The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-01 00:00:00

*tronbi9Reition

SUN OFFICE, Three o'Cloch.

The visit of her MAJESTY to the largest and most
celebrated Royal Harbour in- the United Kingdom has
been justly hailed by the inhabitants with every demon- '
"stration of joy and gratitude. The gratification caused
by such an event, however, is not confined to Portsmouth.
Th'e public at large delight to see our beloved QUEEN
taking aninterest in our means of defence, mixing gra-
ciously with her people, and encouraging by her presence
the loyalty and bravery of our soldiers and sailors. Since
the days of Queen ELIRABETH, perhaps no Sovereign
has exhibited such a cordial sympathy with the
tastes, habits, and amusements, of the British nation.
Unlike GEORGE the Fourth, who,. with . all his noble
manners, and kingly dignity, was neither loved nor
respected—who, in manhood, was known only for his ex-
travagance—in his latter days, for his cruel treatment
of a persecuted woman—and in his old age, for a love of
seclusion and hatred of society, not surpassed even in
the person of the deceitful and cruel TIBERIUS, Queen
VICTORIA rejoices with her people, despises the vain eti-
quette which so often deprives sovereigns of useful know-
ledge and rational amusement, and seems never more happy
than when she sees thou Sands of men, women, and chil-
dren, happy around her. This is the way not only •to
gain the affections of the people, but to add courage
even to the brave defenders of our country. Her ex-
ample yesterday, the firmness she displayed in a stormy
sea, Old her determination to go through the duties of
the day independent of obstructions which, would have
deterred Sovereigns of the other sex, are all worthy of
praise, and cannot fail to be productive of good.
The soldiers and sailors who witnessed her de-'
meanour will not forget it in the day of battle. We
advert to such circumstances with great satisfaction,
and always regret when a sense of duty compels us to
make remarks on such acts of extravagance as expend-
ing 70,00(1. on -Royal stables, or granting annuities out
of the Civil List to persons who properly had no claim
on it, because they had already Veen well paid for their
services. Jobs of that kind, though they may be the
acts of the Minister, are anything but favourable to that
lore and respect so justly due to our gracious QUEE:N.

The Plymout Herald of Sawalay- assures us that all
classes in that town and neighbourhood are quite dis-
satisfied with the Ministerial Corn-law project. On
Friday a meeting -of the Chamber of Commerce of the
port of Plymouth was held, at which. the fidlowing peti-
tion to the House of Commons was adopted, which was
only- obje,:ted to by the bulk of the inhabitants of Ply-
mouth as being too moderate :
That your Petitioners, in common with the bulk of the com-
munity, cons'der the present Corn laws injurious to the wel-
fare, of the nation, and regard with considerable dissatisfation
the measures proposed by the Government for their alteration.
Your Petitioners admit that the proposed Scale of Duties
are an improvemeut on the existing impost, yet the great ranee
of the scale now submitted will be productive, not only of a
continuance of hazardous speculation, but will much disappoint
the expectations of the consuming and mercantile classes.
Your petitioners, sympathising in the existing distress of
the tnanufacturing and commercial interests of this country,
are
°desirous of seeing the laws affecting the importation of
corn placed on a basis that will promote an extension of our
commerce, and alleviate the depression so loudly and justly
complained of.
Tour petitioners therefore humbly, but earnestly, implore
your. Honourable House will make such modifications and
amendments in the proposed measures relating to the foreign
corn-trade as will be consistent with justice and sound policy,
and will not give undue protection to eny interest at the ex-
pense of the empire at large.
If anything which the Tories do could surprise us, it
would be the pertinacity with which Sir ROBERT PEE!.
and:his colleagues stick to a measure so universally un-
popular as the proposed scale of Corn law duties. Not
only. is the Ministerial sliding scale denounced by the
total Corn-law repealers, but by all that class of mid-
way politicians who form the only connecting link
bet‘Tcvn the landed aristocracy and the manufacturing
operatives. Sir RonEwr PEEL'S plan pleases nobody.
The followers of the Duke of Bucicucctia.m, and all the
Ultra-Tory aristocracy, see in it only a measure of
spoliation ; the Whigs, who have as much interest in
land'as the Tories, but who supported the measures of
the late Government, are convinced that a sliding scale
can only benefit the gamblers in averages ; while such
of the commercialists as are not opposed to some
tax . en corn, condemn Sir ROBERT PEEL'S
scale as exorbitantly high. Thus all parties
are opposed to it. Our Plymouth friends regard
the proposed law as an improvement upon the old one.
Weyannot agree with them. It is an insult to a starv-
ing,.long-suffering people, nothing else. But sup-
posing it an improvement, it is the removal, not the
mitigation of the evil that we now want. . We seek jus-
tice, and we shall be content with nothing less.

Too much praise cannot be accorded to:Lord BROUG-
HAM for the indefatigable energy which he displays, ses-
sion,after session, in endeavouring.to improve the ad-
ministration of justice in this country. The more we
attend to the peceliar labours -of the Noble and Learned
Icorir in the extensive and brambly field of Law
Reform, the less do we feel inclined to regret his
standing so far aloof from the political agitation to
which he was once as much the moving power as
the wind is to the wave. Those very efforts of
his, which have hitherto failed, have been attended
with the signal advantage of compelling, as it were, less
potent intellects to acknowledge the existence or the
necessity of amending evils not previously perceived by
them. Nearly ten years have elapsed since his
Lordship submitted to the Peers his County
Courts' Bill. This Bill provided for the esta-
blishment. of Courts in the principal towns
in every County in England and Wales, for
the trial and fired adjustment of all actions within each
county, civil and criminal, in whiCh the arn-iint
of-
daraag'2B claimed not exceed 501: This was to.; t
a,s the har.ing and expensive removal of actio,--Isref%r:
court to court, by which in many cases the ends ef
justice w ere, and are clearly defeated, as for example in
tho trial Provincial Journalists for libels in Ltnden.
The Bill further provided for the citablishment of Courts
of Reconcilement, for the amicable settlement o"'
local dispute s without the expense, annoyance, and de-
lay inseparable from the employing. of attorneys and
lawyers, and the exposure of family affairs in ordinary
courts of law. As might be expt-cted, the Tory Law
Lords and the Tory party generally opposed the Bill,
and it was lost, after considerable progress had been
made in it. The late Lord Chancellor COTTENHAM
prepared another Bill less compiehensire than that
of his Noble and Learned predecessor, which is now
before Parliament; but as it proposes to l'emedy only
the lesser evils which Lord BROUGHAM'S Bill was calcu-
lated to remove, it is with great satisfaction we announce
that Lord BROUGHAM, last night replaced his own Bill
upon. their 14,ordShips'. table. The beet of it, however,
-‘vSlArt:h

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