The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-26 00:00:00

nobleman who has violated the law of his country to
this degradation. But all Europe is stunned with the
clamour raised by a pack of fanatics, every one of whom
is a persecutor in heart, and would be an exterminator
if he or she had the power—because two Italian menials
are made amenable to the laws of their country." That
was thought an excellent sentence, no doubt ; but to

him it indicated the very essence of that church of Rome
which he detested. (Cheers.) If nobles had been
imprisoned, then a deputation might have been sent
over, and would have been worthy of attention ; but
they were menials. (Hear, hear.) Why, it was the glory

of Christianity that it raised the menial—(cheers)---:tha
" in Christ Jesus there is neither barbarian nor Scythian,
bond nor free." (Loud cheers.) The Madiai were their
brethren in the hope of immortality • and whether they
were menials or nobles made no difference. It was the
glory of this country that the poorest man in the streets
was protected equally with the nobility ; and what they
wished to do was, to secure for Florence the same equa-
lity of rights with regard to religion. However a Ro-
man Catholic editor might pour contempt on the depu-
tation—for ouch men could rail when they could not
reason—they might appeal from him to one who made
pity for the poor and the oppressed the very test of dis-
cipleship. Gladly, then, did he tender a vote of thank to
the members of theadeputation. It mightlbe said that the
deputation, by its impertinent interference, had done
nothing but rivet the chains it sought to unloose. If so,
it had marked, more , clearly than it was marked before

the indomitable hatred of-the Roman Catholic Church
to Protestantism and to Protestant piety. But the
effect would not stop there. That meeting was the pre-
Miner of many others. (Hear, hear.) If they could
not appeal to the generosity of Roman Catholic gentle-
men, or to their sense of what was right—and he be-
lieved that with numbers such an appeal would not be
in vain— (hear, hear)—at least they could appeal to the
policy of the coldest priest, they could appeal to the
policy of a Church which had never Apt' accused of
been unskilful in that respect. (Hear, hear.) Let these
meetings go on, let them extend throughout the land,
and then a deputation larger, more zealous, more
trembling, than that which was sent from this country,
would be found first at the Vatican, and then at the

palace in Tuscany, to say to those who held the keys of
the Madiai's prison, " Let them loose, or we are undone ;
you are doing us an amount of mischief in England
which all your continental money cannot annihilate ; you
are convincing the people of England that our church

remains just as bitter, just as implacable, just as intole-
rant, as she was in the days when the Protestants of
France, and of the Low Countries, and of Piedmont, and
of every part of the known world, were sent to the rack,
and to the stake, and to the torture, for holding the very
principles which Englishmen maintain." (Loud and
long-continued applause.) They were called fana-

tics for exhibiting so much sympathy for the
Madiai. Such a charge sounded strange from Ro-
man Catholics. What did the meeting think of the
following. advertisement in a Roman Catholic news-

paper ? Our Ladye of Grace of Acton.—Our Ladye of
Grace of Acton has well nigh 100 poor children, but she
has no funds for either school or teacher. Our Ladye of
Grace of Acton has a priest with a cure of 1,500 souls,
chiefly poor labouring men and women dispersed through
the villages of Acton, Ealing, Turnham-o-reen, Chiswick,
Sutton, and part of Brentford ; but she hasb neither church

for her people, nor rectory for her priest. Our Ladye
of Grace of Acton sits in her poor damp cellar weep-
ing. Such the sole shelter she has for herself, her
children., her people, her priest—aye, even for the
glorious presence of her son. Oh !—" VO3 011121C3 qui
transitis per viant"—can you do nothing for our Ladye
'of Grace of Acton, noble and rich ladies and gen-
tlemen, with pleasant houses, and bright, fair, happy
children—converts who owe your happiness to this same
sweet ladye—good Christian people all, who profess
yourselves servants of Mary? Money will console her
—money will teach her poor neglected children--money
will build a church for herpeople, and a tabernacle for her
son—and nothing but money will do these things. Ah !
send, then, some aid, even though the most trifling—
.even a postage-stamp. Never was need more dire than
this." (Laughter.) Though he thought this country
might just as properly abandon its diplomatic relations
with Tuscany as with the most atrocious savage on
earth, yet as diplomacy was not a mere matter of com-
pliment, the resolution was, it would be observed, very
cautiously framed. What was desired was, that they
should as a nation manifest their hatred of this
atrocious conduct by nature of the relations main-

