The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-25 00:00:00

THE SUN,

Scriptures a sealed book to the multitude, or endeavour
to impose authoritatively their own interpretation
upon their fellows—it is against those, be they who
they may, Pope, or Bishop, or Conference, who
would fain deprive us, the laity, of our religious
liberty, and bring us under the yoke of a sacerdotal
despotism, that the country is now moved throughout
its length and breadth ; and all who would fain so
bring us under that yoke, whether they bail from
Rome, from Oxford, from Exeter, or from London,
are in the eyes of every true Protestant, usurpers
and aggressors, against whose usurpations we
protest, and whose aggressions we resist. If,
as the Bishop of OXFORD would fain have us be-
lieve, this is merely a question of disputed jurisdic-
tion between the Bishop of Roma and the Bishops of
England—a mere question of whose is " the true
original old Green Dragon," the Roman or the
Anglican—then we say that is a question with which
we have nothing whatever to do. If the Bishop of
OXFORD repudiates the spiritual supremacy of the
QUEEN, which it appears he does, from his saying
"it touches the QUEEN as the head of our na-
tionality," it matters not that he also repudiates
the supremacy of the POPE, because he only
does so to arrogate to himself Papal power ;
and if we must be reduced to the condition of slaves
of a sacerdotal despotism, it matters not the tenth part
of the hair whether the sacerdotal despot sign his
name Pio NoNo or SAM. OXON ; it is the principle, not
the man, against which we Protestants protested at
the Reformation, and again in 1688,'and which protest,
in this year of grace 1850, we solemnly renew. The
Bishop of OXFORD, while " protesting against the
pretended partition of England into dioceses by the
Bishop of Roma," was, in fact, encouraging the
continuance of the aggressions by refusing to
listen to any observations condemnatory of
those traitors within the camp, by whose practices the
POPE has been encouraged to pursue the line of con-
duct against which the Bishop of OXFORD protests.
The following scene sufficiently proves the animus of
the Bishop, who, in his long and Jesuitical opening
oration, endeavoured to throw dust in the eyes of the
assembled clergy, among whom, however, were some
" honest men and true," who soon unmasked the
Bishop :

" The Rev. Mr. Watts, at some length, expressed his
conviction that the enemies which the Church had most
to fear were those within its own pale.—(Question.)
" The Bishop requested the B,everend Gentleman to
address himself strictly to the question. The object of
the meeting was to protest against the aggressions of
the Church of Rome, and the meeting could not enter
upon the consideration of other matters.--(Hear, hear.)
" Mr. Watts repeated his observations, and was called
to order twice, amidst considerable applause, after which
he desisted.

" The Rev. W. H. Cox, rector of St. Martin's, Oxford,
maintained that unless the clergy of the diocese were
allowed to protest against the errors of Rome, the pro-
test in which it was proposed they should unite would
be inadequate to the occasioe. He believed the protest
to be inadequate in some points, and irrelevant in
others. They hal no right to be surprised at the con-
duct of the Bishop of Rome after what had occurred in
the Church itself; but at the same time they had much
reason to be thsnkful at the uncompromising tone as-
sumed by the First Minister of the Crown.—(Cries of
Oh, ob,' with laughter, and some hisses.) The Prime
Minister had put his finger upon the real source of all
the present mischief.—(Cries of Question,' and some
applause.)
" The Bishop suggested to the Rev. Gentleman that
it was inexpedient to introduce into such a meeting
topics of a political character. They must lead to dis-
cu►sions which had nothing to do with the real question
before them.—(Hear.)
" Mr. Cox said he was obliged for the correction;
but he had not been the first to allude to political sub-
jects. He would abstain, however, from further refe-
rence to this subject. The reverend gentleman, who was
heard with impatience, proceeded to contend that the
real enemies of the Church were within the Church.
Many who held preferments had gone over to Rome. A
hundred members of that University had joined the Papal
communion, and more were expected to follow ; and
bishops' examining chaplains had asserted the fitness of
candidates to fill offices in the Church whilst they were
repudiating the Church altogether. On the other hand,
the slightest deviation from orthodoxy on the part of
evangelical clergymen had excited disapprobation.—
(Cries of • Question.')
" The Bishop said he really must interfere. Mr.
Cox was going wholly beyond the question. The ob-
jet of the meeting was simply to protest against the
Pope's aggression, and that was the only subject which
could be considered."

