The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-15 00:00:00

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LONDON:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1.5, 1841.

It was to be expected, when the sham philoso-
phy of Sir ROBERT PEEL roused the ire of the
priest party, that the few sensible words pro-
nounced by Lord ELLENBOROUGH on Friday
evening would not escape their censure. Suffi-
cient time has not yet elapsed to enable them to
reach the collegiate abodes of those recluses
who have thundered forth, in the columns of the
Times, against Sir R. PEEL; they are not yet
attacked by " CATHOLICUS j" but they have not
escaped the notice of a writer, as will be seen in
our extracts from tic Journals, who seems to have
taken his cue from the censure which " CATHOLI-
ens" has heaped on Sir ROBERT PEEL, for, as he
says, insincerely professing a love for secu-
lar knowledge. Lord ELLIn is sneered
at, for professing an opinion that religious im-
provement is totally inconsistent with physical
degradation, and taunted with wishing for a poor
man a respectable home and self-respect, in pre-
ference to schoolmasters, clergymen, and
churches.. We have seldom met with sentiments
more just and more honourable than those of the
Noble Lord, and more likely, if they but prompt
his conduct, stud make hint endeavour to keep
down the priests and lift up the people, to be
permanently beneficial to the country.

But Lora ELLENBOROUGIi is not the only
Member of the "Upper House—though one of
the most distinguished, who thinks church-
building of no use as long as the people be
immersed in filth and wretchedness. To our
astonishment he was preceded in the expres-
sion of that sentiment by the Bishop of LONDON.
While the celebrated " CATHOLICUS," whose at-
tack on Sir R. PEEL is still resounding through
the empire, declares that all knowledge is vain
and worthless, except Christianity be first
taught, the Bishop of LONDON declares in Par-
liament, and it is spread from Parliament—not in
one Journal only but in every Journal through
the whole empire—that Christianity is worth
nothing, that it cannot be brought home to
the mind, without a knowledge of the art of
constructing sewers and purifying dwellings.
Let us quote the memorable words of
the • Right Reverend Prelate, as reported
in our paper, observing that the substance of the
reports is much the same in all the papers, which
is a warranty of the correctness of what we are
about to quote. Indeed it is still more strongly
expressed in die Standard, for it is there said that
the Bishop expressed a hope " that the Bill would
only be considered as a part of a system of salu-
tary regulations for the poor and humble classes
of society, by which they might effect an im-
provement in their moral condition, and bring
them within all the appliances of religion."
'f theri petition, being
is our report :
The Right Rev. Prelate entirely concurred in the prayer '
being convinced that a great portion of all
the disease in great towns arose from imperfect sewerage
and ventilation.' He hoped her Majesty's Government
considered the Bill before the [louse as only part of a
system of sanatory relief for the whole kingdom. He
was convinced they would make great advances towards
improving the moral condition of the loner orders, and ,

towards bringing them within reach of the appliances of
religion, if they could imbue them with habits of cleanli-
ness. This was an object well worthy of their Lordships'
time, for he believed that all other legislative enactments
for their benefit were useless, unless they could introduce
cleanliness into the habitations of the poor.
All other legislation, time voting large sums
to build churches, the endowing colleges, the
granting tithes, the enactment of Sabbath
Observance Bills, time establishing Bishops by
law, &c. &c., are all useless, according to
the Bishop of LONDON, unless the habita-
tions of the poor be made sweet, and their persons
cleanly. Christianity, according to this state-
ment, is only an adjunct of chloride of lime and
spacious sewerage. But both the Bishop and
Lord ELLF,NBOROUGTI agree that it is necessary
to improve the physical condition of the people
before they can be brought within the appliances
of religion.
Sir ROBERT PEEL expressed a somewhat
similar sentiment when lie urged " the vast pre-
parations fur physical enjoyment " which are
seen in the world, •as a proof that the " AL-
MIGHTY had not left in neglect and in-
difference the immortal soul of man," teach-
big us to infer that those whose lives
are one unceasing toil and unceasing pri-
vation, who taste of nothing but penury,
want, and affliction, dear bread, and a starving
fitfully, can never be religious. Their continual
suffering hardens them against all the appliances
of religion. Here, then, we have three eminent
men, great authorities, on the opposite side--
one very learned Prelate and two conspi-
cuous Tory statesmen—declaring, in opposi-
tion to " CATHOLICus"--perhaps, as he will
say, insincerely—that the bulk of the popu-
lation must first be placed in tolerably easy cir-
cumstances, made cleanly and comfortable, and
physically happy, befbre their minds can be im-
bued with Christianity. Whether that be con-
sistent with the general teaching of the priest-
hood, does not concern us ; but we record
such sentiments with satisfitction. To promote
time secular happiness of mankind, secular know-
ledge is indispensable; and if they can only be
made religious by first being made tolerably
comfortable, then that knowledge which " CA-
THOLICUS" and the Times deride—which sci-
entific men teach, and writers in public
journals spread abroad through the land
—must first be in existence before Chris-
tianity can be brought home to the mind. We leave
that party in the Church which attacks know-
ledge to settle this matter with Lord ELLEN-
BOROUGH, the Bishop of LONDON, and Sir RO-
BERT PEEL: we have done nearly all we wisVto
do when we have pointed out the discrepancy be-
tween them, and avowed our adhesion to time plan
of the Government providing for the phy:ical
welfare of the people before attempting to make
them religious.
One observation we wish to add. Every man
deeply imbued with the love of any one art or
science very generally, supposes it to be of
pre-eminent value, if not sufficient for all
possible purposes. His attachment to his art
will be strengthened and confirmed past all
breaking, if the pursuit of it confer on him
honour and riches. But no other man engaged
in a different pursuit would admit his apprecia-
tion of life to be a just one; and every maim but
the one who was riding such a hobby to death,
would laugh at an attempt to make all men
Imappy and virtuous, by making them botanists,
geometricians, painters, or sculptors. Now,
something of this one-sided view and over-esti-
mate of a favourite pursuit, may be traced,
we think, in the recommendation of such
writers as " CATHoLicus," who would make
time teaching of the priesthood time basis of
all other knowledge. To the priesthood re-
ligious doctrines bring wealth, honour, comfort,
and all those physical enjoyments which Sir
ROBERT PEEL, Lord ELLENBOROUGII, and the
Bishop of LONDON, describe as essential to make
men religious. To other men time doctrines
taught by time priests bring exaction and dis-
comfort, and over them they will not,
they cannot have, the influence which
the priesthood assert they have. It is plain
to us, therefore, that time statesmen who
rely much or exclusively, on religious doctrines
to promote the morality and -the welfare of
society will be deceived. They take time partial
estimate of interested and even delighted men,
to whom religion is a great worldly blessing, as
the true test of its importance in social economy.

