The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-11-26 00:00:00

judges ? Now they (said Mr. Borgia) well knew that
this speech alluded to the passing of the great charter of
Englishmen's rights—Magna Charts. Why, they all
knew that it was the barons -of England who did
this, rot in compliance with the with of the Pupe, but as
free-born Englishmen asserting'their rights and liberties
which the Pope refused to concede. (Cheers and fusses.)
if they would refer to the history-of their own country
they would find that this was so. -The Pope was incensed
at the temerity of the barons for imposing such terms
upon a prince who, by resigning to the Roman Pontiff his
crown and dignity, had placedlimseif under Popish pro-
tection. (Hear, hear, cheers, and hisses.) The Pope,
therefore, issued a hall; 'by which he annulled and abro-
gated the whole charter, as unjust in itself and obtained
by compulsion and in a way derogatory to the Apostolic
See. (Cheers and hisses.) ,He (the Pope) relieved the
barons from executing the observances of the charter,
the King from paying regard to it:; absolved all his subjects
from their allegiance, and pronounced excommunication
against any one who should dare to maintain such trea-
sonable pretensions. He would, however, come nearer
to the present day. The Pope, in his recent bull, claims
jurisdiction over all the flock of Christ. This was
consistent with the view that no one was a Christian out
of the Church of Rome. (Uproarious cries of " no, no,"
" yes, yes," and tremendous confusion.) Some body said
" no, no," but did not the Church of Rome maintain the
doctrine that her principles were both unchanged and
unchangeable ? He had r?ad a bull of the Pope, in which
ho said there was no salvation in any other church than
that of Rome. (Cheers, hisses, and confusion.) But let
them have everything above board. Who were the
Church of Christ ? Either the Pope claimed jurisdiction
or he did not. If they (Protestants) were in the Church
of Christ, the Pope claimed them. (Confusion.) It was
desirable to come nearer home in these matters ; and he
should like the meeting to know the oath required to be
taken by every bishop of the Church of Rome. (Most
outrageous confusion, and cries of " Read, read.") Mr.
Horsfall said he would read it, first remarking that it
applied equally to the bishops recently appointed over
England :—" 11 will persecute and attack, to the utmost
of my power, all heretics and schismatics against our
lord' --(The rest of the sentence was lost amid the
confusion that here ensued.) He (Mr. Horsfall) might
be told the Rev. Dr. Doyle had given something like a
denial to this ; but an abler man than Dr. Doyle had said
that this was the oath. and he would maintain it. He in-
vited Dr. Doyle to come to the discussion of the question,
and said, " If Dr. Doyle will convince me (i. e. convince
Dr. Ctimming that this oath is not taken by the bishops
of the church of Rome), I will be the first to apologise
for having cited it." (Cheers and uproar.) But,
said Mr. Horsfall, will any man tell me that any bishop
established in this country—and I care not who are called
heretics and who are not—taking such an oath as this,
did not interfere wi'h the rights and liberties of the
people ? (Confusion.) I am going for once to agree
with a Roman Catholic bishop. I find by a letter pub-
lished by William of Northampton, who I believe is one
of the newly-appointed bishops, that he speaks °Elbe
good conduct of the English Roman Catholics. (Hear,
hear.) lam not going to arraign that gentleman, but
what I am going to find fault with is, the system which
the Pope of Rome has introduced into this country ; anl
I give it you. not as my opinion, but the opinion of a
man who is acknowledged to be a most liberal-minded
statesman. I allude to that most popular historian, Mr.
Macaulay. (Hear.) He speaks of the very 300 years to
which William of Northampton refers :

"From the time when the barbarians overran the western
empire to the time of the revival of letters, the influence of the
Church of Rome had been generally favourable to science, to
civilisation, and to good government; but during the last three
centuries, to stunt the growth of the human mind has been
her chief object." ,
_

That is the opini in of a I.beral statesman. (Hear, hear
and loud cheering.)

