The Sun.
London, England, 1825-08-20 00:00:00

NEW-BRUNSWICK.

By the Legislature of New-Brunswick during last SessiOn a
law was passed, which is of a singttlar;tertalnly of a prt'ju-
dicit.ll character.' It provides that,. fbr the iiAri”•,,,e of eneoura:;-
ing shipbuilding, every builder shall erapior,iri his raft!, at
least two apprenOces, under a penalty of ,50f.1 Or every vek4,l
of It* tons burden or upwards, built llpprenticts ate
not employed. This is carrying legiSlation a great deal too
far. If it be to the advantage of a master to employ appren-
tices, self-interest-will be a sufficient inducern :Mr and there is'
no.need for. The legislature to interfere; if nut, :hen•the coin-
pulion of a statute forcing upon him a speCies of labour less
productive than he Could otherwise obtain will injure, not ad-
vance the trade.

QUEBEC GAZETTE, JULY 4.
It will be seen by our extracts, that the Caii.olic Belief Bill
or Catholic Emancipation Bill, as it is sometimes called, has
been lost in the House of Lords by a majority of 47. Contents,
1.30.. Non-contents, 171.

It is our good fortune, in this country, to be without any legal
disqualification, or civil disadvantages or burdens, on account
of religious belief. The fate of this bill cannot affect us, other,
wise than as we may feel interested in the fate of others, in the
welfare of the empire, and the prevalence of what we may con.
ceive to be right all over the world.. The expression of our opi-
nions can have no influence on those directly affected, or on the
future agitation of the question.
Whatever may be the fate of the Catholic question, at any
future period, in the united kingdom; there is no danger, we
should conceive, that the established state of things in regard
to religious freedom will ever be attempted to be altered in this
country. It may not, however, be amiss tb keep in mind the
grounds upon which it is conceived, there ought to be an entire
absence of all disabilities and disadvantages on account of reli-
gious belief.
It is sometimes difficult ascertain correct principles by which
the supreme authority of a state ought to be guided in its legis-
lative acts. When they have been acted upon, it is easy to
judge of them by the result.
In the early ages cf Christianity, • the principle of the State's
interfering with the religious opinions of its members, seems
to have beau taken as correct. Its application produced the
most horrible persecutions, and finally Christian Priests were
seated on the throne of the Casars.

