The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-01-07 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP TIER BRITISH IthESS

Stn—l am inclitted to think your impartiality and Invy
at justice will induce you to give a corner to the following
letter. I am. Sir,
Your obedient humble &Truitt.
A CONSTANT READER.
SIR—On I:7l'th

lose an aeon/lit of the Tricentenary Meeting,
as given in your Paper iif Thismilay, 1 felt that tratilicalion
which every warm friend to civil and religious liberty mast
feel, when he Mole a numerous and respectable Meeting
giving rout to sentiment+ just, liberal. and elevated. At
the mew time, Sir, 1 cannot hot rectal that theme insuly sod
noble feeliuga of general and Cloi.tisn philanthropy, did not
pervade the breast of every iodividoal on that uceasion 1
bud in particular the Rev. .1 Townsend a.sertine. that
• !rink XVIII. hail not slienak from laudinglumartf to the
reeciition of the Protestants." That the present Kiev
Ma conimitted innumerable political errors, I ihatiuetly ad-
mit; but that he ever kit himself to one single art of reli-
gions persecution, I as distinctly 414,84. Nothing is more
abhorrest from his minor, and I lamest that se erri .... s a
charge should have been made, unsupported na it certainly
is, by one particle of evidence. l"rswaeq hays 1.1-em ("M.
milled inehe south of 'Prance by ignorant and forinier mobs,
hut pia judice tialy would vi4it their males an en sinfortii.
nate but benevolent Monarch. Perhaps the Reverend Geo.
thisnan meanie to support his charge by stating, that " In
the south of France, it is well known, that two Protestants
were fined, and the sentence afterwards effirnied with costs,
fee sat hulling tint the Catholic insignia during the in.eing
of the host" It is Wit my intention to questl.l,l 1:11" 41111-
me, of this fart, but I meld wish to lei/plaid, that " lint Ting
out the Cetholie insignia," us nothing more nor less than
contributing a few green lonigh. to decorate the striate
through which the proce,/i.iii prgars. I atm not prepared to
say, that I approve a law euforring this contribution of
hough!' for religious purpoott, hot I would meet this fact
uf the Rev. J. Townicial'a by auothd r, which I have reason
to think is equally well known, viz that in this country
every landed proprietor, unless particularly exempted, is
enwitrained to contribiste one-truth of the produce of Li,
land, equivalent to one-fourth of his income, to the stippoll
of a religious establishment, which lie often conseielitimody
believes fouutted in error. Th.., Sir, is, to say the least of
it, 'quid to the greeii bough siviti no ; yet the Reverend tics.
Orman will not. I think, call it persecution.
Agana, Mr. Towtiaend assures the Meeting, that " until
the ... of Papal power and she nussebuns, there wnw
Prolestent congregal tit Rome mid Naples, but they
were not now permitted to profess openly their faith " It is
not in the spirit of roistradiction that 1 assert, " they are
permitted to profess upruty their faith ;0 and I assert it
neither from henrsay 1114 bew.paper report, hut from ocular
th militate:llion. I have, since my mare to England, been
informed, that a Jubilee 111 lu,nonr of the Reforma thin has
been holden sit Rome, with the free consent of the Pope,
hot to they troth of thin I will tint equally 'sledge myself
have already tree p ward 11111 much MI the columns of your
Paper; 1 will, therei'ore, only odd, that it is not " necessary
that Engliahatieu shwa.' expre.a an opinion us the Coal.
malt, that tiny expected for their countryineti the emit to..
teratios, abroad, welch, they were willing to give continental
siihjects whir pruferae.l ilifilereut opinion's in tbierkingdons."
1 3111. Sir,
Your obidieut blin/lc Servant.
VIATOR.