The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-26 00:00:00

THE NORTH BRITONS' SOCIETY

Yesterday evening, the members of •this thriving society,
to the number of about eighty, assembled at the York Hotel,
to celebrate their anniversary by a dinner—the day being also
the anniversary of the union between England and Scotland.
Mr. WtrAmtOuon ably occupied the chair, and Mr. COLIC
acted with equal efficiency as vice-chairman. The dinner
was sumptuous, and was admitted by all who were present
to have been got up in Mr. Hamer's best style.
On the cloth being withdrawn, a number of loyal toasts
were proposed, and drank with enthusiasm, including "The
Queen ;" " The Prince of Wales ;"The Queen Dowager,
and the rest of the Royal Family ;" and "The Army and
Navy ;" which were followed by appropriate songs. " The
Ladies, or Lancashire Witches' was next given, followed by
" The immortal memory of Burns, Ramsay, and Scott," by
the vice-chairman—to which the sentiment was attached—
" Hang down your heads, ye hills; greet out ye springs!
No more upon your braes the minstrel sings."

On the chairman's health being proposed by Mr. BIRCH
-
ALL, and drank with enthusiasm, he returned thanks in a
brief but feeling and forcible manner, which called down the
warm plaudits of the assembly. The health of Dr. Marshall,
who is employed professionally by the society, was eloquently
responded to by that gentleman, whose remarks were re-
ceived with great applause—every member present being
satisfied with his zealous and skilful attention to the invalid
members. " The Press," with some encomiums on its in-
fluence on society, was responded to by Mr. J. S. Walker.
A variety of toasts and sentiments succeeded, prefaced by
spirited and adequate addresses, and followed by appropriate
and humourous songs; and, national predilections apart, our
worthy countrymen of the northern part of our "tight little
island" (many of whom showed the tartan of their clans in
their clans in their apparel), evinced that loyalty and good
fellowship, which, in spite of distinctions of opinion on some
points, showed that—
" A man's a man for a' that !"

This Benefit Society was instituted so iar back as 1811,
and is conducted in a manner which has hitherto been highly
successful, and that entitles it to the warmest support of all
" brother Scots."

