The Sun.
London, England, 1838-06-02 00:00:00

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WITH WHICH
" THE TRUE SUN" IS NOW
INCORPORATED.

LONDON :
SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE 2, 1838.

Lord WINCIIILSEA appears desirous of throwing the
blame of the outrages near Canterbury from the Tory
Magistrates on the Executive. The unfortunate madman,
however, on whose release they found their insinuations,
had been confintd in a lunatic asylum, not for any acts of
violence, but for an act which some men in their senses
commit—perjury. The case is quite di&rent from that
of a conviction for an assault or for murder, when proofs
of insanity given before the Court warrant the Crown in
remitting the punishment, and confining the individual for
life. We cannot presume that any Magistrates would be
so wicked as to wink at acts of violence to bring disgrace
upon a Government which they dislike ; but as far as facts
are ascertained, Lord WINCIIILSEA shows more than even
his usual indiscretion, by attempting to exculpate the Ma-
gistrates at the expence of the Government.

The amount of the concession which Sir ROBERT PEEL
is wiling to make to Ireland, was last night ascertained.
The experience of England has taught him that municipal
Reform is not so terrible to the Tories as it was painted.
Many of the small towns, and some of the larger ones,
are almost as much under their influence now, as
when the Corporations were merely nesfs of jobbery
and corruption. He is lass anxious to oppose Cor-
poration Reform in Ireland ; therefore, provided he
can get such a franchise as will still retain the power in the
hands of a narrow minority. It is well known, that in the
majority of cases the Catholics constitute the poor, and the
Protestants the opulent portions of the Irish. Sir ROBERT
therefore if he could have a 101. franchise, determined by
being rated to the poor on that value, would be sure to pre-
serve something like a preponderance of his old Orange
friends in the corporations. This poor concession is all lie
will make. The Irish Members and the .Ministers
strcnously resisted his proposition, and on a division he
was defeated by twenty-six. Lord JoHN RUSSELL ex-
plained that he was willing so far to concede to Sir Ro-
BERT as to admit the test of ,;he rating, but he insisted
that the franchise should be fixed at 5/. His proposition
was carried. But Sir ROBERT PEEL, neglecting all further
improvement in the Bill, is again to try his for
tune with this amendment on the report. As
we cannot possibly anticipate that he will be suc-
cessful, and as we are quite sure that if he he
not, the Lords will insert that qualification, which the
Commons will not accept, we have come at once to the
conclusion that nothing of importance will be done this
Session. The sudden and burning love of peace with which
the Standard has been infected will not be gratified.
The wiles of its party have not succeeded, and it may re-
commence its furious denunciations of the Whigs and of the
Catholics, and revive its ribbon plots, as soon as it can
again change with any regard to decency.