The Christian Emperors acted upon the same principles for
the repression of heresies, and that epoch ended by severing
the unity of the church.
The Catholic Governments of Europe resorted to similar
practices,for extirpating and keeping down heresies: after re•
newing the persecutions and tortures which the primitive
Christians had to endure, after long and bloody wars, whole
nations separated themselves from the See of Rome.
In some of those nations, and we regret to say in that to
which we belong, the principle was adhered to by the dorni-
nant party just escaped from its pernicious effects upon them-
selves. It was acted upon in regard to the Catholics °fire-
land, and the Presbyterians of Scotland. The Presbyterians
became an Established Chaisth, and the Irish Catholics have
grown under its application ifugah faster than the Protestant.
No interference on the part of the state with the religion of
the people has ever produced the effect that was intended; but
generally the reverse, constantly endangering the dominant
party. Does not the experience, then, of seventeen centuries
show that the principle is not safe, and that it ought no longer
to be acted upon ? There is no Christian Church that does not
disavow it ; it is abhorrent to. the Christian system altogether ;
yet professing Christians holding or influencing the civil power
have acted upon it in all countries.
Legislation affecting opinions must always be nugatory, and
often mischievous; opinion can only be reached by persuasion,
and altered by conviction. If criminal acts are committed by'
any subject, the criminal law, the same for all, affords the
'means of repression, without any regard to the particular opi-
nions of the persons committing them.
The Irish Catholics are yet a little longer to feel the effects
of an erroneous principle. They are to bear all the, burdens
of their fellow-subjects, they are to be deprived of a free and
equal participation in their rights unless they abjure their re-
ligious opinions ! So the primitive Christians were tortured,
unless they abjured, and the victim of Auto-da-fe was some-
times asked to embrace the religion of his persecuters, before
they lighted the flames by which he was to be consumed. The
Catholics have no room, however, to despair ; two branches of
a Protestant Legislature have renounced the principle, of per-
secution. It required only a_change_of opinion in 25 members
of the other one, to have it renounced for ever by the British
Parliament; as it has long been renounced by the enlightened
men of all countries. , The relief, though delayed for a short
time, may be the more complete.
QUEBEC, JULY 4.
COUNTERFEITERS.—It is known that gangs of counter-
feiters have long resorted to the townships in thia province, on
the frontiers of the United States, to carry on their infamous
practices. Imagining themselves out of the reach of the pro-
vince line against the United States' law; they have considered
their establishments there as in some measure secure, and al-
though frequently interrupted, they have still carried them on:
with too much impunity.
By the activity of Mr. E. T. G. Stoddert, Preventive Officer
of His Majesty's Customs, one of their gangs has recently been
broken up, and four of those' concerned committed to prison at
Sherbrooke. On the information given by Mr. Stoddert to
Major Kilbourn, Captain Chamberlain, and Mr. Farnsworth,
Bailiff, proceeded oh the morning of the 27th ult. to Stanstead
plain, with Mr. Stoddert, where the inhabitants cheerfully
turned our to the number of about thirty, and surrounded four
houses where the counterfeiting was supposed to be carried on,
viz. thehouse of the noted Morrel Magoon, Magoon, jun. Ver.
bic senior, and Calvin Verbic • some of the inmates fled to the
woods, but were afterwards taken. A press, rollers, whitening,
ink, and other materials, for making notes were seized in a camp
in the woods. A box was also taken with plates and notes to
the amount of 1322 dollars, on the Cumberland Bank, Rhode.
;Island Bank, and Smithfield Bank. ,
The public cannot but feel much indebted 'to the individuals
concerned in breaking up this den of rogues, for although the
notes found were on American Banks, the practices of the coun-
terfeiters not the less disgraceful to the province and diiscredita-
-ble to the spot where they find refuge.
ALBANY piEn AND BASIN.
The pier in front of the city, the construction of which was
authorised by an act of the Legislature of-this State, passed
April the 6th-, 1823, is nearly completed. Its extreme length
is. _nearly 4,400 feet--its width is 80 feet, and its height
averages about 20 feet. It runs in front of the old docks, at an
average distance of about 250 feet, and enelores a basin, the area
of which measures about 32 acres, capable of holding about
1,000 canal boats, and 50 or 60 vessels of the largest class usually
employed ixethe navigation of the Hudson river.
Near tha northern or upper end of the pier, the Erie and
Champlain canals, which unite about 8 miles-north of the city,
are terminated by a lock, through which boats and other craft
enter- the basin. At the southern termination of the pier is a
sloop lock, 177 feet in length, and 30 feet in width, having s
depth of 11 feet at the lowest stage of water.
There is a convenient swing bridge over the lock, and two,
other bridges are now constructing, running from two of the
principal etreets.across the basin, which will furnish convenient
avenues to the pier. Each bridge will have a draw to admit the
passing of vessels.
The facilities- afforded to commercial transactions between
canal beats and river-vessels, are strikingly obvious. A-perfect
harbour is formed by the pier, which secures the canal craft
from the violence of storms, and a capacious basin will at all
times accommodate the. vast commerce which, although at pre-
seutin its infancy, is destined to become of incalculable im-
portance when the chain- of navigable communication is per-
fected to the greatlakes and the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the
consummation of which is at no very remote period.
A slight view of the advantages which will be the imme-
diate result of this great local improvement, made by a few en_
teaprieing individuals; naturally leads the mind to contemplate
its immense consequence, when the Albany basin shall be_

PRICR SiVEN'PENCE.

came the principaldepot of a commerce, which thlt Ca al tGam.•
inissioners estimated in their last .Annual 'Report, '.04d',1"
duce in tolls in the yet:kr 1826, :Jain of r.:(30,0-Lttt do-11,irsi ex 4
that ler the nine following .yearS their increase A.:: be at the
rate of MOO doll inn why, estimates hithe:to tr: adk,.
of canal tolls have fallen short of the actual receipts: Ther.t,isi
therefore, every reason to' anticipate a result whiel: will justify.
the estimate of the CommisSioned:
Tbd city of Albany is nearly at the head of Ile niviiabLl
tide-water of the Hudson, and is situated on its vvestrri hank,
it the termination of the great canals, which, when ceinpleted,
will limn a cksin of navigable comrminieation through' bakes
Ontario, Erie, Michigan, Huron, and to the Sault of. !it. M4rj
on /Jab Superior and including Champlain, a line of navig74-
tion.of nearly 2,040 miles.. With the prospective advantages
to be derived from a commerce with this ex tete:lon region
country, and anticipating a canal navigation with the Ohio et: 0
the 'Mississippi rivers, which will augment to an inimei.se mag-
nitude the commerce Of our great canals, it fallows a a main, t
consequence,- that with these increasing resources, capital arta
enterprise are the only desiderata for making this city
commercial and prosperous place.