The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-17 00:00:00

" The restoration of the old religion was effected with-
out violence ; no persecution of the Protestants was
attempted ; and several of the English, who fled from
the furious zeal of Mary's inquisitors, found a safe re-
treat among the Catholics of Ireland.—(Cheers.) It is
but justice to this maligned body to add, that on the
three occasions of their obtaining the upper hand, they
never injured a single person in life or limb for profes-
sing a religion different from their own."—{Loud
cheers.) I have now relieved myself of some little
national prejudice, and it is almost excuseable. Well,
then, this was the usage we got—the Catholics were
persecuted—the monks were shut up in a dark and
dirty cell for the avowed purpose of murdering them,
and their gaoler writes to his guilty employer that they
are 'nearly all gone—their priests were beaten on their
heads until their brains were scattered—their gentry were
stripped of their property and their lives in danger—in the
midst of all this confusion the Catholics became tri-
umphant—they regained their power, and oh! blessed
be God, they did not injure a single Protestant in life,
or limb, or property.—( Loud cheers) Let. me return
to England for a minute. In the time of Charles 11.
there was a most sanguinary conftet between the two
sects of Protestants; 800 of one sect died in gaol, to
which they had been confined for no other crime than
Nonconformity; 275 of them belonged to a sect which
I honour and respect—a sect who have always been tl.e
chief agents in works of charity—a sect which has al-
ways lifted up their meek, but firm voices, praying that
the chains of slavery throughout the world may be
knocked off-275 of them belonged to the sect called
the Quakers—they made an appeal to James 11., and,
bad as he was called, that Catholic Monarch no sooner
received the petition, than 1,400 fathers, wives, sees,
and daughters, were-instantly ordered to be released—
(Cheers)—from their confinement, and a Royal order
of pardon was issued, and the survivors of all the Non-
conformists went free.—(Loud cheering.) There is
still one topic which has been left untouched, and I
will now trespass upon your patience for a short time
while I advert to it. Oh ! is it not a glorious thing
that we are able to claim for Catholicity the honour of
being the first to throw aside bigotry, and raise other
sects to an equality ? I claim that glory for the Diet
of Hungary. Wherever Protestantism has spread it
has carried persecution and intolerant bigotry in its
train. In the Catholic Diet of Hungary, in which
were eight Roman Catholic Bishops, any one of whom
had he lifted his voice against the measure, by his mere
veto could have prevented its passing; but those eight
Bishops in the Diet of Hungary emancipated the Pro-
testants of that country.—(Cheers.) Again, when the
poor hunted Catholics fled from their country and took
shelter in Maryland, their very first act, after having
obtained a settled Government, was to emancipate the
Protestants—the Act of Emancipation was drawn up by
one of a much-abused and calumniated order—by a
Jesuit. I will quote you one passage from an author
not very friendly to Catholicity—from Sidney Smith.
Ido love to quote him. He says, speaking of -Catholic
deeds in Hungary :
" It is impossible to think of tie affairs of Ireland without
being forcibly struck with the parallel of Hungary. Of
her seven millions of inhabitants, one half were Protestants,
Calvinists, and Lutherans, many of the Greek Church, and
many Jews : such wls the state of their religious dissen.
siens, that Mahomet had often been called in to the aid of
Calvin, and the Crescent often glittered on the walls of
Buda and of Presburg. At last, in 1791, during the most
violent crisis of disturbance, a Diet was called, and by a
great majority of voices a decree was passed, which secured
to all the contending sects the fullest and freest exercise
of religious worship and education ; ordained (let it be
heard in Hampstead) that churches and chapels should be
en.cted for all on the most perfectly equal terms, that the
Protestants of both confessions should depend upon their
spiritual superiors alone, liberated them from swearing by
the usual oath, 'the holy Virgin Mary, the saints, and chosen
of God;' and then, the decree adds, 'that public offices
an'? honours, high or low, great or small, shall be given to
natural born Hungarians who deserve well of their country,
and possess the other qualifications, let their religion be
what it may.' Such was the line of policy pursued in a
Diet consisting of four hundred members, in a State %hose
form of government approaches nearer to our own than any
other, having a Roman Catholic establishment of great
wealth and power, and under the influence of one of the
most bigoted Catholic Courts in Europe. This measure
has now the experience of eighteen years."
I will read you a passage from another author, the
reverend soldier who fills the office of Chaplain to the
Chelsea Hospital, the Rev. Mr. Gleig—it is very short,
and I will read it :
" From the Catholics, though the dominant party in the
State, the Protestants [of Hungary] receive no annoy-
ance. The most perfect harmony, on the contrary, pre-
vails The spirit of tolerance is more con-
spicuous among the Romanists than their rivals."—Rev.
Mr. Gleig's " Germany," vol. iii., pp, 111, 112.
Again, Mr. Gleig says, p. 159
" They Lviz., the Hungarian Protestants] would be very
unreasonable, indeed, did they complain that the slightest
violence is offered to their conscience."
See how the Emancipation has been dealt with in this
country. Has it put an end to bigotry ? • No, it has
increased it. Even in our own instance, look at the
treatment we received respecting our application for
Exeter-hall. Although we offered to pay 401., the usual-
charge for a day's hire of it, our letter remains wilhout
an answer. They could not condescend to hold even
so much correspondence with Catholicity as civility
demanded.—( Loud cheers.) How different their
conduct on other occasions! Suppose some itinerating
forger—( Loud cheers)—a calumniator, one who went
about using forged documents, and when found out calls
it "an ingenious device."—(Tremendous cheering.) Sup-
pose such a man were to come here, would Exeter
hall be refused him ? No, its portals would be opened
wide, Members of Parliament would vie with each other
for the honour of presiding ; and would Nobles and
Earls stay away ? Oh, no, they would be there in pro-
fusion ; they would honour the calumniator' and forger,
because he would abuse and vilify the Catholics.—
(Cheers.) Yes, the use of the room where we have
beens,even thoughsooftenfo nr,ullsae offendfarled to pay for
was refused
us,
for it, because we
wanted to vindicate ourselves from the foul calumnies
?_(Cheers.)
is conduct such
I?efe rIsV. )i i ihs They
whether .
heaped upon us. I will ask the Earle
sac
this
the Ballot is
is fairu n?.
EI
ns
gi
lti
sh English;b ut
as I have described ? It is bigoted, unfair, and un-
just. Will the Protestants treat the Catholics of Hun-
gary in the same way ? No, they have better feelings.
Nor should I forget to toll you the Catholics of Bavaria
acted in a similar spirit with their brethren of Hun-
gary ? Now looking at the books even of our opponents
and contrasting the conduct of the Catholics in power
with the manner in which we are used, I ask every
honest man to judge between us.—(Cheers.) On the
one hand a feeling of honesty and conciliation, oa the
other the extremity of suffering under barbarous laws,
' all that was perseCuting anal tyrannical remained even
on the Statute Book till very recently, and then they
pwuegr were m potnt t
oret
hmeo
rightsved because eoc
of conscience.
uLnsecin theye were found to be re-
ce. No, neither Peel
nor Wellington ever said so—they enly said they gave
it because there were disturbers in Ireland,--(Cheers
and laughter.) They did not say it was wrong—they
said it was important end expedient that persecution
should cease because there were Agitators in behold
who would not be quiet. They did not look at the
Book of Life for its peace inspiring wisdom—they
looked at the military book and there they
found that two-thirds of the soldiery wore Ce-
tholics.—( Lon a and continued cheers.) Yes, the
hero of a hundred fights, and the most crafty of states-
men, gave way before the Pais of the county Clare,—
(Loud cheering.)—as Pat himself would say, " for a
raison he had."—(Laughter.) In former times, to
which 1 have alluded, there were the thousand minis-
ters and their thousand schools of Catholics, encourag-
ing and teaching religion, and learning, and knowledge
of every kind=it was persecuted until Catholicity was
almost frightened from the land. Oh those who lived
in those days deserved eternal praise—(Loud cheers)
—as he trusted they were now iu glory: Your family,
Sir, was a renowned family before the time of the
tarp( d Conqueror.—(Cheers.) Talk to me of your P;tt.
Nobility as before the Catholic gentry of England !
They are as mushrooms, bred in the counting-house, or
purchasing their Nobility which degrades them by ve-
nality. When I look around the and.see intellect and

