The Sun.
London, England, 1833-02-08 00:00:00

(No. 12,610.)

his Irish audiences, that " repeal" was the one thing
needful for his n itive country, we are justified in repeat.
ing Mr. Stanley's question—Why has he never dared tt
bring the question under the eye of Parliament ?
Why, in this reformed House of Commons, has he
never, among his numerous notices of motions, ven-
tured to tell the Speaker, that on such a day he wil'
move the repeal of the Act of Union between Great Bri-
tain and Ireland ? No man will assert, we suppose, that
in the present Parliament Ireland has not exercised a free
choice of representatives, except in so far as the choice
was controlled by Mr. O'C ,nnell's intimidating manoeu-
vres. None will say that England has not returned, on
the whole, a House of Commons representing the people.
Then we ask once again, if Mr. O'Connell's project of
" repeal of the Union" be worthy to meet the publ c opi-
nio❑ of both countries, why does its author shrink from
that independent and enlightened tribunal before which the
question would now be fairly investigated ? He has no
boroughmongers, no packed House of Commons to deter
him ; he has no powers of darkness now opposed to him ;
does be, then, dread the light ? Is his political wisdom
of calibre fit only for a wretched Irish rabble ? or was
repeal of the Unio❑ no better than an election bait, to lure
the simple gudgeons to the hustings ? We do not say
whether we were ourselves prepared or not for this gross
shirking of the most notorious engagements ; but when
Mr. O'Connell interrupted Mr. Stanley with a dis-
claimer of having ascribed the evils of Ireland to the
Union, it came to a pretty clear admission that a repeal of
the Union was not indispensable to her relief. There is
another circumstance worth consideration. Mr. Barron,
Member for Waterford, allowed that Irish landlords are
averse to the establishment of poor laws. The fact is,
indeed, well known, and entirely characteristic of the
caste, with the exception of Mr. James Grattan, who has
repeatedly brought Bills into Parliament for that impor-
tant purpose, and a very few other gentlemen. We are
given to understand that the whole body of Irish proprie-
tors hold the name of poor laws in abhorrence. But the
instructive part of the matter is, that Mr. O'Connell has
declared himself hostile to the institution of poor laws,—
that is to say (in other words), anxious for the continu-
atm of the Irish peasantry in a state of hopeless misery and
destitution. The priests are not so. Dr. Doyle has written,
no long time ago, an admirable and unanswerable
pamphlet in recommendation of a legal provision for
the other wise helpless poor. All England cries shame
upon the heartless system which annually expatriates
so many thousands of Irish paupers, quartering them,
first upon English industry, and when that fails, upon
the funds more rightfully appropriated to the relief of
English want. Why, then, are such things overlooked
by Mr. O'Connell and his subordinate agitators ? They
attack the clergy for collecting tithe front the poor, but
nothing is said against the landlords changing places with
the clergy. In our eyes the most essential part of the
whole Church measure would be a transfer to the miserable
starving peasants of a large portion of that ecclesiastical
revenue the use of which is about to be readjusted by
authority of Parliament. So far as the debates have yet
proceeded, the landlords in their war upon the pockets
of the clergy are represented by Messrs. O'Connell and
Co. The clergy in their endeavour to keep a fast gripe
of that share of landed produce which has long been slip-
ping away from them, are represented by Messrs. Stan -
ley and Co. But who represents the poor of Ireland?
No one! None but the Catholic priesthood, who on this
subject of poor laws have ably pleaded for theta. We re-
peat, that in these hot and noisy discussions the poor of
Ireland—the blind tools and victims of other men's
evil passions,—appear to have no interest whatever !
There is something which shocks us in all this.
The poor man's pig or cow is driven by the police or
soldiery to the market for arrear of tithe. The landlord
encourages the unfortunate creature to resist this oppres-
sion of the parson, because he may thereby the better
pay his rent. There is a clamour raised against the
Church, and the landlord watches the process of aliena.
tion of Church property, which he has himself compelled,
that he may pounce upon and seize it to his own uses. The
incomes of the Irish Bishops are too large for their enjoy.
ment ; but in no other particular do the operate to the
injury of the poor than by the generation of an inter-
mediate class of landlords between the actual occupier and
the Bishop. Some Church Reformers talk of granting the
tithe— we take for granted they mean the commuted
tithe—to the poor. But this, of course, must be the
final, not the immediate destination of it. It is a
monstrous exposition of the rapacity of Irish landlords
if the tithe be commuted to one-tenth of the rent.
Either the landlords have made a most false anti fraudu-
lent outcry against the " heavy exactions" of the
clergy, or a most dishonest bargain will be made as
against both Church and State, should the lay tyrants of
the tenantry be let off from the whole weight of tithe in
future for a tenth of the landlord's profits. In Scotland
the tithe composition was one-fifth of the rent ; and that
rate, which we think ought to be enforced against the
Irish landlord also, would form an ample fund for the poor.
Let us see whether Mr. O'Connell will heartily agree to
this. If not— ! In connexion with the surrender of
commuted tithes to the poor, it is proposed by intelligent
and practical persons that a small tax be imposed on the
income arising from moneyed capital, as well as on land,to
support on their present nominal scale of revenue the
existing generation of Irish clergy. The income from
money would be no less equitably assessed to poor-rates
than income from land, but as, by the scheme in question,
the tithe in its commuted form is to be given to the poor,
and therefore, in fact, becomes itself a poor-rate, that which
is the substitute for it ought to fa'l upon every species of
property. The Church lands, it is believed, including in them
those at present assigned to the Bishops, and the posses-
sions of Deans and Chapters, would provide not mere:),
for an adequate Protestant Church Establishment, but
likewise for Catholic and Dissenting Clergy. We ob-
serve front the official copy of the votes that Mr.
Richards has given notice for the 7th March of a motion
proposing to accomplish the objects which we have been
explaining. The Hon. Gentleman, it is true, contem-
plates the transfer of the existing tithe in its present form
to the poor; but this we apprehend, if we understand him
rightly, runs counter to the resolutions already passed by
Parliament, and to the intentions of Government, as
avowed from the throne.. The motion of Mr. Richards,
nevertheless, taken as a whole, is likely to bring on a
most interesting discussion, and well deserves the most
attentive public consideration. We subjoin the exact
words of the notice:—

