The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-19 00:00:00

3 UM MARY OF NEWS

AND
PlMittcOptlttoit.

" Who runs may read."

POREXGN.

France' with a population estimated at thirty-four
millions, has only two hundred and twenty-four thou-
sand electors—or one elector for every hundred and fifty
persons. Who can deny that an extension of the suf-
frage is not demanded under the Charter of 1830 ?

There is not a syllable of important news in the French
Papers.

A letter from Bangalore of the 24th December, quoted
by the Univers, says that war is now inevitable between
the English and the Bing of Avg.. The latter is said,
among other acts of aggression, to have seized the Pro-
serpine steamer, which was conveying despatches to the
Governor-General of India.

Two notes, protesting against the closing of the con-
vents and taking an inventory of this description of
church property, have been presented by the Pope's
Nuncio to the Grand Council of the Swiss canton of I'es-
sino. The Lucerne Gazette speaks of an intended meet-
ing of the Swiss Bishops of Sion, Geneva, Bask, Coire,
and the Apostolic Vicar of St. Gall, with those of Como
and Milan, in order to hold a conference as to the rights
of the Swiss Catholics.

In the sitting of the Spanish Congress, on the 10th
inst., the Gonzales Cabinet has at length obtained a
triumph, as the amendment of Senors Posada and Men-
dizabal, counter-amended by Senor Montanes, was car-
ried by a majority of 77 against 67, thus rejecting the
censure conveyed in the sixth paragraph of the Address,
relative to the Barcelona state of siege, as drawn up by
the Commission. The resignation of the present Ministry
is now, therefore, no longer expected. These tiresome
discussions are now over, after a month's duration.

PARLIAMENTARY.
Lord Kinnaird last night, in the House of Lords, pre-
sented several petitions for the repeal of the Corn-laws,
and drew their Lordships' attention to the great distress
which prevails at Paisley and other places.
Lord Campbell announced his intention of bringing
forward a Bill for the improvement of the jurisdiction of
the Privy Council. _ . .

In the Commons a great number of petitions were
presented for the abolition of the Corn-laws.

Lord Eliot gave notice that he will introduce a Bill to
legalize marriages by Dissenting ministers in Ireland,
on the 24th instant.

In reply to Mr. C. Buller, Lord Eliot said that a man
had been actually sentenced to death in Ireland for
killing a goat, but he was set at liberty by the Govern-
ment. The Noble Lord promised to introduce a Bill to
abolish the ancient law under which the man was sen-
tenced to death.

Mr. Wakley read a letter from the late Lord Pre.
sident Hope,stating, honourably to Mr.Wakley, that as he
appeared to have acted on public grounds, the Lord
President informed him that during eleven years he
had been absent from only three jury trials. Sir
Robert Peel added, that the Lord President had not
applied to him in 1834-5, to be released from his duties.
Mr. Fox Maule made a proper apoplogy for his error.
The Speaker would not allow Mr. Milner Gibson to
read a declaration from his constituents, signed by
20,000 pe'rsons, against Sir Robert Peel's plan.
On the Belfast Election petition, which involves a
question of privilege, as it was signed by a Peer, it was
settled that the petition having been received by the
House, it had no option but to refer the petition to the
General Election Committee. Mr. Thesiger thereupon
withdrew his motion, and the petition was referred.
On going into a Committee on the Corn-laws, Mr.
Villiers brought forward his motion for the total repeal
of all duties on corn, and the House was occupied with
that subject the remainder of the evening. A consider-
able number of Members spoke, but none of much
weight, except the mover. Mr. Leader and Mr. Bro-
therton made good speeches. At twelve o'clock the
debate and the House were both adjourned.
PUBLIC OPINION.
The Herald accuses Lord Palmerston of inconsistency,
as regards his Corn-law opinions ; and remarks, with
reference to his Lordship's expression of a hope that the
people will bear their sufferings with patience—" for
forty years Lord Palmerston has contemplated these
sufferings with indifference, and now because the Im-
perial Legislature exhibits a determination to be some-
what more consistent than the Noble Lord has been, he
subjects it to his gibes and impertinence."
The Chronicle asserts that Sir Robert Peel; notwith-
standing his constant swagger about independence, is
but the " Minister of the landed interest, who, as they
put him in, can put him out, whenever they please. Sir
Robert Peel may, by his measures, please or displease,
the squirearchy ; and so long as he pleases them, he is
secure in his place ; but to independence he has no just
claim."

