The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-11-17 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

DISTRESS OF THE IRISH CLERGY

A meetii,g, was held in the Justice-room, at the Exchange, in
Chester, last week, to consider the best means of promoting a
subscription. to assist in aLeviating the present distress of the
Irish clergy.- Several ladies were present, most of the clergy of
the city and adjacent neighbourhood, and a number of gen-
tlemen.

The chair was taken by the respected Lord Bishop of the
diocese, who, in opening the proceedings of the meeting, said,
all present were acquainted with the subject which called them
together ; it was to relieve the distress of the Irish clergy and
their families, who were now suffering the greatest privations.
They had not met with a view of discussing those subjects which`
had .led to the present distress of their brethren. Whatever
was connected with the sister kingdom at this time unfor-
tunately presented something of political feeling or party views;
but with these he conceived it would be advisable not to inter-
fere. They bad met to further those objects which, as christians,
it was their duty to perform—of relieving their brethren, those
who were suffering under unmerited distress: he would repeat
it—unmerited. Had the clergy of Ireland been notoriously
strict in demanding their due, a feeling such as that which at
present existed against them would have been natural; but it
was well known that the majority of them had not been accus-
tomed for some years to collect more than six or seven per cent.
of their tithes. Had the clergy of that country been negligent
in the performance of their duties, then the miseries they en-
dured would have been merited ; but, contrary to this, it was
established beyond contradiction that the great proportion of
them, had strictly performed their duty, and that no ministers
in any section of the protestant church were more zealous in the
holy work than they were; and it could not be, therefore, on
this account that they were assailed and obliged to suffer the
privations under which they now laboured. Duffing the last
three or four years the clergy of Ireland had not one-third, and
in some cases not above one-tenth, of their tithes; and, consi-
dering these circumstances, he would leave those whom he ad-
dressed to judge as to the present distressed state of the clergy
in that country. His lordship then, to substantiate what he had'
affirmed, proceeded to read extracts from some letters he had
received from the Archbishop of Armagh, which had been for-
warded to that prelate by clergymen. They depicted in the
most touching terms the distressed condition of the ministers of
the church id the south and west of Ireland particularly—that
they were obliged to subsist upon the most scanty diet, and ex-
cep.i.soine assistance was rendered they would perish from want.
Most of the letters acknowledged, with the deepest gratitude,
the generous assistance which had been rendered them in the
hour of need by the English public; they fiirther stated the me-
lancholy fact, that many of the Irish clergy arc so greatly re-
duced teat they had been obliged to abandon insurances which
they had effected on their own lives for the benefit of their
wives or children—that they had been obliged to send their fa-
milies from under their paternal roof, and distribute them
among their friends, where they happen tta have such in cir-
cumstances able to support them. His lordship said these facts
were sufficient of themselves to touch the hardest heart, and to
call forth and extend every liberal band in support of these suf-
fering individuals. He hoped he had already stated sufficient
to impress every mind with the importance of the object of their
present meeting; but before he concluded he would allude to
one-or two other circumstances. The commissioner of the dio-
cese of Killaloe, in a letter addressed to the Archbishop of
Armagh, had stated the way in which he had distributed £5OO,
which had been sent to him, amongst the distressed clergy in
the diocese to which he belonged; he divided the money ac-
cording to the number of their families and the duties they had
to perform. His lordship also read another letter from an Irish
clergyman, a curate; who declared that he had not received any
money froin his rector, who was equally distressed with himself,
during the last two. years; and that, iu consequence of this, he
could not appear in public, except on the sabbath day, for fear
of being arrested fora small debt, which he was quite unable to
pay. His lordship, in conclusion, said the picture had not been
too highly coloured—it was true to the life; and he urged all
present to come forward and heartily assist their distressed
brethren—to imitate the conduct of the ancient christians at
Corinth, who, when they heard of the distresses of their Mace-
donian brethren, immediately sent them pecuniary relief.
General Beckwith moved -the first resolution—" that the dis-
tress of the Irish clergy at present is such as to claim general
sympathy, and to call for the help of every protestant of the
United Kingdom."
The Rev. Thomas Harrison seconded the motion.