Is conduct such as this the sort of conduct which
this great Protestant community has a right to expect
from a dignitary occupying the position of the Bishop
of OXFORD ? Is the inferential denial of the QUEEN'S
supremacy, or even the neglect on such an occasion
of positively asserting it, to be tolerated in her
MAJESTY'S Lord High Almoner, who, while
charging the Church of Rome in direct terms,
that " she taught as truth, and necessary truth, that
which contradicts GOD'S Holy Word," yet, following
the example of his brother of EXETER, advisedly
treated her:as a Church4and as such having authority,
and thus keeps the door open for a transaction with
her whenever opportunity shall serve ? It is delightful
to turn from the Jesuitry of this meeting to the man-
liness and the honesty of that meeting of laymen in
the Castle-yard at York—an honesty and manliness
not confined to one side only, for Mr. thammis LANG-
DALE., Sir W. LAWSON, and Mr. CONSTABLE MAX.
WELL, the representatives of three of the oldest
Roman Catholic families in the county, came forward
and defended their spiritual chief, to whom they
pay allegiance, with a manliness which we
cannot but admire, however much we differ from
them in opinion. The speech of Mr. LANGDALE, in-
deed, contained many passages which, had it previ-
ously undergone a clerical revision, would no doubt
have been excised, for instance, in the openness of
his heart he blurted out the following :

" Did the Noble Earl think, when he afforded us his
vote in Parliament—did he suppose that our only object
was a desire to obtain a seat in Parliament?

" Earl Fitzwilliam—lt was the only object you stated.
" Mr. Langdale continued—Did he suppose that poli-
tical privileges were all that we were obliged lo him for
receiving?—(A cry,' Oh, now it's comir-6 out.' )"
Yes, it has come out, and we :low know that in the
Roman Catholic vocabulary, political privilege means
spiritual and tempotil supremacy. We 'thank Mr.
LAN GDALE for tile information, and shall be prepared
to act on it hereafter. Do not, however, let us be
misunderstood ; whilst we would prevent the supre-
macy of the Romanists, because that supremacy is in-
consistent with the existence of any other sect of !ell.
gionists, we would secure to them the fullest equality.
If, to use the words of Earl FITZWILLIAM, "if there
is any civil right of which the Roman Catholics—if
there is any lurking statute which can be hunted out
by a curious antiquarian lawyer—if there is any.
thing of that kind which still abridges their rights) and
still renders them liable to vexatious prosecution—l
say still, notwithstanding Cardinal WOJEMAN and the
POPE, let that obnoxious statute be repealed ;" but, on ;
the other hand, we join the Noble Earl in calling
upon all those who, being emancipated
from the spiritual slavery in which their inrefathers
were held, know and value the blessings of spiritual
freedom, if they desire that the should be re-
tained for them, if they desire that the services of
their various churches should be performed in an in-
telligible manner, if they desire the power of exer-
cising their ownjudgment, and giving their own in.
terpretation to the passages :of
,Scripture, to at once
declare their opinion in favour of the principles of the
Reformation,

It will be remembered that, on Friday t vetting, we
took occasion to explain the mission with which the
Honourable Provincial Secretary of Nova Scotia has
been entrusted to the home Government. Upon the
importance of that mission we shall doubtless have
many opportunities of expatiating; yet, from the
total silence maintained upoki the sulject by our con•
temporaries, and from our sense of its exceeding
value'as a means of re-establishing cordiality between
ourselves and our colonial possessions, we revert
again thus early to the abstract merits of the pro-
position.

Before us are lying the collected documents relat-
ing to the scheme published in Portland, by order of
the Convention. From these documents we learn
in detail the excitement produced more or less
throughout the whole of the eastern provinces of
North America by the prospect of obtaining the en-
couragement of the enterprise from the heads of the
English Government. Meetings and correspon-
dence among the local inhabitants go far to
show the interest taken in the matter by
the more active and intelligent members
of the population. On the 31st of last July the in-
augurative assemblage appears to have taken place in
the City Hall of Portland, previous minor meetings
having been holden, on the 24th at Kentville, on the
18th at Pictou, on the 231 at Dorchester, on the 20th
at Truro, on the 23i at Wallace, on the 23d at Pug-

LONDON,

wash, on the 16th at Amherst, on the 16th again at
Annapolis Royal; also at St. John, at Frederickton,
at Bridgetown, at Calais, and at Bangor. Every-
where, in short, throughout the State of Maine,
throughout Nova Scotia, and throughout New Bruns-
wick the suggestion has been eagerly hailed as one
fraught with inevitable advantages to those three im-
portant provinces, and scarcely a whisper has been
heard in any quarter that could be construed into a
serious objection to the undertaking. Of its practi-
cability all have acknowledged themselves satisfied.
Of its proving an enterprise of a most remunerative
character not an individual has expressed himself
doubtful. The incontestable excellence of the entire
project has extorted commendation even from the most
hesitating and incredulous.

