The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-23 00:00:00

would be, to refer that gentleman, for advice and
guidance, to ela •-!s in the House of Commons
on the 26th June, 1826, where be will find the

chievous and discreditable policy which he sanc-
tioned by his presence on the 29th June, 1827,
justly characterised ; and the people of Ireland, who
had been so grossly calumniated at his meeting,
most ably vindicated, by an authority which he would
not be unwilling to disrespect : meaning, thereby,
one Mr. Vernon, son of the Archbishop of York.—
(Hear, hear.)—The next person named is a Captain
Gordon, who, I believe, is, after all, no Captain at
all. I know something of that gentleman. For
years I abstained from the public exposure of his
various misrepresentations, though I have often, in
private, remonstrated against them. But I owe
him no favours that should oblige me to be silent
any longer respecting him, and therefore I do here
publicly impute to him the repeated misrepresenta-
tions of the creed and conduct of Irish Catholics; and
against that odious and fraudulent Society, the Lon-
don Hibernian Society, I make the same imputations.
It seems that Captain Gordon has found that there
is a great increase of crime in Ireland, and all owing
to the influence of Popery ; and I perceive that the
Courier is actively engaged in endeavours to aid
that doctrine. Now I think it may be proved that

Popery is not necessary to produce an increase of
crime in a country. Let us see how the facts stand
as to England and Wales. When Mr. Peel intro-
duced his plan for the reform of the Criminal Law,
last year, he allitded to this subject, and it is from
his speech and other Parliamentary Papers that I
shall take my proofs for the present. It appears that
in 1812" the number of committals amounted to no

less than 6,576; an immense number, when we

consider what a large proportion of offenders are ad-
mitted to bail. However, as Captain Gordon and

his associates had not then commenced their devout

operations for the reformation of the world, we must
make all due allowances for the imperfections of
your uninstructed countrymen. The work of evan-
gelization. then commenced with extraordinary ar-
dour, and continued with increasing seal, and, no
doubt, usefulness, from year to year, up to the last
year, and we shall see its beneficial fruits in 1825.
We have seen that in 1812 the committals in Eng-
land and Wales amounted to 6,676 persons, whereas
in 1825, in consequence of the evangelical labours of
Captain Gordon, Lord Bexley, and others, they-
amounted only to 14,437 !—(Loud cheers and
laughter.)—Poor Popery had nothing to say to that
enormous change. Oh, no, the Evangelizers had
the ground all to themselves—they were the tillers
and the reapers, and behold their fruit—the
number of committals more than doubled ! !

What says the Courier to that ?—(Hear,
hear, hear.)—But, perhaps, it would be pre-
tended tlaat this was a solitary instance of one
year. We shall see how that is—by taking a period
comprising several years. In the seven years pre-
ceding 1815, the committals amounted to 47,522.
Well, the Evangelizers went then to work with all
manner of schemes for reformation, and what was
the result ? Why this : that in the seven years pre-
ceding 1825, the committals amounted to 93,282
(Hear, hear !) ! ! What says the Courier to that ?
I would thank the Journalist, with the aid of Gor-
don's intellea and accomplishments, to inform me
what had Popery to do with that increase, and to
say whether any or all of the Catholic countries of
Europe could furnisn such a specimen of the increase
or the extent of crime, apart from political subjects
Again, it may be said that this is not a fair criterion,
inasmuch as the Magistrates are too prone to unjust
committals. Well, let us see how the facts stand as
to convictions, and confine ourselves to the capital
convictions for the same periods. The capital
convictions for the seven years preceding 1815
amounted to 4,126 ! ! Yes, in seven short
years, 4,126 of our fellow-subjects, in England
and Wales were consigned to ignominious death
for criminal offences, without any civil commotion
having led to the condemnation of a single individual
of that appalling number. Then the Evangelizers
took the morals and religion of the country into
their holy keeping, aad behold the result. In the
seven years preceding 1825, the capital convictions
in England and Wales amounted to eight thousand,
two hundred and forty-four !! ! My Lord, my
Lord, this is indeed an awful statement; no triumph
in contrast, no success in proof, no defeat of our op-
ponents in argument can take precedence over the
frightful reflections that such a statement suggests--
8244 capitally convicted in England and Wales
within seven years ! Why, my Lord, nations have
struggled for freedom, and despots for dominion,
without incurring such a sacrifice of human life.—
(Hear, hear.)—As to the education of our people,
it appears by all the attestations of public officers,
that they are better educated than the peasantry of
England ; and really it is too much for Capt. Gor-
don to set himself up as a teacher, for I recollect
once he favoured me with a thesis upon Transubstan-
tiation, and I offered to yield the whole question to
him if he could spell the word !—(Laughter.)—Yes,
and I would now feel no difficulty in repeating the
offer.—(Continued laughter.)—So muchfor Capt.G.
There is but one other subject to which I would al-
lude—namely, the necessity of increasing your exer
tions towards extending accurate information among
your fellow subjects, who, I must say, stand much
in need of it. Having lately visited Yorkshike,
had many opportunities of knowing the truth of this
position, and the good results of any efforts to extend
accurate knowledge of your civil and religious prin-
ciples. lam bound to say, that, personally, I ex-
perienced nothing but kindness and courtesy, and
therefore do not mean to offend, when I declare the
necessity of your making such exertions. I will
furnish one instance of the ignorance of the pea..
santry :—As I travelled up Sutton Brow, towards
the top of Hambleton Hill, I met a peasant, named
Lumley, who went with us to point out the several -
objects from that delightful spot, called " The White
Mare." He talked of Rievanly Abbey, one of those
monuments of Popish barbarism, of which there is just
enough still left to shew the taste of its founders,
and enough destroyed to prove the taste of their perse-
cutors.—(Cheers.)—He stated that the Abbey (the
ruins of which were about four miles distant from
us) had been inhabited by " Papishes." I (raked
what they were ? He replied, that they were a sari
Protestants,
I asked
him t
i asked sktehder
of folk that he had not liking for—that they wanted
d
thought so, but he could gis'e no answer whatever
to
tehnaaattti Ampleforth College, about five miles dis-
tant--that over
question.
e were any
Papishes then in the country, he said there are
they came sometimes to the Hill, sixty
or eighty at a time, and took out his two gavelocks
(iron crow bare), and brought them to the top of
the hill, and then gathered round the gavelocks ;
that the eldest said something catechism-like in their
own language which Protestants could not under-
stand, and then they all worshipped the gavelocks.
(Loud laughter.)—l asked, did he perceive any
change in the gavelocks after they were worshipped ?
He said he did not think any better of it, and
I am quite certain he verily believed every word
he said. On the next day, I visited Ampleforth
College (a place worthy of the esteem of every
admirer of liberal' education, religious purity and
genuine hospitality), and I inquired as to this
gavelock worshipping branch of the new Reforma-
tion—(Loudwhen I obtained this solu-
tion of the awful mystery—that some of the young
Lords sometimes rolled large stones down the hill
laughter)—
for their musement, and borrowed poor Lumley's
gavelocks to aid in these idolatrous practices.—
(Laughter.)—Such things are very ludicrous, but
consider whether they are not also very pernicious,
for what opinion can a peasantry who believe such
things entertain of those whom they consider capable
of such worship ?—(Hear, hear.)---Mr. Mac
Donnell thanked the Meeting for their indulgent
hearing, and was warmly cheered as he concluded.
Mr. O'GRADY made some observations on the
English Catholics waiting for the example of their
Irish brethren before they came forward to perform
this great act of justice.
The motion was then put and carried unanimously ;
arid, after a vote of thanks to Lord Stourton, the
Meeting separated.