The Sun.
London, England, 1835-12-15 00:00:00

THE SUN LONDON, TUESDAY,

the avowed belief that we are indebted to our anceetors
for nothing but the absurd prejudices which retard the
progress of equality in civil matters, that is Republi7
canism ; and of universality in the support of religious
opinions, that is infidelity. We remember (and who
does not ?) the declaration made in the House of
Commons by one now in power, " I wish there was
no such thing as history." In spite, however, of the
efforts of modern philosophy, in spite, too, of the
authority of the " man in power," we persist
in recommending: at the present crisis an atten-
tive perusal of English history. " Hoc illud est
prcecipue in cognitions rerum salubre ac frugi-
ferum, omnis to exempli documenta in illustri
posita monumento intueri : inde tibi tuceque
rci-
publica•, quod imitere, capias : inde fcedum mceptu,
fcedum exitu, quod vites." If the Roman historian,
whose knowledge of man's nature was confined to ex-
perience, could thus feel the advantage of history, shall
we, who have the highest authority for believing that
man's nature is the same in all ages, hesitate to avail
ourselves of the records of cause and effect in times
gone past ? We shall endeavour to enforce our re-
commendation by an illustration. Take, for instance,
Burnet's " History of his Own Times." In account-
ing for the Irish massacre in 1641, Burnet tells us
(vol. 1., p. 56) that the Priests " were the chief men
that set on the Irish to all the blood and cruelty that
followed." Can we wonder at the misgiving of the
Irish Protestant in the promise of peace held out on
the condition of apprOpnation ? Can we be astonished
at his saving—
'( There is a thing within my bosom tells me,
That no conditions of our peace can stand ?"
And well may he so say, for well he knows that the
enmity of the Priest against Protestantism can be
quenched only by its extermination. The next point
for which we shall produce a parallel is O'Connell's
advocating the voluntary principle in his mission
through England. It has been commonly remarked
by careless observers since that mission, " that it must
be a mere calumny of the Protestants to impute into-
lerance to the Roman Catholics, seeing that O'Con-
nell, who is the champion of Popery, is for the vo-
luntary principle, that is, for the total absence of all
religion in connection with the State." To this we
shall merely reply by an extract from Burnet (Vol, 1.,
p. 263) :—" And now that the main principle of
religion was struck at by Hobbs and his followers,
the Papists acted upon this a very strange
part. They went in so far even into the ar-
gument for Atheism as to publish many books,
in which they affirmed that there was no certain
proof of the 'Christian religion, unless we took it
from the authority of the Church' as infallible.
This was such a delivering up the cause to them
that it raised in all good men a very high indignation
at Popery, that party showing that they chose to
make men, who would not turn Papists, become
Atheists rather than believe Christianity upon any
other ground than infallibility." The following pas-
sage may be of service to those Churchmen and* Dis-
senters who join the ranks of Popery, vainly suppos-
ing that a house divided against itself can stand :
" He (Peter Walsh, a Priest) told me often there was
nothing which the whole Pepish party feared more
than an union of those of the Church of England
with the Presbyterians. They knew we grew the
weaker the more our breaches were widened, and that
the more we were set against one another we would
mind them the less. The Papists had two maxims,
from which they never departed. The one was to
divide us, and the other Was to keep themselves united,
`and either to set on an indiscriminate toleration or a
general prosecution, for so they loved to soften the
harsh word of persecution. And he observed, not with-
out great indignation at us for our folly, that we, in-
stead of uniting among ourselves, and dividing them,
according to their maxims, did all we could to keep
them united and to disjoint our own body."—(Burnet,
vol. 1., p. 273.) We shall conclude by adding one
passage to those we have already extracted, a passage
so remarkable for its application to the practice of
Popery in these times, that the reader might easily per--
suade himself to believe it the production of yesterday
rather than of the early part of the last century :
" Learn to view Popery in a true light, as a conspi-
racy to exalt the power of the cler:iy, even by sub-
jecting the most sacred truths of religion to contrivan-
ces for raising their authority, and by offering to the
world another method of being saved besides that pre-
scribed in the Gospel. Popery is a mass of impos-
tures, supported by men who manage them with great
address, and impose them with inexpressible severities
on those who dare call anything in question that they
dictate to them."—(Vol. IV., p, 415.) So unchanged
is Popery !—Morning Post.