The Post, in the course of some comments on the
Opposition's "pain and sorrow"—as our Contemporary
phrases it—" on account of Sir Robert Peel's position,
says, "we think it not improbable that, after all, the
Whigs would not be unwilling to bear in their own
proper, persons all those marks of displeasure which
they ire so sorry that Sir R. Peel has to encounter.
Would they not like to have the indignation of the
country against them, manifested in a majority of 123 in
their favour ?"

The Times speaks in warm terms of praise of M.
Guizot's late speech in the French Chamber of Deputies,
observing—" M. Guizot's speech against M. Ducos'
motion for the extension of the electoral franchise was
one of the finest displays of that great statesman's elo-
quence, and the result shows that it was one of the most
successful orations ever addressed to a Legislative As-
sembly. It was the speech of a profound thinker, as
well as of as able Minister, and it deserves to be studied
for its solid political truth and wisdom, as well as ad-
mired for its adroit application to the critical position
of the Government."

The Advertiser remarks that the people, agitated for
years by party excitement, " yearn to repose on some
fixed system of Government, which neither of the rival
factions have as yet proposed for their consideration.
They must therefore take counsel for themselves. The
Charter is the ,first proposition of this counsel. We
mean not here to discuss the merits or defects of the pro-
position farther than to asseverate that any Charter is
better than starvation."

We take the following from the Hull Advertiser :
" The Ministerial project for the relief of the country
from the pernicious operation of the Corn-laws is at last
before Parliament and the people. A mockery—a
heartless mockery—of the sufferings of a patient and
enduring people it can only be fitly styled, if we consider
it in the light of a remedial measure ; while, looking at
it in juxta-position with the existing scale, apart from
any weighty consideration, we freely admit that Sir Ro-
berCs scale is an improvement to the extent of lopping
off some unseemly and useless exuberances."
The North Devon Journal expresses itself as follows
on Sir Robert Peel's Corn -law scheme :—" Sir Robert
Peel, as though conscious how unpalatable his proposed
measure would be, delayed to the very last to make it
known ; dwelling tediously upon all kinds of subjects
that could by the utmost straining be made to appear at
all relevant to the sliding scale. What.would have been
the conduct of an ingenuous mind in Sir Robert Peel's
situation ! Very different, we trow, from that of the
wily Baronet. He would have addressed himself at
once to the matter at issue."

The Leicester Mercury contains the following obser-
vations :—" The greatest feature in the present aspect of
public affairs, is the rapid progress of the Suffrage ques-
tion. There are indications of a brighter and batter state
of things—of a union between the middle and working
classes, at which the aristocracy will tremble, and the
prospect of which must fill the heart of every true patriot
with joy."
The Coventry Herald thus speaks of Sir Robert Peel's
Corn-law scheme :—" The speech and the plans of Peel,
are quite worthy of each other, and in perfect keeping
with the tactics by which he got into office, and has been
pursuing ever since ; for a more contemptible effort to
give an air of gravity and weight to the pretensions of a
quack, was never got up."
The Brighton Guardian says:—" It is pretty plain,
from Sir R. Peel's own speech and the observations in the
Times, that this new scale is not a final measure : that
it is, in fact, a stop-gap, and that if the people press the
Government hard, it will be found composed of squeeze-
able materials. We doubt if even the present Session
will close without it being understood that the Govern-
ment will further retrace their steps."