The Sun.
London, England, 1836-08-31 00:00:00

charity. But there is another point of view in which
it is useful to look at this subject. The Irish Agita-
tors in this country have been of late very desirous of
persuading the English Dissenters that they are stre-
nuous advocates for the voluntary system, and that
they wish to see religion stripped of all its wordly
blandishments, and reduced to the primitive state of
apostolic simplicity. Does Dr. M'Hale, he who de-
lights in beim:, saluted as " your Grace," and who as-
sumes a mitre fit to sparkle on the brows of the Pope
himself—does Dr. M'Hale, we say, agree with Mr.
O'Connell in his pretended affection for the voluntary
system, and that religious simplicity which befits a
worship unendowed with. worldly wealth ? We refer
for the answer to the pompous descriptions given by
the Roman Catholic and Ministerial Journals of the
opening of the " Cathedral" of Tuam, in defiance of
Sir Robert Peel's " Protestant securities." The Dis-
senters used to object to the reformed faith of the
Church of England, that it had not sufficiently cast
off the pomps and vanities of Popery ; yet, with unre-
formed Popery, are many of them now in combina-
tion, to overthrow the Church of England ?—Morn-
ing Herald.
No proposition ever made more rapid progress in
public opinion—none ever promised a more speedy
consummation—than that of Peerage Reform. Evident
as is the absurdity of an institution based on the prin-
ciple that the son must inherit the wisdom and virtue,
as he does the estate and title, of his parent—con-
vincing as have been the arguments by which this ab-
surdity has been exposed—if it were not for the
conduct of the House of Lords itself, it would have
been impossible, by theoretical discussion, ever to have
excited such a strong and general feeling of hostility
as at present exists against the hereditary Chamber.
The people of England' are most cautious in changing
ancient institutions, and had the Lords been contented
with a moderate, or discreet exercise of the privileges
with which the Constitution most foolishly invested
them, they might yet, for some time, continue to hold,

from public forbearance, or from respect of- prejudice,
those privileges which are as inapplicable to the wants
and spirit of the times, as they arc opposed to any ra-
tional system of legislation ; but the repeated and aggra-
vated outrages committed against the representatives of
the people—the extirpation of the vital principle from
the leading measures of Reform approved by the House
of Commons—the insolence and insult heaped upon
the Ministers who proposed those measures—and die
denunciations hurled by the imprudent advocates of the
Lords against the people themselves, hasten on the
catastrophe, and leave no alternative to the country
but submission to the wild despotism of irresponsible
legislation, or a reform of the House of Lords. The
question is one of the gravest importance, and, not-
withstanding the provocations with which the people
have been taunted, should be approached with a calm-
ness and deliberation commensurate with the efFect it
must exercise on the destinies of the country. We wish
not to stir up the public mind into violent excitement,
but to demonstrate the necessity of considering seriously
what course of policy is best adapted to secure to the
people the full and free exercise of the representative
principle. Were we to follow the example of a Tory
Contemporary, who exclaims, " Put clown the dema-
gogues," as a means of tranquillising Ireland, we might
in turn cry out, " Down with the House of Lords ;"
but as our desire is that the question should be coolly
canvassed on its merits, and that the Lords should
have a fair and impartial trial, we appeal to the rea-
son, not the passion, of the people ; and we ask, is
it not impossible that the public voice should ever have
due influence in the Senate while a few individuals
whose interests are in many instances diametrically
opposed to the interests of the people, have the power
of a veto on the national will ? The creation of Peens
is a bungling and despotic expedient; it leaves at the
discretion of others the passing of laws, for which the
unequivocal expression of public opinion, by popular
representation, should he sufficient sanction. Things
have now arrived at that point when a radical change
in the Constitution of the House of Peers is as
essential to the prolongation of, its own existence,.
as it is to the welfare and tranquillity of the empire.
It is necessary to prepare for the change—a reform of
the House of Lords is inevitable—and they are no
friends to the Peerage who endeavour to conceal from
them the danger of their present position. Can the
people of England be expected to sacrifice all the good
to be derived from a reform of the House of Com-
mons, to preserve an institution absurd in it origin,
iniquitous in its action, and ruinous in its effect ? The
only claim which the Lords have had for years upon
the toleration of the country is the prejudice in favour
of antiquity. This can no longer sustain them ; the
most ardent, admirer of ancient institutions must now
see the impossibility of an hereditary and elective prin-
ciple harmonising in the same Constitution ; and few
are so base, notwithstanding the shibboleth attempted
to be raised of " Down with the demagogues," as to
advise the surrender of all legislative authority into
the hands of the Peers. Peerage Reform cannot be
much longer deferred—and it would be far more ad-
sable in the supporters of the Lords to endeavour to
conciliate the people into a dispassionate consideration
of the subject,• than by defiance and crimination to
rouse them into the exercise of faculties and powers,
which, if once put into motion, will leave the House
of Lords amongst the things which have been.—
Morning Advertiser.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

