The Sun.
London, England, 1825-04-02 00:00:00

FOR TIl E SUN.

• ADMAN CATHOLICS,
Entxon—iinmediately upon the re-as-
sembling of Parliament, 'the question of Catholic Emancipa-
tion, as it is terMeil, is to be discussed ; and since this question
is one, to these realms, of the greatest importance, and as :it af-
fects every gradation or society, from the Prince to the pauper,
permit ma to give my opinion upon the subject—an opinion in
which, I can confidently affirm, I am joined by the inajorit, ur
the people.

If it can be proved that granting the wishes of the Catholics
will be for the welfare of the nation, no man who desires' that
nation's prosperity would oppose it ; but I contend that it is int-
.passible to be demonstrated, for the very best reason that can be
adduced in its favour is, that granting the concessions sought by
the Roman Catholics is an uncertain. good, and an tincertaiit
good, -upon trial, generally proves a positive evil ; .because the
experience of ages informs us, that man does not so often allow
.reason and common sense to govern his actions, as he ioverre•
them. This being undoubtedly the case, an interrogatory here
naturally presents. itself ;—we are
.a happy people, free from
civil dissensions,.our trade flourishes, anti- -every part of thit
globe that is capable of understanding its merits acknowletleit
the. pre-eminence -of our Constitution—why, then, desire a
change? I think it would be no bad expedient, if those whir
are tired of living free from civil strife, would forthwith depart
this far-famed Isle and its dependencies, and subject them.
selves to the laws Of Turkey ; now this would confer an ever-
lasting obligation on the peaceably •inclined.
I further recommend to all a careful perusal of Queen Afar y's
reign, where will be found.the treatment Protestants were con-
demned to suffer. Dist perhaps the RoMan Catholics of the
present day nosy exclaim against this mode of arguing, :arid
may tell us that the enormities perpetrated, by the Catholics of
those time's would not recur, for they were solely. Oreaccount of
their religion, and that it has nothing to do with the present
-question. It is trite that religion seas the'Aiause, and Why
should' it not be aseain, for they acknowledge that it remains
unchanged ? It, is- impossible' to separate religion from the
suisjeet of Catliolit Claims ; it is imposSible to discuss it purely
asespo/iticak question, because:. no to lfifent .
getafftlitee can fir
KiYen that religion shall never, either-direcdy or indirectly, he
made a plea for the persecution of those who differ from thcia
on the subject Of their worship.
Plots may be formed against our ttanquillity ; but, unless
Englishmen willingly disturb it. the Protestant religion opposes
an armour impenetrable, and a buckler from which rebound the
shafts that are, by the evil-intentioned, tOrgexl -on the anvil of
deceit ; for what reason, then, wish to promote another. religion
within these realms, which might possibly make a grityous.
alteration? lam aware, it is said they do not want to impose-
their religion upon us ; but self-preservation, I believe... is the
first law of Nature; therefore, since there is no danger of, our
being grilled and roasted, so long as we conform ourselves to
And support .the laws now in force, I conceive out. condition is
better than any alteration of the present state of things, in this
flourishing land the mist of superstition has been long dispelled ;
and what are the consequences? The teknigent rays of the Sou
'of laearning now shine upon Old England with unobstrmited
splendour. Its Constitution is unrivalled; its Institutions
the•peOple's welfare unequalled ; its Prince reigns in the hearts
of all his subjects; and those subjects are contented andliappy
under his GoVenunent.' These are the results truth; reason,
justice, and pure Christianity, having supplanted equivoiation,
injustice, imposition, and idolatry. •
And now, Sir, allow me to conclude in the words of an ex-
cellent little Pamphlet-An Address to Both !louses Par-
liament on this Question :—" Are.,ye anxious to preserve Four
" country in its present happy and flourishing condition F. If
" so, will you permit an infringement on the Constitution?—
" one which, there is every reason to suppose, would not con-
" tribute towards increasing the happiness of that nation, which
" relies upon your firmness in, opposing every unjustifiable
" alteration, and which might renew those disgusting schisms
" that once deluged England with Protestant blood." . '; •

P. v. K.

CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD.

