The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-12-11 00:00:00

PERSECUTION OF THE PROTESTANTS IN

IRELAND.

We have been favoured with the subjoined letter, addressed
to a reverend gentleman residing in this neiglibOurhood," the
facts contained in which may be implicitly relied upon :

" A'ov.•2s; 1835.
Reverend and Dear Sir,—My friend Dr:** * having sent
Me your letter of the 20th instant, with a request that I Should
answer it, I lose no time in doin'w so. '
To authenticate facts I have only to say, that I have, from
the situation I hold, become intimately conversant-With 'the
melancholy details of the sufferings which the Irish clergy -are
patiently enduring: •
To your first question-=How man) ?—I have by me a book
in which are recorded' the answers 'to the following query';—
Has the income of your benefice been always pairl,• and'- is a likely
to continue so? To this qnestion- I have 2017 answeri;,-321
incumbents say that they .are paid, 756.5ay that their iiacemes
bad ceased altogether to be paid,-and. Were -likely to remain
unpaid;.-ciwiug.tti•tire7diieci, interference' of. Lord" Althorp'S
speech, and the caratiination produced by the agitation ortlie
priest 4, as •applirently countenanterl'bv the' *WO veritiment:
The sufferers, then, amount to 756; some 'oe vrtiom'llaving
private means, I would not be justified in saying that all are
suffering ivant; I may faifly,; however, from 'the details given,
estimate those whit are dr indigence at upwards of two hundred
individuals, and of those reduced to galling end degrading "de•-•
pendance nixin the honnty of their friends, and other casual and
voluntarrastfirport, to about double that number.
Havitrg beeir called oh' lately from the dioceses of Worcester
and Exeter t.o furnish information similar to that you .seek' for
the same heirevolent object, and having afforded them some in-
teresting autlientic particulars; I am sorry that the conditiod
of the clergy•at present still enables me to furnish you with a
varied:and fresh supply. • • - • •
I shall now give you some naked facts,•and the only comment
I shall-Matte thencia, tlnit I give the nausea on the faith that
you will feel the -delicacy- that' accompanies their disclosure.'
Gentlemen of edu4ation shriuk from all exhibition of their dis-
tress to excite sympathy, and I have kirown these sufferings en-
dured in silence, *hien only required to be exposed to' have in-
sured relief.

The,Ray. *** late a scholar of Trinity College, Dublin,
with an income of £9o.perannatn, and a congregation of sixty
protestants has had his income withheld for two years.- He has
a glebb of ten acres tinder a rent of:1240 per annum, which is'
more than double the value of the land. He has been com-
pelled to part with the produce of the land to satisfy hiS land-
lord who would not pay the tithe, and- has been thereby reduced
to such extremity of want as to have deprived him of his reason.
A son of the celebrated Dr. 'l* **, the incumbent of a parish
in the archdineeie, of-Dublin, where there is a good congrega--
tion of protestants, and a new church built for their accommo-
dation, was driven, three yeuri ago, from the lodgings he had
taken in the village, after night-fall, in the depth of winter.
His wire, with.au infant in her arms, was compelled to walk in
darkness and rain, a distance of four miles. to seek shelter in a
farm-house belonging to a protestant. He has since 'built a
glebe-tieuse of the faith of certain acts of patliament enabling
him to charge his successors with aproportton of the costs.. This
has exhausted Lis private resources, and he,. together. with his
wife and family, have been reduced to live an potatoes, and find
it difficult to precnre fuello-cook,eveu that coarse food.
The Rev. Mr. ** *, aged 70, incumbent of a parish in the
county of Udrlow. was found by -the wife of Mr. ** the
police magistrate of the district; in the deepest distress. An
anonymous and benevolent English friend to the clergy, having
at such* meeting as you propose attendiug, sent me five pounds
for the use of a gcotleman whose letter he had heard read. I
wrote th the clergyman to ask to whom I should hand the money
for his use. He wiote me word his wants were not so pressing
as othetil' in his neighbonrhood, and sent nie a letter trim
Mr. *** the police magistrate, giVing a sad' detail of the
aged gentleman's sufferings-=that with six Inintir'ed pounds
owed to him, he Was actually dependant On 'an occasional
pound which the Lattice magistrate's Wife- conveyed to hiin se-
cretly. That he persevered, in the faithful ditcharge 'Of his
dutiesoilthrifigh afflicted with bud sore eyes, the' Consequence`pf,
broken' winchiws. The Rev:' Gentleinait for whose use the money
had originally been 'intended wrote; naming the 'dist'ress of
Mr. *•;.* *- a brother cle.gyitian in the dioceSeof Leighlin, and
Mr. ***, another'ileighhour: of his,. who 'Were both equally
objects deserving of assistance, with large families and goed
comes, if paid; but, preferriug the old gentleivan on account of
his age. •
The Rev. * *, another aged clergyman, for thirty years had
served, curacies in the dioceses of foam and Cluilfert, auto
which; he had been introduced brthelearned and celebrated
Dr. I4oung„ a short. time the Bi.shop of Clonfert, into his
diocese, to provide for hint as-a-college friend, whose piety' and
learning he. *as well acquainted with. Presented in his old
age to,a small benefice by. the kindness of the Archbishop of
Tuara; I visited him lately, and found him and .a large family
around him„without,timtl, raiment or fuel, superior to the. coin,
monest peasant in the village. His suns had tilled a small
piece of,potato ground, which afforded sustenance to the family.
He had himself prepared them for college, but with near 'E4
due to him, could not muster funds to send them, there. He is
upwaials Of 70 years old. ' •
In the diCteese sof Cork, the Reverend Mr. * * • and the
Rev. * '*'*,are with large fat-fillies' suffering extremely.
The' *4- in Cleyne, with a wife'n rd. 13 children, has
been Obliged to call.nponthe.trusteei.of his marriage settlement;
to brehkan 'on the proviiitin-Vesteil in their hands fur the futtite
maintenance Of thew', tlifpreveht his children wanting common'
necessaries.' *

