The Sun.
London, England, 1829-03-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TIM LONDON JOURNALS.

(FROM THE TIMES.)
Just on the eve of the recent Oxford election, we
expressed, what we felt, an ardent hope that the
University would manifest its own advances in poli-
tical spirit and intelligence, by returning Mr. Peel to
Parliament. Oxford has rejected Mr. Peel, and
thereby demonstrated with sufficient clearness, that
while the great mass of educated Englishmen have
abandoned their old prepossessions as inapplicable to
the existing era, she alone has adhered to them with
superstitious obstinacy ;—that while the nation was
emerging from ignorance and prejedice, Oxford
stood fast to both ;—that while the rest of the British
empire had read enough of history, and reasoned
enough upon the changes produced by time, to
know that laws passed against a Popish Pretender
and his family in the 17th century, had no longer
an object in the 19th, when that Pretender and
his family were extinct, Oxford only disregarded
both facts and reasonings, and strove to perpetuate
a code of which Providence had long since repealed
the uses. Having proved these points beyond
all controversy, Oxford, we are bound to add, has
done the country no further mischief than by re-
cording her own disgrace, and that we undoubtedly
consider a very serious mischief. The Titus Oates
papers have been contending, that if Oxford should
have resefeeted Mr. Peel, it would establish nothing
beyond a personal attachment to an old and long-
tried representative. In our tenderness towards the
University, we stood for something more—we
wished the world to give her credit for wisdom
as well as feeling in the return of a member
who vindicated his own just title to both by
postponing a matter of choice to one of positive ne-
cessity, and preferring the safety of the whole state
to a mottopoly of power by a single section of it.
—The thing termed a constitution was made for
some end. What end was that? The repose and
prosperity of the nation. No rational being, surety,
can think of sacrificing the end to the means, or
of securing the " repose and prosperity" of the
nation by endangering its identity and exist-
ence. The enemies of religious freedom are
talking of it as a triumph, that Mr. Peel has
been lowered by the result of this election,
and the old reputation of Oxford confirmed for utter
incapacity of improvement. Our opinion is, that
Mr. Peel has been released from a grievous burden
--et burden ten times more oppressive than that
which induced Mr. Canning, on becoming Foreign
Secretary, to relinquish Liverpool, and to sit for a
povernment borough ; while Oxford has shown
herself absolutely stagnant in politics, and retro-
grade when compared with the progress of society
elsewhere. By this indulgence of petty vindictive-
ness, the leaet_ enlightened and discriminating por-
tion of the Unir ersitr-to wit, the clergy of the
mere cloisters, and those of the remter country
parishes—hive thrown away a powerful and active
representative ; they have not retarded the relief
bill for a single der, and they have saddled them-
selves with a pair of fixtures, in the persons t'
a
mere country squire whom `lie preferred
.to Mr.
Coining, and of an evangelical baronet vice Mr.
Pee!. Alas, poor Oxford
(FROM THE MORNING CHRONICLE.)
As the Anti-Catholics hardly ever venture to
meet their opponents in populous towns, while the
friends HI Coneesiion do not skulk into holes and
corners, but call open meetings, where the adver-
saries pro and ems may be heard, there is every
reason for presuming that the friends of concession
are in most cases the majority. Among other in-
stances we may allude to the meeting at Leicester.
A requisition, most respectably signed ton =that
13th
ve
gentlemen of Leicester, was forwarded, on
February, to the Mayor, who refused to call a meet-
ing, because, said he,
I do not feel myself justified in calling a public meet-
ing of the town, knowing how faliacious is its value as a
test of public opinion in a populous place like Leicester.
farts politics and misguided zeal interfere to prevent the
fair oyr-elision of sentiments, and a clamorous few may
stifle, not change, the honest opinions of the many,
I think it my duty to guard the town against this injustice
being done to it. Anti in arriving at this conclusion, I trust
that I shall- nut en:•ounter any severity of judgment from
yourselves, because I aet, as you claim to do, from the
honest convictions of my mrind; acid you will not, I pre,
some, refuse to concede to me the same, freedom of action
which yon claim and exercise for yourselves."
A meeting, however, was held on Monday last,
when nearly 6,000 persons assembled in the yard of
the Bell Hotel, hi Humberstoneegate. Resolutions
in favour of a settlement of the Catholic Claims
were carried almost by acclamation, for there were
only two hands held up against them. The petie
lion, embodying the resolutions, had received about
2,400 signatures by seven o'clock in the evening of
the Jay of meeting, and it is to be peesented to time
Lords !)y the Duke of Wellington, and to the
Commons by Mr. Otway Cave. The speeches, at
reported in the Nottingham and Newark Mercury,
are able and spirited, particularly those of Mr,
Paget, the chairman, and the Rev. Mr. Bert' ; and
we regret that we are precluded, by want oi space,
from inserting them. The Rev. Mr. Bery, in the
conclusion of his speech, forcibly observed:—
" Our Government has wisely paused on the brink of
the precipice: they declare that the affairs of the country
Can no longer continue in their present state. Tories
and Churchmen say, Let us have war, and maintain our
bigotry and monopoly to the last extremity.' But I rejoice
that our rulers think otherwise, and we are met this day
to applaud and support them, and testify to all men that
we think all parties in the State, whether Churchmen or
Distotters, whetter Catholics or Protestants, have an
equal c:sitn to all civil advantages. By the adol:tion of
this wi,e any liberal policy, I doubt not we shall becorat; A
loyal, united, a,.:d invincible people."—(Cheers.)
The Birminghan: Journal of Saturday last, con-
tains reports of the proceedings of two Meetings in
that great town—one on NVe:Y2eeday last, to pre-
`an Address to the King, and Petitions to both
Houses of Parliament, against further Ceneestien to
the Catholics; and another on Friday last, to pe.
tition in favour of concession. It was declared at
the latter, that had it not been for the Meeting
of \Vednesday, the friends of concession would not
have assembled. The Rev. Mr. J. A. James said
" he had hoped that there would not have been any
necessity of appealing to the population of this
town on the present question. lie had hoped that
it would have been left solely to the wisdom
of the ..r.egislature ; but as the enemies of the mea-
sure had convened a meeting to oppose it, it was
quite neceseary that his friends should come for-
ward in support of it. The following particulars
were communicated by Mr. Moore, one of the Com-
mittee, respecting the manner in which signatures
to the Petition against concession were obtained :
" He would name a fact concerning the mode of obtain-
ink signatures to Wednesday's Anti-Catholic petition which
des,-rved to be known. On the evening of Wednesday,
between five and six o'cleek, he (Mr. Moore) saw two
bog,, not .xceeding twelve years of age, go into the Insti-
tution and to;n their names to rolls of parchment to which
no petitions tri:re attached. He i
inqured 'f t
ihey had
seen the petition tiaey were suppor:iug ? they d ' they
had nut.' He inquifed where it was ? and was told it
Id be copied out by the next day. The person who
a L'rmation, said, ' I suppose the petition is not
toy
our
pthis
ale.; ?, :Po which lie (Mr. Moore) replied, that
nt until he had read it.
he could not say it was or
Had
mans' signed it at this time ?
" The CITAIaXAN coved
" Mr. Moolg—l saw several rolls of ps.._
with names."
As the object is to hare as many signatures as pos-
sible, boys will count as well as men, anti as to the
receiving signatures before the Petition was pre-
pared, it was perhaps judged that to must of the
Petitioners all Petitions would be equally edifying.
The only Petitions that are worth any timing, are
1-ht'e !,puts the great towns. With respect to the
Petitionee from country parishes, they are neither
more nor less than the Petitions of time Clergy. In
three-fourths of England the peasantry are all either
peupers, or looking forward to parish pay ; and
however lo7,they may be in the scale of intellect,
they have sufficient knowledge of the contioul
which' doe Parson possesses over their means of
subeistence. Even a dog soon discovers who
rules in the kitcien, and pays his court accordingly.
The Petitions of these rustics, who dare not

