The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-14 00:00:00

THE BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW.
No. H.

We can hardly judge yet of the merits of this
work, but on comparing the present number with the
first, the impression is very favourable, and leads to
the belief that it will attain its object, and become a
useful representative of the opinions, wants, and
rights of a very large and influential portion of the
community. Though opposed to State churches and
hostile to every Parliamentary enactment which com-
pels one sect to pay for the maintaining the religion
of another by which they derive no advantage, the
writers in general display a just moderation, and
trust more to rational argument than declamation and
abuse. We regard these as favourable symp-
toms of the plan on which the speculation is
founded, and if they adhere to this principle
we cannot doubt its success. If we might
be permitted to give advice, we woul.l say, maintain
your theological principles to their full extent ;
shrink not from defending them at all hazard ;
point out their truth in a way not to please a particular
party, who are already convinced, but avoid making
it an organ for one class, and try rather to influence
your opponents than flatter your friends. To make
it useful, it should abound with various matter, suited
to all tastes. Exclusiveness must be shunned as the
greatest evil, and readers of every description be
allured to read and judge. When any great question
is agitated, connected with the policy which it advo•
cater, let no pains be spared to make it prominent,
but do not thrust the same subject into every
article, merely to show that it is an Anti-State-
d departure
rt
en ufrmobme rthtihs there
ei.s n o
tCoh
complain
ev
oi ef wa.
Therereason
sufficient variety in the selection of subjects • they
are treated, too, without any sectarian
prepossessions,'
and occasionally show a liberalityothers
ofs o
sentiment
‘Ne
cre-
ditable to Dissenters. Among hr
may mention " The Constitutional History of
Ancient Greece," Sir Edward Lytton Bulwer's
Novels, Leigh Hunt's Works, and Commercial Re-
form. Even in regard to Church matters and to the
Maynooth grant, which has caused such excitement
among the class for which we believe it is chiefly
instituted, there is a degree of calm reasoning, im-
partiality, and good sense, which cannot fail to make
a favourable impression. The writers disclaim all
offensive expressions respecting the religion of others,
refuse to join in the "No Popery" cry, and do not
pretend, as far as we have discovered, to the merit,
as some vain hypocrites do, to be the only pure and
real Christians. We extract from an article on the
" Policy of England towards Ireland," the following

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sound and dispassionate remarks. In objec
the Alaynooth grant the writer says : 1-d5•
v
" If we demur to this policy, we think we have said
enough to show that we are not likely to do so from any
want of sympathy with the wrongs of Ireland. We
think we see those w•ongs as clearly as any of the
ntlemen who are wont to make speeches about them is
Parliament, and we are greatly mistaken if we do not
detest them quite as sincerely. It is not that we would
do less for Ireland than Sir Robert Peel, or Lord John
Russell, but that we would do something more and
better. Nor can we take exception to this policy, in the
manner of many devout churchmen, on the ground that
there is a radical difference between Catholicism and
Protestantism—a difference of which statesmen should
be cognizant ; so that while they bestow all manner of
favour on the one, they should visit the other with every
sort of discountenance. We must confess, that we are •
at a loss to unders.tand—we will not say the religion,
but even the morality of the principle, which would tax
the Papist for the support of the Protestant religion,
and then tell him that the sole end for which he is so
taxed, is, that by the politic use of his money, as thus
obtained, his Papistry might be destroyed.—So little of
the spirt of (Joint; as we would be done by, is there in
this principle, that it is not enough, it seems, that the
faith of the Catholic should be proscribed, but an s.b-
strae ion must be made from his purse, that means may
not be wanting to render that proscription effectual.
The Protestant Nonconformist in this country finds it
s ttliciently chafing to his temper to be in these circum-
stances in relation to our own Established Church, but
to the Roman Catholic, and especially to the Roman
Catholic of Irelan 1, this sort of grievance must be of
much greater weight. We say therefore, once for all,
that if the church-establishment principle is to be ad-
mitted, we see not any just ground on which objection
can be made to the proposed grant to daynootb, nor
even to the endowment of the Catholic priesthood in
Ireland. In our judgment there are maxims of social
justice which have their clearness and obligation an-
terior to all our theological difft-rences, and which those
diffrrences should never be allowed to disturb. One of
these maxims we held to be—that if all are to be taxed,
either directly or indirectly, for the support of religion,
then all who are willing te receive from the proceeds of
that taxation in aid of religion, should be allowed to so
—and be allowed to do so in the proportion in which
they may have contributed toward that common stock."
And in another place, the main cause of all the
prevailing discontent in Ireland and the remedy are
thus pointed out :
We do not blame England for perpetuating an es-
tablished church in Ireland. Nothing could be more
unreasonable than to expect that our rulers in past times
should have done otherwise. But it was not incumbent
upon them to perpetuate such a church ; and it is the
vicious nature of that establishment, covering the whole
land, as it does, and accroaching to itself enormous
wealth without yielding any edequate return, that we
find the real sec) et of the effort now made to endow the
Romanism of that country. So long as there is an en-
dowed Protestant church, it is presumed there can never
be tranquillity until there is an endowed Catholic church.
But why not, in a spirit more consonant with the prin-
ciple and temper of the age, reduce the Irish Protestant
church to something like just and modest dimensions,
after the congregational method before adverted to ;
and having thus removed nine-tenths of the cause of ir-
ritation to the Irish mind as arising from that source,
why not proceed to make abundant provision for further
conciliation by a judicious and righteous expenditure
with a view to the general improvement of the country ?
Such a method of dealing with the case of Ireland would
have been worthy of the wise head, and the bold heart,
hut in what is now proposed we see little indication of
either."

