The Sun.
London, England, 1836-07-25 00:00:00

Total, just
I said 5001., or thereabouts, fm• the parish ; I should
have said for the benefice ; and on account of this most im-
material mistake he is pleased—he who attempted to do
me an injury, and who admits he never did me any service—
he is, I say, pleased to use the foulest language his very un-
polished vocabulary could afford.
Really this is too bad, that this man should rob me by
law, and abuse me by letter ; and all for what ? Simply
because I understated my own case ; for, mark this, I com-
plained that I, a Catholic, was called upon and harassed by
law for one-tenth of the tithes of his parish. What is the
reply of this meek preacher of the world ? He says, it is
false, for he requires me to pay one fifth ; that is, a doubly
higher proportion than I had complained of.
The second error which he detects is this :—I said his
usual residence was at " Bath or Cheltenham." The very
phrase showed that I did not know with certainty where he
resided ; but this I know, that he never resided on his bene-
fice in Kerry.
What is his courteous reply ? Why he says it is false, I
do not reside in England, I reside upon another benefice in
another county.
The other benefice is seventy or eighty miles from my
house—l had never heard of it—but mark, I pray, this
consequence.
I had accused him of being a non-resident incumbent

taking the emoluments and never residing or thinking of re-
, siding in my parish. What is his defence ? Does he deny
that he is a non-resident or absentee rector? No such thing.
He actually boasts of it.
My accusation was, that he was an absentee from his pa-
rish. His defence is, that he is not only an absentee, but,
moreover, a pluralist—a bloated pluralist—as I shall pre-
sently show.
Why, I now appeal to every man of common sense whether
the grievances I have stated are not enormously increased
by the allegations of his uncivil letter ? By the one, he
doubles my proportion of the tithes he demands, without
giving, or pretending to give me, any kind of value, spiritual
or temporal. By the second, be aggravates his offence as an
absentee rector, by showing that he moreover participates
and rejoices in the grossest abuse known in any Church—
namely, that be is a pluralist.
" Oh, shame, where is thy blush ?"

But I have not as yet done with him. His coarse in-
civility has stimulated me to inquire more about him, and
that inquiry enables me to portray him as a living instance
of all the enormous corruptions and profligacy of the law-
established Church in Ireland.
This is another example of the extent of the abuses of
the Established Church in Ireland. This is another fact to
establish in the mind of every reflecting man the injustice
of the Established Church in Ireland. Mark, I pray you,
the history of this other " cure of souls" of which this
polite pluralist boasts. Read another specimen of that
system which shakes the security of the State to the centre,
and deluges the green fields of Ireland with blood.
My rector and persecutor in word and law—the Rev. '
Mounteford Longford--is, as appears by Parliamentary
papers, incumbent of the parish of Desertserges, in the
county of Cork, distant at least sixty miles from his benefice
of Kilcrohane, in the county of Kerry.
He has been incumbent of Desertserges for now close
upon forty years. What have been his apostolic labours,
and what have been his unapostolic rewards during that
period ? Reader, you shall hear ; and it is indeed a tale
worth the telling, and worth being listened to.
Desertserges, then, is a parish containing no less than
6,520 inhabitants. But of these 6,098 are Catholics. The
Protestants are only 432.
Thus his flock, supposing all the Protestants to belong to
it, consists of no less than one-fifteenth of the entire popu-
lation of the parish !! ! But there is another fact or two
interesting ;—the first is, that—
In 1831, there were 474 Protestants in his parish ; in
1834, the census of which year is the latest, these Protes-
tants diminished to 432. That is, under his apostolic care,
in three years, his pastoral labours reduced his flock ten
per cent. It is plain, that if he lives much longer he will
be at a loss for a Protestant—as so many of his order are—

to act as parish clerk. Indeed, judging of iiimWhis
letter, one is not surprised that well-disposed Protestants
should shun all association with him.

