The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-16 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF POPERY.—In a recent number of the
Stockport Advertiser there appeared an extract from a
private journal, containing an account of a Popish
mis-
sionary. meeting at Rome, which affords a strong cor-
roborative proof of the ceaseless and. indefatigable ef-
forts now making by the Church of Rome to regain her
ascendancy in various Protestant States of Europe.
• • 1:4-7, •!t.
One of the speakers, who delivered the result of his
• " .44
missionary labours in England, thus speaks of the apathY.
dlffifiq
which is now so prevalent among the Protestants, and •
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their proselyting system with so much success. This
71,that,
Jesuit missionary speaks of Stockport in the following
:tat&
terms:—
*3? ,244=
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"A very favourable circumstance," he said, "to be noticed
here is. that all opposition from the heretics has long ceased,
There is none. In fact, the feeling of those who are attached
to the principles of the party now in power in England is one
of decided preference for the true church to the system of spi-
ritual error there established."

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After detailing the operations of the mission, and de-
scribing the !improvement of the chapel at Stockport,
and giving the number of Protestant (!) children who
passed through the school, the Jesuit missionary con-
tinued :
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"I'he heretics subscribed towards the enlargement of the •,1;
church, and some of those who were employed in building it '4
returned to the bosom of the church, an example which there
was great reason to suppose would be soon followed by one or
two others of influence in the town. Some have attained to
stations of confidence, and are thus increasing their influence;
others have obtained seats of honour in the local courts for 4., ir3cia67C
the v,overntnent of the town; and the priest assured me that
to be a member of the holy (Roman) catholic church, so far !OA ;.'1" ate
from being regarded as a matter of distrust and jealousy as
formerly, is now taken to be a sufficient qualification for the a
duties of any public office, not excluding those which are con- . "/ ""
netted with their heretical institutions; and in exercising 71T1
which, opportunities are afforded which they will one day .
know how to improve. The extent of their inffuence may be ' '
seen in the fact that, at the celebration of the Queen's coro-
nation, the (Roman) Catholics succeeded in placing their Oil-
dren next in order after those of the establishment, and before
all the other heretics." In conclusion, he assured his de-
lighted auditors, that "in the event of another such occasion,
the (Roman) Catholics shall take precedence of all others
throughout the empire; for if a persevering and unanimous
struggle on their part can effect it (and what can't it effect ?)
its sceptre shall not long be withheld by a professed heretic, "
but shall be placed again at the dispOsal of the holy church,
and the undoubted supremacy of Christ's vicar apostolic on. •
earth be established throughout those islands!"
Such is the language employed at Rome to describe '
qirE*
the prospects of Popery in England. Such are the ,
schemes which the liberal pro-Popish journals of Li-:‘171•"11'iY I.‘“'
verpool, and of England generally, are labouring to
carry into effect. Is this, then, a time, we venture to
ask when Protestants should rest upon their arms, in- Y. 41
different to the issue of the mighty struggle now in r'°
progress? Is it not the bounden duty of every one .4 ;1341r
who loves the best interests of his country to exercise' r'4l'
the utmost vigilance in endeavouring to stem the flood' ;
which threatens once more to spread over the whole".
land, and to sweep before it every vestige of that reli- •
gious liberty which is the distinguishing characteristic
of Protestantism? Should we not rouse ourselves from :5•04/
our fatal slumbers, and vigorously oppose the tritun- " b
pliant march of this insidious enemy? If we' wanted ”14".g1
any fresh stimulus to urge the zeal of the Protestants
of this country to come forward more boldly than ever
in defence of the Established Church; we have it in the' 744 T
following powerful statement, which we transCribe, 7'o 111611
from the last number of Blackwood'S Makazirte .11414:111401
"It is well known that the Roman -Catholics' 1.-41•trrg3
England and Scotland took very little part in the agi'.,;•4l wsitils*C
tation which brought about the act of 1829. -After-the (I%iw :1144
suppression of the rebellion in -1715, when so manps“ag vt"
Roman Catholic families in the north of England item"' qollslll4
ruined, and when all the others very properly catire';'
under the close surveillance of tire government, -.very, °1
little indeed was done to disturb the Hanoverian ilv7i,lari3isi
nasty, save by the deluded but enthusiastic loyalists of: •JllPhriojil
the Highlands. But when the bold Rebellion of 1745'. vrivel 141
was suppressed, as the former had also been, the hopes .1,4 k -100 d
of the House of Stuart fell altogether, and the Roman--;
Catholics throughout Great Britain became more aritW 441011/
more attached to the reigning sovereigns, and more. •
anxious to gain confidence by displaying their loyalty` or:
and contentment. Generally, they took very' little!:.trol.:4l°l
part in political strife, and were alienated alinVW7fi',l asra't'
equally from both of the great parliamentary•iiarti.." -frig
When the measure for admitting them to the legishw 9el ,'"+s"
ture was taken up by the.whigs, they for-a long tithe-
recommended themselves and their •claims.chiefly by-
refraining from all participation in those democratic
expedients, and that Seditious turbulence on Which time
Irish entirely relied. At the period of the French Re,' ‘•
volution, most of the English and Scotch Roman Ca-
tholics
joined the ranks of the alarmists, and depre-
cated most strenuously the principles and practices of
their Irish brethren. In many counties, their influ-
ence, though great, was never exerted; in some it
was given to the tory candidates; they took very
interest, however, in the contests ; they attended
Court very little; they participated sparingly in the':
sports and expenses of other country gentlemen ; and
thus, while their wealth was increasing, their r-epect-:e-
-ability and local influence was increasing also. .Tithes.'!,
have now altered. The Roman Catholic§ now"
clearly their interest in the success of the liberals,'and- "7-
therefore, with very few exceptions, they have thrown
their weight into that scale,. and have joined in the
projects of Mr. O'Connell for the advancement of their
political power. How great that weight is in Eng-
, land alone, we wish now, before proceeding farther, to
, explain, because it has been too much underrated, and
because from its having been only lately brought into; '4;13.
