The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-31 00:00:00

CHARITABLE BEQUESTS ACT.

The opposition to this Act has been revived, and now
appears to be carried on with more energy than before,
in consequence of the statements that have been put
forth in the newspapers respecting negotiations of the
British Government at Rome, on the subject of the ap-
pointment of Roman Catholic Bishops in Ireland.
The night Rev. Dr. COEN, Roman Catholic Bishop of
Clonfert, attended a very crowded meeting in Loughrt a
on Monday, and spoke in the most decided manner.

against the Charitable Bequests Act. Dr. Coen, on
taking the chair, said—" The friends and advocates of
this obnoxious measure attempt to produce arguments
in its favour, as if, by gilding the pill, they fancy
themselves able to make its bitterness and nauseous-
ness somewhat palatable to the the patients. Some
of them say that it is a boon, that it is a distinct
proof of the friendly disposition of the Premier towards
the Irish people. A boon, ineeed! oh, what hypocrisy
to call that a boon which, if its provisions are carried
out, can only be considered like that which the Greeks
bestowed upon their enemies, the Trojans of old, when
they wished to introduce within the walls of Troy,
the wooden horse filled with incendiaries, who were
ordered to creep out in the dark and set the city on fire.
—(Cheers.) That is what we may consider this mis-
called boon, which the Premier intends to offer to the
Catholic inhabitants of Ireland as a new year's gift.—
(Hear, hear.) A boon, forsooth ! Oh, no ! we cannot
look upon it in that light. Can we so regard such a
measure, which insults the hierarchy and clergy of Ire-
land, and strips them of their vested rights and privileges
in their respective dioceses? Is that a boon which sows
the seeds of distraction, distrust, and division between
the priests and their flocks?—(Cheers.) Is it, in fine, a
boon which proscribes and wished for the extermination
of the regular clergy of Ireland—a learned, pious class
of men, who are our aealous co-operators in the vineyard
of the Lord ?—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) But it is said
that we ought to be satisfied with this Charities Bequests
Art, because, as they allege, it is better than the old
penal enactment. I say emphatically no—on the
contrary, it is more dangerous in its consequences, more
injurious to religion, than all the Acts passed in the
angry days of persecution. And why ? Because the
times are now changed—direct persecution for religious
opinions has ceased ; the enlightened Protestants never
looked back with pleasure to the penal code—they wish
its remembrance to be buried in oblivion.—(Hear.) But
not so this new penal enactment ; it is not intended by
its framers to be a dead letter on the statute book.—
(Hear, and cheers.) And in order to give it the appear-
ance of liberality, what have they done ? They have
exerted every nerve to enlist as members of the commis-
sion a few of the prelates—persons of most exemplary
conduct among the hierarchy of Ireland.—(Hear.) But
at the same time that they have succeeded in entrapping
a few, as if to conceal the venom of the pill by gilding
it, they also take care to-have the majority on the board
members of the Protestant communion, who, if they be
true and faithful to their faith—that faith which they
publicly avow and proclaim—cannot conscientiously de-
cide in favour of grants for Catholic purposes.—(Hear.)
Caa it be expectee that they, the majority, would decide
in favour of that religion which they have been taught
from their childhood to condemn, and which they have
sworn to be damnable and idolatrous ?"—(No, no.)
The Cork Examiner contains a long report of a meet-
ing of the Boman Catholic citizens, held on Friday, to
protest against the Charitable Bequests Act. The
Mayor presided. Mr. D. Callaghan, M.P., was amongst
the speakers.
The provincial papers received to-day contain various
other accounts of meetings to protest against the Act,
which is denounced in terms the most unqualified.