The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-06-12 00:00:00

IRISH ISLAND AND COAST SOCIETt

A meeting in furtherance of the objects of this society
was held in the St. James's School-room, St. James's-
' road, on Friday evening. It was most reseectably at-
tended. Of the clergy, the following members were
present,—the Rev. Dr. M`Neile ; Messrs. Parry, Nolan,
Cowan, Barry, and Minton. The Rev. Mr. Lowe was
also present as a deputation from the society. Mr. J.
Lawrence and Mr. J. Grantham were among the lay
gentlemen present.
The Rev. F. PARRY, being called to the chair, opened
the proceedings by requesting the Rev. T. Nolan to offer
up a prayer, after which, he proceeded to the immediate
business deputed to him. He regretted the absence of
the Rev. Mr. Hampton, who was confined to his house
by indisposition, as also that of Mr. Samuel Holme,
whose absence was occasioned by the same lamented
cause. Having drawn attention to the usefulness o the
society, and its claims on the Christian public, the chair-
man was followed by the
Ilev. T. NOLAN, who, ire illustrating the difficulties and
discouragements which beset converts from Rome in the
sister kingdom, mentioned a case which had met his eye
that morning in a newspaper. The incident occurred in
Tralee :—A convert, of twelve or fourteen years' standing,
was seized with cholera, a short time ago, and when on
his death-bed, a rumour spread that he could not die
peaceably without seeing a priest ; one was sent for, but
on his arrival at the bedside of the dying man, the latter
declined his services, and expressed a wish to see the Rev.
Mr. Scott, the curate of the parish. This gentleman, ac-
companied by the rector, attended the summons, and met
the priest in the chamber of death. At this time a riotous
mob surrounded the house. To convince the people thus
assembled that he and his rev. brother were there by the
desire of the dying man, Mr. Scott wished a person to be
sent into the house from the crowd. This was done, arid
the man heard a corroboration of what Mr. Scott had
averred from the dying man's lips. Nevertheless, he re-
turned to his comrades and concealed the truth. Another
being deputed, however, proved more candid. Still the
scene was a deplorable one—the administration of the
Sacrament at a death-bed inset with unseemly uproar.
The Rev. Mr. LOWE entered into a minute and elabo-
rate detail of the operations of the society in the remote
region to which these operations were directei : it con-
sisted of a number of islands with the proximate coast,
and contained a population of 50,000 souls. The society
had fifty stations, some of which were situated in Antrim,
Mayo, Waterford, Donegal (where there were seven), &c.
&c., &c. It had, during its career of fourteen years, been
the means of making many converts. The rev. gentle-
man gave a very interesting account of the condition of
these islanders, whom he described as being chained down
by the most debasing superstitions ; indeed, their religion
was nothing less than a mixture of paganism and popery.
In one district, the people actually worshipped an image
they called Molest'. Such a saint did not exist in the
Roman kalendar ; and the women, under the convict ion
that this god could assuage the pangs of child-birth, were
in the habit of tearing shreds of wood from the back of
the idol, which they preserved about their person. With
same motives, large quantities of the earth over the grave
of a certain priest Rogers had been carried away. Other
instances of superstition equally gross were adduced ; yet
the work of conversion had been all jhat could be expect-
ed. In Great Allan, in Galway, 80 converts had been
made; and out of this number three had become valuable
teachers. Mr. Lowe, while he partly admitted the truth
of the difficulty said to stand in the way of training the
Celt in knowledge and usefulness, contended that there
were traits in the naticnal character which counterbalanced
the alleged imperfection. He pleasingly illustrated their
strong natural affections, and showed that so far they were
pre-disposed to reverence the teachings of those who went
amongst them. He spoke of numerous congregations
which assembled to hear the divine teachings of the
gospel in various parts of the wild but beautiful country
he referred to. Many of these were assemblages of
converts ; but there were not wanting instances of
numerous Roman Catholics meeting for this purpose,
and this was a circumstance full of hope. From the
operations of this society, the devastations made by the
famine and other causes, the spiritual power of the priest-
hood was clearly in the wane; the people might still dread
the temporal power of the priests, but they seemed to
care little for their spiritual threats, and in districts where
formerly it would hardly have been safe for a Protestant
clergyman to have shown himself, now the emissaries of
the society acted unconstrainedly, and their schools were
filled with the children of Roman Catholics. He went
to show that the labours undertaken by the society could
not be performed by the parochial clergy, owing to the
great extent of the parishes, some being 40 miles long
by 15 miles wide, others 20 by 20 miles, &c. And over
this wide area the Protestant population was widely scat-
tered. The parochial clergymen were mentioned as being
everywhere most earnest for the success of the society,
and as aiding in its operations. An instance of devotion
in these trying times to his flock on the part of one of this
class amounting almost to self sacrifice was given, and a
beautiful picture of the resignation of the people to the
scourge under which they are labouring was drawn, end
the main cause of Ireland's woes was found in the de-
basing tendency of the Roman Catholic religion. Much
injury was also attributable in respect of education to the
national scheme, which is actually acting in opposition to
the labours of the society.

The Rev. Dr. M'ISTEILE, at the request of the Chair-
man, addressed the meeting. He said if there was one
consideration that appeared more powerful than another
in contemplating the great subject which the evening's
proceedings had naturally referred to, it was that of the
national retribution which Almighty God wields in his go-
vernment of the world. England had been repeatedly ad-
vised of her false policy with regard to Ireland ; she had
fostered popery in that country, though warned again and
again • she had been told that if she attempted to govern
Ireland by means of the Church of Rome, she would com-
mit a great mistake. She was warned by her highest
statesmen of the danger that must follow the passing of
the Emancipation Act,'but she persisted in the liberal
policy. The idolatry of England was wealth, and the re-
tribution she was made to suffer was directed against this.
She had undertaken to govern Ireland by Popery, a sys-
tem which encouraged the people to depend on the potato ;
in consequence of the failure of this England's god had
been smitten. Ten millions of pounds had been given,
and now more money was required ; the Protestant dis-
tricts of the suffering country were called on to contribute
to aid to stem the torrent which she bad created herself.
It was similar to the retribution of Adonizedek, who was
taken prisoner by the Jews. It was not the habit of that
people to mutilate their prisoners, but they cut off this
man's thumbs—Adonizedek had cut off the thumbs of
others—here the Jews worked out God's retribution. The
reverend doctor, after further elucidating the point, re-
ferred to the continental intelligence received that day—
that the French had concluded on the restoration of the
Pope by the force of arms, and that the Romans were de-
termined to resist to the very uttermost, having declared
that they would die in the ruins of their city rather than
yield. They had mined the .Vatican and St. Peter's, and
were ready to apply the torch if need were ; and he (the
Rev. Dr.) must candidly confess, whatever the expense
such a calamity would be to architecture or taste, that if it
were not for the loss of human life, inseparable from such
a catastrophe, he would cordially rejoice and give thanks
to God that that great temple of idolatry was blown into
atoms. He considered St. Peter's the greatest temple of
idolatry now standing. The learned Doctor went on to
illustrate his assertions, by portraying the mode of exhi-
biting the images to the people by the priests, and the
prostration of the latter before them—worse in his opinion
than the superstition of Juggernaut or the abominations of
Sodom. At the conclusion of the eloquent address of the
Rev. Doctor,—
Mr. LAWRENCE proposed a vote of thanks to the Rev.
Chairman—who responded—and the meeting dispersed.
A collection was made in the room in behalf of the cause.