in all human probability, have availed themselves of this opportu

P

youth is not controlled by any Ca- | collections or Parliamentary aids; tholic authority. This just and rea- that public confidence has been

sonable principle is extended also
to the Jews in that country; and,
accordingly, it is provided by a Royal
Ordinance respecting that commu-
nity, dated 20th of August, 1823,
published in the Moniteur, Septem-
ber 13th (Article 18). "Il ne pour-
ra être employé dans les écoles pri-
maires aucun livre qui ne soit ap-
prouvé par la Consistoire Central, du
consentment des grands Rabbins."
-Such a provision is liberal and just;
yet, it is desired to except the Catho-
lics of Ireland from the operation of
this principle, which is extended to
the Protestant and the Jew in France.
I have used some diligence in en-
deavouring to ascertain the real cha-
racters and objects of the several so-
cieties or institutions pretending to
be engaged in promoting the instruc-
tion and improvement of the poor in
Ireland. It is a matter of public no
toriety, that motives of bigotry and
proselytism have been imputed to
them, and that, on the other hand,
solemn protestations of pure, disin-
terested, Christian benevolence were
promulgated on their behalf. It ap-
pears to me, that those protestations
are not justified by the facts; that,
on the contrary, the management of
those societies is uniformly influenced
by an Anti-Catholic, proselytising
spirit, to which all their proceedings
are made subservient; that some of
then resort to the most unworthy ing to the same end.

abused, and some public funds perverted from their original purposes, in order to indulge the factious spirit of some of those societies; that others make out their accounts and returns in a confused and deceitful manner, in order, as it would appear, to evade the detection of their real designs; that accounts are stated in which the most important items are untruly set forth, although purporting to be vouched by all the forms of a rigorous audit; and, finally, that some of these publications, particularly prepared and put forth for circulation as imoral tracts, abound with falsehood, and breathe a factious and unchristian spirit; while others, designated as religious, are most disgusting and revolting compositions, directly tending to bring into contempt and disrepute the whole Christian system, its divine founder, and the sacred Scriptures.

It further appears, that in order to cover their machinations, they admit some occasional deviations from their general course, and that there subsists among many of them a systematic intercourse and confederacy, by means whereof they are enabled to expend through the agency of one, the public funds entrusted to another; and thus to establish and preserve one vast machine, composed of many and complex instruments, all operatmeans to attain these ends, particuI find that with some limited exlarly by the industrious dissemina- ceptions, the whole of the Parliation of gross, and too often wilful mentary grants for the sustenance misrepresentations, as well of their of schools and education in Ireland, own progress, as of the principles and amounting this year, to 105,2771. deportment of the Catholic clergy 1s. 8d. Irish currency, is confided, diand laity of Ireland, which they cir- rectly or indirectly, to anti-Catholic culate through the medium of Re- Managers, principally under the diports, Appendixes, Magazines, Tracts, and other occasional publications, and also the speeches and conferences of their members, agents, or emissaries. That these and other impositions appear to be practised upon the British public, for the purpose of obtaining contributions, either by

rection of the Members of one or other of those Societies; and that the applications from Catholics to the Legislature for a participation in those funds were rejected, almost with contumely. I observe, also, that the British contributions, estimating them at the same amount as in the last year, would raise the funds malevolence. On the contrary, I beplaced at the disposal of those so- lieve that a large majority of their cieties and institutions, for this single contributors, and managers, and even year, 1824, to nearly, if not fully officers in Great Britain, may be in200,000l. to be expended in the pro-fluenced by purely benevolent momotion of their sinister projects. Now, tives, and should be considered as Sir, it is known that the great mass unconscious victims of too credulous of the Irish population is grievously a confidence in the representations afflicted by all the miseries inciden- of others, rather than voluntary crutal to a state of wretched destitution, saders against their Catholic fellow

subjects in Ireland. If they read the public journals of that country, they must now be satisfied that all that has been stated about the opposition of the Catholic Clergy to the instruction of the poor was utterly

