The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-30 00:00:00

ill.
''lllriellill 111
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LONDON, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1844.

bias him, think=, with far more common sense, that
the building of new churches is but a secondary con-

sideration, and that the first great object to be held
in view, is the providing th© people with competent
spiritual instructors, for it is manifestly useless to
erect additional religious edifices, before their minds

are sufficiently prepared by a course of judicious
training to receive in a becoming- spirit the doc-
trines that may be there inculcated. Most High
Churchmen will probably feel a disposition to side
with the Bishop of LONDON, but more enlightened

and dispassionate observers will be apt to adopt the
same view of the case as that adopted by Lord
WHARNCLIFFE. In another part of his speech, re-

(erring to the important subject of national educa-
tion, his Lordship remarked that the clergy insisted
that, as the appointed ministers of the Church, they
had a sort of right to conduct the universal educa-
tion of the people of this country. "Now, this
would be all very true," argued the Noble Lord, " if
all the people professed the Established religion ; but
unfortunately that is not the case. We all know
how rife Dissent is; moreover, we see yearly and
monthly new sects arising, some of which,
more or less, detach persons from the Church
of England ; and there can be no doubt that the
whole body of Dissenters from the Establishment is
a very considerable one. Now they all undoubtedly
contribute towards these grants. Every man, whether
Churchman or Dissenter, pays the taxes out of which
this fund is to be provided, and therefore they are to
be considered in this matter; and this being so, I do
not think that the clergy can set up a right to teach
those persons who do not belong to the Church of
which they are ministers." This is temperate, rational,
and, to our thinking, conclusive reasoning, the force of
which no unprejudiced person can gainsay. In fact,
to what more does it amount than just this ? Give
fair play to all parties. Do not serve the interests of
the Churchman to the manifest detriment of those of
the Dissenter, but mete out an equal measure of justice
to them both. But these calm and dispassionate views
will not suit the purposes of the High Church party,
who are for exercising• the same general ascendancy
over the minds of the people that they exercised in
less enlightened times during the bigoted and despo-
tic reign of the ultra-Tories. These one-sided persons
cannot endure the idea of the people outgrowing
their leading-strings, and presuming to think and act
for themselves. They would still keep them in a
state of pupilage, and allow them to receive no edu-
cation but such as they themselves direct. Fortu-
nately for the interests of the community at large, the
power of the High Church party is in an inverse ratio
with their pretensions ; true, they still possess vast
influence, but were that influence equal to the
claims which they set up for themselves as sole judges
of what is best for the religious and educational in-
terests of the people, there would be no limits to
their harassing and supercilious domination. To-

-
wards the close of his speech, after making an effort
to conciliate the clergy, whom he se,ms to think he
will offend by venturing to insist on fair play for the
Dissenters, Lord WIIhaNCLIFFR makes some judicious
suggestions respecting schoolmasters, on whose im-
provement, he says, depends the improvement of
education.

We announce with great regret, in another part of
The Sun, an awful calamity which took place on Sa-
turday afternoon at Haswell Colliery, about eighteen
miles from Newcastle and seven from Durham.
Nearly one hundred persons were in a few minutes
struck dead by one of the most terrible explosions of fire-
damp on record. But few particulars of the afflicting
scene have been received ; but, as may well be supposed,
it has created a dreadful sensation in the neighbourhood,
and spread lamentation and mourning among thousands.
Fatal accidents of a similar kind have lately been of
frequent occurrence, and the more blame, therefore,
is justly imputed to those whose duty it was to guard
against such destruction of human life. Are there no
inspectors of mines in these districts—no person
whose duty it is to see that the pits are safe, before
hundreds of unfortunate beings expose themselves
together to destruction? We confidently trust that,
at the inquest on the bodies, this lamentable event
will be thoroughly investigated, and the blame
brought home to the negligent parties.

The Madrid Gazette of the 21st publishes the fol-
lowing royal decree :—" Considering the merit, ser-
vices, and talents of Don CARLOS MARTINEZ DE
IRUJO, Marquis of Casa Irujo, Duke of Soto-Mayor,
and Grandee of Spain of the First Class, I appoint
him my Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni-
potentiary at the Court of her Majesty the Queen
Of GREAT BRITAIN. Given at the Palace on the
20th September, 1844." This nobleman, who is said
to be one of the largest purchasers of national pro-
perty, had been charge d'affaires at the Court of
Louis XVIII. On the 22d Count Mongol' gave a
grand banquet to the Cabinet Ministers and Foreign
Ambassadors, on the occasion of the appointment of
MARTINEZ DE LA RosA to the Foreign Department.
The meeting of the New Cortes is now looked to
with considerable interest. The candidates for the
Presidency of the Senate were hitherto the Marquis
Of MIRAFLORES and Count as FONTANCE.

Letter's from different parts of Spain give deplor-
able accounts of the depredations committed by ban-
ditti. Among the sufferers are the Count DB VA..
RENNEs, Minister of France at Lisbon, who was
stopped, on the night of the 15th, by five robbers, be-
tween Valdepenas and Santa Cruz de Mudela. He
was travelling by the Seville diligence, and he and
M. DE CEUTO, the Secretary of the Spanish Embassy
at Lisbon, were stripped of everything, including
16,000 reals and a quantity of jewels.
On the 21st the Three per Cents. were done at
1711 at 60 days; the Five per Cents., 24 for cash;
the Floating Debt, 651 at 50 days; and the Debt
without Interest at 6i, at 60 days.

The French Opposition journals express great
indignation against his Majesty Lovis Pazurrm for
announcing, to the English and American Peace So-
ciety, his anxious desire to preserve; during his life-

The speech made by Lord WIIARNCLII7I3 on Mon-
day last at the Barnsley meeting of the Society for
Promoting the Increase of Church Accommodation,
while it will probably give offence to the more
bigoted members of the High Church party—who in
matters of Faith as in matters of education are
anxious to have everything their own way—will be
read with no slight interest by those who are more
catholic and enlightened in their views. Alluding to
the spread of religious feelings among the com-
munity, his Lordship states, inter alia, that at one
time his opinion was, that the first thing to be done
in order to encourage this spread, was to build
churches, but that he had now discovered his mis-
take. He now thought that the first duty was to
appoint persons who would administer spiritual in-
struction to the people ; and when that duty was
properly perfarmed by duly qualified and zealous
men, then, he was persuaded, that there would be no
want of the means of erecting new churches. We
mention this opinion of the Lord President of the
Council because it is in direct opposition to that
maintained by the precise and somewhat narrow-
minded Bishop of LONDON. The ghostly Prelate,
true to his professional instincts, thinks that the only
effectual way of diffusing a religious spirit among
the people, is by building new churches. They have
not half churches enough, he tells the clergymen of
his diocese ; their souls are literally starving for want
of them, and until this want is copiously supplied,
there is not the slightest prospect of any religious
improvement taking place among the great mast of
the community. Lord WHARNCLIFFE, on the con-
trary, who has ro clerical interest and prejudices to