The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-05 00:00:00

y 5, 18 48,
JAN UAn

[PR ICE SD.

• -
Hof`
of notices for death, too long to not !
THE 4 ARL OF ELESNIERE'S
PANIC LETTER.
against 'exterminating' landlords, but against. some of
enumerate,
de eon- Mr. Editor, -Notice was taken last week in you
the best and most merciful—those OW ralseland re- columns of Mr. i Cobden's startling, and, as I believe,
stantly amongst them, and employ the pees_. all very rash proposal to disarm. Absurdity vibrate;
lieve the indigent. No wonder, then, that we as. " e pendulum; swing it as far as you can on one
amazed at the silent apathy which seems to reign thee - sure ts go just as far on the other. Mr.
within the sanctuary, amidst this terrific storm with- side, al, - „.h row yourselves at the mercy of the
out. In times of old, when sin and turbulence had Cobden says, :a , n their forbearance, dismiss your
overspread the land, there were not wanting prelates French, deis'e" ~ut 114 le army, save all the cash they
to grasp the staff and sally forth into the region of fleet, disband ye i• - usy '1 ess ly, and indeed mischiev-
contagion, that by prayer and exhortation—by male- cost; it is perfects) es., 'll only trade with all the
diction and anethema, if prayer and preaching were ously spent, for if you , 'is not a man in it that
unavailing—they might stay the plague. But now, world on equal terms, there ;s ist riaitdria,ciudlofuors,
he;so enough,
alas ! each day is but the harbinger of crimes which will wish to harm you." Th. ,on'ng but it is man:
ring through the world and chill the blood, as one both as to its fact and to its reas
lost exposed se ail
lends an unwilling—would it might be an unbelieving ful too. The manufacturer is no,
. could not
ear—to the thrilling story ; but of the strong voice possessions in Sussex—Sussex the 1. .
,werful.
°the,"
that should be raised against them, hardly a sound is the counties threatened with future in `a,'l°n*
heard ! people have disputed whether we shoat:, guard our-
"My Lord, I know full well the merits of that selves by land or by sea, whether we'
Church of which I am seeking a justification, and make steam as defensively as offensively p‘
whose best interests I trust I am here defending ; I Mr. Cobden would not have us waste our time a,./)°11t
know that even now her moral power, her privileges any such little differences : free trade is the "leather'"
for good, have not departed from her. I know that that will do it all. And still I admire his " pluck,"
where peace and order and virtue reign amongst the and admit that by the 999th chance which might
Catholic population of Ireland, it is through her that happen, but to which I should be very sorry to trust,
they hold their sway. I know that the exhortations he might by possibility prove in the right. But the
of the priest of the Most High have yet the force to over-valiant trader finds his antagonist in a terrified
allay the passions and maintain the resignation of the Lord. The Earl of Ellesmere has addressed a letter
people under their unmitigated and enduring priva- to the Times, from which it appears that his Lordship
tions. There are none of any consideration in the has long been suffering under a mute terror, but that
country—be they within or without her pale—be they Mr. Cobden's daring has fairly made him call out.
English or Irish—in Parliament or out of it (your He can stand it no longer ; "It is as well to be
Grace's repeated assertion to the contrary is a palpable killed as frightened-to death." For years and years
mistake) who do not amply and honourably bear testi- he informs us, he has been living in the fear of in-
mony to this. Yet, nothwithstanding, to the public eye vasion, but he did not think it right to mention it
of England the guilt of a few individuals taints the publicly, lest the French should hear of it, and take
whole body ; and so it will do, and so indeed it ought him at his word. He told the Ministry ; but they
[to do, till the hand of those who govern her be exerted would not attend to him. At last comes Mr. Cobden,
to remove the stain. And our lament is, that these with his tremendous speech to the South Lancashire
few exceptions go so far to prevent the great ends electors, and Lord Ellesmere puts prudence out of
and objects of a church. My Lord, lam fully sen- the question, and favours the world at large with his
sible that since that great and glorious period of her notion of the situation and prospects of England.