The affair which led to the rustication, among
others, of the son of a certain Noble Duke from the University,
was one to which nothing of an immoral nature attaches,. and
Which, but for the reverence due to authority, might have been
overlooked as one of those youthful frolics which we are likely
AO witness as long as the world lasts, and which, if we witness
• nothing worse, the world would he much hetter than it is. The
• Dean of Christ Church, it appears, had no objection to hunt-
ing, but he objected to the scarlet jacket. That a gownsman
should mount his hide-bound steed, and scour the country like
the King of Terrors, on his pale horse—though even this Might
be a step•
" Beyond the fix'd and settled rules .. •
. • Of vice and virtue in the schools," • •
was, he thought, an indecorum that might be winked at ' • but
that he Should come forth from his quadrangle like a 104-
crosa Knight, or like a. brother to the Scarlet Lady of Babylon,
was a stretch heyond endurance, and accordingly the worthy
Vicegerent issued his express prohibition against any student's
appearing in the equipment of the Chace within the precincts
of " the mighty Tom." In revenge, some mischievous Nint.
reds of the College—
. " Omne, sacrum rapiente dextra," • .
took a secret: opportunity, during the midnight, hour, .of paint-
ing the outside shutters of the Dean's dwelling with a red of so
deer, a hue that they seemed as if, like Madettes bands, they
_ " Would the
.multidudinous sea incarnadine."

. .
had the Dean, when waking, found a pack of hounds under
his pillow, he could not have surveyed them with tnore surpris
than he beheld the metamorphose in question : strict orders
were instantly issued to search the different rooms throughout
the College, if peradventure any paint pots might be discovered ;
but alas ! none were to be found. Another edict went forth to
examine the wardrobes if perchance a pair of besmeared gloves
might" betray the.hands which had done the deed of darkness;"
they were scanned thoroughly, but without success. Atlength
the utensils of which no trace could be discovered " on the earth
beneath" were at length found in "the waters under the earth."
The criminal, pipkins were espied, glaring with red, cr,' as a
late Judge once said, on another occasion, in ". the codatne
q-their crime," lying quietly by the side of their brushes in
the bed 'Of' the lsts ! After some time, as is usual in such
frolics,, the. secret escaped, suspicions lighted,, or rather fell
heavy on the son of the Noble Duke, who ix now Suffeiing up-
der the ientet ee of rustication. GRAiil3, SVLOGO,
in this age of 'reformation, has deemedit' proOriblimit .the
fringe~ of the ladies' petticoat*, and ihe'SOvEREI4I4 l'9lC,Cur
has thundered his • edicti from The :Vatican 40:lit tightelacei
i;),s, and we'aring Caps 'in church, the topN (T. 04 tup
Cut, twit may surely be permitted to issue hrg, anathema
against .scarlet jackets, and to be mindful of the reverence due
to the sanctuaries of learning.—( The British Press.)

IRELAND.

SETRACTS PROM TUE EVIDENCE GIVEN' BEFORE

THE SELECT COMMITTEE:

