The Sun.
London, England, 1828-10-23 00:00:00

, tion to be one of unprofitable theology or of specu.-
lative opinion; but a plain, downright struggle for
political power and clerical riches. Whether it is
• expedient that the Roman Catholic aspirants for the
good things in Church and State should obtain what
they seek or not, it is, at all events, right that the
question should be placed on its proper foundation.—
. Morning Herald.
The Meeting at Maidstone to-morrow begins to
assume an importance which a were county meeting
on the subject of Catholic Emancipation, or indeed
on any other subject, never yet had.
_lts result, in
fact, is looked forward to by all parties with as
much interest and anxiety, as if its decision were to
be final on the great question which will form the
subject of its discussion ; and the preparations
which are making by all parties in order to have
such Resolutions passed at it as are agreeable to
their own views, exceed any thing which has ever
been known, except in the case of a strongly con-
tested election. The Brunswick party, on the one
hand, have not only sent forth their emissaries into
every town and hamlet in the county, in order to
rouse the spirit of intolerance in the people, but,
actually hired every post-chaise, chariot, and horse,
on which they could lay their hands, in order to
bring up their supporters to the scene of action; '
and the liberals, on the other hand, have been busily
engaged in disseminating tracts and pamphlets to
convince the " men of Kent" that the Catholic re-
ligion is not so wholly bad as the former would re-
present it, and that the granting of Catholic Eman-
cipation would not, in any way, endanger the Pro-
testant Constitution. Every effort, in fact, is making
by both parties in order to turn the scale of votes in
their favour ; and, from all that we can yet learn,
the chances of victory are still doubtful. Mr. Sheil
has arrived from Ireland to be present at the Meet-
ing, and offer what resistance he can to the passing of
resolutions unfavourable to the Catholic cause.—
Two freeholds, it is said, have been purchased out
of the produce of the Catholic rent, in or-
der to enable him and another to appear at the
Meeting. All the Noblemen of the county, in-
cluding Lord Holland, have likewise signified their
intention to be present; and, to conclude, Cobbett
has declared that he will be there to say something
of tithes and taxes, and Hunt of Parliamentary
Reform. Were there any certainty that this Meet-
ing of the " Kent men" would represent fairly the
sense of the people of England upon the all-im-
portant question of Ireland, it would be hailed by all
parties as a God-send. The. Brunswickers would
then know what they had to dread, and the Ca-
tholics what they had to expect—a uniform
policy either of coercion or concession would
be pursued, and the minds of all set at rest,
as to what was necessary to be done. But
it will note and cannot, have any such effect.
The people of England will no more allow the
men of Kent to dictate to them on such an im-
portant subject, than they will allow the Catholic -
Association of Ireland to frame laws for them. They
will think and act for themselves; and we cannot
therefore but look upon those ho have busied
themselves to get up the meeting, as disturbers of
the public peace, rather than friends to the public
tranquillity—as insulting the Government by doubts
of its adherence to the principles of the Constitu-
tion—and declaring unto the Parliament that it has
no faith in it. This Kent Meeting, in fact, was .
intended by its projectors to exercise the same sort
of influence upon the deliberations of the people of
England, that the Catholic Association has exer-
cised
on the actions of the people of Ireland. Both
are an insult to the GoVernment, the good sense and
the peace of the country—all of which would pro-
ceed more satisfactorily were they suppressed.—
Morning Advertiser.

To-morrow is the day appointed for the meeting
on Penenden Heath, and intense anxiety as to the
result is universally felt. For ourselves, we have

too much confidence in the judgment and patriotism
of the freeholders of Kent to imagine for an in-
stant that the sense of that enlightened body, fairly
taken, could be found inimical to the constitutional
measure proposed for their adoption. But it is well
known that meetings of this description are liable
to abuse from the machinations of evil designing
persons, who by annoyance and tumult may seek
to throw discredit upon the proceedings, or by the
introduction of irrelevant matter obstinately urged,
may endeavour to create embarrassment, and ex-
clude the legitimate object in view. We trust that
measures may be taken to baffle, as far as possible,
any such contrivances on the present momentous oc-
casion ; and then indeed we may look forward with
unmingled confidence to the result. That the great
majority of the Kentish freeholders entertain senti-
ments hostile to any further concessions to the -Ro-
man Catholics, there does not exist a shadow of
doubt. The fact is equally apparent to the friends
and enemies of the Constitution; and while the
former view it with exultation, it is to the latter a
source of dread and apprehension. Accordingly,
there is no effort left untried on their parts to mis-
represent the objects of the Meeting, or to excite
opposition to it. With this view an Assembly con-
vened for the purpose of expressing the popular
opinion on a subject of the highest importance is de-
signated a conspiracy ! A conspiracy to support the
Constitution in Church and State ! A conspiracy to
enable the Government more effectually to resist the
encroachments of an usurping faction ! But the ab-
scence of better argument which could alone prompt
such an accusation, furnishes another and yet more
shameless example of effrontery. The " friends
of religious freedom" are called upon to come
forward on the Liberal side, and oppose the ex-
pression of Protestant opinion. Can so shallow, so
false a pietence as this impose on any person ? Des-
perate indeed must be that cause which could
stoop to resort to it. What, we naturally ask, has
the matter in agitation to do with religious free-
dom ? What laws exist under our Protestant Con-
stitution directed against the liberty of conscience ?
Freedom of religious opinion is the essential cha-
racteristic of Protestantism ; and it has been well
observed, that in order still to maintain this free-
dom it is necessary that Protestantism should con-
tinue in the ascendant. It has, however, been of late
argued with considerable earnestness that all our
apprehensions are visionary, that should Catholic
Emancipation be granted, the Catholic Laity, having
obtained all they desire, would make no further
efforts to advance the interests of the Clergy, who
are strong and to be feared only as they have the
united strength of the Laity to assist them, that thus
deserted, they would become powerless and de-
prived of the means of further hostility. This ar-
gument, which is addressed to Protestants with the
view of lulling their vigilance, appears altogether
futile, when we consider that the very first princi-
ples of the Catholic religion bind all who profess it
to advance its interests by every meals in their
power. But supposing for a moment that Catholic
Members of Parliament would so far forget this im-
perious duty as to remain quiet and contented under
a Protestant Government, would the Priests, though
they lost their influence over the Gentry (for such
an absurdity has been broached)—would they, we
ask, also lose that noxious influence they have ob-
tained, through craft and superstition, over the de-
luded electors of Ireland, through whose means the
choice of Members would be in their own hands ?
We should scarcely have deemed this foolish strata-
gem worthy of notice; had it not been pressed for-
ward with so much perseverance. It is enough to
show the miserable shifts to which a bad cause has
reduced its supporters. The men of Kent are not
, to be deceived either by the unwarrantable abuse or
iithose them i in
the abortive reasoning of the enemies of order. Let
them do their duty—let them show to their noble
brother Protestants of the Sister island that there
are
in England
the p
trvehsoe r
vcaattiro andn
of willour liberties.—
tpi
eesr.a_t e
Morning post.

We believe that the manifestations of an opposi•
tion to the proceedings on Penenden Heath, by
Lords Camden, Holland, and others, amount to
little more than empty swagger on the part of the
liberal press. Thew Noblemen may be courageous