The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-01-21 00:00:00

THE PAPAL AGGRESSION

An aggregate meeting of churchmen and Protestant
dissenters was held ar. Hereford on Tuesday, to agree on
an address to the Queen.

A treat meeting for the county Westmoreland to address
the Queen was held at Kendal on Monday. It was very
numerously attended, and the High Sheriff took the
chair.

The Standard says—" From information which has
reached us, we are led to believe that Lord John Russell
remains staunch, and determined in his adherence to his
views, as communicated in his famous letter to the Bishop
of Durham. Unless we are also equally mistaken the
opinion of another person upon the great question conti-
nues unaltered."

A meeting of the lay members of the Church of England
was held at Brighton last week, Mr. R. C. L. Bevan in the
chair. The meeting was addressed by Sir Thomas Bloom-
field, Mr. Coppard, Mr. Garrett, Mr. Cummings, Sir
W. Verner, and other gentlemen. The different resolu-
tions, including one condemnatory of Tractarianism, with
an address to the Queen praying her Majesty to exercise
her power of interposition, were unanimously carried.
The Rev. T. Boyles Murray, M.A., Secretary of the
Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, attended on
Sir George Grey on Friday, at the Home Office, with an
humble address to her Majesty, from members of the So-
ciety for Promoting Christian Knowledge, on the subject
of the late Papal aggression. The address bears the
names of 3600 members, including thirty-six prelates,
headed by the signatures of the Archbishops of Canter-
bury, York, and Armagh, and the Bishops of London,
Durham, and Winchester, as well as those of several lay
peers.

A very numerous meeting of the members of the Church
of England in Southampton and the neighbouring pa-
rishes was held at the Royal Victoria Assembly-rooms on
Monday evening, " for the purpose of promoting the
address to the Queen from the laity of the Established
Church, and the address to the Archbishop of Canterbury
from both clergy and laity, now in course of signature
throughout England, protesting against the attempted
revival of the doctrines and usages.of Popery by a body
within the Church of Englond. and entreating that steps
may be taken to discountenance and repress them."
There were iOO or 800 persons present. Lord Henry
Cholmondeley (of Holy-hill, near Southampton) occupied
the chair. Resolutions in support of the purposes above
stated were passed.

A great Protestant meeting was held at Southwark on
Tuesday. The first resolution called upon Lord John
Russell at once to give a proof of his sincerity by the abo-
lition of the Maynooth grant. Its proposer said he was
well known to entertain ultra views, and that he should
like to have proposed the abolition of endowments for the
support of any religious sect ; but he was content to take
this as an instalment. An amendment, much stronger,
was afterwards proposed, but rejected by a large majority.
In the course of the proceedings a letter was read from
Sir Will tm Molesworth, echoing the sentiments of Mr.
Roebuck, and his determination to oppose any bill of
pains or penalties against Roman Catholics, or any other
measure in opposition to the principles of religious liberty
and equality, that may be brought forward in the next
Parliament. Mr. Alderman Humphrey, M. P., supported
the amendment, which was lost, in the course of his ad-
dress avowing his doubts as to Lord John Russell being
prepared to carry out in Parliament what he had proposed
in his letter.