Among the numerous advantages certain to result
from carrying the project into execution, two assume
to themselves a supreme and paramount importance.
First, the proposed railway must develop all the
industrial resources at present lying dormant in
Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Secondly,
it must indisputably facilitate the intercommunica-
tion between the European and American continents.
Not a single argument is assuredly required to satisfy
the mind of the first-mentioned consequence; and in
reference to the accuracy of the second, we need only
point to the route from New York, by way of Port-
land and Halifax, to the United Kingdom, as the
shortest in every sense from the new to the old
world across the Atlantic.

At an adjourned meeting of the Railway Conven-
tion, in Portland, on the Ist of August, 1850, a
document was produced, of a character so lucid and
striking as to illustrate, in the most brilliant manner
the accuracy of the last-mentioned statement. From
this document (inserted at page 100 of the proceedings)
published by order of the Convention), it becomes
evident how enormous the advantages would be to
the commerce, arising out of this extension of rail-
way communication from Portland to Halifax.
Calculating the ordinary rate of travelling by
channel-boats, by steam-vessels, and by express
trains, including all stoppages, the speaker estimated
the time occupied in traversing the space between
London and New York, by way of Holyhead,
Dublin, Galway, and Halifax, at seven days, twelve
hours, and five minutes. This, be it remembered, more-
over, with a margin for delays, transhipments, &c.,
&c.! Taking into account the enormous distance
required to be traversed even by this, the shortest
line of communication between England end Ame-
rica-263 miles from London to Holyhead, 63 from
Holyhead to Dublin, 120 from Dublin to Galway)
2,165 from Galway to Halifax, 120 from Halifax to
the boundary between Nova Scotia and New Bruns-
wick, 210 through New Brunwick via St. John to
Calais in Maine, 154 from Calais to Waterville, and
410 miles additional from Waterville to New York—
the brevity of the time consumed in the journey,
according to this moderate and reasonable calculation,
is surprising even in an age when science has ren-
dered us by its many familiarised marvels almost in-
capable of astonishment.
Already the railway communications of North
America reach as far as Waterville, so that the line re-
quiring yet to be constructed would commence in Maine,
and after traversing the south of New Brunswick
would bend down between Northumberland Strait
and the Bay of Fundy until its termination in the
capital of Nova Scotia. According to this scheme,
the traveller after leaving New York would pass
through Boston, Portland, Waterville, Bangor,
Calais, St. John, and Truro, taking ship at Halifax,
skirting Cape Race, the southernmost point of New-
foundland, and so reaching in succession Galway,
Dublin, Holyhead, and London, in the brief interval
already specified. What renders the project yet more
satisfactory is the circumstance that its execution is
not likely to be retarded by engineering difficulties
in any way insurmountable. From Halifax by
Truro and Amhurst to Green Bay, at the line of
New Brunswick, the distance is estimated at
124 miles, and in the whole of this line the sole
obstacle is said to be the range of the Cobequid
Hills. The results of the survey have been given
even to the meat detailed particulars by Captain lIEN.
DERSON, and in every respect prove to be in the
highest degree satisfactory—the gradients throughout
being somewhat as follows : level or under 20 feet
per mile for 66 miles, from 20 to 40 feet in 37 miles,
from 40 to 50 feet in 10 miles, from 50 to 60 feet in
7 miles, and from GO to 70 feet in 4 miles. Equally
gratifying in regard to the practicability of the route
from Thediac Bay to St. John's are the subsequent
statements, where it is intimated that many engineer-
ing difficulties may be avoided by keeping in the
valleys of the Kennebecasis and the Petitcodia, Fur=
ther testimony of the reasonableness of the proposed
enterprise at the present moment might be deemed
superfluous. We shall content ourselves, conse-
quently, with reiterating the good wishes already ex-
pressed by ourselves on Friday evening, and espe-
cially with anticipating the beneficial consequences
which must in the end, we feel satisfied, result to the
entire system of colonial government from the tillSsion
which has brought to England the Hon. Josxpn
How; the Provincial Ser.retary of Nova Scotia,

ISHING ExTRAGIIDINART Llt titE VENS.—In con-
sequence of the Middle Level Drainage Works, the bed of
Whittlesea Mere is ifow laid dry, with the exception of a few
occasional patches, the mud retaining its softness and depth
as it Ives when covered with water. During the past week
a great number of men might be seen daily catching the eels
on the surface, and putting them into nets and baskets.
Many hundred atones have been thus caught. To support
themselves on the top of the mud many schemes are resorted
to, the Most common being pieces of wood tied to the feet)
tOtnewhat resembling snow shoes. With all the precautions
used, several have found themselves suddenly up to their
middle in the mud; and their efforts to get out, and the re-
sults when out, were often highly amusing, and the figures
they cut sufficiently picturesque. One man, the other days
for want of a better article, pulled off his shirt, tied tip the
sleeves and neck, and then filled it with eels. Many have
been caught of four end five pounds weight, and the price
charged in the neighbouring towns is from 2d. to 3d, a pound
—theArielge Chronicle,

