The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-14 00:00:00

late; the Ouse I believe to be over production, supply
beyond demand ; whilst that demand, after making due
allowances for interruptions, occasioned but temporary, yet
inseparable from the nature of commerce, has, I believe, in
the aggregate, undergone no diminution of a permanent ha-
racter, but continues gradmllly to innrnn.n nr. thA

other hand, the increase of production has grown with great
rapidity, stimulated by grievous success, and the application
of overgrown capital, applied to the creation of new spin-
ning-mills in endless numbers, 'and of corresponding manu-
factories, which cover extensive districts of the coun-
try, and have hitherto brought up and given employ-
ment to a most extensive mass of population, dependent on
these means for employment, which to afford them, has
caused their rates of wages to be reduced to the lowest terms ;
and that are now threatened, from their increasing numbers,
with still further diminished means of employment. I con-
fess it is frightful to contemplate such a state of things, and
of society, but it can no longer be concealed; arid yet the
only remedy seems to be, to diminish their sources of em-
ployment in order to produce future or permanent good ; the
love of gain, chastened by loss, will abate, and more limited,
but safer undertakings, will, in time, I hope, restore prospe-
rity to all; but it is said, " that whilst the grass grows the
steed may starve"—to avoid this, increased hieims for immi-
gration will, I trust, be provided, and, fortunately, we pos-
sess a field for beneficial employment in our distant colonies
for the industrious and well disposed ; to emigrate may, to
many, be a painful alternative, but it seems now to be the

only one lefi, to us fur the excess of our population of all
classes.—l remain, sir, your constant reader,

Carlton Gardens, Iliciy

JOHN GLADSTONP

BRANCH OPERATIVE PROTESTANT
ASSOCIATION
FOR ABERCROMBY AND RODNEY-STREET WARDS

On Tuesday evening a crowded meeting was held in the
school-room belonging to St. Mark's Church, Upper Duke-
street, for the purpose of forming a branch of the Operative
Protestant Association for Abercromby and Rodney-street
wards.

The Rev. B. MARSHALL took the chair, and after prayer
had been offered by the Rev. W. W. Ewbank, he opened the
meeting by a few appropriate remarks. He said it had been
deemed advisable that associations should be attached to the
different wards in the borough, that we might have machi-
nery to work out our principles with more effect. St. Mark's
Association was the oldest branch of the parent society in
Liverpool, and it had been found to work so well, that other
churches bad followed the example, and from one step to
another, we bad arrived at a systematic plan of dividing the
whole town into wards, and in each of those wards dif-
fusing Protestant principles. 'The Church of Rome was
carrying on a system of aggression, not merely against the
liberties and principles, but against the persons of all who
opposed her. But when her great guns were brought down
here,-such as Dr. Butler, it chewed that some alarm was felt
in the enemy's camp, that the leaven of Protestantism was
actively working among the mass of the people, and that the
priests felt it necessary to use exertions of some kind, for
they generally avoided anything like controversy upon the
doctrines of their church.—The rev. gentleman, at consider-
able length, then contrasted the Church of England with the
Romish apostacy, and told the meeting that it was not enough
for them to know the truth which was taught by one church,
but they must practise and diffuse it. At the close of his
address the rev. gentleman exhibited a sword, the property
of a gentleman, a member of his congregation, one of whose
ancestors fought under Scbomberg, and was present at the
closing of the gates of Derry. With that before them, they
might in this day call out "No surrender." (Cheers.)
The Rev. D. JAMES seconded the resolution. It recog-
nised in the first place, that popery had made great advances
in this country of late years ; and in the next, that the as-
pect it assumed at the present moment was such as made it
imperative upon all protestants to unite in defence of the
British constitution ; and further, that it was our duty to
use all legitimate means to restore that constitution to its
previous character and spirit. It would be out of his way to
enter into a detail of those facts which went to prove that
popery had made great advances in this country of late years,
the fact itself was so obvious. It met us at every turn, and
wheresoever we went. It was his lot to have spent twenty-
six years of his life without having seen a Rotnish chapel, or
falling into company with a ,Roman Catholic clergyman or
layman ; but it would now be very difficult for a man, except
he had the misfortune of being locked up in Bridewell, not
to see evident proofs of the progress of Popery every year
in his life.

