The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-02 00:00:00

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LONDON,
TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 2, 1833.

The Irish Disturbances Bill passed the
House of Lords last night without amendment,
the only point on which a struggle was made
being the proviso taking the non-payment
of tithes away as a justification for the Lord
Lieutenant to issue his proclamation declaring a
district to he disturbed. The ground of attack
was, that it invidiously pointed out tithes as a
property which the people might defraud the
owner of with impunity, and of the de-
fence that the proviso was certainly useless
and would do no harm. We must confess
that if it be useless it were better out of the Bill,
for it may be mischievous. Lords BROUGHAM
and GREY would evidently have been willing
to throw it out ; and as Mr. O'CONNELL con-
demned it as the most nonsensical amendment
be had ever agreed to, we may suppose that the
matter would not have been insisted upon by the
Lower House, but the fear was the Bill getting
again into the Lower House at all. It will receive
the Royal Assent to-day, and arrive in Ire-
land just in time for the Easter holydays.
The Sugar ought to follow this bitter pill as
quickly as possible ; but we fear that will not be
the case. The adjournment of the debate on
the money resolutions, proposed last night, in
Committee, by Lord ALTHORP, is ominous.
We are bound, however, in honour, to admit
that the Conservatives have taken up strong
ground. Whatever we may imagine to be the
motives and ultimate objects of our opponents,
both reason and justice require that, when they
urge a valid objection, it shall be removed. It
will be seen that Sir R. PEEL, professing himself
willing to agree to a considerable reform
in the Church, agreeing that the King's corona-
tion oath did not bind him to maintain the
Clergy in possession of the precise rights, pri-
vileges, and property, they had in 1688, yet
urged the injustice of taking from present in-
cumbents any part of the incomes upon which
they calculated when they took the benefices
they now hold. When the maintenance of
many pensions is supported solely upon the
ground of the vested rights of the holders, the
family arrangements they have made, and the
distress which would follow their disturbance, it
is impossible not to acknowledge that
this argument carries with it great force. The
only question is, whether it is necessary that the
clergy should thus give up a portion of their
incomes to preserve the remainder. If they are
threatened with the loss of all, or have actually
lost all, as has happened to many Protestant
clergymen in Ireland, and it be indispensable
to the recovery of a part that another part bL.
sacrificed, it is clear that that sacrifice is no in-
justice. What Sir ROBERT PEEL, and his
friends insist upon at present is, that you
should tax the incomes of future incum-
bents only, because those in possession
have not calculated upon such a thing, but
have actually paid the first fruits which this tax
;s to take the place of ; thus paying twice what
their successors will only pay once. This is a
hardship ; but it may be urged that it is an un-
avoidable hardship, because, as church cess and
vestry cess are to cease immediately, the substi-
tute for the first fruits, which is to supply their
place, in like manner, begins to flow in imme-
diately. This is the difficulty to be overcome,
and we must confess we would rather see the
knot untied than cut.

Sir E. CODRINGTON presented a petition,
yesterday, from the Proprietors of the Thames
Tunnel, praying for aid to complete them in
that work. The petitioners stated that they
had already expended 170,0001. in prosecuting
it, and had surmounted difficulties which were
never contemplated. If the Tunnel were com-
pleted, they observed, vast quantities of goods
would pass through from the Commercial Docks,
which now had to be carried four miles round
by London-bridge ; and if Government would
o
purchase the property,r would allow it to be
sold by lottery, the petitioners would be happy
to come forward and meet such a proposition.
The subject matter of this petition deserves a
prompt and attentive consideration on the
part of Ministers. The completion of the
Thames Tunnel has been clearly shown to be
practicable, and no reasonable doubt can exist

of its ultimately defraying its expenses, if it only
be finished in a worthy spirit. As a work of
national ornament, as a sample of national enter-
prize, it would be without a rival. Surely when
we are prepared to lavish so many thousands
on a picture gallery, which bids fair to be a
failure, we may afford to stretch our purse-
strings, and complete a work to which all Europe
can find no parallel !

In the House of Lords, last night, the Bishop
of BRISTOL took it into his head to patronize
the pathetic. In other words, he was delivered
of a Lamentation. Since the days when the
mountain was in labour, and brought forth
a mouse, we have had no instance of such a
portentous parturition. We anticipate the most
awful results from it. When a Bishop takes to
the lachrymatory, it is clear that the hour of
Church Reform is close at hand. JEREMIAH
did not begin to lament till the days of Nineveh
were numbered. But to the point :—ln allu-
sion to some remarks previously put forth by
that pestilent foe to pluralities, Lord KING, the
Bishop of BRISTOL complained, that " he (the
aforesaid Peer) was continually making attacks
on the Church, and was no sooner knocked
clown—what a pugnacious Prelate it is !—than
he seemed to gather strength by the fall." This
is a serious charge. Hercules, we remember,
made the same complaint against Anueus ; and
with equal justice—for what right has any man
to resume the perpendicular when his adversary
has taken the trouble to expend all his time,
' wind, skill, and courage in 'compelling him to
cleave to the horizontal ? If such irregular
conduct be permitted, folks may go fighting on
to all eternity, and not a soul be the better for
it ! We have no patience with such pugilistic
cormorants. Where the tree falls, there should
it lie. Being once knocked down to the
Bishop's satisfaction, and his own entire con-
viction, Lord KING should have too much
respect for the laws of civilized warfare to think
of resuming the fight. He should look upon
himself as hors de combat. CHASSE may
pretend not to know when he is beaten, but a
British Peer should be above such discourteous
equivocation. It is worthy only of an Ashantee,
or an Australian bush-fighter. We fully sym-
pathise with the good Bishop's lamentation. It
is just in essence, and from its meek and subdued
spirit, proves that the venerable. Prelate's olfac-
tories have already snuffed the approaching
church reform.