The Sun.
London, England, 1831-10-17 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Ste,—There was a pamphlet published some time ago, en-
titled, " What will the Lords do ?" To this it may be an.
swered, see what they have done ; and having done as they have,
the next question is, how ought they to be served ? This :I
will not answer at present, on account of the agitated state of
the public mind. I will recommend, however, to their noticc
the question that is now before the French Parliament, whether
or not the Peerage should be hereditary. The recent conduct
of the English Peers will be urged as a reason by those who are
against a hereditary Peerage, that it is better that the Peerage
should be for life only, as then the probability is, that such men
as the Marquis of Londonderry, Lord Wharncliffe, the Earl of
Winchilsea, the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Bolton, the Earl of
Portsmouth, the Archbishop of Canterbury, with his twenty
clerical companions, and the other imbeciles in the House of
Lords, would never have found their way into it ; and it is a
moot question whether the nation should or not, when the public
mind becomes settled, send petitions to the King and the lower
House of Parliament, stating it to be their opinion that the
Peerage should be only for life ; and the Bishops to be sent to
their House of Convocation, and to be permitted to debate only
on clerical affairs. We call the Chinese ignorant and unlet-
tered, but we may take a lesson from them at present; they
have three orders of nobility, called mandarins ; the inferior
order are chosen by the people themselves ; if one of the second
order dies, his successor is chosen from the inferior order by the
members of that order ; and when one of the superior order dies,
his place is filled from the second in like manner. So that those
who are to be governed elect their governors, a most just and
proper method. If we knew the reason why each of our spiri..
Vaal and temporal Peers were made, it would give us a great
deal of information much wanted at the present time. As to
the spiritual Peers, they are of such recent elevation that almost
every one now alive recollects it. The Archbishop of Canter-
bury may thank his rise to the pride of the Abercorn family,
and his well known speech in the House of Lords, asserting that
the King could do no wrong legally or morally. The Bishop
of Durham was translated to his See by the late Earl of Liver-
pool, in order to avoid a collision between the Legge and Pel-
ham families. The Bishop of Winchester was so made for rea-
sons which the Marchioness of Conyngham can best explain.

It might be said that very many of the Upper House were made
for reasons that would not bear the test of examination. I
hope, Mr. Editor, that Earl Grey having seen the bad spirit
which has now shown itself so strongly in the House of Lords
will act with it in the same unceremonious manner which Mr.
Pitt would have done ; let him turn out of office every Peer who
has voted against Reform, such as Lords-Lieutenants of Coun-
ties and Colonels of Militia, and also all Pittites of every de-
scription in all offices under Government. Let him re-
flect that whatever delicacy he may have towards them,
they have none towards him. They will oppose him in
and out of Parliament, and as Sheridan of " all the ta-
lents," said, that they had built a wall to run their heads
against, so I say, that by letting these remain In office, they
leave so many stumbling blocks to throw them out of power,
and who will be a nuisance while they remain in office. Mr.
Pitt said that he that is not with me is against me, and acted
accordingly ; and by so doing he kept himself in office, and left
as a legacy to the nation the lump of the majority of 199 who
have shown themselves the willing disciples of such a recreant
master. CATO.

CITY—SATURDAY EVENING.—A good
deal of discussion has taken place in the City to-day rela-
tive to the report that it is the intention of the Ministers
to prorogue Parliament till after Christmas, and conse-
quently to defer the Reform Bill till that period. We
know not whether this be the intention of Ministersor not,
but this we do know, that it is almost universally consi-
dered a moat unwise project. No one doubts the sincerity
of Ministers, or fears the success of the Anti-Reformers by
such delay. All, however, do fear that it may risk the
popularity of the Government, endanger the peace of the
country, and lead to the introduction of measures of a
much more sweeping and democratic nature than is con-
sistent with the preservation of our excellent Constitution.
Besidee, providing none of these things should take place,
the nation will be kept in a state of excitement almost un-
bearable, while business, as a necessary consequence, will be
nearly wholly suspended, A day's more delay, in bringing
forward the great measure, than is absolutely required, is
pregnant with a degree of danger which those who are
not acquainted with the mischief that its long discussion
has already worhed in the trade of the country, can form
no idea of. Indeed, as tradesmen and manufacturers justly
observe, the nation cannot be kept much longer in a state
of suspense. The stopping of business, which is inevitable
upon delay, will of itself bring about a crisis too dreadful
to be contemplated. For our part we hope and trust that
the report we have alluded to is wholly unfounded. In
fact we have reason to helieve that it is so, having been as-
sured by no mean authority, 4;4 the prorogation will cer-
tainly not exceed three weeks.—Morning Herald.
The efforts of the House of Lords to 4pfeat
the wishes of the nation are as vain and foolish as was
the attempt of the monarch of old to bind the waves of
the ocean by throwing fetters into them. As good often
emerges out of evil, we have no doubt that the machinations
of the Lords will ultimately recoil upon their own heads—
that they will be shorn of their power, 4nd be taught that
if they wish to maintain their " order" and station, and to
secure the ponfidence, esteem, and gratitude of the county,
they must keep pule with the increasing intelligence and
growing liberality of the age, and show that they have no
objects or interests distinct from those of the community
at large. We apply this remark more particularly La the
Bishops, who Wye made themselves exceedingly obnoxious
by the vote which they gaye with regard to the Bill. We
understand that placards have movie their appearance in
all parts of the country calling upon the people to resist
the payment of tithes and rates of every kind,
although we denounce all unconstitutional opposition
to every law that is ye,t unrepealed, we are by no means
sorry to learn that public in,clignation has been excited
against the " Right Reverend and f,earoad jlench of
Bishops ' that the propriety of their connection with
the House of Veers is undergoing discussion, and that the
state of their "venerable establishment" is made the sub-
ject of strong reprobation. We hear much of the infide-
lity of the Press, but we are not of the tti,e' ptical and " age
of reason" number, who delight to ridicule the dignita:ics
of the Church, and the system of which they are the
mitred and titled beads. It is because we wish to see the
Principles of religion honoured and inculcated by the
Bishops that we would remove them from the arena pf
politi> al discuseions and translate them to their diocesan
charges and duties. !t is because they have almost uni-
formly opposed the rights of the people and given their
support to every system of error and abuse that we would
deprive them of the power of doing further discredit to
their own chamters, and of inflicting additional injury
upon the nation, and that we would confine them to a
sphere in which they are too little found, and in which
they might da an immensity of good. iLt if because we
desire the prosperity and prevalence of our "most
hell
faith" that we are pleased to contemplate the part which
they have taken against the inettiP/1 of Reform, for we
predict that it will be the means of basce4in the day
when the impurities and abominations of which they baye
so long been the abetters both in Church and State will
be completely removed,--,Liperrol chronicle,