The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-02 00:00:00

PIANOFORTE

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"The Free Trade Polka," with beautiful Coloured Illustration.
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with the gout, or a lady with the toothache might dance to such
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" The Free Trade Quadrilles." Price 33.
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• IIHE 110th Number of the HYGEIST and
II 31 EDICAL REFORMER for SEPTEMIMI. ctintains the
horrible disclosure by Dr. I dckson, of a system of Medical Thuggee,
whim he alleges to exist in England with a machinery as complete
end perfect as in the far East —lntolerance of the Lancet—Letter
on the Counterfeiters who attempt to build their fortunes on the
Ilygeian system of .James Morison— /n the Importance of Pure
Water—Practical proofs of the efficacy of Mor6on's Hygetan
Medicines—Cures of Cholera—Nervous Affection with pains in the
limbs—Correspondents, s,:c.
Office, 358, Strand ;

And may also be :had of all the llygeian Agents to the British
College of Health, New-road, London.
Price One fenny, or Twopence by poet.

THE WEST INDIA MAIL.

SOUTHAMPTON, SEPT. I.—The Royal Mail Company's
steam-ship Avon, Capt. Lieutenant Mast, R.N., arrived
this evening at seven o'clock, from the West Indies,
with the-Usual mails, in charge of Lieut. O'Reilly, R.N.
The latest dates brought by the Avon are:—Chagres,
July 30; Carthagena, Aug. 2; Jamaica, 7; Demerara,
5; Trinidad, 7; Barbadoes, 9; Grenada, 10; Porto
Rico, 11; St. Thomas, 14; La Guayra, 6; Antigua, 11;
Jame], 9; Santa Martha, July 21; Grey Town, 26.
The Aven brings on freight 1,420.171 dolls, on mer-
chants' account; 950 dolls. platina; 7,775 dolls. pearls;
2 cases of cigars; 10 turtles; 200 bales of sarsaparilla;
9 boxes of indigo; 2 cases of tortoiseshell; 5 cases
of succades. From California-3 grizzly bears of
very rare species, from the Sierra Novada mountains.
STATIONS OF HEIL MAJESTY'S SHlPS.—Arri►ed at
Grey Town, July 25, her Majesty's brig Persian, Capt.
Bullman; Jamaica, August 7, her Majesty's ship
Imam; Antigua, August 11, her Majesty's ship Alarm,
during hurricane months. •
STATIONS OF THE CoMPANY'S STEAM SHIPS.—The
Great Western, Captain Wolff, Gulf of Mexico; the
Tay, Captain Chapman, left St. Thomas for Jamaica on
the 13th August; the Avon, Captain Vincent, met the
Severn, of Porto Rico, en route to Jamaica, on the 11th
August; the Clyde, Captain Moss, at St. Thomas, o❑
the 14th August; the Conway, Captain Woolley, on the
I >emerara route; the Eagle, Captain Restarrick, at St.
Thomas, on patent slip; the Derwent, Captain Onslow,
at St. Thomas.

JAMAICA.
The Avon has brought us our correspondent's dispatch
from this island, dated Kingston, Aug. 7, 3 p.m.
- The commercial news of the island for the past fort-
night, is reviewed as follows by De Cordova's Mercan-
tile Intelligences:—
" market, generally speaking, is heavy and un-
settled, both from large supplies and the disinclination
of the trade to operate. This condition of things is
especially observable in the market for pickled fish and
butter. The quantity of mackerel on hand is greatly in
excess of even the average demand, and it is expected
that if arrivals are at all on a free scale, prices must fall
to at least 3s. to 4s. per barrel under the present low
rates. The stock of herrings is not so large, but the de-
scription of fish now on hand is not by any means as
good as that of previous shipments. The trade complain
that the No. 1 herrings inspected' are unusually smell,
and in consequence unsaleable.
" The free receipts of the June butter have, as we
surmised in our last, depressed tho market to a consi-
derable degree. The importations since have weeded
1,500 firkins, and it is not at all probable that anything
over 9d. per lb. will be for some time obtainable.
" The flour market is buoyant, with a light supply.
There is not enough at this moment in stock to meet
one week's average-demand. Prices are consequently
looking up, and higher rates than have lately been cur-
rent, are likely to be got, if the receipts be moderate.
" The produce market, so far as sugar is concerned,
has decidedly improved. Tile anxiety to dispatch the
lit of August vessels caused coieiderabte business to be
done in auger, and the supply in Kingston was greatly
diminished in consequence. In addition to this cir-
cumstance, the crop has been very nearly all taken
off ; and as there is very little more to come to market,
and as that little wily be inadequate to meet the de-
mand for hone consumption, there is every probability
that prices will continue to improve. Rum is on the
other head most unusually dull, and it is difficult to
etf..ct any other than retail sales at our quotation.
• " The homeward• bound vessels reported elsewhere as
having sailed from the outports are freighted with 3.001
htels, 288 tierces, and 137 barrels of sugar, and 2,046
puncheons and 36 hhcis. of ram, besides other miscella-
neous cargo. consisting of dyewoods, spars, succades, and
othri• Wettiodia, produce."
The island was quite quiet, and excepting one or two
parishes, in which sickness prevailed among children,
if may be said to be healthy.
The weather was unpleasant in all the lowland dis-
tricts, in consequence of the intense heat which prevailed.
In the interior, the mountain districts, it was more
agreeable.
The assizes concluded its sitting in Kingston the day
before the packet left. The calendar, although not
larger than at previous courts, presented a most disgust-
ing amount of crime as far as the nature of the offences
peni-
tentiary ylabsyt
case the ptrriiseedmer on s.
went. The most disgusting and unnatural crimes have
been committed within the walls of the general peni-
h;
Royal.
JamesHe
was Taylor, member cmw
the Cth ult., and the previous
day, exited universal interest. It was an indictment
against heitbr of Assembly
] cen y offor
Yuri
it o
chargedm
thirteen barrels of cement, which had been placed on hie