The second fact is another proof of the worth of his
labours and of the repugnance to associate with him. It
is this :—The average attendance at his church is but 80 ;
that is, out of the 432 Protestants, only 80 go to the church,
leaving 352 who pray for themselves, or have some dis-
senting clergyman to pray for them.
It should be remarked, that all these details are taken
from Parliamentary documents.
Another of these documents shows what little attention
he pays to the education of his parishioners. It appears
that there are four schools in the parish of Desertserges—
two Catholic and two Protestant ; one of the latter being a
Sunday school only. To the support of the Catholic
schools it would be too ranch to expect him to subscribe ;
but, it will be said, he surely contributes to that of the Pro-
testant schools. Not he, indeed, if we are to believe the
parliam-entary return—and there can be no reason to doubt
it. By that return it appears, under head " Parochial
School," this return " kept by Ralph Peyton." Under the
head "Sources of Support," the return is " Annual sub-
scriptions from Captain Poole, of 141." There it is—not
one penny from the Rev. Mr. Longfield.
We next come to the other Protestant school ; under
head " Sunday School." The return is " kept by Ralph
Peyton?' Under head " Sources cf support,' the return
is, " Expenses defrayed ENTIRELY by Captain Poole."
Thus, neither on week-day school nor on Sunday school
does this meek parson bestow one shilling. The duty of
instruction is deserted by the clergyman, and left to the
soldier. There is a parson to boast that he is a resident—
not an absentee ! But how much is the parish, I want to
know, the better of his residence ?

NoW that we have seen what his pastoral labours are—a
decreasing flock, a small number of hearers, a total neglect
of education—let us see what his un-apostolic remuneration
is for his eighty church-attending Protestants.
Englishmen, it is this :—ln tithe composition 7301. per
annum ; in glebe, 1 lBf acres of prime land, with a house,
garden, and curtilage. It is indeed a low estimate to rate
these at 230/. a year, making together 9601. per annum.
Nine hundred and sixty pounds per annum for praying
for 80 persons each Sunday ; whilst the 6,098 Catholics are
obliged to pay these tithes, and support their own clergy !
See now, in point of common sense and ordinary umrri-
tated feeling, this injustice is aggravated by the fact which
all these Catholics know, that this glebe was set out, and
these tithes assigned, fbr Catholic worship and Catholic
purposes of charity.—But let that pass.
Then there ate 80 church-attending Protestants, for
whom this parson receives 9601. a year—that is, the spiri-
tuals of these Protestants cost exactly 12/. a head by tl.e
year. Verily, they are very dear Protestants!
But the Rev. Mr. Longfield has been about 40 years in-
cumbent of Desertserges—he consequently has received,
in the aggregate, for his 80 hearers no less than the enor-
mous CHO of 38,400/. Yes—THIRTY-EIGHT THOUSAND
FOUR HUNDRED pounds sterling pouched by one parson
having only EIGHTY hearers!! All this money received
by a man who does no good, and is exceedingly uncivil into
the bargain,

Oh ! how I thank him for having written his incautious
letter. It has enabled me to bring before the British
people another specimen, and in the person of the same
individual, of the indescribable enormity of the Irish Law
Church.

And now, in sober sadness, I ask, is there such an op-
pression under the sun ? Is there, from the Tartar wall
in China the banks of the Oronoko, and back again, such
an injustice as this?-38,4001. received by one man from
one class of religionists to whom he does no good, for
praying far 80 of another class of religionists who seem to
have no great rlisb for his prayers. Could it be possible
that such an iniquity should exist save only in Ireland ?
yet there is more. The parliamentary returns prove
to me that there is more. I know so little about my rec-
tor thought he bad the union of Kilcrohano only
iibol that I
or
twelve
ttenl,oo.rs, I
now
find
he has had that
bandeo
sino 180p7 just twenty-seven years,
Mark, then, Nader? these tbiegs, lie was in-
cumbent of Desertserges tor reoie tintn Pleven years. lie
had for these eleven years 9601. wl.en behold, in
the pa/4.j ep9, another benefice, sixty miles off is bestowed
on him, worth on An AYerage 4001. alear.

testants, in utter disregard of the just claims of the mul-
titude of Catholics.

In what then has he weakened my statement, or what
could have induced him to resort to the language of Bil-
lingsgate against me ? Why, forsooth, he has detected
two errors, which he 'politely calls falsehoods.
Now mark, I pray -you, what these errors consist of, and
weigh well whether I am not right in saying that his
species of contradiction, instead of weakening, does ac-
tually strengthen the case of injustice which I submitted to
the British people.
First, he says, that instead qf the tithe composition in my
parish being .500/. per annum, it is only 258/.
Observe now, I beseech you, that I did not represent
the 5004 per annum as the precise amount of the tithe
composition of the parish. I added, or thereabouts, show-
ing that I was speaking in round numbers. He civilly tells
me it isfitlse ; the composition of, your parish is only 258/.
Mark his equivocation ; I said there were two Catholic
parishes in his benefice. Having the weight of a vexatious
injustice upon my mind,. I was not attending to minute de-
tails, which do not change the real nature or essence of the
charge. There are, in fact, two Protestant and three Ca-
tholic parishes in his benefice. The Protestant parishes
arc culled Kilcrohane and Templenoe. He has them both
in one benefice. The tithe composition of these two pa-
rishes appears in the Parliamentary returns thus—
Kilcrohane
Templenoe 244 12 2

Is not a system of this kind enough to drive the Irish
people mad ? I ask you, Englishmen, to make the ease
your own, and tell me, would you bear it ? I tell you
honestly I should despise you if you did—and I respect 3 ou
because you would perish to the last man before you er..
dured it.

