The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-11-20 00:00:00

MR. RAPHAEL'S REPLY TO MR. O'CONNELL'S
FIRST LETTER.

•
TO TER ELECTORS OF THE COUNTY OF CARLOW.

Gentlemen,---I have read without surprise, Mr. O'Connell's
very elegant and gentlemanly address to you, purporting to be a
reply to mine of the 20th ult. As there seems to b4kno doubt that
the transactions between that individual and mysdlf will become
the subject of parliamentary inquiry, I shall not enter into any
further controversy on the subject, particularly as I profess my-
self utterly incompetent to compete with him iu language which
I have ever been, and I trust ever shall be, incapable of using.
I shrink not from investigation before a tribunal where facts,
not assertions, however audacious, will prove to whom the epi-
-thets "vagabond," "faithless creature," and "a mighty great
liar," are most applicable.
I will only add, that notwithstanding Mi. O'Connell's "guar=
antee, in the fullest sense of the honourable engagement, that
I should not possibly be required to pay ono shilling more in
any event, or upon any cont►ngency whatsoever," I have been
called upon to pay, and have paid, upwards of £l,lOO in ad-
dition to the £2OOlO towards the expenses of opposing the" peti-
tion against the teturu," and there are other claims still un-
settled.

I deny that I have been guilty of any breach of confdence in
publishing the correspondence: no secrecy was imposed, nor
was any necessary, that I was aware of; and had Mr. O'Con-
nell performed his engagement, or expressed any regret at not
being able to do so, I of course should not have published that
which would have been matter of no importance to any one but
ourselves. As it is, he has himself only to thank for this addi-
tional exposure of his mode of fulfilling his " honourable en-
gagornents."—l remain, gentlemen, your very obliged servant,
ALEXANDER RAPHAEL.
Great Stanhope-street, Nov. 13, 1835.

GREAT PROTESTANT MEETING IN THE

HIGHLANDS.

It having been intimated that a meeting would be held in the
Church of Rosekeen, Ross-shire, on Thursday, the sth instant,
for the purpose of forming a protestant association, an immense
number of the inhabitants of that and the neighbouring parishes
met at twelve o'clock. The church was quite full. After
ter singing a psalm and prayer, Horatia Ross, Esq , of Rossie,
was elected chairman, and he briefly explained the course and
objects of the meeting. In the course of his address he stated,
that, although very averse to agitation of all kinds, and al-
though still more averse to mixing up the politics of the day
with religion, especially in a sacred edifice such as that in which
they had then assembled, yet that the country had been brought
into such an extraordinary position by the misconduct of the
government—by the misconduct of those to whom they had a
right to look for protection, that in self-defence they were com-
pelled to hold meetings, to form associations, and to prepare for
the coining storm. They had a government nominally protes-
tant, a government bduud by the most solemn oaths to protect
the protestant establishment, but who by their conduct showed
that they had nu regard for religion, that they were_ devoid of
every proper. .feeling, and that their only principle seemed to
be a determination to retain the emoluments of office as long
as possible, even at the sacrifice of all that we hold most dear.
The government, for the sake of obtaining their support, had
foimed an alliance with the papists, the voluntaries, and. in-
fidels. It was natural, indeed, that papists, infidels, and volun-
taries should support the present government, as they know that
the government, for the sake of office, which they held entirely
through their assistance, was prepared to break down the great
barrier which opposed itself to the designs of these bigoted, mis-
guided, and worthless individuals, viz., the established church ;
but he was surprised to find that the great body of seceders and
dissenters lied also joined in What he would only term an un-
holy alliance with the individuals lie had before alluded to. The
seceders had not formerly left the church from disapproving ei-
ther Of its doctrines or of the principles of an establishmeht, but
because they did not approve of the discipline of the church;
but now they had totally changed, and such was their hostility
to the establishment, that they had for ever disgraced them-
selves by uniting with men whose principles they must natu-
rally hold in abhorrence for the sake of effecting the destruction
of the church. As an example of their readiness to form this
unholy league, the chairman alluded in very Strong terms to
Mr. O'Connell's recent visit to Scotland, and mentioned that
in Edinburgh and Glasgow the seceders and dissenters had been
amongst the most prominent of those who had fallen at the
feet and worshipped this most dangerous man. He then
took notice of Sir John Campbell's recent address to his con-
stituents in Edinburgh, wherein he so strengly urged the people
of Scotland not to form protestant associations, and said that,
coming as it did from an individual holding a high office in the
government, and that government being dependant for its exist-
ence on Mr. O'Connell, people might very naturally suspect
that Mr. O'Connell and the Attorney-General were acting in
concert, as Sir John Campbell must well know that protestant
associations are the only constitutional means of defence left to
the Protestants of this country. Having,. therefore, arrayed
against them such formidable enemies—having no support or
assistance to expect from the government, were they tamely to
submit? He trusted not. He called on every man, however I
humble his situation, to come forward; he called on all classes
to unite and to tell the individuals in the south, that here, in the
highlands of Scotland, at all events, men would be found who
wore determined to stand by the church, and who were ready
to sacrifice every thing, even life itself, rather than see that
Church trampled on and crushed. The chairman then informed
them, that Captain Gordon, a gentleman who had devoted his
whole time to the good cause, and who had done more than any
other individual to expose the designs of the enemies of their
religion, was in the church, and would address them, and would
state such facts as would fully justify him (the chairman) in
the remarks he had made.

Captain Gordon then delivered a most powerful and heart-
stirring address, which was listened to with intense interest,
and which evidently produced a great effect. It is impossible
to give even a brief outline of his speech, as he spoke for nearly
three hours. He commenced by explaining the doctrines and
creed of the Church of Rome; the effects which have invaria-
bly resulted in catholic countries from these doctrines, as wit-
nessed in the moral and mental degradation of the inhabitants.
He then, from documents in his possession, proved to the meet-
ing that the number of protestants who have become converts
to the catholic religion of late years has been immense. As one
proof, in 1796 there were only twenty Roman Catholic chapels
in all England, and now there are upwards of five hundred. He
pointed out the danger which protestants ran, if, from apathy
or slothfulness, they slumbered at their posts, and told them that
they need nut lay the flattering unction to their souls that, be-
cause the danger now appeared remote, therefore they had
nothing to fear. A treasonable conspiracy was at work to crush
the establishment. The first attack had been made in Ireland
with the sanction and under the auspices of the, government,
and, unless all good men united, the enemy would soon be at
their own doors.
The Rev. Mr. Carment then addressed the meeting, and in a
very impressive manner called upon all those who were deter-
mined to stand by the church of God to rise and to hold up their
hands to• heaven as a pledge that they were ready even to shed
their blood in her defence.
Every individual in the church rose and lifted his hands, and
we feel:convinced that there was not a man present who did not
at that moment consider himself bound by the most solemn de-
claration in the sight of God to sacrifice his life, if called on, in
defence of his national church.
It was determined immediately to form an association on 'the
same footing as those iu other parts of Scotland, and a day was
fixed for holding another meeting to enrol members. This ex-
ample will be followed by almost every parish in the highlands.