The Sun. — 1838-05-14 (London, England)

BATH-SATURDAY.  TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.  Sia,—ln your truly impartial columnsl would make a few observations on the nature and tendency of those meetings, one of which has been recently held in Exeter Hall, got up for the purpose of calumniating and misrepresenting the religious tenets of our Roman Catholic fellow-subjects. The notorious WGhee and his followers, no doubt moved by some more artful men behind the scenes, by means of these political religious meetings hoped, by exciting a general hatred of Catholicism, to accomplish what Sacheverel did, unseat an Administration friendly to religious toleration. But the day is too far advanced to admit of such a termination to their unchristian labours. It is true they have succeeded in frightening a good many old women in petti_ coats, and not a few old women out of petticoats, including the late Members for Westminster and Cumberland. The greater part of the "romonity see that no good can result from the labours of these angry Polemics, as men are more to be estimated by their actions, than opinions on matters relating to church disciple. And when we find the conduct Of our Roman Catholic brethren estimable in every respect, as good subjects, good citizens, and good in every social and relative connection, We are led to observe that the creed cannot be very wrong which produces such good conduct. We, too, have had a meeting, got up for the two-fold purpose of abusing the Irish Catholics, and the Government, for the good feeling they show towards them, and endeavouring to Prove from some books which are in the Maynooth College, that the , l'oPe can absolve Catholics from their oaths. Dr. Brown, of Downside, at another meeting of the friends to Ireland, contended that the Roman Catholics felt the sacredness of an oath as much as any Protestant, and that 11PGhe-2 had produced garbled and incorrect extracts from the books In question. Fourteen laymen and clergymen thoughtlessly came for_ Ward to vouch for the accuracy of M'Ghee—there can be but one °piLion, that Dr. Brown has successfully shown their error. Two of these Worthies, an ex-Major and his Squire, musfneeds go a colonelling, and Lot content with the use of reason and fair argument, resorted to the most scurrilous abuse of their opponent; but he gave them such a Pummeling, as it is hoped will put an effectual stop to their Hudibrastic efforts.  Now, Mr. Editor, is it not evident that political has much more than rebtious feeling to do with these meetings ? We observe the Tories, as 14Irty, patronize M`Ghee ; how great, then, must be the hypocrisy of these men, who with long faces profess to bemoan the enslaved state of the Catholics, while at the same time they make religion a stalking horse, with some political object in view; and it is to be feared they care as much about religion as Judas Iscariot did for the poor. But, Mr. Editor, suppose the object of these men could be obtained ? Suppose the present Melbourne Liberal Cabinet to give place to one composed of the ultra bigots of Peel's late short-lived Cabinet, would the millions of Irish, and English, and Scotch, and Colonial Catholics, Presbyterians, and Dissenters, be satisfied with seeing their bitter enemies in the saddle ? Surely not ; and I cannot conceive a greater curse to the nation than such an event. I believe the general feeling is carelessness as to the religious tenets of the Government, so as they do their duty. -What can the Episcopalians wish for more than they have? At present all, with few or no exceptions of the members of the Melbourne Ministry are Churchmen, but not bigots; and surely some attention ought to be paid to the feelings of so large a portion of her Majesty's subjects as the Catholics and Dissenters, in the formation of a Governb?crit. In conclusion, it is a very favourite subject with these Tory vilifiers of the Irish Catholics, the number of crimes committed in that country, and the failings of the priesthood, which are dragged forth to view by these lovers of fair play ; but I contend, Mr. Editor, that in this country more crimes and murders of the most atrocious description are perpetrated by members of that Church, which boasts so highly paid a Clergy; and for one fault, so ostentatiously dragged to view, of the opish Clergy, I would produce three Protestant Clergy, guilty of equal or greater crimes. Have these unfair men forgot a Bishop of Cleglier, Or the persecution of a Devonshire or Cornish Curate  I am, Mr. Editor, A