The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-16 00:00:00

TIIE GREAT MEETING 1N DUBLIN.

The demonstration against the Irish Church Bill, which
took place on Monday night at the Dublin Exhibition
Palace, was decidedly the largest Protestant meeting ever
held in the city of Dublin. One of its most prominent
promoters, the Hon. David Plunkett, estimated the
number present at 35,000. If we deduct 10,000 from
that number we shall probably be near the mark. The
committee of the Protestant Defence Association, under
whose auspices the meeting was held, say that up to the
morning of the day when the meeting was to be held
20,000 tickets had been issued, and a few thousands more
were distributed during the day. All classes of Protes-
tants, the upper, the middle, and the humbler ranks of
society, were represented on this occasion. There was a
large muster of the clergy, and amongst the audience were
lawyers, doctors, merchants, and traders of a highly
respectable position in the city. As the intention to hold
the meeting did not origirate until Friday last, the
demonstration was a very successful one in point of
numbers. The main audience was assembled in the
great concert•room, which was densely crowded. Here
Sir Edward Grogan, Bart., presided, and, in a brief
speech, urged the Protestants to stand firm in the cause
of their Church, and to support the House of Lords in
their rejection of Mr. Gladstone's unjust and iniquitous
bill.—The chairman was followed by Mr. Falkiner, Q.C.,
who moved the following resolution :—" That this meet-
ing sees in the proposed Irish Church Bill an abandon-
ment of the principles upon which our Constitution is
founded, and hereby solemnly protests against it as
irreligious and revolutionary." The learned gentleman
called on the House of Lords to do their duty in
rejecting the bill, assuring their lordships that, although
they were but five hundred, there were thousands behind
them 'to cheer them on their noble way. Mr. Falkiner
referred to the immense meetings in Manchester as proofs
of the reaction in England in favour of the Irish Church,
and in justification of the course about to be taken by the
Conservative peers.—The Rev. Dr. Griffin seconded the
resolution. Here are a few sentences from his speech.
He believed that the time had come when the peers of
England would again prove themselves the saviours of the
liberties of the nation. They had reason to believe that a
reaction had set in that would hurl Mr. Gladstone from
power, and would prove him to be a convicted traitor—a
traitor to his former and better self, a traitor to his
country, a traitor to his Queen, a traitor to his Church,
and a traitor to his God. The question was not whether
the Church should be plundered, but whether the glorious
Constitution of England should remain ; whether that
noble Constitution that was established in 1688, and
which had stood quiet and unmoved while the tide
of revolution rocked the thrones of Europe to
their centres, should fall and perish. Let Eng-
lard be assured that if that measure passed it would
be only the first swell of a tide that would never cease to
roll until it had undermined the throne of Great Britain.
Their faith was dearer to them than their lives ; that
though the spirit of Protestantism might slumber for a
season it was not dead—the spirit that snapped the boom
at the Foyle, as if it were a rotten twig—the spirit that
closed the gates of Derry—and the spirit that chased the
craven champions of James, and drove them like flocks of
timid sheep into the Boyne—they would tell their Roman
Catholic countrymen that they would not permit them-
selves to be deprived of their dearly-bought liberties,
and that if one or other was to go to the wall it would not
be the Protestants.—The Rev. Mr. Foley, who had just
returned from two months' labour in England, gave a
glowing description of the great Manchester demonstra-
tion. They Were going to stand by their liberties, he
said, and he would like to see the man who would dare
to put a pickaxe into the churches that they had
built with their own money. The Queen, God
bless her, took a solemn oath at her coronation,
and the only parties who could absolve her from it as
regards this matter were the people of Ireland, on %los(
behalf it was taken. But were they consenting parties to
her breaking this engagement ? Was God a consenting
party to her violating that oath ? Could any man absolve
the Queen from that solemn oath ? They protested
against the insult that was offered to the Queen, to the
religion of the nation, by this conspiracy against Protes•
tantisrn, by this agent of Rowe, who had absolution i
his pocket.
Another meeting was held in the transept of the build-
ing. This was presided over by Sir Richard Owen. an

