The Sun.
London, England, 1824-10-23 00:00:00

RELIGIOUS SCENE AT PARIS.

PHILLIPS; THE COMEDIAN.
1 From the Constitutionnel.
PA ills,' Ovr. 19 —SuppoSe Afint them, was nn
State religion, and that all worship was supported 'by the zeal
of its partisans, assuredly religious fervour would be the greater.
It is well known what happens in countries *ltere.the Catholics
are the minority. - They are no where so pious, so observant
of their duties, and so obedient to their pastors. These last do
not appear in the Slate budget, and the have nothing to do
witti the dispensation of the ceremonies, not -even of those
• which most relate to public eider. But in a country where
• their religion is defrayeil by the State, they ought to be placed
under. its dependence. They receive the advantage; they
should submit to its influence.
We have willingly defended the Galilean amid), insomuch
as it is opposed to the shadows of the Tramontane policy. We
-seal again do so when occasion shall require. We will always
• range with finssuet and Pascal against the Jesuits, and•the pre-
tensions of the College at nettle ; but we cannot conceal that
't)ge french Clergy have some customs totally incompatible with
that political position in which 'they are placed, and we think
that it is little to their interest not to abrogate, or at least not
to let fall into disuse a general sentence Of excommunication
pronounced in a aerie of barbarity, and which is not admitted
in other Catholic ceurtrica, not even in the estates .orthe
'Holy Father. " Does it truly serve ' the intents of religion 'to
chew it intolerant and uncharitable? • And in this case is it not
to be feared that such rigour will produce indifference?
We will not ask if the case of a sudden death, which has not
perrnitted the administration of the sacrament, ought not to
make an exception ; but if it is the absence of the sacrament
that you ptinigh, it is no longer the comedian that you exclude
from the church Tri short, many actors have died after re-
ceiving the sacrament, and have been interred by*the parish
' clergyman. If the ombation of the sacrament at death is suffi-
cient to justify an exclusion from the sanctuary,- say so. "iVe
understand' that a sovereign 'Princess of Germany has died' in
Paris of a sudden apoplexy is site to be refused burial P
We subinit these questions to the Minister of the Clergy,
for they are specially Within his range. Although he may be
one of the heads of the Catholic church, yet he Should in this
question forget that he at all helonge to the church, but coo.
in
der the case as a statesman, if it be possible.
The following letter, which we have ju*t received, without
relating to the questiOns which we have propounded, nevertie-
:lesit deserves insertion
It Si n--,Perrnit me to offer you 'some reflections on the sub-
ject of the event. which at this moment occupiei the public
111.41. We are told that Phllippe,'the actor, was an excellent
' mai't always yeady to befriend the poor, or a friend in adver-
sity : the church' should not be shut against so good a'clia-
racter.
" The theatrical administration which hart lost him has al.
vvvg been ready to second his benevolent views, and in the
numerous repreeentationa In favour of the poor of the fifth
arrondieetnent, the name Philippe has aZ 1 s
n appeared.
Surely the palish curate of Sitint'Ltiurent Waleal much regret
when he learns these circumstances. 'lt will be remembered,
that the Clergyman of Saint Roche appeared much concerned
when he was informed that 'Madame Raucourt had, shortly
-before her death., contributed six hundred francs to a charity. I
" A Subscriber in the Oth Arroudisement of Paris.

THE HEREFORDSHIRE PITT CLUB.

IFULTUZU PATITICITLARSI

On Friday se'unight, the Members of this Club
dined together at the Hotel, in Hereford,-in commemoration of
the Birth of that Illustrious Statesman and Patriot, the late
Right Hon. WILLIAM PITT. Sir J. G. COTTERELL,
M.P. in the Chair. After the wremoval of the cloth,- the. first,
toast given waa—
" The King," with three-times three.—Air, " God save the
King."

