The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-21 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE CATHOLICS.

(FROM A CORIIESPONDENT.)
Bailloaake, Monday Morning, Eleven o'clock.
The most intense anxiety pervades this town as the
hour fixed for holding the Catholic Mceting approaches.
Mr. Eneas M'Donnell and his brother are just come into
town, and numbers of the neighbouring Catholic Gentry
and Clergy have arrived. The chair is to be taken at one
o'clock. All seem animated by one determination, to seek,
by firm and constitutional appeal to the Government
of the country, a redress for the unheard-of outrage
lately perpetrated in this town, and of which the par-
ticulars are already before the public. Should this ap-
peal prove unsuccessful, the Catholics of Connaught
are determined to try what a petition to the House of
Commons will do for them. 1 have just been to see the
Court-house, where the late atrocious affair occurred.
The approach to it is by a narrow door, barely sufficient
to admit one individual. The stairs are exceedingly
dark and narrow, and almost as perpendicular as a ladder.
The police above stairs cut, hacked, and drove the people
towards this passage, while below were stationed fifteen
or sixteen policemen, headed by a Magistrate, and who
received the people on landing at the point of the bayonet !
It is next to a miracle that several lives were not lost on
this occasion, and the gratifying fact can only be accounted
for by the peaceable and orderly conduct of the people
under circumstances of the most unprovoked outrage,
which, had it taken place in England, would have driven
even the most phlegmatic John Bull to desperation and re-
sistance.

A strong array of the police, or "Peelers," (a felicitous
application of the name of the first founder of a police
establishment) has arrived in town this morning from dif-
ferent parts of the country, but they are much mistaken
if they fancy any work will be furnished to them here
to-thy. . .

A paper is just distributing through the town, purport-
ing to be a disavowal on the part of the " undersigned
Catholics" (it bears but one signature, and that of a de-
pendent of the Trench family) of ?laving taken part in
the " disgraceful proceedings against Lord IJunlo and
his friends, on Thursday last. Archdeacon Trench's clerk
is endeavouring, without effect, to procure signatures to
this document.

Three O'Clack.—The meeting is now going on. I never
witnessed any thing like the:excitation of the people, but
they are pefectly peaceable. The following correspond-
ence between the Catholic Archbishop, Doctor Kelly, and
the Bishop of Norwich, has just been read. Would to
God all churchmen were like these illustrious prelates, and
how few of these heart-rending conflicts would be!
" Tuam, Oct. 2, 1826.
"My Lord,—l have the honour to enclose the copy of a resolu.
lion adopted at a Meeting of the Catholic inhabitants of this town
and Uhloo, held on Thursday, the 28:h of last month, for the pur-
pose gr,:itioning the Legislature for Catholic Emancipation. My
of respect and gratitude towards your Lordship me-
= as. Weedy with those of the Meeting, that I am anxious to
obi/ then desire, as expressed in the resolution, with as little de-
lay as possible; and trust I shall he justified in the anticipation
that jour Laxislaip will be pleased to accept this delegation of our
ileaste
melt and unreserved confidence.
him the honour to remain. with the most profound respect,
" Tour Lordship's most ooedietat and devoted humble servant,
" 0. C. KELLY.
H. To tbe Lord Bishop of Norwich, Norwich."
REPLY.
" My dear Lord—The Catholic inhsbitants of Tuain, and the
lisle*, do me but justice in thinking that there is not a is indi-
vidual In the United Kingdom more cordially attached to the great
oasis efelvil and religious liberty than myself, or who contemplates
with Mare surprise and sorrow the impolicy, the injustice, and the
want of Christian charity, by which so many loyal subjects and
conscientious christians are deprived of those civil privileges to
which they have, in my opinion, an unquestionable right, for no
other reason, which I am able to find out, than their steady attach-
malt to the religion of their ancestors.
" Old as I am, I will gladly present to the House of Lords the
petition mentioned by your Orace • and 1 shall be happy to have
an opportunity of bearing nay humble testimony in favour of the
most injured people upon the lace of the earth.
" Believe me, Sir, with great truth,
Your affectionate Brother,
" Norwich, Oct. 9,1825. " them Noawlce.
" To the Most Rm. Dr. Kelly', Lord Archbishop
of Tuam, Irekad."
I assure you I do am exaggerate when I tell you, that
shouts for Sitilrei minutes rent the air when these letters
were read, and, albeit ensued to the melting mood, this in-
stance of fraternal ilk** between prelates of different
Christian creeds litadttlie keite Via& down the akeelts of
many a hardy menl Oft ho kind to the Irish, do them
common justice—do them even what Mr. Leslie Foster 's
evidence recommends, and you may command their very
lives. It is Insporibio fa ate to give you any further ac
count of this meeting. I leave this to-morrow, for Gal-
way, where there is to be another Bible Meeting. There
will be opposition given to it without doubt. God grant
no harm may arise out of these exasperating conflicts. -I