The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-16 00:00:00

[THE TIMU.]

A Parliamentary Return relative to the Clergy
of Ireland was printed towards the close of the
last session ; having been rendered necessary, we
suppose, by the dispute between Mr. Plunkett
and other members, on the question of non-resi-
dent incumbents. Towards settling the question
between the champion of the Irish Church and
his adversaries, much depends on the sense in
which we employ the word " non-residence."
Mr. Plunkett, for instance, alleges rather stiffly,
that the clerical non-residents of Ireland do not
amount to more than about thirty persons. Now
we have just had time to look over the returns from
the four archiepiscopal dioceses, and from the two
suffragan Sees next in succession, and there we,
have reckoned between seventy and eighty ab-
sentees—exclusive of cases where the livings are
" very small"—where glebe-houses are only
" building"—where age and infirmity incapacitate,
and therefore excuse the absent clergyman, and so
forth. Mr. Plunkett, however, we shall be told,
confines the term 46 non-resident" to the case of
what he calls " culpable absence," or, in military
parlance, 44 absence without leave." We disagree
totally with the Right lion. Gentleman. In our
minds, when the general state of the Church of
Ireland is considered, and a complaint brought
forward of the lamentable frequency of non-resi-
dence, it is no excuse whatever to say that the
non-resident has a faculty from the Primate, or a
privilege from any superior authority, to shirk
his parochial duty. Such a pretext only aggra-
vates. the evil, because it would go to prove that
the Bench of Bishops were parties to the corrup-
tion of the Church Establishment of Ireland.—
Nor is it a more plausible defence to say, that a
clergyman having two parishes cannot reside in
both ; for, once admitting that the parish which
pays tithe has a' right to the services of him who
' receives the tithe, the difficulty of dwelling in two
places is nothing more than an argument against
pluralities—against a man's undertaking duties
which it is physically impracticable to perform.
But the truth is, that the Church of Ireland stands
on a footing altogether unsupported by any known
theory, political, moral, or religious. Bow far
any conceivable modification a church, exacting
its ermiluments from the bulk of a nation whom
it does not repay by even the shadow of those
benefits for which every Christian church ought
to be instituted, can ever be made an instrument
of good to Ireland, we shall not now discuss.—
it is, we know, asserted, that the more the
residence of the Irish clergy is enforced, the
greater the irritation that will be excited among
the people—we mean the Catholic people—who
look at them rather as engines of exaction than
of instruction. And although this maxim has
been laid down by a Catholic, and must there-
fore be estimated with all the qualification be-
longing to the judgment of an acknowledged
enemy, we may assure ourselves that there exists
in the popular mind of Ireland a strong predis-
position on which to rest it, or Bishop Doyle
would not have stated his belief with so chuck
easy confidence. At the same time, we cordially
disclaim for ourselves any participation in the
sentiment of that gentleman, from which an infe-
rence disrespectful to the personal characters of
the Irish clergy might be drawn ; for we are well
persuaded that the vice is inherent in the system,
and that the most earnest advocates for the pu-
rification of it are to be found amongst that clergy

UNFORTUNATE MISTAKE.---Yesterday morn-
ing, between three and four o'clock, as Tyrrel,
a constable, was on his rounds, be observed
the parlour ►►indow of Mr.. Rogers, 34,
North-strand, open. A man was in the
parlour. The constable alarmed Mr. Rogers,
who descended, but would not open the
door. Procuring the aid of the other watch-
men, one, of the name of Fitzpatrick, en.
tered the window, and was proceeding to open
the door for Tyrrel, when Rogers, mistaking
him for the robber, stabbed him twice in the hall
with a bayonet. Meantime the robber effected
his escape by the rear of the house. Fitzpatrick
has been removed to Jervis-street hospital.—
( Dublin Correspondent, July 13.)
114.4111tRAULE COINNDENCE.—Three cousins,
of the name of Bancroft, all of Box, Wilts, were
killed last week, viz. Thomas, on Thursday, at
Monckton-Combe, by the wheel of a waggon
going over him ; Robert, on Saturday, by fall-
!ng from it building at Twerton ; and joit, also
on Saturday, by falling from the battlement of
Mr. Long's house, at Farley ; a round of Elm
ladder broke just as he had gained the top. They
have all left widows and families.
A watch-dog at Pit keathly-wells has formed
such an ardent attachment to a rabbit, that both
daily prowl about in company. The mastiff's love
for the race extends no farther ; for ho generally
devours all the others who come within his reach.
--(Dundee Advertircr.)

THE LATE THUNDER STORM.

IFURTUEft PARTICULARS.]

