The Sun.
London, England, 1820-07-14 00:00:00

tort Tlit SU_!•-•;-.

MINIS 1',A1.1 A L UNION.

Nu. 111.3
MR. gnrroli--•—ln a preceding communication
I have adverted to what I Consider as an absolute
fact, that the Catholics Of the British. EmPire now
actually enjoy rriore of the real blessings 'of Liberty
Under a Protestant Establishment, than adald
possibly fall to their lot under Catholic 'Ascen-
dancy ; but with an exception of some indivi-
duals, who might gain by the change:
To clear the way for the ilhistration of what
some may consider as a paradox, a few obser-
vations may be necessary. In the first place
then I beg leave to urge, that Concessions from
tis to Catholics, and from Foreign Catholics to
Protestants, are two points extremely different
in their nature and in the.ir application, though
in some_respects they may be apparently parallel.
In both cases, it is true that the parties to whom
the Concessions are to be made form the mino-
rity of the population ; and, if the question rest-
ed merely on numbers,. with a moral certainly
that the difference in number:were not likely to
be materially altered, then the two cases would
so far be parallel. But this parallel will not hold
good for a moment. In Catholic countries the
Protestants never had ascendancy ; they never
possessed the Ecclesiastical power ; their ances-
tors, or, the earliest members of their Church,
never possessed benefices, nor tythes ;. nor ever
claimed a right over men's consciences, nor at-
tempted to maintain that right by the supremacy
of Ignorance and the influence of Superstition.
They have nothing which they can reclaim, and
therefore they look merely to what they may at
present enjoy. Besiles, the Catholic laity are
aware that the Protestant Religion is not a con-
verting religion, at least for its own specific te-
nets to the exclusion of others; they are: aware
that Protestant conversion, as such, can only
operate on the thinking, and, in some measure,
well-informed part of their fellow-citizens; they
are aware that the Protestants have lost nothing,
and have nothing to regain, and, therefore, that
whatever is granted will be to them, a 'boon ;
they are aware, from these considerations, that
the Protestants are not likely to use a full en-
joyment of political power for gaining ascendancy
to their communion ; because, also, both parties
know that preponderance must be produced by
superior numbers, which is nevei'likely to be
the case in a country already Catholic, at the
present day, inasmuch'as the great mass of man-
kind, who are from their cradles the slaves of
ignorance and superstition, are not likely to be
caught by the plain, ratiocinative forms of Protes-
tant worship,and led away from the more brilliant
display of the Catholie Ritual---that Ritual also
possessing the very commodious doctrines of
absolution, of salvation by the good works of
others, instead of one's own, and of purgatorial
prayers to wind up a man's accounts with Rea-.
ven after his decease, paying the balance to the.
priest, with errors excepted !
I believe also that even Catholics are aware of‘
another fact---a fact perfectly in consonance with
my own observations in
,Portugal, Spain, Italy,
&c. and in perfect consonance with the acknow-
ledged observations of many of my travelled
friends, men of liberal principles, and some even
of what are called " the liberal" principles of
the day, who- have acknowledged the truth of
the discriminative opinion where only a river
was the boundary ; or as in Switzerland, where
the boundaries between Protestant and Catholic
Cantons.- are merely imaginary lines, as in our
parishes or counties---the fact, that wherever
Protestantism exists, there are to be found in-
dustry, cleanliness, and comfort. Need I com-
plete my invidious-task, by pointing out the re-
verse of the picture? If further illuStration were
necessary, I would refer to a work of very re-
cent publication, " Jacob's 'Continental Tour,"
where he points out the contrast between the
Protestant part of Germany and Catholic France,
and without being himself apparently aware of
the secret working cause of the extraordinary
difference.
But has the Protestant Ascendancy in Britain
the same freedom and cause of concession'? Who
is there amongst your "Readers, Mr. Editor, so
ignorant of the History of Church and State, as
to require that should detail my reasons or a
negative ? Need I repeat the well-known fact,
that every acre in Ireland has its Catholic
claimant ? Need I point out what every Irish
newspaper-tells us, that every rank in the Hie-
rarchy, nay, every benefice or parish glebe, car-
ries double---that there are two Primates, Pro-
testant and Titular ; in short, that there is a
Catholic Archbishop for every Archbishopric, a
Catholic ,Bishop .for every Bishopric, nay, a
father Confessor already prepared for every Pro-
testant conscience in Ireland, the possessor of
which may chance to save his body from the
holy pikeman, or his back from the Carders ?
To a thinking mind, Sir, need I now explain
how far the Catholics, generally speaking, would
be. losers by concessions which wouhl ultimately
lead to Catholic Ascendancy, or to a struggle for
it, under which the Catholics would fall, and we
must then necessarily be subjected to increased re-
strictions ? Need I shew that they are now
reaping, as far as they chase to reap, (for sitting
in Parliament, or acting as Magistrates or
Mayors, would only be a feather in the caps of
a few), all the advantages of Protestant freedom,
in regard ,to liberty of thought and of speech---
all the advantages of Protestant commerce, of
Protestant manufacture, and even the gratuitous
subscriptions of Protestant wealth in the support
of their chapels and priesthood ? I trust it is
unnecessary !

LATIM ER.