The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-07 00:00:00

To conelude with THE LADY OF THE LAKE.

FRENCH PLAYS, ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.
THIS EVENING, MARCH 7
The Performances will commence at half past Seven o'cloek with
UNE MONSIEUR ET UNE DAME.
After which, LE MALADF IMAGINAIRE.—Argan, M. Perlet.
To conclude with, LA SCEUR DE JOCRiSSE.
Private Boxes and Stalls at Mr. Mitchell's Library, 33, Old Bond-
street; Mr. Seguin's, 12, Regent street; Mr. Sams's, St. James's-
street; and at the Box-oftiee of the Theatre, which is open daily
from Eleven till Five. Admission to the Boxes, 6s. ; Pit, 3s. 6d.;
Gallery Stalls, 38..; Gallery, 2s.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
We are much obliged to L. M. Carlisle, hut to publish his
statements concerning Mr. Ferrand, would expose us, how-
ever true they may be, to be punished as libellers. More-
over, we never make our Journal a vehicle for circulating
attacks on the private characters of our political opponents.

THE WEATHER.---NOON, MARCH 5.
ROYAL GALLERY OF SCIENCE, A DF.LAIDE-STREET
Thermometer... 46 ) Highest 4B f Lowest 33
Barometer 30.21.—Wind W.—Freezing Point 22 Deg.!

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE THIS DAY.
Irl .ruing 24 minutes after 10 I Evening 4 minutes after 11.:

violated by the Government, will be justified in taking
possession of the vessels in which they are embarked,
and carrying them into the harbours of the United
States, where the Government might with as much pro-
priety protect.them as England protects runaway negroes.

Fortunately for us we are not now at war—we do not
practice impressment, and are not exposed to this great
risk. Now, then, is the time for the Legislature and the
country to avoid this great danger in future, by declaring
they will never again make slaves—of the seamen. We
cannot lay down one rule for the negroes, and adopt a
less favourable one for the seamen ; we cannot use one
measure for the conduct of the United States, and an-
other for our own. Indirectly then the practice of impress-
ment has been branded by the highest authorities of the
land ; and only professional habits, we are persuaded,
made the humane and Gallant Commodore allude to it in
other language than that of stern reprobation.
The Gallant Officer's recommendations to insure pro-
motion to the mates after six years' service, to give the
rank of post captain, and a small addition of pay to
retired officers, and to increase the pay of the seamen
entitle him to the gratitude of the navy. The country,
however, will learn with some surprise, or, perhaps, some
indignation, that notwithstanding our immense dead
weight, the bulk of our admirals are now at such an ad-
vanced age that they are no longer fit for service. Were
a naval war to break out, therefore, an extensive promo-
t7 on must tai e p!ace, add.rts largely to the public, e zpense,
or the fleet must be placed under the command of men
whose energies have passed away. This is not a safe
state of things, and the Gallant Officer's recommendation
of a means to amend it deserves serious consideration.

Passing from Sir CHARLES NAPIER'S speech, we must
observe, that our conjecture as to the real cause why
Mr. ELTON was so severely punished, was verified by
the debate. It is evident, from the observations of Cap-
tain Rous, that Mr. ELTON was severely punished
because the mates and midshipmen are presumed to be
insubordinate. He was made an example of in terroreni.
His own offence might be slight, but their offences are
numerous. " The mates and others were going to give
him a jubilee." His character, too, was not admired by
his superiors, and he was sentenced to a severe punish-
ment, not for writing an improper letter to his superior
officer, for which he afterwards offered to apologise, but
because the mates and midshipmen are supposed to be
getting too independent. Probably, when they are more
justly and more impartially treated, they will be more
sensible of the advantages they enjoy, and be less turbu-
lent. The debate on Friday was, on the whole, of good
augury for the future improvement of the navy.

We adverted some months ago to a report that the
QUEEN DOWAGER was about to grant 2,0002, in addition
to the large sum she had already paid for building a
church at Malta, and treated it as a -wicked calumny ;
for we could not believe it possible that her Majesty
would send money out of the country for such a purpose,
when English women were committing murder and
suicide from insufferable want and hopeless_ despair.
No more was heard of the report ; but looking at all
the circumstances, we fear it is not without founda-
tion. Queen ADELAIDE, it is well known, is much
under the influence of the clergy ; and when we find
these men combining to raise money • for Colonial
Bishops, we may infer that they will consider it a meri-
torious act to build a Colonial Cathedral. The Bishop
of London is one of the most active of his " order" in
business of this kind, and though we should not com-
plain if he gave 10,0002 a-year out of his enormous
income to promote true religion in this country, or even
abroad, we must protest against the atrocious scheme he
has devised for abstracting, during this period of
awful want and distress, money from the pockets
of Englishmen for the erection of either colonial
Bishoprics or colonial churches. A scheme of
this description, however, is prepared, for he has ad-
dressed a circular to the clergy of his diocese, the object
of which is to exhort them to make collections in their
respective churches, in aid of the fund for the " endow-
ment of the Bishoprics in the colonies." Thus while the
clergy receive from seven millions to nine millions ster-
ling yearly (for they take care that the full amount shall
not be known), they are called upon by this pious and
wealthy Bishop to use their spiritual influence to
raise money, not to feed the hungry, or save the
dying, but to add to the wealth of thii,ir own order in
foreign lands. Of all the egregious instances of priestly
assumption and impudence that have distinguished
Churchmen above all other classes, this is the most as-
tonishing. What ! -while the poor people of Paisley are
forced to keep body and soul together on three halfpence
a-day each ; while thousands of famished children in
England are crying for bread, and their broken-hearted
mothers starving themselves to relieve their offspring ;
while high-spirited Englishmen are brought so low
by want, as to solicit the crumbs that fall even from
the common soldier's table ; and tens of thou-
sands are debarred from entering a church for want of
decent clothing, the cries of our starving poor are to be
drowned by holy shoutings for more Church ! The spirit
that dictates this outrageous attempt is the spirit of infi-
delity, and not Christianity, for in the words of the sa-
cred writer, "lie that provideth not for his own, and
especially for those of his own household, has denied the
faith, and is worse than an infidel." But the monstrous
undertaking cannot succeed. The voice of the charitable
people of this country will be raised against it, and
should that not deter this arrogant priest, we trust her
MAJESTY will show herself the head of the Church in
reality,' and issue an injunction against such wicked
mockery.

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