The Sun.
London, England, 1818-01-29 00:00:00

FABLE.

Moutravers, a young English Officer (performed by Mr.
PENLEY), is in love with Nerina (Miss lveus), tile daughter
of a Spanish Don of great wealth and influence. An elope-
ment is agreed upon between the parties, and the hour fixed
when the fair fugitive is to quit her father's house, and con-
fide in the love and honour of a soldier. There is, however,
another suitor in the way. Don Alvara (Mr. It. PHILLips),
a wealthy Noble, advanced in years, is expected every mo-
ment, and he has her father's approbation. But there is
still another obstacle between our lovers and success. A hand
of robbers infest the neighbourhood; and while Montravers
is on his way to keep his appointment, lie rescues a stranger
from their violence by his bravery; this stranger proves to he
his own rival. After much persuasion, he enters his lover's
house, with his rival and her father, a few moments before
she makes her escape, as was previously concerted. While
they converse the turret clock strikes. Nerina is missed, and
her rather offers to grant any reward that may be named by
the person fortunate enough to find her. .Montravers rushes
out in pursuit. In the meanwhile Nerina is encountered by
the robbers, who take from her a precious necklace, atter
which they abandon her iu a wood. Here she meets with a
shepherd travelling to the next village, to hire as a servant
with the widow of the Alcalde lately deceased. She pur-
chases from him the clothes he had provided for the occa-
sion, and thus equipped sets forward to the same destination.
The arrival in the village is marked by an extraordinary cir-
cumstance. The people want a new Alcalde; nu candidate
for the office appears, and by a local custom it is provided
that under those circumstances the first stranger who arrives
is compelled to accept the office. Nerina is the first to arrive.
While these events are in progress, Nlontravers meets the
rubber who had plundered the necklace of his beloved ; he
recognizes the property, and supposing her to have been
murdered by the villain, encounters him in single combat,
conquers him, and leaves hint for dead. He is seized imme-
di itely by the officers of justice, for the act, and brought to
answer it before the new appointed Alcalde. His mistress is of
course a lenient and partial Judge, but her arguments tail to
release him, until the supposed murdered person is brought
into Court, charged with another robbery. The father
makes his appearance at the same time.. She throws off her
disguise, acknowledges her sex, implores her father, embraces
her lover, and is married with all the expedition that charac-
,terizes that ceremony on the stage.

This piece, from its mixture of lightness and
mystery, seems to be of Gallic origin. It has
been well aiapted to the English Stage, and is
brought forward with due effect. The alternations
of love, hope, danger, despair, and final happi-
ness, are well sustained, and the variety of the
incidents enable the piece altogether to lay a
strong bold on the feelings of the audience. It
was much indebted in the representation to
HARLEY, OXBERRY, Mrs. A csor, Miss IYERS, and
Mrs. HARLOWE, and, with a little alteration, is
likely to be popular and attractive

SHOCKING ACCIDENT. Yesterday morning,
between one and two o'clock, Mr. Lowrie, the
Drum-major of the Ist or Grenadier Guards, was
carried into St. George's Hospital, with his thighs
lacerated in a most dreadful manner, and bleeding
very profusely. It appears that he had been at
the guard-room at the Horse Guards with some
friends until past one o'clock, and then left to go
to his house at Knightsbridge. When he arrived
at the Park-gate at the top of Constitution-bill,
be found it shut, but he determined to get over
rather than walk round the Park, and, in making
the attempt, fell upon the spikes on the top of
the gate; they, entered his thighs ; he called out
for assistance, but remained in that state in the
utmost agony tor more than 10 minutes before
any one came up. Mr. Nelson, of Eaton-gar-
dens, Pimlico, fortunately passed with a friend,
and they, with great difliculty,• extricated him
from the gate, and_conveyed him to the Hospital.

OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC QUESTION.

FOR THE SUN.

PART VII.

MR. EDITOR,-On our reformation of Religion,
the National Church was Papal ; and when HENRY
VIII. assumed the spiritual Supremacy, he was a
Papist; but it was only introductory to that Pro-
testant Supremacy which has vested in succeeding
Sovereigns (his daughter MARY only excepted.)
In a Pope it governs •the conscience of the people,
and keeps them in (la; kness ;. every thing being
directly or indirectly relative to faith and doctrine,
and as priests pretend to have the power of saving
or destroying souls, they will be better obeyed,
through hope and fear, than the civil Magistrate,'
who has no claims beyond this world.
The Dutch, who allow full liberty of con-,
science, do not admit any persons into civil offices
who do not conform to the legal worship ; but they •
admit into their army all persons., from necessity „
because, from the nature of their government, they
are obliged to hire foreigners, let their religion be
what it may.

