The Sun.
London, England, 1812-07-10 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

In consequence of a strange lettol!„ signed "'W.
SMITH," and dated "'Park,'-sireit,, Westntiw:ter,
.1124:1 4th, 1812,'whichhas aitpc'eted in the _Morn-.
ing Chronicle of the inst. I deem it quite ne-
.cessary to it,ifrrogate..h ilttle that Gen'tleraaii be-,
fore.the public. Mr. WILLIAm, Ssita-H, "so inter-
' rogated, .shall uo .longer have to say (as he leas
stated in his printed letter) that he.can ‘.‘ „neither
reply," nor " regularly notice, " my proposi-
tions. •

Asa t: arm, zealous, and sincere friend of re-
ligious liberty,4 is my duty tnWards those rail-
lions of clients -*:os e jus t -and sae.pfl cause I have
voluntarily eF;pousedi to,expate teittteir.:particular
-notice every atteuipteitlper --to maintain. the .foul
and execrable cause of-intolerance, 'or to-support
the no less .despicable system of mere tole'ratian-.
Liberty,. duly -recognised, in matters --of religion,
breaks the:people's. chains btit, toleration (Which
always necessarily implies a..rigkrto be intolerant)
tends. to rivetthem. • ;

I have now to ;i.sk, this Mr. WILLIAM Smirn; a
few pima and honest questions ; and to.:!wWelt
questions the public will expect clear and' dittiact
answers: -
First, let me ask him, What the future system of
law would have been, snp.POsing,that his 'intended
Fill had actually .passed - •
. by. that; question, What would have
been those lawz, if carried into execution-, which
his, nroje;_;t would have urLre?ealed •
Setondly, , to come with iyan to._eloser quArters,
still, I will ask Whether any -Methodists., or.
Proteseant _Dissenters, or- any_ Non-conformists,
either men or women, could, notwithstanding the.
passing of Ls 3.i2.1, go to any rneetingi.iiouse le-'
gaily, and without fear of purfishment, till after
such:men or -sne'n-vrornen respectively shall have
travelled to the General Sessions of the-Peace,-in
order, in open Court, to qualify themselves; even
to hezr at a ineeting-hate a discourse about re-- •
ligion, or to say their .prayers there publicly,. sup-.
posing them to he so inclined. - :
Thirilly; The e.,s.pence atterttling---the carrying
the Yorkshire freeliders:onli). to•the place of poll,
as the last general- election, being estimated. at One -
hundred thousand Founds, will ask Mr.
LIAM SMITII, wheatr the travelling ,experices- of
the whole body of the male mid female Non-conformists of the county of York ahnie,
wkich-
'would b.e iticurred for the purpose of obeying-the
law, would not arnoinit..to two millions of money,
or to some, other enormous surn,-itideperidently
of
the.loss•of their valuable titne.?. And. let hirn re-
collect, that tide is the poorvian's Tropetty and
depriving him bf it wantonly is, in fact;- rob-
bing him of hiS estate:
Fcteth/y, Does-Mr.:Witt:tor •SMITI-1, who af-
fects in his lelter such mighty respect- for deco.; -
deem t either decent or decorous, that-the
feuraie,paq-of the community, of all ages, should
he stuck up, in open Cotirt, in presence of a
grave 7.3ench of Laical and Clerical Justices,'-and
Ix gazing public, to take oaths, .and to, make de-
clarations, Wore thOse fermles are to be; by law,
r,,,:,-,;tt.;ci to atte-0-- -` -f worship, to clear-up

r. •
Pithly,'i Will now ass. riim, vViiether any Man,
(and what man by name) except himselt; has,.
since the commencement of this nineteenth cen-.
tury, ventured to propose to the Ministers of the
. Crown, either the revival. or the cfratinuanee of
laws of such unbounded absurdity, so conte'rnpti:-
ble in principle, so repugnant to every sound no-
tion of liberty, aid in practice so in-
finitely oppressive ) .
if Mr.,SmtTg should not choOse to answer theie
pointed questiOns, the .:Non-conformists of all'de-
npminations will supply the propQr answers theni.-:
selves. EMITS shall insist that his
prolect is a p.kise.• one; this grand question, be-
tween hhn and ine,..may. o.e submitted to: the.de-.
cision, either of the liberal and enlightened'pnblic
at. lar,e or to that of. worthy citizens :of Not-.
,
viich in particular.
Berners-street, July 8.

'S.r:i►.-xopr~.

The followiner is the letter to whiCfrtiieiiiiive.
is an nswer

TO THE EDITOR OF THE I‘IOTUNINGpIRONICLEA—
, SIR,—In the account ofLord StanhoPe'S speech,
given in your -paper of. this moi. -ning-,;1-...observe so
-very extraordinary art attack. made on me,' in so
very extraordinary alnargier 40Q, by,.nanle, in a
place where I could. neither reply,- nor even eke,
where regularly notice what was there said, that
cannot but .hopethat vour:ri..porter !has. been in-
correct.; as-Otbeywisei J am nnavoidably reduced
to the necessity: of t-lotbting decorurn,, the
accuracy, and the candour of the Noble •Lo7d.
your obedient humble, servant,
• W. SMITH.
Park-street, Westminster, July 4, •1 qj 2.