As to the Scotch, they cut the gordian knot with their
broad swords ; and I honour the Scotch.

Why then, Britons, will you insist that the Irish should
suffer these cruel iniquities ? Why will you listen to the
peculating Tories, who tell you that all this oppression and
injustice is religion and piety ? Can robbery be religion ?
and the plunder of the many for the sage of the few bo
piety ?

One word more, and I have done, as we say in the
House. This Rev. Mr. Longticld boasts that lie has built
a Aurch and a glebe-house in Kilcrohane parish, there
having been none before his time. Poor man ! in Catholic
times there were three churches in the parish, also a mo-
nastery, and at least two cells or chapels of ease. I indeed
admit that they were devastated and ruined, as a specimen
of reformation before his time.

Observe that, although he boasts of the building of the
church and glebe-house, he does not venture to say that
they cost him one single shilling : neither did they—not one
shilling, notwithstanding his boasting.
Who paid for them ? I will tell you. Partly the poor
Catholics of the pari'sh—l beg pardon, of the benefice, and
partly you Englishmen— es, you. For I find in the par-
liamentary papers, that for the building of the church and
house the Rev. Mr. Longfield received as a free gift no less
than 750/. from the late Board of First Fruits.
Now, let this be attended to : That Board received from
Parliament grants amounting to near ONE MILLION ster-
ling. This money was taken out of the pockets of the Bri-
tish people, and given by the Tory rulers of the day to
build churches and glebe-houses for the most richly endowed
church in the world, with the fewest votaries, and sur-
rounded by the poorest people on the face of the globe—
that people differing in religion.
What a pity it is, that the atrocious robberies of the To-
ries are not deliberately dwelt upon, and maturely weighed
by the British nation ! If men would but reflect on "the
crimes cf the Tories," they would feel so much of indig-
nation at the monstrous profligacy of that tyrannic, as well
as slavish party, as to drive its supporters from every ap-
proach to authority or power,

This is indeed a robbery of the first magnitude. The
grants were precisely of the follo►ving sums :
For building churches in Ireland .£595,377
For building glebes-houses

Total of these two 932,258

See how expensive the vain attempt to Protestantize Ire-
land has been to the people of Great Britain. Yet these
grants are but a small part of the expense to the British
people of the Protestant Establishment in Ireland since the
Union. The next item to be added is that
For Protestant charity-schools.. X1,105,839
For Church Society, to " discountenance vice" 101,991
For Kildare-place Society
The above
932.258

Total

£2,310,626

Besides the extra expense of a military establishment
horse, foot, and artillery—amounting to more than a mil•
lion per annum.

Thus, men of England--steady, rational, thinking men of
England—you have paid, since the Union, for the poor
pleasure of making the people of Ireland endure a Church
Establishment which does them no good, and is injurious to
your strength, your wealth, and your power—
First, the above
•• £2,310,626
Secondly, extra military expenses, 36 years, at
one million per annum ... 36,000,000

Total
£38,310 626

how long is this system to last ? Take it in its aggre-
gate, and was there ever folly and absurdity on so gigantic
a scale? and yet all this folly is exceeded by the oppres-
sion, the irritation, the cruel iniquity of its inflictions on the
unhappy people of Ireland.
_ _

Viewed
in.its masses, the Church Establishment, in, but
not of; Ireland, is thus tremendous and terrific.
View it in its details,-and five hundred such cases as that
of the Rev. Mr. Longfield stare you in the face. His case
is one of a family. There are multitudes of the same litter.
The abstract runs thus :

The Rev. Mr. Longfield has held the parish of Desert-
serges, in the county of Cork, for forty years, and has re-
ceived for eighty church-going Protestants the sum of
38,4001. !!! whilst there are 6,000 Catholics in the parish,
paying all, and receiving nothing.
The same man, twenty-seven years ago, obtains, by the
same gross injustice of favouritism, another benefice in the
county of Kerry, worth, on an average, for tithes and
glebes, 4001. per annum ; thus making the receipts of one
single useless Protestant clergyman already amount to near
60,000/.

