observed, not only that the constabulary neglected their duty when the matter at issue was between Roman Catholics and Protestants, but that in similar cases Roman Catholic magistrates had adopted what could not be considered a due or proper course. If the Roman Catholic population were entitled to have schools for the teaching of their religion, so were the Protestants, and he could not help expressing the opinion that the time would ere long arrive when neither the Government of Ireland nor the Legislature of this country would be able to turn a deaf ear to these complaints. He hoped that this matter would be seriously taken up by Her Majesty's Government, and that means would be devised by which an end should be put to these proceedings, and the Protestants of Ireland should have secured to them that which every British subject had a right to claim-the free exercise of their religious worship, without being exposed to molestation, to injury, or to brutal assaults.

Earl GRANVILLE said that those who had only heard the speech of the Noble Viscount would form a very erroneous impression as to what had taken place. He would not trouble their Lordships by reading the papers which had been put into his hands, but he could assure them that much blame attached to both the parties which had been concerned in this unfortunate affair. Both sides had accused the police of partiality, both had professed to desire peace, but both had insisted upon having everything done in their own way. He denied that the Government had at all favoured the Roman Catholics. A considerable number of persons were taken before the magistrates and punished, and the Government acted with the fullest determination to keep order and to prevent outrage. What was more, their efforts were entirely successful. This riot was suppressed, and nothing of the kind had occurred since. He denied that the Protestant Association represented the Protestants of Ireland. He had no doubt that the members of that Association were actuated by Christian feelings, but the language they used was not

In

calculated to promote charity. their last public document they with great modesty compared themselves to the Apostle Paul, and the Roman Catholics to heathens worshipping an unknown God. This was not the sort of language which should be used by persons anxious to promote peace and goodwill. He must remind the Noble Lord who was so active in bringing forward these cases that, while the Government had no difficulty in quelling this particular riot in Dublin, they had had great trouble with most serious riots in Belfast, which had owed their origin to those Orangemen of whom he condescended to be the patron; and he thought that the Noble Lord was one of the last persons who ought to charge the Government with persecuting the Church of Ireland.

Viscount DUNGANNON said that the Noble Earl seemed to think that all the blame of the Belfast riots rested with the Orange population. Without giving any opinion as to who might be most blameable in that matter, he would only state that, as Grand Master of the Orange Lodge in the county of Antrim, it was his invariable practice, when one of these anniversaries was coming on to issue a circular cautioning the members of those Institutions to abstain from anything which might lead to a breach of the peace or to the violation of the law. He was the last man who would encourage anything like bitterness of feeling towards persons of a different creed to himself, and, never having been a member of the Dublin Protestant Association, he was not answerable for any expressions which they might have used. He had not charged the Government with persecuting the Church of Ireland, but he did think that in many instances Protestants had not obtained the evenhanded justice to which they were entitled.—Times, July 31, 1857.

NEW ZEALAND.-Copy of a letter from Archdeacon Williams, addressed to the Chairman of the Protestant Association, dated Pachia, Bay of Islands, April 6, 1857 :

"My dear Sir,-I have the pleasure of forwarding the first of exchange for 231. 1s. for the benefit of the Protestant Asso

ciation. We shall be glad to receive the Reports of Proceedings-not less than thirty, and the same number of the Protestant Magazine,' if so many can be spared..... The Magazine is read with great interest, and I trust that genuine religion is increased thereby. I am happy to say that the work of the Papists north of Auckland is extinct, except amongst the military quartered in the bay, though a priest has been actively engaged for these two years past endeavouring to revive an interest in their cause amongst the aborigines. Not one has joined him. "Wishing the Association every prosperity,

"I remain yours very faithfully,
(Signed) HENRY WILLIAMS.
"James Lord, Esq.,

"Protestant Association." ROME. A private letter from Rome, emanating from the same correspondent who on former occasions gave some interesting details relative to Irish ecclesiastical affairs, states that Cardinal Barnabo and Dr. Cullen, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, persevere in their determination to remodel or reform the Catholic Church in Ireland, and that the presumed adhesion of the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel to these views is an incentive to vigorous measures. This reformation, as my correspondent has already stated, is to embrace the prelacy, priesthood, and all the ecclesiastical and lay establishments in which Irish Catholics are educated. The means by which it is to be effected is the confiding the discussion and decision of all national religious or religio-political questions practically to the four Archbishops and the Propaganda at Rome. A rumour has circulated for some days past in Paris that the system has been actually commenced, at least so far as the Irish College in this city is concerned. It is aflirmed, however, on good authority, that by far the greater number of the Irish Bishops are opposed to the change, but that what is termed "the Barnabo-Cullen following" argue that "the fickleness and instability of the Celtic character, and the notorious want of business habits of the Irish bishops in general, will in a short time fully reward the patience,

perseverance, and calm energy of the Propaganda and of the Irish delegate.' It also states that the manner in which Archbishop M'Hale was received by his co-religionists and the Roman Catholic clergy of London, and the close and friendly relations manifestly existing between that prelate and Cardinal Wiseman, have not afforded much pleasure to the "Cullen following." My correspondent postpones to some other occasion his expla nation of the motives of this union between the two dignitaries, of the reasons against the probability of its duration, the evidence of Dr. Čullen's paramount influence at Rome, and his superiority in rights, judgment, and precedence, as also the great injustice of connecting in any way the name of this prelate with the Sadleirite party. He writes:

