The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-22 00:00:00

rnE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 22, 1862.

ing which they had, till that time, been hesitating.
There appears to be a general impression in the
North that unless some visible movement be
promptly made towards the conquest of the South,
the European Governments will be likely to inter-
vene. The impression is so strong that the attempt
to possess themselves of important portions of
Southern territory, or important posts in it, is
almost certain to be made. Europe must be shown
that the North is doing its work, and that inter-
vention is uncalled for. Next month the country
will be drier; it will soon be possible, so far as
physical obstacles are concerned, for troops to
move, and if they do not the impatience of the tax-
payers will probably become unmanageable.
But, in truth, the taxpayers have hardly been
appealed to yet ; Congress seems to evade the actual
voting of a tax till the last moment. Loans and
Treasury notes it has no objection to, but it is
unwilling to commit itself to a tax. We do not
wonder at this. The difficulty is enormous. Already
Mr. LINCOLN'S own district, the North-West, is
crying out at the very prospect of being taxed
equally with New England; they attempt to show
that it would be but a nominal, not a real equality.
They also assert, which is true enough, that with
the MoRILL tariff, and as manufacturing States, the
New England people were making comparative for-
tunes out of the war, while the corn markets of the
North-West had been injured by it. It seems very
probable that the attempt to impose a property or
income tax, which, by the constitution, must be
equal all over the States, would, on account of its
practical inequality, be met by non-payment, and,
if persisted in, by something little short of another
rebellion. The one thing needed to smooth all, is,
such manifest success as should silence every com-
plaint in the exultation whioh would quickly
follow.

Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE has already baptised the
present session—it is to be called, " The Private
Members' Session." Government, he says, has
taken to the pleasant occupation of lying on its
oars, so that unless private members were to be
allowed to go on with their little reforms, he did
not see how the house was to employ itself till
the first of June. The only way by which the

session could escape the reproach of doing no-
thing was, he thought, by giving full scope
to the private members. These remarks were
dropped as a little piece of advice to Mr. NEWDE-
GATE, who, he thought, "showed a settled dispo-
sition to harass Mr. HADFIELD." Now Mr. HAD-
FIELD has before the House a little reform, so

small and yet so pre-eminently reasonable, that
hitherto the Commons have given it several times

unopposed readings, and the Lords only turned it
out last Session on the principle of " the smallest
reforms thankfully rejected."
His Bill is for the repeal of a declaration on
taking municipal and other offices, that the person

making it will do nothing in virtue of his office to
injure the Established Church, or to disturb its
ecclesiastical personages in any of their legal
rights. It is chiefly against municipal officers that
the declaration is directed. Thus, the second section
of the Act enacts, "That every person who shall
hereafter be placed, elected, or chosen in or to the
office of mayor, alderman, recorder, bailiff, town
clerk, or common councilman, in or to any office
or magistracy, or place, trust, or employment re-
lating to the rgovernment of any city, corpora-
tion, borough, or cinque port within England and
Wales, or the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, shall
within one calendar month next, before or upon
his admission into any of the aforesaid offices or
trusts, make and subscribe the declaration." And
again, the fourth section enacts(withreference to the
second only), that, " If any person placed, elected or
chosen into any of the aforesaid offices or places
shall omit or neglect to make and subscribe the said
declaration in manner above mentioned, such
placing, election or choice shall be void, and that
it shall not be lawful for such person to do any act
in the execution of the office or place into which he
shall be so chosen, elected or placed." But in re-
gard to Cabinet Ministers and all persons of high
military and naval rank, who have to make the
same—they are allowed six months before they are
required to make it! The fact is that these higher
offices have an annual indemnity bill
passed in order to protect them from the
penal consequences of neglecting the very
law which is enforced rigidly against municipal
officers within a period too short for the bill to be
of any avail to them ! Can legislation be
more one sided ? The high officers of State
are persons of far more influence than the local
town councillor or alderman, yet for the great man
impunity is secured ; for the inferior man there is
no relaxation of the law.
It was acknowledged by the Lords themselves
that the declaration was useless. Lord DERBY on
that very ground declined to argue the question,
though he voted for what he pronounced of little
importance. But Lord CHELMSFORD openly said
that while it did no good to the Church, its object
was to show the predominance of the Established
Church, and to be a bridle on Dissenters. In fact,
the Nevus Dominus proposed the rejection of Mr.
HADFIELD'S bill, and carried his motion by a majo-
rity of ten—on the ground of the honour to the
Church, and of course corresponding insult to all
Catholics and other Dissenters implied in the decla-
ration.

But really, we would put it to their Lordships,
whether this is the day to preserve usages of any
kind which are no substantial advantage to the
Church, while they irritate all who do not be-
long to it? As the Church has so many
advantages on its side, so much power, and so
much wealth—ought not the Churchmen
rather to make a declaration that they will not in-
jure Dissenters as by law tolerated. Is it not a
pitiful sight—the Church, which has the Crown as
its supreme head, its bishops in the House of
Lords, all the State ecclesiastical wealth in its pos-
session—is it not pitiful to see this Church look-
ing down on the despised Dissenter, and de-
manding of him a declaration to do her
no harm. To us the declaration seems one
which a really strong Church might well blush
to ask. For her own credit's sake it ought to be
repealed. It came in the place of the tests im-
posed by the old test and Corporation Act, and,
like them, it ought to be consigned to the limbo of
the old persecuting enactments. We trust the
Lords will have the good sense to see it in this
light.

OSBORNE, Feb. 21.—The Queen attended by
Lady Augusta Bruce and Major •General Seymour, drove
out yesterday.
The Earl and Countess Verulam have arrived
at Critchill House, Dorset, on a visit to Mr. and Lady
Charlotte Sturt.
Lord and Lady Foley will leave town early next
week on a visit to the Duke of Rutland at Belvcir Castle.

Lord and Lady Sondes and family will come to
town on Tuesday next from Elmham Hall, Norfolk, for
the season.

Lord Wenlock has taken a residence in Upper
Belgrave-street. The noble lord and her ladyship will
come to town early next month for the season from Esorick
Park, Yorkshire.
Lora and Lady Colchester have issued cards for
dinner parties this evening and Monday next at their resi-
dence in Berkeley-square.
The Speaker will give his second rarliamentary
dinner this evening at Westmiuster ralsoi