The further particulars which we have received of the
riots near Canterbury confirm the view we yesterday took
of the gross ignorance of the peasantry. The rued Mr.
CounTENav gave himself out not only as " a Political but
also as a Religious Reformer" : s
" He blasphemously styled himself," says the Reporter of the Times,
" the Saviour of the world, and to convince his followers that he was so,
he pointed to. certain punctures in his hands as those inflicted by
the nails of the cross, and to a cicatrice in his side as the wound
out of which issued blood and water. He also represented
himself as invulnerable to steel and shot, and so completely has he de.
laded numbers into the belief in his monstrous lies that they even now
fancy that though lie appears dead, he will rise again on the third day,
and lead his followers on to victory."—" A woman of the name of
Culver was told by this impostor that if she got some water and placed
it in his mouth,in case he was shot he would shortly revive. On hear-
ing of his death, the woman filled a vessel of water, walked out with it,
and in compliance with his instructions placed it on his
The success of this madman in inducing a number of ig-
norant but brave men to follow and believe in him, was
owing to his appeals to hunger and fanaticism. He pro-
mised them good living, and he ratified his promises by as-
suring them of his divinity. Any change, when men are
very miserable, is expected to be an improvement, and his
followers, like those of JOHANNA SOUTHCOTE, seemed to
have regarded him as another Messiah. The cure fur the
disease of the deluded people must be supplied by the school-
master, not by the hangman. It is a case for the clergyman, if
he beenlightened and intelligent, notfor the magistrate ; but if
he mix the two characters, and send out warrants against
those whom he has neglected to instruct, and read the
Riot Act to give them information—if he order the poor
wretches whom his imperfect teaching has helped into the
delusion to be shot, or consign them to a dungeon for trial—
he will appear to reflecting men more guilty than the vic-
tims of his neglect, and of Mr. COURTENAY'S madness.
It was explicitly stated last night, by Lord JOAN Rus-
SELL, in answer to questions put by Sir ROBERT PEEL,
that he had received no intimation from the Magistrates in
the neighbourhood that the madman was agitating the
public on any subject. They must, in fact, have been
wholly ignorant of his proceedings, or they would deserve a
much more severe reprehension than a charge of gross
neglect, for sending an unarmed constable with two
followers to arrest him. In truth, they appear like
the Authorities amongst the French Canadians to be quite
unacquainted with the people placed under their charge ;
who are suffered to remain in the most gross ignorance,
and, are allowed unchecked, uninformed, to congregate
in masses, to commit breaches of the law, to look on
while their leader coolly and brutally perpetrates a mur-
der, and then only are they instructed by the bayonets
and bullets of the soldiery, that they have been deluded into
a great crime. If the Magistrates were aware that Mr. Corsa-
TENAv was a dangerous individual, how will they answer for
their conduct in allowing an armed maniac with a hundred
followers to traverse the country for three days, seducing
the peaceful labourer from his work, raising contributions
on innkeepers, and putting the whole district in a state of
the greatest excitement ? It appears that the party set
out on Monday morning, and continued their operations
unmolested till Wednesday, and that no effectual steps
were taken to stop their dangerous proceedings till
Thursday. Was Lord JOHN RUSSELL to blame for this,
or the Magistrates of .the neighbourhood? Amongst those
are several clergymen, and we charge them with neglect,
both as clergymen, for not having better instructed their
flocks, and as magistrates, for not having known of Mr.
COURTENAY'S proceedings, and wills not having prevented
the calamitous results.
The gross ignorance of Lord WlNcrittsEA's and Sir
EDWARD KNATCHBULL'S fine peasantry, the proofs of which
have now been so painfully impressed on the public, de-
serves consideration in another point of view. Has the
reader ever been at the cathedral Cityof Canterbury? Has
he ever mounted one of its spires, or any of the eminences
about it, and attempted to count the Churches that rise on
all sides, and that in the city itself are almost as numerous as
the lofty and respectable houses? The scene is just such a
one as COBBETT has described, and would at all times have
delighted histruly-English heart. There is aheautifulrniwture
of hill and dale, gentle and clear streams, hop gardens, and
orchards, waving corn-fields, and velvet meadows ; and it
forms altogether as lovely a picture of a peace ful,prosperous,
and fertile laod as ever gladdened the eye. It is divided
into numerous parishes, and is studded with gentlemen's
villas, and the low but massive churches of our Saxon an-
cestors. Never did the clergy fix their staff in an unfruit-
ful spot, and perhaps Canterbury and its neighbourhood
is as fertile and pleasant a seat as even the Clergy'
ever chose. All the country round is redolent of the
Church. But now we are astounded to learn that in the
midst of all these Churches, and all this fertility, there
dwells a race of peasantry so poor that the mere prospect
of a good meal tempts them into the commission of outrage,
and so ignorant that the ravings of a known lunatic are
believed and adopted like the Gospel itself. More asto-
nishing still to us it is to learn that the Clergymen—Ma-
gistrates who are in both capacities bound to be acquainted
with their congregations,their tenants,seryants, and labourers,
and who are bound to watch over and guide their proceedings,
were uninformed of what was goingon,and neither sent infor-
mation to the Home Secretary, nor took any other means
to prevent the certain consequences of men following an
armed madman, till the murder of the constable's attendant
created public consternation. Such circumstances as these
cause reflections by no means favourable to the country
Magistracy and to the Clergy.
In another place will be found all the further details
of this unhappy affair, which have reached the metropolis
this day. The Coroner's inquest has brought in a verdict
of wilful murder against COURTENAY and his followers,
several of whom have been committed to gaol.

Looking at the interest which we have taken in the question
of the renewal of the Bank of Ireland charter, and recollecting