The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-26 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE LONDON JOURNALS.

In the Dublin Evening Post of Saturday last
there is a long letter, extending to eight closely
printed columns, from Dr.. Doyle to Dr. Phillpots,
on the subject of the letter of Dr. P. to an English
Layman respecting the Coronation Oath. Dr. Doyle
triumphs over Dr. Phillpots, and it is difficult to say
whether his letter is most to be admired for the pa-
through an affectation of historical lore,
tient research by which he has exposed the attempts
to ofDinrt.roPd"uce confusion into a very plain and simple
question, or the force of his reasoning on general
grounds. Dr. Phillpots had admitted -that material
alterations had been made -at different times by "
Henry the Eighth and his successors in the Corona-
tion Oath, so that it was now rather a matter of
some difficulty to exculpate our Protestant Sove-
reigns, and vet contend that the Coronation Oath
concluded the Sovereign from consenting to any
alteration in the laWs relating to the Church. " I
suppose you know," observes Dr. Doyle, " from
your familiar intercourse with ancient records, that
in the time of Henry the Eighth, the Chancellor,
and he only, introduced Bills into Parliament; and ,
that the King at that time was infinitely more power-
ful in the great Council of the nation than appears con-
sistent with the practice of the Constitution since the
glorious Revolution: At that time he had the pZiwer of
legislation almost in his own hands; but,notwithhtand-
ing the extent of his power, you will admit that he
could not have changed the whole frame of Church
Government, and trampled as he did upon the'rights
and privileges of the Bishops and Clergy, and do
so, according to you, " without violating his Cciro-
nation Oath." Now, if at that period the King in
Parliament could thus do what he did, and that you
acquit him of blame, how can you support the opi-
nion that the King in Parliament would now violate
his oath by altering such laWs relating to the Church
as he swore at his Coronation to maintain?" To a
.man of plain sense, the idea of the oath taken by
one of the branches of the supreme power to main-
tain what is established being a bar to all alteration
or modification by the whole of the branches, of
any of the institutions in Church or State, ap-
pears bey( ni measure absurd. This would be
giving to the particular Legislature which framed
the oath the power of tying up the hands
of all future Legislatures. But every succeed-
ing. Legislature possesses the same measure
of power which its predecessors posssessed,
and can not only exercise that power, in :intro-
ducing alterations and modifications into the various
institutions, civil and ecclesiastical, of the State,
but either s ipersede the existing coronation oath by
another of a different tenour, or enact that no coro-
nation oath whatever shall be taken. It is Inconsis-
tent with .all just notions of the supreme power
either that the Legislature of • a former age should
place its successors in an impossibility to act with
the same freedom which it exercised, or that the
oath of one branch of the supreme power to main-
tain what exists should be construed into a bar
of the supreme—power as a whole from al-
tering that which exists. The oath to main-
tain what exists, means necessarily to, maintain it
only till it is altered by a competent - power. The.
Sovereign alone has not the power to alter, though
his concurrence is necessary to any alteration ; and
the oath applies to ,him only in his capacity of Chief
Magistrate, acting under the direction of the Legis-
lature, by • which. he is invested with 'great
powers, and not to him as a branch of the Legis-
Wore. Dr. Doyle handles this part of the subject
with a triumphant superiority to his antagonist
"It is • not easy, Sir (he observes) to ima-
gine how a doubt c0i6.1 have entered the
mind cf any person as to the ability , of the
King in Parliament to repeA or enact any law
-whatever there
.reed upon; a7ui did we not often
find the cclearestclearesttaiths 01Y:cured:and almost rendered
worns- in which
should.sophistry
y doubtfulbis
could mistaite the applicxion of
the ti
pcx:
eii
msbl n
That the supreme power in a State y
cninot limit itself' to the subject now under con-
sidemtion, . The very first indtonction from this
printii)le appl;ed to our own State is, that the
Legisivare. or Parliament is competent to change
enisting. laws or to enact new oneF. A second con-
e regnewnoi: less .immediate is, that in doing so it
cz.rinot be by any law or engagement pre--
vionsiy wide either by itself or by arty preceding Le-
giAlattirel :Then, as to the oaths; are essence of
every o:vh, wherever God is appealed to as an
avenge., crises excepted, consists in calling upon
God to ‘v;-,te.:,.-• the t!-';h or sincerity of the declare-
tio:7, or promis!! n1:.(1?. In promissory oaths, to which
Corona:ion oth belongs, the Deity is
colledopon to witness the tr:ith and fidelity with
v:hiih he who sviett.:i ol.)::::rve-his engagement
or fuiM his contiacr.

