The Sun.
London, England, 1828-06-19 00:00:00

We call the attention of our readers to our

Report of the Dinner yesterday, at which his
Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex presided,
/ given by the Protestant Dissenters in honour of
those to whose exertions in Parliament they are
indebted for the removal of the restraints on reli-
gious liberty imposed by the Test and Corpora-
tion Acts. The assemblage was numerous and
most respectable. The speeches are worthy of
the occasion ; but we arc compelled to postpone
all notice of them for the present. We merely
wish to notice the striking and unanswerable re-
futation which was given by this numerous
Meeting to the calumny, that the Protestant
Dissenters arc generally averse to Catholic Eman-
cipation. To a man the Meeting were as loud
in hailing every sentiment favourable to Catho-
lic Emancipation, as they were in cheering the
achievement effected in favour of themselves.—
Surely it will not be said that this assemblage
did not fairly represent the property and respec-
tability of the Protestant Dissenters. Let us
then hear no more of this calumny.—lbid.
No one ever supposed that Mr. Vesey Fitz-
gerald, or Mr. T. Courtenay were appointed to
their situations on account of any knowledge
possessed by them of the important interests
committed to their care. In fact, it has been
so much the established practice in this country
to consider the acceptableness of the office for
the man, instead of the suitableness of the man
for the office, that at any other time than when
men like Mr. Huskisson and Mr. C. Grant were
removed, to make way for two such hopeflil gen-
tlemen as Mr. V. Fitzgerald and Mr. T. Cour-
tenay, the thing would have passed as a matter
of course. The truth of the maxim of Cowper
is well understood in England:—
" Lucrative offices are seldom lost
For want of powers proportioned to the post :
Given even a dunce the employment he desires,
And he soon finds the talents it requires ;
A business with an income at its heels
Furnishes always oil for its own wheels."
But what excited some surprise was. the confes-
sion of Mr. T. Courtenay of the ignorance of
himself and Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald of all matters
connected with the commerce of the country.
The Duke has, it seems, received ix them two
virgin politicians, on whose unspotted minds he
can produce any impression he pleases. "Dur-
ing the ensuing recess," said Mr. T. Cot y,
V. his Right Hon. Colleague (Mr. lane-
raid) and himself intended to give their whole
attention to this very important and controverted
question. They felt it their duty to take this
course, as they were aware of the difference be-
tween opinions formed as members of a party,
and under the awful responsibility of office. It
was their intention, therefore, to treat the Colonial
Question, the Shipping Question, the General
l'rinciples of Trade, and all the other Questions
mat belonged to their department, with the same
impartiality as if their minds were a • sheet of
blank paper. Formerly they delivered such
opinions as they were told to deliver, and voted
as they were told to vote ; but their minds being
perfectly a blank with regard to any knowledge
of the subject, they will avail themselves of their
ignorance, to do nothing till that ignorance he
dispelled by a course of studies in the ensuing
summer. we h ire no doubt, says a con-
temporary (the Globe), ,4 that the new Pre-
sident and Vice-President will play exceedingly
well the parts they are to assume—of men ut-
terly ignorant of the concerns which they are to
administer." But it is so much more common
in the world fur ignorant men to lay cloann to
more knowledge than they possess than to con-
fess their utter deficiency in the qualifications
they ought to possess, that the peculiarity which
this case affords is worth inquiring into. Had
the admission proceeded from Mr. Veeey Fitz-