The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-24 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC ,J,QURNALS.

Though a formal, and, no doubt, a true denega-
tion has begn &CI! on the part_ of Ministers to the
inquiry whether they were tampering with the'Pope
for a Corcordat, yet there is still, somehow• or other,
a prevalent opinion'that arrangements are in contem-
plation for the relief of the Catholic Church In his
Majesty's dominions. Ilut security, security to the
,Reformed Faith, is unceasingly 'celled for; and the
diffichlty of supplying the demand, unreasonable as
it may
.seem, is mot yehemently urged by those
*hi, 'make it. The treasure, however, which is
now passing in Parliament may serve to prove (at
least so .we 'hope) that concessions may be. made
Without ruin to the established faith; and if it be
competent to those who have separated from us to
give us security, it is surely no less so to
those froin whom we have separated, and
Who were too feeble, even at the day of se-
paration, to prevent the schism, or what they call.
the :heresy. .At _this precise moment, -therefore,- it
is not ill-timed in ". Mr. Wilmot. Horton to have
brought forward a pamphlet in which what he deems
an adequate security is proposed. Opinions may be
divided as to the propriety of its adoption, but the
writer has at. least this merit—that he brings it fol.-
ward in the most candid 'manner at the opening of
his work; and maintains its propriety and sufficiency
with ability and great information through the
s'Nuel. We shall offer his proposition in his own
words :—" The security, then, which I have to pro-
pose is, the enactment of a legal disqualification, in
the statute intended to relieve the Roman Catholic
from his disabilities : such -disqualation to prevent
him from voting upon any measure affecting the in-
terests either of the United Church of England and
or •of the Church qf Scotland." Now it
isertainly should appear; the danger of Papist legis-
lation being put forth'bk all the opponents of eman-
cipation as the thing to be dreaded, that a provision
which removes Papists from the power of legislat-
ing upon all questions affecting the two Churches,
is a remedy which.precisely meets the evil, if it can
be constitutionally applied. -The pamphlet is written
with extreme attention to order, and discusses the
utility and eonititutional nature of the project under
she follisWing heads : •
I. The examination which has led to the .Selection of
this security. •
" IT. The manner in which the Coronation Oath hears
aeon the subject.
.6 111. The additional securities afforded by the Consti-
tution to the Protestant religion and to the Established
Church. _ _ _ .
" IV. The demonstration that no valid .constitutional
objection can be.pleaded against the proposed enactment.
" V. The distinction between Roman Catholics and Pro-
t:cr.-Aunt Dissenters, in refererice to the Principle'of the pro-
posed legislative disqualification.
" VI. The nature of the. Parliamentary legislation whiCh
may be best calculated to give affect to the proposed se-
curity.
" VII. The absence of anyground of reasonable objec-
tion on the part of Protestants.
" VIII. An analysis of the effect produoed by theappro-
• priation of property to the maintenance of. a Protestlint
Church Establishment, showing that the Roman Catholic
proprietor is not specially.aggrieved by such appropriation.
" IX. The eff'ect of the proposed security, 'as hearing
upon the recorded objections of his • Royal Highness the
late Duke of York, anti of the late and present Lord
Chancellors. •_
" X. The more effective character of the security now
suggested, as compared with those which have been pro-
. posed on former occasions.
" XL General observations."
We shall make an extract from the eighth of these
--: heads as showing the author's reasoning on a very
ticklish point .:
" Th.? proposition, stated popularly and simply, stands
tlitoi. What retulates the bidding of the Irish peasant for
a piece of land ? The answer is, the dread which he has
of starvationrir lieTellittot obtain it. He knows perfectly
will that there is no real demand for his labour, and that
by wages alone he cannot live He knows that his land is
"Zobject to the payment of a contribution to the Protestant
Church; but be does unt.know that if the liability to that
cont-11b41On did not his rent ,konld:be increased pre-
cisely in proportion to the amount of 6114 contribution.
kriosys also, that lie will be
,called upon to
.make some
' contribution towards his own church. Yet, notwithstand-
knowledge of thisdouble out-going, in desperation
he of a.rent which beliaS:no:chaace.ofpityiog, from the
conviction,that lie had better render himself liable to this
triple claim upon him, than risk the consequence of utter
destitution. His mind being possessed with the idea that
rent is due to his landlord, but that the contribution to the
Protestant Church is air unjust tax, his discontent is ac-
&y awakened on the °Tie side, rather than on the other,
,althcsagfi the actual' contribution to the landlord is of ne-
• Cessity infinitely greater than that Which is made to the
church. The rent to tie landlord is measured by the ne-
cessities of the competing applicants: The contribution
towards the church is measured by that proportion of the
actual produce of the estate which is secured by law to the
Protestant Church. The one is of a definite, the other of