A Voice.—And in prison too. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. JAMES resumed. If he had the misfortune to be
thrown into prison, too, with our friend Gregg, he should
have seen the same effects. (Cheers.) But Gregg was out
to tell his own tale (cheers), and he was out with this advan-
tage—that it was admitted upon the part of those who had
imprisoned him, that they had thrown him into prison ille-
gally. (Great cheers.) The advances of Popery, he said,
were to be seen to a greater extent here than they could be seen
as yet in the Principality. It was his lot to have spent the
years to which he had referred in South Wales; but in
North Wales, he heard, a movement was going on in the
present day which he thought called upon the inhabitants
to be upon their guard against the insinuating spirit which
was beginning to spread from one end of the country
to the other ; Popish chapels being erecting in anticipation
of a Papist population, and with the hope of making
converts of those poor simple people who had hitherto had
the gospel preached to them in its purity. However, they
would have something to do before they could make advances
in that part of the United Kingdom, because they must first
obtain a knowledge of the language so as to be able to speak
it with great fluency. The inhabitants of the Principality
were better acquainted with the Bible than with any book in
existence ; they were well versed in the Scriptures, and
though they might not altogether live up to those principles,
it would be difficult to persuade them that the admission of
contrary principles would benefit them either in this world or
in the world to come. So far, he promised himself the con-
solation of seeing the struggle going on in that country w ith-
out great success on the part of popish priests. (Hear,
hear.) But in England it was different. It was in vain to
conceal the fact that Popish priests were making converts,
and that they were wearing away the strong Protestant prin-
ciples from the minds of gentlemen who still remained
members of the Church of England, but who willingly ad-
vanced them money to erect Popish chapels and schools.
Seeing, then, these advances, we might learn one lesson
from the conduct of the Romanists. They never gave
up a point—they never sacrificed a principle—they never
gave in, whatever. .suffering they might endure, because
they felt it their duty to stand up for their religion. 'We,
Protestants, must do the same. (Loud cheers.) Hi-
therto we had conceded one point after another, but we
must in future act upon the resolution adopted by Papists
themselves—to concede no point—to give up no principle—
and to stand up in defence of our church, her creed, and her
articles, to the last. (Great cheers.)
The resolution was then carried.
The Rev. W. W. EWDANK moved the next resolution.
One part of the duty of ministers of the gospel was to preach
the gospel as the gospel. of peace, but it was only part of it.
The other was thus expressed by a poet who was a country-
man of his friend Mr. James
Woe to that shepherd who will not keep
From Rornish wolves his sheep,
With staff and weapon strong."
(Cheers.) This was an excellent commentary upon the
scriptural duty of Christian clergymen under this aspect ;
therefore we were not afraid of being considered political.
(Hear.) It was a fact which could be proved by history,
that England was not originally Popish—that the gospel
preached here was not mixed with Popish superstitions, but
consisted of the pure doctrines of the Word of God. This
was capable of real, substantial, and historical proof; and it
was essential it should be established, because Roman Ca-
tholics were always anxious to make us believe that Rome
was really our mother, and therefore it was our duty to be
obedient sons to that mother, and that we had revolted from
the allegiance which we properly owed to the Pope of Rome.
This was not the fact, and it could be proved by reference to
past history. (Hear, hear.) It was a positive fact that
there were three—Protestant he might call them, because
they protested in their day against error and superstition as
truly as we did in ours—bishops from this country, at a
Christian council in the year 314 after Christ. (Hear.) When
was Popery introduced into this country, even in its most
mild and modified form? He was not speaking of Popery in
the reign of Henry the Second, or of that grosser form of it
acknowledged by the council of Trent, or that Popery which
murdered our bishops in the reign of Mary, but of Popery
before it became so bad as it was now. He was speaking of
Popery. It was introduced by the monk Augustine in the
seventh century.
A VOICE.--It was in the eighth century.
Mr. EWBANK, in continuation, said that was so much the
