The Sun.
London, England, 1834-08-05 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sta,—Having resided some years in Ireland, where the
question of church property has been the eternal theme of
every coterie, I have presumed to look into the merits of the
question, perhaps not so extensively or so arbitrarily as others
have done, but, I hope, with a less jaundiced eye than the clergy
have cast upon the unfortunate ci-devant slave proprietors, of
which I am malheureu.sement a member.

When the question of individual property was argued with
respect to the slaves in our colonies, who were so forward to
exclaim against our rights (although actually purchased under
the sanction of the Crown, and with the approbation of the
State), as the clergy of all denominations ?
Surely, if Parliament had a right (and the clergy urged
that right from every pulpit) to compel the colonists to take
what the Parliament chose to consider an equivalent for their
personal property, and which was as much personal property,
and held under at least as good a tenure, as any the Church
can put forth ; if Parliament could do this upon the ground
of expediency, in the name of reason, is not the same power
and argument applicable to the property of the Church ? And
if ever expediency could be considered argumentative, it is
surely so in the case of the Church of Ireland.
It may be said that slave property was cruelly and ignomi
niously obtained, but what property was ever more surrepti-
tiously and fraudulently acquired than that termed church
property, all over the world. It was acquired, in almost every
instance, from persons labouring under the most gross super-
stition and ignorance, backed by the most glaring fraud and
imposition, wholly unjustifiably exercised; so much so, that if
any one in the present day became possessed of property by
the same means, he would be liable to be prosecuted for felony.
We may, therefore, reasonably question the honour, to say
nothing of the justice, at least of retaining the greater por-
tion of it. To be sure, much was given by Henry the Eighth
at the Reformation, but he only plundered the plunderer ; and
his " right" is extremely questionable. If he had a right at
all, it was in the name of the country of which he was only the
chief magistrate, and the property should thereby certainly
devolve to the nation. As to Irish Church property, acquired
by conquest, that was equally the " nation's right," not the
King's.

Touching the slave question, as I have already stated, Par-
liament has acted on the call of the nation, helloed on by the
church, and 'enforced the emancipation of the negro slaVes,
who, in all their slavery, never were the victims of greater
tyranny than those daily sacrificed to the interests of the
church. Emancipate the church slaves then. The result of
the negro emancipation is not yet known, but the change is
likely to be one of universal benefit, where quite the reverse
was anticipated by many. The same may be said as regards
church property. Here things have reached a crisis, as indeed
they had in the colonies. The church was most liberal with
the property of West Indians ; but touch church property,
and the sanctuary is invaded. As regards " lay tithes," the
same argument stands good as in the case of the planter and
the slave. If the purchaser acquired his property under a bad
title, he has got bad value for his money, and he must lose
proportionably.
I tell any Minister, that in Ireland, until all church property
reverts to the state, any hope of prosperity is illusive and
visionary. You may call it robbery, or plunder, or any other
name the interested party chooses to designate it by. The
same was said relative to the emancipation of the slaves ; yet
now most of the West Indians themselves have changed their
opinions. Pay the church from the Treasury, liberally and
amply ; few will reject such a boon. At present there are
two parties in Ireland, either equally the victim of prejudice.
Abrogate at once the pretended rights and the acknow-
ledged wrongs of Ireland's established church. Set it on the
same footing as the Scotch. None of the clergy but the great
monopolists will object to be well paid by the Crown. At all
events, you will only deal the same measure of justice they
required towards the West Indians. The English Parliament
little thought that in the question of negro emancipation a
precedent has originated for Government to Zeal as it pleases
with every description of property, ecclesiastical, estated, or
funded ; but unquestionably this is the case, and all parties
must now be prepared to make, for the public good, whatever
sacrifice Government may require—the church first, then the
funds, and very shortly a considerable reduction of rent, conse-
quent upon the abolition of the corn laws. One word as to
religion. Christianity once had no property in land or tithe ;
it throve better then than subsequently. It is founded on
truth, a firmer basis by far than any legal provision or enact-
ment can institute. As this day is celebrated by the clergy of
the empire as that on which the dark cloud of slavery is for
ever withdrawn from the dominions of Great Britain, so may
its next anniversary proclaim that the weightier incubus of
prejudice and oppression is for ever banished from the profes-
sion of true religion ; that those who have been so long slaves
to clerical exactions and degrading superstitions are indeed
emancipated from spiritual thraldom, and exempted from
a forced contribution to a body in whose existence they have
no interest.—l am, Sir, t'our's obediently,
Aug. 1, 1834.

A. W.

BANKING FAILURE -IN EDII'.;EURGII. The
failure of the banking firm of Messrs. Kinnear, Smith, and
Co., has created a great sensation in this quarter. As the
extent of the deficiency has not been declared, it is impossible
to calculate what may be the effects of this much-to-be-deplored
event. We need not say that the causes which operated to
produce this 'failure are wholly unconnected with any part of
the admirable system of Scotch banking, and must be ascribed
to circumstances of a very diGrent character. Credit has sus-
tained a slight shock, but public confidence is now almost
wholly restored.—Edinburgh Evening Post.

LONDON AND GREENWICH RAILwAY.--Up,
wards 0f.300 men arc daily employed on this magnificent
work under Mr. M'lntosh, the contractor, and Colonel Land-
mann, the engineer of the company. The daily expenditure
of bricks is about one hundred thousand. Two miles of arches
are in a state of completion.

