The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-02 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1844.

The distrust and anxiety of the Irish Tories on the
subject of the Educational Reforms which Sir R.
PEEL has in view, and which, it is supposed, he will
bring forward at an early period of the next session,
appears to be daily on the increase. What adds to
the perplexity and tribulation of this cross-grained
party, is the fact that, with all their inquisitiveness,
they can get no insight into the nature of the pro-
jected reform in question, so have no pretext for or-
ganising an active, uncompromising opposition, for it
is impossible that they can oppose with any show of
propriety a scheme with whose merits or demerits
they are- not merely imperfectly acquainted.
but profoundly ignorant of. At present, all
is mystery on the part of the official autho-
rities. Not a word transpires in any quar-
ter. No communication has been made, even to the
Education Board, so that nothing is left for the Tories
but conjectaire ; and as they are of a somewhat de-
sponding turn of mind, with the finest possible con-
ception of a party grievance, their conjectures are
pretty sure to be of the most dismal character. The
Dublin Evening Mail hastens to sound the tocsin of
alarm by assuring them that it has every reason to
believe that an active correspondence between the
Home-office and the Castle of Dublin, " touching the
projected reconstruction of- the Irish University," is
now carrying on, and 'is daily surrounding Lord
Herresnuay " with snore embarrassments than he
was aware would fan to his lot on accepting the Lord-
Lieutenancy of Ireland. The most mys!erious si-
lence," adds Our disquieted Contemporary, "is ob-
served in the diplomatic circle—a circumstance
which 'argues badly for the justice and honesty
of t'ae design ; and great doubts are said to be
cdertained of the willingness of the Irish Executive
either to recommend or adopt the
.proposed innova-
tion." This last remark is, of course, thrown in by
way of comforting the afflicted Tories, as nurses give
children a lump of sugar after having administered to
them a dose of physic; but let not these bigoted par-
tisars
imagine fur an instant that there is the slightest
foundation for our Contemporary's hypothesis. No-
thing is more unlikely than that the Irish Executive
will refine to adopt the iloveiinment reforms. The
appointment of Lord Heyilasntlity is a guarantee that
they will be adopted without hesitation. His Lord- -
ship was sent over to Ireland about the time when
Sir ROBERT PEEL made his important speech on the
subject of national education in that country ; and
he would scarcely have accepted the office of Viceroy
unless he had fully made up his mind to carry
out the educational reforms of the nature of
which the Premier had just given an intimation.
Lord HEYTESDURY, then, we repeat—despite "the
great doubts" of the Dublin Evening Mail—will be
found among the firmest supporters of Sir R. PEEL'S
prejected scheme, for, to say nothing of his official
position, he is a practised politician, made circum-
spect, liberal, and sagacious by experience—the best
of teachers—and must be well aware of the impera-
tive necessity that exists for instituting a prompt and
searching reform into the system of education now
in use in Ireland. Having administered his small mo-
dicum of consolation to the Irish Tories, our Dublin
Contemporary next goes on to exhort them to be ac-
tively on the alert, so that they may be prepared to enter
the field of opposition when the season for the political
campaign arrives. "We cannot tell where the blow
wail be struck," he observes, " but for that very rea-
son we recommend the greater vigilance in watching
the movement of the enemy, and the greater deter-
mination to resist and defeat his machinations. Fore-
warned. is forearmed." This recommendation of our
Contemporary is nearly it not quite superfluous, for
who can doubt that the Irish Tories will muster all
wrtin' Nr Si) their forces—combine all- their energies—and make
—7 _ --.- every strenuous effort in their power to defeat a mea-
sure which has for its avowed object the introduction
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q 'E•i;'ls'.-,!,71 into the sister country of a more enlarged and
,:4'-';'1)- enlightened system of education ? Who, we say, can
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doubt, that they will thus act? Moreover, who can
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doubt that they will be defeated—signally defeated?
......:
4'4. Sil;RoitxsT PEEL—the wariest of Ninisters—would