The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-30 00:00:00

IRELAND.

tEXTRAC TED PROM THE SECOND REPORT Or THR COMMIT'
TEE Or THE HOUSE OF LORDS.]

His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Cashel called in and
examined.
How long has your Grace resided at Casket ?—Nearly three
years, since 1822.
Durirg the greater part of the year ?-I,'ett ; except a short time
while I was In Englano daring the Session of Parliament.
Ilave you had occasion to visit the different Dishopricks in your
province ?—Yes ; I hava had one triennial visitation.
NVhat places have you visited upon that occasion?—The whole
of the province; IYaterford, Cor , Cloyne, Limerick, and Kil-
laloe.
How are the poor who are unable to work, from age or sickness,
maintained?—lt is difficult to anise, that question. There exists
no fund for the purpose, but the poor very much assist each other.
The poor of Ireland are very different from those of England
in this respect. They mutually Inlet Ogle another to an extreme
degree.
Can you state the proportion of the Catholic to the Protestant
population ?--I do not precisely recollect. In the town of Cashel,
I think I have heard that there are about seven or eight hundred
Protestants, to about five or six thousand Roman Catholics. I
speak only of the town, without considieing the scattered papule-
uon of the parishes belonging to it.
Has your Grace any means of increasing the employment of the
poor P—None that I know of, except employing them in manufac-
turing linen yet's, &c. Indeed, ray family give up a pest portion
of their time in this undertaking. We have an occasional school
to teach spinning; and a weekly market, as I have said, has been
established, which we flatter ourselves will increase, for the bet,elit
of the poor.
flare you many schools in your diocese T—There are several
Protestant schools through the diocese, but they have lately been
very much affected by the Catholics, in a great degree, withdrawing
their children from them.
What have been the grounds generally assigned by the Catholics
for so withdrawing them ?—The discussions respecting the user of
the Bible have been generally conceived to be the ground of this
proceeding. There is a gentleman of Tipperary, who interests
himself very much in the various schools of that neighbourhood,
and has obtained for them pecuniary assistance from the Kildare-
street Society. ram told that there is, or at least was, alto-
gether, in the schools which he superintends in conjunction with
the respective incumbents, nearly • thousand Roman Catholic
children.

Is he a Protestant or a Catholic 11—A Protestant. He is con-
nected with the Bible Society, and very anxious to carry their mea-
sures Into effect ; but 'luckily, I think, prevented all Bible discus-
sion in his neighbourhood. lie has thus been able, I hear, to re-
tain a great number of the Catholic children, while in other places
most of them have been withdrawn from the Protestant schools,
under the directions, as I understand, of the Catholic Priests.
Did not the efforts of the Catholic Priests for that purpose in-
crease considerably, (immediately after the discussion which took
place in Cork and other places, the middle of the last summer?
Certainly. Before that period there used to be very little difficulty
in obtaining the attendance of the Catholic children at the Pro-
testant schools.

