The Sun.
London, England, 1818-01-16 00:00:00

OF Tk E .ULl\ CATIIOOC QUESTION

1.0.1 TM: SUN.

PART if.

EntTon.--Tlie introduction '6f a 'foreign,
civil, 'and religious power among us, was criMinal
against our Crown, antrpunishable by the perialacs
of premunire, long before the Reformation, When
.we wisely/renounced all anthority of Roinish`tyran-
ny, though some of the corrupt doctrine of the
Romish Church remained with us for some -tiine
longer, until rooted out by subsequent provisions'
and the wisdom of the times ; but this religious
power growing contemptible, the rigour against
"Popery has been softened by a general toleration,
agreeably to the just principles of religious liberty.
They are now left to an open enjoyment of their
seven sacraments ; but they are not admitted into
civil, military, or newel offices of trust and power;
of which they complain.

Not to visit the sins; of forefathers on their
children, let us look back on the cause of their
exclusion. The Corporation Act of Parliament
comprehended %ann.!) Catholic malcontents, in
whose hands it Was thought dangerous to leave
any power over t oeporate hodiei,• as they had
,riven no 'proOf of fidelity to the' ruling Gove;rn-
itient. h ordained, ehat all magistrates wlao kid
either usurped a civil office, or held principles un-
friendly to thetonstitution, should •disetaim the
covenant against the 'and liturgy .of the
Established Chili-ch.; and `declare their belief
that resistance, with force and arms, is not law-
ful. This Act cleansed the 'Corporations of all
theiloman Catholic Magistrates, and their int-
purities, in the 13th year of our Ctlitit.t.t the
Ed., who nevertheless, as he thought, in the ;
exercise of his supremacy, afterwards issued bus
proclamation suspending the penalties against
them, and indulging them in the use of their re-
ligion in their private houses ; but the Lord
Keeper of the Great Seal having refused . to put
it thereto, was removed, and the ambidextcr
SHAFTSBURY succeeded Mini who Fealed it in con--
sequence. At the instance, however, of the
}louse of Commons, who deemed it ii/egar; the
King soon recalled it. This produced the statute
called the Test Act, which ordained that none
should have command in
,t he Army and Navy but
those Who would take the oaths of allegiance and
supremacy, with the sacrament in the Established
Church ; consequently Its Catholics were.
exclnded.'

The rielormation therefore, the doWnfal of the
monasterirs (those sinks of idleness, h)•pocrisv,
and inici,niy), the forfeiture of their lauds, and,
then the 'COrpOratioa and Test Acts, were severe
blows upon. them, and resentment swelled their
hearts ; yet all tLeir er;nduct justified their ex-
elusion by the Legislature. Their original and
progressive encroachments on the liberty and pro-
perty of the kingdom ; their ustapatiOns; the
black designs of the Jesuits under ELtzmacTrr,
and of' the Papists under the new EstAlishment ;
their hopes of a Popish Successor in the Queen
of Scots ; the Gunpowder Plot against JAMES the
First and his Parliament ;, the intrigues of HEN-
ItIETTA, the Queen of CHARLES the First ; the
expectation of a Popish King in JAmEs the Second;
[he Assassination Plot tmder King Wtt.LrAm the
third ; and the declared claims of a Popish Pre-
tender to the Crown. in the following reigns,--goo
well warranted their exclusion from all civil' trust
and power ; but which, from their more peace-
able demeanour since those times, has bt en re-
laxed in memory, respecting their religious prM-
eiples ;'and provided their actions be not influenced
by them, to the annoyance of the State, they
have an undoubted right to enjoy them. It is
this that is to he gnarded against ; and until they
nottrace. their errors, in holding no communion
with Protestants of the Church established, they
cannot call themselves' genuine Mettibus of the
. .
'State, whereof THAT CtirACH IS A COMPONENT

FA LIT.

(Te be Continued soon in Part ILL-)

, ITALIAN. BANDITTI.-Liellt.•CO011el thaarEs
and Captain-Got:box; It. N.; were, attacked in
their way to Naples, between Terracina and
Fondi, by banditti, on the evening Of, the I?.th
. December. Tire first act of the villains was to
fire upon the postillion'rrithour previOus Warning.
Ile fell, mortally wounded. They then proceeded
to rifle the travellers, and took trOns them their
watches, money, &c. The banditti were divided
into two parties, one of which was iturnediatery
tictive in the attack and robbery, while the other
remained in reserve at a short distance ; and their
number %vas So considerable that Lieut.-Colonel:
HERRIES and his companion must be considered
as owing their lives to their being unprepared to
Offer any resistance. They suffered little personal
violence, and were 21lowett, when the plunder
was finished, to proceed on their journey—their
servant taking the place of the postillion,whowas
Conveyed to Timdi in the carriage. Lient.Xolo-
tiel Hartaiss was .on his way to join the-British
head-quarters in the Mediterranean,. as Deputy
Quarter-Master-Generai., (Morning 1'444