The Sun.
London, England, 1812-09-04 00:00:00

OATHOLIC QUE: 5T101.4.

the meeting that took place at Sligo; the result
of which has been to petition the'PßfNcE llioES:-.1.-
to resist. thc turo).Lent '' Claiins" of th© Irish
Papiqs, xvill, we understand, prove the precur--
sor of simihr in Ireland : and there
can be no doubt but that so patriotic and laudable
an example witi likewise be followed throughout
Great Britain, where the benefits resulting from
the happy union, al:' Church and State must be at
least as fully appreciated as in the Sister island.—
That tie insidious attempts which have been made'
to injure this goodly 'bulwark of the Constitution,
by a few turbulent individnals, 'aided nominally.
by a great portion of the vulgar and ignorant po-'
pulace, Should have created's° considerable an
agitation :has been nvter of astOnishrnoit and.
regret to us ;. and it is high time that the enlight-,
coed part of the community, botb here and in the
sister kingdom, shouhl testify their abhorrence-of
ssnch proceedings.
. The pages of history.abound with instances of
the detestable intrigues, 'absurd follies, and blOody
licts of the adherents of PAP/if. ItomE, but well
known as they generally are, they are nevertheless
too often suffered to rose their‘infinente by want
of due consideration ; arid it is doubtless with the
-laudable and patriotic view of keeping these facts
in remembrance, that Mr. &ion', the author of
that.excellent and 0(4.10 Publication, the Clovis
Calendaria, has so
.judiciausly 'touched on such
topics. The work certainly odes not profess to
treat on Catholic absurdities ; but as-id the gene-
ral historicaranount he has afforded of the politi-
cal- holidays, ecclesia,,tical ordinances, popular.
customs, kkc. noted inr*referable, to the Alma-
nack, he has had to deseribe.thoie, remnants of
Ancient absurdity, yet held, in, remembrance. :.by
their retention in those ephemeral publiCations,
fie has, in a like.historieal.manner, re-introduced
to our notice the gross and in many instances im-
pious rites and ceremonies or that Church from
which we are emancipated, to afford, as it were
accidentally, but very opportunely, a caution
against
,admitting the pdssibility of a return of
such abominations. Several parts are appropriate

to the present times, hut the following in part!cu-
lar is, so peculia: apMicable, that an apology is
not requisite for introducing it to the attention of
our readers. After giving, in tic article on the
" Gunpowder asuccinct and judicious de-
tail of the principal circumstances connected with '
that horrid attempt, we find the following given
::3; the sentiments of the Protestants of those days,
which' are strictly in unison with what must be the
reasonings and .feelings.of the enlightened of the
'present time: •

"From the confessions of Oine of the conspi-

rators, particularly of Robert Winter, it appears
that in the reign of Elizabeth, about four., years
prior to this. diabolical. plots the Catholics,' en-
r4,..t.zl at tl.e undeviating preference displayed by
the Queedfor the, RefOrniecl-Church, had meditat-
ed sonic great effort to-r-estolish Popery lin Eng-
land. -Robert Winter had,, for this purpose, been
depnted by Oswald- Termond, alias Greenwell, a
Jeguit, Henry Garnet, the superior:of that society
it, England, Robert Catesby, and Francis Fre-
shaM, two English gentlemen, topraceed private-
ly to Spain,. with a proposal that an army should-
be sent to England, with which, these persons
assured Philip, the then Spanish Monarch, all the
Catholics would instantly co-operate. Whether
this original design would have been. attempted
taust everrem•lin in doubt, though it be well con-
Ermid that, through the mediation of Arthur'
Cresswell, a Jesuit resident in Spain, PetruS
cesa, the King's Secretary, and s'ranciscus, San--
clovallius, Duke of Lerma, the affair was ericou-,
raged by Philip ; and that Robert Winter, upon
some assurances he hall received, returned to Eag,=
land, to corrimunicate with Cateshy and the other
sidllains. The death of Queen Elizabeth, before
project could be sufficiently matured for e.se.-.
'Cation, and the accession of James the
'wholly disconcerted the conspirators ; the Plan,.
before approved, now met with the determined re-
fusal of Philip. ,had sent ambassp;dois to
treat with the new King;' nobly declared that Mo-
narch, and he could no longer listen to their
PropOs ds, however faVourahle their prospects of
success.! • James the First having.been educated
in die tenets of the Roman Church, that circum-
stance afforded the Catholics a probable expecta-
tion of acquiring by address that ascendancy in
the state, for which they were ready to' enter into
any'sChemes, however atrocious ; but . for happily

