The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-29 00:00:00

They might differ about conserving the new Mar-
riage Law (the old one they called it, but it is only
as old as Bishop BLOOMFIELD)—they might differ
about conserving every word and rubric of a prayer-
book which certainly some of the best Churchmen
desire to purify and shorten—they even seemed to
differ on the question whether Church-rate's should
be fought for as they are, or Churchmen, only,
made liable to them ; but on the grand point there
was no difference of opinion—temporal power, over
Dissenters and Churchmen if practicable, if not,
over Churchmen at least—this was the creed of

LATEST NEWS.

The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

BUCHAREST, DEC. 28.

Prince Couza intends to contract a loan of 60
millions of francs in Paris, under the guarantee of
France, Prussia, and Russia. The Principalities
offer to mortgage, as security for the loan, the in-
come resulting from the salt-pits, the customs, and
the landed property belonging to the convents.
The French Consul at Jassy is about to proceed
to Paris, where M. Beclaud, Consul-General of
France in Bucharest, has already arrived, in order
to hasten the conclusiou of the loan.

the meeting.
We think it only fair to our Catholic fellow sub-
jects to show broadly that some, in point of social
position, most respectable members of our own
Church are as infatuated as we think too
many of our Catholic neighbours to be ; they
cannot believe their Church to be safe without she
can use the secular arm. One, indeed, wants to be
able to compel its subjects in Italy to obey the be-
hests temporally, of the POPE, and to pay such
taxes as he levies, under penalty of his temporal
terrors; the other, that is the most moderate of
them, only want the Church to have power to in-
flict temporal penalties on those of her subjects
who will not pay what the Church wishes in order
to repair and adorn it, or to defray the cost of its
services, however fantastic some of the Bishop of
OXFORD'S or EXETER'S disciples may wish to make
them. We admit a difference, indeed, in degree,
a difference corresponding to the different degrees
of latitude which define the position of Rome and
London. But the principle is one. Temporal
power is the demand of the Roman Catho-
lic for his Church ; temporal power the
demand of these Church-rate laymen for
theirs. Both parties live in an age in
which society has outgrown these degrading
views of the layman's position, and of the inherent
strength of any religion which really comes from
Heaven ; but these parties themselves, as Russia
says of Austria, " Can learn nothing or forget no-
thing"—at Rome the Church of one must wiel d
a priestly sceptre; in England the Church of the
other must flourish a policeman's baton, or the vil-
lage constable's staff—or—the true Church is in
danger !

ROME, DEC. 29,

The Minister of Finance has been obliged to sell
Consolidated Funds to an amount double that pre
viously stated (2,000,000 francs).

PARIS, DEC. 29

The Russian Ambassador, Count Kisseleff, has
declared to Count Walewski that the pamphlet,
" Le Pape et le Congress," contains—without con-
sidering the religious question, with which Russia
does not intend to interfere—principles in opposi-
tion to the respect of authority on which the Rus-
sian Government is founded, and that consequently
Russia will oppose the programme drawn up in
this pamphlet.

It is asserted that Austria, Naples, and Spain
will not send Plenipotentiaries to the Congress
should the Pope not be represented;
The Constitutionnel publishes the letter of a
Catholic journalist refuting the views of the Bishop
of Orleans on the pamphlet "Le Pope et le Con-

g ress."

MARSEILLES, THURSDAY.
The Admirals Rigault de Genouilly and Rey-
naud arrived here yesterday from China.
Letters received from Naples state that the King
had sent decorations and presents to M. de Moni-
seales, director of the police, whose assassination
rotes lately attempted at Palermo.