A boy, not 10 years of age, and very small for his age,
was brought before Alderman THOMAS `Noon charged with
having picked a gentleman's pocket of a handkerchief.
The boy who had been observed by a tradesman in com-
pany with a boy of larger size, whipped the handkerchief
out of the pocket with the hand of a master, and threw it
to his companion, who ran off with it. The prisoner ap-
peared to be quite unconcerned upon being collared, and
said that he did not know what picking of pockets was.
The Turnkey of the Compter—Please your Worship
he's well known. He had a month in Bridewell the last
time.

A Constable—Please your Worship there's no such a
thing as turning these here little uns good once ; they gets
to drawing. I seed this boy a little while ago, with four or
five other bigger nor him in Hoborn-bridge, and when a
gentleman passed they says to him " Go it, Jack," and
he drawed out the ankicher as clever as though he was
ten times as big.—(A laugh.) Well, I runned arter him,
but he runned under the osse's belly, cause he knowed I
couldn't folly arter him. These young uns knows every-
thing ; I never seed such a young un at this here.
Alderman T. WOOD—Where does your father live, boy ?
Prisoner—Father lives nowhere, 'cause his dead.

Alderman T. WOOD—Where does your mother live ?
Prisoner—ln Whitechapel ; but I don't know the name of
the court.
Alderman T. WooD—Has this poor child nobody to
protect him ? The policeman said that it was evident he
had no friend in the world, and that the bigger boys with
whom he associated constantly made a dupe of him.
The ALDERMAN told the gentleman who appeared to
complain that, from motives of humanity, he would be ob-
liged to send the unfortunato boy for trial, in the hope that
some asylum would be afforded to him. For melancholy
cases of this kind it was certainly the duty of the Govern-
ment to make some provision.
Prisoner—l a'nt got nobody to go to.
The complainant did not know how to appear against a
mere infant, and begged to be permitted to depart without
being bound over to prosecute.
The ALDERMAN—You surely would not wish to find
vheimntnhaiehviimngis by committing
and the only way we now have of pre-
committing him for trial.
Theti
prisoner was then committed for trial.
After the magisterial business was concluded, Maclean,
the police inspector, brought to Mr. Hobler a little girl,
who appeared to be between 15 and 16. years of age, whom
lie had taken into custody under rather odd circumstances.
The girl about a week ago suddenly disappeared from
her father's house, and her parents had looked for her in
vain, and became apprehensive that some calamity had be-
fallen her. A nest-door neighbour of her father's, how-
ever, in passing along the street saw a boy whose face he
was sure he knew, but he thought that when he had seen
the face it belonged to a girl. It occurred to him; there-
fore, that the boy might be a girl, and he accordingly told
the boy what lie thought. The boy upon hearing this sus-
picion utterly denied that there was any ground for it, but
did not deny it like a boy ; so that the man was confirmed
in the belief that the face of the boy was the face of a girl.
Maclean, the inspector, who it will be remembered brought
the Irish sailor girl before the Lord Mayor some time ago,
was then applied to, and he added the judgment which he
had acquired from experience to that of the other, so that
the boy, over.vhelmed by such testimony, added to what he