succeeding-generations they were' disappointed 'in
their fond expectations. Whether, from princi-
ples of conscience or of,a political nature, Jaines
proved a firm supporter of the Protestant interest.
The rejection of thepetition of the Papists for li-
berty of -Conscience, did riot diSenurage them from
preparing others of still more boll pretensions ;
ut-the bloody reign of Mary was too fresh in the
I;emembrtutce of the nation to afford Irma proba-•
foility of success ; the 'Protestants around the
hrone'interposed every obstacle that policy could
inggest to these designs, from . a firm and well-
,l'ounded conviction, that admission of the Catholics
10 equality_ qt. rights, would be, infallibly followed by
,Q struggle for political and ecelesictstical ascendancy,
tPf which the fatal consequences were obvious !
ueprived of all hope.of assistance ftom Philip, and
tlespairing of succeeding by petition, a-design was
onceiveti of retnoving by onc.blow the chief ob-
'taeles to their wishes,.by blowing 'up the King
Ord the Protestant NObles and Commons with
4jilnpowder,' when assembled by his Majesty in
arliainent. Catesby is universally admitted. _to
P.re-. been the author of this diabolical plot,"
&c.

The variety of interesting matter contained in
qtis work, indu;es us to recommend it tp tbe fa-
We attention of -the'publie.

SWINntING.-;--Two genteelly dressed men have
'rely committed various depredations, in obtain-
bilg goods of different yadespeople -by plausible
lilt fraudulent pretences. 'they got two Ni al ita" bI e
'irses of a dealer in Blooinshury, on' Friday,
oe'ruaight, which are traced to have been sold the
itIY after for little more than half their value.
Qey gave a bill at seven clays, with the accept-
!lee of a fraudulent &in in the City,. which is
4
• Irlee liras up.

POET Iti.r:

19ti
DL:FE.e.IT OF THE FRENCH, BY WITZENSTEIN.

. (From Tlu SitTuusf.)
•
,The.l.im's his reilening with old time
Keeps in the old Style, as we
tanght by NN[ELLECGTO tnblime,
•'T 41 tire New Style he.beats foe.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

. . , •
A Court of Comnion Council was -„'esterdaii
called, to take into consideration an Address of
congratulation to the Prince Regent,• on the,late
splendid Victory. • • . . .
• 'irhe requisition having been read, the business
was opened by_ "
_:_.

Mr. Deputy Box. He stated, tlnkt it had tap-
peared to bins, after the various deznonstrations of
joy which have been manifested in the •City, and,
iodee& throughout the country, on account of the
late glorious victory, rather an extraordinary Cir
cumstance, that no Gentleman bad called the at--
tention of that Court to the subjet '. He had at
first hesitated to bring it forward himself, ,but
finding, on inquiry, that unless he did so, a total
silence might be expected ; he had resolved, how-
ever incompetent to the task, to make theattempt.
He felt that but little talent was necessary on the
part-Of a person who rose-for theparpose of 'mak-
ing a motionlike that, with which it was his inten-
tion to conclude. On such an occasion, so satis-
fied was he of success., that he was
.confident, if
. he were to put the question.at that Moment, with-
, out saying one word more, not one hand, not one
heart in that Court, would rise to.oppose•it: On
so piond an' event, however, as the victory of Sa-
lamanca, he might be allowed a few observations
on.the manner, the • immediate and the remote
consequence's' of an affair so splendid. The first
advantages resulting from it were, that the king-
dom. of Portugal wits -completely secured and eva-
, cuated,,..Spain reanimated to make head against
her oppressor, and a new impulse given to the
other Powers now rising to resist the, tyranny
of Prance. This action, in his mind, gave Lord
Wellington the place of one of the first Gene-
rals this country had produced.. • He then. took
• a view of the forces under the command of Lord
Wellington, and compared them with those to
which they had been opposed under Mainnont.-,--
.All circumstances considered, this appeared to him
one of the most splendid victories that hattever
graced the annals of this country... In Marking
their gratitude to Lord: Wellington, they Ought •
to bear in mind what his skill and valour had. •
previously achieved. They ought to recollect
the brilliant exploits which had immortalized
his name atAlmeida, Ciudad Rodrigo, Bada-,
joz, 'Vimiera, Talavera. as well as what he had
last performed at Salannanca.. When these con,-
siderations. were allimed their proper 'effect, as
he trusted they would-be, he thought Lord
lington must appear entitled to the warmest gra-
titude of the country and, of that Court. • He de-
dared he had no wish to connect any thing with
,the motion which. did, not belong to
.it, and con.
clatter'. by. moving, " That a Loyal and Dutiful
Address be presented to his Royal HighneSs the
Prince Regent, to congratulate him on the im-
portant and splendid victory Obtained :over the
French by the, allied army under the command of
Lord Wellington, on the 22d of July. last."
Mr. QUIN thought it vas impossible, whensuch
a motion was before the:Court, for any person to
hesitate to second it with proper spirit. When he
looked at the victory which had been obtained,
without saying that the • Marquis of 'Wellington.
was the first General this , country had produced,
without snaking any odious comparison,.he would
say that in Europe it would be difficult to find hii
superior. He could not but's-ensember the doubts
and fears which bad prevailed in this country
when the .gallag Marquis -was first sent against
the foe: He might say that he had• been sent out
at. the head of a forlorn hope, which forlbru.
'ope had become through his skill and valour a
triumphant army. He then took a view of the ge-
neral conduct of Lord Wellington, which he cha-
hacterised as equally entitled td - praise, %when he
appeared inactive, and when he pat 'forth alltis
energies. If he were not equally 'sanguine with
others in his anticipations of the final- liberation
of Spain, to none would he yield in admiration of
the conduct'of Lord Wellington, which he could
not but compare to,"that of the gallant .Admirlil
Blake, . who, at a, period when great changes took
place at home, merely said—" Let those who
form the Government of the country send me out'.
against the foes of the country, antll
them if 'it be possible." If he were disposed to
do so, he could say much on the conduct of Go-
vernment ; he could ask why Lord Wellington had
not been assisted by an expedition which had been
..fitted out from a certaitlisland ? .and he could put •
many other interrogatories of a similar nature
-but
on the present consideration, .he wished to throw
every doubt, every minor consideration into the.
'back-ground, that on this day they riight all he
united, heart and hand, in. the tote which they
were called upon to give. That which,. of a
country like ours, had before been problematical, .
bad now beets proved, andit was seen by the
world, that Entail:Lon land could ,make.berself
not less forthidable than she was acknowledged
and felt 'to. be by sea. It had also "been seen,
that a country sunk in the 'deepest misery, once
roused, might be lifted from its degradation, and
enabled to resume 'its proper. rank. He con-
cluded, deciaring.that he most heartily seconded
the motion.

