The Sun.
London, England, 1824-04-19 00:00:00

has been the removal of what the Catholics them-
selves complained of as a most serious and afflict-
ing grievance. By Mr. Plunkett's Bill, thal.
which was previously conceded by courtesy and
in contravention of right and law, is granted by
Act of Parliament, together with additional pri-
vileges, which it appears were never (in the Dio-
cese of Dublin at least) either exercised or sought
to be exercised but in two recent instances,
much less their exercise connived at by the Pro-
testant Clergy. What then do the calumnious
objections made to the Burials Act amount to ?
just this—that because some vexatious opposition
to the interment of Catholics may, under its pro-
visions, be given by the Clergy of the Establish-
ed Church in Ireland, therefore that vexatious
opposition will be given. In short, the utmost in-
genuity of special pleading is employed to shew
how the new law could be invaded, and then it
is inferred, that because an Excise Act, worded
similarly, would be no bar to the frauds of a
set of smugglers, the Irish Burials' Bill will be
wrested from its true intent and object by the
Protestant Clergy, and prove no obstacle to, but
rather become the means of gratifying their as-
sumed rancour towards defunct Irish Catholics.
But on what grounds is this conclusion arrived
at ? The past conduct of the Protestant Clergy
is no corroboration of it, but the reverse, With
the law empowering them to compel the per-
formance of the Protestant burial service over
every corpse interred in their church-yards,
they have uniformly waived the right, and
abstained from the least. interference on such
melancholy occasions. \V e repeat, they have
acted thus while the law enjoined them
to act directly otherwise. Now, however,
the law sanctions the forbearance they have so
long and so wisely practised, goes "so much far-
ther ns to point out additional and most import-
ant concessions which they are to make at the
inhumation of Catholics,and yet these conciliatory
enactments are stigmatised as " insults" and " out-
rages." It seems astonishing to us that the pro-
found lawyers who thus anathematize Mr. Plun-
ket's Bill do-.not recollect the while, that the
measure has emanated from the Government of the
country—that the object of it has been openly and
honestly avowed by his Majesty's Ministers—
that the Established Church is essentially connect-
ed with the State—and finally, that the Protestant
Clergy are consequently bound by every consi-
deration, human as well as divine, to interpret
and act upon the Irish Burials' Bill, in the spirit
and for the purpose with which it has been placed
on the Statute Book of the realm. We anticipate
too from their former unauthorized indulgence
at the interment of Catholics, that this will be
the case. Their very interest dictates a cor-
dial
acquiesence in the views of the Legislature,
for it is well known that in large cities a great
part of the emoluments of the Protestant In-
cumbent is derived from burial fees, and the
necessary consequence of vexatious obstruction
to the interment of Catholics in Ireland, where
the mass of the people are of that persuasion,
must be to drive them into the purchase of pri-
vate or exclusive burial grounds, equally exempt
from the interference and the charges of a Pro-
testant Clergyman.

[BRITISH PRESS.]
The Seventh Report of the Commissioners ap-
pointed early in the present reign to inquire into
the collection and management of the public,re-
venue in Ireland, is now before us, and we are
happy to see that 'they state the result of their
labours as being most satisfactory. The Com-
missioners assembled (the Report states) in Dub-
lin, towards the close of the month of July last ;
and from that time to the• middle of December
their attention was directed, as well to various
subjects of detail connected with the business of
Customs and Excise, as to a general exami-
nation of the Stamp and Post Offices in Ireland.
The result of these inquiries is not given in the
present Report, but- will be- submitted in future
ones. The Report before us is confined to points
exclusively connected with the Customs and Ex-
cise to that country. In noticing the several im-
portant changes which have already been effected
by the measures which received the sanction
of Parliament, the Report mentions that
the Commissioners have' much gratification in
being enabled to state, from the information
they have obtained in Ireland, that these
changes have glready facilitated and improved
the collection of the revenue, and have
produced an extension of trade, and a more ge-
neral diffusion of industry throughout that coun-
try. The Act (the Report adds), which pro-
vided for the consolidation of the several Boards
of Customs and Excise in Ireland, prepared the
way for the establishment of one uniform system
for the general collection and management of
those branches of the Revenue, instead of the
distinct and often conflicting modes of Ad-
ministration which had heretofore prevailed.
—The Report then dwells on the services
rendered •by the formation of! intermediate
Boards, for the' administration of both depart-
ments of the Customs and Excise, previous to the
final establishment of the incorporated system.—
The selection of the members of these provisional
Boards, 'consisting in part of members of the
central. Board in London, and in part of members
of the late Boards in Ireland,. was well adapted
(the Report states) to the important object
of combining a practical knowledge of the
English systeth with the local information
of the Irish Commissioners: and the Commis-
sioners have had ,ample opportunities of satisfying
themselves, that in the various advantages which
have resulted from this meastire, the• policy in '
which it originated has been fully confirmed.—
The measures of the last Session (this Report
states) comprehend, not only the incorporation of
the Revenue Departments of Ireland and Scot-
land, with those of England, but laid the ground
for effecting, as speedily as then appeared to be
possible, the. great -object of placing the trade
between Great Britain and Ireland on the foot-
ing of a coasting trade. With this view, laws
were enacted for the purpose of carrying into ef-
fect the arrangements which had been proposed
for the simplification and adjustment of the coon-
tervailing duties and drawbacks for 'a general
consolidation of the:duties of Customs, and 'for