The American people, especially those of Now Eng•
land, are distinguished by their strict observance of the
Sabbath-day; and the habits of•the Puritan Fathers, who.
fled from religious persecution in this their native land,
have continued to the present day to be exemplary in their
new and adopted country.
We may therefore,
with great propriety, profit by
their conduct on a similar movement in the United
States to that which is now going on in Great Britain,
for the stoppage of the mails and of labour in the Post-
office on the Sabbath-day,
In the years 1829 and 1830 numerous petitions from
different guns of the Union were presented to the Senate
and the [louse of Representatives, praying for the repeal
of the laws that permitted the mails to be transported
and opened on Sundays. Those petitions, together with
memorials from other inhabitants of various parts of the
United States, remonstrating against such repeal, were
submitted to the Committee on the Post •office, and the
following report was presented to the Rouse of Repre-
sentatives at Washington, in 1829:--
" Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, from the Committee on the
Post-office and Post-roads, to whom had been referred
memorials from inhabitants of various parts of the
United States, praying for a repeal of so much of the
Post office law as authorises the mail to be trans-
ported and opened on Sunday, and to whom had also
been referred memorials from other inhabitants of
various parts of the United States, remonstrating
against such repeal, made the following report:—
" That the memorialists regard the first day of the
week as a day set apart by the Creator for religious ex-
ercises, and consider the transportation of the mail and
the opening of the post-offices on that day the violation
of a religious duty, and call for a suppression of the
practice. Others, by counter-memorials, are known to
entertain a different sentiment, believing that no one day
of the week is holier than another. Others, holding the
universality and immutability of the Jewish Decalogue,
believe in the sanctity of the seventh day of the week as
a day of religious devotion, and by their memorials now
before the Committee they also request that it may be
set apart for religious purposes. Each has hitherto
been left to the exercise of his own opinion, and it has
been regarded as the proper business of Government to
protect all, and determine for none. But the attempt is
now made to bring about a greater uniformity, at least in
practice; and. as argument has failed, the Government
has been called upon to interpose its authority to settle
the controversy.
" Congress acts under a constitution of delegated and
limited powers. The Committee look in vain to that
instrument for a delegation of power authorising this
body to inquire and determine what part of time, or
whether any, has been set apart by the Almighty for
religious exercises. On the contrary, among the few
prohibitions which it contains is one that prohibits a
religious teat, and another which declares that Congress
shall pass no law respecting an establishment of reli-
gion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
" The law, as it now exists, makes no distinction as
to the days of the week, but it is imperative that the
postmasters shall attend at.all reasonable hours in every
day to perform the duties of their offices; and the Post-
master-General has given his instructions to all post-
masters that, at post-offices where the mail arrives on
Sunday, the office is to be kept open one hour or more
after the arrival and assorting the mail; but, in case that
would interfere with the hours of public worship, the
office is to be kept open for one hour after the usual time
of dissolving the meeting. This liberal construction of
the law does not satisfy the memorialists; but the Com-
mittee believe that there is no just ground of complaint,
unless it be conceded that they have a controlling power
over the consciences of others. If Congress shall, by the
authority of law, sanction the measure recommended, it
ould constitute a•legislative decision of a religious con-
troversy in which even Christians themselves are at issue.
However suited such a decision may be to an Ecclesias-
tical Council, it is incompatible with a Republican Le-
gislsture, which is purely fur political and not religious
purposes.
"In our individual character we all entertain opinions,
and pursue n corresponding practice, upon the subject of
religion. However diversified these may be, we all her-
monizo as citizens, while each is willing that the
•other
shall enjoy the same liberty which he claims for himself;
but, in our representative character, our individual cha-
racter is lost. The individual acts for himself; the re-
presentative for his constituents. He is chosen to repre-
sent their political, and not their religious views; to
guard the rights of matt, not to restrict the rights of
conscience.