better. Another historical fact connected with this subject
was this :—The Saxons were victorious over the Britons,
and drove them into the mountains and fastnesses of the
country. The true church of Christ, however it was first
introduced into this country, of which there was no exact
and particular proof, existed before that among the Britons, and
when Augustine came over to establish Popery, he attempted
to convert the Saxons, and he succeeded. The consequence
was that the bishops and clergy of the Britons, properly
speaking, protested against the Popish heresy of that day, as
we now did at this very hour. Indeed, they actually refused
to eat and drink, or to have any conversation with, those who
held the doctrines of Augustine, because he had mixed up
the true religion with idolatry and superstition. These were
encouraging facts to look upon, because they taught us that
we owed nothing to Rome, and that we never had anything
to do with her, except when she had polluted and defaced
the fair form of Christisnity—(cheers)—and when she
took away from us the Bible, which was our birth-
right, and gave us instead nothing but her own fatal
superstitions. (Long continued cheers. The resolution
entrusted to him was, " That this meeting cannot but
regard it as sinful in a Protestant government to grant
any sum of public money towards the support of a sys-
tem which is avowedly the enemy of Protestantism, and in-
directly the foe of civil and religious liberty." (hear, hear.)
In supporting this resolution, the Rev, gentleman ably con-
trasted the tolerant spirit of the Church of England, as ex-
hibited in her articles and creeds with the persecuting princi-
ples of the Church of Rome, as laid down in her authorized
inclards, and concluded tialoLt effective speech amidst plu-
ral applause.
Mr. RATCLIFFE, in seconding the resolution, said he would
mention a circumstance, in which he and the Rev. Dr. But-
ler, the Roman Catholic priest now engaged in delivering lec-
tures in St. Anthony's chapel, were concerned. 'He (Mr.
Radcliffe) was tempted one evening to go and hear the Rev.
doctor. He did not, however, pay anything to go in, as he
had a conscientious objection to it. He told the man at the
door that he had no objection to hear the lecture, but that he
could not conscientiously give one farthing towards the sup-
port of Popery. " How then is the chapel to be supported"
asked the man. " I have nothing to do with that," he (Mr.
Ratcliffe) replied, and eventually he was allowed to go in free,
Previously to his Mr. Baylee had sent a challenge to Dr. But-
ler, who had not condescended to answer it; and he (Mr.
Ratcliffe) therefore took the liberty of writing a note to Dr.
Butler anonymously, not that he was ashamed of his name,
but because he knew they would not like him at St. Anthony's
as well as they liked holy water. That note gave great of-
fence to Dr. Butler, for in consequence of it he attacked
him (Mr. R.) from the pulpit. A person was sent to watch
him ; he went to the front of the gallery, and when
the rev. doctor got in his pulpit after a few preliminary re-
marks he said, " I have just received, a very impertinent
letter from agentleman who has insulted mein my own place of
worship. Is it come to this," he said, to the congregation,
" that you will allow Protestant heretics to insult a Catholic
clergyman in his own church ? That is the gentleman,"
said he, " sitting in the front of the gallery [pointing at
him] who has insulted me •, he is M`Neile's clerk." Dr.
Butler said he (Mr. R.) had insulted him by calling him a
Romanist. He had no intention of insulting the rev. gen-
tleman, but he called him a Romanist for this reason ; he
could not conscientiously call him a Catholic, and would not
call him Papist, because he knew that term was offerisitv hee,
therefore he used the term " Romanist." This
gave
doctor mighty offence, for he said he would have him sent to
'
the tread-mill to learn better manners, and he also told the
people lo treat him with contempt. When the lecture was
over, the people were waiting outside for him, in
ated state, and no doubt he would have got bri an
okenilbon duri.
from them, but two priests of a better stem than Dr. But-
ler, p
to their honour be it spoken, seeing the danger he was
in, told the people to go away. At last he was conducted
through the vestry into the chapel-yard. past the priest's
house, and in that manner he escaped. He would now read
the note, that the meeting might judge whether he had in-
sulted Dr. Butler :

" TO THE REV. DR. BUTLER.
" Rev. you be kind enough to inform your
audience this evening why you have not
accepted the chal-
lenge of the Rev. Mr. Baylee ? Be assured that, unless You
both can give some satisfactory reason, your audience,
Pro"