The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-03 00:00:00

MARCH 3, 1855. under Mr. PERCEVAL, has thus gone further than any Prime Minister in renderinq tribute to the power of the Roman Catholics. We must say that his conduct in choosing officers to represent the Crown in Ireland is not en titled to public confidence, and we shall not be surprised if the attention of the Legislature be directed to this most singular dispensation of wholesale favour to the Romanists. Nor can such showering of offices be alto gether fortuitous. The Earl of CARLISLE'S opi nion on the Irish Church is notorious. The speech of the " amiable and metaphorical " MORPETH," about " a lifeless corse and unte " nanted armour" (!), by which his Lordship meant the Irish Church, is still remembered for other qualities than those of eloquence. Mr. HoEsmAN, also, is Chief Secretary, and that gentleman's views of the Protestant Establishment are well known. His escapades in the House of Commons, in which he came into such unpleasant collision with Lord JOHN RUSSELL, are possibly now forgotten by his recent patrons, who were his former foes in those encounters. _ _ _ In the strong pro-Catholic character of these Irish appointments, we see the an nouncement of a new system of " religious equality," heralding the erection of an undis guised Roman Catholic ascendancy! THE NUNS AT SCUTARI. WHEN first it became known that the Govern ment had sanctioned the proposal of certain religious houses to send out a body of nuns in connection with the work so nobly under taken by Miss NIGHTINGALE, we felt it our duty to remonstrate against what we believed to be a dangerous and an unnecessary con cession. We could not but contemplate with feelings of apprehension the introduction into our hospitals of a band of women, not only, as regards the majority of them, unfitted for the peculiar duties intrusted to them, but absolutely, by the very vows of their orders, under a solemn obligation to be bold, earnest, and indefatigable in that sphere of labour from which it was delusively expected that they would desist. The natural consequences of giving them a task for which they had no aptitude, and of which they had no knowledge, was that they would surrender their entire energies to that mission of proselytism on which they considered themselves accredited. If the objects of the sisterhood had been confined to the tending of the sick and dying, if they had enjoyed no opportunities of merging the nurse in the teacher, we have little doubt that they would have long since resumed their veils and returned to their cloisters. But subsequent occurrences have plainly demonstrated that they have taken no narrow view of their functions; but, secretly aided by the Roman Catholic priests attached to the various hospital establishments, have not only been unremitting, but, unhappily, too successful in their efforts to make perverts. A case has recently come to our knowledge which painfully confirms the doubts and the suspicions we entertained. One of the Church of England chaplains, upon making his usual round] through the wards, stops at the bed side of a patient, whom he had frequently seen, and whom he knew not only as a Pro testant, but as a communicant. He finds the man in the last agonies of existence, but with sufficient power briefly to acquaint him that he had become " a Catholic, and been re THE PRESS. called in question by this statement, for it was voluntarily testified by several of the sick, whose beds adjoined the man referred to, that the nuns had been incessant and untiring in their attentions upon him in particular. The evidence tendered on this point places the fact beyond the shadow of a doubt—while the pnest flatters himself he is offering a compete denial of the charge of proselytism, by declar ing that it was through the wonderful Grace of GOD working in the man that he became a member of the true Church ! Our readers will learn from this narrative, though concise in form, and scanty in detail, that the very evil we dreaded has happened. The nuns have usurped the duties of instruc tors in religious things. They are at the dis posal of the priest whenever he may wish to bring their insidious influences to bear upon minds enfeebled and unnerved by suffering. We are given to understand that at Kulleli, where the Protestants outnumber the Roman Catholics by four to one, there is only one Church of England chaplain, while there are eight nuns at work as nurses, with not a sin gle hospital orderly who is not a Papist. These are facts which demand and deserve attention. They point to a state of things lamentable beyond expression, and we trust that the Go vernment will fairly meet the emergency with which they are called upon to deal. As regards the Hospital at Scutari, we are happy to be able to state that Lord WILLIAM PAutErr has taken up the matter with becom ing spirit and determination, and that Miss NIOWILINOALE is strongly opposed to allowing the nuns to teach, and that. being in a position to dispose of the question officially, she is re solved to communicate to the authorities at home a full statement of the circumstances of the case we hays cited, with the view of justi fying the severe remonstrance she has made against the conduct of the priest and the nuns concerned. 199 must resign in favour of the superior claims of Sir THOMAS REDINOTON. OUT readers may r e- - 2 quire to be told that Sir THOMA S REDINGTON 18 an Irish Roman Catholic Squire, whose great merit consisted in retaining the office of un der-Secretary at Dublin at the period when Lord JOHN RUSSEL L denounced th e Roman _ .. Catholics. People thought when Squire Ra- DINOTON was made a '• K. C. B." that they should hear no more of him, but _ the Irish Knight of the Bath was deemed a fitter person than Mn. LAYARD for an Indian ap pointment. Then the member for Aylesbury was offered the Clerkship of the Ordnance, which had just been contemptuously resigned by another Irish Roman Catholic Squire, Ma. MONSELL. MR LAYARD very properly declined that post, which stands lowest on the list of the Ministerial parliamentary offices. At last, however, something like justice was done him He had accepted the Under Secre taryship for War, but he had only just accepted it when he was told that the claims of Mr. FRE.. DERICK PEEL must be attended to, and, by way of compensating him, the Under. Secret aryship of the Colonies was offered, a post en tirely unsuited to his taste, and we may add completely out of his line