The Sun.
London, England, 1826-10-11 00:00:00

OF THE PUBLIC JOURNAL,II.

The readers of The Times will have observed in its
columns of yesterdays a document; professing to be
official, and presenting an account of sums which have
been. recently expended on certain Royal Palaces, with
an estimate of further sums, to an enormous amount,
still requisite, as it 'seems, to the Completion of a va-
riety of works, decorative' or substantial, or of mingled
character, which it is proposed by somebody or other
to carry on, for the improveinent or enlargement of
the above' mentioned courtly habitations. The docu-
Mem in question was extracted frOm an Evening paper
rather ludicrously remarkable for its want of tact. If
those returns of enormous expence for gewgaws in
season of adversity and consternation had got into the
bands of acourtly retainer of even-ordinary prudence,
he would have rather eaten than' divulged them at such
a time. It is plain to us that the indiscretion of the
journalist in this instance has been severely repriman-
ded'since our yesterday's commentary on the Royal
Palaces appeared ; and, naturally enough, the poor
fellow, in his fright, takes to scolding us for having;
profited by his 'foolishness, instead of blaming him-
self for the fatal.exposure of what he promulgated some
weeks too soon. ;We desire to have it recollected that
Our wish has always been, to see the King of England
provided with a commodious and handsoMe residence,
and uttended,and surrounded as becomes the Royal sta-
tion. It was further our opinion declared, not Many days
ago, that the specific portion of Buckingham Palace
which was said to be destined for His Majesty's own
personal comfort, should be finished without delay,
and made ready to receive hint before the setting in of
winter. But for the show—the gingerbread—the
mountebank, part of the exhibition—the ball-rooms,
and grand halls, end cupolas, and mounds, and frippery,
and other excerfita from the voluminous, interminable,
and, we must add, intolerable, common-plaec-book of
'Brighton, we bad hoped that such ill-ti Med and ill-
omened conversions of the public money might have
been at least for some short term suspended. Fora
national palace Ins Majesty has Wimkor, the nOblest
and proudest kingly residence of which the world can
boast. To the repairs now executing upon that
famous edifice we have not taken exception, nor to the
improvements, for they are improvements, and in a
severe and manly taste worthy of the eminent architect
Who directs them. But where. is the sense of two
stupendous Palaces? Why should Pimlico, the in-
curable Pindieo, be decked out arid bedizened with
all this ill-suited grandeur ? In its former modest
state, Buckingham-house was for many years the
abode of as much true royal dignity as the
gigantic mausoleum which now covers it is ever
likely, to witness, This, we are sure, his present
Majesty would be the first to acknowledge. If
a suite of reception rooms, for the aristocracy of
:England, be required any where in or near the me-
tropolis, is there not, as we before remarked, St.
James's, with a redundance of all such spacious
and splendid apparatus for the feasts and carousals of
the most tumultuous Court ? These are not invidious
questions. They are asked in every private company
So which the distress of the poor of England have now
for nearly eighteen months been familiar. We but
echo she universal voice. Our opponents accuse us of
not namsng " specific" reductions, when We recommend
a general reissrm of 'the expenditure. Why, here is
tinethe Pirdi'sso job is one. 't'he York-house job
is a second Item is'' deep and melancholy considera-
tion. The Corinthian inert' of Downing-street and
Whitehall, where every thing; is to be turned into pil- '
lax, and capital, and frieze, and all the rest of it; if.
it were necessary for the Ministers to as fine as the
Monarch—there is a third item. A foOth item is
the condition of the public hoods ;—that of Stamps,
for instance, and many others quite as bad, wisereit
is known that men receive their thousands a-year foe'
salary, and merely pay an atasional visit to their of-
fice. We are challenged to this enumeration ; arid
we add, that 20,000 men and officers might be
struck off the army to-morrow ; but the Ministers
will do no snch thing ; they will kick their minions into
a gross abuse of every man who dares to expose the
unredressed grievances of the country ; they will con-
sent to no reduction or reform whatever, much less will
they undertake any, until they are forced by a di-
minished Supply. Therefore it is we say to Parlia-
ment, vote a supply less by four or five millions than
what they demand from you, the requisite reductions
of expenditure will then be made, and the public cre-
ditor will be the more secure of his property. Lastly,
let any man or sense or decency look At the terms in
which we are railed at for having spoken respectfully
of the King's person, while we animadverted on his
officers. Not a syllable expressive of esteem for his
Royal virtues, or of reverence for his high and princely
office, has escaped. a reprint in italics, by the disloyal
scribe who accuses us of fawning and hypocrisy, be-
cause we are courteous and respectful in our language
towards his most, gracious Majesty. We have used
the tvressions of " excellent Sovereign," the " com-
mon friend and father of his people," " generous
Prince ;" spoken of his " tender affection towards his
broken-down objects," and of his " virtuous indigna-
tion " at the miselmployment of the money raised in
taxes : and let the world take warning from this, what
'are time real sentiments pf hirelings and panders to-
wants those whose bounty feeds them, and of whom
they profess to be the adoring slaves. The foOlish
. •
Creature who wags his dirty tongue At The Times on
this occasion, declares emphatically that it is impossi-
ble to speak of our most gracious Sovereign as an ex-
cellent, orgeeerous, or affectionate, or virtuous Prmee,
without.being guilty of " gross hypocrisy," of " paltry
insinuation, .and " sneering sarcasm.'"---Times.
The religions world, and particularly that part of it
Who take aim interest in the diflbsion of the Scriptures,
mtsst_be greatly scandalised at the unseemly warfare
which is going on between the London Bible Society
and sessne of its branches in the North. We do not
pretend ti) know exactly the cause
of the quarrel, nor
can weacetsunt for the bitterness and unchristianlike
conduct of some. of the liartim,
except 11 supposing
that personal pique, or selWieerest, or vanity, or some
More blamable motives, have More infinence on their
Minds, than the spirit of Pease anti charity, which they
ram; to cherish. As far as we understand the sub-
Ptook its retie about th Apocrypha.
ject, toe dispute
One party wished it to be distributed with the Bible
measure, and resisted it
another objected to such a
with as much eagerness and obstinacy as if the fate of
millions had depended on the resu t. religious
t flame a ;light
Matters it Ls well known what ls
s
therefore,d Mprised,
spark will raise. We were mint,
that one quarrel led to another, an that the obstina
we
cy
of the parties became daily more confirmeit; but
were surprised that they should have imitated so.
assent
closely
the 'eornitici of thieves and robbers, who quarrel
the booty, recriminate on one another, and theme ells
n.
dose to the world the faults of their former associates
and friends. Dr. Thompson, a Minister of Edinburgh,
;Wears toOst4lie the lead uS the North on this occasto)

