The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-10 00:00:00

to Hobbes been in conformity with the character I have just
, r, c - " ' 'f •, o,•

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of logic, and b.:idnys., ci r.-asoning,you
myself, deem many of Hobbeb' opinions erroneous, though you
might reject the whole of his doctrines, yet you would have ac-
corded praise, not blame, to me, for enablinii the student to pe-
ruse the works of one cf England's most illustrious authors.
No, like that Maliometan warrior and bigot who destroyed the
wisdom of ages, you would burn every work, and consume all
literature that in the slightest degree was at variance with your
limited notions—with your own Koran.—( Loud and continued
cheering, intermixed with dissent front Mr. Allan's friends. )
You have denounced me as the editor of an infidel work; I have
challenged you, and again challenge you, to make good your
assertions.—(6 He is an infidel.") I have called upon you
to point out one infidel passage, one single sentence derogatory
to Christianity in the works of Thomas Hobbes, of Maims-
bury. Have you or have you not read those works? If you
have not read them, what right have you to say that they arc
infidel productions ? If you have read them, then point out
one infidel passage in them, one single sentence hostile to
Christianity.—(Cheers.) I defy you to it. You have shrunk
from the attempt. You have indirectly acknowledged that no
such passage can he found in those works. Would it not have
been manly and courageous to have acknowledged your error,
to have said that you have never read those works, and that you
had been misled with regard to them. Instead of doing this
you have had recourse to subterfuge. First, you have talked
about Gibbon. Now, tell me, acute logician, able reasoner,
what has Gibbon to do with Hobbes, cr Hobbes with Gibbon?

L-( Cheers and hisses.) Two minds more dissimilar can hardly
be found than the philosopher of Malmetbury, and the
historian of the Roman empire--would you, the lover of know-
ledge, not only destroy the works of cur greatest dialectician,
but the writings, likewise, of our greatest historian ?—( Great
cheers and uproar.) Would you consign to the same flames
the " Leviathan" and the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Em-
pire ?"—( Cheers.) Secondly, you have insinuated that some
of Hobbes' opinions lead to infidelity. Prove it, I. say. Now,
I ask, is there a single work renowned in science, in literature,
or in art, against which a similar charge has not been brought
by some narrow-minded bigot? his a well-known historical
fact, that every great discovery in astronomy, in natural his-
tory, in chemistry, or in any of the physical sciences, that
everything which has made us better acquainted with the
heavens, with the earth, and with human na-
ture—that every acquisition of knowledge which has
tended to elevate humanity every attempt at free
inquiry, every effort to shake off the trammels of authority, has
been successively attacked by the ignorant and narrow-minded,
as leading to infidelity. Under this malignant and accursed
plea some of the greatest spirits of the human race have been
persecuted and slain. Socrates was put to death as an infidel—he
who first said there were Antipodes was burnt. The followers of
Copernicus were persecuted as disbelievers, and the great
Galileo on bended knees was compelled to assert that the earth
was immovable.—( Great cheering.) Bacon and Descartes
were taxed with irreligion, the doctrines of Locke were said to
lead to materialism, Newton was accused of dethroning the
Deity for the discovery of the law of gravitation, a similar
charge was made against Franklin for explaining the nature
of the thunderbolt, Priestley's library was burnt and
his person endangered on account of his religious
opinions, and, in our own days, Buckland, Sedgwick,
and the other geologists are accused of overiurning re-
velation by their discoveries with regard to the past existence
of the earth.—( Cheers.) In short, in all ages, and amongst
all nations, infidelity has ever been the war-cry which the base,
the ignorant, the intolerant, and the canting tribe have raised
against the great, the noble, and the generous spirits of the
human race.—(Great uproar and cheering from Sir William
Molesworth's supporters.) That cry you, Mr. Miall, have
attempted to raise against the works which I have edited. I
now again solemnly call on you before these, the electors of
Southwark, whom you wish to represent in Parliament, I
challenge you to make good your assertions. If
you shrink from the attempt, or fail, as fail you will,
then I accuse you before your iellow-citizens of having brought
this charge against me for base electioneering purposes. I
brand you as a calumniator, and appeal to the poll of to-mor-
row. The Hon. Baronet. who was much interrupted in the
delivery of his address, concluded amidst great cheering from
his friends, and every mark of disapprobation from the sup-
porters of the two other candidates.