attorney, who mrorraed his hearers that they had Met
that'errning to protett against an attempt by anAct of
Parliament brought forward by an apostate Minister to
rob them of their liberties, their religion, and their pro-
perties. The resolutions adopted -A the first meeting
were proposed and carried at this.--The principal speaker
was Archdeacon Gould, who protested against therdl,
and expressed his belief that it would unfold a new
roll of misery for this unhappy couutry.—Mr. Joshua
ff. Nunn, an attorney, declared that if there Avers a
true spirit of loyalty in the empire, the Minister who
had dared to introduce such a measure as Mr. Gladstone
had done would be impeached. If the Revolution of 168 S
.vas justifiable, the same means by which that revolution
was achieved would be lawful to be resorted to in main-
taining it. The time bad arrived to tell the House of
Commons, the House of Lords, and their beloved monarch,
that the bill Would not be submitted to by the Irish
people. Mr. Nunn's sentiments were enthusiastically
applatided.---Mr. Walter Boyd, Mr. Frazer, Mr.
r Alech an (three barristers), and several others, addressed
the meeting, which broke up about a quarter to eleven
o'clock. The proceedings were very orderly.

MEETING OF CONVOCA 7 lON FOR THE
PROJUNCE OF CA NTERBUR

Loth Houses of Convocation assembled on Tuesday
for the despatch of business.

TAR UPPER ROUSE.
The Archbishop of Canterbury presided, and several
bishops were present.

THE ATHANAEIAN CREED.

The Eishop of ELY presented two petitions from a large
number of clergy and laity in his diocese, one complaining
that the parochial clergy were not sufficiently represented
in Convocation, and one praying that some measures
might be taken for altering the condemnatory portions, of
the Athanasian Creed. He said he should like to say
a few words on the matter, as he had been asked to speak
specially on thissubject. A nything that could tend to recon-
cile Nonconformists to the Church would be a blessed good.
With regard to the Athanasian Creed, a charge had been
made that there were some• exaggerations which would
not have been the case had the Creed been drawn
up by a general council instead of a single
individual. At the same time be did not
forget that the Creed had been accepted by the universal
Church for ten centuries, and anything that might bed..ine
to soften it down and explain the extreme rigour of some
of the expressions would be acceptable, without at all
attempting to remove it from the Prayer-book.
The Bishop of LLANDAIT suggested that if the word
"may " were substituted for " will" in the opening sen-
tences it would be sufficient.

The Bishop of GLOUCESTER AND BRISTOL objected to
any alteration, and was afraid that the views of the
Bishops of Ely and Llandaff would create some dismay in
the Church.

The Bishop of BAXGOR said he knew that amongst the
intelligent laity there was a great objection to the con-
demnatory clauses of the Creed.
The Bishop of Ib:REFOLD thought the true solution of
the difficulty would be in the clergy explaining the Creed
from time to time to their congregations.
The Bishop of Liscor,N said that in the American
Church a discretionary power was given to the clergy.
The Archbishop of CAN.Trrtrintv trusted that nothing
which might be said would be considered to cast any
reflection on the A merican Church. At present there
was a good deal of truth about " union." Ile did not
thiuk that union with the Church of Thmie was likely, but
any alteration might -stand in the way with the Eit4i rn
Church, on the one Land, and the Amerlcau Church on the
other.

The petitFon was ordered to lie on the table.
TIIIC LISTIOPRIC OF I)UNEDIN.

The Bishop of LICIIFIELD announced that there had
been some objections raised to the appointment of Dr.
Jenner as Bishop of Dunedin. On an election, the clergy
voted pretty equally, but by the votes of the laity Dr.
Jenner was rejected. He was not, therefore, the Bishop
of Dunedin. Thi re was practically no endowment of the
bishopric.

REFORM OF CONVOCATION.

Several petitions on this subject were presented.

The Bishop of GLoucEsTEr. aud. BRISTOL moved that
the Archbishop of Canterbury should be requested to
communicate with her Majesty's Government on the sub-
ject.

The motion having been agreed to, the Ail nunsHor
said he would do so.
Their lordships adjourned, after a very brief sitting.

PARLIAMENTARY AND MUNICIPAL
ELECTIONS BILL.

The select committee on this bill re-assembled on Tues-
day in Conmittee Room No. 18, the Marquis of Ilartington
in the chair.

