him. who grounds his calculations Upoli
the ieturns of a did'ereat quality of soil. The
public burthens. are uniform ; awl rents and the.
price or labour, by a natural social' influenee, must
acquire a kind of uniformity in the same country
but the -productive qualities of the soil, as we are all
aware, vary materially ; so that what is a protecting
price in one Conaty, may fall short of a. protecting
price in mother county. It is the duty of every man
however, to stand out for 'the protect ,
ion of all within
11:3 own immediate sphere, and it is fur the Lerisla-
tare to determine, from the sum of Opi a ions, in favour
of of that degree of protection which, w:thout permitting
the ruinous discouragement of any, shall guard against
the equal danger of excess.

AYIERICAN FLOUR& PROVISIONS
We hare been favoured with en extractfrom a circu-
lar addeessed to the Liverpo 4 Anti-Monopoly ASSOC:a-
non, MeSsis..F. de Lizardi and Co., dated New Or-
leans, January. 17, 1842. It shows how admirably the
soil of the valley of the Mississippi is adapted flir the
gro..vth of the food of man, and what supplies Of flour
und prov:sions might be drawn from New. Orleans alone
for subistencc of our people, thousands of whom are
..41'„r.'Camisliing from want of the bare necessaries of life.
wonkt:it, be neoess.ary to export erie. farthing in
tnput:y to pay' for thi4 flour and these provisions. The
folwatus of t United States would gladly 'receive
Brlti-;;1 mfbn:*4-._uleS in retard for the prOduit of their
farins. :I'llns n most,ext.,u,ive el rapidly increasing
year ;et woull be op.,:ned to our cottons and our woollens,
cm. cutlery and oar hardware, giving empl..3-rnent and
o -d wages to artisans, as well as supplying them with
bi(,ad at a lower price than they can ever hope to buy it
whit- our o vn agriculturists enjoy the monopoly of the
1-etint -market. We fear that the Corn-laws, with Sir
Rol)* Peel's latest "improvements" will effectually seal
the Mrs issippi, no far as the export of flour and provi-
sions is concerned, and cut us off from all supplies from
th it quarter, while, even tinder a moderate fixed duty,
not to speak of a system of free trade, an extensive im-
port from the New World would take place :
" As the laws affecting the introduction into England
of grain and other proisions will shortly be discussed in
the British Parliament, we annex the present price of
flour, pork, and a few other articles, remarking that,
under laws favourable for such trade with England, the
supplies which could be drawn from this port are truly
unltmitcd, as au iniustrious population of more than four
millions of people are the cultivators of an extent of
many millions of acres of the richest lands, and their sur-
plus produce is carries at a cheap rate by means of the
numerous navigable rivers which converge into the Mis-
sis3ipi • these stream are now navigated by more than
three hundred steamers, from 800 tons burthen doWn-
wards. Nearly half a million barrels of flour ; 262,000
sacks and 463,090 barrels. of corn (maize) ; 210,000
barrels of pork ; 8,000,000 pounds of cured pork ; and
1,378,000 pounds of bacon were received here last year
from the interior.
"Flom-, 'superfine, dull at 5 doll. 75 cts. per brl., or
225. 6d. per 1061bs.
Pork, per barrel, mess B'dols. per brl., or 325. per 2031b5.
" " prime 6s. " " 245.
Bscon and hams 3i cents per lb. or per lb.
Cured pork to 241- " "
Cheese Bi 44 64 IIA 44
Butter to 14 . " " to 7d.
Lard
—Liverpool Albion.

DISCOVERY OF A NUMBER OF
HUMAN SKELETONS.
A few (lays since some workmen employed in cart-
ing earth out of a pit in a field adjoining Risby toll-
gate, and the road leading to Fornham St. Genovieve,
about two miles north-west .of Bury St. Edmund's,
discovered a considerable number of human skele-
tons, some of them within about a foot of the
surface ; the bones generally were in an ad-
vanced state of decay, but the teeth in some of the
skulls were very white 1 'perfect. It is supposed
these skeletons are t and
portion of the
slain who fell inantdhethebraosetetT:inbisetwofe the troops of
King Kenry 11.
sons,s
i, Tore. than GOO
years ago. In a work entitled-1
County of Suffolk, by John livodztoareici Sites the
the author observes, " The village of Fornharll3°S°tri'G'
vieve is celebrated in history as being the spot. where
the peaceable retention of the English Crown in the
person of Henry 11. was decided by a bloody battle,
which took place in the year 1173. The obliterating
hand of time has, of course, removed from the place
much evidenCe of the ground having been occupied
as a military position, but there are mounds still exist-
ing by the lonely road side, beneath which the dead
were huddled at the conclusion ofthe fight, and which
serve as memorials of the event, and of the immensity
of the slaughter." The circumstances which led to
the encounter were briefly these :—The sons of Henry
11. having taken up arms against their father, were
joined by Robert, Earl of Leicester, who, having
insulted his sovereign, was obliged to fly the country;
he took refuge in France, and there collected an
immense army of Flemings, and, passing over to
England landed at Walton on the 21st-of .September.