The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-25 00:00:00

a new

MISSIONS

IN IRELAND.

PUBLIC MEETING LAST NIGHT,

A public meeting was held in the Collegiate Institution
last night, at seven o'clock, for the purpose of receiving a
deputation in behalf of the Ballenglen Agricultural Schools,
consisting of the Rev. Dr. Dill, of Kerry, and the Rev. J.
Campbell, of Melrose. In the absence, from illness, of
Edward Cropper, Esq., Charles Inman, Esq., took the
chair. He apologised for Mr. Cropper, who was warmly
interested in the mission which they were that night
assembled to aid.
The proceedings having been opened with prayer,
The Chairman, in a few preliminary words, quoted the
celebrated lines of the poet Moore, and asked why Ireland
was not great and glorious ? Why did we hear of famine,
wretchedness, and crime? Ireland was not great and
glorious, because she was not free—because she had got
neither civil nor religious liberty. For that people could
not enjoy civil liberty who were driven to the polling
booth by the priests, and subjected in every thing they
did to the domiaion of Rome.
The liberty of England
was based upon the Bible, which was the only true fog nda-
tion of national freedom and prosperity. (Cheers.)
The Rev. Dr. DILL said be hoped that ere twenty years
had rolled over their heads they would find Ireland, in a
nobler and more exalted sense than was ever dreamt of by
her native poet, " great, glorious, and free." Not many
months had elapsed since his beloved native land seemed
to have been totally abandoned by God. First came the
famine, by which a million of his countrymen were laid in
the tomb ; then set in the tide of emigration, which carried
away two millions more; that terrible famine having been
succeeded by the "year ofassassinations," in which troops
crowded the country, and when the work of blood went
on most awfully. God, in his wrath, seemed to have aban-
doned them, and the people stood paralysed in despair.
But, wonderful were the ways of God ; and the fa-
mine, he felt assured, had set on foot a chain of influ—
ences which must eventually regenerate Ireland. The
mission whose cause he came that night to advocate
extended over the province of Munster, and the
counties of Kerry and Connaught, where there was
a miserable population, who for long years had
been subjected to all the direst miseries of that
land where the people, in their own poetical language,
had often been necessitated to subsist on no more than
" bare light and cold water." Let they who were em-
bowered in blessings remember that he did not now speak
of a people in the jungles of Africa, but of a population
who lived within a few hours of the English shores, and
who ought to be enjoying all the blessings of the benign
reign of Victoria. Their ills arose entirely from the want_
of the blessed Word of God, kept from them by the Romish
priests ; for well had it been remarked that England owed
its freedom to the Bible. And, oh ! that our Brights and
our Knights of Netherby would only bear in mind that it
was the Reformation which was the source of Britain's
greatness. Before the Reformation, what was Britain
but a paltry island of the sea ? And not till the dawn
of that glorious era did the sun of her prosperity shine
out, tilt now her banner floats over every land, while her
ships plough every sea. The speaker then drew a picture
of the backward state of Ireland as compared with England
—delineating those wild wastes where no factories arose
and where no wheels were revolving. Far different, in-
deed, was the aspect of Ulster, where the word of God bad
free course, and was glorified ? But of Ireland they were
now able to say, that with the famine came the mercy of
God—mercy sprung out of the judgment. Reverting to
the famine of 1847, he asserted that the world had never
witnessed a more glorious spectacle of sublime benevo-
lence than that which was exhibited towards the Irish by -
England. Though he was well aware of the Scottish and
English benevolence before, he, for one, never expected
such a torrent of charity as was poured into his poor
afflicted country in 1847, not only from the ehurches but
from the theatres and concert-rooms and other places of
amusement. But while they had English bread in their
mouth they repaid England next year with a rebellion,—
a rebellion originated' by the priests, who hailed the
advent of the continental revolutions with joy, thinking
that England might become embroiled, and that England's
difficulty would be their opportunity. As regards the
Irish people--with all their gushing, buoyant bosoms of
gratitude—they saw that they had been cajolled by the
priests ; that the English were their true friends, and not
their enemies,as they had been taught tobelieve. (Cheers.)
The speaker next entered into a description of their ope-
rations, in which they thought it most efficient to unite
industrial and Scripture education. Notwithstanding the
simple and benevolent object of their mission, the priests
had hailed it with curses, and incited the people to the
grossest violence—those very priests who were nursed in
the lap of Government favour. As a specimen of this,
he quoted a couplet from a ballad, the authorship of
7-1-* ti had been acknowledged by a priest in a public
. This ballad was an address to some shoemaker,
named Donald Montgomery, who had rendered himself
conspicuous in the work of persecution, and one of the
verses thus began : _

Stab and bore him
Behind and before him,
Your lapstone will floor him,
Brave Donald Montgomery !"