use, it is not generally understood. - 7,-11
• f,
"In the peerage, the Roman Catholics number- the -:',.1"""
Duke of Norfolk, the Earls of Shrewsbury, Fingal],
and Newburgh; Lords Petre, Stourton, Stafford, Vaux,-
Arundel, Cliffords, Dormer, and Lovat ;• besides,
among the Scotch and Irish peers, who have votes id r•
the election of representatives in the Imperial
meld, the Earls of Traquair and Kenmore; Viscounts
Gormanston, Southwell, and Frankfort ; Lard Triinel- '
stown, Louth, Dunboyne, and French. Of these, Os-
pecially the peers of Parliament we-need scarcely add .
that they include some of the most wealthy and influ-
ential noblemen in the kingdom. Among the baronets- '
we find the following Roman Catholics, nearly ;all or •
whom may be ranked with the richest of the class to '
which they belong :—Sir C. Throkthortim, Sir. T.-
Gerard, Sir I'. Stanley, Sir T. Haggerston; Sir. E.
Blount, Sir H. Hunlocke, Sir C. Wolseley, Sir H.
Thitchborne, Sir Clifford Conateble,'Sir E. i'dostyn;
Sir F. Vincent, Sir T. Gage, Sir H. Bedinfield, Sir B.
Wrey, Sir J. Lawson, Sir J. Smythe, Sir J. Swirl- ,
burne, Sir E. Vavasour, &c.; and besides these, there
are many baronets of Ireland and Scotland we -might ,
mention, who profess the same religion. Again, in
the list of the wealthy landed gentry of England many,
very
,many, are Roman Catholics; and (as the follow-
ing specimens will show to our readers resident in va7
rious parts of the country) some of them are among
the most powerful proprietors in their respective coun-
ties. These names of opulent and ancient families are
selected from a much larger catalogue nowbefore.ns
Salvin, Constable, Maxwell, Mitforcl, Trafforci,Giffard,
Plowden, Weld, Silvertop, Blunt, StonOt,'Doughty, ,
Charlton, Canning, Ey ton, Howard of Corby, 'Howard ,
of Greystoke, Cary, Chichester, Langdale, Blundell, : ,
Standish, Dalton, Scarisbrick, Hales, Tempest, .Whe;
ble, Murnington, Lacy, Bodenham, Wright, Phillips,
Dighy, Best, Jones of Llawarth, Waterton, Eccleston,
Stapleton, Fitzlierlrert, Riddell, Clavering, Aston,
Talbot, Strickland, Rookwood, Walmsley, Middleton, ,
Scialainore, Berkley, Townley, &c. &c. There would
be no difficulty in naming several in this list and that
of the baronets above, with landed property to the
amount of £40,000 a-year, and a few wills even larger
incomes. .It is therefore clear that the Roman Catho-
lics of England (for to these we at present cimfine
ourselves) have at their disposal all the means neces-
sary to secure fOr their party great political importance
and power. Nor are these means entirely neglec.ted.
It is true that in the House of Commons the' Roman ,
Catholics number only forty, of whom no More than
six are English members ; but foi..the smallness of this
.
force it is very easy to account when it'iSretnembered.
that there are many Protestants as zealonsin.the work, ?
of innovation as the Roman Catholics';.could desires ,
wino are less liable to suspicion; and who, therefort;i4_,
not only have better chance at an clectiOn; but atsbare,,:ftt'l
in Parliament the best tools Popery could select.
is not difficult to understand that the influential
man Catholics of the West Riding are as willing W..,
support Sir George Strickland as one of their ovvri.„,;;
persuasion; and it is not very marvellous tlia.ol:l;,.ar
"liberal',' Roman Catholics of Nortliunib;.rlaasill!'
3,-
port Lord Howick, who declares for the pnniliilation 0i"
the Irish Church, as warmly
.as they .conlayosffirif
support any one even of their warmest Je,strits.,,Y•o:-..4'
votes of the pseudo-Protestant and of the avolyefOigig;il'
ro
man Catholic are to be exactly the same in ti;eg.°Pr
of Commons, common sense and policy dictate t 9.
Papists a preference for the former; sad, while bo
many 9f these convenient persons arcs to he fOutia..
there is no necessity fur cro-wding the House of Coils

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