The Sun.
London, England, 1831-07-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The case of Mr. Storks was again the subject of
discussion, last night, in the Hoto:e of Lords. We
really cannot see the original propt;e'y or utility of a
question evidently introduced, for party purposes, as
a reflection on the administrative character of the Lord
Chancellor. The particular me of Mr. Storks maybe
()pen to some reflection; but we wish that Lord
Broueham would int erfere,not individually, ho' gene-
rally, in the appointment of Magistrates. Ministers
must pursue a more (heeded and bolder lire of pol:cy
as regards the secondary offices of the Church and
State. The domination of the boretigiimongars,
for nearly two successive generations, has filled
all the municipal offices of the cotortl, all
corporations and Church Livings, with Anti-Re-
form adherents. The Tories ate everywhere
in possession of power and ernoliatienit through-
out England, Scotland, and Wales. 'There are so
many sentinels on constant duty, and are hourly
neutralising the liberal spirit of the. Gosortunerit and
die people. We are well aware of the difficulties cf
a new Administration, and are disposed to make
large allowances for the almost insupsrabla obetaeles
attendant on their present siege of the citadel of
corruption. But they cannot storm the forts of the
borough system without an adequate force for such
a critical warfare. They must use the weapons of
;heir own arsenal, trust more to their friends, and
coquet less with their enemies. The clergy having
been told to look up to the Bishops of their diocese
for coming preferment, and not suspecting the spi-
ritual Lords of any strong attachment to the Reform
Bills, naturally at the late elections almost to a
man suppor ed Tory candidates ! Can this courtship
of the Biships be politic, or is it generous towards
the honest and patriotic part of the clergy, though
few there be, who have long sacrificed their worldly
interests on the shrine of liberty ? The state of
the magistracy is also a subject of loud and growing
complaint in many counties. We do not say that
pending the Reform Bills, which have yet to pass
the ordeal of the House of Lords, Ministers can sum-
marily supersede all the Lord-Lieutenants of counties.
Those Noble functionaries are, in all probability,
wisely retained on good behaviour. Perhaps also it
may not be etiquette for the Lord Chancellor to in-
terfere with them decidedly in the selection of ma-
gistrates. But we all know that intimations may be
given that the political opponents of Government
are now to be invariably put into the magistracy
and Lieutenancy of the counties, and the friends of
Ministers invariably kept out of those responsible
and influential stations. It is notorious that many
men of large fortune and high local character, old
and consistent supporters of the Whigs in times
which " tried men's spirits," are excluded the com-
mission of the peace, from the caprice and political
antipathies of the Lord Lieutenant of their coun-
ties. It is but recently that Lord Talbot, Custos
Rotulorunz of Staffordshire, nominated a batch
of new magistrates, all of whom had signed
the county declaration against the Ministerial
measures of Reform ! If this system is to conti-
nue with impunity, and if Ministers do not summon
up courage to take advantage of their power and just
prerogatives, they never can make head against a
powerful and cunning phalanx of opponents, nor can
they retain the public confidence. The importance
of the Magistracy is not confined to the order from
whensce it is selected. The official duties of the
municipal office come home to men's fife sides, and
their due and liberal performance is a matter of
great public concernment and interest. The prede-
cessors of Ministers in office did not act on a tem-
porising and truckling policy, when they displaced
first the Duke of Norfolk, and afterwards the vene-
rable Lord Fitzwilliam, from the Lord Lieutenancy
of the West Hiding of Yorkshire; and die re-
instatement of the latter in office would riot be un-
seasonable or unacceptable to the enlightened and
numerous body of Reformers in Yorkshire. Those
are the real friends of the Ministry who apprise
them of the feeling of the country, which we know
we speak in these few and significant remarks. If
the Reform Bill is not to be a still-born child,
Ministers must boldly face their situation of peril
and travail.—elforning Chronicle.
Much of the time of the House was occupied last
night with a petition presented by Captain Gordon,
from certain Protestant inhabitants of Glasgow
(signed by several Ministers), against the grant for
the support of Maynooth College, in Ireland. The
Hon. Member said he fully approved of the language
of the petition ; and on its being read it appeared
that it stated that it was inconsistent with Protes-
tant principles to support an establishment at vari-
ance with the doctrines of scripture—a system
idolatrous and Anti-Christian. According to Lord
Milton, there was one passage in the petition which
expressed an opinion that the countries which pro-
fessed the Roman Catholic religion were devoted
by God to destruction. Mr. C. Fergusson " was
pained to think that such a petition should come
from the country to which he belonged." Really
Mr. Fergusson is a happy man, to be without more
important matters to pain him; for it would be
singular, indeed if in a country containing nearly three
millions of inhabitants, tliere should not be found,
here and there a score or two of bigots and fools. Neither
is it astonishing that the bigots should find an appro-
priate organ in the House of Commons. But what we
cannot so well understand is, that Members of decent
understanding should attach such importance to the
rhodomontades of two or three crazy Scotch Mi-
nisters, and the fools whom they can influence, as to
make them the subject of grave and lengthened dis-
cussion. The petition ought to have been treated
with derision; it merited nothing more. The Ca-
tholics are not a *hit the more idolatrous because
they are called idolaters in the Glasgow petition ;
arid there is not a Protestant Insurance Company or
underwriter in London that would not as soon in-
sure property belonging to the inhabitents of Ca-
tholic States, as property belonging toithe inhabit..
