Star.
London, England, 1831-10-12 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THIS DAY'S JOURNALS

Conoeicte.—The conduct of the Bench of
Bishops in opposing themselves to the nation, on
so momentous a question as Parliamentary Reform,
has sealed their doom. There is but one opinion
with reward to them in all quarters. The French
do not look with more horror on any of tho gene-
rals v+c deserted tho national standard for that of
the allies, thee the English on the bishops who
voted iu the faemea majority of 199. That vote
will neither be forgotten nor forgiven. Even in
the House of Lords itself, the descendants of the
Apostles me zpelam o: in terms, which, if and
Englishmau had heard for the first time on his re-
turn to his country, after a year or two's absence, he
would have almost Oisbelioved the evideece of his
senses. Lord King, on presenting two petitions
from owners end occupiers of laud in Suffolk, and
from a place in Ireland, complaining of being con-
tinually harassed with suits for tithes, after an ex-
emption for centuries, observed, that " this dis-
turbance of the necient order of things then came
from the clergy, who professed to be averse to all
changes, and to be desirous tl.at every .hind should
remain unchanged, but who, when their own inte-
rests were concerned, became the arch-disturbers."
Lord Ellenborough having complained of these
constant attacks on the clergy, Lord Suf-
field confessed that he had very frequently
suggested to Lord Kin, to abstain from these
attacks ; but though his attachment to the Este.
bliehed Church remained as strong as ever, what
had taken place within these few days had caused
some change in his opinion respecting the general
body of the Prelates. With two distinguished
exceptions, all the Bishops (except the few who
did vote) were against the Bill,—were against
a large majority of the House of Commons—
against the whole nation (for the exceptions to unite
Dimity are too few to affect any general calculation).
Now, how is this ? How does it happen, that while
a majority of the ancient Pews wish to put an end
to the vile system by which, through the agency of
fraud, and bribery, read corruption, the peop!o of
England are unmercifully pillaged and oppressed
the Bishops almost to a man support the cause
of fraud, of bribery and corruption, abet injustice
and unrighteousness ? Why is it that their sym-
pathy should be so much more strong than that of
the Lay Lords, Arid) what Burke so significantly
termed the shameful part of the Constitution ? Is
this accident ? What ! accidental, that in a mat
ter respecting which the nation is on one side, a
great majority of the representatives of the nation
on the same side, and (excluding the Prelates)
also a majority even of the Peers, the Right
Reverend Fathers in GOD should cling to a cor•
ruption almost to a man ? No, no ; there is more
thee accident in this. The Prelates know, that
of those even who love the Church, there are
few who love its corruptions, and in this respect
the Prelates differ front the people; fur the cor-
ruptions of the church are the only part of it of
which they are en?.moured. To set their house in
order, might render it more popular with the coun-
try; but that intimation which was most accepta-
ble to the roele, was wormwood to the plelates.
Mea are much led by analogies. It is not to be
supposed that with purity in the state, the impu-
rity in the church could be tolerated. Hence the
eagerness of the Prelates to trip up a reforming
ministry ; and heuce the Prelates will, till a re-
form takes elace in the church, naturally oppose
themselves to all improvements iu the state, and
support whatever tends to add to the misery and
privations of the people. The wolf loves not the
careful shepherd. The wonder with us is, how two
men could be found under so corrupt a system, in
whom the love of piety and justice still sun ived.
TlMM—Should we rejoice at any conduct on
the part of the Bishops which is iu its nature of a
tendency iujerious to the church of England ? We
flatter ourselves that no such criminal exultation ,
can be imputed to us. Had it been our desire to
entrap the Bishops,—bed it been our scheme of
dai k and murky mischief to " trip up" the reverend
Lords, as someirody has insinuated that it was their
plait to " trip up his Majesty's Ministers" by their
mode of proceeding on the Reform Bill,—we should
have scrupulously forborne to trouble them with our
apprehensions, our warnings, er advice. But it was,
iu truth, our honest and conscientious solicitude for
ever, the temporal well-being of the church (which
at the same time we beg leave to disclaim all
notice of confounding with its spiritual welfare,)
it was that habitual anxiety which led us on more II
than one occasion, before the second reading,—.l
before, indeed, the introduction of the Reform Bill
to the House of Lords,—which led us to address
the light reverend Bench in accents of deep alarm
for the consequences of its not unfuresen indiscre-
tion. The very case which has happened, the
identical case, was meat distinctly, and we might
add curiously, pre-supposed as a circumstance
fraught with calamity,—we mean the circum-
stance of the Bill being thrown out by the

Bishop.. Yea, it has happened in the very form
and to the precise extent which we prophe-
sied; for the fact of the bishops being friendly or
adverse to the Bill, Lea just mace, the difference
between its being sent ton committee or at once
rejected. The effect, too, as that which would in-
evitably follow the indiscretion of these Prelate.,
has been too corapletely verified. The people
everywhere regard the Bench of Bishops as ene-
mies to the civil rights of Englishmen, and no man
opens his month upon the fate of the Reform Bill
without asking, 81 Why are the Bishops anffered to
meddle in any manlier with legislation 9" In short,
whatever support the political privileges of the
Right Rev. Bishops may have derived from cus-
tom,- or from traditionary policy,—from the pre-
sumed connexion between " Church and King"
and so forth,—that support is hourly falling from
under it.

HEAALD.--11 is not a sound principle to act
upon, either in morals or, politics, that a perms.
nent evil shonLl be committed to secure the acqui-
sition of a present good. Statesmen, as well as
moralists, should look not to the immediate result,
but to the probable consequence of actions, or their
conduct would be always in error. It appears a
good thing to pass the Reform Bill by any means
short of violence; bet it is right to bear in mind
that, if it be effected by the creation of 50 or 60
new Peers—nearly 30 having boon created by the
present ministry already—the dignity of the peerage
will not only be lowered, and the independence of the
House of Lords dortroycd, bet a most dangerous
prccedout will have beerstherebyestablished,of which
a corrupt and ambitious minister may hereafter take
ample advantage in promotion of the worst de-
signs ; for an Abuse of the prerogative in a good
came to-Jay may be pleaded to-morrow in defence
of proceedings of a totally opposite tendency. The
prerogative of the Crown in creating Peers is only
Properly exercised when it is limited to the supply-
mg the vacancies produced by time, and to the
raising persons whose public merits and eminent
services entitle them to that honour. We know
that this prerogative has been sometimes used be-
fore for political purposes, though never to the
extent which some contend for now. It was
thought a great abuse in the :sign of Queen Anne,
wheieto give Miuistcrs a majority, hock? new Peers
were created at once. With such contempt were the
iwcive treated,that,on the day of their taking their
seats In the UpperHoase,un the question of adjourn-
ment being put, the Earl of Whartcn asked them
.‘ Allether dui settle by theirlo:Tmc.l.?" King
Willia.a 111. degradel the Peerage, to ingratiate
himsif with rent families, by rn;s;a:: eight Earls
to Dukedoeue and creating eighteee Earle, three
Viscounts, end nine Barone. But what is this to
what is now prupcsed? Besiles, the Peers created
for tke occ.-tion are evnerelly the emit, tools of
every Admiuietration, who never vote against
the itliahtee, unless then the Miai:ter hippens to
act with the people. Witness Mr. Pist's Peers
in the present lasts .co, elio.;e names arc to be
founti in the ranks of the mejority nerviest the Re-
form Bill, although most of them, perheps, never
voted against the Crown before. Among them is the
name of Lord Carriegton, the ennobled banker and
professed Whig ; ho; it was better, in his opinion,
that the rights and liberties of the people should be
sacrificed than the rotten borough of Weudovcr
should be extinguished. In the celeleated case of
Ashby and White, the House of Lords made a
noble and successful stand in defence of the popu-
lar liberties, against the despotic usurpation at-
tempted by the House of Commons. There have
been other occasions, too, where they have been
on the side of freedom when the Commons arro-
gated au au.hority subversive of the rights of their
own constituents; but they were not occasional
peers who acted so. We would, therefore, rather
see the House of Lords abolished nt once, than so
degraded as so reflect but the servile image of the
will of the Minister of the Croton
POST.—Parliament will probably be prorogued
at the end of this week till January. It is now
affirmed, and Lord Atthorp'a speech gives counte-
nance to the statement, that the intention of Mi-
nisters is to bring forward their Bill, after the
recess, " slightly modified," in the hope that
'should this measure meet with the eame fate at the
hands of the Lords as its predecessor, the majo-
rity ill he so diminished as to allow a resort to
the favourite expedient of creating new Peers for
the uurpose of carryiug is. If this be indeed
the project, I: will present a strange commentary on
Earl Grey's raettece addressed to the House of
Lords, that, if they rejected the measure before
them one far snore comprehensive would be thrust
upon them which they would he compelled to adopt.
The firmness of their Lonlships, it appearsevill have
produced a diametrically opposite result. Again, has
not Earl Grey solemnly declared that no measure
lof less extent than the late Bill would ever proceed
from him or receive his saa.tion ? Lord Altborp
indeed has intimated that theßill will be "modified,"
but that its "etliciency"will nut be impaired. Now it
does appear to us that this shuffling as to words is
lunworthy of any men having character to lose.
These sorry attempts at equivocation must fad in
their object. If a modyced do not mean a measure
of less extent, less comprehensive, and (radically
speaking) less efficient, it has no meaning at all.
And here a may be allowed to observe, that hut
for the declaration of Lord Grey above referred to,
that modification which the Government now
contemplates, would have been attempted, and the
Bill have been suffered to pass the seconu reading.
The course about to be adopted b:,- the Government.
clearly demonstrates that of whatever derelictions
of principle they may be found guilt) there is one
principle at least which they never will abandon,
the leading principle of Whiggism, that of clinging
to office though at any sacrifice of character. As it
is now, so it was when this party was last in pos-
st scion of place. They then consented, for the
put pose of retaining office under George 111. to
abandon the measure of Catholic concession, to
which they had pledged themselves, but their sub-
sequent conduct appearing suspicious, they were
finally dismissed from the councils of that virtuous
and patriotic Monarch.

The recontinendation o; the yoke of Wellingtoni
M
to ble Leeds in rejecting the Dill, not to pledge t
sthes to an; other Pe.lemc of Reform which might be in.
troducu!, has aaturally excited much attention. It is no
easy matter to know w at On Duke it driving at, because
we believe he has ro settled purpose. He wee probably
quite sincere s hen he pronouuced unto.= of madmen on
himself if be should tale the Premiership. though he soon
changed his mind.
In consequence of the immense attendance of the
film Portion of this creation on the Peers' debates, it is said
that we have now a House of Ladies as well u a House of
Lords ; and that she Dowager Duchess of Richmond is the
Speakertiss, and Lady "Term first Clerk at the Table.

SPORTING.
EPSOM OCT—IVEIEETING,
Thb roasting commences to•morrow. The entries hiss
closed as follow :
__

The Metropolitan Stakes of 10 sem each, with 15 added
from the Fund.
Mr. W. Day's Augur. 6 yrs; Mr. Watson's Ardells, 3
yes; Mr. Gardan's ch. c. Xiug William, 4 yn ; Mr.
Gates's b Immospisede, 3 yrs ; Mr. Ongley's Nadas, 4
yrs ; Mr. Dkkhosn's ch b Lawn Nowa, b yrs.
Swespotakes of MI son. each, h; R.
Slr G. Boathook's Shirine, 3 yrs ; Mr. Gardner's bl. L
Ida, 3 yrs; Mr. Lumley's ch. f. Farce, 3 yrL
The llpsom Stakes of 10 hon. each, with 15 added.
Sir G. Hostboates Penance, 3 yrs; Mr. Lounky's b c,
Smptre, yrs; Mr. Gardner's bl f Ida, i yrs; Mr. Waagh's
Fancy, 3 ; Mr. Gate's Runnymede, 3 yes; Mr. Clark's
bc. by • , 3 yrs; Mr. Yates's p. g. Gab, 3 yrs.
Sweepstakes of 10 son. each, with 10 added from the F.,nd.
Mr. Martyn's ch 4 Minetta, apt Mr. Gardnor's bl f,
Ida, by Whalebone, Ss. 71b each.—One Mile, 50, h R.
Szcomm DAL--Satmetakas of 20 RPM each, h
Three-quarters of a Mile.
Mr. Shard's Mayfly; Mr. Thompson's b f Chastity;
Mr. Gray's b f Yorkshire Lissy; Sir G. Hestbeote's b
Ortwookor Mr. Dockeray's b f Runnymede; Mr. Pdabaly's
ch f Nannette, 2 yes.
The Ewell Stakes of 10 son each, with 10 added.—The
Derby Course ; for horses of an ages; to be handicapped the
day before running ; to be re-opened and close at eleven on
the first day of the races, at the Stand.
Sweepstakes of 10 son each, with 10 added. Heats one mile.
Mr. Watson's Ardelia.
itr; Capt. Annstein's eh g
Maratbon, 4 yrs; Mr. Lit 's eh fby Weful, 3 yeah;
Mr. Gardoors ch c Meg William, 4 yrs ; Mr. G. ocl/fey's
ch mby Nicole, 5 yn ; Mr. Smith's Zarb , 3 yrs; Mr.
Thomas's Washington, 3 yrs; Mr. Lszabden's b f Snacks,
3 yrs; Mr. Docktray's b g by Muffed. 6 yrs; Mr. M.
Onglorisjdtote. yrs.
Free p Sw=takes et 15 son gob ; 10 ft ; 10
One mile.
Mr. N. Ongley's Foxcote, 6 yrs, Set; Mr. Weatherill's
eh f Tagliod, 4 yrs, 7et 101 b; Mr. Maberly's Farce, 3 yrs,
Est 101 b ; Mr. Gates's Runnymede, 3 yrs, Set SM.