I conclude, Sir, with wishing did not refer to any part of the you health to bring to perfection Bible, which justifies a man in that great work of justice, which pocketing a sinecure of 3,000%. you have so happily begun, and I a year, as " blessed comforts" remain, with great respect, Your most humble and Most obedient Servant, WM. COBBETT. does; and that, too, after old " blessed comforts" had pocketed the same for about thirty years! These are the "blessed comforts" of the Protestant religion in England; and, be you assured, that P.S. SIR, it is a shame to this impudent and vulgar assailant add a Postscript to so long a let of your Church, thinks that the ter; but, a Bible-Meeting at Bible-scheme is one way of hushSOUTHAMPTON, on the 3d instant, ing the people, and of preserving cries aloud for a word or two, es- these "comforts." pecially as the Catholic Clergy Lord ASHTOWN, the Chairman of Ireland came in for a share of (an Irishman), was still more the abuse of the orators. If I abusive of the Catholic Church. were to notice all the impudence He read an extract from the and all the nonsense of this meet- Pope's bull against Bible Soing, 1 should more than fill a cieties; and, if there had been in whole Register. I shall notice the meeting one single man of only a small part of what was said sense and spirit, he would have by two of the orators, " Sir called upon this abusive fellow to GEORGE ROSE (son and heir of answer that bull, which says, and Old " Blessed Comforts'') and most justly, that the translations Lord ASHTOWN, who was the of the Bible that are now going Chairman of the meeting. GEORGE on, may be, and naturally must said, that "the Church of Rome, be, full of errors and interpola" from whose dark despotism we tions; and that, at last, " instead " emerged at the Reformation, " of the Gospel of Christ, it will " (what a lie!) should oppose the "become the Gospel of the de"circulation of the Bible without "vil." This ASHTOWN said to the " note or comment was natural; Meeting, "expostulating lately " but, that Protestants should aid "with a Catholic Priest, on MỸ "it was truly astonishing, and "ESTATE in Ireland, he told "yet he was concerned to add, "me that such were the orders " that he had just seen a public "he received from his superiors, "newspaper, in which it was as- " and he must obey them." m." Now, " serted, that such circulation was I do not believe this " Lord." I " dangerous." Thus, you see, am convinced, that the story was Sir, we are not all fools and hatched, in order to make people knaves. On the contrary, I have believe, that the Irish priests are the pleasure to tell you, that there for the bible crew, nd that they th are many newspapers in England, oppose them only because the who openly and ably espouse your Pope compels them to do it. But, cause, and who despise the cant- if this Lord have so great a desire ing crew as much as you and I do. to save the souls of the Irish CaN. B. Young "blessed comforts" tholics, why is he not amongst them, where his "ESTATE" is? TRENCH, "illiberal." His mode The man's real name is TRENCH, of proceeding was "liberal," I and, to my knowledge, he has suppose? Pouring out falsebeen living about SOUTHAMPTON hoods on the Catholics; most for about ten or twelve years; foully misrepresenting them and and there, of course, he spends their religion, in an assembly that income, which, if spent on his where he well knew that there estate, or in Ireland, would assist was no one to answer him; loadin preventing that misery which ing them with all sorts of calumnow prevails in that unhappy nies; and, then, stuffing all this country. The people on, or about into the Country-newspapers, his estate, call to him for bread; which are, in some sort, the slaves and he lives at Southampton, of him and his crew; and thus, where he cannot hear their curses, in Hampshire, at least, doing and sends them bibles! But, who the just cause of the oppressed is this TRENCH? Where is this Catholics as much harm as in "estate" of his? How big is it? him lies, and that, too, under the What does it yield annually? guise of an ardent love for ChrisFor, observe, since he has, in pub- tianity. How are you to deal lic speech, talked about this "es- with such a man? Why, find tate," we have a right to inquire out his soft place, there hit him, all about it: and above all things, and hit him hard. "Tender-handed press a nettle, "And the rogues obey you well." we have a right to inquire, HOW НЕ САМЕ BY IT? Whether he or his predecessors bought it of the right owner, or, whether they, or either of them, became possessed of it by some other sort of means. Now, Sir, this is the tickler. Nothing can be more fair than the inquiry; and, be you assured, that the taking of this family of TRENCH, and tracing it back to its original settlement on the " estate," which has been thus impudently thrusted in our faces, would do the Catholics more good, in England, than all that has ever been promised to be done for them by all their "able friends" in parliament. It is by facts, and espe- AUXILIARY BIBLE SOCIETY. The truth of these lines, which I first read at about seventeen years of age, has been established in my mind by my experience from that day to this. I send you the Hampshire paper, that you may see what this crew deserve at your hands. LONDON : : cially by facts of this sort, that the people of England are to be brought cordially to join you. Let some one, then, give us a detailed account of this "estate," and also of the Lord Mayor, who likewise pregive us the true pedigree of this sided on the occasion. The Meeting TRENCH. Some will call this was most numerously and respectmode of proceeding with this ably attended. 1. Yesterday the Twelfth Anni-! versary of this Auxiliary Associa tion was held at the Mansion-House, in the Egyptian Hall, by permission. 