and a strong sense of past injuries and neglects. Without any temporal comfort, and but ill provided I comfort. with the bare necessaries of life, the only possession now left to them is that which neither the confiscations of intolerance, the inquisitions of unfounded, for that no class of his despotism, nor the vulture-grasp of Majesty's subjects in either country the task-master or the tithe-proctor has been so zealously engaged in the could reach, namely, their religious diffusion of that blessing; and surely principles and attachments; and it they must be aware that Great Briseems resolved upon to prevent their tain furnishes a more ample field peaceful enjoyment of even this than Ireland for any British Philanlast-and not the less cherished be- thropist, whose real desire is to procause it is the last-relic of their mote Christian improvement, and not ancient fortunes. Be assured that to indulge in anti-Catholic bigotry. the teasings and thwartings to which For, it is a curious fact, that while. the feelings of that sensitive people are one of those societies, when refer.. subjected by those uncharitable so- ing to Ireland, laments that "a peocieties, uniformly produce irritation, ple so near the centre of light should discord, and discontent, and directly be involved in thick darkness," (Retend to make the British name ab- port of the Irish Society of London horred in places were it would other- for 1823, page 7,) others deplore with wise be esteemed and extolled, with equal solemnity the darkness that genuine sentiments of fraternal grati- obscures this same "Centre of Light." tude, in return for the liberal aid even -The Reports and Magazines and once contributed in the hour of their other publications of the several distress. It should be the fixed re- "Home Missionary" and "Itinerant solve, as, in my judgment it is ob- Societies" abound with such repreviously the policy and the duty of sentations. I shall make some exany Administration, anxious for the tracts, in order to satisfy our goodly

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conservation of public order and the cultivation of national harmony, to discountenance such proceedings as the sources of great and general mischief; for so long as these seditious son to apprehend any obstructions to obtrusions prevail, it will be impossi- their operations from the existence ble for any Irish Government, who- of any previous religious predilections ever may preside over it, to conci- or prejudices. I proceed, at once, to liate public feeling, enjoy public the extracts:confidence, or secure the public weal.

evangelizers that they may find abundant occupation at home, where their lahours may be directly applied: to their objects, and there is no rea

I do not, by any means, desire to 'impute to every individual connected with those societies, a spirit of bigoted

"There are among us those not less in darkness and ignorance than those that are to be found in the Pagodas of China, or who, amidst the deepest wilds of Indian forests, sacrifice their

Jan.

Missionary Mag..
p. 22. Speech of John Wilks, Esq.
Chairman at a Home Missionary
Meeting.

children, or prostrate themselves | of the darkest districts you will meet
before demons, at whom they trem- with," (p. 4). Staffordshire is stated
ble, but whom, as gods, they adore." to contain three hundred thousand
Home
1820, inhabitants, one half of whom "are
distributed over the whole space of
the county, in small villages and
hamlets, the greater part of whom
are in a state to excite our commi-
seration. They sit in darkness, and
the gloomy shades of over-spreading
death" (page 4,5). Again, "Oxford-
shire presents but a dreary desert"
(page 5), and a moral wilderness of
awful dimensions" (page 7). As to
a part of Berkshire, it is stated, "no
one unacquainted with similar scenes,
can form an adequate idea of the ex-
treme ignorance of the inhabitants of
those villages" (page 5). The writer
adds, "not only these villages, but
a number of others near us, are simi-
larly situated: in one of them the
villagers are in a state of complete
mentul darkness" (page 6).

At the same Meeting, the Rev. Mr. Irons stated" In our own country there were MILLIONS whose consciences were never appealed to by faithful ambassadors, and who never heard of the Prince of Life." The Rev. Mr. Evans stated, " that he had travelled through districts of twenty miles, without a single school for religious instruction." The Rev. Mr. White observed, He had preached among the villages, and knew their state-a state of the greatest ignorance, and of the most awful immo rality." The Rev. E. A. Dunn "contended that he was the greatest patriot, who endeavoured to remove the darkness and depravity which had so long degraded the inhabitants of our native villages."

The succeeding Annual Reports contain similar representations: The Rev. Thomas Sharp, in his Report of Devonshire, says, "Alas! I can hardly suppress the rising tear, when I look eastward, eastward and and westward, and southward, beyond the sphere of my labours; for there are thousands and tens of thousands yet untaught. Much remains to be done even in the North of Devon, many a dark corner to be illuminated: many British heathen to be instructed" (Se cond Report of the Home Missionary Society, page 12.) The framers of this Report state, that Mr. Sparks preached in four places, which "were mere moral wildernesses, and knew nothing of Evangelical truth" (page 14). They refer to numerous tracts of country which present scenes of moral desolation". (page 18), and they add, that "thou sands of their countrymen and countrywomen are perishing for lack of knowledge" (page 22). In conchi sion, they observe, "an immense forest of destitute spots appears, be

