The Sun.
London, England, 1819-01-21 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL JOURNALS.

The active and determined measures adopted
by the Roman Catholics of Ireland to force them-
selves into a share of Legislative Power, demands
the strenuous opposition of all friends to the Pro-
testant Church, We are rejoiced to find that
there are loyal and patriotic Journals in this
country and •in Ireland, who are justly alarmed
at the consequences which may attend farther
concessions to POPERY, and endeavour, zealously,
to resist its pretensions. But will the Psorss-
TAIT CLERGY slumber at this alarming crisis, and
leave a cause of this vital importance to the ex-
istence of TUE CONSTITUTION and the National
Faith to the efforts of Public Journalists, when
we have so often assured them that Tit 8 SCN shall
at ell-times be open for their communications in
support of our Religion and our Government ?
We trust that they will not expose themselves to
the censure which must necessarily arise from
such negligence on so solemn an occasion, and
on so imperious a call upon them for a zealous
discharge of their duty in support of the Religious
Establishment of which they are members, and on
which the.happiness of the Empire essentially de-
pmts. We have taken the following observa-
tions on this subject from The Leeds Intelligelcer
of the !Sill inst. and hope to see most of the
Public Journals throughout the United Empire
follow the example, that we may have the oppor-
tunity of transferring their remarks to the columns
of Tue. SUN, and of giving them universal circu-
lation

" The Irish Catholics appear determined to
make a grand struggle for the total and lingua-
litied repeal' of all the laws which impose restric-
t tons upon them, with respect to their admission
to offices of trust under the Crown ; or even to
the Crown itself. Such appears to be a fair de-
duction from their conduct—for nothing. shirt of
a total emancipation will content them ; and the
manner in which one of their advocates has re-
d in The Belfast News Letter, to a card, de-
manding. whether such a repeal would not lay the
Crown open to a Roman Catholic Sovereign,
plainly sheris that they have already that object
in view.

" In protesting against the admi;;sion of Ca.
titniics to offices of trust and power tauter u Pro-

• /extant Government, we,are not Comitious #x"
ercising any illiberality towards persons of that
persuasion ; we are only acting with a due degree
of prudence towards those who profess the saute
faith with ourselves. A distinguished feature in
the Roman Catholic Religion is intolerance.—
Even in the present depressed state of the Papal
Power, this evil spirit is sufficiently evinced.-=-
%Vitness the Protest of the Catholic Bishops of
Belgium, against the tree toleration of all reli-
gions denominations, and the conduct of Papists
among ourselves, who will not send their
chil-
dren to a school where the Bible is read, or the
Church Catechism- taught, although they insist
' upon free liberty to preach their owu (locators in
the same seminaries
" 'Co assume that the Catholics have an un-
doubted claim to the same privileges as their Pro-
testant brethren, is to assert, that a Government
has no right to affix Tialifications to any office in
its gift ; but that all west be thrown open to any
competitor, however unfi ed he may he, from his
principles, his abilities, or his station in society.
A constieni ions Catholic cannot he a good sub-
ject in a place of trust to a Protestant Prince. It
.is contrary to the very principles of his religion ;
and however the advocates of the question may
gloss over their hi,a,orted prejtelices, and whatever
preteuers to liberality of sentiment they them-
selves may make—the single fact of the re-publi-
cation of the Rhetosh Testament, with all os in-
toletant, persecuting, and blond-thirsty Notes,
under the express saner Inn of the Catholic Bi-
shors of Ireland, is stolicient to outweigh all
such flimsy and unfounded sophistry.
" The Catholics now enjoy the full exercise of
their religion, without any harassing restrictions ;
hut traespose situations, and how long would
they softer ois ro possess the flee exercise of ours
Es cry page of our history, from the Reformation
to the Revolution, is conclusive as to the (pies-
dolt. IVe deprecate the return of evils such as
our ancestors had to endure ; and we wish to pre-
serve, in all their vigour, those wholesome laws,
which have eiveu security to both Protestant and
Catholic—whilst they have preserved the for-
mer from the tyranical encroachments of the
latter."

FOR 'MIL SUN.

MR. EDITOR,-With very great pleasure I ob-
serve that you have opened the campaign. Our

adversaries are active and strong :—we too are
strong ; and strong enough to cope with them in
any manner which their conduct shall render ne-
cessary ; by argument to refuse their demands,
and otherwise, should the refusal be resented. We
are nor, however, equ3lly active :—lntich thanks
therefore are due to every man who comes for-
ward in the cause, and
.particularly to those
Edi:ors who devote their columns to its support.
At such a crisis, I do, indeed, rejoice to see you
thus early in the field ; and hope, now you have
raised the standard, that your troops will spew a
speedy and numerous muster. yasi;le for a
while, Sir, questions of minor importance, and
you will have abundant and 'convenient space for
this most interesting discussion.

I ant not skilled in the management of heavy
artillery; neither, pet baps, can I do great service
the battalion :—but, it you will enroll me
among your sharp-shooters, you shall find me al-
ways at my
post. Excuse these .military meta-
phors ; which, as the Papists in their Irish
" statement" boasted so unmetaphorically of their
" military means.ot attack and defence," came
quite naturally-into the subject.
Precedent is of great authOrity. Our forefathers
were at least as wise as ourselves ; and we shall
do well to profit by their wisdom. Observe then
the conduct of the Commissioliers at the Savoy,
when, in 1660, a conference was held concerning
the church service, of which certain Reformers
desired an alteration. Bishop Burtair.T's own
words aptly strew bow we should now deal by the
Popish Emancipators

.6 After the Declaration was set out, a Commission was
granted to twelve of a side, with nine Assistants to each side,
who were appointed to meet at the Savoy, and to consider
on the ways of unitiog both sides. At their first meeting,
*SIIELooN told them, that those of the Church hod not de-
sired this Meeting, as being sativied with Me legal Esta-
blishment ; and therefore they had nothing to eer; but it
belonged to the other side, who moved for alterations, to off r,
both their exceptions to the lows be being, and Me alterntiona
that they proposed. He told them, they were to lay all they
had to offer before them at once; for they would not engage
to treat about any one particular, till they .saw how far their
demands went.—SLIELDoN saw well what the effect would be,
of putting them to make all their demands at once. The
number of them raised a mighty outcry against them, as
against PEoPLE THAT NLVEIt WOULD BE SATISFIED. "—Bur-
net's History of his own Tnnes,/v. 1. part Q.

Better ht e than never.—This precedent should
have been observed when Popery first began de-
manding ; but let it not be therefore neglected
while any thing remains for her to demand. The
conference, as Bunt.= tells us, " broke up" in
consequence of SHeLDON's wise precaution.; which
had the additional effect, that the existing,laws
were strengthened, and the complainants got no-
thing by their complaint—except additional dis:-

May our Protestant Legislature mnke com-
plete use of this wisdom and its comprehensive
precedent !

VIGIL.

• The Chief Comnliggioner of the Church. SttEt,noN wag
Archhighop Canterbury. His conduct spews that he was
not Uisop of Sorwich.

Tll EATRI CAL REGISTER.
Prriorneed I,ftst
TtirAthr. ROYAL, DM/ Rif-WAN ii time), Brutus: Lu-
cius Junius, %fr. Kean ; Tarquinia, Mrs. W. %Vest. After
which, The Silver Arrow.
THEATRE, ROYAL, COVENT-GARDEN.—Rub Roy Macgregor;
Fralizis Osbaldistone, M. Dui set ; Diana Vernon, Miss
btcl:hens. After which, Harlequin Nlunchausen.