Then let it be in danger !—we say. If grinding
Italians into slaves, and seizing a fellow-church-
man's goods be, as they express it, " the bulwark"
of a Church, the sooner churches resting on such a
sandy foundation, or, if they prefer it, protected by
such bulwarks, fall, the better. They can have but
little hold on their members, and have produced but
little effect on their minds. We suppose nothing
can be more indisputable than that the Apostolic
Churches, such as the apostles left them, never
thought of levying a rate and asking any Roman
authority to enforce it. Apostolic writings rebuke
the Churches for long catalogues of sins, but it
would puzzle Mr. HOARE or Lord NELSON himself
to find in the list the sin of " subtraction of
Church-rates." No, it will not do to impose on
men now. Coercion for religion cannot be found
in the Christian records. Coercion to believe in
creeds, or even to conform to public worship, has
long since been abandoned by all thoroughly civi-
lised countries. Coercion to pay for Christian wor-
ship, and for the maintenance of the buildings in
which it is celebrated, must be forthwith abandoned '
also. It is a relic of a mediaeval age. None the
worse, of course, in the ages of Lord NELSON and
Mr. BERESFORD HOPE ; but they ought to know
that while the country can afford to laugh at
Puseyite mimicries of the antique, it will not laugh
at such mimicry of old religious coercion as shows
itself in enforcing antiquated taxes.

NEW MUSIC.

The Elopement : Ballad. Written by R. C. Wright-
son. Composed by W. T. Belcher. H. J. Jewell,
Great Russell-street.

New ballads are plentiful as plum-puddings on
Christmas•day, and we may mention the above one
as being among those which will please young lady
singers, and prove generally attractive. The
melody is flowing, and within easy compass of
voice, and the words harmoniously in unison, with
a strong dash of olden romance to add to their
effect.

The Duke and Duchess of Somerset have arrived
at Broadlands,- Hants, on a visit to Viscount and Vis-
countess Palmerston.
The Marquis and Marchioness of Stafford leave
Stafford House, St. James's, this morning to join the circle
staying with the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland at Trent-
ham.

The Marchese di Campobianso has arrived at the
Brunswick Hotel, Jermyn-street, from Italy.
The Earl Grosvenor, after a sojourn of a few days
in town, left yesterday to join the party assembled at Trent-
ham on visits to the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland.
Viscount Clifden has arrived at Trentham, on a
visit to the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, from staying
with Lord and Lady Begot at Blithfield.
Lord Panmure, who has been laid up at Edin-
burgh, by a severe attack of gout, is, we are glad to learn
by letters received yesterday frorn Scotland, much better.
Lady Emily Peel arrived in Whitehall-gardens
yesterday from Drayton Mar.mr, Staffordshire. Sir Robert
Peel is expected home in a few days from Geneva.
General Lord Seaton, G.C.8., commanding the
forces in Ireland, arrived in town on Tuesday evening from
Dublin
The Right Hon. William F. Cowper, M.P., and
Mrs. Cowper and the Hon. h.. Ashley, left town yesterday
to join the circle visiting Viscount and Viscountess Palmer-
ston at Broadlands.

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 29, ISYQ,'.

contrary to the duties of a Christian sovereign and
to the resairements of the present state of civilisa-
tion. The author of the pamphlet has given proof
of a moderation so much the more difficult that the
passions are more violent and that the advocates of
a past which it would be madness to revive are more
ardent. He has considered the question in every
part. The separation of Romagna is not in his opi-
nion a necessity because a fait accompli cannot be
destroyed, but because the temporal power must be
done away, and the sovereignty of the Pope be
limited to Rome, transformed by the municipal fran •
chise into a free cfty. The religious question with-
drawn, what remains ? The political one. After four
revolutions, after innumerable proofs of the inca-
pacity of the Papal Government, can there remain a
doubt of the necessity of putting an end, onc3 for all
to the temporal power, giving the Pope as a com-
pensation revenues from every Roman Catholic
nation ? If this pamphlet, as there is every reason
to suppose, faithfully represents the ideas of the

Emperor of the French, the certainty exists that
this view will be maintained in the Congress, and
we may add that it will triumph there; since every
power must be weary of periodical commotions, and
desirous of giving to Italy an organisation which
shall be for Europe a pledge of peace and order.
Will not this arrangement entirely satisfy the
Italians ? Let us not he too exacting or greedy.
Let us each lend our efforts to bring about a practical
solution of the question, and strengthen the hands
of those who aim at it. If the Emperor of the
French succeeds in realising the ideas developed in
the pamphlet, he may boast of having solved the
most arduous problem of our times, and of having
acquired new claims to the gratitude of Italy and
of Europe."