The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-11 00:00:00

[MORNING POST.]

Mr. Dennis Browne is reported to have touched
on what we deem a subject of great importance,
in the course of his remarks respecting Mr.
Flume's late motion. We allude to the fact, that
owing to the mode in which the Catholic Clergy
of Ireland derive their emoluments, and in most
instances the amount of those emoluments, the
Catholic Priesthood are, almost without an ex-
ception, drawn from the peasantry, or at least
from the lower classes of the people—iu
short, that they are the children of poor
parents, the highest of whom do not rank
above petty farmers and petty tradesmen. We
appeal to every man acquainted with the subject,
if this be not the case, and challenge the " Ca-
tholic Association " itself to she w how many ex-
ceptions exist to the general rule here affirmed.
Assuming then the truth of this statement, will
it be said that the practice is not fearfully inju.
rious to Ireland generally, and does not essen-
tially derogate from the respectability and libe-
rality of the Catholic religion as professed in that
country? We are far, however, from saying that the
humility of a man's origin incapacitates him from
filling the highest office, and adequately discharg-
ing its duties, whether civil or religious. On the
contrary, we admit the Irish Catholic Clergy, at
least in a great part of them, to possess as much
talent, perhaps, as if one half or the whole of
them were derived from the first Catholic fami-
lies in the United Kingdom. But does talent
alone make a Gentleman in the true meaning of
the designation, or can two or three years' resi-
dence at Maynooth school supply the deficiency
—substitute knowledge for cunning—the feel-
ings of character of an accomplished scholar, for
the " craft and subtlety" of a low-bred pedant?
Our readers will readily decide this point for us.

[MORNING CHRONICLE. j
The Bill for the establishment of the Com-
pany, to which we have several times of late
called the attention of our readers, was discussed
in the House last night. One feature in the dis-
cussion deserving of remark, was the appearance'
of Mr. Huskisson, the advocate of free trade, and
enemy of monopolies, as a partisan of this mea-
sure, which has only one intelligible operation,
to raise the price of sugar to the people
of this country. West India Securities are not
very acceptable in the market, because the price
of produce does not allow of au adequate return
for the advances. If prices were high, advances
would readily be made at present by individuals.
The anticipation from this Company then is, that
it will have the effect of raising prices, and thereby
give to the West Indians the power to impose thro'
their monopoly a heavy tax on the people of this
country.--" lf, said the liberal Mr. Huskisson,
relief could be given without a gross violation of
principle ; if the planters and the owners of
estates could be aided by enabling them to obtain
loans of money upon better terms than at pre-
sent, it did not seem to him that the House
would be guilty of any injustice to the rest of
the nation in passing the Bill upon the table."—
What injustice in enabling the West Indians,
who have the monopoly of our market, and who
shut out competitors by a heavy protecting duty,
to raise their prices on us, in order that they may
borrow money in better terms !---" We put it to the
House whether, if the Landowners of this country
were distressed,and some scheme were brought for-
ward which offered probable relief, without injury
to the rest of the community, it would not support
such a project.—This v. as done at a home thrust;
it was a pretty safe appeal to the House of
Landholders. But were Mr. Huskisson to talk
in the same way to others, we have little
doubt as to the answer he would receive. The
Landholders' is precisely a case in point—they
have, like the West Indians, a monopoly of
our market, which at one time raises prices ex-
travagant•ly high, and thereby gives an unnatu-
ral extension to cultivation. A glut of produce
depresses the market next, and the Landholders
are.distressed.- Mr. Huskisson would protect the
LandhOlders against this re-action. He would
support a projet for raising prices, which would
give personal, relief without injuring the rest of
the community. This is Mr. Huskisson's logic.
44 For his own part," 'said -the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman, " belled no interest in the West Indies,
and no concern with the proposed Company.".—
Perhaps not—Bnthas Mr. John Gladstone any
interest in the West Indies, or any concern with
the proposed Company ? Because though prin-
ciples are well for indifferent matters, it is quite

another thing when there is a friend in the case
and such a friend too !! A Alinister ought to
have the interest of the people, and not that of
any particular class at the expence of the people,
constantly in view. Mr. Huskisso❑ is too clear-
headed a man not to know that the West India
monopoly, which this Company is intended to
bolster up, is a serious injury to Great Britain.

LITERARY NOTICE.

COWPER'S PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE.

