The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE LONDON JOURNALS.

The epeoefr of the Duke of Wellington, in reply
to Lord Colchester, on Monday night,ought to be
read and considered much by the tuckers and trim-
mers of both Houses. It will serve them as a
kind of diwtor dubilanlizon at the present crisis.
They will observe—and shape their conduct accord-
ingly—with what confidence his Grace anticipates
the issue of his proceedings on the present question.
" His Nlejesty'e Ministers," said he, " will be re-
spretaible for the complete execution of the measure"
(Elie rereOval of the disabilities), " after it lies been
wl,pted by this and the other house of Parliament
and•altallfiirm a !illion of the law qf the land ! ! i"
Gentlemen shufflers, there is no room for hesitating
here, so you had better determine at once. With
what ease and assurance he speaks of things that
are to be, as if they were already ! " Action—
action," said the greatest of orators, " is the soul
of anttorv." It is the first, second, and third essen-
tial • and here we have action with a vengeance !
Not the sawing of hands and arms, and the
easy agitation of the head, but deeds that
outrun words in rapidity, and are at hand be-
fore they can be described. This, we say, is the
best kind of action in a ministerisl orator. " After
the measure had beet' adopted by this and the other
House, said lorries a portion of the law of the land,"
his Grace Nv i 1 1 look to the execution of it. The
Duke likewise- says, in his frank, soldierly manner,
that he is not a bit afraid of the turbulent part of
the Irish Catholic population : he does not regard
them a bettor', except for their own sakes, and that
of humanity : but though his measures are not
prompted by fear, they are founded upon' a
calm assurance that it is better now to settle the
question at once. It is argued by the opposers of
the question, that Nv e submit only to fear,—that
we are acting under a dire and uncontrollable ne-
ceesity ; and if the Catholics can frighten us into
concession now, what may they not do after-
wards ? The Duke's remarks supply an answer
to this argument. It is true that the Catholics
were turbulent enough recently, and the future
supplied just room for apprehension. But we will
put it to general recollection, whether it has
not always been said that the real difficulty would
come, should the defection of Ireland take place
when we were plunged in a dangerous war,—
when enemies of great power and resources menaced
aa, and the condict was of doubtful issue. Now,
therefore, when we are assailed by no such dangers,
it is true that we grant the boon, or impart the right
to importunate demands, but there never was a time
at which we were more in a capacity to resist them
than at present; and the Duke states that the period
at which the measure is introduced shows suffi-
cient!y that its introduction does not spring from
fear on our part ; " for (says his Grace) there never
was a time during the last twenty yeers, in which,
looking to the circumstances and relations of this
country, there was a more total absence of all cause
tor fear than the present." Let it always, there-
fore, lie recollected, that it is at a period of full peace,
ease, and tranquillity,—at a period when it has al-
ways been allowed that we were most free from ab-
solute danger from Ireland, that the King of Eng-
land has recommended the consideration of this
question to his Parliament, and when, we trust, it
will be brought to a happy cotiehenon.— T .
ones.
The presentation of petitions in both Houses
affords daily opportunities for the manifestation of
great zeal for the Protestant religion, and the da,
livery of exaggerated states units respecting the
extent of hostility in the country to- the concession
of the Catholic Claims. The Earl of Falmouth re-
turned last night to the subject of the county of
Cornwall. According to his Lordship, the return
.of Mr. Pendarves for the county, who is friendly to
concession, is no criterion of the state of opinion in
the county regarding concession, as many of the
names to the petitions he had then the honour to
present were the names of persons who had sup-
ported Mr. Pendarves. We refer our readers to
two fetters; in another column, on the state of
opinion in Cornwall, It certainly does seem odd,
that if the hostility to Concession is so marked
as the Noble Lord alleges, hw should have aban-
doned his attempt to call a County Meeting.—
We have no doubt that if the people of England
were polled on this question, the opponents of Efenn-
eipation would be found no inconsiderable number.
But we have as little doubt that the number of the
advocates of concession is also very great, and in-
eludes, moreover, nearly all that constitutes the
moral strength ola nation. We do not know that
in other countries of Europe the common people are
better informed than they are in Eimgland; but as
appeals are never made to them, their ignorance is
not brought prominently forward. Hew England
may rank as compared with other countries, we are
without accurate means of knowing. This, how-
ever, we know, that, except in great towns and the
populous districts of which they form the centres,
the common people of England are singularly ill in-
formed. They read little, and that little is very
unprofitable. That in agricultural districts, where
the people know next to nothing of the changes
which time has wrought in the ways of tbitiking on
religious matters, and where the accounts of Smith-
field and St. Bartholomew are the freahest incidents
with which their reading has furnished them, numbers
may be easily persuaded to subscribe such petitions
as those presented by the Earl of Falmouth, can suf.-
prise no one. But the best test of the value of these
petitions is, that the signatures to them are always
most numerous in the places most conspicuous for
ignorance. In the great cities the No-Popery people
are scouted. Look at the ridiculous meeting the
other day at the Crown and Anchor. The West of
England may be called its Beotia, and at:cot:Jingly it
will be found that the No-Popery people are Lucia
abundant there. The North of England, on the
other hand, having the largest towns population, will
bare the fewest signatures. The most strenuous
advocate of popular Governments will allow that the
people will often mistake their interests. Heritte, it'
the United States of North America, we find the
most erroneous notions respecting commel cid affairs
have been successful in the most popular Legis-
lates.e in the world. All that the friends of good
government have ever maintained on this subject is,
that the affairs of a community are less exposed to
soismanagement, when the only danger is erroneous
judgment, than when to the chance of erroneous
judgment, is added an interest to misgovern. Of
all subjects, that on which the people are least
likely to judge correctly is the one now agitat-
;tag the country. But time men who now appeal
raa the people, and who boast of the popular
suffrage, are distinguished for their opposition to
all reforms by which the suffrage of the people may
be more extensively obtained. When the people
call for the reform of the most glaring abuses—
:subjects respecting which there can be no difference
of opinion with disinterested individuals—those
men who are now appealing to the people tun a i
deaf ear to them. A common tradesman may be
eery imperfectly acquainted with history, and there-
fore unable to detect the misrepresentations of his
Parson respecting the Catholics, while he may he
able to make a tolerably judicious choice of the man
who, front abilities and character, is best qualified to
be sn able and upright representative. But the
demand of a voice for him here would be branded by
tits Earl of Falmouth, the Duke of Newcastle, and
the whole host of opponents of concession, as
amounting to little short of treason. In Dr. Has-
eel's Statistical Almanac for 1829, the number of
States in Europe is stated at 57. Of these, there
are no fewer than 39 in which the inhabitants are
partly Catholics, partly Protestants. Excluding
the British Islands, the number of Catholics is
1 10,965,466; and the number of , Protestants
32,215,438. In many of these States the Pro-
testants form a small minority. Yet no where
=silo we hear of any complaints, on the part of
, _Protestants, of oppression. With the single ex-
,..,„a:eption of the disturbances at Nismes, where
' the two sects espoused different political sides,
at the period of the Restoration of the Bour-
bons, we do not believe there has been an