The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-23 00:00:00

sertion. Their railing will not rail that seal off
the law. Branding the law as unchristian,
these. Christian ministers brand all its supporters
with the same characteristic; and something
must be done by the clergy of the Established
Church and by the landowners, to demonstrate
that the law is consistent with Christianity, and
that they behave like Christians in supporting it,
or the people will treat them as heathens and
atheists. To have that law stigmatised, and its
supporters, too, by one of the most numerous
congregations of Christian ministers which have
for a long period been assembled, must put an
end to all compromise, and ensures us at no
distant day complete success.

The Conference will have a still more import-
ant effect. In taking up the question on the
principles of religion and morality, and in show-
ing, as it has done, that the law the Conference
denounces as unchristian is impolitic, it has done
much towards placing legislation altogether on
a new basis. Expediency is very well when ef-
fects can be correctly calculated, but modern ex-
perience has demonstrated that statesmen are
much oftener erroneous than correct in estimating
future consequences. It is properly, therefore,
concluded, that no legislative measures can be
expedient which are immoral or dishonest. The
Conference have enforced that principle in the
strongest manner, and the abolition of the Corn-
law can only be the commencement of a reform,
on principles of morality, of our whole system of
legislation. We are not deceived, therefore, in
our expectations, if the Conference has turned
out, as we foretold, one of the most important
and influential Conferences that were ever held
in this or any other country, in this or any other

ao.e
0 .

A Correspondent expresses surprise that so
ittle notice has been taken by the Liberal Press
of the absence of the Bishops at the opening of
Parliament on Tuesday last. For our own part,
we have but to observe, that there was nothing
in the circumstance of our Venerable Prelacy
keeping out of the way on such an occasion, in-
consistent with our ideas of episcopal piety.
Had Parliament assembled to discuss a Church
Extension Bill, or to grant money for increasing
the enormous incomes of the 'clergy, the Episco-
pal Bench would have presented a goodly show
of most meek and attentive lawn-bedecked oc-
cupants; but as there was only a prayer to say—
a heavenly blessing for the SOVEREIGN, the Par-
liament, and the Church, to be asked, the
Bishops, of course, never troubled their heads
about it. And what is there in this to surprise
any person conversant with the general conduct
of the dignitaries of the Established Church ?
Where are they to be found engaged in the
simple worship of GOD when such worship is at-
tended with no worldly profit ? And where does
Mammon erect an altar before which they are
not to be found prostrate? Is there one so
simple to suppose, that if, instead of saying a
prayer, any of the assembled Peers had expected
the Bishops to dine with him, that so much as
one of the Most Reverend and Right Reverend
Fathers in GOD would have been too late for the
first course ? Had the Bishops been expected
to do the honours of the table instead of the
honours of religion, there would have arisen no
difficulty from their absence. Not a chime of
the dinner-bell would have escaped their eager
auriculars. The Peers sought in vain fbr a Bishop
when Heaven was to be invoked, but what Pre-
hte ever kept a Peer waiting, whose influence
was sufficient to obtain a translation to a richer
see ? What Chancellor was ever kept waiting
who had a living at his disposal, which he was
willing to bestow upon the pluralist nephew or
son-in-law of a Lord Spiritual?
However, the Peers contrived to open Parlia-
ment without the Bishops; and as the attendance
of the Prelates is not at all indispensable to the
business of legislation, the Church would be a
gainer by their being entirely relieved of their
legislative functions. In their path to paradise
they have too many grave obstacles to contend
with, independently of those which beset the foot-
steps of law-makers. CHRIST deemed a second
coat an incumbrance to salvation, and money in
the purse a weight sufficient to prevent the soar-
ing heavenward of an apostolic spirit. The
Bishops are bolder men than the Apostles. In
the manifestation of their power over the Prince
of Darkness, they are indifferent with how much
of the world's wealth and superfluities they load
themselves. CHRIST shunned honours; the
Bishops seek them. When the Jews would
have made CHRIST a king he fled into
the wilderness; the Minister who would escape
the daily solicitation of the Prelates for the
highest dignities and preferments in the Church
would require to fly the country. Such is their
confidence in their ability to save souls, that
they fearlessly undertake for the salvation of
thousands whom they never intend to edify by
their example, or to comfort by their ministra-
tion. CHRIST constantly lashed the vices of
the rich and powerful, without regard to their
opinions. The Bishops, on the contrary, are
never weary of tolerating vice, never tired of
traducing, and, as far as they can, of perse-
cuting opinions. CHRIST judged of opinions by
general conduct; the Bishops take opinions as
their standard of conduct. CHRIST lauded
virtue; the Bishops declare all praiseworthi-
ness to consist in orthodoxy. CHRIST and hie
Apostles constantly preacht d against faults in
morals; the Bishops, when they do preach,
inveigh with the greatest bitterness against
errors in doctrine. They trouble themselves not
about what men do, but about what they be-
lieve. The most flagrant sinners trouble them
a thousand times less than schismatics, heretics,
and infidels—viz., persons who think GOD may
be worshipped in spirit and in truth without
the intervention of Prelacy.

