The Sun.
London, England, 1837-02-17 00:00:00

the hard-working curate. 'Tis rather too much, in times
like these, to be called on to pay fifteen thouiand pounds
per annum to a Church dignitary who, on a Cabinet Mi-
nister's own shewing, can " be spared" from those very
duties for which only he is paid ! Lord Jona RussELL's
argument, so far from telling in his favor, tells strongly
and directly against him. But the truth is—and this fact
stares through the thin varnish of his sophistries—he had
a rotten cause to maintain, and felt throughout his speech
an acute, mortifying consciousness of this. Hence his
petty cirpings and beggings of the question—hence his
constant flyings-off from it—hence his endless circumlocu-
tions and ambiguities of phrase. As a matter of course,
Sir ROBERT PEEL praised his speech in the highest
terms ; and well he might, for it was most happily suited to
the meridian of the Opposition Bench. We speak strongly,
because we feel warmly, on this subject. His Lordship
has taken us completely by surprise. We did not ex-
pect that he would at once express his cordial ap-
proval of Mr. LUSHINGTON'S motion ; but neither did
we expect that he would have given it such a direct
slap in the face as he did last night. Was it right
to taunt the Reformers with a desire to bring about the
" millenium," merely because they were anxious to relieve
the Bishops of certain duties, which, to conscientious
Churchmen, cannot but be deeply embarrassing ? Was
such a sneer becoming in the people's Minister—the
great organ of Parliamentary Reform ? Of a far
different character was his speech on " Irish Mu-
nicipal Reform." There, he was as frank, cordial,
and straightforward, as here, he is petulant and dogma-
tical. The remarks of Messrs. LastuNaToN, HUMS,
EWART, and BULLER, were admirable ; and those of Sir
ROBERT PEEL, but a mere variorum edition of his speech
• at Glasgow. By the bye, his flirtation with Lord Jona
RUSSELL must have greatly edified the Hotise. He looked
languishingly towards his Lordship, as much as to say,
" If you have no objection, I'll come over and sit with you
I there, one of these days." And so he will, when the sky
• falls, and it rains larks—but not till then !

The second reading of the Irish Municipal Bill comes
on to-night in the House of Commons. This is the stage
in the progress of a measure at which the principal dis-
cussion generally takes place. In the present instance it N
proposed by Lord JOHN RUSSELL that the debate should
be postponed till Monday, when the Bill goes into Com-
mittee. On that day, too, Lord FRANCIS EGERTON is to
move, as he did last year, an instruction to the Committee
for abolishing the Corporations.
The arguments by which the Noble Lord means to sup-
port his motion, we may anticipate pretty confidently from
the few hints thrown out by one of the speakers in the de-
bate on the first reading. Lord FRANCIS EGERTON will
no doubt tell us,. as Sir R. PEEL did on that occasion,
that as we cannot have an identity of legislation in the two
principal constituent parts of the empire, we have no rea-
son or right to insist upon placing Ireland on an equal
footing with England and Scotland, with respect to her m
nicipal institutions. " Before you can avail yourselves,"
said the Right Hon. Baronet," of the argument about equa-
lity of rights, you must first show that you will have a
perfect identity in legislation." This is the contemptible
species of quibbling which Sir ROBERT PEEL condescended
to have recourse to on a most important, and at the same
time a most simple question of national policy. It amounts
to neither more nor less than this, that as you cannot extend
the benefit of every Turnpike Act to Ireland, you
are justified in denying to the Irish people an
equal participation with the English and the Scotch,
in the benefits of the British Constitution, guaranteed to
them by what has been called by Sir ROBERT and his
friends—when it suited their purpose—an incorporating
union. If it really is a union of that description, it seems
a, necessary result, that the privileges of the united por-
tions should be equal, and it may be averred with truth
that this equality is not more a matter of justice
than it is of sound policy. For the most bigoted Tory
that ever existed will not have the hardihood to deny, that
it is desirable that the three great divisions of the kingdom
should be assimilated as much as possible, in habits, feelings,
manners and institutions.

