The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-12-28 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

IRELAND.

On Sunday, Mr. Talbot, of Mount Talbot, Roscom-
mon, was shot at on his own demesne while returning
from church, but escaped unhurt.
The Irish privy council sat on' Thursday at the Castle
of Dublin, the Lord-Lieutenant presiding, when the pro-
clamation bringing the Coercion Act into immediate ope-
ration in the disturbed districts was adopted unanimously.
COUNTY RoscoMMoN.—The Packet has an account of
another attempt to murder in the neighbourhood of
Strokestown. The time selected was when the intended
victim was returning from church on Sunday.

A GOOD PRECEDENT.—The late Lord of kilwarden, at
the Summer Assizes of 1802, in the county of Meath, held
at Trim, committed a Roman Catholic prieat for the con-
tumacy of not revealing the confession of a criminal.
So violent was the storm of Friday last i❑ the counties
of Tipperary and Limerick, that the driver of the Dublin
mail coach was blown off the box near Nenagh, but for-
tunately escaped any severe hurts.

On Sunday night week, as Major M`Lean, late of the
British Artillery Legion in Spain, was returning from
Shannon Harborn to his residence, he was fired at from
behind a wall. He escaped, though he heard the ball
whiz past his head.
AWFUL MURDER.—On the night of Monday. a most
brutal attack was made on a carman, named Hennelly,
near the bridge, in this town, by some ruffians, who lay
in wait for him. Together with fracturing him in two
places, they broke his jaw in pieces. The assassins were
pursued, and two or them were taken. The poor man
soon died of his wounds.—Casllebar Telegraph.
Dr. Maginn, (Bishop of Orthozia) has written a mon-
ster letter to Lord Stanley, in reply to the no-Jle lord's
speech in Ireland. With respect to denunciations from
the altar, the honest doctor is, of course, very indignant.
He, however, does not deny them ; but confines himself
to enquiring of Lord Stanley where he acquired his infor-
mation of the existence of things so incredible.
THE RELIGIOUS THUGS.—In the case of " Boyle v.
Matlaughen," which came before the Irish King's Bench
in Easter Term. 1810, excommunication was issued by a
Roman Catholic bishop against one of his flock on a most
frivolous cause ; but in cases of deliberate and cold-
blooded murder, thes dignitaries have not— 37 years later
—moved a finger against the murderers, or the accessa-
ries before or after the fact.
- -rue arendetteonry of
Elphin is now vacant by the nomination of the Rev.
L. H. Strean to a benefice in the diocese of Chester. He
is considered truly fortunate in his promotion to an English
benefice, particularly in these times, when many of the
clergymen in the diocese he now takes his leave of would
deem themselves most fortunate were they to receive ap-
pointments to benefices in England, even of moderate
income.—Dublin Herald.

CURIOUS FACT.-A few days ago as the Castle Freke
hounds were running, they pup up a covey of sixteen par-
tridges, and immediately after an immense flock of them
rote, over fifty in number. They were on the edge of the
cliff just over the sea; and it was remarked that not a
partridge was seen this year or the last about this country.
Could these be migratory ? It seems likely and that they
came from a distance, and were going to undertake their
sea voyage to some southern climate.—Cork Paper. _

LAMENTABLE SHIPWRECK AND Loss OF LlFE.—lhir-
ine-, the storm of Friday night last, the schooner Ida, of
Newry, John Bannon, master, bound from Runcorn to
Newry with a cargo of rock salt, was driven into Dundrum
Bay. The violence of the gale drove the hapless vessel on
a sand bank, opposite to Tyrella, where she capsized, and
the master and a crew of five persons were drowned. The
schooner has since gone to pieces, and two of the bodies
been washed ashore.—Newry Telegraph.
REPEAL ASSOCIATION.—The usual meeting took place
on Monday, Mr. Timothy O'Brien, M.P., in the chair.
Mr. John O'Connell was present and made some half-
dozen speeches—he abused the traitors from the Repeal
camp who voted in favour of the " coercion bill," appealed
to the ever-to-be-humbugged people of Ireland, to sup-
port the association by contributions to its funds, and
praised John Reynolds for his efforts in the cause of his
country since he entered parliament. The rent for the
week was, at four o'clock. announced to be £l9 17s. 4d.

