The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-05 00:00:00

the widow of Colonel FAWCETT, stating that a pension
would not be granted to her in consequence of the
way in which her husband had met his death.
After several notices of motions of litte interest,
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said, until the House had gone
into the Factories Bill, he could not fix a day for
going into Committee on the New Poor-law Bill.
Sir ROBERT PEEL, in answer to a question from
Mr. O'CoNNELL, said, that her Majesty's Government
would be prepared, in the course of the session, to
bring in a Bill to amend the law with respect to Ro-
man Catholic charities.

In answer to a question from Sir R. FERGUSON,
Sir J. GRAHAM said, in case the House of Lords
should confirm the decision of the Irish Judges with
respect to Irish Presbyterian marriages, legislation
on the subject would be indispensable.
On the motion for going into Committee of Supply,
Mr. WILLIAMS moved that the estimates be referred
to a Select Committee, but, after a few words from
Sir H. HARDINGE, the motion was withdrawn.

Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD then moved—" That the
large amount of the standing army now kept up for
the public service is contrary to constitutional liberty
and dangerous to the rights of the people." Dr.
BOWRING seconded the resolution, which was silt--
ported by Mr. FIELDER. On a division the motion
was negatived by a majority of 79.
Sir H. HARDINGE then brought forward the army
estimates, and moved that 100,295 men should be
fixed as the standing army for this year. Mr.
WILLIAMS moved that the number should be reduced
by 20,000. On a division the original motion was
carried by a majority of 102.
Several votes were then, after some discussion,
agreed to; the House resumed, and adjourned at a
Quarter-past Twelve o'Clock.

" At the last meeting of the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow Railway Company," says a Scotch paper, " Sir
ANDREW AGNEVI7 mov as an amett to the ap-
proval of the Report, the Su ains be dis-
continued; at the same time he presented memorials
against their continuance from the Free Church
Presbyteries of 'Edinburgh and Glasgow. The vote
being taken, the Report was approved of by a majo-
rity of the shareholders present, fifteen voting for it
and nine for Sir ANDREW AGNEW'S amendment—the
majority represented three hundred and fifty-five votes,
the minority forty-six. }lire of the minority
held only one share each." Poor Sir ANDREW
AGNEW ! He seems doomed to perpetual discomfi-
ture—predestined to be the very hero of defeat.
Scotland, like England, will have nothing to do with
his panaceas for piety, but repudiates both him and
them with equal pertinacity-. On either side the
Tweed he makes a stir only to be laughed at. The
recent defeat of his amendment at the meeting of the
Edinburgh nd Glasgow Railway Company which—
as will by the above paragraph—was a crush-
ing one, 11, we trust, teach him a useful
lesson of discretion whereof he stands much in need ;
and convince him that it is only " labour lost" to attempt
to make head against the common sense and right
feeling of a community. Were the interests of true
religion involved in ;such puritanical restrictions as
this grim Baronet has now, for a long term of years,
been assiduously endeavouring to impose on the Sab-
bath recreations of the people, we should not dream
for an instant of objecting to them ; but religion
has nothing to do with the matter; the question
is one of pure Pharisaical cant—of cant
unleavened with the slightest admixture of toleration
or common sense. Were it possible that Sir ANDREW
AGNEW and the double-distilled Saints who think with
him, could ever succeed in their efforts to pro-
pagate fanaticism among the people, they would do
more public mischief, both in a moral and religious
sense, than whole centuries of enlightened legislation
could repair. For let no one imagine that a long-
faced puritanical community must necessarily be
a moral and devout one. The records of our own
history show that the reverse is the fact, for never
were there greater outrages committed than during
the-reign of the Saints in England, when robberies,
and even murders, were continually perpetrated,
under the pretext of religion, by. Millenarians and
Fifth Monarchy-men, who yet would have shud-
dered at the idea of missing attendance at a conventicle
twice or thrice a day, and fancied themselves absolved
from all crimes so long as they held fast by the prac-
tice of singing psalms and hymns in the key of a
Tower-gun. Look, too, at the career of the Mun-
ster Anabaptists—men who cried down all innocent
amusements as impious—who were strict to a degree
in the performance of all external religious duties,
yet who scrupled not to commit the ,most heinous ex-
cesses ! Generally speaking, a fanatical community
must of necessity be a hypocritical one, and the day,
we trust, is far distant when cant and hypocrisy shall
find favour in the eyes of the major portion of the
people. Stringent religious restrictions, such as
those which the grim-visaged Agnewites would fain
impose upon us, invariably foster the very evil which
it is their object to check. As they commence by
making men hypocrites, so, in nine cases out of ten,
they end by making them infidels.