"Throughout Chilstendom,'whatever advance has been made
in knowledge, in freedom, in wealth, and in the arts of life, has
been made in spite of her, and has everywhere been in inverse
proportion to her power. The lovelieSt and most fertile pro-
vinces of Europe have, under her rule, been sunk in poverty,
in politica: serv►tude, and in intellectual torpor, while Protes-
tant countries, once proverbial for sterility and barbarism,

have been turned by skill and industry into gardens, and can
boast of a long list of heroes and statesmen, philosophers, and
poets. Whoever, knowing what Italy and Scotland naturally
are, and what, four hundred years ago, they actually were,
shall now compare the country mini Rome with the country
round Edinburgh, will be able to form some jUthment as to
the tendency of Papal domination. The descent of Spain, once
the first among monarchies, to the lowest depths of degrada-
tion; the elevation of Holland, in spite of many natural dis-
advantages, to a position such as no commonwealth so small
has ever reached, teach the same lesson. Whoever passes in
Germany from a Roman Catholic to a Protestant principality,
in Switzerland from a Roman Catholic to a ProV etant canton,
in Ireland from a Roman Catholic to a Protestant county,
finds that he has passed from a lower to a higher grade of civi-
lisation. England is a Protestant and monarchial country.
On the other side of the Atlantic the same law prevails. The
Protestants of the United States have left far belied them the
Roman Catholics of Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. The Roman
Catholics of Lower Canada remain inert, while the whole con-
tinent around them is in a ferment with Protestant activity
and enterprise. The French have, doubtless, shewn an energy
and ari intelligence which, even when misdirected, have justly
entitled them to be called a great people. But this apparent
exception, when examined, will be found to confirm the rule;

Catholic Cnurcfi, during

spirgral generations,

has the Roma❑
possessed so

little power as in France,"
I am very anxious that our Roman Catholic friends who
feel themselves in any point aggrieved by the Protestants
of England resisting the jurisdiction of the Pope of Rome
should know something of the doings of the Papists at
Rome with regard to Protestants in the community there.
In the year 1844 a fund was subscribed to build a Protes-
tant Church at Rome. The parties contracted with a
Roman Catholic gentleman for the land necessary for the
purpose, and that gentleman (I quote my friend's words,
and he is a clergyman,) received an intimation that, if he
persisted in his purpose, the holy office would take care of
him. I need hardly remind you that the holy office is the
Inquisition. (Cheers and uproar.) An English noble-
man waited upon the Governor of Rome, and told him
what had been done for the Roman Catholics in England
—what we had done for them here, and be expressed a
hope that the Protestants would be allowed to build their
church. Instead of this there is a miserable paltry shed
erected at the outside of the city, within the walls of
which no heretic is allowed to worship. (Hear, hear.)
And as a proof of this, I will tell you and I have
the gentleman's signature, and he told it to my
brother, that when the Protestants were assembled at
a house in Rome for Protestant worship, they were dis-
missed by the police. (Cheers.) Before the Pope com-
plains of intolerance in England, he must show liberality
at Rome. (Applause.) If (Mr. Horsfall concluded) I
have shown you that this aggression is illegal—if I have
shown you that it is an infringement of the prerogative of
the Crown—if I have shown you that it will be an inter-
ference with the rights and liberties of the people—if I
have shown you from Mr. Macaulay what that system
will be if introduced to this country, then, my friends, I
can with confidence appeal to you as loyal subjects of a
gracious and beloved Queen,—(applause)-1 appeal to you
as patriots who love your country—(applause)—l appeal
to you as freemen determined to be neither slaves in body
or soul—l appeal to you, and ask you to unite in heart
and hand to resist this usurpation, and to say also, from
the very depths of your hearts, from all such usurpers
God save the Queen ! (Mr. Horsfall sat down amid loud
cheering and waving of hats, almost the entire company
in the pit and boxes rising.)

