The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-02 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 2 1845.

ANTI-MA"'NOOTH CONFERENCE,

The meeting held at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, to protest
against the Maynooth grant, which we briefly noticed yesterday,
was composed of persons delegated by congregations of various re-
ligious denominations throughout the empire, the great majority
being from Dissenting bodies.
At ten o'clock Sir Culling Eardley Smith was called to the
chair.

The CHAIRMAN suggested that the proceedings should be opened
with a prayer, such as should be appropriate to the very impor-
tant and extraordinary circumstances under which they had as.
sembled.

The Rev. Dr. HOLLOWAY, in accordance with the desire of the
Chairman, offered up a prayer, in which he was joined by the
meeting.

The prayer having concluded,
The Cttatauax again rose and said, that they had met on that
occasion to discharge their duties as Christians, and to avail them-
selves of their rights as Englishmen.—( Hear, hear.) In his
opinion a great insult had been offered to that religion which, he
thanked God, notwithstanding minor differences, they all held in
common.—(Cheers.) They had reason to be grateful that they
lived in a land of freedom, where they could meet together and
devise measures for attaining the object they had in view, or failing
in that, to consider what remedy they would resort to ;
to that object—the devising of plans by which the en.
dowment of Popery might be prevented—the proceedings
of that day would be mainly devoted.—(Cheers.) It was not
necessary for them to go at length into the question Itself,
upon which they were all agreed.—(Cheers.) They had less
to do with the arguments in favour of Maynooth than with the
duties which devolved upon them in consequence of the decisions
which had recently been arrived at in the House of Commons.—
(Hear, hear.) He felt that it would be impossible to avoid alto-
gether any discussion of the question itself, which involved 'opics
of very great delicacy ; but it was important that they should
stand a united phalanx together. In contending against the
endowment of Popery, in the name of their common Saviour, he
hoped that they would nut, on this occasion, go into the question
of religious establishments, as on this occasion neither the church-
man nor the advocate of the voluntary system could be suspected
of departing from his own religious or conscientious grounds in
opposing the: endowment of Mayneoth.—(Hear.) The question
which they had now to consider was—whether their country was to
be dishonoured by the recognition of Popery ?—(Cheers)—and to
that question he should beg them to confine themselves. Sir Robert
Peel stated that, in consequence of certain circulars which had been
sent from London to the country, he did not regard the opposition
which had been expressed to this subject of as much importance
as he might under other circnmstances, and it was, therefore,
the more necessary for them to meet on that day—(Cheers)—in
order that they might remove all doubts from the Premier's mind
with regard to this question. The Chairman then called the
attention of the meeting to the following correspondence between
the Anti.Maynooth Committee and the Premier :
" Central Anti.Maynooth Committee.

" Sir Culling Eardley Smith presents his compliments to Sir
Robert Peel, and begs, at the request of this Committee, to state
that deputations from various parts of the country on the subject
of the endowment of bfaynooth are expected to arrive in London
on Wednesday next. Some members of the deputation will be
glad to have the honour of an interview with Sir Robert Peel on
Thursday, if that day should be convenient, in which case Sir C.
Smith would be obliged by Sir Robert fixing an hour when it will
be in his power to receive them.
" The Right Hon. Sir R. Peel."

" Whitehall, April 29, 1845.

" Sir R. Peel presents his compliments to Sir C. E Smith, and
in reply to his note of yesterday, begs to decline receiving the
parties referred to by Sir Culling Eardley Smith, who wish for an
interview with Sir Robert Peel on the subject of the endowment of
Maynooth.

" That subject has undergone the consideration of the House
of Commons during ten nights of debate, and Sir R. Peel feels it
to be wholly out of his power, consistently with the proper discharge
of the official duties he has to perform, to discuss in personal con-
ference out of Parliament the merits of measures of general public,
not especially affecting particular or local interests."—Upon that
letter he would make no comment, for it would be for the meeting
to deal with it as it thought fit.—(Hear, hear.) If, however, as
was the case, Sir R. Peel received a deputation on the subject when
the measure was in its infancy, a fortiori, he ought to receive
one now, when it was more advaneed and when the public mind
was more opposed to it than ever. In consequence of the letter
which he had read, the Committee had on that morning come to
the following resolution :—" Resolved—That it is matter of the
deepest regret and surprise that Sir R. Peel has not deemed it con-
sistent with his public duty to receive a deputation of gentlemen
who would have been able to prove to him the fact that the whole
of the country, as well as the metropolis, are most decidedly
against the endowment of Maynooth ; and that this resolution be
respectfully transmitted to Sir R. Peel." _