.ANTHONY RICHARD BLAKE, Esq. Chief Remembrancer of
• - his Majesty's-Court of Exchequer in Irelai4d.
You are a Roman Catholic ?—I am.
• You were absent from Ireland .for some years till within a
late period ?—Yes, for several years.
Upon returning to Ireland did you observe any alteration in
the state generally of the country and the condition .of the
people ?—I left Ireland at a time oflife at which one is not in
the habit of considering-very much the state of the country—
about the age of nineteen; but I was certainly Atha time old
enough to have some general impressions upon the subject I
think I have observed a change, and a change considerably for
-the better:
Have you had opportunities of ascertaining the present con-
dition of the lower orders of the people ?—My duties; as -a Corn-
.. missioner of Education, took me during the last autumn into
several counties of Ireland ; I observed then, with satisfaction,
that the lower orders of the people appeared much more decently
clad than when I left Ireland originally, and I thought their
general appearance considerably improved. There is one sub-,
ject on which of course I could give some information to the
Cornmittee--the important subject of education ; but upon this
ii submit that it would not be proper for me at present to speak,
inasmuch as it will be my duty, with my colleagues, to, sub-
mit facts and opinions upon it to the Crown, from whence our
authority issues.
[The witness was informed that the Committee would ab-
stain from proposing any questions on that subject.]
Had you any opportunity of ascertaining to what 'extent any
feeling of discontent or disturbance prevailed amongst them, in
any parts ?---So far as I could form an opinion from the 'out-
ward appearance of things, I sliould,conceive that there was,not
any disposition to disturbance existing in the autumn of 1824 ;
with respect to discontent, any opinion that I may have upon
4 that subject is formed more upon information than obiervationi
is) far as relates to•that 'particular tour ; I had conversations with
the Clergy of both denominations ( Protestant and Roman Ca.
tholic), and with the gentry of all descriptions; I thus
- learned the state of the public mind throughthe interior. of Ire-
laud, and I am sorry to say that discontent to- a very alarming
degree prevails amongst the Roman Catholics, and. that the
nicst painful and lamentable dissensions exist, and are hourly
- increasing between them and the Protestants.
Is that discontent general amongst them 2.4 think there is a
-general feeling of discontent amongst the Roman Catholics at
the state of the laws respecting them ; and I think at the same
• time that there is a general degree of satisfaction at the course
nureued -by the present Government of Ireland towards them ;
I am satisfied that this is the.general feeling, from conversations
- which have had,- -particularly with the Roman Catholic
• e Clergy:
in what manner was this discontent described to you to exist,
and with respect to what particular parts of the law ?:=-1 should
not say that it existed, so far as my information went, or the
impression which I received, with reference to any particular
part of that general code which creates disabilities in respect of
the Roman Catholics; there is 'a discontent prevailing univer-
, sally amongst theiti at the general spirit and tenor of those
Statutes, by which the whole body- is depressed and placed
below the Protestants, without reference to rank, character, pro-
pt.-rty, or information.
you 'discover that there was a general acquaintance
amongst the Catholic body with the nature and extent of the
- existing 'penal disabilities ? There is a general knowledge
- amongst 'the Catholics, that Catholics, as Catholics, are put
below the Protestants; they knowthat the powers of the State,
executive, legislative, and judicial, are by law required to be
administered by persons who, as their qualification for admihi-
, atering them, must forswear the Roman Catholic religion ; this
produces continual irritation; I speak from conversations I had
. with the Roman Catholic clergy and the Roman Catholic
.gentry; as to the feelings of the lower orders; from personal
obsetvation, as to those of the middling and higher orders.
pia it happen to you to have any conversation with any of
-the lower class upon the subject of those laws ?—Not during
my last-tour ; do not think I had much conversation with the
tower orders upon that occasion.
- • is it not a matter of complaint-the tenets that Catholics are
obliged to abjure in the oaths they take ?—I have heard it corn-
' plainetleaf ; belt candour obliges' me to say, that there is in
history proof that anrong some Roman Catholics, some very ob-
noxious' tenets were formerly held ; such as the deposing
..power; and in my-humble judgment, a ROman Catholic ought
not to feel offended, if he be called upon ::to disclaim doctrines
oapositions which strike at the civil independence of the State,
and which, though they never formed any part of the Roman
Carlon,: fsia were yet at one time taught by authorities in the
Roman Catholic Church ; but these doctrines are now univer-
- sally exploded in these countries ; and I should certainly wish
to see one simple oath of allegiance established for all the King's
subjects, Protestant and Roman Catholic..
'an you give'the Committee any information with regard to
the proportion which the Catholic population bears to the Pro-
te.stants ?—i cannot Of my own knowledge.
general, from the. information you haVe acquired, do you
feel any reason to doubt the accuracy of the common mode of
- assOrningihe proportion that the Catholics bear to Protestants,
to be in ratio of six to one ?—I must confess I am rather ,dis-
... posed to ;Jon lit that; I should not think six, perhaps five; but
speak fiery loosely.
• Have instances come before you of the sub-letting of land to
any great extent ?—Yes.
De -Pm. find that to be at all a general practice ?—Very ge-
neral, and as mischievous as it is general.
In;wliat way *do you consider it to be mischievous P—l do
-nut think' that the man .who sub-letse has that sort of feeling
towards the -persons to whom he lets, that the proprietor of the
land weuld.have ; at least that the proprietor of land in Eng-
land would have. I know that from my own experience of
the- manner in which. landed property is managed in this
- country.
Have you any means of forming a judgment, whether the
'Rernan Catholic Clergy would be pleased if they were not sup-
phsed 'to be surrendering the principles of the laity, to accept a
provision front the State ?-,--111y opinion certainly is, that, ac-
cornpanied with the settlement of the Roman Catholic Ques-
tion, and so regulated as not to prejudice their. independence,
. they would receive a provision from the State with gratitude ;
that is theopinion which I have formed from conversations with
them, particularly with the superior Clergy ; and my own opi-
nion is, that it is a thing which, in the event of a settlement of
the Catholic Question, would be most desirable.
Do you, think such a provision being made for them would
be attendedwith any beneficial effect, in attaching the lower
class of people to the state and Government of the country
.1 think it would produce a good feeling amongst them ; it
would make them understand that their Church was not
le,oked upon with any hostile feeling, but the contrary ; 1 think
it would also be a very great relief to them, because I believe
:.shot the dues which are collected from the lower class of people
1.7 the Roman Catholic'Clergy, are felt very heavily ; I do not
mean to censure the Roman Catholic Clergy for collecting
taeete dues ; they are their only means of subsistence ; but I
believe the payment of them is often felt very severely by, the
.Ir.rer orders.
e-i3o yore think that the settlement of what you call the Roman
Catholic Question,-aim the making a provieion for the Roman
Catholic Clergy, 'such as they would be willing to accept of,
mould, or not, be calculated to give additional security to the
Itrotestant establishment in Ireland ?—I think that settlement,
• ~upon wise and sound principles, 'would he, ahove all others, -a
- .measuraecalculated to, give etrvigtle. to the Establishment,, and -
repose to the country; I think the present state of the law is
obiiouSly erroneous • it is calculated, not to secure, but to en-
' danger the Establishment; it creates bad feelings, and affords
no security agaihst, them. The.Act.of 1793 took things at the
wrong end.---it-elevated the lower orders, and left the higher in
a state of depression. The security of .the Protestants in Ire-
- land is in. the Strength of property against numbers: what you
have done is 'to grant to the Roman Catholics a privilege, in'
which aumUer tells against property, and to withhold a privilege
in which property tells against number; you allow the loWest
orders of the-.people to vote, and you do not allow the higher
orders to sit. I certainly should consider, in the settlement of
the Catholic Question, it' ever it is to be settled, that the qua--
lification for the exercise of the elective franchise in counties
-ought to be reviewed and altered.
Do you think that a raising of the qualification that should
entitle the freeholder to vote would be calculated to meet the
mischief you have adverted to ?—I think it Would in a very
great degree. Though 1 am a Roman Catholic, I speak with
a sincere desire, that whenever the Catholic Question is settled,
the rights of the Established Church should be secured ; antrl
think they would be secured in proportion as you increased the'
political power of property, converted public discontent into
satisfaction, anti engaged the Catholics in the service of the
State by adequate honours and rewards. This would attract
ell the hopes and desires of the Catholics to the State, and
would counteract any 1)48 they might have against the Church,
which is connected with-the State by an indissoluble union, and
must therefore stand or All with it.
Do you think that such an arrangement would be injurious •
to those fair interests which the Roman Catholics are entitled
to have in the country ?----My notion is. that the Roman Catho-
-I,ica ought not to have an interest according to their number, but :
according to their property. Under' that impression I think
that it would not injure any power or influence which they
fight fairly to have in the State; coupled, however, with mea- i I
auras which would place them in what I conceive to be the