"- ,52%.tch rnif;:s at-e co.:;t,reri Lie yrozp;se or captrect,
(tad cc-. 76 ;tie to bind .to twig as !i,e prowise contract
.'nil no longer. p4,:tlze ,?nterina- into the con-
ibsfolve it by totitu..l consent, for any considera-
tion, ..I:reptatile to pai.tiest thetnaclves, the oath ,eases
altobeher. If one p::.-ty violate thecontract, the ol.her is
freed Lath fl-om the obligation of the contract; and the
oath aanaxed to i% Wila.tever is here said of contract, is
rquAy applicable to pi-anti:Al:, Mr a promise made and
acc:2pred of is a . So, in like nianner, if the
parties entering.to a ‘oll'..:ac', or waking and accepting
of a, promise to which an oath blipens to he annexed,
should tittenvarils
the contract or promi,e so sur,de and entered into,
aanitgeircioerrgvi,Atoriii•ry
they ;re as much adlutaocr:ila.;leo)cer;orltsy; to alto. or - modify it as
du
t to
the Bishops,
if no oath wlia:.ever were - annexed it. poi. God
e%'n'agsagecma lele(nit sour lung taos 'snhestlld tie:istfl:ll;liruntenlite was not
adjureder
to testify t t the parties,tiittitial stt:hiseijileire.o:t:ll;lll;:ieetvroi
er
iicirm-viiio77,,„ chronic..
er,
the Kirg, by his Corona-
sor
ft is
paetieimorliniv.iii-elecno.itt:taolyth.tioio,rsbsdi:viis..is:upoutervcettaihol,t,sa t
ttiv
e-
rights, not made to them alooe, lint to 01 whole
nation, of which they form a di:-tinguished pa-3. The dif-
ferent clauses in the Coronation Oath 'are only a cbssifica-
tion or summary of the heads of the contract which the
King enters into with his people—and when he swears,
he only calls God to witness that he will fulfil snch con-
tract, the heads of which be has just recited."
We trikst the Letter will be pnblished---as a
iyitatlblejettrtoitisthheCattallieolliites-oAfssotheointchiant.holliet
ipCsahh7itgprcillibilye.

With infinite gratification—and may we not add un-
offendingly, with no small personal pride—do we record the
proceedings of yesterday's Meeting for the relief of the
Spanish exiles. A fortnight ago the subject of .their
sufferingsit was
broached afresh in the columns of the Times
jou
day since the opening of this painful topic has passed over
l. Nt'ith the single exception of Monday last, not a
us without a repetition of out first appeal to public bone_
volence, enforced as actively as our earnest feelings and.
our bumble abilities would permit, in the form of a leading
article. We trusted in the Press when applied to -its cha-
racteristic purpose of combining for one beneficent end, a
people whose hearts were filled with a common sentiment of
humanity. We trusted in English sympathy, and generosity
and power to give effect to both, on behalf of an unfor-
tunate body of men who would not disgrace their bent.-
factors. The result, though yet we trust in its infancy, is
even now in its spirit before us. The Chief Magistrate,
with great good sense and clearness, vindicated the true
object of the meeting as one exclusively charitable. With
withhold
not. as-
This, we say, was perspicuously stated, but we should belie
equal clearness he stated the grounds on whick the King's
.m
Government had drawn a line between Spaniards -whom it
would at ist,
sistance--viz. that one class had served in the same cause
with
Engianda,n:lvioiitiheetrshefirroltenawfohintm it wouldunatebi.ethruith
e,
n our own judgments if we added, that it appeared to us as
successful in the way of argument, as it was intelLgible in '
expressmn
• . All the Spanish exiles have been victims of a
tyranny directed no less against the interests of Britain than
against those of liberty : they were cast in destitution upon,
our Shores, and without help from some source they must have
perished. ;Much, however, did the Lord Mayor rejoice us
when he declared unequivocally the favourable feelings of
the Duke of Weliington and his Majesty's Governinent to-
wards the exiles; and when he told his bearers that the
' Government, by excluding these unfortunates from the
bounty of the state, had both in fact and in intention,
thrown them upon the benevolence of the people. The avowal
was hailed with tumultuous cheers by a crowded and kits--
tinguished assembly it was followed by the corresponding