In a word, as no substantial reason can be
given, though many an artful and flimsy one has
been set up, for receiving Roman Catholics into
the Army and Navy of a Protestant Kingdom,
let them enjoy their religions liberty, in gratitude
and peace. Let then► study to instruct them-
selves in useful knowledge, and free the bulk of
them from the bondage of ignorance and bigotry,
superstition and oppression. They will then cease
to be partial to their errors, speaking of the many
compared to the few, and become a general be-
nefit to their whole body. The writer of these
papers is their friend. He is attached to no form
of worship, at the expence of any. AU have the
same end, and ought to be tolerated ; but he is►
persuaded, horn a long life of universal experience,
that none except those who are genuine members
of a National Church, are entitled, however pure
and chaste their characters in private life, to come
into offices of trust and power, or have command
in our Army or Navy. He has freely assigned his
reasons, which be would as freely retract if better
could be offered for the contrary. This he be-
lieves to be impossible, while an Established
Church is necessary to lessen the duty of the Ma-
gistrate, by correcting our judgments, and amend-
ing our hearts. In the language of TERENCE, be
is a man, and nothing whereby his fellow crea-
tures are affected will ever be indifferent to
him.

TERRJE FILIUS,
RQnto sum humani nihil a me alienum puts.

(Part VIII. will contain a Refutation of the Argunients
against the Test Act.)

DISTRESSED SEAMEN.

FOR THE SUN.

FRO3I THE BUOY OF THE WORE.

MR. EDITOR,—The ready insertion in your
Paper of the 6th inst. of my last letter upon the
above subject, induces me again to trouble you
through the same channel 'of communication, that
first informed me of the distressed state of the
Seamen of the British Empire. I now learn, that
although a subscription has been set on foot, and
receptacles provided for their cover, yet hundreds
are obliged daily to be turned from the door of
benevolence unrelieved—so small are the funds and
circumscribed the means of assistance. I have heard
read, with heartfelt emotion, the Address to the.
Public from the 'Committee appointed to carry on
this laudable undertaking ; and, notwithstanding
such an appeal, I -counted in the Newspapers of the
24th instant only 21 subscribers to this great, this
interesting demand.upon national feeling and na-
tional gratitude ; and out of this small ntimber,
several appear to be Naval Officers, who certainly
best know the worth and value of their brave but
unfortunate companions. in arms and danger, but
wbo are as certainly not the most able to relieve
them. Gracious God !—only 21 subscribers in a
whole day throughout the wealthy, the luxtu ions
population of the Metropolis, found to contribute
to the support of hundreds, nay thousands, of
destitute Seamen, who have fought .and nobly
bled to preserve their King and Country. I must
again, through you, Sir, appeal to the British
Nation in behalf of these thoughtless, but gal-
lant, deserving, but destitute, forlorn, but not, it is
to be hoped, forsaken, British Tan: Can the
Nation .so soon forget its obligations to their Sea-
men—are the names of HowE, of DUNCAN,
NELSON, DUCK WORTH, COTTON, COLLINGWOOD,
GARDNER, and other mighty Heroes now num-
bered with the dead, obliterated—and the daring
deeds of ST. VINCENT, SAUMAREZ, EXMOUTH,
with hosts of other living Heroes, no more re-
membered ? Is it no longer recollected of British
Seamen, the masculine and mighty efforts made
by them for this happy land's prosperity ? Is it
forgotten, that no force could subdue their
prowess—no climate could screen, no port pro-

tect, no distance could save the flag of any enemy
to their country ? Wherever waved a hostile flag,
it- trembled at a British Tar's approach, and was
always humbled as they came in contact. No at-
tack was too mighty for British Sailors to con-
template, and no resistance equal. to damp his ar-
dour. The rampart, enveloped in tire and smoke,
has been a thousand times successfully ascended,
and the cannon's mouth, while lighted matches
were at the touch-hole, as often marched up to.
No feat of heroic bravery that could excite admi-
ration—no act of desperate daring, from which
success could at all he hoped, has been left +mat-
temptedor imaccomplished. , It was the British
Tars who first infused the spirit, set the example,
and ronsed the valour of the British Soldiers.—
Without NELSON, England would not, as a notion,
hnoe known a WELt.txGTosz. And are these gal-
lant, but thoughtless, fellows to pine in silent,
.sad distress, and abject poverty ? They are too
noble to wish for inglorious ease, or beggarly
subsistence. Cannot some plan be d?vised r
their employ, some extensive Fishery, some new
Discoveries ?—Can they at all be employed while
temporarily embarked afloat ?—either by making
mats, rope, points, gaskets,wadding, spun yarn, or
other useful articles,wanted alike for merchant ves-
sels and ships of war. In the meantime, I would,
on their behalf, invoke, entreat, and implore the
nation's sympathy and assistance. Some power-
ful advocate or eloquent
.Orator will, it is to be
hoped, bring their distressed case before the
,great Council of the Nation at time ensuing Meet-
ing of Parliament. While gratitude should urge
the Common Council of London, foremost as
they usually are in acts of splendid munificence,
to set an example to the Council of every other
City, the Corporation of every Town, the
Mayor of every Borough, and Magistrate of
every district, by opening auxiliary subscrip-
tions for the relief of distressed Seamen. F r
my own part, Sir, I shall urge every Buoy like
myself, every Beacon round the land, every Light-
house that has guided them to port in peaceful
calm, or warned them from it in storms and perils,
to lose no time in coming forward and subscribing
to the utmost of their power in behalf of their
unfortunate, gallant, and suffering Co, ntry urn.
46th Jan. 1818. THE BUOY OF THE NJRE.