The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-29 00:00:00

in Eagl::nd, what would they kel if conversion to
Poper.y were punished aa felony ? Well, they nc:w

sce that were 2ot far from On mark. A little time
sir.(.o a noble foreigner comes, most houourethlr
ue-
put::3 from G-cneva, to solicit English interverYlien
with CIL? GRAIID DUKE through the ProtPatamt Alli-

arc: byly with whose partizan proce.,dinr we
have neither felt nor shown any sympathy. He bore,

however, a letter of the most reasonable kind, ad-
dressed to the Chairman of the Alliance, the Earl
of SHAFTESI3UILY, which, at the request of the
Noble Lord, appeared in all the leading morning
_ _

• - -
journals. A deputation of highly - respectable
noblemen and gentlemen was appointed to visit

Tuscany, and intercede with the GRAND Du for

the liberation of the prisoners. Amongst these, was
Sir CULLING EARDLEY, who, probably expecting

only to put him in the wrong, writes to Mr.
Lucas, M.P. for Meath, and Editor of the Tablet, to

know from him, in writing, whether he might convey
to the DUKE any expressions of indignation from Mr.
Lucas, at his gross and barbarous violation, not
merely of religious equality, but of the humblest
measure of toleration. Mr. LUCAS had been amongst
the loudest in raising the Religious Equality cry ;

hence, as is universally confessed, Sir CULLING'S re-
quest was pre-eminently reasonable. Mr Lucas had
himself agreed that " the first step towards attaining
the blessing of secure homes and safe altars, must be
the destruction of everything in the shape of privilege,
Precedency, monopoly, or unfair advantage on the
Part of the Established Church." How, then, does
the pupil of the Jesuits wriggle himself out of his
awkward position? Why, with about three columns
of irrelevant scolding, and one argument ad rem—this
to wit, that persecution is a question of majorities and
minorities ! If the Government be absolutely Catholic
—lf, as in Tuscany, it has in times pjst burnt and
banished Protestants out of the land—then it is no
persecution to punish those who become Protestants,
and who would, like honest men, teach what they be-
lieve 1 If so, asihredly Catholic Emancipation was a
blunder; and earnest Protestants, taught by Mr.
Lucas, will exclude every Catholic from the slightest
share in the government of the country. The Revs.
STOWELL and MACNEALE will know how to brandish
Mr. Lucas's arguments at Exeter Hall. What Mr.
LUCAS lacks in argument, however, we are sorry to
see, he can make up in a M'HALE style of abuse : to
make men Protestants, is the work of " souping,
swindling, mammon proselytism ;" it is " to make men
devils, or anything, if
it were possible, that is worse,
rather than allow them to save their souls in the pure
way in which their fathers worshipped GOD." We
fancy Mr. LUCAS has given the coup de grace to the
religious equality movement. If he be its representa-
tive, the hoax is too transparent.
We dare say Mr. LUCAS may be acquainted with
another fact or two, of which, however, we take the
liberty to remind him. An old tried and ardent ad-
vocate of Catholic Emancipation, a writer and speaker
of high standing, whose avowed creed for Ireland was,
disendow all sects,or endow all equally, was in the last
Parliament member for Bradford. He had voted
against the disendowment of Maynooth, by which he
lost some hot anti-Catholic voters, but, unpardonable
sin !—he had voted that the Pope of Rome should not
have the liberty of forging titles out of English ter-
ritory. For this he could never be forgiven. Tuscan
mercies only for such Protestants ! Well, an opponent
to Col. THOMPSON was put forward, a nominee of the
Orange Vicar,;and the Orange Club; pledged against
Maynooth to the backbone. No matter. The real
advocate of equality for Catholics must be punished
at all hazards. Accordingly, the priest and the Ca-
tholics, in obedience, it was credibly rumoured, to a
missive from Cardinal WISEMAN, watch the contest
till near its close. The run is close, Col. Tuo:scirsosi
is a-head ; but at the eleventh hour, down comes the
priest with thirty-six voters, who had always voted on
the liberal side before, and ejects by a majority of six
their real friend, the liberal Col. Taomrsorr, in
favour of the Orange Club nominee. To gratify
the meanest, most malevolent spite—spite worthy
only of the beings amongst whom Mr. Lucas
classes unhappy Protestants, the father of Free Trade
and one of the ablest Liberals in the House of Com-
mons, is ousted to make room for an intellectual and
political Nobody, (worthy iron-master though he
be,) sod a pledged foe to their Catholic equally
Only a year or two before, Sir CULLING EARD-
LEY, when a candidate for the West Riding, was pro-
bably himself a victim to the same sectarian spite.
He had been an active theological opponent of
Popery. When, however, he appeared as a candidate,
he consistently avowed firmly the same views on Re-
ligious Equality at the hustings which he had always
maintained on the platform; his theological warfare
wi'h Catholics had not dimmed his perception of their
just claims as citizens. Yet it was thought that the
no Cardinal only abstained from polling,
Cardinal then to order them
avowed enemy
Ct(
of ao
vote
h o t l
hi cef
oy
r vote
ha an
dr s
to their social rights,)
were about sufficient to have given Sir CULLING a
majority. If Catholics will pursue this spiteful con-
wpoi.llitipcalaleferiends, from pure vindictive-
nessd excludeue
rc
s t
e,; Orangemen in power, and
will, in addition, defend the most cruel
pciuifftittothhhneeelyyrwbere their religion is dominant, and
refuse to show any British feeling of the rights of
conscience, let them not be surprised if they be dealt
with according to their deeds, rather than according
to their words. Tuscany and Bradford will not soon
be forgotten. We have emaacipated the Catholic:
from penalties ; let them emancipate themselves from
the bitterness, bigotry, and sectarian selfishness of a
bygone age ;—or it will be thought that those need
another CROMWELL who understand not the blessing
of living under Queen VICTORIA.

