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

ENDOWMENT OF MAYNOOTH.

A meeting of the Protestant deputation from the
country, and others opposed to the endowment of May-
nooth College, was held yesterday evening in the large
room of Exeter Hall. The meeting, which was entirely
composed of gentlemen (ladies being excluded on this
occasion), was very numerously attended. The platform
was principally occupied by clergymen. After a little
delay, which produced occasional manifestations of im-
patience from the meeting,
Sir C.E. SMITH took the Chair.

The Rev. Mr. BULL, of—Birmingham, opened the
meeting with prayer, after which
The CHAIRMAN rose and said, that he was struck with
the altered circumstances under which they were as-
sembled that evening. His usual habit almost impelled
him to say, " Ladies and gentlemen"—(A voice, " Why
are ladies excluded?") and he must say that it lessened
the animation and satisfaction which he would
otherwise have felt to see only gentlemen
present.—(Hear, hear.) He had no doubt, also, that
many ladies would feel regret in consequence ; but they
themselves would be the first to say that if their pre-
sence interfered with any efforts to attain a national
object, that they should stay away with pleasure. But,
inasmuch as it was stated that a large proportion of their
audience at similar meetings was composed of the female
sex, it was considered expedient that the present meet-
ing should be entirely composed of gentlemen—and he
now appealed to the present meeting whether the ladies
were the only persons who took an interest in this great
question ?—(Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN then took a survey of their proceed
ings up to that time, and pointed to the postponement
of the Bill to the 19th of this month, as a proof that
their exertions were not without effect. After compli-
menting the deputation who had assembled in London to
protest against the endowment, and to concert measures
for its defeat, on the harmony which characterised their
deliberations, composed as they were of persons of dif-
ferent denominations, and different political sentiments,
he concluded by calling on the
Rev. Mr. ROBINSON, rector of St. Andrew's, Holborn,
who rose and said, that before he addressed himself to
the resolution, he would take the opportunity of congra-
tulating them on tho splendid demonstration which the
hall presented on that evening. It was, he considered,
very remarkable, that not% ithstanding the number of
meetings which they had already had on the endowment of
the College of Maynooth, that the interest of the public
had not in the least flagged, but on the contrary was
still as great and prominent as ever. This, he
said, could only come to pass from their
having considered these as Bible meetings. The
Bible was their bond of union, and though he was un •
willing to admit the principle on most subjects, yet he
believed on the present occasion that the voice of the
people was the voice of God. He had the most perfect
confidence that they had the blessing of the Almighty on
their labours, and so long as they placed their trust in
Him they could not fail to be triumphant. The Rev.
Gentleman then complained of the want of courtesy ex-
hibited to him in another place by the Hon. Member for
Sheffield (Mr. Ward), in pronouncing as " disgusting"
certain extracts of a speech, which he (Mr. Robinson)
made on a recent occasion on the same question. So
far, however, was he (Mr. Robinson) from feeling regret
at the expressions so denounced that he would reiterate
them before this meeting " that Popery was damnable
and idolatrous."—(Tremendous cheers.) He would con-
clude by saying, that they had two duties to discharge—
one to their ancestors and the other to their posterity.
They were bound, in respect to those from whom they
had received the inheritance of their faith, to pre-
serve it in its integrity —(Cries of " Hear, hear")—
and they were bound, in the second place, to hand it
down unsullied to their posterity. (Cheers.) He
begged to move the following resolution :
" That this meeting, comprised of deputies from all
parts of the United Kingdom, and holding various reli.
gious and ecclesiastical opinions, unite in expressing
their conscientious and determined opposition to the
Bill now before Parliament, for endowing the Roman
Catholic College of Maynooth ; and that a petition,
founded on the foregoing resolution, be signed by the
Chairman of this meeting, and presented to the Houses
of Parliament."

