The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-07 00:00:00

They do not have advertisements and laudatory paragraph
put into newspapers by accident: they do not get the tem-
perature of the Mercury elevated by accident. (Cheers and
laughter.) Now I heard some time ago that this same priest
was brought down here, I say again, not by accident ; but
something must be done, for they feel that something is going
on in Liverpool that they must try to stop. They have tried
it, but they could not ; it was a failure like Maynooth.
I heard this priest spoken of, and I paid very little attention
to the matter. I suppose at first when I heard his name spo-
ken, I should scarcely have been able to pronounce it extem-
poraneously, and I might have gone wrong like Mr. Stowell.
However, I saw paragraphs in the newspapers evidently in-
tended for a purpose, giving out that he was come to answer
" the anti-christian discourses delivered in Liverpool by
M'Neile and Co." (Hear.) Here was a trap laid to entice
unwary protestants to go to St. Anthony's chapel—where I
believe they have to pay for their admission. (Hear.) 12
there not to be pay for admission. (Cries of " Yes," and a
voice " 2d.") Yes, 2d to the body, and how much to the
gallery ? (A voice, " 6d," cheers, during which, a man in
the crowd raised some slight uproar.) I saw these para-
graphs in the newspapers, and at the meeting of our protes-
tant operatives in Toxteth-park, I thought it very proper to
take notice of them. I heard also that this gentleman had
invited any of the clergy of the Church of England, who
chose to meet him in controversy. (Hear.) There are two
modes of carrying on controversy. One is by oral discussion,
and the other is by writing, by sermons or lectures, one in
answer to another, by letter, or whatever form it may take.
One mode in short is by word of mouth, and the other is by
the press. It so happens, that this champion of Romanism,
who is come down to Liverpool, has met with an offer in
each kind, and he may take his choice. (Hear, hear.) If
he prefer controvery in the press, I have offered to be at his
service—(immense cheers) ;—if he prefer controversy by
word of mouth, Mr. Baylee has offered him his services—
(renewed cheers),—so Dr. Butler you may take your choice.
Utrum horam monis accipe ! Take whichever you like best.
(Loud cheers.) If writing is your forte, Mr. M'Neile is
your man ; if talking is your forte, Mr. Baylee is your man.
(Renewed cheers.) But now Dr. Butler has refused to meet
Mr. Baylee until his " Scripture Lectures" are answered ;
and I have great pleasure in telling you, that Mr. Baylee has
given notice that he will deliver a course of lectures in this
room, in answer to Dr. Butler's book. (Loud cheers.) The
Ist is to be delivered on Friday week.
A VOICE.—What is the entrance?
Mr. M`NEILE.—The entrance here must be in order to
defray expenses; in a place of worship we charge nothing.
(Great cheering.) One step further. Some one who loves
controversy, and wishes to see fair play, and who can write
short-hand, has gone to St. Anthony's Chapel and has taken
down what is called " The substance of a lecture delivered
by the Rev. T. Butler, D.D., in answer to the anti-catholic
discourses by the Rev. Hugh M`Neile." This has been
published, but it is not authenticated by the doctor, and he
may shrink from and disown it. His name is upon the title
page certainly, but it only comes from a newspaper, and he
may say " It is only the substance of my lecture, and it is
not what I said ; and every now and then the writer says,
" The lecturer said so and so," and " The lecturer said."
Now, here is a loop-hole. (Hear, hear.) He may get out
of it in any way ; but I want to tell you I am willing to run
all the risk of the rev. gentleman denying all this " sub-
stance"—that I have written a letter in answer to it, which
will be printed and within your reach the day after to-
morrow. (Cheers.) It meets two points which are reported
in the " Substance of the Lecture," in which he brings
charges against. me. The rev. gentleman then mentioned
these points : the first related to the matter of Mr. and Mrs.
Galway, of Waterford, and the other to an alleged false
translation from St. Bernard. We pass over these parts of
his speech, because Mr. M`Neile's reply is published this
day. In conclusion, he dwelt with great power upon the love
of God to sinners, through Jesus Christ the only mediator.
The Doxology—" Praise God from whom all blessings
flow" was then sang, the whole of the vast assembly uniting
their voices in it, and at half-past ten the meeting separated.