The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-13 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
Flow TER EVENING PAPERS OP tzerreDAY.
GLOBE.—The Church—with reference to its means
of effecting the purposes for which it exists as a national
Establishment ; the adaptation of its machinery to those
purposes ; and whether the existing mode of employing'
its temporalities be best calculated to promote the re-
ligious instruction of the population—were last night
the subjects of debate in both Houses of Parliament.
The expediency of repealing the Act of Parliament,
which was passed eight years ago, for uniting the sees
of St. Asaph and Bangor on the demise of either of the
Prelates who now preside over these sees, was brought
before the House of Lords by Lord Powis, who had in-
troduced a Bill for that purpose ; the second reading
of which his Lordship moved in a speech replete with re-
ferences to the antiquity of Bishops and the attach-
ment of the Welsh people to everything ancient ; but
lamentably deficient in that most essential element in de-
bate, an appeal to experience. The superior advan-
tages of the system sought to be maintained, as
contrasted with the benefits to the people, regarded as
a whole, which would be effected by the change he un-
dertook to resist, was the point which Lord Powis, and
those who supported his motion, were bound to demon-
strate. In this, it must be admitted, there was a
miserable deficiency of argument and fact, both in the
speech of the Noble Lord, and of the spiritual Peers,
who lent him very active aid in advocating the
adoption of the motion he submitted to the House.
So long since as March, 1835, a Commission, of
which the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of
London, and other. prelates, formed a part, was issued
by her Majesty for inquiring into and revising the state
of the revenues and patronage of the Church; the
extent of the dioceses; and all those circumstances in
relation to the Church which affected the condition of
the Church, with a view to increase its efficiency as a
national institution. Among the various changes re-
commended in the report of this Commission, was the
union of the sees of St. Asaph and Bangor ; and also
those of Gloucester and Bristol. The object to be
effected by these unions was the establishment of two
new bishoprics in England ; and thus to provide more
efficient episcopal superintendence for districts where,
in consequences of the introduction of manufac-
tures, the population had outgrown the limits of ex-
isting ecclesiastical instruction and episcopal supervi-
sion, and demanded new arrangements for supplying an
increase of both. The bishopric of Ripon has been
formed out of the resources obtained by uniting the
sees of Gloucester and Bristol. Another new bishop-
ric, of which Manchester is to be at the head and
centre, remains to be formed. For this the requisite
amount of revenue will be principally derived from
the union of the sees of St. Asaph and Bangor,
-which was to take place on the demise of one or other
of the Right lier. Prelates who preside over those dio-
ceses. The Bill, which was subsequently passed for
effecting these objects, was founded on the report of
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. It was discussed in
the presence of the Bishops in the House of Lords, who
either expressed their assent, or offered no objection to
the proposed arrangements. Tacit acquiescence with,
or openly expressed approval of the measure, were
not only shown by the temporal Peers, but also by
the members of the Episcopal Bench. The Duke of
Wellington moved that the Bill be read a second time
that day six months. The Church is, however, too
strong in the House of Lords for the hero of a hundred
fights, backed though he be by the power and influence
of Government. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Bishop of London—neither of whomcan be supposed to be
indifferent to the interest of th eEstablishment in which they
occupy stations so elevated and responsible—supported
the Noble Duke in his opposition ; but their assistance
was ineffectual. The numbers on the division were—
For the Bill to preserve the two sees 49
Against it
Major:ty
Thus the Government was defeated in its stronghold.
That the Commons will be actuated by a similar spirit
is not likely. The BM, when it reaches the Home a
Commons—if it ever get there—will be most certainly
rejected. Thus t4:e old game, at the playing of which
the Tories so much delighted while the Whig's were in
office, is"revived. The Bishop of St. .Asaph showed him
self an adept in the use of martial phraseology and allu-
sions—a worthy member a* " the Church militant."
STANDARD —Mr. Ward last night entertained the
Hous:e of Commons with about the tenth, and question-
less the stupidest, rehearsal of his appropriation speech.
The nuisance of such persons as Mr. Ward in the world
is a grievous one, but it mast, like other nuisances, be
patiently submitted to. Every society, every club,
every fainily, almost every individual, has the afflic-
tion of a bore ; and why should the House
of Commons want Mr. Ward? While he lasts in Par-
liament, the Irish Church temporalities must le annu-
ally served up; and we must, therefore, resign ourselves
to the affliction. There are in Ireland, as we believe,
about two millions of Protestants, of whom more than
tme-half are members of the United Church of England
and Ireland. These more than one million of Episcopalians
have secured to them by law, end guaranteed by an inter-
national treaty, a property equal to about that of two
English noblemen, say the Duke of Bedford and the
olarquis of Westminster, if the Irish Church property
is quite equal to the revenues of these two p_ ern,
which we doubt. The property thus belonging to
the Episcopalian Protestants of Ireland, instead of
being applied to personal objects, is, under terms
of the law; distributed among some 2,000 gen
flamer., dispersed over the country—generally men
highcsf education and of the purest morals, whose duty
it is to prettyli to such as will hear them those Gospel
truths which five-sixths of the people of the
whole United Kingdom hold to be necessary to
Man's everlasting happiness. This duty, it is con-
res;cd, the gentlemen in question, with a few rare
exceptions, discharge with fidelity and zeal. The
possession of the property to which we refer by
the Irish Protestant Episcopalians, and the sacred use
to which it is applied, constitute the grievance with
which Mr. Ward and his like have been wearying the
public ear for twenty-five years, and fur this grievance
they propose spoiliation as a remedy; and this remedy
is proper enough, for rubbery and theft are in fact
the only remedies for the possession by others
of property which one covets. There is, as our
readers have learned from ten or eleven wearisome repe-
titions of it., but little argument in Mr. Ward's annual
speech, and that little is curiously unhappy. The ex-
Mexicaa attache holds that the Church Establishment in
Ireland is offensive to Roman Catholics, because most
of the former clergy, and even some of our
own day, indulge in the habits of laymen,
and have disregarded or disregard their spiritual
functions. But every man of observation must see
that this conduct imputed to the clergy—how unsatis-
factory soever it may be to zealous Protestants—can
constitute to Roman Catholics no grievance whatever.