JAMES E. GORDON, Esq., seconded the resolution,
and said, that were he to consult his own feelings, the
injunctions of his physician, or the dictates of common
prudence,le would not intrude himself on that meeting ;
but having been selected as a deputy on this occasion, he
would, to the extent of his crippled faculties, acquit him-
self of the duty. After alluding to the recent election
for the county of Kent, which, he contended, was de-
cided by the great question which they had met that
day to protest against, he concluded by enforcing the
necessity of merging all minor differences, and uniting
against the common enemy.—(Cheers.)
J. P. PLUMPTRE, Esq., M.P., supported the resolu-
tion, and said that whatever reflections might be cast
upon him elsewhere—(A laugh)—he thought it a
high honour and a great happiness to take a part in the
all important business on which they had met that
evening. He separated himself for a short time from
the duties which devolved upon him in another place,
and which he was afraid he would very shortly have to
go back to resume, but he could not deny himself the
pleasure of coming among them that evening, of telling
them that his heart and soul was with them.—
(Cheers.) It was a happy thing for him to find himself
breathing another atmosphere, and mixing among an
assembly who were so different from the motley crew
which he had just left.—(Cheers and laughter.) He
had exerted himself, in times past, honestly, however
inefficiently, in the good cause ; and they might rest
assured he would do so still, till success crowned their
efforts.—(Cheers.) He was happy to say that they had
already obtained upwards of 900,000 signatures
to the petition ; and he had no doubt but ere long they
would obtain a million.—(Cheers.) Contempt might be
cast upon their mode of getting up petitions, but when
he looked around him, in a certain place he saw that
they had their weight. lle thanked them for the coun-
tenance they had given him, and he trusted that when
they recollected the place where he had to go to advo-
cate their cause, they would not be unmindful of him,
but would remember him before Him who gives courage
to the timid, and strength to the weak. Let them still
go on, doing all that lay in their power to avert the
evil which threatened them, and to promote the great
truths of the gospel.—(Loud cheers.)
A Voice—" Three cheers for Sir Robert Peel," fol-
lowed by great confusion, and cries of " Turn him out."
The CHAIRMAN—If there be any Protestant or Ro-
man Catholic in disguise present, he may take it for
granted that it was not at a meeting of that kind where
three cheers for Sir Robert Peel would be responded to.
The resolution was then put to the meeting, and
passed unanimously.
The Rev. T. GiTruate, minister of the Free Church
of Scotland, and one of the deputation from Edinburgh,
next addressed the meeting, and said that, had he not
been intruded upon them by his friends, he would not
have come there that evening. He should make but a
few observations, and these ho felt called on to make
partly because it was stated that no clergyman of the
Free Church of Scotland had taken any part in this
great taovement. This, however, was a mistake. In-
stead of feeling dissatisfied, he thanked Sir Robert Peel
for the measure, for the heat of it would melt them
altogether.—(Cheers and laughter.) They might be
in a minority in the House of Commons, but they were not
in a minority among the commons.—(Laughter.) The
Rev. Gentleman continued, in a humorous strain, to
urge them on to increased exertions; and after compli-
menting the Irish priests on the fidelity with which they
adhered to their religion, and on the faithfulness
with which they watched over their flocks, administer-
ing to them in all their necessity—in danger and in
death, and presenting he feared a very marked contrast
to many among themselves, he concluded by urging the
meeting to call upon the Government to remedy the
just grievances of the Irish people, and not to endow
their religion.—(Loud cheers.) The Rev. Gentleman
proposed the following resolution:—
" That whilst earnestly deprecating the measures
proposed by her Majesty's Government, and all mea-
sures founded on similar principles, or having the like
bearing, this meeting strongly disclaims all feelings of
hostility to the Roman Catholic people of Ireland, and
expresses its deep and lively interest in all that relates
to the religious and temporal welfare of that important
portion of our country, and that an address to the peop'e
of Ireland, founded on this resolution, be forthwith pre-
pared by the Committee now sitting in London, and cir-
culated at their discretion."

The Hon. and Rev. BAPTIST NOEL seconded the reso-
lution, and in a speech of great eloquence addressed him-
self to the religious grounds of the question, and depre-
cated the tone adopted by certain Members of the House
of Commons in speaking favourably of the Catholic reli-
gion and its ministers. He was not prepared to sacrifice
truth for expediency, not even if all the evils which the
Minister pointed out as the consequence of the rejection
of this measure, were as near as he believed them distant,
or as real as they were chimerical.—(Cheers.)
The Rev. G. OSBORNE, Wesleyan minister, Man.
chester, supported the resolution.
The Rev. D. R. STEPHENS, Baptist minister, Mon-
mouthshire, proposed the next resolution.
" That in this crisis of their affairs it was necessary
that a great Protestant Confederation should be formed
to watch over their interests and be prepared to meet
the foe."

C. HEALD, Esq., Stockport, seconded the resolution.
The Rev. T. GREGG, Chaplain of St. Nicholas within,
Dublin, next addressed the meeting, and was sorry that
the lateness of the hour prevented him from doing so at
any length. He hoped he would be allowed another op-
portunity to give vent to his feelings on this momentous
question.
Some other reverend gentlemen having addressed the
meeting, a vote of thanks was propsed to the Chairman,
and the meeting separated.

DRURY-LANE THEATRE..—This evening is the
last night of Duprez's engagement, and also of the ap-
pearance of Ma lame Garcia. It is only, on the eve of
his departure, that the exquisite beauties of this gifted
singer begin to be appreciated—the house on Wednes-
day evening last having been literally cra:nmed.
SPLENDID ARRANGEMENT OF LOOKING-GLASS,
producing the effect of a long arcade, and so bewildering
as to cause a doubt whether you are in London or in old
Rome.
" Arch follows arch, and pile succeeds to pile."
This unique apartment is devoted to cutting and arrang-
ing the hair in, and with another having a beautiful
view of Naples, are on the ground.floor. In calling at
tention to their establishment, Ross and Sons beg
vebneegtrotnko-
tice the advantages of their system—viz., he
apprentices nor young men from the country, nor objectae
to customers asking for the same man to wait upon them;
every person has clean brushes, they never being used
twice, without being washed; and parties are not presscd
to buy things they do not want. Address, Ross and
Sons, 119 and 120, Bishopsgaie-street.
Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an in-
terview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday.