Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

were his contemporaries; Alexander sighed for more worlds to conquer; Cæsar wept because at Alexander's age he had conquered nothing; Napoleon was scorched by an ambition sometimes childish— sometimes demoniac-always insatiable; but Wellington, with purity of motive, singleness of eye, and simplicity of purpose, insensible to praise or censure, followed duty only. He sought noble ends by noble means, from noble motives. Fame might follow him. He had neither taste nor time to follow her.

"I am not the eulogist of war. But surely if one would defend a cotton-mill from lawless assault, it cannot be less dutiful to defend one's country, kith, and home from hostile invasion or destruction. He has no heart who sits, and sleeps, and draws his revenue under the overshadowing peace which Wellington and his brave comrades won for us at Waterloo, and yet speaks disdainfully of what they did, or indulges in mere eloquent denunciations of war. Had Napoleon gained the day, it is not improbable that England would have been now an appendage of France, and our Protestant Church under the domination of the Vatican.

"Let us pray and toil as Christians that there may be less and less necessity for the soldier's mission; but when the unsheathing of the sword is demanded, that many may inherit the mantle of Wellington.

[ocr errors]

May our country be always victorious; but, victorious or vanquished, may she be always in the right."

IRELAND.

The Elections:-Priestly Interference-Six-Mile-Bridge Tragedy. Strange Verdict of Romish Jury. Maynooth College. Irish Church Missions. THE event, or rather the fasciculus of events, which constituted a future prospect, at the date of my last communications, are now to be numbered among the constituents of Irish history, and let them tell their own tale. This only, in the way of introductory comment I will say that if the history of the Parliamentary election of 1852 in this country fails to open, in all necessary fulness, the eyes of Protestant Britain, as to the true nature of Irish Popery, it is very much to be apprehended that nothing will have this effect. The conduct of the Irish priesthood on this remarkable occasion to a calm and reflective observer appears really mysterious, if not inexplicable. If ever there was a time when the usual dictates of common prudence would suggest at least decency of demeanour, and moderated zeal, if they did not absolutely interdict open interference in the issue of the elections, this was the time. The eyes of the whole country were directed to Ireland, and especially those portions of it where Popery is still numerically superior, and the priesthood have been hitherto proverbially dominant. After the recent check which this system had received in England, and the aroused state of the English mind on the subject of the aggression so lately made there, a large measure of moderation on the part of the Irish Papal priesthood might reasonably have been

expected as a sort of healing measure, or, at least, in order to aid in throwing dust into the eyes of the fast-awakening English Protestant population. But no such thing: among the most ancient annals of Celtic ferocity and lawlessness, periodically displayed at the hustings of contested elections in this country, the facts which have just transpired among us stand immeasurably pre-eminent. And how may we account for this? Only thus, as it occurs to me. Popery is growing desperate. Like her great author, as prophetically portrayed in the Apocalypse, she sees and feels that her "time is short," and hence her recent rage. Or, may not this manifestation be one of several, noted on the page of history,-when, as if to show that he is unpossessed of that attribute of Deity which he is wont to simulate, Satan is found making some grand error, by an effort after surpassing power, or the manifestation of superior skill of design? In more vulgar terms, Satan does certainly seem, in the conduct of his Irish agents on the recent occasion, as on certain others, to have outwitted himself.

In proof of this, your readers have only to recal the list of county and borough elections, in the south and west of Ireland, as given in the leading journals of the day, whereat Popish priests figured as the proposers and seconders of their nominees-the candidates. I cannot but contrast, with pleasure and thankfulness, the conduct of the Protestant clergy on these occasions. They evidently felt that the hustings of a contested election was no place for the ministers of the Gospel of peace, and accordingly were not to be found there. On looking over the accounts of such, I did, indeed, notice one or two Dissenting ministers in Ulster, and about as many of the clergy of the Established Church, giving their presence on these occasions, and taking a part in such exciting scenes, by proposing candidates and making speeches; but a sense of propriety happily kept back all, with these nearly solitary exceptions, and public opinion generally has given its verdict, that they were right in so abstaining. Not so the Popish priests. John M'Hale was not content with a solitary nomination of a candidate for Parliamentary honour, but on two several occasions "his Grace" condescended to propose members of the true Church for that distinction. Your readers may well imagine with what sort of eloquence and in what terms.