TOXTETH PARK OPERATIVE PROTESTANT

ASSOCIATION

crowded meeting of the members and friends of the
Toxteth-park Operative Protestant Association was held last
evening, in Toxteth Hall, Mill-street. Amongst those pre-
sent, we observed the Rev. Hugh M`Neile, the Rev. Thos.
Nolan, the Rev. F. Parry, the Rev. Mr. Butler (Incumbent
of St. Thomas's, Warwick-street), Mr. Alexander Smith,
jun., Mr. Richard llSrbord, Mr. John Sheppard, &c., &c.
The Rev. Hugh M`Neile, president of the association, took
the chair; and the proceedings having been opened with
prayer by the Rev. Thos. Nolan,
The CHAIRMAN said—Friends and brethren, surrounded
as I see myself by gentlemen who take a lively interest in
our good cause, and who are more immediately connected
with your locality in this town than I am, I might content
myself, as your president, with a few introductory remarks,
and then call upon those gentlemen who are to follow me, to
enter more at large upon the subject now before us.
But there are two or three topics upon which I am anxious
to address a few words to you at this time ; therefore, I must
claim your indulgence whilst I trespass for a few moments
upon your time. In the first place, then, I wish to congra-
tulate yOu on the highly flattering, because well-deserved,
compliment which you have received from the mayor and
magistrates of this borough. Nothing can be more honour-
able to your known peacefulness, decorum, and respecta-
bility ; to yourenlightened enjoyment of freedom among your-
selves, and your high-minded forbearance under even the
abuse of freedom by others. Some of you may have imagined
that upon a late occasion you were ill-treated, and you may
now be at a loss to conjecture what I allude to, or what I
mean; I will make myself plain; but, in order to do so, I
must go back a few months, and refer to the direct facts of
the case, late occurrences having supplied only a confirming
and illustrating contrast. (Hear, hear.) In the beginning
of last March, it was well and widely known, that a large
party procession, with party banners, and other irritating
exhibitions, was to take place on the 17th of that month.
MuCh was said, much was written, and much was printed
upon that subject. The mayor and magistrates could not
have been in ignorance of it; but what was their conduct?
Most just and proper, and highly complimentary to you.
(Hear, hear.) They knew perfectly well that a procession,
however ostentatious and irritating in itself, would not
endanger the peace of the town, nor the person or property
of any man in the town, if it were in no way molested or
interrupted in its course. They knew that disturbance never
begins with those who walk upon such an occasion, but with
those who attack the walkers. (Hear.) They gave you
credit for such an enlarged view of the liberality of the sub-
ject, that even with a procession before your eyes, displaying
treasonable banners, instigating to the dismemberment of
the United Empire,—still you would not interrupt or molest
that procession. (Hear.) Accordingly they did not inter-
fere; they put out no manifesto against the procession—no
request that the procession should not take place. As the parties
who were to walk were Roman Catholics, and as disturbance
does not arise with the walkers, but with the attackers, and
they knew that you would not attack, therefore they knew
there was no occasion to stop that procession. (Hear,) They
treated that procession as they would treat any other child.
ish or mischievous exhibition in the streets, taking care to
keep a watch upon the performers that they did no harm,
but not anticipating the slightest disturbance from the spec-
tators. (Hear.) The procession took place, and you justi-
fied the confidence that was reposed in you: you attacked no
man ; you molested no man ; you assailed no man ; all was
peace and.quietness, very much to your credit, and highly
creditable to the discernment of your magistrates. (Hear.)
These are the direct facts. Then comes a contrast, a con-
firming and an illustrating contrast. In the beginning of
this present month of July, it was well and widely known
that there was likely to be a party procession with party
colours and other irritating demonstrations to take place
upon the 12th of this month. (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
Much was said about it, much was written, and much was
printed. The magistrates were of course aware of it, and
the Mayor. What did they do? Again, their conduct was
most just and correct, and highly creditable to you, and
creditable, I must repeat, to their own discernment of the
men they had to deal with. (Cheers.) They knew that
disturbance does not begin with them that walk, but with
them that attack the walkers; and, as in this case it
was Protestants that were to walk, they knew the
peace was in danger, not from the walkers, but from
the spectators. (Hear, hear.) Do you not see. (Cheers.)
And what did they do ? (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
Why, they interfered : they put out a manifesto against
the procession ; and they requested their Protestant
friends not to walk. Again, highly to your credit, we
are indebted for the peace of the town to you—first of all
for not interfering with the Roman Catholic procession on
the 17th of March, and then for not having a procession
upon the 12th of July. (Hear, hear.) Twice you have dis-
appointed the enemies of good order ; twice you have kept
the peace of the town ; and twice you have entitled your-
selves to the thanks of your fellow-citizens. Now, do not
forget this when next March comes. (Cheers.) Do not en-
gage in—do not be tempted by any plausible but false friend
to join in—a demand that their procession should be stopped
next March, because yours was stopped—that would be put-
ting yourselves upon a level with them. (Hear.) The cases
are not parallel, because you can be quiet under provocation,
and they cannot, therefore the Christian rule will here
apply, and this is my instruction to you upon the whole
matter, " Ye that are strong ought to bear the infir-
mities of the weak, and not to please yourselves."
(Cheers.) In the second place I have to inform you that
Mr. Colquhoun is a member of parliament! (Loud cheers.)
After a brief investigatiou he has been declared duly elected
for Newcastle-under-Lyme. However, he !did not take his
seat soon enough, I regret to say, to supply the needful in-
formation during the late debate upon the subject of May-
nooth College. (Hear.) It has always appeared to me a
very unwise and very injudicious course to select the time
for voting money to that College as the time for raising a de-
bate about the College. It would surely be a wiser course,
a course more becoming the advocates and the cause, to ask
leave to bring in a bill concerning the laws affecting that
institution, and concerning the necessity of inquiring
into the nature of the instructions inculcated in that
seminary—(hear, hear.)—such a bill as Mr. Colquhoun
asked leave to bring in, and got leave to bring in;
for you must be informed if you do not remember, or did
not know, that he got permission last session to bring in the
bill, and now he is in the proper place to avail himself of it.
(hear.) Thus I have frequently urged upon you, and en-
deavoured to persuade you to make it the prayer of your
petition, with regard to Maynooth College, not the withdrawal
of the grant in the first place, but an enquiry into the state
of the law, and into the character of the instruction given.
In the late debate upon that subject, her Majesty's Chief
Secretary for Ireland, is reported to have said " the charges
made against the Institution ought to be substantiated be-
fore they are circulated." I am sorry the noble lord was
not asked, and I venture now most respectfully, to ask him—
though it is far off, and he may never hear the question—what
species ofproof he requires? " The charges madeagainst the In-
stitution ought to be substantiated before they are circulated !"
The charges made against that institution of inculcating doc-
trines and practices alike opposed to the interests of good
morals and hostile to every Protestant government, were
advanced upon the authority of the class books used in the
college itself—class books returned by the professors of the
college, in reply to an inquiry upon the subject by parlia-
mentary commissioners. Is not that proof?_ (Hear, hear.)
But these charges, we are told, " should be substantiated
before they are circulated ! " I would ask, how ? We have
no means of substantiating them but by their circulation.
(Hear.) We have circulated them, and they have not been
denied ; the noble lord himself does not attempt to deny
%eoll, are
again four,
j i f
ask
it
them. (Hear.) When I say they not been denied, of
course I except the assertions oft Mr. Daniel O'Connell,
seemswho
answer willing
any
denypu;
our
tuohrs ae t
c. h
aw(
(Hear.)
charges.
v
tw
r
But Lord Elliot
invites
us to substantiate
o
will
what species of proof does the noble lord desire? Would he
t present
have those who were active in circulating these charges to
submit to a personal examination, in order to substantiate