The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-02 00:00:00

4 iltilillS

LONDON, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1845.

The House of Lords did not sit.
The Commons met shortly before Four.
Mr. BARKLY took the oaths and his seat for
Leominster.

The Lords' amendments to the various Railway
Clauses Consolidation Bills were then agreed to with
the exception of these—the Railway Clause Consoli-
dation Bill Scotland.

Mr. LABOUCHERR objected to the amendments, and
after a short conversation it was agreed that the Bill
should be re-introduced with those clauses, so as to
afford the House an opportunity of considering them.
Sir G. CLERK moved " That every Committee on
a railway Bill shall, with their report on the Bill,
state whether the provisions of the Companies Clauses
Consolidation Bill, the Railway Clauses Consolidation
Bill, and the Lands Clauses Consolidation Bill, have been
complied with ; and, ifthey shall not have been complied
with, state in what respects they have notbeen complied
with, and the reasons for such non-compliance. That
the Committee on every :Bill other than a Railway
Bill, to which the provisions of the Companies
Clauses Consolidation Bill, or the Lands Clauses
Consolidation Bill, are applicable, shall report to the
House any non-compliance with such provisions, and
shall state their reasons for permitting such non-
compliance."
The motion was opposed by Sir G. GRRY, and,
after a short conversation, was withdrawn.
Mr. liumß's motion on the recal of Lord ELLEN-
BOROUIT was postponed till the 19th.
Mr. RUTHERFORD, after a short discussion, ob-
tained leave to bring in a Bill to regulate the admis-
sion to the lay and secular chairs in the Scotch uni-
versities. The object of this measure is to enable
persons, not members of the Church of Scotland, to
Sll those chairs.

The Earl of LINCOLN brought in a Bill to facili-
litate the enclosure of waste lands, and also a Bill to
facilitate drainage.
Sir G. CLERK brought in a Bill to amend the
Merchant Seamen's Fund Act.

The Exchequer Bills Bill was read a second time,
and the House adjourned at nine o'clock.

There is a clever little sketch in the present week's
number of Punch, which may well serve as a text
for graver matters than the immediate object of it
application. An energetic, active, eager, long-legged
personage is striding onwards, as if his feet were in-
serted into the "seven league" boots of the nursery
fable. In his left hand he hauls, rather than leads, a
fat, little boy, who, at the top of his speed, yet still
" hand passibus &gals," is vainly endeavouring to keep
up with his companion's giant-stride. " Come along,"
says the dashingly-hit-off effigy of Mr. COBDEN,
" come along, Master ROBERT, do step out, pray."
"Oh ! it's all very fine to talk of step out," replies
the flat-capped, jacketted, little, chubby representative
of Sir ROBERT PEEL, " but you know I can't go 30
fast as you do." Now, this is a most accurate de-
lineation of the race between COBDEN and PEEL, in
their proper persons, and on the actual theatre of
St. Stephen's—for the GREAT FREE-TRADE STAKES.
The unequal progress of the Premier, committed, as
he is, to the same match, but " aged" and " over-
matched" by the still ponderous burden of what re-
mains on his back of the heavy party-saddle he has,
till lately, been compelled to carry, is not less ridi-
culous when contrasted with the untiring energy,
spirit, and game of his competitor, COBDEN.
The latter is resolute to get over the
ground with the least possible delay, to
their common goal of Free Trade, which both have
been heavily backed to arrive at. The Cobden colt
is in good training, and wants neither whip nor spur,
though he may need a somewhat teasing bit to pull
him up. " Sir ROBERT" knows his business, can wait
upon every horse in the field till the opportunity
offers for him " to go in and win," when his bone
and weight and endurance are found often to make
up for want of speed. The " Sir ROBERT" has there-
fore acquired a dangerous knack of creeping in at the
fag-end of a contested heat, and winning the cup.
But his old tactics, we may venture to predict, will
fail him on this occasion. He must " step out," and
bravely, too, throughout the course, if he have not
made up his mind to be distanced in popularity and
character on the political turf. Why does the Premier
halt in his free-trade demonstrations ? While he
stays where he is, nobody will give him credit for
even the intention to go farther. But if he will not
advance, he cannot recede ; and if he stand still he
will be run down and over by the whole field of the
free traders, who are all " ordered to win." It is a
false and a dangerous position—a political neutralisa-
tion. Sir ROBERT has done much in the work of
reformed commercial institutes, and of the fiscal or-
ganisation necessary to be adapted to them. But if
he will not do more, what he has done will be
looked upon by an immense section of the people as
so many tubs thrown out to amuse the whale, rather
than as parts and indications of a general and matured
system of mercantile amelioration.
Let us see what Sir ROBERT hazards by going
boldly, and promptly, much farther in that direction
which it is manifest he conceives to be the right one,
though he affects a decent hesitation and difficulty
about pursuing it. Those of his supporters, and
friends, and party who were against all sweeping
changes in the fiscal and mercantile policy which he
found established when he last entered into office, he
has already outraged past all accommodation. With
them he is "an unclean thing." He has nothing to
fear now from their importunity. They will rather
avoid than approach him. But they will divide
against him as opportunity may offer. Those who
are for losing no more time, but getting free trade
established on its broadest and most permanent basis,
complain that his having " pronounced" in their
favour to a certain extent only, and then paused,
exercises a sort of halting and obstructive influence
on the progress of free-trade principles towards their
practical establishment and recognition. It is felt
that there is nothing to be allowed fur any plea of
doubt or alarm as to going farther, to him who has
shown something like alacrity in going so far, towards
the extinction of monopoly protections and class-interest I
made laws. Of him who has knocked off some 500
articles, out of 820, chargeable with duty, by his
new tariff, they demand the extinction of several
others, and very important ones, which he has not
yet subjected to any modification of any kind. It is
fully evident, that if the Ministry were to meet the
free traders rather more than half-way between the

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