Whet does it concern them whether Dives de Lacy, who
keeps forty hunters, &c., in his stable, writes Baronet or
Archdeacon after his name, wears a blue coat or
a black- one ? In fact, the rich and worldly cler-
gymen ' Whom Mr. Ward cites—and with more
truth of words than honesty of purpose cites—as
scandals to the Church, were, by his own confession, ex-
ceedingly_ liberal persons, highly popular with the priests
and Roman Catholics of their neighbourhood. Mr. Ward
must confeis; inereoVer; that the age of the Church'sluke-
warraness itralWqrlillineis was never disturbed by the com-
plaint 4 orlleinan Catholics: The life of an Irish clergy-
man, whichnooffic,e' would now insure, was as insurable
fifty years ago As, ,that of .-any other man ; and it
is very_ certain that' the clergymen, the murder of
so many of whoth has frightened the insurance offices,
were not the keepers of hunters, or the amassers of
wealth, but the poor, humble, pains-taking, laborious
ministers of the Gospel. 110 W -will Mr. Ward reconcile
this indisputable fact with hiS pretence, that it is the ease
and luxury of the Irish clergy which renders their Church
it grievance to Roman Catholics? No, it is not for having
slept on his post before, but for unseasonably awakening
now, that the robber would knock the watchman on the
head. Mr. Ward's attack, whether he understands it as
such or not, is but part of the same system under which
so many poor and zealous ministers have been murdered;
a system directed against the doctrine, not against the
property of the Church ; and among the communica-
tions which Mr. Ward says load his desk and supply
his instructions, doubtless there are many communi-
cations from those who have specially instructed
the assassins of Mr. Whitty, Mr. Dawson, and a
multitude of other victims. This is the key to the whole
s)f the outcry against Church property, which, whatever
its amount, cannot be in any way more injurious than
lay property, but which, from the hands in which it is
placed, and the way in which it is distributed, confers
social benefits, conferred by no other description of pro-
petty. It is the Protestant religion, and the Protestant
religion only: that is attacked through the Established
Church; and though we agree with Mr. Ross that the
Protestant religion would survive the spoliation of its
property, we do not see that its influence would be
much improved by reducing its ministers to beggary,
and, perhaps, driving them to a competition of frauds
with the 'ltomish priesthood. A man survives a kick-
ing, butt he loses influence, and too often loses self-
`operation.
respeet, by the

D
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LAMPETER.--Suicrim of
A SOLDIER.— L
on Irh.u—rsl.ayglraesatt,
-- , '- sensation prevailed in this little town
owing to the rumour spread abroad that a soldier had
shot himself. It seems that a privateo the 76th Regi-
ment, a detachment of which is stationed at the Town-
hall, fitted up as a barracks, had broken from his quar-
ters the previous night, in order that he might v •
girl whom he wanted to marry. For this offence he was
a
confined the next day in a room adjoiningtl tofWas that the
soldiers; used as a guard-room ; but about 12 A.X., under
. extreme excitement of feeling, he shot himself with his
biece, which he had demanded to clean as usual. Ills
rains; were blown about in every direction, and the
breast presented a most frightful appearance. An in-
quest was held on the same day, by Mr. Thomas, the
Coroner, when a verdict of temporary derangement was
brought in by the jury. The body was interred the fol-
lowing day; and the poor girl to whom the unfortunate
man was engaged followed him at a respectful distance
ilo his grave, apparently much shocked by this untoward
liow to early affections. The principal evidence went
to show that he committed the act under greatly excited
feelogs, arising from the idea he should be tried by a
court. martial. lie was buried without m:litary honours.
--Grist 'd illercuty.
A Goo D NEIGIIBOURTIOOD wrrrr A GOOD STOCK.— j
ttia.s been enticed to us that in one part of the parish of j
Br Oadelist, 4.4 t four adjoining farms belonging to the
woithyrßaroitef ir Thomas Aclawl, there ire now re-
`siding four teilants farmers, three of
whom have been
blessed.witb. two wives, r„„vc: ,ind having progens, and thel other three—in all nine 1
,\l_.
__;
_ita-541.4:.
offifey y,cp_ear y all of whom are living,
el ildren!—Exeter Post.
1,---,..,Titeßev. George Mon •
rung-ton,
. - • e CUM ViXammar-seboot, M B. head master
. I V Ahier k'\Witteswell, Leicestershire,
on Monday elected
flex ±•,,-Ta es I),ovielt, 53 yearsr • ire, in the room of tl:e late
tren It-+t'L e litthertiashers'
,L.incumbent of that parish. Pa-
Company of London. I
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