Mr..G. GRANT seconded'the resolution.
The MAYOR inquired whether any gentleman intended
to move an amendment.

The Rev. I‘lr. WALMSLEY, Roman Catholic priest, of
St. Nicholas, Copperas-hill, presented himself to address
the meeting amidst much interruption. Order being at
length restored, the rev. gentleman said, they would allow
him to ask, what all this hubbub was about ? (Uproar.)
He was a John Bull himself, born in this county of Lan-
caster, and educated in a neighbouring one. (A voice.—
" A Jesuit !" and another voice—" Pull your cloak off !")
The rev. gentleman having taken the advice, stepped to
the front of the platform. The confusion continuing the
Mayor threatened to dissolve the meeting if every speaker
were not listened to. Mr. Walmsley then continued :
If the question bad been considered by Englishmen
calmly and dispassionately, such a meeting as that held
to-day would be unnecessary. (" Oh !") All he asked
them was, that upon this, as upon the common affairs of
life, they would believe him—(" Oh !" and laughter)—
that they would give him credit for sincerity. (Continued
laughter.) Mr. Horsfall bad read them many extracts,
and if ever there were another edition of the Tales of my
Grandmother they would deserve to be included in it.
Those calumnies had been so often refuted that it was an
insult to their understandings to allude to them. (" Ques-
tion.") The question was, whether the Pope of Rome
had assumed, or intended to assume, power in this country
which he ought not to do. (Cheers.) Now the Pope
already held spiritual authority in this country, and that
authority had been recognized by the British government.
(A Voice.—" More shame for them," and great cheering.)
The Catholics (shouts of " Papists") always held the
spiritual supremacy of the Pope, and permission to do so
had been conceded to them by the Act of Emancipation.
The rev. gentleman proceeded to read the declaration of
the Catholic bishops at the time of the Emancipation Act,
in answer to the charge of dividing their allegiance between
the Pope and the Sovereign of this country, in which they
asserted that their allegiance to the Sovereign of these
realms was perfect and undivided. (Cheers from the
Roman Catholics.) Did they think he was bound to obey
the Pope in any temporal authority ? (Cheers and
" Yes.") The Catholic bishops spoke the sentiments of
the laity in this declaration, and, if the Pope should bring
an army against this country, he (Mr. Walmsley) should
think it his duty—(great cheering and uproar.) A voice
exclaimed—(" The Pope can't protect himself")—if the
Popo should set foot on this land with an army, he (Mr.
Walmsley) would become a belligerent priest, and would
stand forward in defence of the Queen. (Loud cheers.)
He would honour the man who should drive back the
Pope, and he would shed his blood in such a cause,
(Cheers.) The rev. gentleman concluded by moving an
amendment. (Great cheering, disapprobation, and con-
fusion.)

The MAYOR stood forward to explain that the amend-
ment was withdrawn for the present. It could only be in
order when the next resolution was proposed.
Mr. It. SHELL (Roman Catholic) said that there was no
intention whatever on the part of the Pope of interfering
with the Protestants of this country. (Disapprobation.)
The gentlemen who gnt up this meeting took care to secure
that they should be in a majority at it. (Uproar, and
cries of " Apologize to the Mayor !" and " Go on !")
He owed no apology to the Mayor, because he did not
allude to the Mayor. (Disapprobation and great confu-
sion, followed by three cheers for the Mayor.) He did
everything—
The MAYOR must say that Mr. Sheil had imputed very
unworthy motives, and lie hoped he would retract the ex-
pression as regarded the respectable body of requisitionists.
Mr. SHELL thereupon resumed his seat, rather than
apologize, but his retreat being met by a derisive burst
of cheering, Mr. Sheil, following a sudden impulse, again
came to the front -of the platform, and attempted to ad-
dress the meeting. If he had erred he was sorry for it.
(Cheers.) - Without replying to Mr. flOrsfall's quota-