of abilities. He had consequently to decline the offers, and he is now a diplomatist "unattached." _ _ Such is the characteristic manner in which the Whigs have acted towards one who through life was always attached to the Liberal side. It is now sixteen or seventeen years since the remarkable abilities of Mr. LAYARD first came under our own personal observation. Mr. LAYARD was then studying at the Temple, and even in those days his knowledge of foreign countries, and his acquaintance with European literature, attracted the attention of all who knew him. We recollect Mr. LAYARD having then made in public one of the most masterly statements of the • whole Russian subject that we ever heard. Every event that has since occurred has verified the views which he then put for ward upon the Eastern question. The Time: is perfectly correct when it says that Mr. LAYARD'S " knowledge of the languages, man " ners, and habits of thought of the natives " about the Black Sea and the Mediterranean" is derived from "an experience far more varied " and singular than appears in his published " works." He spent many of his early years in Italy, and was deeply interested in the social and political aspects of the South and East of Europe. His energy of character, and vigorous practical ability, together with his skill in tongues, amply qualified him for some post connected with diplomacy. But in the treatment of Mr. LAYARD by the Whigs something else, also, is apparent than indifference to personal merits. Vacillation has marked every act of Lord PALMERSTON since his entrance to the Premiership. There is shown singular infirmity of purpose in first nominating Mr. LAYARD to an Indian appoint- Ment, then compelling him to resign for Sir THOMAS REDINOTON, next making him Under- Secretary for War, and forcing him to give way for Mr. FREDERICK PEEL, then piquing him with the absurd offer of the Clerkship of the Ordnance, and afterwards trying to trap him into the acceptance of a post in the Colonial office, where he certainly could not have done justice to his special aptitude. In all this conduct on the part of Government there is a discreditable mixture of artifice and wavering. But the Whigs have always had an evil 'station for their treatment of literary men. MR. LAYARD AND THE WHIGS. THE treatment of Mr. LAYARD by the leaders of the (professed) "Liberals" has been a town talk during the week. It is with feelings of satisfaction that we direct the attention of our readers to the contrast between the handsome conduct of Lord DERBY and the equivocal be haviour of the present Prime Minister and Lord Jolts RussELL. When Lord DERBY came into power, his Lordship found Mr. LAYARD in the office of Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs. The distinguished reputation of the member for Aylesbury was honourably respected by Lord DERBY, who suggested that Mr. LAYARD should hold the office until the return of Lord STANLEY from India ; and Lord DERBY then proposed to give him a diplomatic appointment abroad. This generous offer Mr. LAYARD was desirous of accepting; but Lord JOHN RUSSELL interfered, and pronounced against Mr. LAYARD receiving it. On this stage of the case we must say that Mr. LAYARD erred in consulting Lord JOHN RUSSELL at all in the matter. Mr. LAYARD ought to have decided for himself ; and we know that the opinion amongst literary circles was that Mr. LAYARD should have accepted the handsome offer of Lord DERBY. At that time there was no particular political question before the country with which Mr. LAYARD was zpecially identified id, though a consistent I 011ie f.)l tl, patavu 1,, .......... ...... - , . seen, and whom he knew not only as a Pro- know that the opinion amongst inerary 11111;lea j lA° wavi.a w,.. ...... ... r ...--- — r _ testant, but as a communicant. He finds the was that Mr. LAYARD should have accepted the conduct on the part of Government there man in , the last agonies of existence, but with handsome offer of Lord DERBY. At that time is a discreditable mixture of artifice and sufficient power briefly to acquaint him that there was no particular political question wavering. he had become " a Catholic, and been re before the country with which Mr. LAYARD was But the Whigs have always had an evil baptised !" The clergyman referred to reports specially identified ; and, though a consistent reputation for their treatment of literary men. the circumstance, and takes counsel upon it. "Liberal" in his opinions, there would have They excluded BURKK from the Cabinet. They The priest who attended the soldier is called been nothing unseemly in his having accepted were most unkind to SHERIDAN, and waited upon for an explanation. His answer is, that official favours from Lord DERRY. We believe until that bright genius was in his grave to he only went to the man when he was sent for, that the offer of Lord DERBY was meant as a vilify his character. Mr. PERCEVAT, tendered tribute to Mr. LAYARD'em i nen t scientific and Si r J S J . and, when he discovered that he was de sirous MACKINTOSH a post and scat in Parlia- of literary reputation ; and in that point of view becoming a Romanist, sent the nuns of ment in 1812, and no better offer was made to the corridor to instruct him in the tenets of Mr. LAYARD would have been perfectly justified that eminent person in 1830, after twenty his new faith. How he came to wish for the in " standing by his order" of distinguished years' faithful service for the Whigs. it was presence of a priest, after having received the authors. notoriously with reluctance that Mr. MACAULAY ministrations of his own Church, and joined But unfortunately for himself Mr. Larne]) was permitted to occupy a seat in their in her holiest rites, was not explained . The p referred to stand b y LORD Jew( RUSSELL and Cabinet, and they took care to place him in nuns did not persuade him to take this strange the Whigs, and how did they treat him? When the monotonous post of Secretarv-at-War• course—they all emphatically avow—they were they came into office, they offered him the Se- They ejected Lord PLCNKET from the bench perfectly innocent of all connection w i t h or cretaryship of the Board of Control, but no with such contumely as to w ri ng f part in the man's change of creed. But , sooner had he acce p ted it, with some hesita- gr eat orator a s p e ech that can never b their e for- unfortunately, the veracity of these wom en is tion, than he was appealed to, and told that he gotten. And they are only acting after 1