The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LAViC6N, SATU:

quately remunerated, and that one of the first
steps towards the abolition of iinpnssment was
to increase seamen's wages on board all vessels
in her MAJESTY'S SerVice. As the _Herald claims
the distinction of an acquaintance with naval af-
fairs, so far back as 1688, it may be unnecessary
to remind it that the Right Hon. Netherby Rat,
Sir J. GRAHAM, took an active share in support-
ing the good old starvation, cat-o'-nine-tails, im-
pressment system.
The Herald takes great credit to itself for
having awakened public attention to the neces-
sity of reforming the Navy. This is parodying
the fable•of the fiy on the back of the ox after a
very ridiculous fashion. But for its falsehoods,
the article in the Herald would not have elicited
a syllable of remark, much less of controversy
and had it not descended to particulars, even
' its calumnies would not have been deemed wor-
thy of notice. But when it has the audacity, in
the case of a public man, whose opinions are so
well known as those of Mr. HUME, to substitute
for a reduction of the naval force of the country
in time of peace, a proposed reduction in sea-
men's wages, and to appeal for a confirmation
of the falsehood to-So.distinguished an officer as
Admiral Sir E. CoriniNGrox, then ifid.eed, it
would be criminal to suffer its calumnies- to pass
without contradiction and reproof.

Now that there is an apprehension of a war
with the United States, the Tory papers disco-
ver that our gallant seamen are under-paid.
The Sun made the same discovery ten years ago,
when there was no prospect of a war with any
Power. During all that period we never allowed
the Navy Estimates to be brought forward
without advocating the claims of our gallant
naval defenders to an increased rate of remu-
neration. Even now the Herald can get no
lower than a midshipman, whereas we never lost
sight of the brave fellows before the mast. Tory
sympathy for the people never manifests itself
but when they-are called upon to shed their
blood for the aristocracy. On the eve of a bat-

tle " privates" are addressed by Princes as
" fellow-soldiers," and endearing appeals are
inade to their love of a country which awards
them sixpence a day for the loss of a leg. When
sailors are wanted to be shot, by way of holocaust
to the national-honour, Tory Journals humanely
contend for the adoption of such a scale of remu-

ueration as shall obtain from the victims a volun-
tary consent to run the chance of being so sacri-
ficed. This does nut proceed from any re-
gard for the interests of the naval ser-
vice, farther than it secures immunity from
danger to the aristocracy. The people
have grown too enlightened for the gag-
king, impressment system, and the Tories foresee
that in no extremity dare the Government again
have recourse to it. Hence their solicitude
tbr anticipating an outbreak with America by
such an increase in the wages of seamen as shall
keep them from deserting to the ranks of the
enemy. Even the Herald avows this. Were
there no apprehension of the desertion of our
seamen for a service in which they would be
better paid, not a stiver would the Tories consent
to give them more than they at present receive.
In the eyes of the Tories they are mere mercen-

aries, and as mercenaries only do they propose
to the Government to make sure of their services.
How very different is this from the principle
upon which The Sun always advocated some rate
of fair proportion between the rewards of the
aristocracy and the people when employed in the
common service of their country.

Our readers will see, in another part of our
paper, a melancholy instance of the tyranny
which the Eltablished clergy are in the habit of
practising upon the poor. The Curate of Mar-
den, a parish in Wiltshire, refused to bury the
body of a parishioner with all the usual rites,
because he praised the Ranters, and said neither
Church nor parsons were necessary for salvation.
The clergyman would not suffer the body to be
carried into the church, but would condescend to
repeat part of the service in the churchyard, and
proceeded to perform the-ceremony, when the re-
latives of the deceased rejected his assistance.
The body was hurried into the grave, the parson
was hooted out of the churchyard; and when
he commenced his usual duties on the Sabbath
all but four or five left the church. Dissent is
increasing in every direction, Church-rates are
refused, and the great body of the people look
upon the parsons as their bitterest enemies. Will
conduct like this bring back the scattered flock
to the fold ?

There are among the Middle Sex Magistrates a
certain number of squeamish gentlemen who re-
gularly oppose all applications for licenses to open
places of amusement, which may be resorted to
by the less affluent classes of the community,
and it is remarkable that their grounds of oppo•
sition are capable of being conveniently adapted
to cases of an entirely opposite character. If the
proprietor of an unfinished building applies for
the privilege of opening it for music and dancing,
he is indignantly ordered to " roof it in ;"
and if in the following year he comes forward
0. tl• leteness of

ursine;

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his preparatioa3, the