The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-26 00:00:00

NEW PROJECTED RAILWAYS.

(From the Gazette of last Evening.)
RAILWAY DEPARTMENT, BOARD OF TRADE.

WHITEHALL, MARCH 25,1845.
Notice is hereby given, that the Board constituted by the
Minute of the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for
Trade, for the transaction of railway business, having had
under consideration the under-mentioned railway schemes,
have determined on reporting to Parliament in favour of
The Eastern Counties—Brandon and Peterborough De-
viation,

West London—Thames Extension,
Newcastle and Darlington—and Brandling Junction Ex-

tensions,
Ashton, Stalybriclge, and Liverpool Junction—Ardwick
Extension,
Manchester South Junction and Altriucham,
Manchester and Birmingham—Macclesfield Extension and
Junction Ling with the Sheffield and Manchester,
Midland Railway—Darfield to Warsborough,
Midland Railway—Darfield to Elscar,
Midland Railway—Cherit to Horbury,
Midland Railway—Oakenshaw to Wakefield,
Midland Railway—Ambergate to Crich,
London and Brighton—Horsham Branch,
Harwich Railway and Pier,
Richmond (Yorkshire) Railway,
Hull and Bridlington Branch,
Middlesborough and Redcar ;
and against the
Dartford and Rumford,

Eastern Couaties—Cambridge and Bury Saint Edmunds
Extension,

West London....Knightsbridge Extension,
Ashton, Stalybridge, and Liverpool Junction—Guide-
bridge Extension.
Kentish Coast Railway,

Huddersfield and Manchester.
Harwich Railway,
Harwich and Colchester,
Ipswich and Harwich ;

and recommending the postponement until a future period
of the

Colchester Junction,

Harrogate and Ripon Junction,
Leeds and Thirsk,

York and North Midland and H irrogate.
DALHOUSIE.
C. W. PASLEY. G. R. PORTER.
D. O'BRIEN.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING rarEns OF YESTERDA7.

GLOBE.—" Pitt's Friends"—for that is the original
title from which is derived the Apostolic succession of
orthodox Conservative Ministerialism—Pitt's Friends,
since Pitt's death, have described the whole circle
of opinions with tegard to Irish Roman Catholicism,
and now appear just arriving at the very point from
which their leader first was prevented from starting.
It seldom, hcwever, happens that nearly a half cen-
tury can elapse—the intermediate space having (by
Pitt's Friends) been filled with the bitterest contro-
versy)—and that the same course can be smoothly re-
entered, which might have smoothly been taken at first.
When Pitt went out in 1801, because George the Third
(the royal ear having secretly been pre-occupied by
tii,Mo lay and some clerical alarmists) refused his
sanction to the Roman Catholic measures he laid before
hien, as the implied promises, and essential comple-
ments of the union with Ireland—no political Pro-
te.,tant party existed amongst English politicians. That
was an Irish gro Nth ; and even such a champion of
abirrgi established as Burke had become latterly, was
to the last adverse to the political Protestant pretexts of
the Irish local oligarchy. George the Third had the
equivocal honour of crea'ing out of nothing (at least,
out of political nonentities) a party which assumed Pro-
testantism as its watchword)—and such became the party
of" Pitt's Friends." It is curious and amusing to read, in
the l)iary of Lord Malmsbury, the expressions of indig-
nation of that " Pitt's Friend," when Pitt first rt.—
signed, and to contrast that indignation at the closet-ear-
wiggings which alarmed the royal mind, with his own
subsequent eagerness to renew precisely the same sytem
of intrigue, and work on precisly the same royal weakness
in 1807. The only difference was, that Pitt was in-
trigued out of office in 1801—and with him " Pitt's
.Friends;" whereas, in 1807, the point was to intrigue
out of office the surviving members of the Fox and Gren-
ville Ministry—whereby " Pitt's Friends" would return
to power. Apostolic succession is everything to political
Protestantism. This doctrine sufficiently vindicates the
same party, in all its changing phases. For the point
is not mere notional consistency—mere matter of
opinion. The point is, whose opinions have the stamp
of official orthodoxy—who can trace the unbroken
links of succession from Pitt. And of course these are
" Pitt's Friends." While there was a " good old King,"
who fancied his crown in question, " Pitt's Friends"
stood by him with devoted loyalty—loyalty devoted to
places and pensions, which Percevals, Westmorelands,
Vansi!tarts, could scarcely have merited otherwise. When
an elderly Monarch succeeded, not so good, and not quite
so obstinate, the junior partners of Pitt's Friends"
saw the expediency of forcing his hand a little. Times
have gone on, still changing ; and " Pitt's Friends"
have gone on, changing likewise. They have changed
everything—except their claim to apostolic succession
and Conservative orthodoxy. A doubt may intrude on
minds not thoroughly imbued with political reli-
gion, whether the course of this party, since the
commencement of this century, has not been
rather selfish and mischievous, as regards Irish Roman
Catho!iciem. Whether politicians are quite at
liberty to take God's n ime in vain, whenever affectation
of the highest motives can compass the lowest objects.
And finally, whether divine- into John Bull's pockets
for the endowment of a faith which John Bull thinks
(justly in our mind) deeply tinged with superAitions
—is the amencle most decent and effectual to the holders
of that faith for all the injustice which the personal in•
terests of " Pitt's Friends" inflicted on them civilly and
politically.