The priests in English towns might assume the airs of
martyrs, and walk the English streets with a bland smile
of resignation, as if they were alone the friends of liberty
—Rome might start her Vixdicafors and her Free Presses
on British ground—but still they certainly would not be
imposed on by the artfulness of the Papists, who always
knew how to conform to circumstances. In refer-
ence to the industrial department of the mission,
Dr. Dill related many interesting particulars, prov-
ing that, while the girls performed their work with great
taste, it originated in their bosoms that noble feeling of
independence which the Popish consecration of begging
had nearly driven from Ireland. Reviewing the various
schemes in connexion with the missions, such as the
savings banks for the cultivation of provident habits, the
speaker concluded by asserting that the joint result of
Protestant evangelisation and Popish emigration would be
to leave the priests high and dry; to infuse social, com-
fort and religious freedom in Rome's British stronghold ;
and, in less than twenty years, to make Ireland " great,
glorious and free." (Loud cheers.)
The Ray. J. CAMPBELL, of Melrose, said Ireland had
had her night of weeping, but now she was about to wit-
ness the morning of joy. With regard to their mission
for the west of Ireland, their schools were rude and ele-
mentary, but they were precisely the schools needed in
the circumstances. They had one central school, con-
nected with which there was a model farm, the whole
being under the charge of two Scotchnaen, and producing
considerable benefit. Dr. Duff, the celebrated missionary
and one of the best practical educators, had visited them in
the courseof last year, when he had noticed twogreat defects,
and to remove these defects was now their most earnest
desire. One of them consisted in the fact that the
children attending the schools were mostly girls, and that
there were very few boys. The estates were now in the
Encumbered Estates Court, and it was most desirable
that they should be enabled to purchase them, for which
purpose they would require £4OOO, another £lOOO being
necessary for the erection of the requisite buildings. The-
first advantage derived from the accomplishment of this
would be the rendering of their institution permanent.
In the second place, they might then make the institution
self-supporting, and be enabled as well to provide an in-
ducement to the parents to send their boys as well as the
girls. As to the constitution of the association, it was pro-
posed to appoint four trustees—two to be nomi,:,•,ied lu
Scotland, and two in England. Lord Panmure and
Mr. Maitland had agreed to act as the Scottish trustees;
and Lord Shaftesbury had almost consented to represent
I England in conjunction with Mr. Peto, M.P. Mr.
Campbell then passed to an expression of his hopes
with regard to Ireland. Popish Ireland, and not Ire-
land herself, had been the curse of Britain ; and soon
he hoped she would become, instead of a disgrace, a crown
to Britain. (Cheers). Let them proceed in their work
of educating the people, and leave the government to do
what they please with regard to the priests. (Applause.)
Parliament had all along mistaken the seat of Ireland's
ills. In Scotland they acknowledged the deep debt they
owed to that country, Whiah had uvet yet got its Refor:.
mation. They were bigoted enou4h la the noren, but it:
the matter of regenerating Ireland the Presbyterians had
warmly united with the Episcopalians, and he hoped they
would do the same in England. (Applause.)
The Rev. Dr. BIRREL moved the first resolution, to the
effect that, after hearing the information supplied by the
deputation, the meeting highly approve of the project, and
cordially commend it to the sympathy and aid of the
benevolent people of Liverpool. (Cheers.) Let them,
by their practical approval of this resolution, convince
Ireland that in Protestantism there was a unity more rear
than that of which the Romish Church boasted. (Cheers.)
The Rev. SAMUEL MINTON seconded the resolution.
which he did with great cordiality, glad as he always was

to have the opportunity of supporting a movement,. from

whatever party it emanated, which had for its objict the
carrying of the Word of God to the Irish people.
Quoting a variety of extracts from the published ora-
tions of Dr. -Newman and the favourite Romanist pub.
lications, which claimed for Rome the merit of being the
defender of civil and religious liberty, Mr. Minton,in a hu-
morous and effective speech, exposed their fabrications,
with a view to confirm the impressions which. had been ori-
ginated by Dr. Dill, in his eloquent address. The
speaker closed his observations with a variety of useful
practical hints as to the conducting of the work.
The Rev. V. M. WHITE, who apologized for the absence
of Mr. West, and expressed that gentleman's warm inter-
est in the mission, next addressed the meeting. The
resolution had been proposed by a Scotsman, seconded
by an Englishman, and it might not be considered
out of place, if he, an Irishman, supported it. He
concluded by intimating that one gentleman on the plat-
form had requested him to put his naat.oe therkoenwi
se been
scription list for £25, another name having
handed in for an equal amount. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN intimated that the donor of the hand:
some gift was Mr. Cropper.
The proceedings closed with a cordial vote of thanks to
the Chairman, proposed by Mr. NEILSON and seconded
by the Rev, Mr. WHITE.

ERICSSON Will make her first
. u
Atlantic to London,
intended. instead of to this
vport,Tyahgeaes acrossCA
originally
BANF.O Or ENGLAND NOTES are not a legal tender in
Australia, and several persons have had to pay 20 per,
cent. discount to get them cashed there.
THE U. S. ARCTIC EXPLORING EXPEDITION.—Actire
preparations are making in the United States to fit our
the second exploring expedition, proposed to be sent to
the Arctic Regions, in search of Sir John Franklin, by
Ur. Henry Grinnell. Its departure is fixed for about
the 'middle of April. It will consist of the brig Advance,
which formed a part of the first expedition, and is still in
perfect order, with the exception of her keel, which was
knocked off by the ice. It is expected that she will be
taken into the dry dock in about three weeks. She"
will be manned by a crew of picked men, under the com-
mand of Lieutenant Kane, U.S.N., and be amply provided
with sledges and Indiarubber boats, with which to pene-
trate into the frozen regions, using whichever mode of
conveyance may most facilitate their progress. Pemmican,
or dried deer's flesh, will form an essential article of food.
On her northerly trip the Advance will stop at Greenland.
and procure a supply of dogs. The sledges, and other
details of the outfit, are in course of preparation. The
direction to be taken will be the region of Smith's Sound;
and, as the expedition will be accompanied by a corps of
scientific observers, interesting results of a scientific na.
tore are anticipated, even though the expedition should
fail of its object.