The Express.
London, England, 1861-05-01 00:00:00

PISOTESTANTISM IN NUM

Yesterday evening a very influential meeting was
held at Bt. James's Hall, Piccadilly, under the preeidsecy
al the Red al Shaftesbury, far the purpose of calling cal her
Xiiisety's government to interfere so la to pat a stop to the
religiose pansantion Cl proteetants in Spain. There were
as the piallona the Bishop Cl Ripon, Lord Radatock, Right
Hoe. Joseph Napier. Hoe. Arthur ILinnaird, ILP., Hon.
Yr. Looks Zing, X.P., Hr Robert Peel, 11. P., Yr. Craw-
find, 11. P., Yr. Gurney, X.P., Yr. The, X.P., Mr. E.
Haloes. /LP., Yr. Newilegate, Yr. Hadfield, ILP.,
Yr. likastaks. ILP.. Yr. Turner, ILP., the Common
Soriseat, Yr. Robert Fowler, Rev. Dr. Cumming. ke.

The Earl of Serirrnetrar in ening thebs (proceedows, ril id he looked upon the large linswsibly are him
with no small amount of intense, far the atteadane
at the meeting attested the sympathy whisk the Brink
public felt in the sufferings of tree honk an who wen
Dow undergoing punishment dSpar, for baying eiserted
the principles of religiose litesity. They bed all read of
the pars and penalties which those ono saffeted, and it
was in recollection of thole pars sad the that the
mooting had been called, that the peoteai cat people of this
great metropolis might have an opportunity of &s-
-orting In • firm but Christian spurt the right of
every MOD to worship God according to his own coomionee.
He tow around him a large Mindanao of the members of
the Hones of Commons, and it was fitting that they, being
members of the first and freest representative aremblyis
the world, should be there to tell hew snag wen the feel-
hogs of that august assionly apes the unto Aeons
them wee the great crimples et the pereseuted of Optio—
n* who bore • historic anon and wise like Howard, had
viand the pronto in Oak nits, weaned their misery and
walkelog ententelioran. rolowejaindwdom loan parent,
to tell On ba bad soma ead to invoke their assistance
tor nit receedieL It was • remarkable fact thet the no
of the own who had given liberty to commerce should now be
thefeeemsell adveente for tie enstoralion of freedom to the
nod. It woes noon; sold that the men who were in
potato we thin, sot became of their rein.
Msbet bemire they bad been exciting the
to 'estlitiso-m. new old se the Apostles
an as modem r the Spine prosecutions, and the
on always dead se ea excuse for religious persecution.
He wished tore snob a state of things put an mid to, and
le beloved it could be affected by • respectful remo-
delar to the Spanish government, and, above all, to the
Spanish people themselves, so as to make them value the
privilege of civil and religious freedom, the principle to
dishwe in this country wore indebted for all our pree-
ned liberty.
Sir L PM. M.P., neared the first resolution, to the
Waft that en appeal should be made to her Majesty to
take sash steps as site might deem fitting to im-
press upon She Spann government the strong feel-
ing prevalent among a large number of her sub-
jects with respect to the strong measures actively pur-
✓ued spirt those who professed principles held in com-
men by her Majesty with many millions of bee people. The
ease., he old, wanted little advocacy from him, fur it was
on. which stood upon its own intrinsic merits. It was in
no wise • political question, for he was on that pram=
surrounded by gentlemen widely differing in their political
views, sod also differing widely in respect to doe-
tried "renal:ices, but they all equally felt the
importance of the question which had brought
them together and their presence was a patent proof of
the unity of purposewithout conformity of doctrinal mi-
nima. They had come together to assert the right °enemy
of conscience, and to protest against • persecution tern
inflicted pains and penalties upon those who read the Scrip-
ting, or who poisoned a copy of them. The feeling
=the persecution to which he alluded was gonna
=out the land, and was shared in by many estimable
Roman =thence. It was like the persecution of the Radial
ten yeen ego in Tuscany, end as the voice of the
people of England as conveyed to Florence by three
foreign ministers had liberated them from their prior, so
he hoped would be the effect of the present meeting with
respect to thin now imprisoned In Spain under the provi•
none of • sanguinary and atrocious code for the crime of
professing protestantism. Sir Robert concluded a long and
eloquent speech by minutely detailing the sufferings of
then religious printers whom he had visited at Mali."
whose condition realised the fearful picture drawn by bird
Sron of the sufferings of the " Prisoner of Chilton." Ho
also mentioned several of the annoyances which protestant'
bed to put up with in Spain, especially the denial of the
privilege of interring their dead with Christian buriaL
Mr. E. BAINre. W.F., seconded the motion, and hoped
that as the appeal of Mr. Gladstone had met free Pone, so
the effort. of Mir it. Peel would relieve the Spanish pro-
tenant prisoners.
The Bishop of RIMS strongly inveighed spinet the
church of Rome, as • persecuting and intolerant church. OK
The resolution, having been supported lir the COMMA
SDIJKANT and Dr. Comoro, was unanimously approved
and the proceedings terminated.

A parliamentary return, issnod this morning,
elates that there are 1,183 magistrates in holy orders in Eng-
hind, sad 174 la Walla Suffolk contains the greatest
number of any county : then Norfolk, Hereford, Fens, ke•