STANDARD.—" We ought not to halloo before we
are out of'the wood," says the proverb ; but keeping the
sage maxim still in view, we must at present anticipate
a short, as the Ministers hitherto have had an easy,
session of Parliament. The circumstances that ren-
dered necessary an early consideration of financial,
questions, concurring with an unusually early It.aster,
have caused an anticipation of what has hitherto
been not merely the dead weight of the Parlia-
mentary year's work, but also the means of
inviting a multitude of other tedious discussions. In
fact, looking back to former years, we find nearly the
first half of every session consumed in debates upon
the most trumpery questions, apparently because the
House of' Commons had nothing useful to do, and it must
do something. Another cause of the probable dispatch
of business in the present session is the universal consci-
ousness that the crag& recocta of anti-corn-law speeches,
and the like, aid no longer ge down. The country
is sick of such stuff, and moreover the country is
prosperous and contented. The more prudent of the
Whig party are well aware of this, and therefore they
prudently court an obscurity which protects their wee-
seems from a contrast with the measures of the pre sent
Government. On the side of Government, we know of
no measure that it has in contemplation which is likely
to meet even a slight opposition, except the plan for
the Irish colleges, and the enlargement of the Maynooth
grant, and to these scarcely a formidable opposition
can be anticipated. It is true th'.t some of the men (Dia-
senters), most active in promoting the grant of power to
the Irish Roman Catholics, are now clamorous against
the adoption of the only means by which that power
can be diverted from implacable hostility to Protestant
institutions. But the very fact that these bitter enemies
of the Estabqshed Church are foremost in the cry
against the enlargement of the Maynooth grant will at
least cause Churchmen to pause, and listen to the reasons
which the Minister has to offer, before condemning the
measure. As to principle, the principle of that measure
has been for fifty years recognised, by the grant of nine
thousand pounds a year. And let us add, a much worse
principle has been introduced more recently in the ap-
poiuttnent of Roman Catholic chaplains to prisons and
workhouses. The battle, therefore, cannot be fought on
the ground of principle ; and upon a question
of mere expediency it is vain to pretend high grounds of
oh:). ction. They who think that the Irish Roman
Catholic priests will be more obstinately bigotted, more
bitterly hostile to England, if better educated, will do
well to oppose the augmentation of the grant. They
who hold the opposite opinion in both respects, to which,
number we confess ourselves to belong, will look with com-
placency upon an experiment, the worst effect of which
will be, merely to throw away some money; for worse than
it is the system of education among the Roman Catholic
clergy cannot be ; %bile the accompanying establish-
ment of open colleges, of which the enlerged grant to
Maynooth is, perhaps, a necessary auxiliary, can pro-
duce nothing but unmixed good. This is a subject,
however, to which we must again refer. Upon a fair
view of the prospects of the s, ssion, there is no reason
why it may not terminate in July or even in June; and
this though many useful measures of legislature be corn-
pkted in the interval—a most useful return to ancient
practice.

TDB MONSTER BELL FOR YORIL MINSTER.—Mon-
day, the monster bell, intended for York Minster, was
exhibited, for the first time, at the Bazaar, Baker-street,
and was viewed by a great number of persons. It was
brought here on Friday last, on a truck, which we ighed
about five tors, and drawn by eighteen horses. It is sus-
pended by strong iron chain slings (its weight being
about sixteen tons), which are supported by four upright
pillars, fastened by transverse beams. The exhibition
will be continued several weeks, when it will be re-
moved, per railway, to York, where it will be placed in
the cathedral, in the toyer, at a height of about 200 feet.
It will be placed diagonally in the tower for greater se-
curity to the building, and above 300 cubic feet of timber
will be used for its support. It is to be rung with two
wheels, and will revolve entirely, if necessary, five or six
men being required for the purpose. The proceeds arising
from the exhibition are to be devoted towards the pur-
chase of a clock and quarter bell, to be placed in the same
tower. The bell is to be named " Peter of York." It is
the largest in the kingdom, being five tons he.evier than
" Old Tom" of Oxford, and seven tons heavier than
the celebrated " Tom" of Lincoln.. The Cost of it is
above 2,000/. ; its height seven feet seven inches, and
its diameter eight feet four inches.
PROPOSED GRANT TO MAYNOOTTL—A requisition
has been presented to the Mayor of Heading, signed
by
upwards of eighty of the most bigoted inhabitants, in-
cluding twelve clergymen, for a public meeting to be con
vened, for the purpose of adopting petitions to the Legis-
lature against the proposed increase of the grant to May-
nooth. The meeting has been appointed to take place
in the Town Hall, on Friday next.