English readers, however, like facts; and as an illustration of the spirit manifested by Rome in her government of British subjects in Ireland, during the period under consideration, I would just adduce the transactions at Six-Mile-Bridge. Two of the Romish priesthood (Burke and Clune) are now standing out on bail, to appear and answer for their illegal conduct at the late election, in exciting a riotous mob to an assault on Her Majesty's troops, and otherwise to break the peace. Pending this trial it would be wrong to say anything concerning their conduct, but the facts which have given rise to this Government prosecution are most striking. A Jury chiefly, if not indeed exclusively, composed of Irish Romanists, was empannelled by the Coroner of the county, to pronounce on the deaths of eight unhappy persons, who had been killed by the fire of the soldiers of the 31st Regiment, as it was alleged, in defence of their

lives at the above-mentioned place, during the election. It came out in evidence that several of the soldiers had been knocked down, and cut, by the missiles and bludgeons of the infuriated mob: that they had not fired until the last moment that self-preservation could endure these savage attacks, and then by the orders of a magistrate that they defended themselves. It further was shown, that this mob was led on, not only in the attack on the military, but in their successful efforts to take forcible possession of the persons of the voters by the two priests above mentioned. The Coroner's charge (who certainly did not exhibit any bias towards either the military or the magistrate) went to instruct the Jury so far as to say, that they had a choice in their verdict between manslaughter or justifiable homicide. But these constitutional and impartial gentlemen thought proper to judge for themselves, and brought in their verdict of "WILFUL MUrder," against both soldiers and magistrate. Accordingly, six of the soldiers and the highly-respectable gentleman who held Her Majesty's commission of the peace, were lodged in the body of the county gaol; bail having been refused. As a matter of course, on application being made to the superior Court, Queen's Bench, one of Her Majesty's judges, Justice Crampton, at once ordered both the magistrate, Mr. Delmege, and the soldiers to be released, on giving very moderate, in fact, nominal bail; and Her Majesty's Attorney-General has instituted proceedings against the two Popish clerical ringleaders of the riots aforesaid.

What a comment this on Popery! I would just ask our English fellow-citizens, What measure of justice can we Irish Protestants expect from the hands of such administrators of British law as our Irish Papists? And yet, we have many such among us, aye, and some intrusted with high legal authority.

[ocr errors]

As a fit finale to the Six-Mile-Bridge tragedy, the "Lord Bishop of the diocese has since ordered High Mass to be said for "the victims" of English butchery, which has accordingly been done by no less than thirty priests, including Messrs. Burke and Clune, the leading pacificators on the occasion.

Now, we Irish Protestants once more ask our British fellowcountrymen and fellow-citizens, how long will they continue to force us to pay for the support of Maynooth, the nursery and hotbed of all this murder and rebellion which are desolating Ireland? This is the question of questions. You know our opinion on this head; it is but for England to say, "Down with Maynooth!" and down it goes, and along with it the greatest of Ireland's evils.

As an offset to what I have above written, we have the unspeakable satisfaction of referring to several most signal victories which Protestantism has gained in this country as well as yours, at the recent elections. I need only mention the boroughs of Dublin, Belfast, and Armagh, to recal most signal triumphs. The great counties of Down and Antrim have also returned Protestant and Conservative Members, instead of Tenant-leaguers and Radicals. So have also those of Dublin and Londonderry. These have all been most decisive and also hardly-gained victories; as even in Protestant Ulster Popery manifested the same rabid spirit which it exhibited with more success

in the other provinces. A rather humorous proof of this occurs to me, as I write. There was a most tumultuous scene at the County Down election in Downpatrick, owing to the organized resistance to law and order on the part of the Tenant-leaguers and Popish party allied. The mob were here, as elsewhere, most energetic in the use of bludgeons and brickbats, and among them one individual (as an eye-witness informed me) was, on one of these occasions very conspicuous, as a leader and guide, in this civilized recreation. This worthy preserver of the peace was not very discernible from the belligerent mass, among whom he moved, until casually my informant discovered his real rank and spiritual superiority by observing that although the fray was thick and furious his co-operators always did obeisance in passing or addressing him, by touching their hats. He was, in fact, a Romish priest. So much for the peaceable and loyal training of Maynooth, once more.