Some proceedings have taken place at Gloucester with
regard to Church-rates, which we think of some importance
to the cause of religious liberty. It would appear that cer-
tain parties in the parish of St. Michael, i❑ that city, had
concocted a petition to the Legislature, in favour of the
continuance of this irreligious tax, and announced, through
the Press, on Satu;day last, that the said petition lay for
signature at the sexton's. We understand, however, that
signatures came like angel visits, and the worthy Vicar was
obliged to undertake the task of hawking it about from house
to house, by which means it is not improbable he may pick up
a few names.

In the face of this reluctance on the part of the public to
enter into the views of the Church-rate party, notice was
given in Church on Sunday that a Vestry Meeting would
be held on Thursday (yesterday) to make a Church-rate.
Accordingly a considerable number of rate-payers attended,
to hear the statement of the Church authorities, and to take
such steps thereupon as might be necessary. A rate of
2d. in the pound was demanded, and an amendment moved to
adjourn proceedings for six months, which was carried by
a majority of three to one.

After this triumph had been obtained, the victorious
party immediately collected among themselves a sum
greater than that which the rate would have produced, and
handed it over to the Churchwardens. This sufficiently
proves that the voluntary principle is quite adequate to
provide all that is required for keeping up the worship of
the Church of England in Gloucester at least.
We may remark, as we are on this subject, that the
directors of the meeting which is to be held to-morrow at
the Freemasons' Tavern, to petition against the abolition
of Church-rates, Lord ASHLEY in the chair, have taken
the wise precaution of excluding all who are not provided
with tickets issued by them. This is the true way to pack
a meeting. The Church-rate people are sure of having it
all their own way.

The Citizen KING has dismissed Marshal CLAUSEL
from the command of the French possessions in Africa.
The Royal Ordinance announcing the dismissal of the fire-
eating veteran is dated the 12th instant, and appears inithe
Moniteur of Wednesday, followed by a decree appointing
General DAMREMONT as the Marshal's successor. M.
DAMREMONT is at present in Africa, having been sent there
by the KING, previouS to the Constantine expedition, at the
head of a body of troops, with secret instructions to thwart
the Marshal on every occasion, with a view to provoke him
to resign. The plot failed ; probably because CLAUSEL
had friends at Court, who gave him timely notice of the in-
trigue. At all events, when General DAMREMONT arrived
in Africa, CLAUSEL so received him as to remove -every
ground for a misunderstanding between them ; and when
subsequently DAMIREMONT, in accordance with his instruc-
tions, proceeded to act without consulting the Viceroy, the
Marshal plainly gave him to understand that he would exert
his authority to the utmost, before he would relinquish tho
power entrusted to him. This was equivalent to a decla-
ration that he would send the General under an order of
arrest back to France, if he dared to usurp functions which
he felt no disposition to part with. A pretext, therefore,
was only wanting for the dismissal of CLAUSEL, and the
affair of Constantine came opportunely to supply it. By
sending General DAMREMONT to Algiers, the KING plainly
intimated to CLAUSEL that his resignation was earnestly
desired. The Cabinet did not then think itself in a condi-
tion to venture upon a more direct act of censure, as the
Marshal had many powerful supporters in both Chambers
CLAUSEL knew all this, and therefore he determined to re
tain a post of which he imagined neither the KING nor his
Ministers would dare to deprive him.

It is reported that the French Chamber of Deputies
would willingly unite with the KING in a scheme for con-
fining the power of France in Africa to Algiers, Oran,
Bona, and Bugia. The opinions of M. DuPIN on the folly
of -the African conquest and colonization schemes have
made a powerful impression upon the minds of the French
Deputies. The KING himself is no longer the enthusiast
he was on the subject of African colonization. In the first
place, the expense would be enormous, so that the whole of
the revenues of France would be swallowed up in a colonial
enterprise. Secondly, the prosecution of the war in the
interior would involve France in a quarrel with the Porte,
whose tributaries the inhabitants are. And, lastly, were
the scheme to succeed, France would only have raised up
a rival power, whose first political act would be to declare
itself independent of the mother country. These are facts
which have not escaped the attention of the KING.
On Tuesday night the eldest son of M. GUIZOT, Minis-
ter of Public Instruction, died of consumption in Paris.