assurances of a succession of able and eminent speakers, all
of whom concurred in rejecting every thought but of
Christian charity from their recommendation of the cause
which they advocated, and in urging the claims of these
poor foreigners upon the national bounty, by considerations
which would make their way to the bosoms of all ranks
of Englishmen. It was ascertained that the number of
the exiles needing sustenance had been reduced from 1,200
souls to 300, men, women, and children included; that with
unexampled delicacy and honour they had invariably with-
drawn themselves from the list when even a shadow of
any means of support, by the labour of their own Lands or
intellect, had been presented to them ; and that their af-
fectionate kindness towards each other, by sharing the most
scanty morsel of bread, or the thinnest shred of garment,
with those whose necessities were more urgent than their
own, could never be contemplated without profound
emotion. The exhortations addressed to the public mind,
not of the metropolis only, but of every great commu-
nity throughout England, by the Lord Mayor, and the elo-
quent speakers who succeeded him, will, we are satisfied,
produce the most beneficial effects upon the subscription.
To supply the poor exiles, most of them families of rank,
with any thing like an approach to decent comfort; will
require a sum of about 14,000/. per annum. The sub-
scription now begins to hid fair to be munificent, and God
grant it may go on and prosper ! The Concert at Guild-
hall, already adverted to in the Times, will, we trust„ be
fixed immediately for no distant evening, and its abundant
proceeds carried over to the general fund. fhe amount of
the subscription up to last night appears to be about 2,700/.
Times.