ants of Protestant States, though Captain Gordon
and his petitioners will have it that God has doomed
Catholic States to destruction. Mr. Hume took the
right view of the matter, when he said," it would not
affect him if any ore called him idolater, atheist, or
any thing else.—(A laugh.) As long as they kept
their hands off him, it would not affect his mind in
the least." Mr. John Wood observed, " that this
petition came from the Presbyterians of Scotland,
whose ancestors in Cromwell's time spoke of the
Episcopalians as persons who wore the rags of the
Whore of Babylon. Now he would ask the Hon.
Member for Dundalk whether he would have pre-
sented this petition, if, instead of spending their
poor, pitiful, miserable spite on theßoman Catholics,
they had, after the manner of their ancestors, vented
it on those who wore the rags of the Scarlet Whore
of Babylon ?—(Cheers, and laughter.)" Mr. J.
Wood did not need to go back to the times of
Cromwell. Many and many a goodly-sized volume
has been printed in GlasgoW since the time of the
American war, predicting destruction to Scotland
for tolerating the two W's, mother and daughter,
(i. e.) the church of Rome and the church of Eng-
land. In the introduction to a large volume of
Sermons of distinguished Presbyterian Ministers,
subscribed John Howie, Lochgoin, March 9, 1779,
the daughter is treated with as little respect as the
mother, and he observes, " Shew me one church or
nation in the world where toleration in its full extent
took place that ever prospered in either religion or mo-
rality. Nay, thegreat reverse of this immediately en-
sues,and the Lord evidences his divine disapprobation
of it. Witness our own land, wherever as long as
these covenants, the palladium of out Presheteriun
Constitution, were made the test of admiss on in
both Church and State, the Church had both purity
in doctrine and unity among her members, and the
Lord's remarkable presence attended her ordi-
nances; but as soon as Cromwell's toleration com-
menced (which was none of the worst), then the
Lord's .presence comparatively, as with a blush,with-
drew, and both peace and unify amongst her mem-
bers bade her a final adieu ln the
following sheets a doctrinal testimony is displayed
against Popery, 1 relacy, &c. (whether by establish-
ment or toleration), and all that is contrary to sountt,

!octrine and the power of true godlitiesq." no,
with respect to the question put to Captain Gor-
don, we think we can venture to answer it. The
acred duty of Captain Gordon is a.; convenient as
it is sacred—it will never lead him to support peti-
tions which contain sentiments grating to the ears
of the patron of Dundalk.—.llforning Chronicle.

The House recommenced its labours on the
Re-
form Bill last night. The presentation of a petition
from Great Bedwin, in Wiltshire, stating that by
the census of 1821 the inhabitants were only 1,928,
while by that of 1831 they were numbered at
was followed by a motion by Mr. Mackin-
non, " That it be an instruction to the Committee
that the Iwrotigtrs in schedules A and B should be
considered in r.ferentre to the last census of 1831
and not to the census of 1821." Lord J. Russell
observed, that when tl.e Bill was introduced, the
lutist document whereon they could
proceed was
the census of /821; and were they to take the
census of 1831, they would be proceeding on a new
basil, because it -was not the precise number of
2,(100 inhabitants to which they adtiressed their at-
tention, but to the great principle which they
wished to establish. The debate itself was of
little importance ; the division was, as it intli.-ated,
falling off in the majority. The numbers a:ere—
For the teotion
Against it • 244
/114ority for Ministers ...... —75
The next question was, "That the Borough of
Appleby 'stand part of the Bill." This question
occupied the Committee the whole of the rest of
the evening. An attempt was made by Mr. Croker
to fasten a charge of partiality on the Ministry for
applying a different rule to boroughs similarly cir-
cumstanced. In the case of Appleby the borough.
contains 1,050 inhabitants, but it runs into two
parishes; one very extensive ; and if the country
parts of the two parishes were included, the popu-
lation would he 2,600. Ministers contended, that
there was a material distinction between a borough
which formed the principal part of a parish, and a
borough which extended into two parishes. Here
was a dispute as to whether the jurisdiction of the
Magistrates of Appleby was co-extensive with the
limits of the two parishes, or was confined to the
borough. Mr. Brougham contended, that the ju-
risdiction did not extend beyond the borough, while
Lord Maitland maintained that it was co.txtensive
with the parishes. On a division the numbers were—
For the motion
Against it
Majority in favour of Ministers —74
The fate of Appleby was thus determined. This
is making some way, though not much. What is
the meaning of these decreasing majorities ? We
trust all is right; but there is something very like
ratting in the first blush of it. What was the mean-
leg of Lord George Lennox, when he spoke of the
chains of Mr. George Bankes having been riveued
in Pall-mall yesterday. We warn the people of
England to he upon their guard. The times are
critical ; and men must be true to themselves.—
.Aforning Chronicle.