But mark, and learn what his own estimate is of the sum
necessary for the spiritual wants of the Protestants of the
parish of Kilcrohane, in which I reside.
In that parish he has employed a curate for the last
twenty-two years, the Rev. Mr. Mathews. Being himself
an absentee, the entire duty—whatever that be—has been
done by this Mr. Mathews. At what salary or stipend ?
You can find it in the Parliamentary Return—it is precisely
691. 4s. 73-d. per annum.
The sum seems fantastic, but is accounted for thus : an
Irish Act of Parliament directed that the stipend, or salary.
of any curate should not be less than 7.5/. per annum. That
Act, however, was passed before the change in the currency,
I mean that from Irish money into English. Now 751. in
the Irish money, as it then stood, is exactly 69/. 4s. 74d, in
English money. Accordingly the Rev. Mr. Longfield does
not add even the half-penny, but keeps his unfortunate
curate upon the minimum, 69/. 4s. 7id. a year. He there-
fore must conceive that sum sufficient to have the religious
duties of the Protestants of the Parish performed.
Attend, then, to these facts ; see whether it be endurable'
that these matters should rest as they are, and do consider
whether my proposal is not perfectly just and reasonable.
What I propose, then, is just this : I propose that the
Rev. Mr. Longfield should be disconnected with Illy hone=
fice of Kilcrohane altogether. I would make the Rev, Mr.
Mathews' salary 751. a year in English money— I would
then double it ; lie should have 150/. per annum. See what
a beneficial arrangement this would be which I would make
for this Protestant clergyman.
There would remain 250/. a year in tithes and glebe out
of the benefice of Kilcrohane.

Then, as to Desertserges, let the Rev. Mr. Longfield
have 260/. a year for his life. This would be infinitely more
in proportion than he himself paid his two-and-twenty years'
curate. Let him have 260/.

This would disengage in Desertserges, in tithes and
glebes, 700/. per annum ; add these to the 250/. remaining
in Kilcrohane benefice, and you will have 950/. to be appro-
priated to such purposes as Parliament may direct.
Would you tranquillize Ireland follow up this plan ; give
the glebes to the value of 300/. per annum to the pastors of
the great and overwhelming majority of the people of these
parishes. Take the remaining 6501., abate 300/. a year to
render the actual burden of the tithes bearable, and you will
still have 340/. a year, to be applied to public purposes of
education and charity.

I have done. I have exposed the Church system in
Ireland, wholesale and in detail. I have shown it in every
point of view unjust, oppressive, cruelly irritative to the
people of Ireland, cruelly burdensome to the people of Great
Britain.

do, therefore, firmly call for " Justice for Ireland."
I have the honour to be, your ever faithful servant,

DANIEL O'CONNELL.

THE GREAT KINGSTON CAVERN.—Roger Gor-
man, the guide of the great Kingston cavern, has, by his inde-
fatigable exertions. discovered within the last month another
chamber in this phenomenon of natural curiosities, which is
equal in length and breadth to many of those previously ex-
plored. The stalactites of this apartment form many extraor-
dinary curiosities. Gorman has deferred giving any appella•
tion to the new chamber until the next visit made to the cave
by some person of distinction, after whom it is his intention to
name it. The apartment discovered before the one in ques-
tion was called " O'Callaghan's Cave," being visited at the
time by the Hon. Cornelius O'Callaghan, eldest son of Lord
Lis more. Clonmel Advertiser.

The Woolcombers of this town have just obtaitted
an advance of a farthing per pound upon all sorts of wool,
making an increase in their wages of about 2s. per week.
The woolcombers, in a communication which they have sent
us, say they feel highly gratified, that the advance has beiT
given withwit !my !itpugg!ti n!! 144' P 44, 40 in the absence
,if all ill-feeling 4ctweeti Matters and men.—Leicester Paper.
A SctENT;F;c TAILOR.-_A tailor lately replied
to a gentleman who complained that hi;:i coat fitted bqdly, ",I
beg pardon, Sir, Nit the 'eta at niust nit,for the incw.nre's right,
and we alwayscuts out on ejornetry principle,"

Why did he get the second benefice ? How had he
deserved it ? In no one way whatever. He had neither
said, nor done, nor written, nor practised any one thing to
have himself turned into a pluralist, and to have a second
and still more unbefitting benefice bestowed on him.
But he was the near relation of a lord—and his con-

nections were of wealth, station, and influence—and there-
tore benefices are heaped upon him, and, in addition to
960/. a year in the county of Cork, for which he gives little
value, he is gifted with 400/. a year in the county of Kerry,
for which he gives no value at all.
Thus this one clergyman, without any number that de-
serve the name of parishioners, has received out of one
parish 38,400/.,—and out of another benefice, which he
admits he had scarcely ever visited even for a day, 10,8004
—total 49,200/.!!!