The Sun.
London, England, 1817-07-15 00:00:00

PROTESTANT ASCENDANCY.

MR. ,Erwrox,—lt is wiTh great satisfaction that
l'o!rserve your determination to support the cause
of Protestantism by your literary exertions, and
by a rea ly insertion of all communications upon
that important subject. Wili you permit me to
hint to you: that another Mode of proceeding
triJ,y,!be added to your intended efforts-71.nteap
the insertion of critical „analyses of the argu-
ments brought forward in other Journals on the
aprosite site of the question, and also of those
used in 'a certain place, so as to neutralize mis-
representations and mi?4tatements,. give the
retort courteous to actual falsehood', and in short,
to expose the Jesuitical sophistry which is daily
gaining ground with the Metropolitan Press ?
A -controversy already exists in some of the
Morning Papers, in regard to the charge often
brought against Popery, of selling pardons for,
various offences—a charge which is boldly denied
by a Catholic advocate ; now, Sir, without deal-
ing in general charges, or yielding to flat denials,
I shall beg leave to present you with a well
authenticated fact, which will surely be sufficient
to convince the most incredulous of the existence
of a system the most immoral that can disgrace
any religion, whether Christian, Malionietan,' or
heathen.-

In the Star 1799, or perhaps 1800, his Ma-
lesty's frigate Southampton then commanded
by Captain, now Rear-Admiral John Harvey,
Commander-in-Chief on the windward stat ion)
was cruising off the north end of Anguilla, where
site captured Spanish Tartar, from Europe,
bound for Vera Cruz, or the Havannah. On exa-
mining, leer papers, it appeared that her lading
vou-s;-sred .o.f cases of quicksilver invoiced at
20;000 dollars, and of bales of paper invoiced arc
30,000, or about 7500/, sterling. As to the
value of the quicksilver the Captors entertained
no. doubt ; but it was matter of wonder what
could be wanted-on the Spanish main with so
much paper'; and, indeed. how. even so nzauy
bites could be so valuable ; tor the, Patron OF
master of the Tavtar, spoke of this paper in
teOris of high admiration.

A bale of it was accordingly carried on board
the 'Southampton _for examination, when it was
found to consist of printed sheets, of the size and
eppeararice of a newspaper, each of which was
stamped with several black seals, with prices at-
tached to each, in the stile and manner of English
stamps. Some of these papers were in Spa-
Disi►, others in Latin ; and the whole of them
were either pardons or indulgences for the various
sins., not deadly, contained in the Catholicrubrick.
The seals or stamps were those - of Ecclesiastical
Courts, and Officials at Rome; to which were added
those of several SpaniSh Dignitaries, particularly
the .9rcl►Gishep of Toledo; every seal had its
and the prices varied in proportion to the object
of each paper, some of the sheets being only rated
at. half a dollar,- and others as high as seven. The
Patron acknowledged that his employers had paid.
the invoice price of those holy goods in Europe ;
and indeed it appeared by the vessel's papers that
they were partly consigned to Ecclesiastical Es•
tablishments, and partly sent out for the chance
of a market.

The prize was carried into Tortola, where the
whole of the hales were sold to some Danish
speculators front St. Thomas, for about 2001.;
and those Gentlemen ma-de the purchase in hopes
of disposing of them by a smuggling trade on the
coAst of Porto Rico, and also on the Main. Now;
what will the Catholic advocates say to this ?
have named names ; and I will add, that Messrs.
Ceake and Porter, of Tortola, were the prize-
a;!.;..mts, and that, the fact was publicly known
.hat Island. Yours,