A publication entitled " A Letter to Dr. Philpotts,"
but being in point of dimensions rather a long pamphlet,
upon the almost forgotten subject of the Coronation Oath,
appears in the Dublin Evening Post of last Saturday,
with those initials, viz. I. K. L., by way of signature,
under which Dr. Doyle, the Catholic Bishop, used to put
forth his printed sentiments some three or four years ago.
There is no doubt of the present letter being the production
of this subtle and dexterous polemic, and as little that it
bears not at all upon those arguments connected with the
Catholic question, which now, in the contemplation of
most Protestants and Catholics, are of any importance to
the suceeae of it. We indeed have no objection to see
a by-battle between two such prize-fighters, whether
for their settlement of an old grudge, or of a dis-
puted championship, since it may leave them the less op-
portunity to mix in the main body of the political discus-
sion, and so to disturb their more peaceable and single-
minded neighbours. The Coronation Oath has been thrown
away as unserviceable by all men of decent understanding
amongst the anti-Catholics, with Lord Liverpool at the
heed of them; but if it still answers the -Rev. Drs. Phil-
potts and Doyle, as a stick wherewith they. may alter-
nately thrash each other, the rest of the world will have
an easier time of it—that's all. The more modern and
far more interesting shape of the question is this :—Shall
ire pass Emancipation with securities (as they are called)
or without thein ? . The great bulk of the people of Eng-
land are absolute in their demand of securities, through
come form or. other of positive or implied stipula-
tion. The Irish, or time who take upon themselves
to represent the Irish Catholics, as Mr. Eneas Mac-
ilonnell here, and Mr. Lawless' on the other side the
water, kick furiously at any sort-of- emancipation but such
as the people of this country regard in the light. of a sur-
render at discretion. • We are, willing to acknowledge, and
we have done so inforcnerinsoassee; that the incorporation
of our Catludielarbrethrenswith.,the htate has ever ap-
peared to us the,bea* .of, all .possarlessecueitiee. - Without
it there can be no other ; aud with it, as the thing presents
itself to us, no other security need he. But it is too much
to say that the British nation shall not have a yoke upon a
subject which co nearly toucher their own views of their
own national welisheing. , Ile who is called upon to give
up a share of that pniesea which he has enjoyed without a
partner fdt 140 year 4, may I..!ontend without much arro-
gance for some stipulation - that • the privileges which be
grants shall not be made an instrument for wresting from
him more than is now demanded: It is true Oat he
may be mistaken in overlooking the tendency of the very
boon which heconcedes„ to proteet him against further con-.
esaataions, and we think that in this case pur gountrym en are so
=sled- His prejudice has nevertheless a claim to conside-
ration, and ought :to be indulged so fur as is consistent
with the substanae and principle of the meditated change,
much for justice. And now, since prudence is. worth
something, we must add, that if the Irish Catholics are
wise, they will let the business of securities pass with as
lath, disturbance as may be. 'the F.pglisli Catholics,
through their noblest organ, have declared, that what-
ever might be their wish, their determination is to v-
etyt political liberty on " terms," if they can no other-
wise obtain it: the meaning of . whieli sensible, declara-
tion is, that without. some security, pr semblance of
security, they despair
we
getting,aceess to the Constitution.
In our last number ridichled the` notion of estWies
rejecting any addition to their present limited rights which
Parliament might deem it just to grant them. Nothing,
in fact, can be snore foolish than mach pledges, which
those who offer them would be the first to iiplate. But we
are aware of the difficultiea which embarrass an 4...asociator
in the present isitlamed spirit of the Irish people. If
Catholic leader shmild now attempt to ,quench the fire which
Itivaself had raised,- touot his followers on ; rnilk-and-water
diet, instead of continuing to dose them with whisky,—to
fewer the tone of the popular temperament by aq.dressing
the multitude like a man of business, instead of working
up their passions by boastful and presumptuous harangues--
be might have tzars about the loss of his influence, and
the forfeiture of a position which some more headlong rival
would speedily seize on the expulsion of its former tenant.
We do not, therefore, regard the oatensible promises or
threats of the Catholic leaders in Ireland as the index of
their personal opissLons, but merely as the osasure of that
level to which the feehogs of the general hotly isioae been
raised, and to which he wig) has the vulgar ambition ,
prolonging a worthless and fiii,i4ve popularity, fancies
that he is hound to conform. We do nut believe that
Mr. O'Connell had any serious intentios; a few days
ago of separating the Irish Catholics from thei' English
allies here, on pretence of the puke of Norfolk's moie,74-•
Lion. It would be monstrous to eoppose it : as if men em-
barked in one general cause had not es; s their several right
to independent opinions ; or as if there we pot a corns
mon enemy eager to profit by the first appearaw. of dis-
cord among brethren in distcess. So, with respee to
berets, it is not our belief that the more discerning of the s
Catiodies can be sitse,ere in the violence: of their language
Upon that subordinate qneation. The political prerogatives
of certain classes of their priesthood have no concaaral ap-
parently with the essence of the Catholic faith—with ti-east.
part of religion in which consists the feeling entertained
by man of the relation in which he stands towards his
Creator. Vs e say nothing of the religion of the Catholics
.—thotigh
ifheing Prot...estants, we, of course, prefer our
Oai ; but , any portion of what is called their " church
gooseesinent, and still more if such a feature in it as may
be peetaur to Ireland,
when compared with other coun-
tries, slutaii.4l appear to the supreme power of the empire
to threaten the Government of the State itself, it wards'
be difficult to ?Arm,
that such a temporal or. political
branch of Irish Popery 'cart never, in any case, be made
h? 1 another
1 take
the subject of legislative ta."%ntroul. We s
occasion of touching on the theater of secunties.—lbid.
As a tolerable proof that the Letts of the Dublin As_
sociation have no real wish to see what they call Catholic
Emancipation granted, we may instance dieie r:ecent.en-
deavour to disclaim the more moderate and practical ::;,.roes
of the British Catholics, who, with the Duke of Norfolk
at their head, are ready to accept the boon tinder such rea-
sonable securities as may be deemed wassail, No
sooner, however, does Mr. O'Connell see a chaurp pi the
professed object being thus arconiplished, than he tsices
especial care to make known that he has no idea of ending
the suit upon such terms. Like a true lawyer, he. appears
to dread the end of litigation ; and though his clients (at
least such of them as have the power of judging cc.: the, m, -
selvee) are anxious to come to a compromise, the very tasx!
that “ Othello's occupation" would then terminate fills the
Learned Barrister with dismay, and he threatens to spend
the last drop of his blood in the field or on thescaffold (not,
however, in single combat) rather than Eniancipzitio. shall
take effect even upon the terms which he himself oat y
three years ago, solemnly and deliberately suggested. It
would be a 'waste of words to talk of the sincerity and con-
sisteoey of people who thus, cantedeson-like, can change
as chanae
as often as it !nits them.- This last aVow4. of the Learned
Gentleman gives the Duke of Wellington a Ca.:a- oppor-
tunity of placing him and his followers more in the Weate- ez,
if it be possible, even than. they have already placed '
themselves. The Duke, it is said, is
a4ZiOIIS to set the
question at rest. He learns, from the MOS,' respectable
ae ree
of the English Catholics, that they are willing to
to reasonable securities. Nell, then, let those securi-
ties". he defined. Let Emancipation be granted upon
the terms thus chalked out. Let those accept it who
choose, and Let the world see how many will stand_
out by the side :1.4. the Learned Advocate and par,..t—,
of the Wings. IJaviog satisfied the reasonable part of the
Catholic body, the rest will heput so decidedly in the wrong
that ell the clamour and chicaneyy of interested bawlers
wall mo; cease to be able to keep togethee a clan sufficiently
large to inaintain their own importance. Another result
will be that the poor deluded creatures, from wh:,::e Aender
means the Rent la now wrung, would he disabused ani a:Pe
Aeceired. Seeing the most respectable and independent
Fart of the Catholic body asliefied with what Parlia-

