The Sun.
London, England, 1838-04-27 00:00:00

the machinery, if that were necessary. Now that it is
necessary, the Doctor himself proves, because all his
efforts are directed to that end. The present appeal
has been set in motion by a desire to improve the
machinery. He blames the Ministers and others,
then, for doing the only thing which, according to him
KNOX and CRANMER left for the reformers of our
day to do, and which he is doing himself. He may
not be breaking the machinery ; but he is precisely one
of these little-minded men, as contra-distinguished from
the great reformers, who are busy about the machinery
of the Church only.
But is it true that KNOX and CRANMER left nothing
further to Reform ? It may be very proper for the
TETzELLS, the GARDINERS, and the BONNERS of
cur day to assert that there is nothing to amend " in
the theology of the Churches," " nothing in their
prayers," and but " little in their books and services ;"
but that opinion is not shared by the Dissenters from
the Churches, who now crowd every part of the Empire,
and who loudly contend in Scotland, as well as in
England, and Ireland as well as in England and
Scotland, that the Churches still require in
those points, where Dr. CHALNIERS says they
are nearly perfect, considerable reform. It is
rot for us now to enter into the subject ; but we
hold it to be susceptible of demonstration, that the two
Churches of England and Scotland, in all those essen-
tial points tO which Dre CHALMRRS referred, in rela-
tion to the present knowledge of the world, now stand
quite as much in need of Reform tts the Papal Church
required Reform in the sixteenth century. But it is
the business of the Clergy, not of Statesmen, to effect
"Worm, and some Clergy, such as the Rev. Mr.
NOEL, seem sensible of its necessity. Dr. CHALMERS
in fact, admitted more tlttn once, that the pre-
sent generation of Clergy is improved, in compari-
son to the past generation, and thereby gave us a
warrant for doubt, if their present merits are
that perfection which he described them to be. What•
„7 there may be in the services, or doettines, or
theology ot4 the Churchesreform, which requires
the
retention of the Ait22.flasian Creed, for example, the
still speaking of the Almighty bl-::t as one God, having
a poor superiority in a hierarchy of Goo;
—having a
limited and a local habitation, with power at the foot,
of his throne, but not equally over and through all
space—all these points should be remedied by the
priesthood, and not by. politicians ; and that Dr.
CHALMERS neglects his duty to make these improve-
ments, for the purpose of usurping the functions of
politicians, and to augment the machinery of Chris •
tian instruction, is a greater reproach to him than
any he has justly thrown on the Ministers. When we
are sensible, too, of the ambitious or the political
motives which prompt the Reverend Lecturer, we '
at once conclude that it is far more honourable now
to be, as a politician, the reformer of the machinery
for teaching Christianity, than as a priest to be for-
ward in denying the necessity of improvement in the
theology, doctrine, and discipline of the Churches.
We must, in conclusion, say that the Rev. Doctor's
allusion to CONSTANTINE was for his purposes
most unhappy. The clergy of the age of CONSTAN-
TINE bartered Christianity for State protection, and
inoculated it with superstition to obtain the smiles of
the Imperial despot. Does Dr. CHALMERS recom-
mend that conduct to imitation ?

Those among our readers who may happen to have
read SIP. FRANCIS BURDETT'S speeches during his
late fool's errand to the North, cannot fail to have been
struck with the calumnious manner in which he has
expressed himself respecting Ireland. No slander—
no abuse—have been too gross for this old dotard's
lips to give utterance to. He has insulted the Irish
Catholic population en masse ; and the faith of their
ancestors; to which they cling in perfect sincerity
of heart, and which they naturally hold most
sacred, he has made the theme of vulgar, brutal
ribaldry. Was it always so ? Was there never
a period when Sir -FRANCIS BURDETT praised the
native Irish character to the skies ; paid a visit of
some length to that country ; and professed himself
" most agreeably disappointed " by what he then
heard and saw ? Let the following extract from one
of the man's own speeches in Parliament make answer
to this question. " With reference to Ireland," ob-
served the Hon. Baronet, " respecting which such
early prejudices were imbibed in this country, lie was
bound to declare that when be visited it he was
most agreeably disappointed. Generally speaking, the
Irish were as civilised as any nation on the
face of the earth, not excepting the polite French,
and as full of humanity, hospitality, and charity. He
was persuaded that Ireland was the only country in
which—if a stranger were thrown naked on the shore
—he would find shelter in the first house he came to,
and might travel through the whole island without a
penny in his pocket, and never be in want of a meal or a
night's lodging. That religion could not be bad
which prompted to such practice." And yet that same
religion, which was good in 1819, is stated by the very
same speaker, in 1838, to be debasing and intolerant
in the highest degree ; and that same people, formerly
so charitable and civilized, are now, it seems, mere
brawling, factious savages ! And thus speaking
thus turning his back on every feeling he held in his
meridian manhood—the Honourable Baronet has
the audacity gravely to tell us that he is still unchanged
in sentiment and opinion—still the same man
he ever was ! To a certain extent he is right.
He assures us, for instance, that he is now " a poor
creature and " a poor creature" he always was—
witness his pitiful conduct at Stockport a few years
since, which our readers will find duly noticed in a
letter from Sr CHARLES WOLSELEY, published in
The Sun of this day. But enough of Sir FRANCIS
BURDETT and his apostacy. It is idle to comment on
the ravings of Bedlam, which are only to be remedied
by a strait-waistcoat.

We noticed, a few days ago the arrival of Mr. WAG-
iloaN's portion of an overland dispatch from the East
Indies, bringing letters and papers to the middle of Febru-
ary from Calcutta and Madras, and to the Ist of March
from Bombay. 4

We regret to observe, upon a further perusal of the papers
Pone to hand, that the exportation of India hill-labourers, or
Coolies, has commenced in right earnest, and that the Hespe-
rus, a Liverpool ship, has already sailed from Calcutta for
Demerara, with a cargo of these poor deluded beings. It
~pppars, also. that one of them died from want of pure air,
oven before they left the Hooghly River; and Heaven knows
i.ow many may die befora they reach their destined place
( f slavery. It further appears that the Chokedars, or

Lative police—who were put on board to coerce them, we
'resume, whilst,hey remained in the river—had made a
rood thing of it by fleecing- the emigrants of a portion of
their three months' wages, which had been paid in advance.
The foilovrinz extract, however, from the Calcu!la Couritr
of the 7t, off' February will siyak for itself:—

" We have been informed by an eyewitness of certain abuses of those
Chokedars who were put on guard over the Coolies, shipped for Deme-
rara on board the Hesperus, Captain Baxter, which vessel dropped down
the river a few days ago. One of the Coolies died, and, it is alleged,
from the man having been ri fused permission by the Chokedars in guard
to come upon deck. The Coolie in question was, it appears, against his
will, kept down below during several hours of the night, notwithstanding
repeated applications by him to be permitted to breathe the fresh air ;
and within a few hours after he was, by the exertions and orders of our
informant brought on sleek, the poor creature died.
" The object of the Chokedars, in keeping these poor people below
originates, it appears, in the usual system of extortion, practised when-
ever the opportunity occurs by natives in authority ; the Coolies were
made to pay by the Chokedars pice, for the privilege of coming on deck ;
and, inasmuch as these poor people get three months advance, the Chu-
ke,:.2rs, unless watched, will make a good thing of it. 04r informant
stripped and :2:samined one or.two of the Chokedars, and found more
money upon them, 17 their own confession they possessed when
they came on board. There can he no doubt, theirefore, of the ex-
tortion practised; that the man died in consequence of being kept
below there play, however, exis; powe doubt j we have set