The Ray. Prebendary Blomfield proposed the second reso-
lution—" That it is our duty on this occasion to come forward
and endeavour to relieve the distresses of those who, while en-
gaged in the duties of theirocred office, are exposed to the
want of the common neet!sfaries or .tire, through the illegal re-
fusal of the titheAvhich are their due."
The Rev. I. Temple, of Pleinstall, seconded the resolution.
Major O'Brien proposed the third resolution—" That a sub-
scription be forthwith commenced for this purpose ; that a Coin-
mitve be formed for the receiving of contributions, of which the
Lord Bishop of the diocese shall he president, and consisting of
the followin gentlemen :—The Mayor, the Hon. Edward
Massy, the Rev. Thomas Harrison, William Wardell, Esq.,
R.
and Baxter, Esq.; that Messrs. Hughes, Granville, and Co.
be Treasurers, and the Rev. Chancellor Raikes, Secretary to
the committee."

The Rev. G. Stevenson, of Backford, seconded the motion.
G. B. Gran Ville, Esq.. proposed the fourth reolutioo--,, That
the committee be directed to communicate with the principal
towns of the diocese, and to invite their immediate co-opera-
tion." _ _ _

The Her. F. Parry seconded the motion.
The Rev. R. Yarker said, by the permission of his Lordship, he
would suggest that it would be well to couple with their bounty
a letter of sympathy to their brethren in Ireland, and that lay-
men should be requested to sign it. The clergy of_lreland were
now held up as it spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men :
nothing but divine assistance could enable thein to bear with
patience christian fortitude and resignation, the great suffer-
ings they at present endured. lf, while they earnestly prayed
for the prosperity of their brethren, a letter of svu►pathy was
also addressed them, like the tempest-tossed mariner, who was
cheered when di iven about in a frail hark on the ocean, on be-
holding persons coming► to his relief', and encouraged to bear up
under his difficulties, so their brethren in Ireland, if they saw
them stretch out the helping hand of charity and sympathy,
would also be strengthened to bear up above the angry surges
on which they were tossed, and eventually to outride the storm.
The Lord Bishop said he entirely concurred in the propo-
sition of Mr. Yarker, and was confident that the committee,
and all who loved the cause of Christ, would cheerfully come
,forward to sign such a document.
The Right Worshipful the Mayor proposed a vote of thanks
to the Chairman, which was seconded by the Rev. Chancellor
Raikes.

lu less than a quarter of an hour the large sum of £230 was
subscribed in the room.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ELECTION.

PETERBOROUGH.

A vacancy in the representation of the northern division
of this county having occurred by the death of Lord Viscount
Milton, under circumstances which even his political opponents
must deplore, Thomas Philip Matineell, Esq., of Thorpe Nlalsor,
near Kettering, has offered himself as a candidate in the con-
servative interest. The whigs having formed themselves into a
committee on behalf of some gentleman at present unfound,
have issued a whining handbill, under the signature of Earl
Fitzwilliam's family physiCian, complaining that, by reason of
Mr. Maunsell's announcement, they are "forced thus early"
into the field. Now it sn happens that Mr. Maunsell's an-
nouncement of his intention to offet himself as a candidate was
made on the 24th September last, at the Conservative Associa-
tion dinner in this city, and when the event of Lord Milton's
death could not have been foreseen, nor any prospect of a va-
cancy at that time probable, except in the falling to pieces of
that heterogenous compound, the cabinet of O'Connell, Mel-
bourne, and Co. At the time too that the doctor's handbill
came out the conservatives had not formed any committee at
Peterborough nor canvassed a single vote. However, we are
glad to add that they took the hint, and commenced an active
canvass throughout the city during the remainder of the day,
while the surrounding parishes stood for the next. The can-
vass in the town was most cheering, owing, in a great degree, to
the change of feeling which the late and impending contest for
the borough has brought about in the public mind in this city.
For once, therefore, even if it never occurs again, the whigs
have given the spur to their opponents, and looked on while the
conservatives were canvassing, contenting themselves with a
a Liberal request to the voters to withhold their promises for a
few days;" supposing, by the expiration of that time, they shall
be lucky enough to catch a candidate. At present they are
confessedly without one, and when the champion comes forth
bran new from the Fitzwilliam nursery, his first thanks ought to
be given to tire political doctor for precipating the conservatives
to a canvass.