The intense and glowing heat of the atmosphere
for several days past rendered it obvious to the
meanest philosophical capacity, that the clouds
must have been charged with an excessive por-
tion of combustible matter, the release of which
was anxiously looked for, in the hope of the air
again becoming supportable. Between nine and
ten o'clock on Wednesday night this wish was
awfully accomplished. The rain descended in
large drops for some minutes, and the clouds im-
mediately over the metropolis assumed a thick
lowering aspect, as if collecting force for the ap-
proaching elementary contest. At a quarter after 9
o'clock, the noise of distant thunder, with intermit.
tent flashings, announced the approaching storm,
which almost immediately became universal. The
rain now descended in torrents ; the sky entire-
ly overcast by dense clouds, emitted not a ray
of light ; and the awful gloom which thus en-
shrouded the city was broken only by the vivid
glare of the blue lightening that momentarily illu-
minated the horizon. The proximity of the
clouds to the earth rendered the effect of each
shock proportionably great : the concussions
were not only powerful, but rapid in succession,
communicating a very sensible vibration to many
houses, the foundations of which wero literally
shaken by the mere force of sound, for in no
other shape (if the term may be so applied)
did it visit the metropolis. From the Bridges
the view of this war of elements was awful,
splendid, and sublime. The firmament, as, we
before observed, being totally obscured, gave
additional effect to the coruscations of a liquid
flame, which streamed at intervals through
the horizon in forked and fanciful lines, dis.
playing in its splendid track a partial view
of the river, its banks, and their various ob-
jects. The roar of the thunder formed a
most suitable accompaniment to the display of
this magnificent scene. In the environs of Lon-
don the storm raged with still greater violence,
and has left, we learn, more visible marks of its
fury. Near Brixton the fall of rain was exces-

sive, at some periods assuming rather the descent
of a water-spout than a natural shower. The
peals of thunder were less distinct here than at
other places ; but the lightning was fully as bril-
liant ; and several trees (one in particular, a fine
old elm in the demesne of Herbert Forster, Esq.)
were quite scathed. At Vauxhall Gardens,
where the rain fell as heavy as in the city, when
the water-spout like a torrent fell, several
persons thought that some pipe connected with
the hydraulics had burst, and called out to that
effect. The broad expansive illumination of the
lightning, when contrasted with the mimic blaze
of the artificial lights and fireworks, was awfully
impressive. In the East part of London much
damage has been done by the rain. The gratings
of the sewers being stopped, caused many places
to form a sheet of water a foot or more high—
such was the state of Lower East Smithfield and
many parts of Wapping. In Goodman's-yard,
Minories, the water was above two feet high.—
The different wherries on the north side of
the River, at break of day, were nearly full
of water ; so much so that at Billingsgate not
a boat could be put off to the Dutch ships, for eels,
&c. till discharged of their water freightage. We
have net heard of any particular damage amongst
the shipping in the lower part of the River,
which, we hope, have escaped. The arrivals in
London yesterday by the mails state it was one
of tine most awful thunder storms remembered
for a long time. Its connmencetnent at Ports-
mouth and Hastings was at half-past seven in
the evening, and continued with little intermis-
sion all night, accompanied with heavy rains.—
The horses, in some instances, were almost un-
governable. We have not heard of any particular
accident having occurred to any of them, and
all the mails arrived in due time. At a piece
called Bluster, between Banbury and Loudon,
two cows and a bull were killed by the
lightning, several houses .were unthatched, chim-
nies thrown down, and much mischief done.
At some distance from London the storm corn-
meeced at an earlier hour—in the neighbourhood
of Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, as early as be-
tween twelve and one o'clock in the day. The
showers of hail were excessively heavy, and hail-
stones %sere picked up of extraordinary size. Some
of there were one inch and a half in diameter, and
almost every pane of glass was broken, from the
ten mile-stone at Enfield Wash to Hoddesdon.
Sir A. Hume, at Wormley, bury, has suffered con-
siderably ; the Rev. Pickthall, at Brox bourne
Vicarage, and Mr. -Waller, of the Mill, have
also sustained considerable loss. Mr. Wallace, a
carman of Dartford, Kent, had one of his horses
killed by lightning during the awful tempest
at the door of the Swan Inn, at Cray-
ford. One of the leaders of a Cranbrooke van,
on being brought from the stable, was discovered
to be blind. Another horse was killed near the
Green-man, Blackheath. The visitation at
Hempstead and Ifigbgate was terrific in the ex-
treme ; the houses literally rocked ; and our
informant (a gentleman residing at
,the former
Place) assures us that some chimney orna-
ments in his drawing-room were thrown down,
and broken during the awful vibration on the
building, which, be is convinced, must at one
time have been struck by lightning, the brick-
work round the upper windows being completely
blackened. In the
neighbourhood of Greenwich,
and for a considerable way
along the, banks of tine
River, the destruction of property exposed in the
fields has been, very great ; three sheep which)
no doubt terrified at the storm, had kept close
together beneath some trees in a field beyond
Blackheath, were found dead yesterday morning,
the wool being perfectly singed by the electric fluid.
In various other parts of the country hay and corn,
in stack, have been thrown down and much da-
maged. In every quarter large forest-trees ap-
pear to have principally suffered, which circum-
stance should operate as a caution to persons
against seeking shelter beneath them in such
cases, a custom which is too commonly adopted.
What is not a little remarkable, there was scarce-
ly a breath of wind the entire time, so that there
is no cause to apprehend marine calamities.