situation and estimation in which their property ought to place
them.

If a provision were made for the Roman Catholic Clergy by
the State, is it your opinion that the influence of the. Priest-
hood over their flock* would' he thereby materially diminitihed ?
do not think any wholesome influence that the. Priest has
over his flock would be diminished.
Have the Catholic Clergy at present any other provision than
that which they derive from the voluntary payments of their
flocks ?—None.

The fee upon -marriage is one of their principal resources ?
it is.

It is usually that for which the highest price is paid ?—I
understand so.

In your opinion, has that circumstance any influence in pro-
ducing early and improvident marriages ?—There one must
speak again with reference to the nature of man; if the priest
gains by early marriages, there is nothing more likely to en-
courage them. _ _

Does your experience enable you .to say whether it has been
the usage for the Catholic freeholders, generally, to vote at
elections according to the wish of their Protestant landlord?—
Formerly I believe it used; latterly, religious feelings, _ I am
told, frequently carry the tenant away from the landlord, par-
ticularly through the activity of the clergy, who are stimu-
lated by the increasing eagerness:of the laity for emancipation.
Is it your opinion, then, that the influence of religion and
the priest would be stronger than the influence of the Pro-
testant landlord ?--"peaking from facts. 1 should say, yes.
I have heard of acts of interference at the Dublin election, the
Leitrim election, and the Sligo election, and other places.
When' you speak of raising the qualification of electors, do
you, in your idea, limit it only to freehold leases; or Would
you say, that, in a county, the qualification of a man having
the fee of his forty-shilling freehold should ire raised also ?
I confine myself entirely to persons who derive under leases ;
if a. man had the ownership of property, I should say he ought
to be permitted to vote, because he is a proprietor—the .lease-
holder is not ; and I hike that to be one of the great distinc-
tions between the forty-shilling freeholders in England and in
Ireland;' in England a-forty-shilling freeholder.in general has
a property of his own to that extent; in Ireland it is quite the
contrary.