The usual loyal and other touts appropriate to the day were,
drank with appropriate honours,
The worthy CHAIRMAN then gave the health of " The Lord
Lieutenant." •
Earl SostEns, in returning thanks, said, it may be proper
for me on this occasion to repeat my 'sentiments respecting
the character of that great man, 141 r. Pitt.; great as a 'states-
man and-financier,.which is allowed even by his enemies. But
there are two points-in his character, as I have heretofore ob-,
Served, which strike me as particularly to be admired in his
career, and which -I believe most essentially conduced to
the preservation -of his country. At one period to which
allude, when a neighbouring kingdom was rioting in acts
of madness, wickedness, and impiety, to the greatest possibly
degree, and ::endeavouring -to disseminate her creed, among
other nations, to this happy and favoured people, when the
folly of many here was so great as to persuade themselves that
liberty was thriving in France, and who would have communi-
cated the same to us at home, this great patriot stood up firmly
and resolutely, and effectually called on his country to resist
the introduction of this liberty, and thus prepare to us real, sub.
stantial, practical liberty, producing on the one hand happiness
to the governed, and on the other attachment of the King to
his people. Met by kindred feelings, and supported by a free
and generous nation, he effectually secured our safety and in.
dependence, and no man more than he deserved a nation's gra.
titude. The other particular was, his bringing about the Union
with Ireland, and ram satisfied and well convinced, from the
experience of a long life, that this Union was necessary to the
happiness of both countries, for' we had seen in the case of
America the difficulty of conducting the measures of a govern.
ment when it had a separate administration of its own.
His Lordship then proposed the beaky of" The President,
Sir J. Cotterell," which was drank amidst repeated plaudits.
Sir J. COTTERELL returned thanks.
The next toast was," Colonel Money, the Vice-President."
Colonel MONEY.—Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, I feel
particularly flattered by the very handsome anti hearty manner
in which my health has been proposed anti drank, and beg you
will accept my best thanks for the honour you have done me.
Being placed in the situation of a Vice-President, it may be
necessary that I should not allow the opportunity to pass with-
out endeavouring to pay my humble quota or tribute of re-
spect to the memory of that distinguished and illustrious States-
man and Patriot, whose birth-day and merits we are now as.
membled to commemorate. It has been and still is u doubt with
some Politicians, whether the conduct of Mr. Pitt in plunging
this country into a war with France soon after the breaking out
of the French revolution was founded upon the snuntlest prin-
ciples of national_ policy anti a due regard to the best interests
of his country. Now in order to come fairly to this question,
it will be necessary to take a brief survey of the relative situa-
tions of these two countries at the period to which I have
alluded. France, then, having broken down all the barriers of
lawful restraint, and trampled upon the institutions of her
counts:3s.; having outraged and insulted every thing that was
good in morals, venerable in law, or sound in religion, erected
the standard and the cap of liberty (mistaken liberty, I should
say,) and her- intoxicated eons like mailmen danced around
it upon the smoking ruins of her reeking Monarchy. 'rite
principles and doctrines that she now boasted went avowedly
to overturn the Altar anti the Throne. The bonds of social
order were loosened, and-the internal tranquillity of this and
every other country was threatened. In the progress of her
mad career, she burst like a torrent on the neighbouring nations,
and a part of Savoy, Holland, Belgium, and the Netherlands
were soon prostrate at her feet. In violation of the treaties of
Munster anti Wesphalia, site forced the navigation of the
Scheldt, and declared that river to be -free, although its naviga.
tion was protected by treaties-sanctioned by the special guaran.
tee of Great Britain. Should we look for further excesses as a
ground upon which to justify the assuinption of an hostile at.
titude on the part of England, they may probably be found
le, the famous or infamous Decree of the National Convention
ofiSloye!Oer 17U2, by which the subjects of this anti every
fetl*Motpltry were called on and encouraged to rise in rebel-
.llawagaillist their legitimate Governments; and the murder of
her unfortunate Monarch, which, with all the chain of insults
and indignities by which it was accompanied, formed a climax.
in the catalogue of iniquity unequalled perhaps in the annals
of civilized nations. This was the situation of France and