We have received Madrid papers of the 24th and
25th ult. Alicant held out on the 21st. The Junta
of Carthagena on the 18th declared the town and
province in a state of siege, and ordered the surren-
der of all arms except those belonging to the Na-
tional Guards. From Madrid the only intelligence
is, that the Minister of Finance is actively engaged
in schemes for raising money. None but fools will
trust him. On this subject the Paris Siecle justly re-
marks :—" The present dictatorial Government of
Spain having manifestly violated the Constitution by
acting in the absence of the Cortes, whose ratification
is indispensable, those who shall advance money to
NARVAEZ must expect to see their security rejected
by the constitutional Government, when it shall have
been established."

The Three per Cents. were done at 294 for cash,
30/ at 60 days ; the Four per Cents., 21 for cash ;
and the Five per Cents., at 22/ at 60 days.

The debate in the French Chamber of Deputies on
the affairs of Otaheite lasted for two days, and ex-
cited long speeches and strong national feeling, but
finally terminated in favour of the GUIZOT Ministry.
The speech of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in
reply to M. CAINE, appeared in The Sun on Satur-
turday. M. BILLAULT followed, and -made a violent
attack on the Cabinet, accusing them of being guided
in their treatment of Admiral DUPETIT THOUARS
pore by fear than reason. M. DUFAURE was equally
' ent—praised the French Admiral, blamed M.
T for disavowing acts which did honour to the
'navy, and summed up in these words :—" Much is
said of the position that France ought to occupy as a
naval power. We make in our budgets great sacri-
fices to sustain the dignity of our navy ; but, for my
part, I declare it openly, I should prefer seeing
France give up her navy for ever, to find her suffer-
ing such acts as the Ministry is defending to-day."
The next speaker was the Minister of Public In-
struction, but he was listened to with some impati-
ence, as the affair had assumed a new form, in con-
sequence of a motion which M. Ducos handed to the
President. This, of course, was known to the Oppo-
sition, and the President, on the last speaker leaving
I the tribune, announced that M. Ducos had handed
to him a written proposition, having for its object to
terminate the discussion on the interpellations by a
vote to the following effect :—" The Chamber, with-1
out approving of the conduct of the Cabinet pass to
the order of the day." M. GUIZOT seeing the temper
of the Chamber, moved an adjournment, which was'
violently opposed by the Left, but ultimately carried.
The debate was resumed next day, when M. GUIZOT
and M. TRIERS addressed the Chamber at con-
siderable length ; and, on a division, Minis-
ters had a majority of 46, there being for
the motion of M. Ducos 187, and against it 233.
This is considered a great victory by the Cabinet,
and had a material effect on the funds, the Three per
Cents. having advanced from 82f. 20c. to 82f. 73c.
as soon as the division was known on the Bourse.
The Opposition papers of course are furious at the
result. We give an extract from the National as a
specimen :

" It is with the heart deeply wounded that we take up the
pen to give an account of yesterday's sitting. There were
233 deputies found against 187 to pronounce that Admiral
Dupetit Thouars was wrong in defending the influence
and honour of Franca against the intrigues of England-
-233 against 187 to signify to our seamen that in
distant latitudes, where they are to carry our flag, they
must, under penalty of reprobation on the part of their
Government, respectfully withdraw before the lowest Eng-
lish missionary. Already, by the establishment of the
right of search, there was imposed on them the obligation
to let themselves be robbed and insulted with impunity by
the cruisers of Great Britain. Now they will learn that there