Supposing a lessor pays to his landlord, a rent of five pounds
a year, be ought to be able to get out of that property a rent of
seven' pounds a year, in order to give him a torty-shilling late-
relit in, it ?—Certainly.
Do you believe that this is generally the case with respect to
the lower class of freeholders believe quite the contrary.
In general they pay what is originally a rack rent for the land,
then they build mud huts upon it; and if they make out of
the land a profit of forty shillings a year, a profit produced by
the sweat of their brow, they reconcile themselves to swear that
they have an interest in it to the extent of forty shillings a year,
whereas the gain is produced, not through an interest in the
land, but through their labour.

So that in p-oint of fact, when their interest comes to be
examined by this test, it is not ari interest boon fide of forty
shillings a-year?—Quite the contrary ; I referred in a former
part of my evidence to cases that were before me upon receivers'
accounts in Ireland ; 1 found frequently that a great mass of
tenants who were in arrear in consequence of holding at exor-
bitant rents had sworn to forty-shilling freeholds.
Have you ever considered what amount of qualification for
the exercise of the elective franchise would suit the present
state of Ireland ?—I am speaking entirely with reference to
leaseholders, and speaking with regard to leaseholders, I may,
perhaps, be considered too aristocratical in nay notion, but I
should say the qualification ought to be, to the extent of twenty
pounds a-year.
Do you think, generally speaking, that the forty shilling
freeholders exercise any free choice at elections ?-111y opinion
is that they have none.

How db you think they are controulled ?—I believe they are
contmulled either by an absolute landlord, or by the sort of in-
terference through religious feelings which I have already men-
tioned.

Can you state to the Committee the kind of control that is
exercised over those forty-shilling freeholders, so as to com-
mand their votes ?---I can speak only from hearsay; the.land-
lord, of course, has the power of distress ; the Priest, or other
partisan, may act upon their religious feelings or prejudices.
Do you believe that those measures which you have stated as
likely to be beneficial with respect to the raising the qualifica-
tion voters, ought not to be considered as completely depen-
dent upon being, combined with their complete emancipation ;
that is, do you concive that the, raising the qualifications, and
depriving, of course, the fo;iy-shilling freeholder of his right,
could be effected without occasioning the most serious discon-
tent, unless it were accompanied with the other measure you
have suggested ?—I have already, I think, stated an opinion,
which must be consideted as an answer in the affirmative to
that qUestion ; at the same time, I should wish to understand
what is meant by emancipation, in the question now put. If.,
by emancipation, is meant the universal removal of all disabi-
lities; my opinion does not go to that extent, but it does go to
'the extent of representation in Parliament, and admission to
the Bench. Ido not think, that if representz.tion in, Parlia-
ment were con-Ceded, and the Bench were open, that there
would be much objection to some extent of exclusion from 'pa-
litical office; the other exclusions, from Parliament and the
Bench, are the exclusions particularly felt.
Do you think a cpnsiderahle outcry would be raised in Ire
land if it was prdposed to raise the qualification of forty-shilling
freeholders ?=lf the forty freeholders were :persons of
independent property, exercising through their property a free
choice, I think it would_' produce a very serious outcry ; but I
do not think they are persons of a description likely to have
much feeling up the subject. _ _

From yocii eiperienee are you able to lay whether the feeling
of the great hotly of the lower orders of the people is strong and
keen upon the subject of what is generally called the Catholic
Question ?—I believe it to be so; I'do not. think I ever spoke
to a Roman Catholic, high or low, that did not betray something
like irritation upon the subject.
, _

Can you state what effect the plan of raising the qualification
would have upon the l'rotestant interest of the country ?—I
think the Protestants constitute, to a very considerable extent,
the landed proprietary interest of Ireland ; and therefore, in
proportion as you increase the power of the proprietary interest,
and diminish the power of mere numbers without property, yon
strengthen the Protestant interest.

Do the Committee understand you rightly to say, that the
existence of Roman Catholic disqualification is a common grie-
vance, which enables the Priests to exercise an influence at an
election ?—lt creates a feeling of discontent, of a niligious na-
ture, through which feclrng the priest is enabled powerfully to
act at elections ; he is enabled to say to them, for instance, this
man is against your religion, this man is for your religion ; I am
told he has said so.

You conceive, that by removing the Roman Catholic disqua-
lification you would deprive the priests of the power ?—I do not
think I should entirely ; I should lessen the temptation to the
exercise of it, and I should diminish the power also, by setting
at rest the Catholic Question, and raising the qualification from
40s. to 201 a year, or to such a sum at least as would raise the
class of freeholders entitled to vote, so as to render them, in
some degree, persons of intelligence and property, likely to have
a will of their own-.

Would not the exclusion of all freeholders under 201. a year
exclude a great number of persons who have considerable capital
on their farms ?—I did not think it would.

The Committee understand you, to state, that in cases in
which persons swear to forty-shilling freeholds, they have, in
many instances, little interest, if any, in the lands ; .do not you
conceive, that even in the case of twenv-pound freeholds.,
persons might swear to these freebolds:who had a very in-
ferior interest in the lands than that ?.1 do not think they
Would; I think common decency and shame, and the chylous
means of instant detection, would operate to-prevent it. A man
who-comes tO swear.to twenty pounds must have some property
in his hands.

A..rnan in Ireland, who would have an interest of twenty
pounds, is of a totally different class from the forty shilling
freeViider ? —Yes.
Would it not,.in your apprehension, exclude in towns a con-
siderable. number of persons who are householders, who have
not an interest above the rent they pay for their houses to the
amount of twenty pounds ?—I have already stated that I do not
mean my observation to apply to towns.

Are you pot aware that.a great number of forty shilling free-
holders, who exercise the right of franchise in Ireland, are not
of so respectable a class as voters from towns ?—.I consider the
mass to be mere rabble.

The Right Reverend JAMES DOYLE, D. D. the Roman Catho-
lic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin.
Will you state from what sources the income of a Catholic
Priest is derived ?--The contributions by individuals residing
within his parish at particular stated seasons of the year, twice
in the year.
Is the sum at each period defined and known ?—Not de-
fined ; take, for instance, the head of a family who is a farmer,
suppose, and whose family may consist of six or eight persona,
all of whom are to be attended by the Priest; such farmer pays
an English shiling, which is thirteen pence in Ireland ; some-
times he gives two shillings, and if he be a person in better cir-
cumstances, that is, wealthier and more substantial, he may
give 10s. about Christmas, and 10s. also at Easter; there are
very few give more.

Will you tell the Committee how the Catholic Prelates are
paid ?—We hold one parish, sometimes two ; and we employ
clergymen to perform the ordinary duties in those, we ourselves
labouring to assist them as much as we can. Besides that, we
receive from each clergyman in the diocese, _once a year, a
certain contribution • for instance, I hold two parishes, one in
Carlow, and the other in Tallow, in county Carlow; I keep
three curates employed in each of those parishes, whom I am
obliged to pay, and the little that remains after they are-sup

ported, 1 receive myself; iniaddition to that, at Easter, or about
that time, I receive- from each-of, the parish Priests in the dio-
cese, I think abaut three guineas, and from each of the Curates
about one, and the sum total of my.income derived from those
sources ie generally between 450/... and 500/. a year. At the
same time I may be permitted to state to the' Committee, that
the income of, a Bishop is charged with Veq heavy incurn-
brinces, . considering its quantity .; for I dm .obliged.to contri-
,bute to every charitable institution.; to assist in the erection
and-supportieg of schools ; to. feed a considerable nuniber of
the.poor ; and, in fact, .if it, were not for some help which I
occasionally receive from friends, I could not keep a house or a
servant However,' there are a greater number of poor 1:• ing
about me than about most others, and my income is not so
considerable as that of many other Bishops in the kingdom.
Is the same mode:of paying the Bishops adopted in all parts
of Ireland —I believe it is the same in nearly all, except that
in some .dioceses, particularly in the ~South .of Ireland; the
Bishops receive something like a contribution from the Priest,
out of the fees he receives at marriages; there is no such usage,,
however, in the diocese where I live, or in that of Dublin. or
OssorF.
Is toe amount of fees paid on marriages, in the other dioceses,
as far as you are informed, the'same'as that which you state to
prevail in your own diocese ?-4 think, in most of the dioceses,
it is somewhat similar ; hut, in the dioceses in the South of
Ireland, besides the marriage fees, there is a usage of what they
call " a wedding cake." I. have heard of that, but lam only
acquainted with it by hearsay. The nature of this usage .is,
that
_a cake is distributed in small pieces amongst the people
who assist at the wedding, and each person makes an offering
when he receives the cake. This sometimes amounts to a con-
siderable sum—at other times, it is very trivial ; but we have
no such thing among us, except in a very few parishes.. it is,
chiefly confined to the South of Ireland; but, where It does
prevail, it is a source of very considerable emolument
Have you not heartland understood that in many instances
the amount of these offerings is •very.considerable have
understood that, in many instances, the =mint is very. con-
siderable.

