The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-01-23 00:00:00

THE CATIMIC CAUSE.

The Smn has complained of some observatinne of
ours au all article which appeared in that Paper,
containing miseepriaieutationa and calumnies on the
Catholic body. IF The Soo will make aosert
which are unfounded, illte.will bring forward atro-
cious charges against a whole people, he must eit-
pee( conttatliction; nor can he be surprised if the
langusge of disgust and of reprobation be pollard
at the man who basely traduces the faith cud fame
of a brave and generous nation.
If The Sun had not gone out obits way to bring
'forward antitriated bilsrhosid, to revive refuted Ca-
lumilieN, anal, let us edit, t 6 outrage the feelings of
decency and humanity, he would have escaped our
animadversion; but we hold it a high !nand oblige-
troll to vindicate -the innocent and to befriend the
oppressed, Si. far as we Call do so, by expoenig the
arts land refuting the imputations of their enemies.
The San asks, with as much apparent triumph
as if it were nut couscions of the utter falsehood of
the vhe'ge, whether " Me Papist?' do not still look
forward to the possession of those estates which lied
been wrested Irma their ancestors, and whether they
do not refuse to take mortgages on, or to purchase
inch property from Protestant proprietors ? We
have clearly and fully refuted dill in Tux BitITIAIS
PREss ul IVethiesday ; hut The Sun may be refuted,
but cannot be silenced—he may he exposed, but
ca tttttt t be shamed : his is not the pursuit of truth—
he seek. not to influence men by the force of reit.
son, but he seeks to mislead them by the force of
prejnelice—the worst of prejudice—that which glo-
ries in the downfall and &grad:mon of man.
It is not trite dint the Catholics refute to pur-
chase from Protestant proprietors—vast estates in
almost every county in Ireland have been so pur•
chased—vast property is mortgaged by Protestants
to Catholics—Catholics, et this moment, hold
great and valuable interests as tenants, as annu-
itants, slid in various other ways under Prot's.
taut proprietors: this will appear from the pub-
lic records of Ireland. and from the testimony
of every man aho is acquainted with that coun-
try. 11'nuld the Catholics then, even if it were
practicable, madly attempt to disturb property in
the preservation of which they are so deeply inte-
rested ? Catholic merchants who have ac-
cumulated large fortunes—would the Catholic No-
bility and Grotty who inherit large fortunes—would
the community wickedly and madly subvert the
principles of social order, and violate the principles
of law, which are the common security and the
common right of all? For what purpose would
they commit so barbarous a crime? Is it to destroy
all protection—is it to endanger all property—
so that the indigent and ferocious multitude, after
shaking the fabric of society to its base, may com-
fortably enjoy the property of their more wealthy
orighbours ? Thus, my Lord Fingal and my Lord
Keintiare, and indeed all the Catholic Aristocracy,
who are all the descendants of English settlers—
thus, Mr. O'Connell, who inherits the large posse,-
lions of lite. ancestors—thus. Mr. Scully, of Tip-
perary, whose immediate predecessor accumulated
by his activity and cleverness a fortune of ten thou-
band s-year;—all these, of course, would violate the
laws of property—that the shoeless O'Toole's. and
O'Kaviniagli's. sod &Moral's, may be restored to
posse.siona, the very traces and remembrance of
which live been lost for centuries past—and they
wall attempt this when die honours of the State
awl tile het-don' of the Constitution are within their
reach ! What ! are the people of Ireland lowered
even to a worm., than barbarous standard ?—are the
that principles of society no longer known or re-
spected amongst them ?—is the poor Catholic to
ruse up against the rich Protestant ?—is the rich
Catholic to rise up against the rich Protestant
and against himself property to be de-
Strop d, noel imarchy to be established, because
a 1.-w Catholic Gentlemen may be sent into
Mlle lluuse 4111 Continuo., and because the King
of England may lease the power of rewarding
according to hi, Royal pleasure the merits, the
irtues, and t lie set vier:, of all his subjects ? for this
as really what t. meant by emancipation. It is not
that the Catholics get power, but the King gets
power—the prerogative of the 11Imiarch is enlarged
by the emancipation of his people. The law would
only make diem eligible to place, but it would not
Imes, them v.. 111) power. The King alone could
iiiv.st di. in with power--witliont his immediate
sigeocy thaty would remain fur ever unemployed
and ineelistilignished.
tipmial then to the plain sense of the people
of England, whose limiest minds The Sun wool,'
mislead ley hilsellood and misrepresentation, if it
be istolriehle that the King of England, acting by
the heftier of his Ministers, and its the presence of
his people Mall lose Parliament. would usivert with
power any with humour the enemies of their Con.
atitu•iou and of Ina 'Throne ? IVe pot it also to
them, whether it be likely that the Catholics of
Leland, in whose hands a vast portion of property
is, would even, if they were able, destroy the laws
which secure mod regulate that property ?—We
have done with this part of the subject.
7he Sun acknowledges that its object is to revive
the cry of " f'o Popery!" and it glories in the
deed. It is a solitary glory. 11'hatever may be
the fate of the Catholics, we are bold to say, that
every busiest Englishman is anxious to have the
question b gist under the calm and solemn deli-
teeration of the Legialature, and if still he thinks
it in iidelit to refuse his assent to the emancipation
of his fellow-subjects, lie will do ira with reluctance
and affliction—he will lament the sail necessity that
biddy a nation in chains. Far from the mane of
England by the stain that would for yver attach to
it, were she to tread upon those who fought by her
side—were she to hush the voice of reason in her
councils, and to decide under the iutluence of
drooktis bigotry and ignoraeit clamour.
True to its professions, The Sun hos beat up for
recruits to fill the ranks of intolerance. We are
willing in b. lieve that those ranks al'e thin enotigh,
—nor will they be strengthened, even though a
poltlaccl iiicendisry calls upon the people to injure
their neighleolers, in defence of the l'iroirlitsint
Thaiik Gail. that pure and holy religion
is better supported !—it t. supported by the sub-
lime dailily or its eloci rigors, tlo.se iloctrloes which,
in the winds of our common tint', teddies us to do
unto whet e us we would wish to oc door unto our-
selsCa.

religion WCIII to rebt on no

other foundation than that Al intolerance, it would
not be the relig. of Goal—it would not be the
religion or England : it would he an unholy
sys-
tem, worthy only of gloomy bigots, and national
calumniators—of those profligate and shameless
turn. who, to gratify their malignant passions, and
to promote their venal views. would dew.'" "en
to the last act of injustice and impiety, and in the
face of heaven and of men. would charge their
fellow-subjects with holding this horrid
" 'rho the most atrocious means are out only jus-
tified by the end, hut sanctioned in the highest
degree by the Supreme Being."
Decency is shocked, humanity shudders, and
shame retires. at the grossness of this abominable
assertion. We will not descend to refute it. We
appeal to the genero►ity of the English character—
we appeal in the records of the country su much
defamed—we appeal to the testimony of my Lord
Whitworth—of my Lord Talbot.—of every man of
honour and integrity who has administered the
laws in that country, for the utter falsehood of an
assertion equally vile, equally odious, impious and
abominable in the sight of God and man.

To the EDITOR of The BRITISH PRESS.

transmit, with your leave, for insertion
in you► valuable Paper, a tribute to the memory of
Sir Samuel Itomilly, which closed Mr. Ogilvie's last
Lecture at the Surrey Institution. or the pathos of
the passage I deem it impertinent to say a word ; it
will be felt by every reader of the passage, who has
a heart in his bosom, or a soul in his body; but in
justice to Mr. Ogilvie, I beg leave to add, that I was
one of his auditors during the delivery of the Lecture,
which closed with this passage; and I have uo ap-
prehension of thedissent of any of my fellow-auditors.
when I venture to say, that this Lecture scarcely
contained a sentence inferior in force and eloquence,
it contained nut a few passages far more powerfully
eloquent, and more deeply affecting, than even this
tribute to the memory of Sir Samuel Romilly.
Fur my own part, during the delivery of this
Lecture, I experienced more intensely than I ever
did before (and I have heard many an accomplished
Lecturer iii more countries than one), the emotion
which it is the pride of the orator, and the triumph
of oratory, to awaken and sustain. Mr. Ogilvie is
the fittest person to rescue oratory from neglect and
bad taste, and many a Cicero would rise, if l►e could
condescend to be a second Philo to them.

A writer in ti Morning Paper expresses surprise,
that Mr. Ogilvie'. Lectures have not attracted snore
marked and particular notice; the fact, in my mind,
exc►tes awtoim.linivist. G. B.

Ao Auditor of Mr. Clatimes.