The Express.
London, England, 1851-08-25 00:00:00

IRELAND.

PI:11LIN. AVOUST 23.
It is plain that the Roman catholic organs either
believe the etif;lrcement of the Ecclesiastical Titles
Act to be, it nut impossible, at least extremely diffi-
cult ; or else, notwithstanding all their abuse of the
whigs, that they entertain extraordinary confidence'
in the ffirbearance of the whig government. It would
be impossible otherwise to account for the tone which
they assume on the subject; for the extreme organs
of protestant opinion are not half so earnest in call-
ing upon the authorities to enforce the law, as some
of the Itomiti catholic journals are in uttering their
defiance. The law being named for the purpose of
preventing the wariptption of certain titles by the
parties setting up (claim to them' and taking no cog-
nisance of the acts of others who bestow those titles,
the impunity which attends the latter course has
rendered it ten times more inveterate and more
offensive than before.

Thus, for once that a Roman catholic bishop was
styled in public by the title of a diocesa previous to
the passing of the recent act, the thing is now done
over and over, and in the most ostentatious and em-
phatic manner possible. Yet while the law is thus
hourly broken in spirit, it' not in the later, many
persons suppose that it will be impossible to make
the parties for whom it was really intended at all
amenable to the enactment. A great deal has been
said, for example, about the resolutions of the aggre li
-
gate meeting appearing with the signature of" Paul,
Archbishop of Armagh, &c.;" but it would be very
difficult to show whether Dr. Cullen, as chairman
of the meeting. ever put his formal signature to the
resolutions, and whether some officious !sallower did
not save him the trouble. In the same way, if Dr.
Mlfale affixed to his letter, the other day, the
title of Archbishop or 'Tam, as there can be very
little doubt that he did, whae, it is asked, is the
legal proof of the fact to be found People argue
thus on the presumed inoperativeness of the net;
and at the same time the Ts4bi is enabled to runt
with impunity in the following style:
The queation at i,suc InAircm 11C2,01 and hell in this