The paragraph inserted last week respecting the
elopement of Miss Coatsworth and another young girl
from a school in the neighbourhood of Portman-square, in
company of two men of fashionable appearance, &c., turns
out to be in part unfounded. The simple facts were, that
two children, of the age of thirteen years, left their school
at half-past four o'clock in the afternoon of Friday, the
4th instant, and proceeded across the Park to Brompton,
and from thence to Wandsworth, where they arrived be-
tween seven and eight o'clock, and upon applying for a
lodging at the Bull Inn, the landlady, suspecting they had
strayed from their friends, put them to bed, and sent for a
constable, who advised their detention for the night ; and
the next morning he took them before a magistrate, who
sent them home to their parents, where they arrived about
noon on Saturday.

Saturday an inquest was held at the Swan, Hamp-
ton Wick, on the body of Mr. John Minton, aged thirty-
seven. It appeared that the deceased was brother to Mrs.
Marshall, the landlady of the Swan Tavern, and resided in
her house. Latterly he had become dejected in spirits and
rather incoherent in his language, but from what cause no
explanation could be given. On Friday he was so much
indisposed as to be obliged to keep in his room, and in the
afternoon of that day he terminated his existence by cutting
his throat in the most frightful manner. He was discovered
by the chambermaid, lying on the floor, with the razor in
his right hand. The Jury returned a verdict of " Mental
Derangement."

A JUDGM EN T.—A swindler describing himself as
a naval officer, patronized by a Noble Duke, lately visited
Glasgow, under the pretence of having a commission to
purchase steam vessels. In one case he affected to make a
purchase, and got the loan of 2/. from the seller, with which
he decamped. He was sometime after seen by the dupe on
Greenock Quay, and brought to the Broomielaw, where he
was obliged to leave his greatcoat in pledge. The night
being dark when the swindler left to go ashore, he mistook
the road, and walked over the paddle-box plump into the
river. On being taken out, and put on shore, he was ad-
vised by the bystanders to run off as fast as possible to re-
store animation.—Glasgow Herald.

SHI PWREC K.—On Tuesday morning Mr. Mills,
owner of the brig Majestic, received letters from the master,
David Leslie, announcing the loss of his vessel at Summer's
Island, in the Gulf of Finland. The crew left the ship,
and landed safely on Summer's Island, a barren spot, and
destitute of inhabitants. Fortunately, a wooden hut was
discovered on the rock, and afforded a slight shelter from
the inclemency of the weather to the shipwrecked mariners.
—Fife Herald.

We find it stated in the Dublin Evening Post, that
the Rev. Mortimer O'Sullivan is allowed a sum of 2,0001.
a year out of the Conservative funds while on his present
mission of Christian charity and good-will in this country !
No wonder that clerical agitation should thrive under such
circumstances. The revenue of Mr. O'Sullivan's parish
of Killyman, makes another thousand a year, which, de-
ducting the expense of two Curates, he receives for doing
nothing.
MEETING OF THE COUNTY WESTMEATH TO
ADDRESS THE LORD-LIEUTENANT.--Thursday last a very
numerous, and respectable assemblage of the gentlemen,
freeholders and inhabitants of the county Westmeath, was
convened at the Court-house, Mullingar, pursuant to public
requisition, to adopt a congratulatory address to his Excel-
lency Earl Mulgrave, on his appointment to the viceroyalty
of Ireland. At about half-past one o'clock the meeting was
attended, at the appointed place, by all the rank, wealth,
and respectability of the neighbourhood. The Chair was
taken by Sir P. Nugent, Bart., High-Sheriff of the county.

An accident, attended with the most serious conse-
quences happened in Whitehall on Friday afternoon, about
4 o'clock, to a gentleman of the name of Kimber, who
was driving a spirited horse from Charing-cross, when the
animal took fright, became unmanageable, and ran against
a lamp-post with such violence, that Mr. Kimber was thrown
nearly ten yards from the spot. He was taken to Mr.
M'Cann's, surgeon of Parliament-street, totally, insensible,
and it was found, on examination, that his skull was frac-
tured in such a dreadful manner, that a portion of bone was
driven into the brain, which Mr. M'Cann found necessary
to remove by the operation of trepanning, which he did so
skilfully that immediately after the operation, Mr. K. began
to show signs of animation, and continued to improve so as
to be enabled to be sent home in a coach.