The Express.
London, England, 1865-05-26 00:00:00

gait
)rig out,
bat

Roman Catholic diocese of t..„.
128 priests doing what may • 4
•
a better word, parochial d
these we deduct five .
labour among their • , courefereen,nilikro' b-
utoo
Italian Church in Hatton-garden; one Polish
priesh, who hes a small chapel for the Poles ;
two Germans, who are attached to the German
mob in Whitechapel ; and four French priests,
- - Bing to the French Chapel in George-street,
Portman-square, we find that the actual spiritual
wants of the English Roman Catholics in and about
London north of the Thames are supplied by little
more than a hundred priests. It is true that the
clergy of the Oratory, and of Bayswater, as
well as of the Jesuit Church in Farm-street,
help their brethren by preaching and other admi-
nistrations when required, but the actual number
of effective working priests in the diocese of the
late Cardinal WISEMAN is what we have
stated. Nor should it be overlooked that
in the Roman Church, what with the
number of different services, confessions,
and visiting of the sick, it takes at least two priests
to get through the work which one Protestant
clergyman could accomplish in a congregation of
the same size, and therefore we may safely say
that the Roman Catholic priests of the West-
minster diocese do not exceed in effective power
fifty Anglican clergymen.
It is not necessary to go through all the
thirteen Roman Catholic dioceses in England
in detaiL We have selected that of West-
minster as an example, because it has more
clergymen on its list than any other, the next
in point of number being that of Liver-
pool, where there are 193 priests. Here, again,
however, we find that there are only 100 clergy-
men "on the mission," as it is termed, the rest
being attached to various colleges, communities,
religious houses, schools, and other institutions ;
so that even this part of Lancashire, which has
not only been always considered the stronghold of
Romanism in England, but in which there are
many thousands of Irish living, can only num-
ber somewhere about fifty ordinary congrega-
tions—such congregations as in any Protestant
denomination would be entrusted to the charge of
a single clergyman. The diocese of Birmingham
has 141 priests, of whom 113 only are "in mis-
-1 ' miens," the rest being in communities, or in
colleges. In the diocese of Southwark—which
includes all London south of the Thames, as well
as Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent,
1 Sumex, and the Channel Islands—there are
also 147 priests, but of these 37 belong to commu-
nities, and nine are " unattached." Under the
Bishop of Beverly there are 116 priests, of whom
only nine belong to a college, and three are " no-
" attached," leaving 104 for parish duty ; but of
these 19 are chaplains to as many different con-
vents. In the Newcastle diocese there are 99
priests, of which only 66 are attached to congre-
gations, the rest belonging to colleges and other
communities. The statistics of the Shrewsbury
diocese give 71 priests, but of these nearly one-
half are in communities, or private chaplains to
convents. The Bishop of Clifton, who has under
his spiritual jurisdiction the Roman Catholics of
Gloucestershire, Somersetshire, and Wilts, has 62
priests in his diocese, and of these but 40 are " on
" the mission." In the list of the Nottingham
diocese we find 59 clergy, of which 40 appear
'to be attached to congregations ; whilst under
the Bishop of Newport, in South Wales, there
are 47 priests, and in the dioceses of Plymouth and
Northampton there are respectively 34 and 31
clergymen. This completes the list, being a grand
total of 1,316 priests, of whom at least one-third
are either attached to college; or living in com-
munities, or acting as private chaplains at con-
vents, or in the houses of noblemen or country
gentlemen. Thus it will be seen that there
are little more than 800 Roman Catholic priests
doing duty with congregations in England and
Wales.
IE from clerical we turn to secular statistics, the
little influence which the Roman Catholics can have
in England becomes still more apparent. Of Eng-
lish peers there are thirteen who belong to this
denomination ; and yet there is but one single
English Roman Catholic—Lord EDWARD HOWARD
—who represents an English constituency in the
House of Commons, the place for ishich he ie mem-
ber being Arundel, a family pocket borough,
having but 192 electors. it is true that, beelike
Lord EDWARD, there are 32 Roman Catholics who
are members of Parliament, but these all represent
Irish constituencies, and, with two exceptions, Sir
JOHN ACTON, member for Carlow, and Sir GEORGE
BOWYRR, who sits for Dundalk, they are all
Irishmen. We question whether there is any other
religious denomination in England which has so
few representatives in the House of Commons as
the English Roman Catholics.
The danger of the Anglican Church, so far as
Roman Catholicism is concerned, is within and not
without the limits of its own camp. If Protes-
tantism is in danger from Romanism in England,
it is from that Romanian) which is within the
Church, and which sate of her substance whilst
betraying her citadel. If Roma' Catholics are
increasing in numbers and in influence in England,
it is clergymen paid by the State who are doing
their best to cause the reinforcement of the ranks
of the enemy.

4....,
_gtivit .
• BATJAORAL, Hu Is.
Tit ii dro' itilegemi Hely" in
, Lod , -ir
tooilragi:11111i 60
Pii attostlea I:4 the Dottiest al Athole.
Prises Arthur, attended by Major arrived
from a tour la the Lot.

The Primo and Manse d Wake, witk Prince Albert
Vesta,. left Marlboroash.hosas yesterday afternoon for tits
WWI. Lodge, Richmond Park.
The Otwantow of Kowtow aad LteuteeaatZelonei Lapps
•ere in attendance.

A deputation from the Association of Northern Basks of
emaisting of Mr. Job. Jamie Smith, of Sheffield ;
Admiral Duociorobe, M.P. ; Mr. Clay, M.P. ; Mr. Itoebeeh; j
Y.P. ; sad Lieutenant-Colonel Edwards, M.P., had an
interview with Viscount Pa'mutates, at Oembridge.bottse,
yesterday
A Committee of Lords of her Majesty's Most Hoe. Privy
Conned met yesterday at the Privy Osaacil-ollos, Witha-
-1 ban. Preeest :--The Lord headset, Lord Cmaworth, the
Right How. Sir George Grey, the Right Hos. R. Leers, sad
the Right Hon. Sir Edward Ryan.
Despatches were rushed yesterday at the Colonial-office
from the Gomm= of Canada and Malta.
Despatches were seat to the Caveman of Canada and St.
Hams.

.-(11I73 DAY.)
~LS.

;SE EXPRESS, FRIDAY \-41TVENING, MAY