The bitter and simultaneous attacks made by
the Tory journals on the Manchester Conference
is a splendid homage to its utility. The sincerity
of the gentlemen who are there assembled can-
not by impeached, and therefore their dress and
manners are ridiculed. Their motives are above
suspicion, the facts they have brought to light of
great importance, but they are to be annihilated
by the wit of a few Tory scribblers. Let them,
however, be of good heart, their works will de-
fend them, and present an unassailable bulwark
to Tory malevolence.

We can readily explain the animosity of their
opponents. They are Christian ministers ofevery
denomination save one. There were none of the
clergy present except the Rev. Mr. SPENCER,
who, though belonging to the Church, shares none
of the principles of the established priesthood.
The Christian Ministers of every sect except the
Church have denounced the bread-tax as un-
Christian. The clergy have not joined in
the denunciation, and the conclusion univer-
sally drawn is that the Church of England is not
a Christian Church. It acknowledges some
other master than CHRIST, and some other autho-
rity than His.

Seeing, then, that the religion of CHRIST and
the religion of the Bishops are altogether dis-
tinct, there was surely nothing to shock the
moral sense of our Correspondent in the ab-

The Conference is attacked, too, by anotherparty
in conjunction wtth the Tories. The invitation
was limited to Christian Ministers, and several So-
cialist preachers presented themselves under that
character. They being known were refused ad-
mittance, and thereupon both Socialists and
Tories, with one accord, accuse the Conference of
unfairness. What would the Tories have said
had they admitted Socialist preachers, and what
would those preachers have done ? The
Tories would then have abused the Con-
ference as irreligious and atheistical ; and
the Socialists would on all occasions have
propounded their own nostrum as a re-
medy for the admitted distress. The Mi-

sence of the Bishops at prayer-time, on Thurs-
day last—save in so far as regards their pro-
fessing to walk in the footsteps of the SAVIOUR
—and consequently nothing to evoke the ex-
pression of an indignant feeling on the part of
the Liberal Press. Our Correspondent may
rely *upon it, that the first levee held by Sir
ROBERT PEEL will not want the presence of a
Bishop to shed upon it the lustre of an
Episcopal approval, however indifferent the
Right Reverend Bench were to the character
of Thursday's proceedings in the House of
Lords. The knees, stiff in the service of GOD,
will he pliant enough at the Mammon-worship of
the Tory Premier.

nisters of the Conference acted wisely and well
therefore in refusing to allow the Socialists to
meet with them ; and the Tory Journals turn
round on them and abuse them even worse than
they abused Lord MELBOURNE for presenting
the leader of the Socialists at Court.

The conduct of the Metropolitan police veri-
fies more and more the character which, some

.....
twelve months ago, we ascribed to them, and The French
Journals of Thursday have all
which was repeated at the time amidst, loud
been received, but the news contained in them
cheers by Mr. THOMAS DUNCOMBE in the House
was anticipated in the afternoon edition of Fri-
ofCornmons. We described them as the greatest '
We have, seen no days Sun. The following extracts from them
curse of a free country.
reason since to alter our opinion. The case of are, however, interesting :
Mr. WILLIAMS, a Common Councilman of the Between four and five o'clock, the afternoon before
last, as one of the men of Messrs. Jouan and Favre,
letinto the cellarbrnke ait. bottle The
City of London, is fresh in the recollection of our druggists, in the Rue Saint
of
Martin,ai
was carrying
readers. readers. Two of the policemen on that occasion
down
it
drop, and gasv atwas immediately
e
made statements on oath which were incontro-
vertibl ignited by the candle the man held in his hand, and
y refuted, and chiefly from their own spread like lightning over the whole cellar, in which
evidence. A policeman of the name of RUSSELL, I were other inflammable essences, so that in a few
who had been in the habit of making false minutes it was filled with flames. The firemen were
charges against females, had been repeatedly almostly instantly on the spot, and set their engines to
reprimanded by one of the Magistrates of Bow-
work. Several put on Colonel Paulin's apparatus, and
went down, but the explosi were so repeated and street Police-office, Police-Office, and, according to an account gerous, that they were forced to return, and was every
in the The Sun of this day, has, after some un- minute
expected that the whole house would be blown
accountable delay on the part of the Commis- 1 skill and
perseverance, that in the course of two hours
I up. Their exertions were, however, ccntinued with such
sioners, been at last allowed to resign. We ' and a half the fire was extinguished, but withot
could adduce many other instances of insuffer- I doing very extensive damage. The loss wasnot consideru-
able conduct ; but the most atrocious case , able, but fortunately the parties were fully insured.
yet occurred on Friday night, when a gen- 1 Two evenings ago, as a farmer of the Seine et Marne
was returning home from Paris, when at about half a
tleman, long regarded as one of the first
league from the barrier, he heard groans by the road-side.
merchants in the City, both for his integrity and and, having dismounted, saw a man
ilying on the bank of
his knowledge of commercial affairs, who repro- a ditch. He stooped down to assist him, but mmedi•
ately received in his eyes a handful of dust and snuff,
sented in Parliament the Tory constituency of the which for a few moments deprived him of sight. Mean-
metropolis for four years, and who bears the
'time the man who had thrown the mixture got up,
highest character for domestic virtues, was
I mounted the farmer's horse, and galloped off. The
dragged to a station-house on a false charg owner, who was left to continue his route on foot, on
e
arriving at home found his horse in the stable, but with-
made by a policeman. He was obliged to march . out the saddle. It is supposed that the thief being un- ,

