The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-03 00:00:00

and more lucid order into our public accounts.
The resolution of Ministers to come forward
next Session, with a permanent measure on the
Corn Laws, as indicated at the close of the
speech, is also most satisfactory. We have no
doubt, that long ere that time, the ebullitions of
passion, which have in the Session just termi-
nated, derogated in no small degree from the
dignity and decorum of Parliamentary debate,
will be calmed down ; that much of the
bitterness of personal and of party dislike will be
removed, and that the Government will have
settled into more consistency than can possibly be-
long to a newly modelled Cabinet. Their oppo-
nents also must be content to yield much of the ad-
vantages which they have casually derived from the
late changes, and we shall have, we trust, an Op-
position
,acting on sound English principles ; care-
ful to watch the plans of Ministers, but despising,
by cavil or cabal, to impede the public business of
the country, for the sake of embarrassing their op-
ponents. The question of the Corn Laws, with
such au Opposition, we may expect to see discussed
in a spirit consistent with its importance, and with
reference to the effect which its failure or success
shall produce on the great mass of the community ;
not on any class—much less on any party—in the
tate.—New Times.

We thought we had cause, on Saturday, for
complaining of the unfairness of our Contem-
porary, the Morning Chronicle, but its conduct
yesterday makes an ample antende. With the
most exemplary candour, it not only waxes witty
at the exposure of its own ignorance, but quotes
grave authority to show that the laugh is justly
applied. So far as the practice of the Church
of Scotland is concerned, it is, perhaps, of little
importance whether our Contemporary or our-
selves were right, except that truth is better than
error even in small matters. We stated, that
banns must be proclaimed in the Established
Church in order to be legal. The Chronicle,
on Friday, said they might be legally proclaimed
any where ; and to-day, as we have said, it
quotes the " Justice of the Peace," to prove that
they must be proclaimed in the parish church.
We did not say that they might not be pro-
claimed in private conventicles also ; there
is no law to prevent, and neither is there
any law to authorise this supererogatory act
of publication. Mr. Irving, and the rest of
the Scotch preachevs in London, may, if
they see fit, announce the intentions of all
those of their respective flocks who are de-
sirous of entering into the holy state of matri-
mony, and were Sir Richard Birnie compiling .a
vade-mecum for Police Magistrates, he might, in
that case, say that banns were published in the
Established Church, and also in the Caledonian,
but the Marriage Act would not suffer we pre-
sume, from the practice of its commemoration.
Hutchison says, that banns must be proclaimed
in Episcopal 'Meetings, if the Ministers of that
persuasion marry the parties, and should be pro-
claimed in Dissenting Meetings similarly. With-
out positively asserting that in respect of their
own flocks, there may not exist a rule to that
effect in Scottish Episcopal Communities, we
have no hesitation in saying, that departures
from it are very common, for several of the
Episcopal Clergymen are among the most no-
torious buckle-beggars in Scotland. In stating
the law and custom in that country, we meant
those at present acted upon. When we said that
there was no particular form of marriage used in
Scotland, we spoke of course, of the present prac-
tice, which is one covvernom viety as
is the celebration of marriage in a Irriva.e
house. But we are weary of this minute criticism,
and go on to -a--frocet;on of more monuant.. Our
contemporary appears to think the Dissenters' Mar-
riage Act of little importance. Considered merely
in itself it may seem so, but considered as an attack
on the integrity of the Church, it is by no means a
light matter
Hae ludicra in seria ducunt."
If one set of Dissenters must have the marriage
ceremony abrogated, in order to accommodate their
views, another set may insist on the abrogation of
something else. It is as an inroad on the Church that
we view it, and as such we think we have a right to
view it, as:a question of very great importance. The
claim of the Unitarians is, moreover, unjust. What
right to indulgence have they—the smallest, the
least eimportant, the least Christian of all our Dis-
senters, more than others ? Why should the Ritual of
the Church be marred to suit their fancies more than
to please the Presbyterian, who looks on it as super-
stitious—or the Catholic, who regards it as heretical ?
The cases of the Quakers and Jews are not in point.
The Quakers and Jews are content that their mar-
riages should be deemed legal by those of their own
way of thinking; to the opinions of aliens to their
respective faiths they pay no respect, and feel none.
The law has yielded to these opinions for an obvious
reason—it could not overcome them. If the Unita-
rians choose to put on the vis inertia' of the one, or
the ris pugnax of the other sect, they may, perhaps,
compass their point as they have done,
.and in the
greatsame way.
vaye of . Their
conciliation
has present
goowlncdh
mt been t ot
oo
tolerate, we pan look on in no other light than as
one of a series of covert attacks on the Established
Church, the end and object of which is her utter
enerde-
struction. We hope, however, that the sam e gy
which would doubtlesc be exhibited in repelling an
attempt to batter down her bulwarks, will be shewn
;n resisting those who seek to undermine their fours
dationa,—Bid.
Ly.

With a view of increasing the respectability
and comfort of that valuable class of men the
petty officers of the Navy, the Lord High Ad-
miral has, amongst other regulations, ordered
that no petty officers, whilst so rated, shall be
liable to corporal punishment, (except by sen-
tepee of a court-martial) and that when a ship is
paid ciff, such of the petty officers as shall desire
it are to be received into the flag ships with their
former rati-ngs and pay, and after being allowed a
reasonable leay.e of absence to visit their families,
shall then be removed into such sea-going ships
as may have vacancies for them. They are also
to wear a mark of distinction on their left arms,
viz.--second class petty officers, an anchor re-
presented in white cloth, and those of
the first
.class, a siMilar anchor s,urTnounted by a crown.
The adyantages.:lNAleh may be ,
expcpte4 to result
from these arran,gementa . are very great., as wdl
to the seamen themselves 3the
.n4yai $ to ser-
vice in general. The petty officers, such as
Quarter Masters, Captains of the Forecastle,
Captains a- the Tops, Boatswains Mates,
&c. are to the N-3,7y what Non-commis-
sioned Officers are to the Arms 9!--,1 whom it is
well known the discipline and of e7..cieney of the
1 troops so much ,_e
pend. Their admission on
board the flag ships immediately upon their being
paid 4 from others, will have the beneficial effect
of keeping a numb,
- ppc . the
best seampii and most
valuable men in the service, 0,0 thus s their
term of servitude will be uninterrupted, 4ntil
entitled to retire on pensions. The ad-
ditional respectability which a uniform, and
the sa greater which the exemption from cor-
poral punishment, ,except by sentence of a
court martial), will confer 011 them, cannot fail to
()prate as a powerful stimulus* to ' seamen to
render themselves worthy of promotion.—Soutk-
ampton Herald,