What has been the greatest amount, as far as you have
been informed ?--The greatest amount that I have ever heard
was 401.

•
What is the atnount of fee on a burial ?—lp some inStanhei
there is an office celebrated for_ the repose of the soul of the de-
ceased; this office in my diocese cannot; he celebrated unless at
least six clerg) men attend ; then the parish priest is entitled to
get 11.; and each Of the assistant priests 10s. e icli ; and if the
person be poor, only one priest.attends to perform the service ;
at each service he generally gets 103. and if it be the parish
priest half-a-guinea. and sometimes As.
Is the saying of masses for the repose of the souls-of the dead
a considerable source of income also ?—lt is on account of say::
in mass, and assisting at the funeral, that the priest receives
this contribution which I have mentioned.

Fi oil what fees do.you conceive the parish priest receives the
larger part of -his income; from the fees upon marriage; bap-
tisms and-burials, or from the Christmas and Easter fees?—From
the Christmas and Easter fees much the larger part.
Can you state the average income of.a parish priest in your
diocese?—l could very nearly. I have classed the parishes,and.l
hare caused a return to be made to me of the income of each ;
there were some laige parishes in the diocese, all of which, except
one or two, have become vacant since my appointment, and those
I have divided; there are then at present, I believe, four
parishes where the priest's income is about 4001. -a-year ; there
are, as I recollect (I may be mistaken), fourteen parishes where
the parish priest's income exceeds 2001. by something ' • in all
the other parishes of
.the diocese I think it is less, and may
amount to from lOU to 2001.-

How man; parishes are there ?—Forty-two.
How is the appointment to a Roman Catholic parish ar-
ranged ?—When the incumbent dies, the Bishop has the power
of appointing any priest of the diocese to succeed him. We
have two classes of clergymen—the one are incumbents or pa-
rish priests, and the other the coadjutors, or assistant priests.
When a parish becomes vacant, if it be a place where we wish
a man of experience and information and pious habits of life to
reside, and that we have not a person of this description amongst
the curates, we take him from some other parish, where he s
shown himself to be possessed of those qualities, and we ap-
point him to the vacant living; but if it be a parish where a
person not specially gifted is necessary, we take from amongst
the curates some man who has laboured for several years, and
whose morals have been good, and who has a capacity for
giving instruction' in public, and place hint there. But if a
curate should at any time have been immoral, or not be ca-
pable of preaching, we leave him in the rank Of curate all his

_l' Dr. Doyle elsewhere. states, there is almost in everydiocese
in Ireland a sum fired more by, usage. than by a positive regu-
lation : as td a sum to be paid when a marriage is celebrated, a
pauper pays nothing at all ; a person in little better circum-
stances pays, for instance, 55.; one little more advanced in
circumstances . may pay 10s., vary often I. 31., sometimes a
guinea. ido not know that, in, any dioce*e in Ireland any
'person, of
.wtaisoevcr rank he may be, whether rich or poor,
can be obliged, .by usage, to pay more
.than a guinea ; but it
'often happens that an opulent person being married gives more
-than that.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

RENT ASSIZES.-MAIDSTONE, MARCH 31.

THE KING v. CAPSELL.

This was an information filed -by his Majesty's Attorney-
General against the defendant, for having, on the 21st of Fe-
bruary, 1824, at Kingsdown, offered to one Edward Oldey, a
seaman of his Majesty's ship Ramilies, employed in the Pre-
ventive Service, a bribe to allow certain uncustomed spirits to
be landed-and imported: • The defendant pleaded not guilty. -
Edward Older, Lieut. Turnbull,. and Lteut. Graham,ior the
Ramilies were examined by Mr. Sergeant ONSIOW, assisted
by the usual train of King's and other Counsel, from whom it
appeared that the defendant, after having repeatedly tampered
with Oldey, at length offered him 8/. to suffer 26 tubs of spirits
to be run. It was agreed to appear to accept the offer, which was
done, the tubs were landed, the money paid by the hand of the
defendant to Ohley- (and'noW produced), and then the rest of
the Preventive party came up, the spirits were seized, and the
smugglers, part of them, secured; and part, among whom was
the defendant, escaped. _

Mr. AnoLruus, for the defendant, cross-examined the wit-
ness Oidey with great severity, but he did not swerve from his
story. fle then shortly addressed the Jury, but called no wit-
nesses, and no defence being set up, the defendant was without
4esitation found guilty.