The Cuartt 'sax having read the resolution, concluded by ex.
pressing his desire to hear the opinions of the deputations from the
various puts of the country.
The Rey. Messrs. Robertson and Griffiths, of Edinburgh, and
Dr. Cullen, of Leith, severally addressed the meeting, and stated
that the most perfect unanimity of opinion existed amongst all the
denominations of Protestants in Edinburgh and Leith, as regarded
the propriety of opposing the grant to May rtoeth.
Archdeacon MAGEE,I of Dublin, said that Churchmen and Die.
,enters were all opposed to the grant in Ireland.
The Rev. H. STOWELL, from Manchester, felt that they ought
to thank God for the unanimity which prevailed amongst them.
Sir Robert Peel thought Protestantism was a negation, but he
would find that it was a stern affirmative—(Cheers)—and he would
find at the next general election how much opposed the English
people were to concessions to Popery. if all Protestants did not
belong to the same corps, it was quite clear, from their unanimity
on this point, that they fought in the same army, and that the
same glorious banner waved over their heads, having on the one
" The Gospel of Christ," and on the other, "No peace
with Anti.Christ."—(Loud cheers.) There was a large party in
Manchester devoted to ➢Mammon, and they praised Sir Robert
Peel for his commercial policy, although they admitted that he had
deceived them in religious matters, but for his part he would prefer
a man of humble mind and principled heart to a man, however
mighty his mind was, if he was a man without principle. He was
happy to inform the meeting that a memorial was in course of sig-
nature at Manchester, which was addressed to the Queen, and which
already contained 20,000 signatures, praying her Majesty to die-
solve Parliament, and try the feeling of the country on the question
before she put her hand and seal to the measure for endowing
hlaynooth, a Bill which would virtually destroy the right of the
House of Brunswick to the Throne, and would virtually open the
door for the representative of the House of Stuart, if it had a re-
presentative living.—(Laud cheers.)
The Rev. Dr. HAGLEY said he came for the purpose of lending
his aid to oppose the grant, and he was not desirous, la doing so,
to wound the feelings of any class of persons. _ _

Mr. BAINES, formerly M.P. for I.eeds, next addressed the meet-
ing. He said he recently had the pleasure of presiding at a meeting
held in Leeds to consider this question. It was so numerous a
meeting that its numbers were only restrained by the size of the
largest building which they could command in Leeds.—(Cheers.)
At the meeting to which lie alluded a petition was adopted, pray-
ing Parliament not to agree to the measure, and out of an adult
male population of 25,000 in Leeds, the petition was signed by no
less than 16,000 persons.
in;w an"u un"animalosousuragned on the meeting the pro-
d decided opposition to the
pri'efthyeof Rev,exprAefsrs. N
proposed measure.
The Rev. Dr. MASSEY, of Manchester, corroborated the state-
ments of the other speakers as to the feelings against Maynooth.
In Manchester there was a strong and decided opposition to it.
The Rev. Mr. BROWN said that he appeared at that meeting as
the representative of seventeen congregations of the Free Church
of Scotland at Aberdeen, and he could bear his testimony
lonrgthDni'ssenter, but a tessellated
to the very strong feeling of opposition which was entertained in
said that he saw in the
Aberdeen to the pernicious, faithless, and iniquitous proposition of
Sir _Robert Peel to endow Popery in this country.—(Loud cheers.)
meeting T h The n
beforee D r
him.
pavement of Protestant heads, and he was confident that every one
of those heads presided over a true Protestant heart. As a true
Briton he was a lover of civil liberty; and as a Christian he
M Antos }Pr Protestant sten& Leamington,
was a lover of religious liberty, and he attended at that
meeting to maintain those principles. What was Protestantism ?
It was the religion which .Josus Christ propagated on earth. Did
Protestantism want visibility ? The meeting which he saw around
him afforded the best and most perfect answer to that -question ?
(Cheers.) Did Protestantism want antiquity? What were the
Patriarchs ? They were Protestants.—(Cheers.) What were
the Apostles ? They were Protestants. What were the Pro.
phets ? They were Protestants; they all protested against error.
—(Cheers.) They had this at their side—visibility and antiquity.
—(Cheers.) He should have brought his daughter, who accom-
panied him, to that meeting, if ladies were allowed to be present.—
(Hear.) And he only regretted that they were not. The Rev.
Gentleman concluded with at :lengthened prayer to the God of peace
and charity to bless their exertions.
The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth„ of Watton, Mr. S. C. Hall, of New.
castle-upon-Tyne, Mr. Ralph Wilson, of Newcastle, the Rev. Dr.
Raffles, as a Protestant Dissenter from Liverpool, Mr. Rice
Steeverisilfrom Newport, in 'Wales, representing the Dissenters of
various denominations
.in that town, and the Rev. Mr. Steevens, of
Swansea, stated the co-operation of their constituents to oppose
the grant.
Mr. Jones, cf Merthyr Tydvll, and Mr. Fowkes, a magistrate of
Montgomeryshire, spoke to the same effect ; after which the meet-
ing (at three o'clock) adjourrsed to six o'clock in the evening.
The evening sitting was resumed at six o'clock, when Sir C. X
Smith took the chair.
Prayers having been read by- the Rev. C. Prest, and some routine
business disposed of,
The Custom...sr asked whether any Dissenters from Leicester
were present ?
The Rev. Mr. MENsON, of Leicester, said that there was no de-
putation from Leicester, but he held in his hand a letter from the
Dissenters of that place, expressing the reasons why they did not
deem it right to Join the Confenence ; and this letter he would beg
to read.

