The Sun.
London, England, 1825-02-25 00:00:00

now legally capable of voting at Vestries in Ire.
land, and form a majority of the Parishioners,
they act, even from natural indifference to every
thing Protestant, so as to bring the Established
Church, and all appertaining thereto, into con-
tempt and degradation. We distinctly assert,
that if a job, however flagitious, should be at-
tempted to be carried in-an Irish Vestry, its au-
thors, or those whom it is intended to serve, have
only to beat a revile among the Catholics, and
muster them in overwhelming strength to vote
through thick and thin till the object be gained.
We do not say that Catholics would be as utterly
regardless of the consequences of their own con-
duct on such questions as are embraced by Sir
John Newport's Bill ; but we are sati,fied they
would be equally regardless--nay, they would
be positively inimical—to the welfare and re-
spectability of the Established Church. The
fundamental Institutions of the Empire are
not to be trifled with. In God's name let us know
explicitly whether the Protestant Church of Ire-
land is to he upheld or not—but let no man at-
tempt to deceive the public by secretly under-
mining, while he affects to support it. If Sir
John Newport's Bill were to pass in its present
shape, the Catholics, in all that regards the in-
dependence and respectability of religion, would
be in a much preferable situation to the Pro-
testants of Ireland. For our part, we think Mr.
Flume's barefaced assaults upon the Irish Esta-
blishment infinitely less objectionable than insi-
dious measures calculated to effect the same pur-
pbse by stratagem.

[THE TIMES.]
An official critic on our article of Tuesday,
relating to the Army Estimates, betrayed, in an
Evening Paper of the following day, a degree of
soreness which it would have been wiser policy
_and better taste to conceal. We had thrown
aside the Estimates, and could not at the moment
lay our hand on them, or we should not have
postponed until now the obvious answer which
they suggested to this inmate of Lord Palmer-
ston's office. Our remarks were drawn from the
Estimate before us for 1825, and not from those
of the year preceding, and with which we had
no business to meddle. The increase of the
army we stated to be one which would raise
in numbers from about 102,000 (including artille-
ry), being the gross amount for the first quar-
ter of the—year 1825, to about 117,000 for
the nine months remaining. The man in office
more than bears us out, for he -makes the
augmentation upwards of 19,000 instead of 15,000,
at which we stated it. But he says that," as ap-
" pears plainly from the abstract of the Estimates
themselves, the three regiments of Veterans
" are to be continued to the 24th March only,"
thus deducting the amount of the Veterans,which
again he counts up at 3,354 men, from the total
of the prospective increase. In the separate ab-
stract, at the ,end of these papers, notice is in-
deed taken of the Veteran Battalions, as being
to be disembodie-d after the 24th March ; but
who • ever talked of these as forming part of the
regular force of the country ? Are we not to
have, exclusive of these 3,000 Veterans, a stand-
ing force of 117,000 men ? And if the Veterans
be disembodied, what pecuuiary saving Is that to
the country ?—about one-fifth of what we should
gain by disbanding an equal force of- marching
regiments. • These old men are sent back to their
pensions, which for the whole 3,300, come within
about 27,6001. of what their full pay would be
were they capable
_of' active service. So that
it is unfair to state -the reduction of these in-
valid corps, as if in point of economy it bore
the same proportion to the whole of our mi-
litary expenAiture, as the same number of re-
gular soldiers would bear to our whole
mili-
tary force. With regard to the number of troops
of the line, we read distinctly in page 4, 'which
gives the total of the army, for the first quar-
ter of the current year, exclusive of artillery
and of roops in India, but comprehending
every other description of regular force, that the
entire muster for that first quarter is 71,165, and
for the other nitre months (the same descriptions
of force being included and excluded) we find
the number 86,436, making an augmentation in
[he troops, exclusive of India, of 15,271 men.—
Of matters not contained in the Estimate fur-
nished to Parliament, we can be supposed to
know nothing ; and if the information derived
from it be imperfect, let our critic look at home.

[BRITISH PRESS]
Lord Donoughrnore last night presented the
Catholic Petition to the House of Lords, and
took advantage of the occasion to pronounce his
panegyric upon the " so much calumniated Ca-
tholic Association," and the " calumniated idol
of that Association, Daniel O'Connell," who,
with the rest of the Deputation, were below the
Bar, observing . how the Noble Earl performed
his duty. All his Lordship's anxiety, however,
to agree with the Association, could not persuade
him to confirm the "representations made by
that body and its friends in its defence. They
allege that the tranquillity and improvement of
Ireland, are owing to the Catholic Association ;
and we have heard that Mr. O'Connell has de.
dared, that, " if it he put down he will not be
answerable one moment for the peace of the
country." According to the Learned Gentleman
and his coadjutors, " nothing can be more co-
mi ea I than to ascribe to the administration of
Lord Wellesley the happy result produced in
Ireland." But what said Lord Donoughmore
last night ? In what terms, under the eye of
Mr. O'Connell,. did he destribe the conduct of
the Lord Lieutenant? These were the Noble
Lord-' s. words :
" I will say, that for that illustrious peonage I have the
rs
highest respect, and I believe that his .Majesty never had a
more faithful or more honest representative in Ireland than he
has been during the time he has governed there. From the
beginning of his career he has been determined to do that coun-
try all the good in his power in every
ny that could be done.
:In the reformation of the Magistracy, in particular, his Excel.
lency has been eminently successful ; and, in many other in-
stances of equal importance, his justice and his liberality have
been often proved."
The only pretence on which the existence of the
Catholic Association 'can be excused for a mo-
ment is, as its advocates have felt, its supposed
utility in assuaging party feelings, and extending
to all theinhabitants the protection of the law..