In those schools with which you are acquainted, are the Scrip-
tures read I—Yea, generally, more or less; that is a sine vat non
of the Kildare-street system, to which the gentleman I alluded to
is particularly attached.
l'hey allow them to read the S=lptures in the Dona,' version ?
Yes, they do.
Do not you think considerable mischief has arisen from those
meetings instituted by the members of tho Bible Society P—Cer-
tainly ; the discussions were highly impolitic; they seem to have
completely defeated the very object which the promoters of them
had in view.
Is your Grace acquainted with the grounds en which the majo.
rity of the Clergy of your province object to the granting the Ca-
tholic claims ?—No, I am not, if I except the common idea which
seems to 'prevail among the clergy, that concession to the Roman
Catholics will not stop in its progress; but that if you grant one
claim you must grant another; and by thus increasing their poli-
tical importance, viable them to attempt, with a greater prospect
of success, the subversion of the Protestant establishment, which
they contemplate as founded upon manifest principles of injustice.
Party runs extremely high on both sides, and every thing is.
strongly coloured. During and immediately subsequent to the late
Bible discussions, a variety of reports were in circulation, which,
when sifted. appeared altog ether unfounded in fact.
Reports of intended murders and mastticres ?—Yes. It was said
that a gentleman of great respectability in the county of Tipperary,
who had patronised the Bible discussions, was requested -by his
own tenantry to leave the country, as some of them would feel
themselves bound to nit:Tiler him. It was added, that be had in
consequence fled to England. The report was a mere fabrication.
Did he, in fact, leave the country P—No, he went to Dublin. u
usual, for the winter. I heard that he had one or two anonymous
leeters ; but anonymous letters are so frequent, and are so easily
written, where almost ,every one can write, that no one regards
them.
Your Grace had no apprehension of your own security ?—Not
the slightest. About a fortnight before Christmas a person with a
very important air met the Archdeacon of Cashel near the Rock,
and stated that be had something of consequence to communicate to
him. Ile said, nothing bad been given at the Catholic chapel on
the preceding Sunday, that every man was to be ready the ensuing
Christmas Day. The Archdeacon only answered. " if you have any
communication of a seditious nature to make, you should make it
to a l'ilagistrate ; lam not one." Noiwithstanding, however, the
contempt with which this circumstance was treated, a rumour pre-
vailed that a general rising was to take place on Christmas Day ;
a rumour which, although nobody believed, yet every body cir-
culated.
You would say generally, that in the part of Ireland within
your knowledge, the different sects live in a reasonable state of
peace and harmony and concord together P—Certainly.
There are no Orange societies in your Grace's neighbourhood ?
—I never heard of one. I only know them through the news..

papers.
DOCII your Grace find that the Roman Catholic inhabitants are
pleased and gratified by the Protestant clergynien living among
them ?—I do ; they seem tensible that the residence of the Pro..
testant clergymen is an advantage to them. In the last time of
scarcity the assistance received in various parishes from the Protes-
testant clergy was essential to the existerice of the people. I never
bear 4 that any distinction was trade bets een the Catholics and
Protestants. The clergyman of the pariah paid every possible at-
tention to both.
Does your Grace think, from the experience you have had of the
common people of Ireland, that they are very grateful for any
benefit conferred upon them, and disposed to submit to the autho-
rity of their superiors. when treated with justice ?—Certainly.
Their gratitude is great. They are accustomed to act front imme-
diate feeling and Impulse, and ver4 much disposed to receive every
favour with a respectful gratitude. almost bordering on excess. I
do not consider them, as what I have often heard them called, an
unhappy people ; for they appear to be the happiest I ever saw.
Their cheerfulness is remarkable.

We understand that the principal part of the range of
houses called Ranelagh-place bail been purchased, with
a view of being thrown together, and of forming a grand
hotel. The great increase of strangers in Liverpool, arising
from the numerous steam-boats and other causes, has ren-
dered such an establishment iudispensahle.—Lioerpoul
i'aper of Saturday.
FIAIS AT 8131101..8 STnß7Tottn.—We mentioned
some time since that several houses had been set on fire by incen-
diaries in the above town. Subsequent to which ao anonymous
letter had been received by the •` Committee at the Vestry,"
threatening that the town of Bit.hop's Stortford should he laid in
ashes, if two persons thereto-named were not released from prison.
On the 17th ult. the house of Mr. Francis was discovered to be on
tire; and an adjoining brewery was also attempted ; and nothing
but the intrepiJity of those present could have prevented a great
number of houses fresh being laid in ashes. A shoemaker of the
name of Rees resides in a house near by, and his premises adjoin
those of Mr. Francis: this man has two sons. Some circumstances
hiring transpired which excited sun:it:inn against them, the fatl.er
and eldest son were apprehended, and taken before Rowland
Altim, Esq. and T. Vander Meulen. Esq. Afattietrates of the
county. After a long examination, Rees the elder MY set at
liberty.' and the son committed to Hertford evil. for trial at
the next Assizes. It is Strongly suspected that the son committed
the robberies at the Crena, George, end King's Head.

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