The Sun. — 1839-10-17 (London, England)

ALLEGED ROBBERY AND AT TEMPTED MURDER IN HYDE-PARE.  On Tuesday evening last about half-past six o'clock, Knight, one of the boatmen belonging to the Royal Humane Society, was standing on the bank of the Serpentine, near the boathouse, when he heard a faint cry of " Boat, boat !" coming apparently from the bridge. In a moment or two the cry was repeated in a louder key. He then got into one of the boats and immediately pushed off in the direction of the bridge, and when he had got near the second arch on the south side he with some difficulty discerned (the evening being very dark) the head of a man bobbing up and down in the water. Knight then threw out his grapnel!, and had dragged the body to the boat-side when he was joined by Superintendent Williams, and they together got him into the boat.  (From the Morning Advertiser.) The calm which at present prevails in the political world is, we fear, of an ominous character. We are apprehensive it portends no good to the cause of Liberal principles and good government. The lethargy with which the minds of the Movement party seem to have been recently seized is not only calculated to inspire alarm, but is altogether unaccountahle at such a moment as the present. It is clear that we are on the verge of a great political crisis—one not merely involving the destinies of this country, but of the civilized world itself. See the position of the two great parties into which the Legislature and the people of England are divided. Is not the strength of the friends and foes of those principles, on the ascendancy or overthrow of which the greatness, and glory, and well-being of England manifestly bang, so nicely balanced in the House of Commons, the arena in which the battle is to be fought, that it is difficult to say which party shall have to boast of a majority when the first great trial of strength shall take place ? At this moment the Liberal party are understood to have a majority of from eight to ten. But who shall say what the chapter of accidents and the allurements of Tory corruption may bring about before the month of February—the period, it is understood, when the sessional campaign shall commence ? A few favourable single elections—and the Tories are usually successful in isolated struggles—will suffice to turn the scale against the Liberals ; or, if that should not occur, have we not reason to apprehend that there are at least some half-dozen professedly Liberal M.P.'s whose virtue—if the term be not a misnomer— is purchasable by Carlton gold ? At all events there can scarcely be a doubt that if the Reform party continue much longer in their present culpably supine state, the powers of corruption will in some way or other triumph when the trial of strength takes place between the antagonist parties. And let the Tories only once succeed in obtaining a majority in the representative branch of the Legislature, and then farewell to a Liberal Government for an indefinite period. With a friendly House of Lords, a dispirited people, and a manacled helpless Sovereign, a Tory House of Commons, instigated by a Tory Ministry, would be all-powerful for any amount of mischief; and might protract their despotic ascendancy in the Councils of the country for a long series of years. These, we are well aware, will prove unpalatable observations to many of the friends of freedom. We cannot help that : the question is, are they true ? Unhappily they are too true ; and though the truth is not always to be told, it is wholesome to tell it in the present instance. They who would give a different representation of matters in the present case are either very injudicious friends of the Liberal cause, or its bitter enemies, however loud and reiterated may be their protestations of attachment to it. But it will he asked, what is to be done to avert the destruction with which the interests of Liberalism are menaced? There can only be one answer to the ques-