DISCUSSION OF THE SUBJECT IN PARLIAMENT. 413 



civil country, — a nation opposed in constitution, 

 habits, feelings, and desires, to the despotic states 

 of the Continent, still it was found that all distinc- 

 tions were almost exclusively conferred upon military 

 and naval officers. There were no orders to reward 

 the man of genius and of science ; none to pay him 

 for the halo he gave to the name of England. There 

 were few men of eminence (whose pursuits were civil) 

 Knights of the Bath ; they were, indeed, few and far 

 between. Although there were five orders, — the 

 Garter, the Thistle, St. Patrick, the Bath, and the 

 fifth, a new one, St. Michael and St. George of the 

 Ionian Islands, yet there was not one to give honour 

 to the man of genius and talent. It was quite dif- 

 ferent on the Continent ; there was found the man 

 of literary eminence in his proper place; if they went 

 to Prussia they found him honoured ; if to France, 

 highly and nobly distinguished. England stood alone, 

 and yet she was a civil country.* {Hear, hear)." 



(283.) This speech, which in our opinion places 

 the inconsistency of our honorary distinctions in a 

 new. and forcible light, as being utterly at variance 

 with the nature of our government, was answered 

 by another distinguished member, who in the late 

 administration was one of the chief advisers of the 

 crown. This reply deserves great attention, not 

 only from its nature, but as revealing to us those 

 sentiments entertained in the highest circles, which 

 have hitherto guided the government on all questions 

 influencing the science of the country, and from 

 which has resulted its present humiliation. The 



* Taken from « The Sun," April 19. 1834. 