"From the earliest period of time religious teachers
have attained great ascendancy over the minds of the
people, and in every nation, ancient or modern, whether
Pagan, Mohammetan, or Christian, have succeeded in the
incorporation of their religious tenets with the political
institutions of their country, The Persian idols, the
Grecian oracles, the Roman auguries, and the modern
priesthood of Europe, have all, in their turn, been the
subject of popular adulation, and the agents of political
deception. If the measure recommended should be
adopted, it would be difficult for human sagacity to fore-
see how rapid would be the succession, or how nu-
merous the train of measures which might follow, in-
volving the dearest rights of all—the rights of con-
science. The equality of rights secured by the consti-
tution may bid defiance to mere political tyrants ; but
the robe of sanctity too often
glitters to deceive. The
constitution regards the conscience of the Jew as sacred
as that of the Christian, and gives no more authority
to adopt a measure affecting the conscience of a solitary
individual, than that of a whole community. That re-
presentative who would violate this principle would lose
his delegated character, and forfeit the confidence of his
constituents.

" With these facts before us, it must be a subject of
deep regret that a question should be brought before
Congress which involves
the dearest privileges of the
constitution, and even by those who enjoy its choicest
bles,i t2gi.

"If a solemn act of legislation shall in one point
define the law of God,
define every part of Divineor P with
and the
enforce
e v onee
ry
religious duty, it may,
i'
leav relation,ou t
t o
equal propriety, proceed to
religious obligation, even to the forms and ceremonies
of worship, the endowment of the Church and the sup-
port of the clergy.
" If Congress shall declare the first day of the week
holy, it will not convince
the Jew nor the Sabbatarian.
and
consequently convert neither.
Human power may extort
vain sacrifices, but the Deity
alone can command the
etrbe recollected that,, in theections of the heart. It must
earliest settlement in this
country, the spirit of persecution which drove the pil-
grims from their native ho
their new habitations, thatandmewas brought with them to
scourged, and others put to death, some
Christians were
for no other crime
than dissenting from the dogmas
"We should all recollect laof their rulers.
Arnold,Catiline, a professed
patriot, was a traitor to Hornet.
Whig, was a traitor to America; l and a professed
a professed
disciple, was a traitor to his Divine Master.
" With the exception of the United Stetre. ,
human race, consisting, it is supposed, of sightsthe whole
millions of rational beings, is in religious be
ino hundred
in reviewing the scenes of persecution whichligeh;* and,
history
everywhere presents, unless the Committee could believe
that the cries of the burning victim, and the fla
which he is consumed, bear to heaven a grateful incense,
by
incense,
the conclusion is inevitable that the line cannot be too
strongly drawn between Church and State.
" It was with a kiss that Judas betrayed his
n Divine
Master; and we should all be admonished—
o matter
what our faith may be—that the rights of
ftee.
science cannot be so successfully assailed asunder'
the pretext of holiness. The Christian religion
made its way into the world in opposition i
to
all human Governments. Banishment, tortures,
and death were inflicted in vain to stop its
pro-
gress. But many of its professore, as soon as
with political power, lost the meek
,epirit which their
creed inculcated, and began to inflict on other religions,
and on dissenting sects of their own religion, persecu-
tions more aggravated than those which their own apos-
tles had endured. The ten persecutions of Pagan Em-
perors
were exceeded in atrocity by the massacres and
murders perpetrated by Christian hands; and in vein
shall we examine the records of imperial tyranny for
an engine of cruelty equal to the Boy Inquisition. Every
religious sect, however week in its origin, commenced
the work of persecution as soon as it acquired political
power. The framers of the constitution recognised the
eternal principle that wane relation with his God is
above human legislation, and his rights of conscience in-
alienable. Reasoning *as not necessary to establish
this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms.
It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human
laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures sod in
flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior
to human enactments, end that man could exercise no
authority over their consciences. It is an inborn prin-
ciple which nothing can eradicate.
" Tho bigot, in the pride of his authority, may lose
sight of it ; but strip him of his power, prescribe a
faith to him which his conscience rejects, threaten
hi, in turn eith the dungeon and the faggot,
and the spirit which God has implanted in
him rises up in rebellion and defies you. Did the
primitive Christians ask that Governme4t should "recog.