"Roman Catholic Bishops are required by the canons of the Church to pay visits at stated periods ad limina Apostolorum, and to render an account to the Pope of the state of their respective dioceses. This law had nearly fallen into disuse in Ireland, at least so far as personal visits were concerned, for the Irish bishops generally contented themselves with performing the duty by proxy. The Propaganda has very properly determined to tolerate this negligence no longer, and to put an end to the abuse, to which much of the semi-Gallicanism of Ireland and its concomitant evils are attributable, and for which the present facilities of travelling afford no excuse. The recent visit of the Bishop of Down and Connor is a proof of the wisdom of this measure. The dioceses had been represented as greatly neglected, and as much needing the vigour and energy of a youthful coadjutor. The Bishop, it appeared, adduced conclusive proofs that these representations were completely unfounded, and that the united dioceses continued to receive signal benefits from his labours. The Bishop has been for some time past the only Roman Catholic prelate on the Board of Directors of the National Schools of Ireland. Before he set out on his return to his diocese it appears he had consented, in compliance with the expressed desire of very high Catholic

authority, to find an early opportunity of resigning his position. At Rome it is thought very inconvenient that ecclesiastics should take part in the active direction of, and identify themselves with, a system of education which precludes the emblem of Christianity from the school-room; and which practically teaches that religion has nothing to do with the ordinary affairs of life, and that, like merely human things, it has only its special hours, moments, and exercises. The Catholic lay commissioners, however, will not be required to disconnect themselves from the Board.

"You may remember that one of the Professors of Maynooth had been required to retract or explain certain opinions attributed to him in a report of the evidence before the last commission of inquiry into that College. The Report was forwarded to Rome by the Apostolic Delegate, and the Fathers of the Synod, held last June in Dublin, were reluctant to record in their Minutes the letter of Cardinal Barnabo on that matter, and the submission of the Professor. When, ultimately, they consented to do so, they added that the whole affair had proceeded from inaccurate information forwarded to Rome. This rider displeased both Cardinal Barnabo and Dr. Cullen, and is supposed to have something to do with the recent visit of the Professor to the Eternal City. It is believed that the matter is at length satisfactorily and finally settled. But this was not the only question on which the Most Rev. Fathers of the Synod disappointed the expectations of the Propaganda and its representative in Ireland. The connexion of Maynooth with a Protestant, or mixed, and not over friendly administration, and its own statutes, were and will be an obstacle to a radical remodelling of this establishment, but it is thought they are not a sufficient reason for doing so little as has been done to infuse a proper spirit into the College, which ought to be a great advantage to Ireland and to the missions served by the Irish. The clearest test of the feelings of the Bishops of Ireland was their singular legislation for their seminary in Paris, and their attempt to introduce and establish there some

of the greatest abuses of Maynooth. Those venerable men seemed to labour under the erroneous impression that the English Constitution, with its restrictions on the free and prompt extension of authority, was a model for ecclesiastical polity. To enforce its commands temporal authority has the sword, which should be slowly unsheathed; but ecclesiastical rule in our country is supported by moral and spiritual weapons only. The French Government possesses supreme control over the Irish College in Paris, and, it is said, has declared against the Irish Bishops. These prelates are, therefore, getting themselves into difficulties with the supreme temporal and spiritual authorities in this matter. See how well St. Agatha's College works. Let the College des Irlandais be confided to the care of the Propaganda and to the Apostolic delegate in Ireland, and the result will be similar.

"The Catholic University in Dublin has ever occupied an important place in the thoughts of the Holy Father and of the Propaganda. It was feared some time ago that the relations of the heads of that establishment with Dr. Cullen were not so cordial as might be desired. It was even suspected that a titular professor, high in the confidence of Dr. Cullen, had his sanction for advancing certain pretensions and dictation at which Dr. Newman might have taken reasonable offence. Owing to these and some other reasons the venerable Rector was about to return to his convent. The Holy Father, however, interfered. Dr. Newman has for the present relinquished his purpose, and he will remain at the head of the University, which he has conducted with much credit to himself and satisfaction to his superiors. It appears that the Rector is dispensed from permanent residence, and as soon as a suitable vice-president is found he will be at liberty to devote a considerable portion of his time to his convents. It is much to be deplored that all the Irish prelates and priests do not appear to afford to this eminent man the moral support and sympathy to which he is so well entitled. If they do not succeed, aided by the support of such a man, in establishing a national

THE MAYNOOTH COLLEGE

QUESTION.

THE interest taken in this question is not of a novel or exciting character; it is, however, of deep interest and importance. There is a fixed determination in the minds of Protestauts, that sooner or later the grant must be withdrawn, on the ground of its having been sinful, and inexpedient in its origin and its increase, and its being also sinful in its continuance.

In what exact mode, as to time and degree, the question will work out its own solution remains to be seen. But so long as the grant continues we are helping a most unfriendly system to do its best for our destruction.

Believing themselves in the right, Roman Catholics would be wrong to propagate our faith, which is opposed to theirs. Believing ourselves to be right, we, as Protestants, do wrong when we support and propagate the religion of the Church of Rome, which is directly opposed to ours. Can contraries both be true and

VOL. XIX. Dec., 1857.

right? Can God and mammon both be served by one and the same person, or one and the same nation?

The conclusion at which one of the prophets of old arrived, so suggestively placed before us in these words- "If God be God follow him, but if Baal, then follow him," leads us to say, if Popery be true let us embrace, and follow, and endow it. If Protestantism be true, let us embrace, and follow, and endow it. Mixed up with this and similar questions we find much that is low, venal, and earthly minded. Thus are party ties-there are the motives of expediencythrust forward amongst many others either to secure the continuance of the grant, or to delay for an unlimited period its withdrawal.

But when from the low politics of earth we turn to the sublime politics of heaven, these vanish into thin air. It cannot be right or safe; it cannot therefore be politically expedient or wise to support and endow what has been denounced in the written Word of the AlNew Series, No. 216.