The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-08 00:00:00

As it extended the sphere of its operations,

gave rise to a greater number of complaints and
demands. The people not only petition it to
undo what it has done, but to do what it has
never yet undertaken. They not only ask it to re-
peal its own Corn-laws, but to extend the
Church, and civilise Affica. The sources, there-
fore, of an increase in the number of petitions
have been numerous ; but there could be no cor-
responding increase in the power of the House
of Commons to attend to them.
If, indeed, it had divided itself into Commit-

tees, or Bureaux, like the French Chamber,
and appointed one to receive Irish, another
Scotch, and another English petitions; one to re-
ceive petitions concerning trade, another peti-
tions concerning the Church or religion, and
another to receive petitions concerning educa-
tion, the House of Commons would have adapted
itself to its new circumstances, and been enabled
to perform its duties to the people.
As the House departed from its proper func-
tions, and extended the sphere of its duties, and
as society increased without any correspond-
ing increase in the facilities for transacting busi-

ness, so we cannot be surprised that the House
has become unfit to perform the part of its du-
ties now in question. Sir R. PEEL, naturally
enough for him, but not in accordance, as we
think, with public opinion, said the public de-

sired that the House of Commons should pro-
ceed rather to practical measures than occupy
its time with debates on petitions. We think
that the House of Commons cannot occupy itself
with anything of so much importance to the people,
as their petitions. At least it is then listening to their
wishes and prayers. When it is engaged in
practical measures it may be enacting a Coer-
cion Act, suspending the Habeas Corpus, filch
ing away the rights of the electors by a new
system of registration, or passing a Corn-law to
starve them out of existence. Or, it may be,
wrangling, as Mr. WALLACE observed, for four
nights successively on some par►ty question. It►
duty is, not to make laws against the people, but
to redress their grievances. As it cannot well
know what these are unless it listen to their
prayers, it is bound to receive their petitions
with respect, and allow the Members to discuss
them. It is still in the power of Members, as
Mr. ROEBUCK remarked, to raise a debate on
the question that the petition do lie on the
table, and if the majority prefer making laws
about what they do not comprehend to attend-
ing to petitions, we hope that a sturdy minority,
though defeated on a division, will endeavour to
make the House do its duty to the people.

It is some time since we expressed our surprise at the
appointment of Sir THOMAS COCHRANE, and ventured to
surmise that such appointment was given to him as a re-
ward for the plucking he received at Ipswich. We have
now been informed on good authority that a Speaker's war-
rant has been taken out to compel his appearance before
the Ipswich Committee, and produce the correspondence
with the Tory party relating to the sum of money he
was required to post before he could be permitted to be-
come a candidate for the second time.
In 1835 the Tories at Ipswich endeavoured to avoid
the exposure of their bribery and corruption by sending
witnesses out of the country. This they found not
only useless, but very expensive. The Continent of
Erirdpe was not a sufficient distance. China may suc-
ceed better ; and their pockets will be saved at the ex-

pense of the country.
Sir THOS. COCHRANE has himself published a portion
of the correspondence ; it cannot therefore be alleged
that it does not exist. Will Sir R. PEEL, who affected
such indignation at the practices of bribery, of corruption,
be a party, however indirectly, to prevent its exposure? Sir
Twos. COCHRANE was required to put down a certain
sum. He offered 1,0001. This was declined, as being
inadequate. Mr. HARRIS was applied to. He acqui-
e.seed, it is to be presumed, in the terms required. Is it
nut of the utmost importance to know what those terms
were ?

By the arrival of the Lisbon Mail of the 31st of
January we learn that another attempt has been made
to substitute the Charter for the Constitution at Oporto,
the failure of which has been followed by a change of
the Cabinet. On the 27th ult. a telegraphic despatch
from Oporto, informed the authorities of Lisbon
that the municipality of that town, with COSTA
CABRAL at its head, and with the entire appro-
bation of the garrison, had prodaimed the Charter
and appointed a Provisior :al Government, of which the
aforesaid COSTA CABRAL Vi'aS President. The Ministers
were dreadfully alarmed, or affected to be, and went in a
body to the Queen. No he roine of romance could have
heard the news with greater indifference than her Most
Faithful 111AJESTY. Deprec.lting all exaggeration on the
subject, she intimated that a Ministerial remonstrance
would bring the disaffected. to a. proper sense of their
duty. Whether the Ministers were aware that the QUEEN
and the Court were at the bottom. .of the Chartist move—
ment we cannot tell—most probably they did—
but certain it is that they became. terrified at the anti_
Chartist outcry raised in every quarter of the capital.
'They, therefore, told the QUEI :N that they must either
re sign and leave her to the chat )ter of accidents, or her
DID JEsTv must Sign a
proolam ation, denouncing as re-
bellious the proceedings at Op( •rto. The QUEEN hesi-
tated, but the Ministers, in ten or for their lives, were
urgent. After consulting he r Consort, and seeing
that COSTA CABRAL was n of in a condition to assist her,
should a rising
of the p °puke 3 take place ; finding,
moreover, that n majority of the Deputies and Senators
were not prepared to ado pt a cour;le which was likely to
embroil P Portugal in awa r with S
a.,;n, her Most Faithful
l lAJESTY consented to i ssue the
llowing Proclama-
tion :

" Portuguesel—There are p s; who seek to delude you, and,
by falsely invoking
my
name, to drag you on to rebellious move-
the Constitution, sworn to by
ments, which, in contempt of ' Um laws, and flagrant violation of
lily of the fundamental law, p' ine, twill, besides affecting the stabi.
lace th, e throne and the public liber-
ties in the most imminent peri' L
" Portuguese f—Your prosp'
City is t he object of my utmost soli-
citude. I repute legal liber.,Jr
. to bet he safest guarantee of my
hay )
e maintain'
Crown. But neither can
erty nor ti ie Crown subsist, nor can
the national independence d, by the needless use of
revolutionary means to chap ge the Institut.
ennd expedi
be, fm
ions which can be legally
altered whenever it may
to do so.