Mr. PILCHER then came to the front of the platform, and
the shouting, which had died into a calm, was again renewed
with greater violence than ever. As nearly as we could hear
him, he said that the claims he advanced for the honour of re-
presenting the borough were such as he thought would entitle
him to their suffrages.—( Cheers, groans, and great confusion.)
He had the utmost confidence in the result of the election ;
for the good sense of the electors would, he was convinced, dis-
tinguish between the claims of a commercial man, whose .hole
life had been spent in the borough, and who was therefore well
acquainted with its wants, and a theoretical philosopher,
or a student fresh from his closet.—(Cheers, groans, and cries
of " Pilcher for ever," answered by the opposing war-cry of
" Molesworth, Moleswerth I") He had filled, and he trusted
to the satisfaction of his brethren in the borough, net only va-
rious offices in Surrey, but in the city of London and in the
county of Middlesex.—(Cheers anal hisses.) The objects
which he had in view in seeking this high distinction were
many—( Cheers)—and they might be inferred from his con-
duct during the past years of his life. He thought that he
had a claim higher than that advanced by any stranger—
( Hear)—for had he not supported, in his humble sphere,
their district charities—(Cheers)—their dispensaries, and their
hospitals ?—(Cheers and hisses.) Some had called him Tory
and some Whig. He would himself, however, tell them what
he was. He was a liberal Reformer of every abuse connected
with the Government or institutions of their country.—
(Cheers.) Ile was the opponent of the poor-laws.—(Cheers.)
They had had his utmost attention, and he was opposed to
everything wrong or unjust in their operation. He was an
advocate for the removal of every tax which in the least
degree tended to restrict trade or commerce, and for that pur-
pose he would give his support to any measures which would
remove the evils of the present corn-laws.—(Cheers and
cries of " You're a counterfeit.") He would be found the
unflinching advocate of every measure that would be likely to
give employment to the poor, by the consumption of the pro-
duct of British manufactures—by the increase of trade, or com-
merce on the river, in every branch of industry—(Cheers)—
and particularly he would support the introduction of docks
into this borough.—(Cheers.) He would uphold Protes-
tantism in all its integrity, and would oppose all inter-
ference with the constitution of the Church as at pre-
sent established.—(Cheers.) He would not be a party
to any spoliation of that structure which had de-
scended to them in trust from their fathers.—(Cheers
and hisses.) He would support any measure for the
extension of education, and he hoped to see the time shortly
when every child of seven years old in the British empire
would be able to read the New Testament.—(Cheers.) He
was against the Maynooth grant—(Groans and cheers)—and
if any motion for the repeal of that grant were brought for-
ward, he should feel it his duty to support it.—(Cheers.) He.
was also opposed to the income-tax, for he was of opinion
that a property-tax was greatly superior. (Cheers.)
He was an advocate for the repeal of the assessed taxes—
(Cheers)—because they pressed particularly hard upon the in-
dustrious classes. ( For several minutes it was impossible to
catch a word, and even the Hon. Candidate, who had hitherto,
with a manly fortitude,spoken at the reporters, seemed inclined
to give up the effort in despair. By dint, however, of great
exertion on the part of the " fuglemen" on either side, the
two black men already alluded to, peace was restored, and Mr.
Filcher was allowed to continue. It may be mentioned that
one of the ncgroes had seceded to the Molesworth
party.) But this obnoxious impost might, in his
opinion, be got rid of in another way ; the con-
version of six million acres of Crown land would produce at
least 6,000,00 a. of money, and this, certainly, would do away
with any necessity for an income-tax —(Cheers.) He would
ask; them, then, who could mere effectually represent that
borough than a man whose interests were identified with
their interests, and whose home was their home.—(The wor-
thy eandidate was for some time rendered inaudible by the tu-
multuous cheers of his partisans below him.)—We understood
him to say that he was a commercial man, identified with com-
mercial interests. He had the support of the working men of
the borough, and he was proud also to say that he had the sup-
port of the ladies.—(Laughter on the hustings—renewed up-
roar in front.) If his friends would come early to the poll to-
morrow, he would promise them a certain victory.—( Cheers.)
Mr. MIALL then came forward, and it is scarcely necessary
to say that the execrable commingling of discordant sounds from
the vast multitude below him rendered him even less audible
than the previous speakers. To this we must add that, as he
studiously addressed himself to the reporters, we should have
been able to colle it a great part of what he said, had it not been
for the zealous demonstrations of his friends upon the hustings.
These gentlemen, of whom many appeared '.o be clergymen,
occupied the portion of the hustings next to the reporters.
They were not satisfied with this advantage, but unceremoni-
ously, and often very uncivilly, walked over the desk at which
the reporters wrote, and trod upon their note-books and
other papers. [During the whole of the time that
Mr. Miall was delivering his speech, those gentlemen
kept up a fire of coarse, and by no means witty, repartee with
the hired partisans of the other side, whereby they to a great
extent neutralised Mr. Alien's efforts to be heard, and our ef-
forts to hear.] He was understood to say that he was glad this
day to meet his antagonists face to face. But he scorned on
that day to make any reply to the personalities with which he
had been assailed. He would only say, for himself, that it
was his wish, according to his ability to do good to his fellow-
man ; and it did nut concern him whether his name " went
down to oblivion, or was handed up to the admiration of pos-
terity." He had not referred to Sir Wm Molesworth, as the
" Editor of Hobbes," until he himself (as we understood) had
been attacked on account of his religious opinions. He now
averred, and he was real}, to prove, that the whole tendency
of liobbes' works was opposed to Christianity and civil liberty.
That was the opinion of Duckworth and of Hallam, of Dugald
Stewart and of Sir James Macintosh. He condemned
the endowment of Maynooth College. The Established
Church in Ireland was the bane of that country, and resulted
in a combination of the priests of both Churches to repress the
aspirations of the people for civil and religious liberty. It was
unnecessary for him on that occasion to detain his friends by