Thomas Foster and William Relfe were indicted for having,
with others, feloniously assembled themselves, armed with
bludgeons, at the parish of Eastchurch, in order to aid in the
illegal running and landing uncustomed gobds in the night of
the 10th February last.

Mr. SerjeantCNstoiv and Mr. Kxox conducted the prose-
cution, which was instituted by the Admiralty; and Mr.
CLARKSON the defence.

After the examination of Lieutenant Hamilton, the officer
commanding the Preventive men the night in question, .who
had been most cruelly beaten by the body of persons of whom
the prisoners formed a party, and whose conduct on-that-occa-
sion was most warmly applauded by the Learned Judge for his
coolness and hmnanity in not using his pistols, which were
loaded,. at the time. _ • _

Mr. 'Cr.AnKSON, on the part of the prisoner, with the Coun-
sel 'of -the Crown, applied to the Learned Judge that his
clients might be permitted to plead guilty (it having been stated
by Lieittenant:Hamiltori that they-had trimiespect joined in
the assautl), and that judgment might be- respited to enable
the Crown to avail itself of the testimony the prisohers were
willing to give tir further the conviction of the men (when ap-
prehended) who actually used so much violence.
This was assented to on the part of the Learned Judge, and
the confession was, with the judgment, recorded, the Learned
Judge declaring that n. proper representation of the case should
be made in the highest quarter:

BRJDCEWATE►t.-A few days ago a complaint
was made by a gentleman of this neighbourhood againsta shoe-
maker's apprentice foritealing his cat. The informer stated that
the journeymen and apprentices of this town have lately made
dreadful havoc amongst his Majesty's feline subjects, in order
to provide themselves with fur caps and waistcoats, to
supply which some scores of cats have lately come to an un-
timely end. His- cat, it seems, was a most excellent mouser,
and since her decease he has not been able to keep a bit of
cheese in his pantry. It is a pity but these lawless destroyers
of cats had a cat-o'nine tails well laid upon their backs, or a
cataplasm clapped upon their feet to prevent the recurrence of
such a melancholy catastrophe in future.

Saturday, about Ralf-past one o'clock, an ap-
palling accident took place at a power loom factory, Bishop-
street, Anderston, near Glasgow. A draw-boy, thirteen years
of age, was looking into a window, when one of the coupling
boxes' of the main lying shaft caught hold of his left sleeve,
and drew him on the shaft, where his body was carried round
till it was intercepted by the wall, and there being only a space
of about two inches for his body to pass through, his limbs
were immediately separated, and the trunk was forced through,
mangled in the most dreadful manner ever witnessed. The
engine was of course stopped on the first alarm, but it was too
late, as the first turn of the shaft cut his body in two.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Jovis,' 31° the .41 arti i, 1825.

Nn. SPEAKER reported the Royal Assent—tti Consolidated
Fund Bill, Wine Duties Bill, Weights and Measures Bill,
• Caletlonian-.Canal Creditors (Scotland) Bill, Judicial
,Inquiry (Ireland) Bill, Calder and Hebble Navigation Bill,
' Bolton and West Leigh Railway Bill ; Stourbridge and Mar-
gate Improvement Bills ; Stockport Gas Light Bill ; Wigan,
CaisnScross; Grantham and Trent Bridge, Gravesend and
\lrrotham, Leominster and Hope, Stockport, and Wooler
Rolads Bills ; Stock and Bradley (Worcester), Weston (Nor-
folk), and Pewsey (Wilts) Inclosures Bills; and Baring's
and Grime's Divorce Bills.

ROAns—Princes Risborough—Bill read a third time, and
, passed. Birmingham and Pershore—Petition of Mortgagees
of Tolls of the Birmingham and Bromsgrove Roads, against
__—referred to the Committee on the Bill, Counscl ordered.

NAVlGATtox—Weaver—Bill reported, to be ingrossed.
INLyr URALlZATlON—Benyon's—Bill read a third time, and
passed.
STAMP DUTlES—Petition from Carlisle, for a reductiOn of
the Duties on Receipts—to lie on the table.
114NKEEPEES 1
NEW STREET

Els real

a second time.

Sis4.CEY FoREST
LP DI P