tamed, and that the Grand Duke must not expect any
friendliness from this country if he continued to persecute
those who showettheir convictions. (Cheers.)
Sir IVVERNEY seconded the resolution.
The resolution was passed unanimously.
Capt. TROTTER then addressed the meeting as a member
of the deputation to Florence. He commenced by ex-
pressing his gratitude at seeing such deep interest and
sympathy manifested on behalf of the poor Bible-readers
of Florence, adding that there were now in the state
of Tuscany upwards of 20,000 persons who had become
more or less convinced of the errors of popery. The
Madiai were, he observed, of a most respectable
class in life. Previous to their incarceration they
were highly esteemed by the other converts for their
devoted and consistent Christianity, and even Roman
Catholics respected them for their modest and consistent
deportment. Rosa Madiai was suffering in prison from -
a spinal complaint ; and though she had been re-
moved in consequence (as was understood) from one cell
to another, there was no improvement in her posi-
tion, the oell being so damp that the very shoes on her
feet had become mouldy. Her cell and her posi-
tion were described to him by Lord Roden, who
visited her, in the following manner. The cell was
a small one. Though condemned to hard labour, she
was employed Airily in light needle-work. A small
stool was chained to one corner of the cell ; in an-
other part was a bench, also chained ; and the two were
so far apart that, though afflicted with spinal disease,
she was unable to rest her feet on the bench while

sitting on the stool ; nor was the bedstead in a position
which made it available for this purpose. None but
those who had been afflicted with spinal disease could
tell what it was for her to be thus situated. The
meeting had been told that the punishment for reading
the Scriptures was death. That the law was not
meant to be inoperative would appear from the fact,
that the old guillotine, which was put away as use-
less at Lucca, had recently been cleaned up, and brought
back to Florence; and in the last month a guillotine man
was appointed at a regular salary, and was now waiting
to execute any poor Bible reader who might be
transferred to his bands. (Hear, hear.) As an illustra-
tion of the means which were being used by the Roman
Catholic clergy to stop the Protestant work in Florence,
he would just mention one fact. A young man in that
city, who had a sister who had just returned from a con-
vent, where she had been educated for some years, while
sitting in his father's house, observed a letter on the
table directed to the priest who was confessor and in-
structor to his sister during her residence in the convent.
Without any particular object, he took it up, when his
eyes became rivotted on some words, which appeared to
him almost diabolical : though a Roman Catholic, he
said he could not have believed that such words could
be written. The words which fixed his attention
were these : "Do you suppose," wrote his young sister
to her confessor, "do you suppose that after being with
you six or eight years (he could not remember the pre-
cise period) I have not learnt, when occasion requires,
to be able to deceive my mother." (Hear.) The priest
was, doubtless, employing the young lady to worm out
the secrets of the family, and to discover, if possible,
how the cause of Protestantism was progressing. (Hear,
hear.) Let them beware of the confessional in England.
(Cheers.) If it once prevailed in the Established Church,
God defend us from the consequences. (Hear.)
The Rev. Dr. ANDERSON moved the following resolu-
tion That regarding the late proceedings in Tuscany as
indicative of the real character of Popery in its dominant
condition, and as furnishing the fullest disproof of all
those representations that its character has been amelio-
rated by which the British people have been deluded for
many years past—this meeting renews its protest against
all national encouragement of a system so adverse to the
commands of God, and so injurious to the best interests
of man. Especially •it adopts petitions to both Houses
of Parliament, praying for the discontinuance of the en-
dowment of Maynooth College ; and for the enactment
of some provision which shall secure the due inspection
and proper regulation of all nunneries and convents in
the United Kingdom."
Mr. JOSIAH CORDER seconded the resolution, which
was adopted by the meeting.
The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the
chairman.

( From the Morning Herald.)
scarcely hold
The meeting held yesterday in
s
Exeter Hall w -
probably the largest ever concrrecrated
within thata6
spacious building.
Six thousand tickets were
%00 left without
I.
applied for, and as the place
w
4,000, it is probable that nearly 2,
obtaining even standing room.
were o.f the
The resolutions adopted
firmest tone.
The chief point now aimed at
of the British embassy from i is, the withdrawal
is almost an obvious c Florence. Surely this
sentations of two of theo *
urse The urgent repro-
Europe have been
dis greatest Sovereigns in
dogged and obdurate t regarded'
Why should England
ambas-
sadors at a Court of anl
on such a point as sothis, insignificant'.
are treated with disregard yranny is
Protestant Gover . .
these perse t.
eu ions, and a course of
persevered in.
Prussia maintain
a character, if,
their earnest intercessions
2 Nay, are not these
Governments in some sort sanctioning
if they stand by, and attempt
nothing more than a few unheeded representations ?
One thing is quite clear, from the Madiai case,
the Gard.ucci case, the Mazzinghi case, and many
others which have lately occurred—namelY, that
the Church of Rome in Italy is in a state of great
alarm. The odium of these persecutions injures
her greatly, and she would not recklessly incur at
odium, were it not that she fears for her very ex-
istence. During the various troubles of the last
un
few years in Italy, the opportity has been seized.
of circulating in the various Italian States many
thousand copies of the Holy Scriptures, besides
_ _,—„,r .nvill relivions wnrks_ Th RCA