have an opinion at variance with that of the Parson,
are worth nothing, and ought to be scouted. While
the gaols, the carity schools, and work-houses,
are canvassed for signatures to Anti-Catholic pe-
titions, to swell the numbers, for effect, a dif-
ferent course has been pursued with respect to the
Glasgow petition for concession. It was stated, at
the meeting, by Mr. Kirkman Finlay, " That the
public generally should not be allowed to sign the
petition. He knew, from experience, how little
attention was generally paid to petitions signed by
people, who from situation or education were
unable to judge properly of the subject. This pe-
tition will then he signed only by the upper and
middle classes of society, and persons who have a
knowledge of the important question which now oc-
cupies the serious consideration of the legislature. Such
a petition, with a thousand names, will have more
weight than one praying for exclusion and oppres-
sion, backed by the hieroglyphics of all the porters,
labourers, old women, and schoolboys in the coun-
try." In that city, it seems, the same disgusting
practices so often reprobated in Parliament, had been
resorteA to in order to obtain signatures to petitions
against concession. The Free Press states that
" every child is allowed, nay solicited to sign the
counter petition—that women have been allowed to
attach their signatures, and that a juvenile opponent
of further concessions had boasted that he had signed
his name in four different places." It cannot surely
be difficult to determine whether a petition submit-
ted to the Magistrates of the City, the Professors
of the University, and nearly sail the respectable
Merchants and Manufacturers, or one subscribed in
the manner above alluded to, be entitled to most
attention.
(FROM THE MORNING HERALD.)
Mr. Hume, we are happy to see, takes the Chair
to-day at a meeting of the inhabitants of Maryle-
bone, for the purpose of following up the cause of
parochial freedom and reform ; and which, we trust,
will be attended by persons of all ranks in this ex-
tensive opulent district. The advocates of the self-
electing select system, both in this and other
parishes, console themselves, it is said, not with any
hope of their cause gaining ground by its justice, or
even its expediency, but from the want of means
which they batter themselves their opponents labour
under, ansi the evident advantage they themselves
possess, of beingable to fight their fellow-parishioners
with their own money. This, to be sure, is advantage
as well as abuse, enough, and is itself a striking proof
of the inherent rottenness of a system which can thus
maintain itself at the charge of those very persons_
whose interests it ought to defend, but who are most
interested in its overthrow. This view of the matter,.
however, while it aggravates the evil, should not deter
but rather animate those who are opposed to it to
stonger exertions. In such a parish as Maryle-
bone, in particular, the mere pecuniary means of
emancipation cannot be really wanting. Probably a
less sum than five shillings from every householder
would form a fund more than ample enough to bring
the contest to a triumphant termination. Next to
raising the means, the main consideration is, to
whom they should be confided. The " fide sed
eui ride," must rigidly be kept in view. If we
were asked what description of persons are fittest to
be trusted, and likeliest to fulfil their oust effectu-
elly, we should say honest men of business—not
mere: idlers and dawdlers, who are fond enough and
fit enough to pley their parts in Vanity Fair, but
who contribute little aid that is valuable to the tug
of real war, and who are too ready sometimes to
strike their colours when either trouble, danger, or
temptation, presents itself to them.
(F ROM THE MORNING ADVERTISER.)