The Rev. Gentleman's propOsition, however, met with a general
negative on the part of the meets ng, it being contended that such a
letter, with its reasons, was foreign to the purpose of the assembly,
which was to hear the sentiments of deputations from various parts
of the country favourable to the? object of the Conference. After
some discussion,
The Castamax decided it to be the sense of the meeting that
the letter was inadmissible, and that as there was no deputation
from Leicester, they would premed to the next name on his list—
Birmingham.
The Rev. Mr. Rointrrs, D;xsenting minister, of Birmingham,
said that, while the religious bodies whom, in the unavoidable
absence of the Rev. Angell JOrnes, he represented, were to the
full anxious to preserve and :waist the civil and religious liberties
of their Roman Catholic breth con, their attachment to the great
principles of the Reformation molted them, whatever their minor
differences amongst themselves, imstrenuousopposition to a measure
which tended to overthrow the Reformation and the Protestant
throne of these realms.—(Hear, hear.) This feeling alike per-
vaded the great meeting of 6,000 persons which assembled at
Birmingham,
composed of men of 3111 political and religious opinions,
and the smaller meetings of the various congregations which had
taken place there.
The meeting was afterwards briefly addressed by numerous
deputies from different parts of the country, when
Dr. MASSLY moved a resolutie n to the effect that the deputa-
tions should wait upon the various members for their cities,
boroughs, and counties, and repret tent the state of public feeling on
the subject to them, and call upon them to oppose the further
progress of the measure.

The resolution was then carries I unanimously.
Mr. D. BAINES, jun., of Leeds, next moved a resolution con-
demnatory of the conduct of Sir Robert Peel in refusing to receive
the deputations on this subject.
The resolution was carried umsnimottsly.
The Rev. MsenosiNum., of the Scottish Free Church, then
moved a resolution pledging the conference itself to contribute, and
to use its best exertions, each ideputation in its own locality, to
induce others to contribute funds for the carrying on of the
struggle in
which it was etigageil.—Carried unanimously.
The Rev. Dr. Bt.scitnuan mo ved that, in the event of the Bill
passing, it would be the duty of the people to address the Queen
to dissolve the present Parliarnea Agreed to unanimously.
The Rev. W. Ellis, from the Pottery districts ; Rev. Macke-
lony, from Belfast ; Rev. Alexander, of Norwich ; Rev.
Harding, of Grantham; Rev. Paddon, of High Wycombe;
Rev. -- Cottle, of Taunton ; Rev. Moore and Rev. Berry,
of Truro, successively acldreseed the meeting,
and each, on the
part of congregattolis of various denOminatioas in the reSpeCtl
localities, zealously concurred in the object of the conference.
The Rev. J. T. ROBINSON, :Rector of St. Andrew's, Holborn, in
giving similar testimony on the part of his parishioners, stated
that the charge made by the Archdeacon of London, at the visits.
lion on Tuesday, was emphatically and solely directed against the
proposition of the Government; and further, that an address to
the Archbishop of Canterbury was in successful progress among the
clergy of London. calling upon h.As Grace and the bench of Bishops
to oppose the Bill.
The CHAIRMAN stated that tie had reason to believe that the
Right Reverend Bench would make a, strong stand against the
measure; the Bishops of er, Lincoln, Chester, Winchester,