The Sun. — 1842-03-07 (London, England)

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE THIS DAY. Irl .ruing 24 minutes after 10 I Evening 4 minutes after 11.:  violated by the Government, will be justified in taking possession of the vessels in which they are embarked, and carrying them into the harbours of the United States, where the Government might with as much propriety protect.them as England protects runaway negroes.  Fortunately for us we are not now at war—we do not practice impressment, and are not exposed to this great risk. Now, then, is the time for the Legislature and the country to avoid this great danger in future, by declaring they will never again make slaves—of the seamen. We cannot lay down one rule for the negroes, and adopt a less favourable one for the seamen ; we cannot use one measure for the conduct of the United States, and another for our own. Indirectly then the practice of impressment has been branded by the highest authorities of the land ; and only professional habits, we are persuaded, made the humane and Gallant Commodore allude to it in other language than that of stern reprobation. The Gallant Officer's recommendations to insure promotion to the mates after six years' service, to give the rank of post captain, and a small addition of pay to retired officers, and to increase the pay of the seamen entitle him to the gratitude of the navy. The country, however, will learn with some surprise, or, perhaps, some indignation, that notwithstanding our immense dead weight, the bulk of our admirals are now at such an advanced age that they are no longer fit for service. Were a naval war to break out, therefore, an extensive promot7 on must tai e p!ace, add.rts largely to the public, e zpense, or the fleet must be placed under the command of men whose energies have passed away. This is not a safe state of things, and the Gallant Officer's recommendation of a means to amend it deserves serious consideration.  Passing from Sir CHARLES NAPIER'S speech, we must observe, that our conjecture as to the real cause why Mr. ELTON was so severely punished, was verified by the debate. It is evident, from the observations of Captain Rous, that Mr. ELTON was severely punished because the mates and midshipmen are presumed to be insubordinate. He was made an example of in terroreni. His own offence might be slight, but their offences are numerous. " The mates and others were going to give him a jubilee." His character, too, was not admired by his superiors, and he was sentenced to a severe punishment, not for writing an improper letter to his superior officer, for which he afterwards offered to apologise, but because the mates and midshipmen are supposed to be getting too independent. Probably, when they are more justly and more impartially treated, they will be more sensible of the advantages they enjoy, and be less turbulent. The debate on Friday was, on the whole, of good augury for the future improvement of the navy.  We adverted some months ago to a report that the QUEEN DOWAGER was about to grant 2,0002, in addition to the large sum she had already paid for building a church at Malta, and treated it as a -wicked calumny ; for we could not believe it possible that her Majesty would send money out of the country for such a purpose, when English women were committing murder and suicide from insufferable want and hopeless_ despair. No more was heard of the report ; but looking at all the circumstances, we fear it is not without foundation. Queen ADELAIDE, it is well known, is much under the influence of the clergy ; and when we find these men combining to raise money • for Colonial Bishops, we may infer that they will consider it a meritorious act to build a Colonial Cathedral. The Bishop of London is one of the most active of his " order" in business of this kind, and though we should not complain if he gave 10,0002 a-year out of his enormous income to promote true religion in this country, or even abroad, we must protest against the atrocious scheme he has devised for abstracting, during this period of awful want and distress, money from the pockets of Englishmen for the erection of either colonial Bishoprics or colonial churches. A scheme of this description, however, is prepared, for he has addressed a circular to the clergy of his diocese, the object of which is to exhort them to make collections in their respective churches, in aid of the fund for the " endowment of the Bishoprics in the colonies." Thus while the clergy receive from seven millions to nine millions sterling yearly (for they take care that the full amount shall not be known), they are called upon by this pious and wealthy Bishop to use their spiritual influence to raise money, not to feed the hungry, or save the dying, but to add to the wealth of thii,ir own order in foreign lands. Of all the egregious instances of priestly assumption and impudence that have distinguished Churchmen above all other classes, this is the most astonishing. What ! -while the poor people of Paisley are forced to keep body and soul together on three halfpence a-day each ; while thousands of famished children in England are crying for bread, and their broken-hearted mothers starving themselves to relieve their offspring ; while high-spirited Englishmen are brought so low by want, as to solicit the crumbs that fall even from the common soldier's table ; and tens of thousands are debarred from entering a church for want of decent clothing, the cries of our starving poor are to be drowned by holy shoutings for more Church ! The spirit that dictates this outrageous attempt is the spirit of infidelity, and not Christianity, for in the words of the sacred writer, "lie that provideth not for his own, and especially for those of his own household, has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." But the monstrous undertaking cannot succeed. The voice of the charitable people of this country will be raised against it, and should that not deter this arrogant priest, we trust her MAJESTY will show herself the head of the Church in reality,' and issue an injunction against such wicked mockery.  fiPV • aui • 4- .... • _aro M 0 s da:Tfre,