='/N

J /

The article altogether is i❑ good taste, and the
subject, with some ex: eptions, fairly treated; but
while making these admis,ions, it must not
be forgotten that too much importance is at-
tached to this Alaynooth affair, and too little
to the host of difficulties which obstruct almost
every measure for abating Irish grievances. The
aAlition to the annual vote to Maynooth of itself is a
very small affair—it is only a drop in the bucket; and
all that can be said for it is, that it evinces on the part
of the Tory Government and a Tory House of Com-
mons a disposition to adopt a conciliatory course in
preference to the old system of coercion. We agree
cordially with the writer that the, useless ecclesiasti-
cal fabric in Ireland is an intolerable grievance, and
that it ought to be abolished, or at all events modi-
fie .1 to the real wants of the Protestant population.
But the main question is—has either Peel or Russell,
or any Statesman, the power to effect such a change
at present ? Is the measure practicable ? Would the
churches of England remain quiescent ? Could the
liberal party and the Dissenters overpower the
Tories and Conservatives, and Orangemen, backed
by the wealth and influence of the establishment
in both countries ? We fear not, and if redress
of Irish grievances is not made by degrees—if
nothing is to be done till all is done at once, the
Irish must wait many a day, and trust for justice to
the terrors of a foreign or domestic war.

THE MECHAAICS' MAGAZINE.
This magazine is entirely devoted to mechanical
inventions; but it is full of information likely to in-
terest the general reader. In this number there is
an account of the " Rapid Mail Carrier—three hun-
dred miles an hour !" some remarks on the emanci-
pation of glass, and Sir R. Peel's allusion to glass pipes;
a letter on the "Invention of Steam Navigation," and
various articles on similar subjects. The illustrations
consist of " Captain Ericsson's Screw Propeller,"
" Mr. Horne's Pneumatic Instruments," " Malam's
Improvements in Purifyingi Coal-gas," and "Sproule's
Pile-driving Machine. '

CRUIKSHAA K'S TABLE-BOOK.
It is needless to say that this is a sprightly and
amusing work ; the name of Cruikshank is a suffi-
cient guarantee to the lovers of fun and frolic.
There are numerous wood-cuts by his master hand,
and a pleasing variety of light and laughable tales;
among others, a " Passage from the Polk-Oregon
War," from the " Kentucky Keepsake for 185.5."
The most important feature in the present number is
the frontispiece, " The Demon of 1845." This is an
admirable illustration of the delusions of railway spe-
culation ; it is divided into three parts :—at the top
of the page we see the " Demon" of railway shares
engaged in blowing golden bubbles, eager thousands
crowd around, each anxious to obtain a prize—this is
" Premium." Next follow " Par," here there are no
more bubbles, no eager crowds, the " Demon" wears -
a still and awful look, the calm before the storm.
Then the whole concludes with "Discount," the
anxious multitudes are torn in pieces by the bursting
of their idol, the " Demon" himself is destroyed, and
shows the fate of his own bubbles. There is also
an amusing account of this dreadful tragedy.

