The Sun.
London, England, 1828-01-28 00:00:00

formed the heaviest of the charges against Charles
the First—that of levying taxes without the consent
of Parliament. It was in vain .that (Merles de-'
dared he .did so by prescriptive right, inherited
from his Royal Predecessors on the Throne of
England. It was declared that no prescription
or ancient usage could justify a proceeding
so control), to the spirit of a free Constitution=—that
to tax people without allowing them to be heard by
their representatives was of the essence of tyranny,
and consequently, a departure from the original cotr,
pact between the Throne and the public, which con-
stituted the basis of a limited monarchy. It is cu-
rious enough to observe how little parish oligarchies
can now do in this country what Kings dare not at-
tempt. The spirit of resistance to those petty oli-
garchies is, now, however, awakened, and is spread-
ing wider every day. It is true that some of the
" things" called Select Vestries are constituted by
old Acts of Parliament, which some crafty parish
jobbers contrived to get passed in former days, at
times, when one might suppose the great body of
the parishioners were fast asleep—for how, in their
waking senses, they could allow their rights to be di-
vested out of themselves, Iv:about a struggle, by a few
designing persons we cannot conceive. But others of
these" Select Vestries" have no title to show but what
arises from usurpation, a title which, however ancient
it may be, can have no force when pleaded against
common right. All the parishes where . such
things" domineer and dispose of the money of the
parishioners as they please, should be proceeded
against without applying to. Parliament at all, and
they must soon lay down their usurped dictatorship,
as the -" select thing" of St. Paul's, Covent-garden,
did. But, of course, where there are Acts of Par-
liament by which the Select Vestries have been
created or modified, the Legislature must be ap,
plied to; though we believe there are none of them
who do not exceed the powers with which such
Acts of Parliament originally, and most improperly,
invested them. The' most impudent, as well as
mischievous sort of " job" of which those oligar-
chies have been guilty is, the involving parishes in
debt to remote generations by raising loans to defray
the charges of their present extravagance. In some
of the parishes in London loans are as regularly ad-
vertised for as they were some time ago by the
South American States, and with about much the
same-prospect of their speedy liquidation.—Morning
Herald.

There is something in the tone of the answers
returned by the new Bishop of Winchester to the
different public bodies who have addressed him from
the capital of his diocese, on his enthronement and
first appearance among them, •which delights us ex-
ceedingly. It would.really seem as if Dr. Sumner
looked to something more than the mere emolu-
ments of his. See, and as if he thought that a Chris-
tian Prelate ought to have some other object than
merely " adding house to house, and field to field."
Perhaps there is in the universe no character so
truly amiable and enviable as a Christian Minister
strenuously bent on fulfilling the objects of his call-
ing, and blessed with the means of so doing. That
the Reformed Church has presented many such in-
stances cannot be denied; nor has our own age
been destitute of them; but it is truly lamentable
to observe how much the history of religion abounds
with its corruptions, and how often the revenues of
episcopacy—and those misapplied—have been the
sole. objects of those on whom have devolved duties
and pursuits of so opposite a nature. In reply to
one of the bodies who have addressed him, after ex-
pressing in manly but mod6t terms his sense of the
reception he has experienced, the Bishop thus ex-
presses himself :
" Such demonstrations of regard," says She, " afford
new motives for exertion in that sphere • of duty which has
been recently opened to me in this See. I must not forget,
however, that these motives, powerful and encouraging as

they are in their proper place, should be considered only as -
secondary to a still higher principle. My earnest prayer
is, that by God's grace I may be influenced primarily, not,
by the favour or fear of man, but by the remembrance of
that solemn account I must one day give of the care which
has been taken of the spiritual interest of the diocese com-
mitted to my charge."
'A heart which thus feels, and a mind which thus de-
livers itself, is far beyond the reac h of any flattery
which we could offer it, were any such our object.—

As zealous friends to the Church Establishment, we
do feel, however, peculiar pride and gratification is
pointing out such sentiments to the homage and
respect which they so highly merit. Let such prin-
ciples as these but influence the conduct of the new
diocesan in the extensive career of usefulness which
is now open to the Bishop of Winchester, and•we
augur from it not only the most beneficial results to
that• part of the Clergy, on whom its more immediate
effects will devolve ; but that others, taking the tone
from such an example, will speedily adopt it, and
the cause of religion throughout the whole kingdom
will be ultimately benefitted in a way in which—with-
out disparagement be it spoken—few similar instart-
ces• or opportunities in our time, have Occurred.—
Ibid.

From the various accounts that are circalatedre,

speeting the Thames Tnnnel, we very much fear
that further progress in that great work will be
long impeded. It is now said, that nearly the whole
remaining part of the borings, if carried forward at
all, must be carried through loose strata of sand and
alluvial deposits, which must require the formation
of a new soil over them, or the employment of fresh
machines, by which additional expence will be
created. It would be,_ however, a national shame
to abandon such an undertaking, the ultimate suc-
cess of which is certain, provided there are funds to

pay for the assistance Nvhich art and science can
supply. When remarking on this subject at the
time of the accident, we suggested that the present
Tunnel should be bricked up, and the work com-
menced from the north shore. We are still of
opinion that this would be the best way to
proceed, and to encourage fresh subscrip-
tions. We should be disposed to recommend, in
addition, that but one archway should be formed
at once ;. if the present mode of building will not ad-
mit of this, it may, without difficulty, be changed.
By diminishing the size, we necessarily diminish the
pressure of the superincumbent -mass, and in the
event of accident, the repair would he much less ex-
pensive, and much sooner made; There- are two
things which cannot but be regretted, though now
regret is useless--lst, that the Tunnel was not ten
or twelve feet lower, as the superior safety would
have infinitely outweighed the increased expenee of
longer approaches : 2d, that more accurate bor►ngs
should not have been made, before the work was
begun. If ever any similar work shOuld be attempted
this most essential preliminary must be attended to.
In a stream like the names, whose bottom is neces-
sarily unequal, it is Hot at all impossible, that by go-
ing up or down a few hundred yards, a sound and
tenacious sub-st►atum might have been discovered.—
New Times.

THE DOG.—LEONARD SOLIKOFFE it, a
Swiss nobleman, who went to Patis on the conclusion of
the Swiss union as ambassador, had a large dog, whom on
his departure he had ordered to be shut up for eight days.
The dog was so, 'yet at the end of eight days traced his
way to Paris, (400 milei,) and on the day of audience
made his way all covered with mud, and leaped up mad
for joy upon his master. In the family castle at Thuringia,
there is a painting of the story. The dog is the only ani-
mal that dreams; he and the elephant the only animals
that nnclrstand looks : the dog is the only quadruped that
has'been brought to speak. LEIBNITZ
.bears witness, in his
"History of the Academy of Sciences at Paris," to a hound
in Saxony, that he could speak distinctly thirty words. A
friend came to Men.tur, the famous French surgeon, and
entreated him as a mark of friendship to attend his hound
who had broken his leg. 31oaatri cured
him, and in
about four weeks after, as he was at breakfast, heard a
whining and"scratching at his door, and on opening it be-
held his old patient with another dog, who had broken his
leg ; making; signs to be healed. Dogs are put to an
-amazing variety of uses. In Otabeite they are fattened on
bread-fruit for eating; in Karnschatka they are used' for
drawing sledges; in Upper India for beasts of burden, as
mules and packhorses; by the Jesso islanders for fiShing•
13I,UMENBACH rather thinks that all the varieties of dogs
do oat come from one original sort.—London Medical
Gazette, Jan. 26.
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