-England, as the ally of Holland, was culled on by the Spelt.
holder to vindicate her insulted honour, and to join the Allies
against the common enemy: What now was the alternative
'for the Minister of this great country to adopt under such press.
ing circumstances? What was the policy best calculated to
promote the present and future safety ana prosperity of Eng-
land ? Would it have been consistent with our magnanimity to
have stood aloof, and to have been idle spectators of the scene,
whilst the storm was•gathering and blackening around us, and
the different nations of Europe were buckling on their arms and
preparing for the combat ? Mr. Pitt did not long hesitate in
this emergency ; he never seemed inclined to-vacillate, -or to
exclaim with the Homan Poet—
" 0 Navin, referent in Mare to, tarsi
Fluctus ! 0 Quid agis I fortiter occupa
Portuni—
This was not his policy—he made up his mind for war, and
counselled his Majesty accordingly. Anti when his Majesty's
message was brought down to both Houses of Parliament, in
February, 1793, informitig them that his Majesty had taken
the necessary steps to maintain the honour of his crown anti the
just rights of his people, and calling on his faitbtbl subjects
rl'to assist him in prosecuting a just anti necessary war. Mr.
I Pitt, in an able and eloquent address, in which he adduced the
most unanswerable arguments for war, observed in substance,
that there could be no security for Ins Majesty's dominions,
either at home or abroad, whilst such men us the present
rulers of France were at the head of affairs ; and that whether
we went to war or not, we must keep up a very large establish.
tent; to maintain which in idleness-would be more dangerous
to the country than any thing we had to fear from the fury of
our enemies. War, then, was the order of the day, and it is not
necessary for me to recapitulate the great and islorions exploits
by which his Majesty's arms were distinguished, both by sea
and land ; it'will be sufficient:for the to observe, thatthe fleets
of England rode triumphantly on 'the ocean, and that in the
course of' is few years the whole naval power of France and
her allies was annihilated.. Never was conquest more coin.
piece, or victory more signal and brilliant I Not a sail was
wafted on• the bosom-of the deep without the permission -of
this country. ''rhe British navyhaving accomphithed all that
there was to be. done, and in their busy zeal for their country's
.service, nihil act um reputans riqu id =Terme/ agendum, sighed,
like 'Alexander, not indeed for new worlds, but for new
navies to conquer, and reluctantly resigned the path of honour
and glory to -their brothers in arms- on shore : and it is well
known how the land forces •of his Majesty drove and pursued
the routed legions of France from the Tagus to the Ebro, from
'the. Ebro to the Seine, and lastly that the plains of Waterloo
were reserved to- witness one of- the grandest military achieve-
ments that ever graced the annals of a -warlike nation—grand
in the prowess by which the-battle was won, and grand In the
results which followed, which were no less than the repose of
Europe, and I may add, the peace and tranquillity of theworld.
Mr. Pitt lived not to see this great and gloriouitalay—this con-
summation of' all his hopes and wishes; he fell at an earlier
period of the struggle, surrounded with difficulties and dangers,
his great mind nevertheless still firm and -undismayed. HeH
fell ! and was lost to society and to the admiring eye or a grate-
ofifi I
hisworthy
,countryoh;y yet his spirit still lived and animated the councibt
anti enlightened successors, who, to their lasting
honour be it spoken, 'by pursuing the line of policy lid down
by this great Stateman, steered the vessel of the state through
all her difficulties, and conducted the affairs of Europe to the
happiest issue.
"Lord Viscount Eastnor," snd " the Vice-President elect,"
were the next toasts.
Lord EASTWOU and Mr. KINOSMILL EVANS severally re.
turned thanks, and expressed'their admiration of the character,
and attachment to the principles of Mr. Pitt. The latter, in
tracing the splendid career which that great Statesman had pur-
sued, thus closed the just tribute to departed wortlia--" Gen-
tlemen, -I have selected the periods at which I conceive this
Country to have been in the Mostimminent danger, antil think
-I am justified in attributing her salvation to Mr. Pitt. In com-
mon with you all,' hlaatertt, the-labours of office, and the ,zeal.
ous exertions he made to insure the happiness of this country,'
wore out his constitution, and prematurely brought him to his
grave; pointing to it, we may faithfully exclaim—
" This earth entombs a victim to the State,
" fell a glorious sacrifice to zeal:"
Other able end eloquent addresses were made to the Meeting,
by the respectable individuals who were present, and loyalty
and perfect harmonyprevailed throughout the day.