The—Rev. ** **, in the diocese of Waterford, has a glebe
land rented (rim Mr. • a gentleman. in his parish. Mr.
* *; the landlord, owes liiin"seyeral hundred, peinds• for
tithe to which he is liable, and will not give credit for any por-
tion of:it; but enforces the rent to thensnount of £BO per annum,
vrhile.he withholds the composition to the amount of £240.• '
1 have had it on authertty. that the clergy of that part of the
diocese of Kiilaloe which lies irr the county of Tipperary are
mostly in the hands of the sheriff of 'the 'county, and thus-pre-
eluded from the ordinary'discharge of parochial duty. I have,
likewise, opportunity of bearing testimony to the kind forbear-
ance exercised towards them by• that officer.
With reference to your enquiry as to what counties the suffer-
ing mostly prevails, it extends over one-half of the island, com-
prising the counties of,Tipperarv, Pork, Limerick, Waterford,
Kilkenny, Queen's County, Carlow, King's County, W.exford.,
Mayo, Galway, Clare t. in the north, the distress is local and
partial—contined to those distriets Which, from their reinete and'
mountainous situations, had not. been, originally settled. when
the English settlements were established. As to the extent of
suffering, some have private means and can live, others hale
been supported by English bounty, while all are more or less
seriously inctinyeuienced,.
As to the channel to transmit any contribution, the Lay As-
sociation in Dublin, Sir Geoige Rich, treasurer, Lords Roden,
Enniakilleri, Farnham, Bandon, Longford, and Lorton, trus-
tees, the Bank of Ireland has been proved decidedly to be the
most effeetual Mode of giving permanent relief. It has already
(considering its means) done wonders, and, as yet, has alone
been defeCtive "friktn the funds only affording them means to se
lect cases to recover the incomes for them. When so many,
eqnally—Werthy of.attention, present themselves, choice is diffi-
cult.. One .pounil expended in this way is productive of more
advantage to the clergy than one hundred doled out in charity
at the London coinuattee. An advantage obtained over the
defaulters in one parish by the Lay Association is felt ancien-
joyedhi the incumbents all around, while the angry collision of
litigation is transferred from the minister to the Lay Associa-
tion, ind Members •submit at once sooner than encounter the
weight Of the Lay Associations funds. They have not failed
in any One instance yet.. It ha's now been ascertained that all
the defaulters of one parish can be included in one equity bill,
the casts of Which are abciot £3o.' The entire oppoSition' in 600
parishes would be broken down for the sum of about £20,000."

TO THE EDITOE OF THE:LIFE ItI'DOL STAVVD4RD.
Srit,—ln a place of such extensive commerce as Liverp
any information as to the Rae, stocks, &c. of produce must be
invaluable to a publicatiOn like yours. Lest, therefore, in the
multiplicity of your avdcalions, you might overlook the remarks
in your respected coternpdrary of Thursday on the cotton. mar-
ket, r beg leave to bring them before your notice. lie says—
" There has been tint a limited demand since last Weer . in-
most the whole stock of cotton here is on sale. The Market:to-day
has been-ailll, but prices have not'declined. lona since last
week,"partieularly the last day or tWo. Gdod hew Boweds are
selling at 9id., and New Orleans.at 1,00. to 11d,."
Now it is evident that the editor.niight Millteltitieh better use
of his time by being a cotton-broker; for'let him Only show to.
the speculators that he'ean buy gOodOew Boweds at qd.-..apd
he will be Sure of.large orders: •But I think-thatlie can scarce-
ly have had sufficient experience to ascertain that the whole' of
the stock (200,(KX) bales) was ell-sale; tie must; therefOre, have
had his information from some one who knew the fact (if fact
it he.) If he had," who' is the traitor?" - I'

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST,IND,IRD. •
must confess that, when ;I first-heard of the munifi-
cent donation of certain individuals towards the contemplated
Mechanics' Institution, l had my fears as to the disinterested-
ness of the parties towards the mechanics. Amongst us there
was a deal of surmising and loose chat as to what was the ulti-
mate object of these gentlemen. From certain ominous signs
which we occasionally observed, we fancied the operative would
soon be lost in the pedantic collegi.in educated in the chilling
dogmas of infidelity and its twin brother' socinianisrn. But for
what 'has cone out this week I must candidly acknowledge I
was not'prepared. What think von, Mr. Editor ? The new
building in' course of 'erection in 'Nfount-sfreet is partially stopt,
the committee differing in opinion as to altering the theatre.
adopting the plan of organ loft and singing gallery;&c, is order
that at some future-period it can easily. be turned into a sOcinian
chapel to gratify ihe taste of sedie of the noble'benefaCtors.
This ilaY (Frida)) the building c'oirtinittee sit either to adopt Or
ni reject the deep-laid sChee.-r-Yawts teuly,
A MECHANIC.
Thursday Erenin g.