2. At a few minutes after twelve the Lord Mayor entered the hall, and being called to the chair, shortly addressed the Meeting, bespeaking their attention for every speaker that should present himself to their notice. teen would subscribe their guinea per annum, instead of raising 700l. in the course of the year, the subscription would amount to 6,000l.. 4. Lord Bexley, in moving the first resolution, adverted to the great satisfaction he felt in seeing the Lord Mayor in the chair, and he thought that his Lordship could not be placed in any situation more honourable to 3. The Secretary then read the Report of the Committee for the year: it began by lamenting that the subscriptions of the present year had not equalled those of the preceding, though himself or his orice. It was his own the Committee still had to congra- earnest desire to assist on such occatulate the subscribers on the conti-sions; and as he considered the Lord nued protection and patronage of Mayor as the representative of the the Magistracy, and the kindness of magistracy of London, so he presentthe present Lord Mayor. It an-ed himself as the representative of His nounced that Mr. Alderman Crow- Majesty's Government. With respect ther had been elected a Vice-Presi- to any declension in the funds of the dent, that the Rev. Charles Scholl, Society, he trusted that there was no minister of the French Protestant declension in the anxiety that everyChurch in London, was elected a body must feel towards so good a Secretary for the ensuing year; the cause, and to promote so excellent meetings in future to take place in an object. He trusted when an apApril instead of November. Bibles peal was to be made to the liberality were still distributed by this Society of the metropolis, it would not be throughout the prisons of the metro- made in vain. The effects produced polis; and it was gratifying to learn by the exertions of the British and that the prisoners were constant in Foreign Bible Society were already their perusal of them. The total receipt of the year was 858l. 6s. 2d., out of which 6221. 13s. 4d. had been remitted to the Parent Society: the extent of the assistance derived from the Ladies' Association amounted to very great; for, indeed, who, twenty years ago, would have believed that one society, in the course of ten years, would have been able to have expended a a sum amounting to 900,000l., and to have distributed more than 350/., which had been actually re- five million copies of the Holy Scripceived by the Auxiliary Bible So-tures? This was indeed doing a ciety, and the greatest part of which, great deal, but a great deal still reit was worthy of notice, was received mained to be done; for if the popuin small, weekly contributions. Since lation of the globe was taken at one the establishment of this Auxiliary, thousand million, the number of bibles the Ladies' Association alone had distributed only amounted to five in distributed 2,776 Bibles, and the one thousand. But the great difficulty sum subscribed was 1,575l.; the of translation was happily accomwhole sum raised by this Society plished: the Bible now existed in the amounted to nearly 17,000l.; and language of almost every nation and. the number of Bibles distributed tribe in the world: this he granted 33,360. The Committee were happy was only a preparative; but he had in stating that the wants of this no doubt that good fruits would country were now somewhat reduced, speedily arise from it, although the but there were still those of other seed night appear to be lost. An nations to provide for, and for this instance of this might be seen in the purpose they solicited fresh sub- London Missionary Society-a Soscriptions. The religious population ciety established for the purpose of of London was reckoned at 100,000, converting the inhabitants of the islands and if, out of these, only one in fif- of the South Seas. This Society for many 0 1 years met with no success. Some of its through his office [applause], and he Missionaries died in the prosecution could congratulate him for nothing of their labours-others returned, more sincerely than almost the last act having relinquished their task ashope- of his Mayoralty the presiding at less, conceiving that there was no this Meeting, the efforts of which hope, where nothing but brutality would, he hoped, in after ages reduce and sensuality were triumphant; but the office of the Magistracy of this perseverance at length accomplished the mighty task. The savages acknowledged the true God, and now, 'almost for the first time since the days of the apostles, may be seen a whole nation removing their idols, and adopting the only faith that could lead them to salvation. [Applause.] The Noble Lord concluded by moving, -"That the Report, now read, be "approved, and that it be printed "under the direction of the Com "mittee." City to a sinecure, by covering the whole world with its good works as the waters cover the sea. The motion then was carried unanimously, as were all the others proposed to the meeting. 6. Mr. Favell, Common Councilman, quite entered into all that had been said by the Noble Lord and Worthy Alderman, who had preceded him, and had no doubt that the efforts of this Association would, in time supersede much of the police duties of the Magistrates of London; it was, indeed, to borrow a custom-house phrase, like the preventive service, and it was this that so firmly bound him to its interests, for, however good the reform of a criminal might be, he thought the prevention of crime still better; better: and, indeed, he had lately been told by a Secretary of the Bible Society of a strong instance of the 5. Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Brown observed, that it had been entrusted to him to second this resolution, and he entered upon the undertaking with much pleasure, for he was glad of an opportunity to express his hearty concurrence in all the good goo works with which this Association abounded, and likewise to sympathize with its members in the falling off of efficacy of this Institution: an intheir funds. This, however, he dividual had entered a Bible Meeting thought, was not so much owing to in the church at Spitalfields, for the the diminution of charitable feeling in this great metropolis, but rather to its inhabitants supposing that this Auxiliary met with adequate support, and the consequent appropriation of their donations to some other charity. It had frequently been asserted, that though the Bible really and truly contained the word of God, yet that it was dangerous to circulate this volume among many of the orders of don, there were one-third more churches the State: this statement had fre- in the metropolis than at present; but express purpose of picking pockets, but on hearing the many excellent things that were said there, and reading on the tablet over the altar "Thou shalt not steal;" This conscience had been arrested, and he went out with the resolution of being an honest man, to which resolution he had ever after adhered. It was a remarkable fact, that previous to the great fire of Lon the Bible was considered as a sealed book a volume to be unopened by vulgar hands, and the natural consequence was, that the nation was overrun with bigotry, superstition, and persecution. He moved" That quently given rise to bitter reflections in his mind; he did not intend to introduce any thing like controversy, but he could not help protesting against this assertion, and lamenting that men-vain men more especially, in a Protestant country like England "this Meeting, desirous of feeling -should set themselves up against "deeply sensible, that no good will their Maker. He was happy in bear- "ever be done by these institutions ing testimony to the manner in which "without the blessing of Almighty the present Lord Mayor had passed "God, earnestly recommend to every 1 " member of the society the duty of polish; nay, he would go further " special and ceaseless prayer, for the "growing prosperity of this, and "every other Auxiliary of the Bible "Society." 7. Rev. G. Clayton took the liberty of arguing, from the Lord Mayor's presence on this occasion, that the present was a work of indubitable necessity, as well as one of the most urgent dispatch. When the quantum of ignorance throughout the world, and the frightful amount of crime were considered, did it not make every man desirous of banishing them by so simple a remedy as the distribution of the Bible? But it was said, that in spite of this distribution, crime was on the increase, and it was still, and in support of his argument, cite the condition of the jails of the metropolis: even the very prisonhouses were in a state of progressive reform! and in speaking on this point, he could not pass over it without alluding in the warmest terms to a most strenuous labourer in that service-one of the softer sex, and one belonging to the mildest sect of religion in existence, who, with the firmness of a hero, and the perseverance of a saint, was acting the part of a second Daniel, smoothing the mane of the lion of despair, and tam ing the hitherto untameable hyena of crime. When he thought of this, and remembered that all this was insinuated, that this increase was chiefly done by means of that little owing to this very distribution. It instrument, the Bible, he felt pledgmight as well be argued, that as crime ed to redoubled activity, and more had increased since the first formation of a magistracy in this country, it was owing to that magistracy that the crime had so increased: the argument would be absurd; and, besides, there were many other causes to which this increase might more especially to impress on the minds of all then present, the transitory state of their lives, that they might make no delay in their exertions. What they do let them do quickly, for not only their lives were transitory, but likewise those of the unfortunates for fairly and reasonably be attributed: whom they were bound to exert themthere was the increase in the popu- selves. The grey-headed Indian was lation of the metropolis; that alone at that moment perishing in the was sufficient to account for it. But waters of the Ganges, or his muscles it should likewise be remembered, were quivering under some monthat now for years this nation had strous torture. At that very moment enjoyed a flourishing peace: peace the Icelander was standing on his brought idleness-idleness brought pro- glaciers, ready to plunge into an fligacy; and though he was the last abyss of snow. The Reverend Genman in the world to seek to draw the tleman concluded by cordially sesword of war from its scabbard, where conding the second Resolution. he rather wished to see it rest for 8. Mr. Ald. Venables thought that ever, yet it could not be denied that it ought not perhaps to be expected this idleness and profligacy, caused that the circulation of the Bibleshould by peace, were great incentives to crime. go on equally prosperously in all That the Christian religion was in at once, but should any failure places a progressive state was, he thought, clearly proved by the attendance at churches and chapels, of which new ones were springing up every day, and none of which were without a very full audience; the very seamen of the country were improving in this respect; and he might say of them with Mrs. Hannah More, that the harder the substance, the finer the occur in any one place, it would be their duty not to be in any way discouraged by it, but by making manifest the reasonableness on which all their principles were founded, to insure fresh disciples and fresh exertions. It was urged by some, that the subscriptions for this Association were already sufficiently large, and that therefore there was no necessity 02 |