QUEEN'S COUNTY,—The agrarian conspiracy is extend-
ing. The Queen's County is now infested. One of the
best landlords in Ireland, Sir Charles Coote, has been
served with a threatening notice, which was followed by a
friendly caution not to remain in Baliyfin-house, but go
off and spend the Christmas beyond the reach of the bul-
lets cast for the purpose of destroying his life. His agent,
Captain Sandes, has also been served with a notice to quit
on pain of death. It appears that the crime of Sir Charles
is his demanding rent from tenants well able to pay.
THE REIGN OF TERROR !—SIR RICHARD O'DONNELL
DENOUNCED BY THE PRIESTS AND THE ASSASSINS.—It
is a most humiliating duty to have to record the degrading
fact that one of the best landlords in this benighted country
has—after being denounced from the altar !—been threat-
ened with death and the destruction of his property. The
Mayo constitution tells us that Priest Grogan denounced
Sir Richard two days prior to the receipt of the threatening
notices, and at a time when the worthy baronet was absent
in Dublin, applying for a loan of £12,000, under the
Drainage Act, for the purpose of extending his operations.

.
AWFUL DEPRAVITY.—TweIve men have been arrested
on a charge of being implicated in the murder of the late
Rev. Mr. Lloyd. The boy who was in the gig has posi-
tively identified a man named Donohoe at the actual mur-
derer, and it appears that this man was hired for the
pvrpose; seven pounds were subscribed by the tenants of
the deceased rev- gentleman who lived on that part of hia
property that he bad only a life interest in ' • that sum, or
five pounds of it was paid beforehand to the murderer,
and, it is said, in presence of his wife. How awfully de-

prayed such a person must be to take the life of any per-
son, and particularly a man of whom he knew nothing,
for such a sum—or for any sum.
AN INFANT BURIED ALIVE BY ITS MOTHER.—On the
7th instant, Bridget Nolan, lately a nurse in the Carlow
Lunatic Asylum, was committed to gaol on a fearful
charge of infanticide. It appears that on the evening of
her arrest she left her lodging, with her infant child,
about six weeks old, late in the evening. Suspecting her
design, a woman, who lodged in the same house, followed
her as far as Graigne, where she heard the infant crying,
and, of course, alive, but lost sight of the mother. She
returned about an hour after without the infant, and was
arrested by the police on information. She stated that
she had drowned the child, but, on a closer examination,
she confessed she had buried it in a field, to which the po-
lice proceeded, and found the body.—Carlow Sentinel.
SHIPWRECK.—On the 17th instant, an East Indiaman,
the Charlotte, Captain John Hawkins, from Bombay, for
Liverpool, laden with cotton, gum, &c., made the Crook-
haven Light ; but owing to the violence of the gale, and
the haziness of the weather, the light was seen but indis-
tinctly i it was, hOwever, unfortunately, again mistaken
for the Old Head of Kinsale, and the channel course
steered accordingly, when, in a short time, land was dis-
I covered a-head. The captain endeavoured to wear the
ship, but in vain ; he then had no resource to save the
vessel and the lives of the crew but to cast anchor and cut
away all the masts and rigging, which, in going over-
board, injured the deck of the vessel. She fortunately
cast anchor in good holding ground between Long Island
and the Western Calf. The coast 'guards attempted,
in the course of the day, to board her; but • owing
to the violence of the gale were obliged to put back, one
of the boats from our fishing establishment also got so far
as Long Island, but there being a tremendous sea outside,
it could proceed no further. The poor fellows, how-
ever, being encouraged to persevere in their endea-
vours to give assistance to the vessel and crew, succeeded
about 12 o'clock at night—though at the peril of their
lives—in getting on board, and after some time the Capt.
came on shore and stopped the remainder of the night at
a cottage. Four boats and twenty men fromntliegaisnlineeriy.
are now towing the Charlotte into Long la
It is shi tfaht. Ntecraoarss,tienapgshuteil.inaer
Rock l coincidenceWhitney,
IslandnetLheiargthsttz ItwiftaYECrdia°4:3.ptu
tee
Capt.lliekaer
Hawkin's chart, which is another proof—if proofs were
required—that the Cape Clear Light is useless, and the
Rock Island Light much worse. The Charlotte is a vessel
of 450 tons burthen, and belongs to Messrs. Eggington,
Sons, and Co., of Hull ' • she sailed from Bombay on the
31st of August last, and had a fine passage until within
the last day or two. Another vessel, the Mary Jane,
marked on her stern, but from what port unknown, laden
with deals, railway sleepers, and staves, went on shore
yesterday morning, at. GAM Lemcon, and
be—
came a total wreck.—Cork paper.