" aggre;aiun " dispute, is the right to make public nasump-
tion of the spiritual jurisdietion of bishops over the souls of
men, Christian and heathen, iu these islands. Lord Juhn
says that the right to govern these islands, with the purely
spiritual jurisdiction of ordinary, belongs exclusively to cer-
tain officer* of his own heresy. Ito adds, that this right is
so exclusive, that every other person, effective to Exercise
soche purely spiritaal jurisdiction, ought to be forbidden to
du so under pain, and penalties, and ought, at least, to be
compelled la pay a d.eeut respect to the episcopal claims of
Irisliereticll offices, and to withhold any public assump-
tion of claims, cuttuter and hostile. Thin preposterous de-
mand being made on one side, and laughed to scorn on the
other, it is Libelous that after all the practical result must
depend a great deal upon public and ordinary usage,
of which every man's habit is in some respects a necessary
element. We have to propose to our readers, therefore,
and wo hereby unnounce our own individual intention,
so long as thin war between truth on the one hand, and
...diadioud backed by brute whig force on the other,
shall continue, to confine ourselves, in this journal and
elsewhere, to the strict and literal truth upon these knotty
questions. It is very nearly no certain as that God is in
Heaven that Cardinal AViatman is Arehbiahop of Westmin-
ster, that Dr. Cullen is Arclibishop of Armagh, that Dr.
Murray is Archbishop Lit Dublin, that Dr. Slattery in Arch-
bishop of Cashel, and that Dr. M'llale is Archbishop of
Taut. In accordance with the fact, therefore, we pops.,
as usual, to give to the arelthishopt and bishops the atylea
and titles which the church of Uod bestows upon them. On
the other ktnii, it is equally certain (as we have elsewhere
isitituated) that a certain Mr. Sumner is not even a doctor
of divinity, much less a priest, a bishop, or en archbishop.
It is not true, therefore, to call this man Archbishop of
Canterbury, or oven Dr. Sumner. It is even doubtful
whether he haa been made a Christian by baptism ; hut as
this is confessedly a doubt, we will give this estimable
gentleman the benefit of the doubt, and take his Christianity
for granted. What under that charitable assumption we
may ca.l his Christian names arc " John Bird." An lie is
a meiuber of the l'rivy Council, this civil status entitles him
to the prefix " Right Honourable ;" and his true name
and title, writtt nat length, are " The Right lion. Julia
Bird Sumner." In erdinary parlance, such a person
would be radical " Mr. Sinner;" and, as accuracy is
everythilor now we have a theological parliament,
the only designation by wheels henceforward that ambiguous
Christ..., whom the protestants heretically call Archbishop
(AC:tide/bury, will be known by this journal is plats "Mr.
Sumner." If on any occasion we may desire to express his
function we certainly shall not cull Inns bishop, fur to that
appellation he ha, Liu mare claim (speaking reverently) than
a poodle dog or a pet spaniel of ping Charles's breed. Ile
is not bishop, certainly; hut by the nature of the office
conferred on him by act of parliament he may without
wairpatioa assume to be a superintendent. Then, as he
owe* his office to the favour of um act of parliament, and
even to the lock of a parliamentary majority, and the
grace of the 101. householders, he may fairly be described
as a "statutory superintendent." He is himself one of
that class of heretics called protestants, and the !scrams
over whom only he has any rightful jurisdiction are protes-
t into also. Hence we may call him a "statutory auperinten-
dent of protestants." But not ..f all protestants. Ilia head-
quarters are in Canterbury, and the mit le of hi. lay functions
extends over a district which it would be base flattery to
call a see, and which indeed, since the late papal ',script,
has absolutely ceased to be a see for anybody to claim, but
which we may rationally call the "Canterbury District."
When we mean, therefore to speak of the individual in
question, apart front his office, we shall designate him—and
we beg our correspondenta to designate hint—as Mr. Sum-
ner. When we mean to speak of his office, we shall style
him " Statutory superintendent of Protestants in the Can-
terbury District"—or something to that effect. la like
manner we have Mr. Whately, in the Dublin district; Mr.
lihnufielia in the London district; Lord John George
Beresfurd, in the Armagh district; Lord Robert Pon-
sonhy Tottenham, in the Clogher district; Mr. Stopford, in
the Meath district—and au on. We hope our readers will
follow so good an example, and will help us to preserve
strict truth on these mighty questions by correcting us
whenever inadvertently we fall into a mistake.
The Tablet falls foul of Mr. More O'Fcrrall for his
absence from the aggregate meeting, and was very
indignant that the Catholic bar was only represented
there by Mr. Keogh and Mr. Vincent Scully.
The sums already contributed to the funds of the
new association amount to 214/. The public have as
yet heard nothing of the way in which it is intended
that the funds shall be disposed of.
The following letter from the Earl of Shrewsbury
has been received since the meeting:—
Palermo, August 10, 18-51.
Sir,—This day's post, which brought intelligence of the
passing of the fatal bill in all its vexatious integrity through
the committee of the House of Lords, was also the bearer
of your favour requesting me to become a member of the
Catholic Defence Association, for the purpose of protecting
ourselves against its provisions, and, ultimately, 1 trust, of
procuring its repeal. I hasten, then, to comply with your
desire, and to assure you how necessary I consider such an
association under the strange and afflicting revival of reli-
gious persecution by a wing government in the middle of
the 19th century! I incline 10/. towards the expenses of
inaugurating the society, and have the honour to be, Sir,
your moat obedient servant, SHREWSBURY.
James Burke, Eig., Honorary Secretary.
A letter has also been received front Dr. Erring-
ton, one of the new English hierarchy, who says:
"This meeting, in its name and object, appears to
be a preliminary step in the true direction fur se-
curing our religious rights and liberties, the com-
bination of the exertions of eatholics in all parts
of the British empire, centering in the capital of the
catholic country of the United Kingdom.
The Duke of Ikvonshire is expected at Lismore
Castle in the beginning of the ensuing month. His
grace will be accompanied by Mr. Paxton, who will
superintend further improvements in the castle and
demesne.
The Cork Examiner says : We have just learned
with extreme regret the death of Francis A. Walsh,
EST, barrister, professor of the Queen's College,
which took place at a late hoar on Thursday even-
ing, at his residence, Baleen, near .Monkstown."
1 regret to find the following gloomy account of
the potato crop iu the Northern II Mg, received this
evening:

An intelligent Banbridge correspondent writes to us, de-
scribing the condition of the crops in the country around
Banbridge, Newcastle, Newry, and Hillsborough. His is,
far and away, the worst account we have received since
the now usual and annually recurring rumours of a blight
began to be circulated. His language is certainly much
stronger to our thinking, than his calmer considera-
tion will warrant. We give his exact words,
however. But even he is of opinion, that the crop will be
as valuable this year as it was last year; and, as he admits
that a much greater quantity has been sown, it is evident,
from his testimony, that the fears entertained of disastrous
consequences resulting from apprehended failure, are as
foolish as they are groundless. The following is our corre-
spondent's letter: "I regret much to have to state to you,
that the potato crop is assuming a much worse appearance ; '
fields that were verdant and blooming, only a few days ago,
now have a withered, burnt look, as if they were smitten
by a pestilential wind ; it is nothing, however, but the slow
and certain progress of the disease, and, although very few
of the tubers are diseased, there is ample time for them to
go, and, no doubt, their time is not far distant. I bare
been in Newcastle, Newry, and Hillsborough, within the
last week, and can say, without fear of contradiction, that
I did not see a itnilc field free ; and even one night is
quite plain to be observed, in its destructive influence