At the first Annual Meeting of the Parent Home Missionary Society, held May 15, 1820, the Rev. J. Leifchild exclaimed, "O! where is the man who can think, without pain, that in this land of Goshen there should still be so many places shut up: in miserable darkness!" (Home Missionary Magazine, June, 1820, page 145). In the Report read at that meeting, it is stated, in reference to "Northumberland, Cumberland, Durham, and part of Lancashire," that, "Darkness covers this part of England, and gross darkness the people" (page 2); that "the more internal parts of Northumberland are awfully destitute, and the people are living in the greatest darkness and wickedness" (page 3); that the County of Worcester " has been termed the garden of England, but in a moral light, it may be regarded as a waste, howling wilderness" (page 4); and again, "Another highly respected Minister writes, this fore us, the moment we cast our part of the Island (Worcestershire eyes on the map of our country and Hertfordshire) is, I believe, one. Every where our Missionaries are

...

1

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ready to weep over the spiritual deso-
lation around them" (page 23).

Their Fifth Annual Report, adopted 5th May last, breathes the

same

In the Third Annual Report, it is desponding tones. The following paobserved, that there are in the neigh- ragraph may be taken as a specibourhood of the Missionaries, "one men: "Some of the Missionaries hundred and forty-five villages, con- yet mourn. Mr. Drury laments taining an awfully ignorant population the state of his neighbourhood in of more than sixty thousand souls" Sussex, and Mr. Hardy still sighs (page 21); and it is added, " if such over Herefordshire." The latter says, be the ascertained state of the villages "But a few years ago a cloud of in the neighbourhoods of the Mis-darkness-thick darkness, as the valsionaries, what vast maltitudes would leys of the shadow of death, hung be found to claim your Christian com- over the people, and there was scarcepassion, were a correct estimate to be ly a ray of Gospel light to cheer the made of their condition throughout moral gloom. Sin abounded, and the kingdom?" It is further dis- death reigned; and while the tears

of affection fell over the graves of departed relatives, no man cared for their souls. Blessed be God! the scene is somewhat altered, and here

tinctly asserted, that "none but
those who have taken the trouble to
explore the village population, can
possibly conceive of their wretched
state of ignorance, and of the degree and there is a rising light in the dark-
of vice that prevails among them." ness, but it is painful indeed to wit-
One of the Missionaries, on entering ness so great a proportion of our fel-
on his station, complains of "num- low-immortals yet in the hand of the
bers greatly increased, moral degra- enemy."

dation unusually deepened, ignorance The Reports of the Baptist Home
with insensibility united, wickedness Missionary Society are all in the same

blended with every vice, and height-
ened into barbarity of manners"
(p. 24); another says, "I verily be-
lieve that this is the worst place un-
der the heavens: for men, women,

strain. I shall trouble you only with very few extracts from one of themthat for 1822-being the Twentyfifth Anniversary of their operations. They say " It is lamentable to re

and children, seem to glory in blas-flect on nearly one hundred villages pheming the name of the Lord." in the county (Hampshire,) and on (p. 25.) Another tells the Commit- its borders, still destitute; the moral tee, " that his station exceeds every degradation, mental darkness, and thing he ever witnessed for wicked- spiritual wretchedness of which are ness; for cock-fighting, bull-baiting, scarcely conceivable; an ignorance of

quarrelling, drunkenness, and lewd-
ness, generally prevail;" (p. 25.) and
the Committee emphatically adds,
that "these are a few out of many
facts that are to be gathered from the
journals of the Missionaries;" (p. 25)
and they also state, "If more were
needed to awaken your feelings, tales
of ignorance could be related that

the only way of salvation exists as deplorably as among Pagans who never heard of the Bible," (page 5.) Again, the Committee "cannot refer to the counties of Warwick, Worcester and Hereford, without expressing the deepest regret, that where a kind Providence has clothed the face of nature with its richest verdure, and rewarded

would rend your hearts." (p. 31.) the toil of the husbandman with the

In the Fourth Annual Report, it is admitted, notwithstanding all their evangelizing labours, that "Infidelity, like a mighty flood, has been devastating society with the most awful errors, and moral abominations."

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most abundant produce, the basest ingratitude should be cherished, and immorality indulged in its grossest forms" (page 8.) In St. Mary's, Scilly, at the commencement of our Missionary labours, " but two persons could read the alphabet" (page..