It occurs to me to cite another recent example of the reign of Popery here. Since my last, three wretched men have made such expiation of their guilt as the insulted laws of God and man demanded, for the attempted murders of Messrs. Eastwood and Chambre. The murderers of another victim, Mr. Bateson, have for so far escaped. And even here we see the heart-hatred of Popery to English law, justice, and order. It was formerly the practice for vast multitudes to congregate and witness executions, under such circumstances. On these occasions the very reverse was the case, hardly any crowds were present. The areas surrounding the places of execution were comparatively deserted, because the priests had strictly forbidden their flocks to attend. If an auto-da-fè were to be celebrated it had been otherwise. Had Protestant heretics been conducted to the stake there would have been a sufficiently large assemblage to witness the edifying spectacle, both clerical and lay. Even the wretched notion of terror, which is usually excited by witnessing the death of a murderer among the crowds who assembled, might possibly deter their flocks from crime; yet these Maynooth moralists and Royalists would not have it so! Could they well afford a more striking instance of their intense hatred of British rule, and of their innate love of lawlessness? An equally striking and painful lesson was read on those melancholy occasions, by the dying conduct and declarations of these wretched men. In no case was there that confession of guilt and acknowledgment of the justice of their sentence, which afford a ground of hope that genuine repentance has found a place in the hearts of such unhappy beings. In every one of these three examples it was perfectly evident that, even on the gallows, Rome knew how to make them subservient to her ends, a lesson was put into their lips, and they uttered it. This was to commend "their clergy" to the bystanders, to praise them as unerring guides, and to declare that, had they followed their instructions they would not have been there. The sameness of this wretched trick exposed its real authors. And what an awful exit from time to eternity did Rome afford these her dupes and puppets! One had been reading "a religious book sent him by a pious lady from Dundalk; another who could not read had the "Miserere" and

[ocr errors]

"other Psalms read to him by the priest;" the third was busy, even on the scaffold, with "the Litany of the Blessed Virgin; " nothing of the Gospel, or of the alone Saviour. And thus has Rome sent into eternity her wretched sons, fit sons of such a parent, trusting in her lies and ignorance of that only name which can save. These are what the late Sir Robert Peel would call "the consolations of religion" which Maynooth provides.

I have, however, to record some few cheering facts, in contrast to all this. The prosecution of the two Popish priests above referred to, proves that the Executive are not asleep, but at their posts of duty, and resolved to discharge it.

The excellent and laborious Bishop of Tuam has just completed a tour of his extensive diocese, and I have seen the authoritative Report of the result, as given by the "Secretary and Deputy Registrar" of the diocese. The document is long, and intensely interesting. I can, however, only quote the following summary.

The general result of the whole tour is as follows. In all 1,294 persons were confirmed, being 454 original Protestants and 840

converts.

These converts, added to the number previously confirmed upon the two occasions within the last three years, make 2,414 converts confirmed.

Three new churches have been consecrated, and one enlarged. Five new churches are in process of completion. The first stones are laid of three more, and two more were contracted for, making in all fourteen new churches, which will afford sittings for 5,210 persons. Six new licensed houses for divine worship have been provided. total number of sittings newly provided for the accommodation of increased number of worshippers, 8,860.

[ocr errors]

Here are glorious results in one diocese, and under the energetic supervision of one Christian bishop. Had all the reformed bishops and pastors of our Church acted and felt as the present Bishop of Tuam, even in the present generation, how different had been the state of unhappy Ireland this day! While all this was going on, and the Bishop of Tuam was progressing through his diocese, attended by some of the most godly and laborious ministers and laymen, English and Irish, which our Church contains, the pseudo-Archbishop, M'Hale, was in pursuit of his fast-escaping victims, and truly marvellous was the contrast. Distrust and ill-concealed dislike awaited the one, while devotion and respect attended the other. At one of his stations in the island of Achill, for instance, where the Protestant Bishop confirmed hundreds, John of Tuam found just six recalcitrant victims on whom to lay his hands.

My paper, and I fear your patience is out, so I must conclude, although not without much more to record. We have had a very gratifying progress of the Irish Viceroy into the northern province. The papers have already told you of the result. Belfast, the northern capital, was at the same time visited by the British Association, and both concurring events drew forth such a demonstration that even the carking "Times has been compelled to admit the existence of one oasis in the waste of Ireland. What affords it prosperity and

[ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinuar »