The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-03 00:00:00

DR. M`NEILE AND PRIEST POWER.

WE need not invite the attention of our readers
to the following letters. They will remember the
letter from Dr. WNEILE to the Priest, which ap-
peared in our columns last week. It fastened with
JAEL-like precision the nail which the Reverend
Doctor's former letter had pointed. The Priest
published what cannot be called a reply, and has
thereby elicited a rejoinder. Here they are ; and
the contrast is all that the most sincere lovers of
truth, and the most ardent admirers of Dr. NPNEILE
could desire. When will the intelligent Roman
Catholic laity, if there be such, exercise the prero-
gatives of reasonable beings, and cease to he the
dupes of designing men ? There is no phenomenon
of our common nature more extraordinary, or more
humiliating, than the inveterate hold which preju-
dice or superstition maintains on the mind, in de-
fiance of convincing arguments, and the plainest
deductions of reason.

PRIEST POWER TO THE REV. DR. AVNEILE.

SIR,—You appear to be deeply mortified at my pro-
longed silence. If you desire to hear the simple truth,
believe me the reason why your previous letter to me was
suffered to pass unnoticed is, because i neither consider
you in your public capacity, nor the fruits of your pen, of
such importance as to deserve my attention. The same
motive will induce me to pay a similar mark of respect to
any future literary production which your sincere and dis-
interested zeal for my spir;tual welfare may prompt you
to dictate to me. You assure me that many copies of
your first gratuitous epistle to me have been distributed.
That does not in the least excite my surprise, much less
cause any feeling of uneasiness or apprehension. You
have never yet been accused of neglecting your own in-
terests. The more copies of it that are circulated, the
greater will be the boon conferred on the community.—l
am, Sir. yours, &c., PIERCE POWER.
20, Park-place, April 26th, 1853.

DR. NI`SEILE'S THIRD LETTER TO
PRIEST POWER.

SIR,—So, you have spoken ! but I am sorry to say not
to the purpose—enough to betray your temper, but not
enough to defend your cause—enough to attempt an eva-
sion of the argument, but not enough to attempt the
enlightenment or conviction of your adversary.

I might be excused if I took no notice of your letter,
considering what it is ; and in the eyes of the world
around I would be fully excused. Repeatedly, indeed,
since its publication, the remark has been made to me,
" the Priest's letter is too contemptible to deserve an
answer." I think so too. But, then, I could not excuse
myself, were I to treat you as you deserve. I am not, I
hope, so devoid of the sympathy of Him who came " to
seek and to save that which was lost," as to turn away
from you in unconcern.
I am grieved to think that a man, professing to be a
teacher of the religion of Christ, should avow himself so
utterly destitute of the mind of Christ, as to be uncon-
cerned about any one; that a professed Priest of the
Catholic Church should be so dead to the hi -
8h obligations

of his boasted mission:as to tell a man, whom he considers
a heretic, that he is not of such importance as to deserve
his attention ; that an avowed advocate of the charity,
which thinketh no evil, should insinuate a charge of in-
terested hypocrisy, of which he dare not, because he
cannot, attempt the slightest shadow of proof.

We of the OLD and true Church of Christ have not so
learned Christianity. An inspired Apostle has said, " being
defamed, we entreat." I desire to be found among those
who are successors of the Apostles, not in time only, but
in character; and, therefore, I entreat you to consider
your false position. I am not afraid of being treated
with scorn, in return for anxiety to do good. My tender
loving Lord was so treated Himself, and the servant
is not above his master. I would consider any
patience, any argument, any persuasion, any forbear-
ance, any condescension which I could exercise towards
you, as more than rewarded, if I could be of use to your
precious immortal soul for which Christ died. What I
have written to you is either true or false. The question
of comparative antiquity is not one of opinion. but of-facts
and dates. I have given you facts and dates. If you can
prove them inaccurate, I will acknowledge my mistake.
If what I have written to you be true, then, you are in
the awful condition of a man spending his life in mislead-
ing his fellow men : taking advantage of their ignorance
to teach them that what is old is new, and that what is
new is old ; calling evil good, and good evil; putting dark-
ness for light, and light for darkness ; bitter for sweet, and
sweet for bitter. Of such, the word of God pronounces,
with appalling solemnity, woe, woe unto them !
If what I have written to you be false, then, you are in
the disgraceful, as well as dangerous, position of a watch-
man who has forsaken his post—a soldier who has de-
serted his colours : your very citadel is assailed, and,
instead of having recourse to the Sword of the Spirit,
and fighting the good fight of faith, you are endeavouring
to hide the real faithlessness of a deserter behind the
assumed superiority of an impregnable pre-eminence.
Oh ! Sir, let me return your affectation of contempt with
the reality of brotherly kindness and sincere concern, and
let me remind you of the fearful hardening of heart inse-
parable from perseverance in any way known and felt to be
indefensible. If you believed yourself—if you had confi-
dence of heart in what you teach and practise, you would
at least attempt to defend it. Better be beaten in an
honest fight, than dishonestly pretend to a victory. Even
your own poor people, ignorant as most of them are, will
see through your flimsy pretence, and require something
more at your hands. Affected dignity has been long the
convenient plea of impotence ; but neither its loftiness
nor its trappings can any longer conceal its weakness.
With all the help which you might have had in two
months from all the Priests and Bishops of Rome,
who have intruded themselves into this realm of
England, you can't (you say you won't, and I am
sure you won't ; but it is because, and only because,
you can't) shew that the Creed to which you are
sworn, was ever sworn to, or even known, as a Creed,
before the year 1564. And, yet, you will go on
teaching it as the OLD Creed of the holy Catholic Apos-
tolic Church ! If you say nothing in -defence of its an-
tiquity, I shall be obliged to address your people, and
remind them of what our Saviour said about blind
guides, and those who follow them, as I now affectionately
(don't mock at it, for I feel it) remind you of what an
enlightened and eloquent disciple of our Saviour said
about an unfaithful or unskilful pilot—" He perishes with
the misguided vessel ; but he is denied the privilege of
perishing alone. His profession and his position have
involved a whole crew in his ruin."

I have time for no more at present, but to subscribe
myself, in all sincerity and earnestness, a lover of your
soul and a Protester against your new creed.
HUGH 31`NEILE.
Aigburth, 2nd May, 1553.

MODEL STEAMER FOR THE DUBLIN
GREAT EXHIBITION.

Os Saturday we had the opportunity of inspecting a
beautiful model steamer, prepared under the superinten-
dence of Mr. Clarke, jun., of the City of Dublin Steam
Packet Company, for the Dublin Exhibition, whither it
will be sent in a few days. It has been constructed in
every particular on the scale of a square half-inch to the
foot; carries a figure-head representing the Countess St.
Germans, whose name she bears ; is fitted with Trotman's
patent anchors manufactured by Wood Brothers, Liver-
pool ; the patent windlass, by the same makers ; winches
at each :oast for hoisting cargo and for general purposes ;
binnacles, with Liliputian compasses, by Mr. Chadbourne.
of Lord-street, in perfect working order ; life-boats and
a gig of beautifui model ; hawsers coiled ready for use;
Commander Fayrer's patent steering-wheel, with the
break, all perfect, manufactured by Marrs Brothers, of
this town ; life-buoys, and flags, made according to scale.
The figure-head is a bold and graceful work, executed
by Messrs. Hammond and Kenwright, and the name is-
painted on a new Scotch pattern, which is exceedingly
neat. The bow-lights are at a perfect angle, and the
lamps are trimmed from the inside, so that, if a sea
breaks over them, they are safe. The fire-buckets, ar-
ranged in the simplest order possible upon the platform,
and can be got at easily whenever they are redo red.
The platform is constructed so as to give every accommo-
dation to the captain and crew, and at the same time to
send a plentiful supply of air down the engine hatch.
There is a brass rule all round the vessel, which forms a
chaste and effective ornament. There is a comfortable
saloon on deck, an improvement in the Channel packets
which we have no doubt will be introduced in future into
every vessel made for the Dublin Company. In the
summer time passengers like to dine oa deck, so that they
may be removed from the sultry sleeping rooms below, and
those passengers who are suffering from the effects of the
passage. The rigging is as perfect as if made for actual
service. and the splicings have especially excited the
admiration of nautical men. The model is being fitted
with everything appertaining to a comfortable steamer,
and all the work has been done with the greatest nicety
and exactness. No expense has been spared, and the
result is the production of one of the smallest and most
Complete models. A vessel built, according to the scale
of a square foot to half a square inch, would be about 900
tons burthen, 236 feet long, and 350 horse-power. The
model is represented as in the Graving-dock, and on the
blocks. The blue Peter has just been hoisted, as the
signal for the ship going out to make her trial trip. The
dimensions of the model are : length, 10ft. Gin. ; extreme
width, over the paddle-box, 2ft. tin. She is fitted with
patent paddle wheels, which, acting on the water verti-
cally, prevent any back water from being carried round.
The bulwarks are made of satin wood, in imitation of
oak, and are very highly polished. The platform
is made of oak. The model will be covered with plate
glass, and so placed in class eight of the Dublin Ex-
hibition. We believe that an excellent place has been
assigned it, at the top of the grand centre staircase, and
that it will enjoyan excellent light. The rig of the steamer,
we may mention, is that of a three-masted schooner, the
most useful, it is found, in these fast times. Several
members of the Dock Committee, and many nautical
gentlomen have inspected it, and pronounce it the finest
thing of the sort ever produced. The amount of labour
and ingenuity expended in its execution may be estimated
by the fact, that tile model at first occupied two years in
its completion ; and that three months have now been
expended in finally fitting it for the approaching Ex-
hibition. As to its ultimate destination, we hope that
this model will be returned to Liverpool, and that the
necessary measures may be adopted to have it placed in
some one of our public buildings, as an ornament emi.
nently appropriate in a Liverpool institution, and well
worthy of a place in our finest public rooms.

COUSINS.—[Not Original.]

Had you ever a cousin, Tom ?
Did your cousin happen to sing?
Sisters we've all by the dozen, Tom,
But a cousin's a different thing.

There's something, Tom, in a sister's lip,
As you give her a good-night kiss?
That savours so much of relationship,
That nothing occurs amiss.

But a cousin's lips, if once they unite
With yours in the quietest way,
Instead of sleeping a wink that night,
You'll be dreaming the following day.

And people think it no harm, Tom,
With a cousin to hear you talk;
And no one thinks any harm, Tom,
At a quiet .cousinl y walk.
13"ut, Tom, you'll find (what I happen to know)
That these walks often grow into straying ;
And the voices of cousins are sometimes so low,
Heaven only knows what they're saying.

And the song of a sister may bring to you, Tom,
Such notes as the angels woo,
But I fear if your cousin should sing to you, Tom,
You'd take her for an angel too.

I once had a cousin that sang, Tom,
And her name may be nameless now,
But the sound of those songs is still young, Tom,
Though I am no longer so.
'Tis folly to talk of a bower of green,
When there's not a leaf on the tree;
But 'twixt walking and singing that cousin has been,
Heaven forgive her ! the ruin of me.

And now I care naught for society, Tom,
And lead a most anchorite life;
For I've lov'd myself into sobriety, Tom,
And out of the wish for a wife.

But oh ! if I said but one half I might say,
So sad are the lessons 'tvrould give,
'Twould keep you from courting many a day,
And from cousins as long as you live.