and to exert all his research in discovering abuses,
and all his eloquence in proclaiming them to the
world. Many of the members, whom the community
'regarded as'highly respectable, he ningiointsr,out as men !,
who have engaged in the sacred cause from interested !'
motive, and charges. them with sordid conduct, in receiv-
ing salaries for duties which they ought to have per-
formed gratuitously ; and in spending the finds of the
Society in visiting their friends in the country, under
pretence of forwarding the interests of religion. Such
conduct, no doubt, is highly censurable; but will the
world believe that the Reverend Gentleman was igno-
rant of these abuses till his quarrel commenced—and ,
will not the malignant, and particularly tWse hostile
to Bible Societies,. say, that they would not have been
disclosed but, for this quarrel, or from despair, on the
part of the informer, of obtaining one of those salaries,
or visiting commissions himselfi' We thought that
the Irish Catholic orators were almost the only persons •
in this country who did every thing in their power to
injure the cause which they pretended to advocate.—
The orators of the North, however, are not at all
more prudent or consistent. They have succeeded in
separating many of the branch societies in Scotland
from the parent society in London:. They have raised
a prejudice against the whole system, and hit upon
the most effectual method of diminishing the annual
contributions. The public will say, if such sordid
actions are daily performed in this country, the focus
of all these societies, and these too by clergymen,
what can be expected from other agentf4 and particu-
larly those in foreign countries, who are not narrowly'
watched, and who will naturally divert the funds of the
society to their own purposes ? If they quarrel and
fight with one another, what security can there be
that the violence of passion or linty-spirit will not
proviiil over those sound and Christian principles
'which they profess to be the rule of their con-
' duct ? Their whole conduct, in short, from the
beginning of the dispute up to the present moment,
is so preposterous and so injurious to the cause,
that we can account for it only by saying, in their own
language, that the evil one has been permitted to cast
this • bone of contention among them, and to rule
over them for a season. We trust, however, that it will
turn out for the good of the community. Instead of
80,0001. the enormous sum annually collected for the
Bible Society, we should not be surprised if it were
soon reduced to half the amount. We have for some
time thought that subscriptions in aid .of this society
have been carried too far, and made to the injury of
institutions and societies which spend the funds all in
, this country. It is, no doubt, a matter of great con-
, sequence that the poor should have bibles, but there
are other purposes for which the money of the bene-
volent and charitable might be expended with equal,
r and perhaps greater advantage. Forty thousand a-year
r might do a great deal in reclaiming our youth from
wicked habits, or in preventing the ruin of many fe-
males who nightly infest our streets, and who not un-
frequently put an end to their misery and crime by a
violent death. Many of them are driven to this

wicked course of life by the inhumanity of masters or
mistresses, who, for some trivial offence, cast theni on
the wide world, expose them to want and wretched-
ness, yet at the same time subscribe to the Bible and
Missionary Societies • sums of money which would
have been sufficient to save these helpless •and unfor-
tunate creatures from utter ruin. Many of them, too,
perform towards one another deeds of sympathy and
kindness, not at all surpassed by those of the young
woman whose name has been so Much before the
public—deeds which prove that. they are not all natu-
rally wicked, and that much might be done for them
by the charitable and humane. We think that Th.-
Thoinpson and his colleagues might spend their time
much better, and in a manner more suitable fo Mi-
nisters 9f the Gospel, in devising some plans for les-
sening the crimes and misery of those committed to
tit it care, than in traversing the country to make
speeches about Bible Societies, or rail against , their
former associates and friends.—Morning" Herald.