The United Pt.tta new mail steam-ship Baltic,
Captain C-Anstock, which would leave New York on the 16th
istots, may be expected to arrive at LiVeitool oh Wednesday
morning next. The Britt% And North Atherican Royal
mail steam she Asia, Captain Judkins; sailed from the Mer.;
sayseyon @aturday Morning for New York direct; With the usual
Mails, a large freight, and 80 passengers.
THE RV:ENT FAILURE OF A RAILWAY BRIDGE IN
SOi.IIIIWARK.—At a general meeting of the CoinmissionerS
of Pavements for the east division br held at the
board-room, 28, Back,street, Southwark, on Thursday even-
ing, the 21st N-ovember, 1850, Francis Nash, Esq.,-in the
chair, the report of Sir John Rennie and Mr. Brunel, with re-
ference to the cOndition of the iron bridge over Joiner-street,
Tooley--street, was submitted and read, which report eon-
teinea their joint and decided opinion that the bridge as
constructed was insufficient, and ought not to be replaced by
one of similar constrnetion:

Tasi StithirlELD CATTLE SHOW.—On Saturday
Ott tornmfttee for the maitageinent of the Smithfield Cattle
Show issued their circulars for the approaching exhibition,
which is 'tt take place on the 10th of December. There is
vay little variation in the rule from those of preceding years,
but the notices of motion before the committee are of an
important character. The first is, that the committee of ma-
nagement (24 in number) of members of the club be chosen
annually at the general meeting, to be held previously to
the show ; the president, vice-presidents, the stewards of
the yard, and the judges of the show (who are members of
the club) are to be members of the committee ex yficio.
Secondly, that the committee shall meet as often as neces-
sary during the year, and that the whole of the general busi-
ness of the club be subjected to the control of the commit-
tee. Mr. Hobbs will move " That reporters from the press
be supplied with a ticket for the annual dinner." The gates
Will be closed on Saturday, the 7th of December, against
stock, and at three o'clock on the sth for implements, roots,
easnadrentoo
stockb e closed
bageaaiawnstitstteoackaftei.
tennc-
pu
015tei,:a:11,clsy'k.tkoc.theTmheinugtaet,
mumcipAL 136111061113 IN ' NGLAND AND YV ALES.
niipe`M floin a return printed on Satirday that the
intonie was 1,241,6551, and the expenditure 1,170,0191.;
connected with municipal boroughs in Englaild and Wales;
LIVIN4 O*EAST tARLEIGII.—(From a Cor-
Yespcdtient.)—The country will be glad to hear that the Go-
vernment are not only averse to the recent attempts; both at
home and abroad, to brin‘gthe 'nation under ropish subjec-
tion, but that OA.* deLertnined to exercise their patronage
in,tbwartiug Such proceedings. One of the most valuable
living's in the gift of the Lord Chancellor (EastParleigh); the
living lately held by the ReV. R. W. Wilherfbrbe; has just
been presentels Unsolicited, to the Rev. Thomas Watson, in-
rambent of St. Philip, Pentonville, on,account of his anti.
Tractarian views. The lev. Thomai Watson, assisted by
the Rev. Mr. Gurneys Matter of Christ's Hospital) has for
many 'ream discharied the duties of his parish so as to gain
the affection of a large and influential congregation, who,
although they must rejoice at his preferment, will greatly
lament his removal ikon them.
FATAL SnirwnEcx.—On Wednesday night, about
eleven o'clock, the schooner Queen, of London, from Cardiff,
was totally lost on Phillack beach, ard the whole of her
crew perished. From the site of the boat that was washed
on shore this morning entire, the vessel is supposed to have
been about 150 tons burden. Some of Ler papers were
washed ashore, and are now in possession of the Coast Guard
men stationed at Gwithian. The crew were distinctly heard
crying for assistance, but none could then be rendered.
Nothing more of the vessel or crew was seen or heard after
one o'clock this morning. Some of her bulwarks are washed
ashore.—Cornwall Gazette.

A MISTAKE !-At the Nenagh sessions this week
John Tierney charged Peggy Whelan with milking his cow.
He caught her in the act of committing the offence. Peggy
—I went ondher his red cow in a mist lie for my pwn.—
(Laughter.)—Nenagh Ga. ette.