The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-04 00:00:00

*trontitl 1 ition

SUN OFFICE Three o'Cloch

The country has not yet done with cx-Plenipotentiary
ELLIOT. That notorious personage who provided for

the Press of India and Great Britain years of labour in

recording his incapacity in China is destined, it appears,
to re-fill the world with his fame as Consul-General to

the Republic of Texas. The fact of his appointment was
admitted by Sir R. PEEL in the House of Commons last
night, and it must be allowed that the Right Hon.
Baronet is good authority upon such a subject. Mr.
austz, who asked the question, intimated that he should
on an early day take the sense of the House respecting
this appointment. The intimation is worthy of the
11 Honourable Member for Montrose, and entitles him to
the thanks of the country. In the ticklish state of our
relations with the United States, and in the unsettled
condition of Mexico and Texas, it would be worse than
folly—it would be highly criminal—to send out in any
diplomatic capacity an individual so notoriously incom-
petent, so blunderingly mischievous, as Captain ELLIOT.
This is the opinion of every man in this country, who
knows anything at all about the condition of Texas,
and how important it is that we should prevent, by every
means in our power, the annexation of that young Re-
public to the United States. Not only the Liberal
papers, but the whole of the Tory journals, have de-
nounced the appointment of Captain ELLIOT, as Texan
Consul-General, as most disgraceful to any Government.
In an article in the Morning Post of this day, evidently
written before Mr. HUME put his question to the Premier
last night, we find the following just and forcible re-
marks upon the rumour of such an appointment being
contemplated:—
It is generally understood that the lucrative and important
post of Consul-General to the Texan Republic still remains un-
filled ; and we wish we could feel assured that the appointment
is not kept open, and as it were in abeyance, until the
casual good fortune of success in China shall have induced
our kind-hearted people of England to look compassionately
1 on the hapless author of that foolish and discreditable war.
Now, a post requiring greater delicacy and tact, combined with
dignity and shrewdness, canreit well be imagined than that of
an officer, whose duty it is rightly to represent the British
Crown in so democratic and disturbed an atmosphere as that of
Texas; and, on the ground solely of such a rare mixture, f per-
sonal requirements, we will not call the salary excessive. If
Capt..in Elliot possessed but one qualification for the office,
we might, perhaps, hesitate to object to him altogether; and,
on the plea of Ministerial etiquette, we could fancy that the
prorn.we made by one placeman should be accounted, more or
less inviolate by another ; but, as things are, we exclaim strongly
1 against the possibility that Texas should receive the disowned
one of Canton. It would be to insult a State whose goodwill it
may prove better to insure.
It is not yet too late for the Ministry to back out of
this business. Whatever objection Lord ABERDEEN
might have to get rid of the worst legacy left him by
Lord PALMERSTON, we cannot suppose that Sir P. PEEL
would peril the independence of Texas out of compliment
to the partizan of a political rival. In the words of the
Post, let Captain ELLIOT be left " over a perpetual teapot
to amuse the gossips with his opium reminiscences." It is
certainly not only the fittest, but the only fitting place
for him. There are plenty of competent, able men, well
acquainted with Texas and the United States, who
would accept the appointment of Consul-General to
Texas with pleasure. Such babbling and scribbling
compounds of rashness and weakness as Captain
ELLIOT, are not the men to represent, with
advantage, the Majesty of England among the fiery
republicans of one of the newest and most unsettled
States in the world. We have had enough of Captain
ELLIOT in the East. In mercy to ,ua and the Texans,
we implore Sir ROBERT PEEL to spare them and us the
infliction of his diplomatic agency in the West.

"We have, given at length the judgment of Dr. LoanINGTON, in the Braintree case, delivered this day in the
Consistory Court. It is one of considerable importance
to rate-payers in general, and especially to those who
object to Church-rates altogether.l About four years ago
a vestry was held at Braintree, for the purpose of
making a rate for the repair of the church, when a majo-
rity decided against the rate, but, notwithstanding this
decision, the minority proceeded to levy a rate which
was refused, and an appeal made to the Superior Courts.
The question was argued in the Court of Queen's
Bench, which decided that the rate was invalid.
It was then heard before all the Judges, when the find-
ing of that Court • was confirmed ; but Chief Justice
TINDAL, in delivering his opinion, observed that, as in the
case of a Corporation, when the majority refused to act,
the minority of the vestry, with the Churchwarden, might
be justified in levying a rate for the necessary repairs of
the church. The minority, on the authority of the
Learned Judge, commenced anew, and sued a parishioner
for non-payment. The case was argued at length in the
Consistory Court, and after mature deliberation, Dr.
LUSHINGTON gave judgment this morning, deciding that
the rate was still invalid.

The rejection of Mr. DIiNCOMBE'S motion, for allow-
ing the working people of this country to explain their
grievances at the bar of the House of Commons, cannot
fail to make a very deep and very painful impression
upon the country. The House was not asked, as the
Eight Hon. Member for Edinburgh most unfairly re-
presented, to concede the Charter. All that was sought
was a hearing of the miseries of the peoples which might
or might not be made to include the suggtion, on their
part, of what they concluded to be the best remedies. It
was juFtly stated by Mr. HumE, that the surest way of
preventing revolutions was to listen to the com-
plaints of the people ; and we are apprehensive,
that if the House persist in the course recommended
by Mr. 'MACAULAY, we may live to see a re!roht-
tion in England. The cries of Ihe pour for reitef
show that they are sick at heart. Parliament is bound