The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-17 00:00:00

POPERY.

TO THE PRINTERS OF THE HAMPSHIRE TELEGRAPH.
Catisfield, April 13, 1821.
The policy Of admitting the Catholic Claims has been, for
many Sessions of Parliament, so ably and fully argued in both
II uses; and by Petitions from Clergy and Lnity, that it must
appear presumption in an humble individual to attempt to stop-
the progress of the present Catholic Bill, which has ALREADY
PASSED the Commons, arid the first reading in the Lords; but
foreseeing the serious mischief's which must unavoidably take
place in the professions, more particularly in the Navy, and
which appears to have escaped the notice of every Naval Mem-
ber in both Houses, I cannot resist offering the following re-
marks :

I will confine myself to the situation in which the Officers of
a Man-of-War may be placed, by the indiscriminate admission
of Protestant and Catholic. I willpresume the members of the
Officers' messes to be equal in numbers as to their religious te-
nets. At sea, on a long cruise or voyage, will it be possible to
avoid discussion on religious points? and TO WHAT has not
religious zeal and controversy carried men ? Many ships must
eventually be commanded by Catholics. Will not a Catholic
Captain. have a Catholic Priest on board, who will be his Con-
fesse.r, and whose conscience will be in his keeping?, I will
also presume the Captain to be a weak man, or a bigot. Will
the private Signals, which are of the most vital consequences to
the country, and with which every Captain, and every Com-
mander in the Navy, is entrusted, be safe in his possession ?
Is it not probable that this Priest (who may be an enemy to
this country) may get possession of the Private Signals ? and
if we are at war with a Catholic country, what serious conse-
quences may follow. I dread to look forward to such an event.
Will not the Protestant Officers of the ship claim the privilege
of a Protestant Priest? a man as zealous in his Religion as the
Catholic. To what dissensions and faction will not so hetero-
geneous a mixture of reFzions opinions tend ?
It should never be forgotten, that about the time of the Mu-
tiny in the Navy, the Catholics on board a line-of-battle ship
bound themselves by a most solemn oath* to murder every Pro-
testant in the ship, and carry her into an enemy's port. Many
other points, equally alarming and dangerous, present them-
selves to AN OLD SAILOR.
• P. S.—Since writing the above, I have obtained a copy of
the oath, viz.—" I swear to be true to the Free and Lnited
Irishmen, who are fighting your cause against tyrants and op-
pressors, and to defend their rights to the last drop of my blood,
and to keep all secret within my breast ; and I do agree, the
next time the ship looks out a-head .at sea, to carry her into
Brest, and to kill and destroy all the Officers, and every man
who opposes, except the Master, and to hoist a green ensign
with a harp in it, and afterwards to kill or destroy all Protest-
ants."—This horrible oath was administered on board the
Defiance, Capt. TheophilusJones, in 1797.—Eleven were hanged
by the sentence of a Court-martial, and ten were transported
for life.

By the:Leward Island Mail of yesterday we
have advices'frorn St. Thomas's of the 13th of
March. They mention, as official, that the Ar-
mistice which had been agreed upon by Moant.o.
andBOLIjAR had been :prolonged for six months.
The. Commissioners who had been sent from the
Cortes had at last come to an agreement with
BouvAn., arid it was deemed not.unlikely that a
long peace would be the result of their negocia-
tions. In consequence of this favourable aspect
of affairs, business hadLbeeome very brisk at St.
Thomas's, and a free communication to all ports
in the Mainn-was fully expected.
A Jamaica Mail arrived yesterday: The, ac-
counts from the Spanish Colonies by this convey-
ane•state, that the Raleigh sloop of war spoke
one Of-BUrOm's vessels, and learnt 'that, the ar-
misEiee was concluded ; and• a letter kern Santa
•it. Was likely to. produce a }nit-
`matiefit peace. • • • - •

- Letters from St. Domingo, dated the end' of
.Fehruary,'state, that 'a conspiracy hid he'en
coveted at Cape Haytien, :at the head of which.
was the Duke de MARMALADE, late Governor of
that'place', and General RicHAnn. They had
succeeded in geducing part of the troops, sothe of
whoM were on the point of plundering, robbing,
and murdering the Whites and Mulattoes-; when',
the diabolical plot was discovered, and .the ring;.l
leaders arrested. They were subsequently sent
.to Port-au-Prince to be tried. The annulled
spread throughout the whole island, and at the
date of our last advices, tranquillity [tad trot
been completely restored. - •
Yesterday, the Duke and 'Duchess
of CsA-
•RENCE, accompanied by Prince ERNEST HOIiEN-.
LOH LANGENBOURG, went to view the Tower and
the Mint, where their Royal Highnesses partook
of some refreshment.—The Princess AUGUSTA
visited the Duchess -of GLoUCESTER. yesterday.
—Yesterday, the• Princess AUGUSTA took an
airing in a coach and four, and honoured Lady
CREKORNE with a visit at Chelsea.----The
Prin-
cess AUGUSTA dined with the Duke and Duchess
of CLARENCE:, yesterday.--Yesterday-," Prince
I..Eprorm and a select party dined with the Duke
and Duchess..Of GLot CESTER.