DENUNCIATIONS FROM THE ALTAR.
(From the Times.)
John, Archbishop of Tuam, has at length come forward
as the apologist of the denouncing priests of Ireland.
When such is the excuse offered in their behalf, what
must not have been the conduct of the Roman Catholic
clergy ? Dr. M'Hale has artistically put his points toge-
ther. He has permitted his own consciousness of the real
state of the case to slip out. He has stamped out of our
minds the last lingering suspicion that perhaps the accu-
sation against the Roman Catholic priests had been over-
charged. " If, religion," says the reverend gentleman,
" were entirely out of the question, good taste and a sense
of propriety should check the use of language of which
the awkward fashion is sometimes as reprehensible as the
idea which it may convey." There is nothing like an ex-
ample. Let us apply this canon to the instance of Mr.
M`Dermott. We quite agree with Dr. M`Hale in think-
ing that good taste and a sense of propriety should have
induced the mild divine to abstain from denouncing Ma-
jor Mahon from the altar. We must, however, entirely
dissent from the position that Mr. M`Dermott is as open
to criticism on literary as on moral grounds. The ana-
thema was well thundered out. Sharp, clear, and effect-
ive, it went home to his hearers' hearts. " This man is
like Cromwell, and he still lives." Could Victor Hugo
or Alexander Dumas have made a better point ? The
priest did his work right well.
There is a trick in Dr. M`Hale's writing which be
shares in common with most of his countrymen of modern
times either as writers or as speakers. He begins by lay-
ing down such a doctrine as this :—" Of course no provo-
cation can excuse the hideous crimes of some of the pea-
santry." There is the whole quintessence of ethics in
phrase. But next follows a string of propositions like
these :-1. Murder is abominable. 11. Murder is hate-
ful. 111. Murder is disagreeable. IV. Murder is not
quite right. V. Murder is justifiable. VI. Murder is
praiseworthy. VII. Murder is the very thing that Ire-
land wants. Irish peasants have vivid imaginations, and
when a man like Dr. WHale is set over them to exhibit
such a moral kaleidescope as the above, who shall wonder
at such results ?
The position of the clergy in Roman Catholic Ireland
and Protestant England is a subject of contrast in the
Archbishop's letter. This, in fact, is its staple. The
end of either is, or should be, the same,—goodwill,
charity, and peace amongst mankind. See, however, the
awkward position in which a Roman Catholic priest is
placed. A Protestant clergyman in England can afferd
to indulge his feelings and inculcate the softer virtues.
He can just venture to insinuate into his hearers' minds
that the mart of vi:l;:ht heart and bloody band Will find