As we understood that a new Edition of this
most agreeable collection (recently given to the
Public in two Volumes) will shortly appear, we
are induced to make a few remarks on the sub-
ject. We find that none of these Letters have
been hitherto published, either in Mr. HATLEY'S
Life of the Poet, or in any other Work. Their
novelty, and the high reputation of their Author,
afforded much promise in their favour, which is
amply realised in the perusal: indeed, they will
be found to unite, in an extraordinary degree, all
the qualities constituting excellence in this de-
partment of composition. Ease, simplicity, ele-
gance, wit, and learning are blended in the most
happy proportions. No one, we think, has sur-
passed Mr. COWPER in the epistolary style—no
one has succeeded in steering with more ability
through the dangerous extremes of affectation on
the one hand, and carelessness on the other—the
Scylla and Charybdis of Letter Writers. Each
incidental subject is treated with the same felici-
ty—and even amidst those ordinary themes of
every day life, which seem to present but a
barren track, the most charming little flowers of
fancy and expression spring up to embelish and
refresh. Such is the fairy power of genius.
The air of candour which prevails through-
out these Letters is another striking peculia-
rity. The amiable Writer appears to exhibit
his heart unreservedly to our view : and if
we are sometimes pained with the disclosure
of those religious fears and misgivings, and that
depression of soul which he often endured, yet
even these add an intensity and pathos to the
interest excited, and seem to produce an effect
somewhat allied to that of shadows in painting.
It is indeed much to be deplored that so dark a
cloud of melancholy should have hovered over,
and sometimes enveloped so beautiful a spirit ;
but the circumstance is not without its moral use,
as a caution to those who are apt to believe that
genius is oue of the most important acquisitions
towards happiness.
The Rev. Dr. JOHNSOY, who is the Editor of
these Letters, has traced the source of Cowean's
mental gloom to a bodily affliction ; and herein
he has done well, for persons have not been want-
ing, who, in pretending to account for it, have
substituted the cause for the effect.
We conclude this notice by recommending our
readers to make themselves acquainted with these
volumes, which, we feel assured, will amply con.
firm the sentiments that we have expressed in
their favour.

ON THE PHENOMENA OV SHADOWS, DT MK.
MONGEZ.—When the sun is free from clouds, the
shadow of bodies is surrounded by' a penumbra,
very sensible, though much more obscure than
the shadow. When two bodies, each projecting
a shadow, are made to approach one another, at
the moment preceding the contact, the shadows
advance towards each other, and change their
form at the point of contact; the shadow of a
right line thus becomes a curve, and that of a
globe, like the summit of a paraboloid. Mr.
AttAoo attributes the effect to the superposition
panying the bodies. Thus,
of the penumbra neon]
if the intensity of the penumbra was only half
that
instant of
wen shadow,the it would be doubled at the
two were superposed, and thus
te
part of equal depth with the
shadow, which
obscure cbueri eng added to it, would alter its
produce an
formu iEn
ofsA
that u laßce as.-_ Bib. Univer. xxiii. 323.)
an Antidote to Lead in Cases
of Poisoning.—The following fact has been stated
by Mr. REYNARD to the Society du Sciences of
Lisle :—During the campaign in Russia several
loaves of sugar had been inclosed in a chest, con-
taining some flasks of extract of lead. One of
these having been broken, the extract escaped,
and the sugar became impregnated with it. Dur-
ing the distresses of the campaign it was neces-
sary to have recourse to this sugar; but far from
producing the fatal effects that might have been
expected, the sugar formed a salutary article of
food to those who made use of it, and gave them
a degree of vigour and of activity which was of
the greatest service in enabling them to support
the fatigues of the campaign. Hence Mr. R.
thinks that sugar might be employed to prevent
the efforts of subacetate of lead, instead of the
sulphates of soda, and of magnesia, which are
not always at hand.
CAUTION.-On Thurday morning a child about
nine years old was sent by his father with a bun-
die, containing two pair of boots and a pair of
shoes, to a gentleman in'the Temple : he was
met in Middle Temple-lane, near Temple-
bar, by a fashionably dressed personage, wear-
ing mustachios, who stopped the boy, and
desired him to go to the fishing-tackle shop
directly opposite to the lane, and ask for a
fishing-rod in the name of Thomas or Thomp-
sou, at the same time giving him a piece of
paper, which he represented as containing a
sovereign, telling him he had to pay 55., and he
was to bring back 15s. change, and was promised
to be rewarded with a penny. The child immediate-
ly turned to go on the errand, the person, offer-
ing' to take care of the bundle, which the boy
refused; the fellow, however, succeeded in forcibly
taking it from him, and the boy, without suspi-
cion, crossed over, and delivered the message.—
Mrs. Unstonston received the paper, which, on
opening, she found contained a halfpenny ; and
suspecting the child had been made the dupe of
some artful villain, questioned him if lie had had
a parcel, to which he replied in the affirmative,
Mrs. Ustonston told the boy he had been imposed
upon, and on his returning in search of the mus-
tashioed gentleman, found he had decamped.—
A similar trick had been played upon another
boy, who had lost a dozen umbrellas in the
neighbourhood of Lincoln's Inn-fields, by a per-
, son answering to the same description.