genius returning to the old &tar, I am filled with gra.
titude—they were increasing the glory of the Church,
and while I have faithful Ireland backing me—(Cheers.)
why should I fall before the Methodists of John Wes.

icy ?—( Tremendous cheering.) Why should I fall
before bigotry and intolerance? It may be thought
that I have been egotistical, but in my conscience I
believe that my religion deserves praise, and let the
God who sits above
judge of my sincerity. Let me
upon our opponents to look abroad, and then turn
, •
trittr eyes to home, as they often taunt us with. Let
that decide the question between us. Morality, it was
boasted, always accompanied Protestantism. I utterly
deny that Protestant morality is better than that of
Catholicity, and in proof of it I am furnished with the
evidence of Mr. Laing, a stern Scotch Presbyterian,
who wrote a book of his travels in Norway, only lately.
In Norway the Reformation took most speedily—in
Norway, where the clergy have the sole direction of
the education of the people, only one-third of the
mothers are married, and one out of every 41 was con-
victed of crime. He says
" Sweden is in a more demoralised state than any na-
tion in Europe."—Tour in Norway and Sweden, p. 108.
" Among the crimes in the rural population there were
28 cases of murder, 10 of child murder, 4 of poisoning, 13
of beastiality, 9 of robbery %jai violence, and this rural po.
pulation is only 2,735;000 individuals; and, as appears by
the official returns, the criminality among them is only
about the proportion of one-fourth of that of the town po.
pulation of Sweden "—P• 110.
" In despite, however, of the demoralising effects of a
mal-admin;stration of laW, and of religious and. political
discord and excitement to outrage, the Irish nation stands
very far above the Swedish is the moral scale."—P. 112.
" The proportion of illegitimate to legitimate births
is as one to'two three-tenths in Stockholm. _ In no other ,

Christian community is there a state of female morals ap-
proaching to this."—P. 113.
" The Church is evidently the most influential body in
Sweden ; these 3,000 clergy, or rather 1,276 parsons
holding full pastoral charges, elect from their own order
ne of the Chambers of the Diet."—P. 247.

There is now a Catholic Chapel in Stockholm—let him