meat will have done, or proposed to do, for them, they
will learn to keep their money in their pockets, and no
longer furnish the means of feeding hungry lawyers
and greedy declaimers. " But," says Mr. O'Con-
nell, " the Pope has been applied to, and has de-
clared that he will give his assent to no securities." So
much the better, we say. . We are glad to see his Holi-
ness brought upon the stage ; for we have again and again
been told that he was in no way a party in the question,
and was, in fact, both a spiritual and temporal non-entity.
Now, if the Pope denies us security, that is the best proof
in the world that it is indispensably necessary. Concor-
dats have been granted to other Protestant States, where
arrangements with the Catholics have made them neces-
sary ; and to deny similar arrangements to the British
Government is to show the cloven foot in a way which
cannot he misunderstood. If the fact be as Mr. O'Con-
nell states, then he has furnished the strongest argument
against himself; if otherwise, as we suspect the truth to
he, then he is the veriest Marplot who ever ventured on
intrigue.—Morning Herald.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

A young man, named Green alias While, was
brought before the LORD MAYOR, charged with
having lurked about the premises of Mr. Brown, of
Basinghall-street, with intent to rob.
The prisoner, it appeared, had called at the ware-
house in the morning,. and asked. for a person who
did not reside there. He soon afterwards called
again, and asked for another; and in the evening,
when it was dark, he was seen in a small court
close to the premises, which court was not a
thoroughfare.
The prisoner denied that he had called at the pre-
mises in the morning, and stated that Firs object in
appearing in the evening was far from being a dis-
honest one.

The LORD MAYOR asked him what trade or pro-
fession he belonged to? He replied, that he had
officiated as steward in a merchant vessel, and sailed
to Peru; and that he had seen a great deal of the
world.

The LottD MAYOR said, that in all probability he
had stopped for a while in Van Dieman's Land.
The prisoner seemed rather annoyed at this sup-
position. He was not, he said, aware that he had
touched at that quarter.

The LORD MAYott—Think for a while; I think
you touched at Botany Bay (a laugh.) Prisoner—
Botany Bay ! Oh dear, no ! I don't think it possi-
ble—( laughter.)
The Loitp MAYOR--I think you'll find I'm
right. Pray, is not your name White ?—Prisoner
(affrighted)—White ! No, my Lord ; I should think
not.

Mr. Brown said, he now perfectly recollected the
prisoner, whose name was White, and whose father
was transported some time ago, for robbery.
The Prisoner—My name is Green. I never was
called White; and if my father was transported, I
know nothing about it. I don't think any thing of
the kind happened to me.—(Laughter.)
The LORD MAYOR thought the ease was one
which would warrant him in committing the prisoner
as a rogue and vagabond. It was evident that, from
the circumstance of his inquiring in the morning, and
lurking about in the evening, and adopting a wrong
name, that his intention was to commit felony.
Mr. Brown raid, that !eventl warehouses in the
neighbourhood had been robbed of cloth.

Mr. Holder said, his Lordship was perfectly war-
ranted in committing the prisoner.
The prisoner begged that the Lord Mayor would
look at the words of the Act, which be considered
did uot include his case. He then pointed out a
passage which, be believed, placed him out of the
operation of the Act,
His LORDSHIP, however, con victed and fentenced
him to three months! imprisonment and hard labour
in the House of Correction.

A Paddington coachman was brought before the
LORD MAYOR, charged with having committed a
most outrageous assault upon a gentleman. _
The complainant appeared in the Justice-room,
with the blood streaming from his head and face, and
told the 4,rd Mayor, that- he had been just assaulted
by a coachman in the most cruel mid wanton manner.
As he was riding along, the coachman struck his
horse with a whip, upon which he turned about, and
Tgproached the fellow for having done what might
have Foyed a most dangerous thing. The coach-
man instantiy Ilruck him with the handle of the
whip about the head. The complainant had, in the
first instance, applied for a summons; but
The Lolly MAYOR immediately granted a war-
7hich was forthwith executtlt:. As soon as
the coacin saw the complainant,he dropped down
upon his knees, a:4 begged forgiveness, in conside-
ration of his wife and six children. This the com-
plainant appeared willing to grant; but
The Loltp MAYOR said, he could not allow any
thing of the kind, To permit violence of so aggra-
vated a nature to pass with impunity, would be an
act of great injustice to the public.
The defendant was then, in default of bail, com-
mitted to prison.