history when she assembled within her halls the Let me not be understood as imputing any personal
youth of Christendom, to teach them both the science cowardice to our new-made Earl. I will not judge
of the saints and the science of the world—when she of his valour by what he chooses to put in print,
covered the land with monastic institutions, the re- though I may hereafter call upon Mr. Cobden to lead
fuge of the poor and the home of the afflicted—the his forlorn hope, if ever, through his advice, the
Catholic Church in Ireland has never yet been set French should catch us unprovided. The Earl of
fairly and properly to work for the accomplishment Ellesmere may be, as a subsequent and very different
of her destiny. Nor can she be so as long as she writer tells us he is, as brave a man as any in exist-
remains in her present undue popular subserviency, ence—a man "to make London a Saragossa, or even
any more than if she were trammelled and enslaved a Moscow." I have only to deal with his letter, and
by the State. It is now her misfortune to contend that being as dastardly an address as ever I had the
against every difficulty—against an antagonistic, misfortune to read, being as likely as any production
deeply-rooted establishment, cherished by the land- can be to excuse and call forth pusillanimity, wher-
lord but abhorred by the people—hundreds of thou- ever it may lurk in an English heart, and to excite
sands of the public money lavished upon churches French bravado, by a picture of British quailing
closed to the poor, open only to the rich, but not a drawn by a British nobleman, it should not pass
shilling expended upon hers—where two priests are forth, either to ourselves or our neighbours, without
wanted only one, and ke, perhaps just turned out of an indignant protest against its pitiable misrepresen-
college without either guidance or experience, an tation of the national power, and the national courage
absolute dependent on the forced or the adventitious to use it.
charity of his flock—her children till of late, almost Lord Ellesmere sneers at Mr. Cobden as being in-
wholly without instruction, and sometimes even now competent to give any fair opinion on the possibility
without a chapel—ever contending against the wiles of landing 50,000 Frenchmen upon our shores. Ile
of her adversaries, frowned upon by the world, and takes it for granted that it is no vain fear to expect
humiliated by calumny and misrepresentation ;is it this, with our present navy. I shall not go over the
surprising that a church so circumstanced does not ale old ground, made familiar to the readers of the
ways answer its intent and evangelize and civilize the Dispatch. His Lordship lands them. "I do not
people ? My Lord, lam willing to remember, too, in believe it would be impossible," says he, "in our pre-
what a deplorable condition are these people (prover- sent state of preparation, for a French Minister of
bially the most desolate and neglected in the world) and 'War to land on British ground a force sufficient in
now weighed down to the very depths of destitution and numbers, discipline, and equipment, to march in any
despair by a succession of the visitations of Providence direction along the turnpike roads of England."
—famine and pestilence. No wonder, then, that the Here they are, then ; and what would his Lordship
Church fighting against such odds is always hindered, have us do now they are here ? He goes on—" With
often baffled, and sometimes discomfited. But, set our present means of defence, I believe resistance
her properly to work, and she will do again what she would be hopeless, and an attempt at armed opposition
has frequently heretofore achieved—comfort and as- only productive of useless bloodshed." Again, "If the
suage, heal and cure, humanise and correct—turn a French were to appear at one end of London,the wisest'.
sinner into a saint, reduce confusion into order, and movement the Guards could make would be to march
lawlesness into obedience—convert slavery into out at the other." The poor Lord Mayor was de-
liberty, ignorance into knowledge, oppression into scribed by some one the other day as making some
justice, enmity into friendship, hatred into love—and hasty effort to scramble together forces for a fight ;
thus fulfil to their completion those great and ever- the Earl of Ellesmere would have him do no such