Mr. Peel has lost hi; election for Oxford. This
result we considered extremely probable from the
turn which the election had taken on Friday, and we
were not therefore surprised in finding our worst
fears realized, The matter is of no importance to the
Right Hon. Gentleman, for whodi a scat has been
secured, and who will take his place in the house
of Commons, on Thursday next, as independently as
if he had been chosen Member for Oxford ! but it is
a matter of no inconsiderable importance in so far
as the settlement' of the Catholic question is con-
cerned ; and on this ground we lament it—deeply
indeed lament, because there is no doubt that ad-
vantage will be takeu.of the circumstance to endea-
vour to persuade the Legislature and the eountry,that
the learned, as well as the unlearned, are equally op-
posed to the emancipation of the Catholics. We
have on former occasions laid before our readers
what we consider sufficient tfaaons for not attach-
ing any special importance to the result of the
Ox-
ford Election, and shall not now therefore again
touch upon the subject ; but if an argument were
started on this subject, the result of the poll would
show that there is such a respectable minority, even
in Oxford, in favour of Emancipation, as ought to
prove to every one the paramount necessity of tak-
hig the question into consideration " with a view to
" its final settlement," and " with temper and mo-
deration." The greatest efforts, as will be seen
from our report, 7vere made by the friends of Sir R.
while those of Mr. Peel were, until within
these few days, but little on the alert. Had both
parties, however, started fa:dye and the result of
the election have been what it is, we should have
honoured the men of Oxford for it, Political con-
sistency is but a rare virtue, and rare especially when
self-interest and consistency happen to clash ; and
as this. is somewhat the ease in the present election,
we arc rather disposed to appro.-e of the spirit which
has been manifested by it as an honest spirit, though
we should have been glad to find the re,:a4 di'
ferent.