FUNERAL OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.—SeStS
will be erected around the parish church of St. Mary-le-
Strand, the proceeds of whisk will ba appropriated to the
parochial charities.
Her Majesty's ships of war, in going up or down
Channel, continue to drop their colours half-mast high on
passing Dover Castle, and the same ceremony is also ob-
served in passing Walmer Castle.
RETIREMENT OF MR. INSPECTOR FIELD, CHIEF CF
THE DETECTIVE DEPARTMENT OF METROPOLITAN POLICE.
—After long and arduous service of twenty-four years in the
employment of the government, this meritorious officer re-
tires on the good service pension. His urbanity of manners
and conciliatory disposition endeared him to all those con-
nected with him both in and out of office ; and he leaves the
service with the most valuable of all advantages, a good name
and irreproachable character.
THE GLOBE INSURANCE COMPANY.—The half-

yearly meeting of the proprietors of the Globe Insurance
Company, was held yesterday at the offices in Cornhill, and
the usual dividend at the rate of six per cent. per annum,
free of income-tax was declared. The chairman (Mr. Fresh-
field, M.P.), in the course of his address to the meeting, gave
a favourable account of the progress and present position of
all the departments of the Company's business, and of the
results which had attended the revised scheme of life
insurance. A vote of thanks was passed to the chairman,
deputy-chairman. and directors.
PASSING COUNTERFEIT COlN.—Yesterday evening
an adjourned meeting of the Committee of the Tradesmen's
National Protection Association for the prosecution of per-
sons passing counterfeit coin, was held for the dispatch of
business, at the house of Mr. George Waite one of the di-
rectors, in Shoe-lane. During the short period which has
elapsed since the organization of this body, the knowlege
of its objects and intentions has extended to a large con-
nexion of tradesmen and merchants engaged in extensive
ways of business, from all of whom the warmest expres-
sions of approval and ready co-operation have been received
The supineness of the law officers of the Mint in exerci-
sing that particular part of the functions of a public
prosecutor !which is devolved upon them, has at length
produced the necessary amount of inconvenience in
public affairs to occasion an effort, by combination, to per-
form them ; and in the vigorous operations of this associa-
tion will henceforth lie the great security which the public
must look to from the systematic victimization of the utterers
of base coin. At the present time, the machinery of the
association is almost ready for immediate working, and con-
sidering the enormous anount of fraud which is willingly
submitted to, rather than incur the annoyances and cost of a
prosecution, it is impossible to believe that the public will
not largely avail themselves of the admirable aids which this
association proposes to afford, by the exercise of which alone
society can be delivered from one of its most virulent plagues.
The chair was taken by Mr. William Kirk, the chairman of
the association. Two directors were added to the list, and
arrangements settled for immediate business. Mr. Brad don
the solicitor to the association, announced that he had that
day submitted the rules and regulations to Mr. Wm. Payne,
the counsel of the association, and that that gentleman had
approved them.
DESTRUCTION OF THE LATE CHARTIrT'S HALL say
FETE.—This morning about two o'clock the Assembly Rooms
of Webber-row, Blackfriar's-road, were discovered on tire by
a policeman. The flames spread most furiously. and ere the
arrival of Mr. Braidwood, Mr. Connorton, Mr. Henderson,
and others with several engines of the Brigade and West of
England firemen, the whole building and contents were en-
veloped in flames. On the arrival of the firemen every endea-
vour was made to prevent the extension of destruction, but
the fire extended its fury to the adjoining houses in Black-
friars-road, as also Webber-row. The engines being kept,
however, constantly in operation, by five o'clock the fire was
extinguished, not, however, until the entire destruction of
the lecture-room, dancing-room, and (vay valuable. A
coffee shop also, adjoining, taken but recently by a Mr. But-
cher, was also greatly damaged, as also the house of Mr.
Smith, Blackfriars-road, a chemist and druggist. The assem-
bly-rooms, let occasionally to Southwell, the lecturer, are
not insured; and as to the cause of the calamity, nothing
could be ascertained. A meeting had been held in the
rooms on the previous evening, and upon the company
leaving, all was left apparently perfectly safe. Insurances
were partly effeoted in the Sun, West of England, and other
offices.