. an indefinite nature.
; "If tithe he changed into acomposition, every candid
Intui
person t admit that much of the inconvenience of that
i property is removed by the transfer. Again, if it were
3 poNble to change the composition into glebe, always sup-
LpasiniK the principle of equivalency to be strictly main-
_ rained, if would be a very embarrassing 'proposition, to be
obliged to Show that greater inconvenience arose to the
f_... population of Ireland from having resident Protestant
L.. Clergy, the pioprietors of land and estates, than from lay
.
proprietors being the possessors of the same estates, eve-
: 6ally if those lay proprietors were absentees. In point of
• fact, should the effect of the Tithe Commutation Act in
Ireland, passed during the admirable government of Lord
ellesley, be to do away, practically, sad at an earls'L"
iieriod, with much of the inconvenience which is incident
~., to tI4 system of
.tithes in
.that country, I do not believe
that the property of 'the' Protestant Church will ever be
16-und to present a' subject of practical grievance on the
fart of . the RoMan Catholic body ; especially 'if analogous
legislation be extended to some 'other_ points connected
with the details of cbitrCli property-, such as the church-
sate, ‘&e. "
The Appendix, which constitutes the largest part
of the .woric , contains several infereti ng doCuments.—
Zino .

- Foote, in his " Orators," has the following pas-
agem :....:-‘"l"here is, by the constitution of this king-
do, an Assembly, of many individuals, who, as
the seventh son .Of a seventh son is born a physician,
are orators. by hereditary right ; that is, by birth
they are enabled to give their opinions and sentiments
on all subjeets; where te interest of their uny
is concerned." The seventh son of a. seventh son a
barn physician—the eldest son of an eldest son a
horn legislator! • This seemed irresistibly droll to
the English Aristopitanes : but if the world could
'July go on' under the direction of absolute wisdom,
it would be no laughing Inatter. Every one knows
!be fable of King Lug''
,and his suecei.sors. The
moral of that fable suggests some reflections.
Fletcher, of Salton, who was a staunch, Republican,
laid a trap for a Tory phrician, with whom he was
disputing, by a pretended citation from, the work of
a hereditary Professor of Divinity at Harnburgh,
:,Whieh naturally enough startled. his auditor—when
sutltlenly retorted—Ali, Doctor, " what think
you of
_a hereditary Ruler 1" Mr. Bentham, in like
manner, laughs at the idea of expecting a know-
ledge of legiSiation, which can only be obtained by
long and severe, koatiy,- from the spoiled children of
wealth and luxury— But what of :greater ability
would be accompanied by a greater power to
Nam. . Knowledge is ,Douier ; and before we
lanient the. non-existence
,of power in any quar-
ter, we must.be sure that it, would be beneficially
Airected. Adi tinguished French Judge, the Pre-
observing that in almost every coon-
sident Duptity,
try Law was the work of the powerful, anti had for
object, to facilitate the oppression of the weak, was
led to the reflection, that the modern Romans were,
upon the'whole, gainers b}'being left without law.
Vengeance (be says) constitutes the Police of
Rome The stiletto, it is true, makes
some victims among the people; but it prevents
oppressions, Which would make many snore. It ac-'
celerates some deaths ; but it diminishes the num-
ber
.of misfortunes. A great man who can oppress,
and a -mean man who can revenge himself, are nearly
on equal terms. The people at Rome live in peace,
Vietigh neither' kept in -order by the Police, nor re-
. Strained by justice. It would seem that he con-
', videred inefficient liws.better than laws efficient one`