Tie first witness examined was the Rev. Mr. Al‘Det Tarot, a
Lonlain CALoIIc / Hest, of Sligo, vi ho 'poke generally as to
the mode of conducting elections in that county. ll's gene-
ral Mil ression was that elictots were coerced by their
landlords, both Liberal and Conservative, to vote
against their pet sonal feeling and principles. He had
known instances where sham riots were got up in order that
the voters might be carried off and kept secure until the
pulling day. Then they were taken to the hustings under
a strong protection of the military and constabulary. At
the last election for Sligo, which took place on the 30th No-
vember, the magistracy began to write for military escorts on
the 18th, which was more than ten days before the polling.
The escorts were sent out generally by sub-agen s, and
rarely if ever upon the sworn information of any of the
voters themselves. The effect of sending out the soldiery
and the police VCRS that the people believed that they
could not resist successfully against the combined forces
of the Government. He knew that in some cases a
voter was taken away and prevented going to
chapel cu Sunday, which he considered a great crime, and
as an atonement he gave his vote for the Conservative, other-
wise he should have voted for the Liberal. The priest ad-
dressed the eh ctors in the chapels before an election. Ho had
done so, but be invariably told them to vote according totheir
convictions. There was no undue influence on the part of the
priesthood in Sligo. They, as a rule, did not want to inter-
fere with parliamentary elections, but they were forced into by
popular pressure at the time. He believed there was no
actual freo voting in Ireland, and theta never would until
they had the ballot; but that would be of no use without
strict secrecy was observed. The power of the priesthood
would not be increased by such a means. He did not be-
lieve that the information bow the elector voted would be
ascertained in the confessional. Voting papers he thought
would increase the power of the landlord. At a parliamentary
election he always took a great interest ; he was not always
at polling booths, but in the streets. At the last election he
was anxious that a Liberal candidate should be returned
it was, in his opinion, a case of peace or rebellion, and it was
acting on those views that he took an active part in the pro-
ceeding. The Government officials, ho believed, intended to
intimidate the electors at the last election by a military display.
As a rule he felt sure if the ballot was brought into opera-
tion the priesthood of Ireland would not become acquainted
with the political opinions of the voters at large. There
was, however, generally a Sunday intervening between the
nomination and polling days in Irish elections, but poli-
tical meetings were not, as a rule, held in the churchyards
after service on that day.

Col. Torrens, M.P. for Cambridge, said he had been a
nominee member of the Australian Legislature, previous to
1856, when the new Constitution was introduced, and, after
that having lost his office he became a candidate for South
Adelaide and was elected by ballot. Ile did not exactly
know what was the qualification before the ballot was in-
troduced, but it was not a high figure. It was notorious
that large numbers of the electors were open to tribery,
and as a necessary consequence an election was an ex-
pensive matter. They were generally conducted in that
country as in England ; there was rioting and broken
heads, but the ballot had entirely changed the aspect
of matters, and now elections are carried on with the
greatest order and very small expense. The witness then
proceeded to detail the mode of conducting an elec-
tion in Australia, and said that a cross was
placed against the name cf the candidate on a
ssrd which was given him. A voter who could not read
could not vote, because it would be contrary to the law for
adm to ask another person to put the cross on the card for
tim, and he could not publicly declare his vote.

THE MURDER NEAR CHEPSTOW.—CONFESSION
or THE PRISONER.--William Lane has been committed
for trial by the Chepstow magistrates for the murder of
William Nicholls, near Chepstow, on the evening of the
6th inst. In reply to the charge he said I did it for
counsel to others. An angel from heaven appeared to me
and told me I was bound to do it." The following is a copy
of his confession :—"lt wasin the Bible for me to go to the
!souse, order the servant girl out, to take possession of
the house and gate, write on the house amY
gate, possession taken,' to fasten with a withy,
which I was to find on a hurdle - stand a little way
off, and shoot the first man who came to the gate
where my sister lived. I have known Nicholls for thief
years ; the other man used to live with the Crocket^3, at
Wentwood. I was to have three charges ; shoot brae man
twice, the other once, which was to finish my powder and
shot. I was to kill the first man, but not the second ;he
was only to be wounded. The people are getting very bad
about the world, and I was to do it for a warning to
others. Mr. Waddington, of Usk, caused it all, by taking
four seven-year-old oxen from the farm. Mr. Foye and
Mr. Cooper have cheated me out of £47, and made me
pay twice." Mr. Foye and Mr. Cooper, it may be said,
tome time ago prosecuted the prisoner for embezzling that
amount from Chepstow Union, the prisoner being at one
time overseer for one of the districts in the union,

IMPERIAL 2ARLI A Y, B IT r

HOUSE OF COMMONS—THIS DAY.
The Srr.AxER took the chair at twelve o'clock.
MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY BILL.

Mr. Plli prvsent-,1 a petition from the inhabit tnts of
Dublin iu favour of the Ml.rcied Won Property
MORKING SIT 'FING ON FRIDAY.

Mr. B. BENTINOK gave notion that ho would to-mor-
row ask whether it was the iutentien of the Government
to a morning sitting on Friday, and if so, whether
they would undettake to keep a house then ?