Mr. I3LuNDELL objected to an Address to the
Prince Regent, as he thought such an address was
but an address to the Prince Regent's Ministers.
It•was his wish that their thanks should be given
to Lord Wellington direct. • This.he thought would
be more cOngenial ivitb the feelings of the Court,
and he therefore threw' out the idea. He then
read a resolution, which went to give their thanks
to Lord Wellington, which, however, he observed,
be did not wish to press to disturb the general
harmony. Oefurther stated, that, unless it ap-
peared to be the wish of the Gentlemen present
that it should be adopted, he should forthwith
withdraw it. •

[Some coni,ersation followed, which, though
warm at firstilerminated amicably, on its being

intiinatod that it‘Was. intended to follow up the
motion before the Court with a vote of thanks to
Lord Wellington.]
Asn differed fnom the last speaker
(::tine. IThuid(4l), in thinkinn; that the present vote
‘vould be a vote of.thanks to the Minister; of the
Prince flegetit., as he was perfectly satisfied that
the motion was brought forward with the hest
motives, and with intentions tbe most lionest.-
He howeventhought the stispieions of the Worthy
(fientieni6 justified by whatipad formerly taken
plaCe in.that Court, which had disgraced itself by
proceedings of such, a nature, and allowed to be*
introduced into a Committee., what materially dif-
fered from that which they .had to expect from
what had passed in Court. :He however Oilfered
from - the Honourable Gentleman, becauF-e be
thought that if he had any such reprehension, the
proper way of proceeding was to attend in his
place, and on finding that, such an attempt
nnn?e. to bring forward his proposition:.
the 'Worthy Deputy tic-1,10 had' brotight the mot:on
forward, concurred in the surprise he hod ex-
pressed, at the inactivity of the Court on such an
occasion. Had be originated tise,proposition -now
before them, it might have appeared as if he had
been running a race for popularity, and this feel-
ing, he assured them, upon his honour. had alone
kept bins froM so coming forward. , t He, however,
inclined to the opinion that the inactivity. of the
Court might be, ascribed to their having exhausted
themselves OrCformer occasions'so far, that they
had done in anticipation every thing that it wa3 in
their power to tlo. He had stated, when the.
I. Court voted a sword to Lord Wellington, that the.
Noble Lord had done all that it was nracticabic
for him to effect under circumstances like those in
which he had been placed, but he di., object to
Voting a sword where no battle had been fought.
The French had retreated, apd were pursued by
Lord Wellington, and a sword had -been voted to
his. Lordship by that Court,. in anticipation of a
victory. .He(Mn..Waithman).regretted that they.
had done so, as he thought it would have beeu more
gratifying to his L.ordship,, and more honouraWe
to that Court and )to the country,` thatshch ho-
nours should have been, reserved for. Hine till now.
This, however, not Jsaving been done, it now
.rethaified fonthem only to compliment and congra-
tulate.' The Worthy Deputy had stated ir to be
his iutention to connecnnothing, with the motion
which didnofbelong to it.: 'he (Mr. W.) trusted
he would abide by that assurance, and then he
was satisfied that - the motion would be heartily
• concurred _with by that Court, and prove gener-
ally satisfactory to the, country: He hoped our
Rulers would imitate our enemy at least in one
thing, by turning their attention towards the et=
taininent of peace While success was on their side.
They ought'to make propositions for peace when
they stood upon high ground, And not wait till
their prospects were clouded by reverses. If the
Cotirt were to go.Mie step further than was pro-
posed at present, he thought it ought to be to
embody something like a wish for peace 'in .their
resolutions—He concluded, dec'aring that no sub-
ject introduced into that Court had ever had more
his un'Tialified approbation than had the motion
befbre them.

