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

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

FROM Tut: EvnNiNo PAPERS OF SATURDAY.
Sir Robert-Peel's position might justify his use
the language which Shakspere puts into the moutt.
of Wolsey

al 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 sentknentalists ; who were quite satis-
fied that the way to prevent over-production, to which
the distress of the nlittufacturing operatives is plainly
attributable, is to -iivkthe ,mills ten hours instead of
twelve ; 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 were the 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. These 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. H.
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 part 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 speakers. Mr. Christopher proposed a mo-
dification of Sir R. Peel's graduated scale, the
effect of -Which modification would be, in
the opinion of the Honourable Mover, to ensure
more complete protection to agriculturists. The pro-
posed scale of Mr. Christopher has been for some time
before the public. The Hon. Member for North
Lincolnshire recommended it in a very able speech,
but 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
affording 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-
vation 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
industry, some external pressure, as well as full en-
couragement, are required to carry it to perfection, and
even for the ultimate security of those engaged in it.
We have an example of. the latter use of external pres-
sure in the case of manufactures. Our manufacturers
have 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 bein€, 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 to be preferred. In this matter each will be
necessarily directed by opinions formed from his
own experience; one, estimating the fair remune-
ration of the farmer from the returns of a particular
description of soil, must form a different estimate
from him who grounds his calculations upon
the returns of a • different quality of soil. The
public burthens are uniform ; and rents and the
price of labour, by a natural social influence, 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 county, may fall short of a protecting
price in another county. It is the duty of every man,
however, to stand out for the protection of all within
his own immediate sphere, and it is for the Legisla-
ture to determine, from the sum of opinions, in favour
of that degree of protection which, without permitting
the ruinous discouragement of any, shall guard against
the equal danger of excess,

MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS.
The following ara the results of " A Table of Mortality in
the Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from all Causes
Registered in the week ending Feb. 19, 1842." The Table is
issued from the Office of the Registrar-General:—

Weekly
Average
11138-9 .40-1.

CAISES OF DEATH.

Total.
Four F°
W nterslYeaurrs
Epidemic, Endemic, & Contagious Diseases 144 199 190
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses 131 160 149
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration
INseases of the Hca-t and Blood-vessels
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and ether
Organs of Digestion
Diseases of the Kidwys, &c. 6 4 4
ChiMbed, Diseases of the Uterus, &c 8 11 10
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles 4 7 6
Diseases of the Skin, &e 1 1 1
Diseases Of Uncertain Seat lOB 115 104
Age, or Natural Decay
Deaths by Violence, Privation, or Intem-
perance
Causes not specified
Deaths from all causes . 907
Average Weekly Deaths 912 1017 912
Population Average Deaths
en u. Weekly in
merated Deailis the
DAL 183:,..9-4"..1. Week.
West—Kensington, St. George r
135 151 143
Four I Four
Ye rs.lWint rs.
Pancras, Islington, Hackney 365,600 162
184 175
Central—Saint Giles and Saint
N og(Srti (Hanover
—jnSalmtl.tee.ll-Il:3lgraturianyr-eilne)•bWh. 3
George, Strand, Clerkenwell,
Holborn, St. Luke, East Lon-
don, West London, City of
London 373,806 183 213 168
East—Shoreditch,WhitechaPel,
Bethnal Green, St. George
in the East, Stepney, Poplar 392,494 206 229 192
South—St Saviour, St. Olave,
mbS et°t. nh(lG, e:CrYgia em(Nbea Southwarke
Newington,l
, H° 13h ee Lam=r
hitke, Greenwich r
...... ...438,060 221 243 229

Total ......... 1,870,727 912 1017 907
It is stated that under the term Metropolis are comprised the
32 districts herein mentioned, which include the City of Lon-
don with and without the walls, the City and Liberties of
Westminster, the out-parishes within the Bills of Mortality—
and the parishes of St. Marylebone, St. Pancras, Kensington,
Luke (Chelsea), Pad-
dington, Hsat.mAmiaerrysin(istlt,okCe ,
St. Leonard (Brom-
hey ), St. Mary-le-bow, Camberwell, Greenwich, St. Nicholas
and St. Paul (Deptford), and Woolwich. The population, as
enumerated in 1631, was 1,594,890. and in June 1841, was
1,870,727. The weal aversge for 183„,
h/V-PeewiriYng)iotti
so 1639, 1840, and
1841, was obtained by dividing the deaths in the four years by
208, and the deaths in the fi,ur winters by 52.
TEMPERATUMI IN THE WEllx
4 ENDING
Feb.ro
52 12. Feb. 19.
Highest
Lowest
Ilaily N94n .... ...... ......••••• Hi 44
GerteraVrteitstr Offi.c.e, VA: '24, 18 lq.
...

wlllen honoured with an PaSviirlioßn
Brighton,oubtert . —....___
ie e
i .°n _Saturday for the
in-
vitation from her Majesty.
Every arrangement has been made for the Royal visit
to rottsmonth on Monday lext! her IStajel told Prince
Albert wilt'i4eniainilierd' to ilinnCr in the • loyal apart-
menth, and a select circle will have the'hdnonr ofjoiiiing
left
the Royal part}. .. ..
t .