The Tories are collecting their forces from all
parts, we understand, to resist the second reading
of Lord Monrorn's Bill on this day week. It
stands for a second reading on Friday next, but
as it might have been inconvenient to sonic Mem-
bers to bring them to town at the end rather than
at the beginning of a week, it is to be postponed
till. Monday. The Liberals will be warned by
the exertions of the Tories, and they will all take
care to be in their places to support Lord Mon-
PETIT'S Bill. Another and a better opportunity
certainly will never occur of proving to the Irish
that they may rely on the present Parliament to
grant their just claims.
Lord STANLEY, who seems ready at all times
to peril the empire in the gratification of his per-
sonal views, spleen, and spites, may be resolved
to go all lengths, and to tell the Irish that they
have no alternative but to lie quietly down and
suffer him and the Orangemen to trample them
into political nothingness, or at once to assert the
majesty of freedom and throw off what, if Lord
STANLEY succeed, will be the unbearable yoke of
bigoted England; but we shall not believe, till
we see the Votes of the House of Commons, that
even the majority of the Tories will sacrifice the
welfare of the country to gratify an ill-tempered
and disappointed renegade. They have property to
preserve ; they are interested in maintaining the
integrity and the peace of the empire they have
no foolish bigotry or malevolent passions to gra-
tify by avowing a hatred to Ireland ; they will
calmly balance the disadvantages and the advan-
tages of following Lord STANLEY, and they will
not think the chance of throwing Ireland into
rebellion is cheaply purchased by a vexatious
system of registration ; they will take a states-
man-like view of the whole question ; they will
not confine themselves merely to the Bill for
restricting the registration or extending the fran-
chise ; they will remember the character of the
Noble Lord, and that it is his misfortune to ex-
cite the distrust of the Irish for every thing he
recommends.

Statesmen not blinded by passion will look at
the state of Europe, particularly at the cloud
which lowers from France; they will turn to the
United States, and remember that the millions here
are discontented, and yearn for a democracy like
that which prevails there, and with which
there is at present some danger of a collision.
All the rational Tories must think that the inter-
nal peace of the empire will be cheaply purchased
by the just and temperate measure of Lord Mott-
pE'rn. We have considerable confidence in hu-
man nature, when not influenced by avarice or
bigotry; and when brought to the test, we hope
there will be found amongst the Tories, many
gentlemen who, like Mr. BARING WALL, will
not sacrifice the public interest to party attach-
ments. We pretend not to predict the issue of
the contest, but if the House of Commons mean
to promote the public welfitre, they will sanction
the second reading of Lord MORPRTII'S Bill on
this day week by a considerable majority. To
ensure such a result no Liberal will on that day
be absent who can by any possibility reach the
House.

Besides the Jamaica journals, we have a file of
the Antigua Herald to the 2'sth of December in-
clusive. The state of the island is said to be ex-
ceedingly prosperous.

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1841

shingle and a heavy growth of black birch. These gentle-
men travelled by the windings of the Hutt about
fifty miles, and suppose •the direct distance to the
mountain to be about thirty miles. Within six miles
of the Tararua, another stream of equal magnitude falls into
the Hutt. The source of the Hutt was not detected, and is
believed to be far off, coming from the eastern base of the
mountain. Kapita was seen, bearing S.W. Hills continue
to the east, which further confirm the opinion that the flat
land is to the north-west. The quantity of land in the valley
is estimated at 30,000 acres, and far up it is superior in rich-
ness of soil to that with which we are acquainted. Magnifi-
cent forests •f totara were met with, which will some day be a
source of great wealth to the settlement.