Several portions of a very elegant service of plate,
which has bean ordered by the King for the use of her Ma-
jesty, have just been finished by Rendell and Bridges, the
King's goldsmiths. The pattern, without being loaded or
overdone, exhibits great discrimination and good taste.
A Saxon architect, named Bunhardt, has invented
a method, which he has hitherto been able to keep secret, by
which the smoke of chimneys may be instantly and completely
purified. •

The harvest has now become general in this county,
and the crops are heavy and in excellent condition. The pre-
sent showery weather has somewhat impeded the labours of
the field ; but should we be favoured with about ten days of
fine and dry weather, the farmers will have to rejoice in the
abundance of the fruits of their labours. Several ricks of
wheat, saved in excellent order, have already been made.—
Dorchester Paper.

ANCIENT CANOE.—At Eskebuf, near St.Valery,
in the Somme, a discovery was made last week, at the depth
of about twelve feet in the ground, of a canoe, twenty-eight
feet in length by twenty-two inches in breadth, and twenty in
depth. It appears to have belonged to the earliest period of
na vention or at least to the invasion of the Normans. It is
.„,
formed of a single oak, and towards one of the extremities is
an excavation that served to fix the mast. It is now deposited
in the hall where the Socike Royale d'Emulation of Abbeville
holds its meetings.—French Paper.
SHOCKING OCCURENCE.—On Saturday an in-
quest was held at the Coach and Horses, Greek street, Soho-
square, on view of the body of Alexander Burns, a poor little
boy, five years a half old. It appeared that the parents of the
deceased child lived at No. 7, Moore-street, Soho. On Wed-
nesday morning last the mother, with the deceased, and two
other children, were at breakfast, when the deceased, while
the mother's back was turned for a few moments, drank a quan-
tity of boiling tea out of the tea-pot. The poor little innocent
screamed violently at first, but soon became insensible from
excess of pain. The deceased was subsequently attended by
Mr. Miller, a medical, gentleman ; but, he _continued to sink,
and died about five o'clock on Thursday morning. The Jury
returned a verdict--" That the deceased died- from having
swallowed a quantity of boiling tea."

LONDON,
TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 5, 1834.

A most important communication from the Madrid
correspondent of the Morning Chronicle, dated the
28th of July, will be foUnd in another column, with
valuable extracts from the Spanish Papers. The
Cortes have resolved to put an end to the unnatural
and bloody struggle in which they are engaged, by
soliciting the aid of France, who, as one of the powers
of. the Quadruple. Alliance, is bound to take the field
in defence of the rightful heir to the Spanish Crown.
The Council sat on the 27th, and as soon as it was
resolved that the aid of France should be sought, an
order from the Cortes, in the name of the REGENT,
was draWn up, and instantly despatched to the Spanish
Minister at Paris, with instructions to submit it to the
French Ministry without delay. That the answer to
it will be such as France in honour is bound to give,
we are quite certain and that too with the hearty
concurrence of England. The time is past for
hesitation in , this affair. • Spain must he tran-
quilized, despite the machinations of the Holy
Alliance. Austria, Russia, and Prussia have
not yet recognized the young Queen of SPAIN ; and
there is not a doubt but Don CARL Os has been insti-
gated by them to make a diversion in the West of
Europe while they are carrying all before them in the
East, with a promise that as soon as Russia shall have
seized upon and apportioned the Ottoman Empire,
they will recognise him as the lawful Sovereign. But
England and France must not suffer themselves to be
the dupes of these despots. Russia is at the present
moment engaged in fomenting the divisions between
the Sublime Porte and the Paella of EGYPT, in the
expectation that a war bet Ween both will so weaken
them, as to leave the whole East completely at the
mercy of the CZAR ; and, in the mean time, she seeks
to conceal her views by inciting rebellions in European
states, which will withdraw the attention of England
from her designs. Hence Don MIGUEL has left
Genoa, and hence his hope of stirring up a second
time the flames of a civil war in Portugal, where he
expects being able to effect a landing by means of the
Carlists. This is another reason why England and
France should no longer remain mere spectators.
The conspiracy in Madrid has been suppressed by
the activity of the Government. The particulars were
given in our paper yesterday. The only material
point which we have since learned, is, that the chief
conspirators, in consideration of their past services,
and from their not having been in the remotest de-
gree allied with Don CARLOS, will he allowed
to go into exile for We. The accounts of
the state of Spain, which we received by the
Paris papers of Sunday, now before us, we have
given elsewhere. Some of them are evidently false,
and many of them are directly opposite to what we
have already stated on the subject ; but we are in-
duced to give them, to satisfy the public that we have
no interest in the matter beyond a desire that the cause
of liberty and truth should triumph everywhere.
But the most extraordinary communication which
we have heard from Paris is, that Count Pozzo DI
BonGo, the. Russian Ambassador, informed- the
French Minister, at an audience on Saturday last,
that if France directly interfered in the tranqui-
lization of Spain, by granting troops to assist the
REGENT, he would demand his passports and quit the
kingdom. This, in one word, is saying that if France
interfere she may prepare for a war with Russia. But
will France be deterred from performing her duty to
her ally by this brutal menace ? Let Russia take the
field as soon as she pleases ; she will find us, too, in
readiness. The next war in Europe will be a war of
principle, and the sooner it comes on the better. We
are glad the northern despots are hurrying on to a
crisis which will for ever exterminate despotism in
Europe. France and England care not a rush for the
Holy Alliance.

The Austrian Observer of the 30th July, received
this morning, contradicts the report of the unfavour-
able reception of HABIB EFFENDI by the SULTAN,
as stated by the Correspondent of a Morning Paper,
at Constantinople. HABIB EFFENDI was sent by the
Pacha of EGYPT to felicitate the SULTAN on the recent
marriage of his daughter. Instead of rebuke the SULTAN
is said to have loaded the messenger with presents and
honours, and commissioned him, in the most gracious
terms, to testify the imperial favour to the Viceroy.
This may be all very true, but it comes from a very