REVIVAL OF CONVOCATION.—A public meeting of the
clergy and laity of the metropolis was held at the Free-
masons' Hall, London, under the auspices of the Metro-
politan Church Union, to urge revival of convocation.
Mr. Henry Hoare was called to the chair, and opened the
proceedings, after which Mr. G. Hughes moved a resolu-
tion attributing the recent " papal aggression" to the sup-
pression of the synodal functions of the church, and ad-
vancing this as a plea for the revival of convocation on its
existing basis. The Rev. J. B. Sweet, perpetual curate
of Woodville, seconded the resolution, which was put and
carried with great applause. Mr. D. Perceval moved an
address to the Queen, recounting the causes which were
considered to render it desirable that convocation should
be assembled at the commencement of the next session of
Parliament. The Rev. Dr. Biker seconded the motion.
The Rev. J. E. Cox moved, and Mr. J. Cummins second-
ed, an amendment, of which notice had been given, de-
claring the proposed revival uncalled for by circumstances
and injurious to the peace of the church. The original
resolution was, however, carried by a large majority, and
two addresses to the upper and lower houses of convoca-
tion of Canterbury having also been carried, the meeting
terminated.
SUFFOLK COUNTY MEETING.—A meeting was held in
the Corn Exchange, Stowe market, on Thursday last, the
Earl of Stradbroke, Lord-Lieutenant of the county, in
the chair. A great number of noblemen and members of
parliament were present. Letters of apology were received
from the Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Rutland, Lord W.
Powlett, Sir R. Affleck, and Sir E. Kerrison. Lord
Rendlesham rose to move the first resolution, which was
as follows :—" That, firmly, and unalterably attached to
the grand principles of the Constitution, we view with
indignation the attempt which has been recently made by
the Pope to interfere in the prerogative of the Crown, by
conferring titles and assigning ecclesiastical dioceses, for
the avowed purpose of exercising a jurisdiction over the
people of this realm, thereby endangering our civil and
religious liberty." Sir P. Broke having seconded it, Mr.
Facon moved an amendment, asserting, full civil and reli-
gious liberty to he the highlight of every Englishman,
and condemning legislative interference with the spiritual
government of any church which claims nothing from the
state, as impolitic and unjust. This amendment led to
some irrevelant and not very Christian remarks from dif-
ferent speakers, who were called to order by the chairman.
Ou being put to the meeting, only six hands were held
up for it, and the resolution was carried by a large ma-
jority. Resolutions condemning the Tractarian move-
ment and State pay were next put and negatived, and
after an address to the Queen had been voted, the meet-
ing concluded.

Twenty adult converts to the Church of Rome, amongst
whom was Mr. Maskell, late Examining Chaplain to the
Bishop of Exeter, were confirmed, on Sunday week, at
the Roman Catholic Church, Clifton.
A correspondent of the Daily News relates a fact, as a
sign of the times, that a few week ago, at Chislehurst,
Kent, " a Popish cross." erected by the vicar, (Mr.
Murray, a son of the Bishop of Rochester) to the memory
of his late wife, " was smashed by a nccturnal Iconoclast."
In the list of " recent converts' given in the Catholic
Annual Register, for the year ending June, 1850, are the
following cases, viz. :—" T. Harris, an Independent mi-
nister, at Alford, Lincolnshire ; S. S. Wilson, pastor of
an Independent congregation ; J. Bell, a Presbyterian
minister."

The churchwardens of a parish in Yorkshire have re-
tnrned the following answer to the circular received by
them from the National Club :—" The churchwardens of
know their duty too well to require instructions how
to perform it from London clubs and preaching dukes.
Therefore, after readine Mr. Bellamy's printed circular,
they have unanimously resolved to burn it, and have
burnt it accordingly."
A correspondence between Mr. W. Bennett and his
parishioners has been forwarded to the Bishop of London.
The sum of it is, that Mr. Bennett will formally resign on
and from the 25th of March : and that the request of
the parishioners to be furnished with specific propositions,
setting forth the Bishop of London's objections to Mr.
Bennett, with a view to try the whole question in the
Ecclesiastical Courts, has been declined by his lordship.
COUNTY MEETING AT THE INSTANCE OF A POPISH
BISHOP.—In compliance with a requisition from the Ro-
mish Bishop of Elphin and forty of his clergy, the High
Sheriff of Sligo has called a county meeting, for the pur-
pose, as stated in the requisition, " of expressing our
marked disapproval of the insulting and bigotted letter
of Lord John Russell relative to the appointment of his
Eminence Cardinal Wiseman by the Sovereign Pontiff."
MORE BULLS AND BISHOPS.—" With peculiar plea-
sure" the Cork Examiner gives publicity to an official
announcement, which at this critical juncture cannot fail
to create some surprise, as indicative of the determina-
tion of the Court of Rome to regard but as the passing
wind the storm of agitation evoked b.y the " restoration"
of the English hierarchy. It appears, then. that the
" Most Holy Father," the Pope, " has graciously ac-
ceded to the earnest prayer of Dr. Murphy, the ' bishop'
of the united dioceses of Cloyne and Ross, that the dio-
cese over which his lordship presided should be divided,
and Ross restored to its ancient episcopal rank and dig.
pity in the Catholic church in Ireland." And it is fur.
ther notified that the " bull" for the consecration of the
new bishop, Dr. Keane, late parish priest of Middleton,
lies now in the hands of the Rev. Titular Slattery, of
Cashel.