lasting destinies entrusted to her, and for which glo- thing. " The Lord Mayor would soon be busy with
rious mission she is daily gaining new life and energy the details of billets, and whatever contributions
from that illustrious patriot and Pontiff who now might be accepted as a commutation for indiscrimi-
governs her from the chair of Peter. nate plunder." But his Lordship not only lands and
" But because in her present abject, disadvan- brings his Frenchmen to London ; once here, he
tageous position in Ireland, she is unable to accom- thinks they would stop. " Don't let them come, I
plish all that is expected from her, surely, my Lord, say; but if they do, let them return as soon as they
that is no ground why she should not do her best. can be induced to do so. I really do not see why
The public voice in England now pronounces her to they should particularly wish it. In the present state
be a conniver at injustice, an accessory to crime, a of this country, 50,000 Frenchmen would find Eng-
pestilent sore in the commonwealth ; and so long land as safe and pleasant a domicile as any in which
will she be so proclaimed till we are shown some the soldiers of Napoleon ever luxuriated !" Really,
better reason than has yet been given us why Arch- if his Lordship thought it indiscreet before to men-
deacon Laffan should remain unrepremanded, and tion his alarms lest the French should take advantage
why Father M'llermott should still be permitted to of our weakness, the panic has got the better of him
exercise his ministry. My Lord, I will trouble you now. 50,000 men have only to land, as he says they
with but one word more. This is not the occasion may, walk to London, make the Mayor find them the
on which to enter upon the relative duties of land- most agreeable quarters and the choicest turtle, as long as
lord and tenant, farmer and peasant; to expatiate on they please, with plenty of cash into the bargain, and
the vices of some, on the virtues of others ; nor yet then march off, when they are tired of luxury, with
to make suggestions for the improvement of as much as they can carry, and our very hearty
those classes. I will merely express a wish that thanks for ridding us of their presence. No alarmist
means might be devised to establish and protect the has yet drawn such a picture as this. No bait has
rights of all. An equitable tenant law would been held out to foreign brigandage half so irresistibly
undoubtedly be a boon as far as its influence might tempting. Our fleet is nothing, and the army we
be felt ; yet how is it to save from eviction, as too many have is to run away ! Did it not occur to his Lord-
seem to suppose, the cottier who, far from possessing ship, when ho wrote all this, that he was selling us a
the means of improving has not even those necessary little too cheap ? Not one tussle for it in Old Eng-
for the cultivation of his holding ? His protection land ? I have said that I admit his Lordship's per-
must be in the Poor-law ; and I trust to see the day sonal bravery ; but he is a dillettante dramatic author ;
in which the Irish pauper will have the same right as I beg, then, to ask him if he were to describe a noble-
the English—either to food or work. I desire now man giving this sort of advice and encouragement to
only to protest against the injustice—and I deduce his fellow-countrymen, what sort of character would
it from the whole tenor of your Grace's writings—of he assign to him in his play ? I think it would be a
visiting the sins of a hundred successive Ministers on mistake to make him a hero or a statesman. There
the head of one who has now to work against the was a dramatic poet who painted an English leader
accumulated evil of ages. As it is not in the power with a few overworn, sick, and dispirited men hemmed
of man to flee from the wrath of God in the day of in by a fresh and well-appointed army of ten times
visitation, so neither is it given to him to transform a their number. The description is this:—
country torn with intestine divisions and sick with a Upon his royal face there is no note
unnumbered ills, into a land of peace and prosperity How dread an army bath enrounded him ;
in a single season ; nor, indeed, can it ever be done Nor doth he dedicate one jot of colour
at all without the cordial co-operation of clergy, Unto the weary and all-watched light,
landlords, and people with the Government that un- But freshly looks and overbears attaint,
majesty ;
With cheerful semblance and sweet
dertakes the task.

