The Sun.
London, England, 1837-01-09 00:00:00

the claims of poor Ireland—we should bend cur whole
attention. We should agitate them dailr, and brill,
them before the public mind in as many forms as pos-
..cinecially at the present moment, when
sible, more
speculation is busy with the ,7 vents of the approaching
session. 'Tis sound doctrine to strike w,t'..le2 the iron
is hot ; ritttl tiolY is the time to impress on Minister:'
the necessity of making the Ballot and Triennial Par-
liament open questions—now, while opinion is so loud
and so general in their behalf.

Sir JOHN MAXWELL, who was the chairman of
the Glasgow Dinner, made many pertinent and forcible
remarks on the all-engrossing subject of Reform. Sir
JOHN is a steadfast, trustworthy Liberal ; one who
neither precedes, nor lags behind, his age. He is
Reformer, not from fashion, but from principle ; hence
he can give reasons for the faith that is in him. We
sec that he is about to stand for Renfrewshire. We
trust he vv.!! by successful ; for his addren, which we
have read, breathes a fine? frank, manly spirit.
He does not mince matters, or toll> in ambiguous
hustings' phrase ; but states boldly and unequivocally,
what he is, and what he is not. He is no trimmer—
no manifesto-mongering Tory--no waiter on the chap-
ter of acc-dents—but a Reformer of the honest, down-
right school—an advocate for triennial Parliaments—
for an extension of the suffrage—and for clapping a
muzzle on the incorrigible House of, Peers. Thus re-
commended, the worthy Baronet cannot fail to suc-
ceed with the Renfrewshire Reformers.

The attempt on the part of a few hot-headed Irish
Tories to revive the defunct Orange Societies in the
sister kingdom," has turned out a complete failure.
We were told some time ago in the magniloquent lan-
guage which that tiny party generally employs, and
which contrasts so beautifully with its 'own insignifi-
cance, that the new Association—nick-named " Pro-
testant"—was to throw into the shade all the asso•
ciations, confederacies, and combinations, that ever
were formed to support the grand principle of
" ascendancy." Not only were all the members
of the old lodges to be re-incorporated under a new
name, but every Protestant in Ireland, whether Epis-
copalian, Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist, or
Quaker, was to rally round an institution possessing so
remarkably national a character T.
Well, what has been the result of all this prognosti-
cating gasconade ? A meeting thinly attended, and
shirked by every person of importance—we
might even say, respectability—belonging to the
party, was held in Dublin many months ago,
by way of giving the tone to the country. The little
influence that such a meeting might have had, was de-
stroyed by the appearance on the platform of that pious
vagabond O'SULLIVAN, who never fails to damn
every cause on which he fastens himself, and of whose
OKertions on that occasion some of his friends showed
their sense by not reporting a single word of a two
hours' oration delivered by the said O'SULLIVAN.
We have heard little or nothing of the " Protestant
Association" since that time. No branch associations
that we are aware of have been formed. A general
disinclination seems to have prevailed among the Tories
to connect themselves with the new adventure, and a
complete damper has been thrown upon the hopes of
the mischievous gang who originated the scheme.
That this is the true state of the case,. and no fan-
ciful or over-charged picture of ours, is as clear as day-
light—as clear as the confession of the mouth-pieces
of the. clique can make it. At a meeting held the
other day at a place called Omagh in the county of
Tyrone, for the purpose of formino, a County Conser-
vative Association, and at which the Marquis of
ABERCORN, a Scotch Lord distinguished for the
amount of his wealth and the thickness of his
scull, presided, there were grievous lamentations uttered
over the lukewarmness of the Protestants in this good
cause. The Rev. GREY PORTER let out the truth
in a speech delivered at this meeting. The Rev. Gen-
tleman insisted very strongly that there was nothing
but union, determination, and every thing that
there should be, among Protestants of all denomi-
nations, adding, with immovable gravity of counte-
nance, that " Strong delusion seems for the moment
to have overtaken some men of renown—men of
reputed understanding—men of stake, who have
hoisted neutral colours, afraid to unite themselves
with Conservatives—afraid to shake hands with
the Radicals—too honest to betray us with a kiss,
and too proud to associate with Republican Repealers.
Let them beware—their case is directly the contrary
of Conservative, for their neutrality is hatching eggs
which will destroy themselves.—(Hear.) Such tem-
porising' policy—such coquetting and indecision, is
not suited to the spirit of the age—the march of intel-
lect." This is,no doubt; very encouraging to the Tories,
and a sure and certain sign of indissoluble union I

On Thursday last, the respectable and influential
inhabitants of Belfast and its vicinity gave a public
dinner to Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD, M.P., in tes-
timony of their approbation of the straightforward con-
duct of that Hon. Gentleman. Mr. CRAWFORD has,
unquestionably, great claims upon the gratitude of the
Irish people ; and if he continue in the course
which he is now pursuing, those claims will ex-
tend to every other portion of the empire. By
waiving minor differences . of opinion among them-
selves—by carefully eschewing whatever threatens to
disunite the reformed interest—by advancing in a body,
and with determined energy, whenever a great point
is to be carried—and, above all, by presenting a firm
front to the Tories, can the Liberals only hope to
achieve for the people the blessings of good govern-
ment. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD, in the course of
his recent misunderstanding with Mr. O'CONNELL, has
shown that he is capable of sacrificing his private feel.
ings upon the altar of public good, and thereby proved
himself worthy of the confidence which the country
reposes in him. But what we most admire in his con-
duct is the oal with which he advocates the right of
the poor to relief from the soil. His manly and con-
sistent advocacy of a Poor-law for Ireland, is
sufficient to entitle him to the respect of all,
who desire to promote the real happiness of
the oppressed and famished population of that coun-
try. As he has made this question in some measure
his own, the people of England expect from him un-
remitting exertion in bringing it before Parliament.
The sympathies in his favour are confined to the par-
tizans of no faction or party. They pervade the
breasts of all who have reflected deeply upon the
chief causes of Irish misery and degradation.

The whole of the French Papers of Thursday, Fri-
day and Saturday, have been received. The Moni-
teur continues to publish congratulatory addresses to
King Louis PHLLIPPE on his providential delive-
rance from the attack of the assassin MEIJNIER. The
Paix contains the following paragraph respecting this
affair :

" It is now positive that Meunier has made important
disclosures. He belonged to several secret societies, and
his name appears in the lists found at the residences of
Blanqui and Lamieusseus. We are even assured that in
these lists four persons named Meunier appear to be in-
scribed, one of them with the Christian names of Fr. Pierre.
The last of these names, however, is not perfectly legible ;
the initial-P. alone is distinctly written. We arc now war-
ranted in believing that the object of these secret societies
was regicide ; and, as this presumption is.justified by the
appearance of a regicide's name in the lists found in the
possession of men condemned by a Court of Assizes, and
proved to have belonged to secret societies, the Government
would burthen itself with a serious responsibility, were it to
neglect applying to the Chambers for preventive measures
to counteract the horrid machinations of such associations."

The prospect which this statement exposes to the
Royal Family of France is indeed frightful. No vigi-