The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-28 00:00:00

tions that would be disgraceful to both parties.
It address6s itself to freemen, not to slaves ; to
men whose votes will be the rEsult of their own
honest convictions, and not to those who will submit
to the dictation of any man or body of men. It is
the very "catholicity," the universality of its objet`,
that ensures the success it will unquestionably ob
tain, because it is eminently merited.

Every day furnishes fresh proof that, despite the ef-
forts of Jesuits and Puseyites, the country is sound at
heart—that England is " Protestant" England still—
the land of Christianity as contradistinguished from
Priestianity. From every part of the United King-
dom does every post bring intelligence of meetings
held to express the " determination of the people,"
we quote the words of a morning cotemporary, " not
to be thrust back into the swathing•clothes of the
middle ages by any old spiritual nurse whether of
Rome or Exeter;" and rejoiced are we to find that at
the great majority of these meetings the right tone
has been adopted. To the inhabitants of Bangor and
of Carnarvon, however, is due the credit of having
been the first to point out the most effective measures
for rendering of non-effect the efforts of the great
politico-religious conspiracy concocted at Gaeta for
the destruction of civil and religious liberty, of which
the recent Papal aggression is an overt act.
The Bangor petitioners state that " they consider
that the only safeguards against the usurpations of
the POPE and the superstitions of Popery will be
found in those weapons by which the Reformation
was originally achieved, namely, the force of truth
and the diffusion of knowledge ; and also in the exten-
sion of the sympathy of the Government and of the
people of this country to those nations who have still to
struggle against spiritual tyranny upheld and enforced
by the arm of temporal power."
The most efficient weapon of defence against those
who, be it never forgotten, have arrogantly pro-
claimed that the time has arrived when "Protestant-
ism must be extirpated at the point of the sword,"
would be the formation of a Protestant League to at.
•
ford assistance and support to all who are struggling
against Papal tyranny—a tyranny which abuses tole-
ration, because, not content with equality, it proclaims
that it is itself oppressed whenever it is deprived of the
power of oppressing others.
The following list of the acts of aggression com-
mitted by the Papacy, or at its instigation, within the
last three years, has been furnished us by a valued
corespondent, and it proves the necessity of the for-
mation of some such League of self-defence as that we
have proposed :
" 1. An attempt (instigated by the Romish priest-
hood) to sever the Roman Catholic and Protestant
cantons of Switzerland, an attempt enforced by war,
aided by Austria and France.
" 2. A brutal war of aggression against the Hunga-
rians, terminating in cruelties unparalleled since the
dark ages. The Protestant principles (quite as much
as their free institutions) were confessedly the cause
of the Austrian attacks on Hungary.
" 3. A direct aggression, by the POPE and his priest-
hood, on the temporal government of the Catholic
kingdom of Piedmont."
And to these may be added the seizure of the mo-
nopoly of education in France by the Jesuits, and
the dismissal from their professorships of all those who
are in favour of toleration for any other sect of reli-
gionists. As the correspondent to whom we have al-
ready alluded justly observes—
" The most effectual mode of extinguishing the
power of Popery (not excepting, perhaps, even the
diffusion of education) will be found in the promotion
and encouragement of Protestant principles and free
institutions in those countries which are the seats of
Popish domination, viz., in Italy, Germany, and
other countries in the south and centre of Europe."
It is evident that the conspirators themselves feel
that the adoption of some such method as this would
be fatal to their success; for in the Jesuit jour-
nals of Paris we find it stated, in a manner
which proves the alarm of those who
make the statement, that the "Anglican clergy
have come forward with their subscriptions to fill up
the Mama' loan." The statement, we are sorry to
say, has no foundation, but the foe has shown his
weak point by raising the outcry, and we thank him
for the hint. To present the POPE with the reality
of a Roman Republic would be a proper return for:his
present to us of a sham English hierarchy, and his
HOLINESS would find Mazzem rather more difficult to
deal with than Queen VICTORIA is likely to Had
Cardinal Weseatax. The Bangor petition concludes
as follows :
" That your petitioners therefore humbly conceive
that it is of primary importance that the universities
end schools of this land should be rendered seminaries
for the instruction of youth in the pure principles of the
Protestant faith, and in the rudiments of an enlightened
secular education. Your petitioners therefore humbly
pray your Majesty that a full and complete inquiry be
instituted into the universities and schools of this coun-
try, and into the state of the endowments for the pur-
poses of education bequeathed in former ages, in order
that all principles adverse to the spirit of the Reforma-
tion may be eradicated from our schools and college s,
and that the donations of our forefathers may be applied
as was intended by the donors to the general advanc,
went and instruction of the people."

We hope that every petition and address will, for
the future, contain a prayer for university reform, aid
that those who have agreed to petitions and adre.,s
in which allusion to this important subject has been
omitted, will forthwith re-assemble and agree to an
additional address, calling the attention of her MA-•
JESTY to this special matter. In en adinir-

able letter on Puseyima, from "An Old R,

former," who has often honoured The Sun by
making it the medium of his communications uith
the public, this subject of education is admirably
handled, and we hope and believe that early in the
next session of Parliament we shall see the banner of

7 -
" Secular Education" raised under the patronage of
the Government. There is another recommendation

of " An Old Reformer" which we trust the Govern-

meat will at once adopt.

"The QUEEN'S Ministers,'

says our correspondent, " though they cannot unmake
a bishop, at least without more trouble than it is
worth, might mend the breed. Make Gortu.km a
bishop, as a persecuted defender of Scripture atd

common sense would have been in the days of our
fathers; and see if that does not balance a half-dczcn
of traitors. There are ways for everything; and
when men mean it, they take them." The
raising of Mr. GORHAM to the episcopal
bench would be the heaviest blow and tle

greatest discouragement that the traitors within
the camp have yet received ; the first vacant mitre
should decidedly be conferred on Mr. GORHAM. We
had intended, in the course of this article, to have
noticed the admirable letter of Lord BEAUMO/ST, and
" the base, brutal, and bloody" attack of an armed Papist
mob, headed by their priest, at Birkenhead, upon a
party, of unarmed Protestants quietly assembled to
discuss the propriety of presenting a loyal address
to the QUEEN, but we must defer the consideration
of these matters to another opportunity.

We are, indeed, rejoiced to find that the wonderful
and important discovery of Mr. REES REECE, to
which we have repeatedly directed the public at-
tention since it was first mentioned in the House of
Commons by the O'GonarAer MAHON and Lord
ASHLEY, is about to be carried out under the most
propitious circumstances, under auspices that forbid
the slightest apprehension as to its ultimate and
triumphant success. From a reference to our
advertising columns, it will be found that the British
and Irish Peat Company is in course
of formation, that JOHN MACGREGOR, the clear-
headed and intelligent Member for Glasgow, the
excellent and efficient chairman of the Royal British
Bank, the quondam Secretary of the Beard of Trade,
which situation he resigned in order to accept the
important trust confided to his charge by the largest
town constituency in the United Kingdom, and who
cons quently possesses greater experience in all mat-
ters of trade and commerce than any man in
the British dominion?, will be the chairman
of the new company now in course of
f•-t4ol,eation, and that Mr. W. D. OWEN, to
wnose enlightened and enterprising liberality the
talented propounder of the project is indebted for the
clear and satisfactory evidence of the vast importance
of his discovery, is to be one of the directors: There
are other..names to be found in the list now published
whose well-merited reputations and business habits
etTord the best possible guarantee that no statements
have been put forward which cannot be fully and
completely substantiated, that. there are no
exaggerations or untenable assertions con-
tained in the prospectus. It would, however,