THE EDINBURGH TALES, Conducted by Mrs.

Johnston, Part IV.
Under the name of " Edinburgh Tales," Mrs.
Johnston has collected interesting and amusing nar-
ratives of every variety. The list of the authors
who have contributed to the present number will be
a sufficient guarantee for the interest of the work.
In the first place there is a " Swedish Tale," trans_
lated by 11. llowitt. " The Maid of Honour," _a►
mournful story, from the pen of the celebrated Mrs.
Gore. " The Rangers of Connaught," by E. Quil-
linare ; and " last not least," the commencement of
a German fairy tale, by Tieck, translated by Thomas
Carlyle.

THE ILLUSTRATED FAMILY JOURNAL
This is a weekly journal, full of amusement and in-
struction. In the present number we have some
amounts of "the neglected fields of British com-
merce;" a description of buffalo hunting from Catlin's
Indians ; and a pleasing variety of fanciful tales, some
translated from the French ; the whole adorned with
numerous wood-cuts.

CArE WooL.—Of the Cape wool nothing now
remains to be said ; it has taken its place in the grand
market of Europe amongst the best, and may soon be the
first in the first rank; or the Cape climate and natural
grasses seem ordained to bring the Merino breed of sheep to
fol-
lowing proportions :—ln 1824, 23,0491 b. ; in 1834, 143,8831 b. ;
perfection. This article of export has increased in the
and in 1844, 2,233,9461 b. The rate of increase in New
South Wales for similar periods of ten years, when the quan-
tities were not far from those of the Cape, down to 1835,
was as follows :—ln 1815, 32,9711 b. ; in 1826, 411,6001 b. ,
and in 1835, 3,893,2271 b. Thus, in the last period of te;
years at the Cape (1834 to 1844), the quantity of wool in-
creased
ne
layr saabto
uNt enwi
nSe o ut
itnhi
eNeV. ales
su(ohl Be2rse ttohleBp3osw),etrhe eofinthcree
about fifteen times. During a similar period of
te
African
inhabitants of the Cape of
eommcrcial Att; eurtinwtrysa ca rs
South
Good bountifullybestowed on the
March 12.

On Saturday last an alarming and destructive fire
took place on the premises, situate in Toll-street,
Derby-road, in the occupation of Mr. W. Smith, uphol-
sterer and cabinet-maker, Chapel-bar, Nottingham,
which completely destroyed a brick building, consisting
of workshops, and a large and valuable stock of furniture.
Owing to the premises being immediately adjoining •
long range of wood-built workshops in the occupation of
Messrs. Denby and Howard, mill-wrights, and sur-
rounded by vast piles of wood in two timber-yards, a
fire could not have broken out in a more dangerous
situation.

POUR HORSES SUFFOCATED.—On Thursday eve.,
ning last, we are informed that some evil disposed pesos
set tire to the straw and litter in the stable of Mr. William
Rolfe, the proprietor of the Crown Inn, at Billericay, whieb
gave no alarm in consequence of not lighting up, but smo-
thered and smouldered away entirely. Unfortunately them
were four horses bedded up for the night. The stable being
closed, the smoke was confined to the place, thus suffocating
four valuable horses, which was not known to Mr. Rol&
until the following morning, when upon opening the door
they were found all dead, and the whole of the bed coll.
sumed.—lpswich Express.
MR. GRATTAN COOKE'S SOIREE MUSICALE.—..MI:
Grattan Cooke's soirée musicale took place last evening
,sll
the Hanover-square Rooms. Grattan Cooke has long beim
known as the first oboe performer of. the day,
cameda outbutlaat
as aavrl
ing he appeared in a new character. H
:
the oboe, he sang the ce
Brizzi and Herr Staudigl, azdt
he also. sangCursabsn.'
an
nnn
calist. In addition to playing a
Guillaume Tell, with song,Sig,"r Arise bright golden star:"
tn. favourite
e,sol.a.,eifrobz
lebrated
an event e(
extensive fame !instrumentalist, is
The debiit as a vocalist ofone who has already acquired suet
gnat interest in the musical world. Mr.T. Cooke coll.
ducted.