" I have the honour to be, my Lord Archbishop,
with all respect, your Grace's most obedient humble
servant. " SHREW SBURY.
" To the Most Rev. Dr. Archbishop
of Tuam."

Diss PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY. The eleventh
anniversary of the above society was celebrated at the
Crown, commercial inn, Diss, Norfolk, on Tuesday, the
28th ult., when a party of about fifty, comprising some
of the most influential gentlemen and tradesmen of the
place sat down to a sumptuous dinner, which, like its
predecessors, reflected great credit upon " mine host."
The chair was very ably filled by Mr. Thomas Farrow,
builder, of Diss. During tho evening, which passed
off with great hilarity and eclat; several overtures, glees,
and songs were admirably executed by the gentlemen
constituting the band and other members of the society,
and which elicited shouts of approbation and applause.
The piano-forte was well sustained by Mr. Owen►
Whayman, organist of Eye Church, in Suffolk, and
teacher of music and dancing. The performances alto-
gether gave infinite pleasure and satisfaction to all
present, and the delighted party did not separate till a
late hour.—From a Correspondent.

MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE AT WOOLWICII. A
very lamentable casualty occurred at Woolwich in con-
nexion with the death of the late Colonel Peebles, of
the Royal Marines, who expired on Monday morning,
as noticed in our paper of yesterday. It appears that
at the moment when Colonel Peebles was suddenly
seized with fatal illness, his son, an officer in one of the
regiments of the line (we believe the 59th), who was at
home on a visit to his parents, rushed out of the house
in a state of great excitement to procure immediate
medical assistance for his father; on passing hastily out
of the gate of the Royal Marine barracks he was chal-
lenged by the sentry, and, is his excitement, paid no
heed to the challenge, but passed on through the gate.
The sentry, imagining it was some soldier who wanted
to get out of barracks, struck at him with his bayonet,
which pierced the back of Mr. Peebles' neck, inflicting a
very serious wound, the consequences of which will be
doubtful for some time. It is said the the sentry did not
exceed his duty, but surely some safer mode of arresting
the escape of soldiers from barracks can be found than
that of allowing an ignorant, and, perhaps half idiotic
sentry the indiscriminate use of a bayonet, the use of
which, as in the present case, may be the source of
serious if not fatal errors.
BENEVOLENCE IN WEsTmirtsrEx.—Yesterday morn-
ing the soup kitchen in Lewisham-street, Westminster,
was opened for the first time this:season. The object of
this and similar establishments, of which there are
several in Westminster, is to supply the poor with a
quart basin of soup and a penny loaf at the moderate
charge of a penny, from which it will be perceived that
no pecuniary advantage is derived by those who have
instituted and presided over this practical scheme of
philanthropy. The number of applicants, during the
two hours which the kitchen remained open, was between
400 and 500. The establishment is to continue open for
two months, to meet the exigencies of the poor during
the inclement season which may naturally be expected.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE BlVER.—Yesterday an
inquest was held before Mr. W. Baker, at the Queen's
Head, High-street, Poplar, on view of the body of
Thomas Smith, aged 25 years, a labourer, who was
drowned in the river by the upsetting of a boat, when
lour other men also perished. Two of the men, named
hute and Warner, were found a iew days after the un-
fortunate occurrence. The jury returned a verdict of
" Accidental Death." The bodies of the remaining two
have not yet been discolored.

That overy wretch, pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks.
A largess universal, like the sun,
Hi* liberal eye doth give to every one,
Thawing cold fear."
The leader was Henry the Fifth, and his few
"pale and pining wretches" won Agincourt. And it
is the business of an English nobleman in these days to
keep up this heart in those over whom his rank makes
him a leader. He is not to publish to the world
that the old indomitable spirit can do nothing. He
is not to tell those who will believe him among his
fellow-subjects, that to shed their blood would be
"useless." He is not to preach panic, and counsel
running away. His Lordship says he is not well
enough to attend in his place in Parliament, and
therefore he writes this precious mischief, this dis-
graceful appeal to poltroonery. In Parliament he
would not have been heard through. Laughter
would have stopped the speech, if not sheer contempt.
I will suppose that his Lordship is in a sort of feverish
dream ; but his friends should not have permitted him
to publish the ravings
.of his weakness. They do
great harm, as everything does that would lower
confidence, in a case where resolution would be our
only safety. There could be no greater treason than
.
to bid the men of nation throw away their arms
in the belief that their chance was desperate. Des-
perate it would never be but from pusillanimity.
This letter o f Lord Ellesmere's fortunately calls
up another writer, evidently an old soldier, who signs
himself " Philalethes,". and who shows in so many
plain and simple words, that we should defend our
land, and that we could do so, even were his Lord-
ship's 50,000 Frenchmen landed in Sussex. We
should do so, because to abandon London to any
enemy, would be to give him not only its treasures,
but whatever terms, even to the dismemberment of
the empire, he might choose to ask ; and we could do
it, by that devotion which the Earl so patriotically
discourages. He sneers at Mr. Cobden's want of
military knowledge. What, then, shall we say to
his own, which he puts forth so pragmatically ? Send
the women and the unarmed away says Philalethes,
by all the conveyances we have, and bring back all
who have arms, and can use them. Cut up the roads
on the enemy's advance, fell trees and encumber their
passage. Send the few regulars forward to the best points
of defence, and push on the reinforcements to them as
they come up, yeomanry, gentry, volunteers of all
sorts, mounted and on foot. Line the hedges,
occupy the farms and the country seats, and, if at
last we should be driven into London, make every
street a battle-field till each enemy is dead or a pri-
soner. And Philalethes justly add* that 50,000 in-
vaders would be no more in the hands of the entire
population than the 1,500 French were in the hands
of the Welsh militia at Fishguard. And what does
this writer propose more than every Englishman
would be anxious to do ? Courage and obedience to
a general plan give a chance for life always;
cowardice and anarchy never. Our raw recruits
helped to win Waterloo by keeping their ground
when they ought, as Napoleon said, to have consi-
dered themselves beaten. They would not consider
anything of the kind. .:Many died, bat not
would have fallen had they run away. What father
or husband, capable of handling a musket, but would
feel that the way to save his wife And children from