" Mr. Richards—Bill to invest the tithes now payable to
:he clergymen of the Established Church in Ireland in trustees

for the benefit of the poor resident in the respective parishes
in Ireland :—Bill to raise a tax of Is. in the pound on all in•

comes arising from capital in Ireland, for the payment of the
stipends due to the existing Ministers of the establishment;

and for providing for the reduction of that establishment, as
vacancies occur in the respective bishoprics, deaneries, chap-
ters, rectories, and other benefices, until the whole may be pro-
vided for out of the Church lands, and the public be relieved
from the tax to be now imposed."

The debate in the Commons was again adjourned. The
most striking incidents of the night were the speeches of
Lord Ebrington and Sir R. Peel, which deserve an atten-
tive perusal. We shall to-morrow point out some useful
passages in both of them.— Times.

THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS.—We are re-
quested to state that Colonel MacElNNox's Account of
the " Origin and Services of the Coldstream Guards," in
2 vols. Svo., with numerous embellishments, handsomely
bound in cloth, and dedicated by permission to his MAJESTY,
was published this day by Mr. BENTLEY, New Burlington-
street. This work details the formation of the Regiment,
by General MoricE, its operations in Scotland under
CROMWELL, and on board the Fket in the memorable
Dutch War ; during the War of the Succession in Spain ; in
Flanders under Prince EUGENE; during the Seven Years'
War in Germany; its Campaigns in Holland and Flanders,
and in the Expedition to the Helder, under the Duke of
YORK ; in Ev,ypt ; in the American War ; in the Expe-
dition to Waleheren ; in the Peninsular 'War, and France;
in the Storming of Bergen-op- Zoom ; and finally, at the
Battle of Waterloo. Agents tor Scotland, Messrs. BELL
and BRAIWUTE, Edinburgh ; for Ireland, John CUMMING,
Dublin ; and to be had of all respectable Booksellers in the
United Kingdom.

UNSTANIPED PUBLICATIONS.—The follow-
ing is a copy of a letter received last week by the Com-
missioners of Stamps from WILLI/of CoovEn, who was the
principal witness against COLLEY and CURRIE at Union
Hall, on an alleged charge of conspiracy :

_
February 1.
Gentlemen,—l cannot think of making my appearance
against Colley and Currie for the conspiracy, as my statement is
false in every respect. w. COOPER.
To the Hon. the Commissioners of Stamps.