The Sun.
London, England, 1837-11-29 00:00:00

(COPY.)

" 55, Denmark-street, 23d February, 1837.
" Sir—l am sorry to say that Mr. Quin has informed me
that he does not intend to set the farm of Limbric to your
brother, and I have reason to believe that such intention is not
upon account of any personal objection to either your brother
or to you (as his security), but that his Roman Catholic tenants
have in general given him every opposition in their power, both
as to the payment of the tithe that he has been obliged by law
to pay for them, and also in any general election for the county
of Wexford, which I think has nearly determined him from
setting in future to persons of that persuasion:
" You will, therefore, inform your brother what I men-
tion, and say that unless he can change Mr. Quin's present
sentiments, he had better not do any spring work in the farm,
as possession will be demanded.-:-Yours truly,
" < SANDAM SYMES.
" Mr. Edward Doyle, merchant, Gorey.'
" Who, after this, will talk of peace in Ireland, or of trea-
son against the Constitution ?"

Mr. •HumE last night called the attention of the
House of Commons to the fees paid to witnesses exa-
mined by Committees of the House in cases of con-
tested elections. From the statement of the Hon.
Member, there appear to be good grounds for an
enquiry into this matter. In election petitions, as
in many other cases where the law is said to have
provided a remedy for an evil, it often happens
that the remedy is merely a nominal one, because in
practice it is found by its expensiveness to be the
greater evil. In excuse or defence of the dearness of
law, which in fact amounts to a denial of justice to the
poor, it is sometimes said that it is a good thing to
discourage litigation, and that dear law has this effect.
We have never been able to discover any sound
foundation for this theory. On the contrary, we arc
inclined to think that the easier the means cf redress,
the less will be the disposition to do wrong ; anti
that those are the best friends of peace, and the wisest
improvers of our institutions, who labour to bring
clown the price of justice, and also to render it in other
ways accessible to all classes of the community.
But to return to the subject in hand. It was stated
by Mr. HUME that great abuses had crept into prac-
tice in the payment of election fees. For every wit-
ness examined the regular charge is half-a-crown ; but
an ingenious plan has been devised for multiplying the
half-crowns without increasing the number of wit-
nesses. Thus we find in one instance_ mentioned by
Mr. flumE, nineteen witnesses producing four hun-
dred and eighty-seven half-crown. The way in which
this is managed is by charging the fee every time
the witness opens his mouth—be it but to say
yes cr no—provided the examination has been inter-
rupted ; every re-examination of the same witness being
held to he the same as the examination of a new one.
By this means, in the case alluded to; the sum of
21.7:x. 6d. allowed by the standing rule, is swelled to
601. 17s. 6d.

Again, a fee of two shillings is allowed on the pro-
duction of a d3cument ; but let the same paper be
produced a thousand times, so often must the
fee be repeated. By such means was the amount of
the fees in this particular case increased from 100/.
to 1,000/.

On the suggestion of Mr. WARBURTON, Mr.
HumE included in his motion the fees paid to
Counsel. The motion thus enlarged was agreed to,
and a Select Committee to inquire into the subject
appointcd.

The Clergy of Cheitet7ham have shown great ala-
crity in exciting prejudice against ally plan of national
education that may be brought forward by the present
Government. This was only what Lord MELBOURNE
had to expect from a body of men who are more hos-
tile to improvement, and more active in exciting bad
feelings between Churchmen and Dissenters, than any
other class in the community. The imputations
against the Government were embodied in a petition
which was very properly entrusted to the Bishop of
LONDON, and which be presented to the House of
Lords with due effect. This is only a fresh specimen
of the fair dealing of an influential portion of that con-
stituency which, according to Lord JOHN RUSSELL,
ought to have the preponderance. Mr. WYSE, the
Member for Waterford, and the unwearied advocate
of a general system of education, had, at a late meet-
ing at Cheltenham, spoken favourably of the plan
adopted by some Continental States to remove one
great obstacle to the amalgamation of Protestants
and Catholics—the dread of proselytism in schools.
The party who have hitherto been hostile to
every attempt to remove the disabilities of Catho-
lics, and to promote harmony between the two great
denominations of Christians, pretend alarm at the plan
recommended by Mr. NYSE ; but with their usual
candour and fairness, do not cast the blame on him
but on the Government, and infer that the Central
Society of Education and her Majesty's Ministers
have formed the design of bringing forward a Govern-
ment plan of national education which shall be com-
pulsory, and exclude the Bible, not only in its entire
form, but in short selections. The logic by which they
come to such a conclusion is well adapted to the under-
standing of a vast proportion of their hearers. It is
the plan of Mr. WYSE. Mr. WYSE and the LORD
CHIEF JUSTICE are members of the Central Society,
and supporters of the Government, and therefore it is
the plan of the Central Society and the Government.
By a similar perversion of facts, the uneducated pea-
santry were made to believe that the abolition of Church-
rates would lead to the destruction of their parochial
churches, and the desecration of the tombs of their fore-
fathers.

There is just as much truth in the one inference as the
other, and the Lord Bishop of LONDON, and the" able,
learned, and efficient clergymen" of Cheltenham know
it. No ! The clergy have no such apprehension ; but
they apprehend that they are about to be deprived of
that monopoly which they have so long perverted to
their own purposes, and of the baneful effects of which
the monstrous abuses that prevailed in our educational
charities, previous to the Commission obtained by Lord
BROUGITAM, are such signal proofs. They know
that there never was a body of men with such means
and opportunities that have done so little for the pro-
motion of education—that they have done nothing to