Mr. S.'Dixox hoped the Court would not go
beyond the motion. In answer to what had fallen
frz):n-the last Speaker; respecting the sword voted
to..Lord,Wilington, he contended, that the Noble;
Lord was entitled to as much credit for conquer-
ing the French, army under Massena, by delay, as
for vanquishing that under Iviartnontin bctle, He
for one would give a preference. to that victory
wh cb could be obtained without bloodshed. He
thought the whole conduct of Lord Wellington
entitled to the highest commendation.
Nr.BrtowN, conceiving what had been said by
'the last Speaker but one (Mr Waithman) with re-
-spect to an address submitted to the Court, to be
intended to apply to an address which he had
brought forward, pledged him4el4,that that address
had contained nothing- which he hati not mention-
ed iu.his speech. -
A.fenv ekehanged on this subject
by Mr.,Waithman and Mr. Brown, Which were
interrupted by the Recorder's putting the ques-
tion. The. Hesblution • was carried nei;:ine con-
truclicente.

A Committee was appointed to.dtaw.up. the ad-
dress, which was agreed 'to when. reported.--,
Thanks- were voted to Lord Wellington, .and. the
Court adjourned.

The late election to the Headship of the new
Downing College, Cambridge, has been deClared
void. By .the will of Sir J. G. DONIqgiNG, the
"foundt!r, the power of electing was 'vested in the
Archbishops of \Tom( and CANTERBURY, and the
Hands of Clare Hall and .St: iohn's"C6lleges, fOr
the time.being, a majority of whom are entitled
to such nomination ; hot in case. no such majo-
rity be declared, the right of nomination i to
devolve on., the LORD CHANCt.LOr.
.of ENO-
LANb. "Thq late cand,idates were, Sir HAR-
'WOOD; who had one vote; Mr. CHRISTIAN one!)
and Nrr. Sedeant LENS two tbnt, before the d'ay
ot. election, Sir - IliewooD transferred his
interest in favour of Mr. CHRISTIAN, WiliCh put-
ting him .upon, an ccLuality. with Seijeant LENS,
the CHANCELLOR was called upon to nominate to
the Headship thiS, 'however, his 'Lordship is
said :to have' .:ecliued doing, 'under the particular
circumstani:Ts of the case, and has therefore di-
rected. that a new election shotild take place in the
course of thenet 'rerun.

A banking-house in the City' has 'lately been
defrauded by a confidential clerk, who reaed tit
Dover to transact their business. there. He is -a
young man of such respectable connections, and
was-so very high in their confidence, that 4e 'was
allowed to draw drafts' on the bankers : he took
advantage- of this, and. drew for a very largesum,
with which he absconded on Monday fortnight.
On the discovery being made, Adkins, the Bow-
street officer, was employed to pluvie him wadi
by long and diligent inquiries, tracecihim through
several circuitous routes to Gravesend, Yarmouth,
_COlchester; and Cheltenham, where he had taken
a lodging for Fix months, under a feigned name.
Here he, by some means, discovered that be Wyss
pursued, and .made a precipitate retreat to Tewkes-
,bury, where Adkins at last found him out, and
took-hifu into custody. Yesterday the of cerpro-
ceeded with him to Dover. He had got involved
in some s2eculations of his own, and in s9nae,
Liuni,-gling:tr444actlnns. . •