The long conversation in the Lords last night on
the subject of Mr. Storks, seems to establish that
the ejected Magistrate had been rashly used, hav-
ing, in fact, been punished for some zealous blunder
of his son, a coal-merchant, and not for any offence
committed by himself. Should this turn out to be
the case, no imputation will remain on his character,
and we suppose no objection could be made to his
restoration to the commission. An angry discus-
sion arose in the Commons respecting the printing
of a petition, designating the Roman Catholics as
idolaters. The petitioners showed no great sense
in using offensive language, which, however sanc-
tioned•by law, is neither warranted by Christian
charity nor by the common courtesy of society.
The all but unanimous vote of the House rejected
the proposition for giving currency, by printing, to
the gross and fanatical invective. The shameful
conduct of the Brazilian Government at the time of
the blockade of the Rio de la Plata was indignantly
reprobated by Mr. Diets in. The late administration
exerted themselves to procure redress fur the rob-
bery of the English merchants on that occasion,
and Lord Alt horp pledged his word to leave no
means untried to enforce the just claims of the
aggrieved parties. In fact, the proceedings bore
the stamp of piracy rather than of seizures according
to the usages of belligerent states. The Reform
Bill was at length brought forward; an ineffectual
attempt was made to retard its progress, by a motion
for adopting the census of 1831 instead of that of
1821. Mr. George Bankes, by way of appropriate
argument for such a substitution, told an old but
unauthenticated anecdote, about Cromwell and his
secretary Thurloe, and was answered with great
spirit by Mr. Alderman Waithman. Mr. Praed, as
became a man who aims to be a leader when Sir R.
Peel retires to bed, most valourously defended
the right of making motions, for the purpose of
" creating delay or gaining time." He would say
" that when a measure was introduced of which he
entirely disapproved, he did not know how far his
desire to preserve Parliamentary decorum ought
to arrest his efforts in endeavouring to prevent
its completion. Unquestionably those who were
opposed to it had a right to go to the end of their
tether in endeavouring to defeat it." How alarming
this threat of going to the end of their, tether, if
we did not know how short that tether was !
All this argument and wisdom, however, would
not do. The House divided, the opposition
motion was lost by a majority of 75; and the
business of the Committee was fairly begun. The
case of Appleby was brought forward, and a gallant
and skilful fight, worthy of a better cause, ensued,
in defence of the bog-sties of that ancient and rotten
borough. But all the ingenuity and experience of
the late Secretary of the Admiralty,—all the dogged
battering of the mercantile Member for Borough-
bridge, and all the desultory Cossack lance-exercise
of his learned colleague, could not prevail against
the impenetrable shield of common sense. The Re-
formers were left masters of the field, with a majo-
rity of 74; and henceforward the Westmoreland
piggeries, which have so long been able to raise their
representative voices in the British Parliament to
the praise and glory of the British Constitution, are
to be dumb for ever. Great Bedwin stands next
for the pruning knife. We hope, in our to-morrow's
Journal, we shall have to place it in the list of the
slain, together with several others. The process of
extermination goes on much too slowly. Sentence
has been solemnly pronounced on 57 boroughs; why
waste time by killing them in detail, instead of en
masse? Gatton and Old Sarutn are becoming im-
patient. for their coup de grace.—Tines.
How long will Russia be permitted, with impu•
nity, to make war upon the ancient and noble nation
of the Poles—the allies of France, the friends of
England, the natural, and, centuries ago, the tried
and victorious protectors of civilized Europe against
Turkish and Muscovite barbarians ? Where is there
a spot throughout the Christian world, westward of
the Russian capital, in which this question has not
earnestly and hourly been put from man to man dur-
ing the last four months ? and in which it has not
been replied to by murmurs of discontent and indig-
nation ? The partition of Poland was an open at-
tack upon the rights and independence of surround-
ing States. It will be so recorded by the histo-
rians of every people to whom the privilege of speech
and, writing is not prohibited by their tyrants but as
a vehicle for the perversion of truth. The partition
was felt, at the moment of its perpetration, as a di-
rect assault upon the liberties of Europe, and upon
the honour as well as the security of Great Britain
and France—the Only firet•rate Powers of Christen-
dom who were not parties to the crime. That neither
of these GovernMents discharged, on the occasion,
its duty to mankind or to its own subjects, was
no abrogation of the public principleswhich Fad
prescribed to them a wiser and more manly course.
That criminal forbearance did not render the
crimi-
nal,-rage which ought to have been avenged less
or extract the poison from a precedent so
fraught with ruin to all -political - society. It was an
act of piracy on a gigantic iC:116" which no prc:sertp-
dun (but indeed there as yet been no prescilini n)
°Ohl& have sanctified.- Poland has ever since un-
,ed.the' moral-right to recover her own unens!aved
.
h,