an exposition of his principles and sentiments, which he had
already explained at sixteen meetings in the borough. He
concluded by expressing (as we understood) his personal in-
difference to the result of the contest, and his anxiety only for
the real Independence of the borough.
Mr. MAYNARD then made a vain attempt to obtain a hear-
ing, when

The Elic ri-BAlLirr put the names of the candidates in suc-
cession, and took a show of hands, the dense meeting at this
time extending beyond Union-street, and numbering between
ten and twelve thousand.

For Sir William Molesworth the show was about two
thirds of the whole.

For Mr. Pitcher positively not twenty beyond the hundred
(or so) of coalheavers, &c., in front of the hustings.
For Mr. Miall there appeared about one-third to hold up
their hands.

The Flinn BAILIFF then declared the election to have fallen
on Sir W. Molesworth, Bart.
A poll was demanded on the part of the other candidates,
which was fixed for eight o'clock to-morrow morning.
The several candidates, :amidst considerable noise and confu-
sion, returned thanks for the attendance of their followers, and
urged them to be early at the poll to-morrom morning.
Mr. PILCHFAC tae❑ moved a vote of thanks to the High
Bail.if for his impartial conduct on the occasion.

Sir \VM. MoLuswoumr seconded the motion, which was put
ar..l carried amidst great applause.
The Iltun BAILIFF sail I he was deeply indebted to the gen-
tlemen present for the mark of esteem they had just given. He
was much pleased at the ce:derly and regular manner in which
they had conducted then iselves—(lronical cheers from Mr.
friends)—and he trusted the good understanding
which had hitherto prevailed would be maintained up to the
close of the poll. He won Id now leave them, trusting in their
good sense that nothing v, ould transpire to mar the good name
that Southwark had obtained for its conduct on electioneering
mat ters. —( Loud cheer! t. )
The multitude, after several rounds of cheers for their re-
spective candidates, quietly separated.

:SOUTHWARK A'.!•TD RELIGIOUS REPROACH.
(From the Brighton Guardian.)
A contest is going on for Southwrrk in which Sir William
Alolesworth is the Whig- candidate, Mr. the editor of the
Nonconformist, the Radical and Voluntary-system candidate,
and Mr. Filcher, the Tory candidate. Respect for our own
cloth, respect, too, for flour own opinions, which are opposed to
those of the Whig candidate on the Church question,
w dispose It* rather eagerly to embrace and