no favour in the sight of Heaven. He may hint at
humanity and suggest resignation to the Divine will.
Not so the Roman Catholic priest—always according to
Archbishop M'Hale, be it understood—their flocks are
like 'their country's post-horses. If the parish priest
would urge them up that path which is represented to us
as both steep and thorny, and get them to make a fair
start, he must adopt vigorous measures. He must give
them a burn with the poker, or they won't budge. They
are all sores under the collar, and will not advance with-
out a strong inuendo. He must take his congregation
by their heroical weaknesses. He must diet them on
hard theology, as younc, Spartans were nurtured on black
broth. There is no chance of rendering them invulner-
able, as Achilles was of old, but to dip them into the
infernal stream. Hear Archbishop M'Hale :
" It is not to extenuate crime •, that is out of the
question, but within the range of lawful regimens it
might as well be said that the ordinary dietary suited to.a
sound man is also fitted for one in the last stage of sick-
ness and exhaustion, as that the same course of instruc-
tion and discipline adapted to the well-adjusted relations
of English society would be equally efficacious in restor-
ing the shattered form of society in Ireland. All I can
say is, that from all your Lordship could read and hear of
the cruelties, endured by the Irish peasantry, and indicted
by those from whom position and education some huma-
nity should be expected, you would have no idea of the
state of Ireland, or the difficult and anomalous position
in which the Catholic clergy are placed."
We very heartily concur with the next sentence of the
Archbishop's letter. He prays that we may belong igno-
rant in England of such a state of things as renders
necessary the lofty tone of Roman Catholic pulpit oratory
in Ireland. We should, however, feel much more obliged
to his grace if we supposed him to be quite in earnest.
This wish for our welfare amongst Celtic rhetoricians
implies its opposite. It is like the whining salvo which
would salute you as you were departing from Tuam on
Bianconi's car. Archbishop M'Hale knows best how
soon the blessing is converted into a curse if charity
refuses the blackmail levied upon her by idleness and
mendicity.

Ills grace tells us again that he is Fut following the ex-
ample of the great St. Gregory. The reference to. St.
Gregory is perhaps not the least curious feature in the
archbishop's composition. As he would be sure to say we
misquoted him, if we gave merely the actual substance of
his remarks, we will give his very words :

. .
" No, my lord; in these reflections I am only feebly
copying those precepts of wisdom to which the ancient
fathers of the church, and especially the great St. Gregory,
gave expression. He tells us that the mode and topics of
address suited to one may not be applicable to another.
He illustrates this judicious and seasonable variety of
treatment by a reference to the different state of the human
constitution, and the same may be said of different states
of society."

Now. with all due submission, it appears to us that this
clinical theology is "pessinzi exempli." Fancy lodging in
a priest's hands the indefinite power of allegory, when his
ignorant hearers take the images for facts. " Ah, boys,"
says a reverend gentleman from the altar, "the squire up
at the big hoUse, that turned Mike out of his notato patch,
is like a man in a fever, and they say cold steel, or a slug
or so, is good in that disease." Another landlord is com-
pared to a dropsical patient who requires tapping. The
intestinal arrangements of a third are represented as hav-
ing fallen into disorder, and leeches are suggested. If this
really was St. Gregory's way of treating his subject, we
can only say. the more it is avoided in modern times the
better, especially for the sake of those who are the reality
of the tropes and figures of the pulpit orator.
Take, in fact, this letter of Dr. M`Hale, from first to
last, and a more damning sentence upon the proceedings
of the Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland it would be im-
possible to imagine. Conceive this burly controversialist
having recourse to paltry subterfuge and sidewinds if he
had a leg to stand upon. "My Lord Archbishop"—says
Lord Surrey and Arundel—•` where is the boasted disci-
pline of the Catholic Church ? How is it that men so im-
prudent, if not so wicked, are not suspended from their
spiritual functions ?" This point has certainly struck
very many men as well as Lord Surrey. Here is the
Archbishop's answer :—" Vague charges, originating with
the bitter calumniators of the Catholic Church, and widely
circulated through those adverse organs, cannot be deemed
accusations on which any canonical proceedings can be
founded." The rest of his letter is occupied in palliating
the denunciations which the Archbishop would thus affect
to doubt. The man in the three kingdoms who is more
fully aware than all others of the truth of the accusation
against the Roman Catholic priests, is probably the present
correspondent of Lord Arundel and Surrey—Archbishop
M` Hale.