The Sun.
London, England, 1827-11-02 00:00:00

where the obligations of legislator and subject
are so familiar to the mind, the conduct of the
Catholic Question has exhibited on the part of
the several stattstnen who introduced it succes-
sively to Parliament, so extraordinary an abdica-
tion of their duties. Fifteen years ago the "Pines
warmly deprecated the practice of negotiating
with the Catholic leaders, instead of legislating
for them, as for other subjects of the realms,
and requiring the obedience of all. The cus-
tom has been exclaimed against by Mr. Can-
ning in words, but-he, like his neighbours, did
in substance canvass for the assent of the Catho-
lics to the provisions of- the Bills which he be-
friended. The usage was weak, unbecoming,
and pernicious. The Catholics of Ireland were
treated with, more like an independent power
than a domutic sect, and they have been bloated
into a po(ver all but laying claim to indepen-
dence. We have now a Ministry, of which the
best members are from knowledge and principle
favourers of Catholic emancipation. We trust
that in all the policy of this Cabinet there will
be no coquetting with Irish faction—no truck-
ling to demagogues—no acquiescence in outrage
to the honour of England or to the laws of Ire-
land. We trust that intriguers and noisy chief-
tains, if such still exist among the Catholics,
will be kept in their proper place. We trust
that civil liberty will at the fit season triumph ;
but that it will be a peaceful and spontaneous
triumph of wisdom over prejudice, for the wel-
fare of coming generations, -rather than a prize
to be torn by turbulence from weakness, and ,
held up to encourage the O'Connells of another
century, as the fruit of a daring incursion upon
England in the year 1828.--Times. •

It is M. -Fearon, we believe, who relates the
anecdote of the Negro Barber, in
.New York.
who was quite indignant at the idea of his being
capable of siibmittinc, to the degradation of
shaving Negroes. A trait hardly less charac-
teristic occurred in a report of a case at Bow-
street, in the Chronicle of yesterday. We al-
lude to the alarm into which poor Townshend
was thrown at the idea, that the hands which had
taken Earls, Marquises, and Dukes, should be
dishonoured by coming in contact with Barbers.
Why, Sir Richard Birnie," said the Veteran,
" I beg leave to tell you, that I think it would
lessen me a great deal if I were to execute a war-
rant upon a Barber after forty-six years' service,
during which period I have had the honour of
taking Earls, Marquisses, and Dukes. No, no,
Sir Richard ; let the Barber fight if he likes it ;
but don't let me be degraded by executing the
warrant." And he then proceeded to name a
number of individuals of rank, whom he had
heed employed, to take. It would not occur to
an individual ofelevated rank, in the situation of
a Judge, that there was any mere degradation in
administering justice to a Beggar than in his ad-
ministering it to the highest Dignitary in the
land. Yet the feeling of Towushend was quite
natural, that, in being employed to execute the
law, makes no distinction, in letter, be-
tween
the high and the low, against a poor Man,
he was degrading himself. The Black Barber,
of New York, uneasy under the load of degrada-
tion. which pressed on his race, was glad to escape
from the reality, by laying hold of the circum-
stance of his being in constant contact with his
despisers, to identify himself in imagination with
them. the same manner, in a country in
which the distinctions of rank and wealth are
sharply marked, the lower orders either endea-
vour, like Burns, to brave the contempt which
attaches to thern„by persuading themselves that
" The rankia but the .guinea's stamp,
The mart's the gow'd for a' that--"

a sort of manifesto, by-the-bye, which is about
as indicative of self-satisfaction as the

Whistling aloud to bear his courage up,"
is of tranquillity of mind ; or they, like Towns,
bend, catch hold of any little accident—such as
shaving a Lord, or arresting him, or holding his
horse, or holding a' bason to. him when he is
sick—to escape in idea from their condition ;
availing themselves of the very circumstances
which mark their inferiority to prove their. ele-
vation. I have shaved a white man—l am a
black man—l, therefore, mark the degradation
of the black Men, of whom I am one, the more
by refusing to shave black men. I am a low
Man, but I have arrested high men ; and by re-
fusing to arrest low men, of whom I am one, I
in like manner mark the more pointedly the de-
gradation of the class to which I belong. Any
man who has looked around him with attention
must have witnessed, in servants, waiters at inns,
and others in humble stations, the aid which
vanity—though what we must call a benevolent
provision of nature—affords to the low, by en-
abling them to escape, by imaginary distinctions
from what is real evil, the feeling of being an
object of contempt. As distinction is every
thing in the world, it is natural that men of
rank should endeavour to maintain it, in as many
cases as they possibly can ; and equally natural
that others should endeavour to break down the
barriers which constitute the distinction. It is,
therefore, quite natural that men of rank should
feel uneasy at the distinction which they have long
enjoyed in their manner of deciding quarrels;
ceasing to be over, from the lower orders adopt-
ing the same manner. Lord Ellenborough, we re-
member, gave great offence to the mercantile aris-
tocracy in the City, in a case where one mer-
chant had posted another for a coward, by ob-
serving, that traders would be much better
employed in posting their ledgers than in posting
each other. But if the innovation of merchants
posting each other should have been considered
dangerous, what must be the farther step of
bakers and barbers posting each other ? But
then as this is an age of intellect, the diffusion of
Duelling, as the Reporter indicated by the head.:
ing which he gave to the case, is the result of the
march of intellect. " You know, Mr. Minshull,7
said the ingenious Mr. Townshend, " that many
strong arguments have been used in favour of
the practice among persons of rank, and it has
been asserted that it operates as a check upon
those who would otherwise violate the decorum
and outrage the feelings of polished society." So
far, so good, Mr. 'I ownshend ; but then you
add, " for barbers and the cutters of cabbage-
stalks to fight duels, is the height of absurdity."
But if barbers and cutters of cabbage-stalks wish
to observe the decorum, and to possess the feel-
ings of polished society ; and it' shooting each
other be an infallible specific in the case of men
of
-rank, for preventing all violations of decorum
and'gOod feeling/is it not natural that cutters of
cabbi age44lks and barbers, anxious to attain, or
at least..approximate as closely as possible, the
perfection of these elevated models, should wish
to recur to the same specific ? This comes of
reasoning. Say itiithe duty of every man to
elevate himself`as high
in the scale of moral im-
provement. as he possiblY
-can—say that barberS
and cabbage cutters, being"in
this world in a
state of probation to fit. them for another, awl
that, consequently, they. can never be too highly
improved—Say that no man can.betoo. decorous;
or possess too much delicacy .of feeling, and