(FROM THE NEWS.)
The Parliamentary Proceedings of both Houses,
if we ms.;" judge from those of last week, so far from
diminishing in interest, seem daily to acquire fresh
animation and importance. The speeches of the
Dukes of Clarence and Sussex—of Earl Grey, the
Marquis of Angletea, and Lord I'i‘:nkett (in particu-
lar that of the Heir Presumptive), w;11 amply repay
tiie most attentive perusal. 'I he advice the Duke
of Clarence gives to the Reverend the Bishops,'
and through them to the Clergy in general, to d -
mean themselves, on the question of thR claims of
the Catholics, as " Kinisters of Pence," Wfa rope
will no be without a beneficial effect. Certain it is,
that, with reference to too many uf the parochial
Clergy, such advice was loudly called for. It must
be admitted that, o'er since the publication of the
King's Speech, the eouduet of very many of the
Establishment has been such as by no means to add
to the little popularity they cciukt prgyiously lay
claim to. That conduct has been charaete;ized by
the total absence of the great Christian principle--
" Do unto others a; ye would be done by yourselves;"
and also by the meat deplorable ignorance of passing
events, in asserting that the CatPolic religion i
England, of the present day, is the same i,n.effect asn
it was in the days of the brute, lieury the Vltith,
or tile bigot Mary, his daughter. As well might it
be maintalued, that the practise of our own Church
is the same as when it was death for a Catholic
priest to perform the oilizes of his relitC.i or when
such villains as Oates, Dang2r,, and Bedloe,
were encouraged by our Judges to zorornit the
grossest perju:2es, in swearing away the fires sir
pious aad excellent yagp, merely because they hap
ct-
s
1 pened to be Catholics.. Ti}
truth is, as respe
both Churches, " the times are eiiscp.ed, and we
(perhaps iinperceptibly), have elianzid with the
mes."

(FROM THE ATLAS.)
• T 7 lecti on may be said to be term),
has obtained a majority,
When the worthy
r Mr. Est-

The Oxfora
nated. Sir R. M. big.—
. which must secure his return.
Baronet enters Parliament by the side u.
court as the second representative of the Universe., ,
England will have reason to be proud of the taste and
judgment of her great seat of learning. Placing out
of view the passing excitation of political feeling,
and the desire the Members of the Colleges enter.;
min, at this juncture, to have gentlemen in the Senate
capable of supporting a particular view of the Catho-
lic question, there will not be a rotten borough in
the Kingdom more huncly represented than the
University of Oxford. Mr. Estcourt's worst ene-
mies never accused him of possessing an intellect

capable of grasping a higher subject than ale-house
licences; and Sir R. H. Inglis's researches have
been sedulously confined to those topics that lay
nearest at hand, and were most easily investigated.
There is no witchcraft in either ; and when the
Catholic Bill shall have passed, and Catholic am-
bition shall have ceased to disturb the terrors of his
Majesty's Royal lieges, the public may never expect
to hear a voice from the cloisters of Oxford echoing
through the vault of St. Stephen's Chapel, Mr.
Peel, with all his sins of system and solemnity,
would have been a more fitting representative for
a place that is nominally the depository of know-
ledge than either the worthy Baronet or his honour-
able colleague. But if people will be obstinate, they
must take the consequences.

(FROM THE JOHN BULL.)
Mr. Peel is defeated at Oxford by a majority of
146. We confess, however much we may rejoice at
.he event as a powerful proof of the popular feeling,
t surprises us.

SECOND EDITION.
SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

MPERIAL PARLIAMENT

THIS EVENING.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

The Bishop of MEATH took the oaths and his seat.
The Duke of CUMBERLAND presented a petition
from the Protestants of the county of Armagh, and another
from Tyrone, praying no further concession to the Ca-
tholics. His Royal Highness stated that the first petition
was signed by 16,000, and the other by 17,000 persons.
Lord CALEDON observed, that though they were
signed by the numbers which the Illustrious Duke had
stated, yet he by ns means considered them as expressing
the sense of the country.
The Bishop of LONDON presented several petitions
from parishes in Middlesex, against further concessions to
the Catholics,

......
Lord DUNDAS presented a petition from the Catholics
of York praying fu• a removal of their disabilities.
Lord ELDON presented upwards of thirty petitions
from different places, praying for no further conces
sions to the Roman Catholics. Having presented
them, the. Noble Lord (Eldon) observed, that having
occupied so much time already, he should not trespass
further on their Lordship's attention, but present 25 peti-
tions more, that he lead in an adjoining room, together
with 75 which were at home, on some other day or days.