like a felon through the streets, compelled to
find bail, summon medical men to attest to the

state of his bodily infirmities, and undergo all the
degradation which these imperious guardians of
morality and honour and religion choose to in-
flict. We regret this outrage for the sake of
Mr. WARD, but in other respects we rejoice.
It will call the attention of the Legislature to
a grievance which has long pressed heavily on
the lower and middle classes. When they find
it touches themselves they will interfere. No
man is safe under the present system. Charac-
ter, honour, and station in society may be blasted
by the oath of policemen like those who swear
falsely against unfortunate females, and who take
the most atrocious means of affixing a stigma on
the most honourable of men for an imaginary
insult.

Highly important news from China, to the 17th
of April, brought by the Akbar, Captain DUMA-
RESQ, in 109 days from Canton to New York, and
thence to England by the Great Western, wiil
be found in another part of The Sun. As doul is
of the authenticity of this intelligence are enter-
tained by respectable merchants in the City,
and as Brother Jonathan is very capable
of a hoax of this description, we cannot
vouch for its correctness. The most apocryphal
looking thing about it is a report that the EM-
PEROR had offered 50,000 dollars for the head of
Captain ELLIOT. After the experience his Ce-
lestial MAJESTY has had of the worthlessness of
such a purchase, the intimation staggers our
credulity. This news being of doubtful authen-
ticity, we quote it without comment from the
American Papers.

The Westminster Conservative dinner took
place on Friday, and despite the loud trumpet_
ings of the Tories, was neither more nor less
than a miserable fitilure. Sir FRANCIS BUR-
DETT was in the Chaic—he, who in his better
days, so often presided at the public dinners of
the Westminster Reformers ! Doubtless, he
felt the humiliating nature of his position—for
it is impossible he can be wholly lost to all sense
of shame ; and if so, the vociferous ap-
plauses of his Tory supporters must have
sounded in his ears like stinging sar-
casms reminding him :like of what he
once was, and what he now is. And such
a Chairman as the poor old man made !
Never before, we believe, was such nonsense
spoken at a public dinner, even by Mr. BRAD-
SHAW of Canterbury ! Not content with declar-
ing that the Tories were the best and most tried
friends of the people, the Hon. Baronet actually
eulogised the " unswerving integrity" and
" strong determinateness of purpose" of Sir
ROBERT PEEL! The " strong determinateness
of purpose" of the- man whose chief fault
is, that he possesses no determination at all,
but is solely guided by expediency ! The
" unswerving integrity" of the trimming politi-
cian who carried Catholic Emancipation, after
quarrelling with Mr. CANNING for being favour-
able to it; and whose slipperiness of purpose is
so proverbial, that even his own party cannot
trust him ! Really when one reads trash of this
sort, one would almost be tempted to believe
that political honesty is not the only thing that
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT has lost, but that he is
deprived also of what political sagacity he
once possessed. We are the more confirmed
in this opinion by his declaring immediately
afterwards, that the "proximate Ministry would
maintain the present glorious state of society ;"—
which same society he nevertheless asserts to be
in a condition "of imminent peril," such as de-
mands the gravest consideration ! Capt. Rous
followed Sir FRANCIS in a speech of orthodox
dulness; but in which he made the important
declaration that he " hadin view nothing but the
welfare of this great country, which he would
endeavour to promote to the best of his abi-
lity." This is encouraging, and will be
as balm to the souls of all true patriots.
Henceforth, let all anxiety on the score of the
people be at an end, for Captain Rous will look
after our interests ; and with such a man to be-
friend us, what need have we to fear ? By way of
appropriate close to the entertainment, the song
of the " Fine Old English Gentleman" wms sung,
in express compliment to Sir FRANCIS BURDETT.
What a bitter sarcasm is this ! Till now, we had
always understood that a " fine old English
gentleman" was one remarkable for the uniform
steadiness of his principles, and his attachment
to early and tried friends; but we now find that
he is most appropriately represented, when he is
shown to be a drivelling apostate, a deserter of
all his old connexions, and a supporter of those
who are the worst enemies of the people !