Joke from the land of his Patriotie kinsmen, with the glorious news of Dupont, the capture of Junot by the gallant truth-loving Sir Arthur, and the flight of Don Jo seph Bony" from Madrid. To this sorriest of scribblers I should not have deigned to reply, were it not that he has at least one open and avowed admirer in his own vicini. ty, indeed a next door neighbour (of whom hereafter) who sees much good argument in his production, whilst he can find nothing of the sort in Sarsfield! This must apologise for postponing to a future day my promised account of a late clerical meeting, Mr. St. Ruth, Student Maynooth College, College Maynooth, tells me that in my letters. He wants to Titular Primate of all Ireland, and find, but in vain, good sense and Bishop of Armagh. My Lord, Yesterday's Herald, favoured the public with a Letter, which, from the pompous length of its signature St. Ruth, Maynooth College, College Maynooth) a mere Irishman unacquainted with the Continental and English languages, and mindful of the long names of his Milesian ancestors handed down by tradition, would have supposed to be written by one of the deputies lately arrived in the Black One world imagine this had been written and addressed by the Genius of Ireland to the besotten Leven of the "sixty-eight," who after having assisted the British minister in his endeavour to blast the hopes of Irishmen in worldly matters, at the time of the celebrated Catholic convention now come forward again in support of the same insiduous enemy who broods over the destruction of our divine Hierarchy. solid argument, instead of the round about period stuffed with un-meaning incident," and, after expressing his fears of severe treatment from my exasperated tongue, he at length takes courage and boldly cries out (not indeed in the style of the country buck-Parson, for whom he feels so much) but in the point blank language of an highwayman. Stand, sir, he says, I approach you under the captivating name of a staunch Catholic, of which a staunch regard for the honour, learning, piety and zeal of our fu ture hierarchy, the Maynootheun gives us shortly after, some very fine specimens indeed. "I should think," says this wise man of Gotham, speaking of the proposed veto to the king in the nomination of our bishops, "that it is no more, than, on our side, a measure to secure the crown and established religion (that is, the Catholics as such are to bind themselves to secure the Protestant Faith!) and on the other (what other other?) a convincing, unexcepti- that same learning, piety and zeal, onable test of allegiance! Just God! what a despicable attempt this at sophistry! Does St. Ruth, &c. &c. &c. mean to insinuate our sovereign is not already convinced that Irish Catholics have suffered more on account of their respect for the sacredness of an oath, from the commencement of the Virgin Queen's persecuting reign to the present hour, than any nation recorded in the page of history? Is that an exceptionable test of allegiance whereby we solemnly swear that we do not believe the Pope or an other foreign power has a right, directly or indirectly, to interfere in temporal matters in the dominions of his "sacred Majesty," and that "he" is the only rightful sovereign we can in conscience obey? Are Irish Catholics the only human beings on earth, to whom, by law, an oath is to be administered, and that oath, at the same time, not to be admitted as conclusive proof when there is question of allegiance? And surely this is the case in the present instance, when, after having bound ourselves in the most solemn manner, not only to abjure all foreign jurisdiction in temporals, but also to disclose to our rufers all treasons and conspiracies, which may by any means, come to our knowledge, we are nevertheless told that, in order, "to reconcile the sovereign and the subject, and to diffuse the spirit of brotherhood to all the classes of society" it is absolutely necessary to give the king a power (which once given could never be recalled!) of excluding from the episcopal dignity any priest, though ever so distinguished for learning, piety and zeal, whom he may please to point out as unfit for that situation, and who, most probable on account of had been previously misrepresented to him by the Musgraves, and Duigenans of the day. But, says St. Ruth, &c. &c. &c. "It must be remembered that the King's power (the vete) in this case would be but a negative one (this though no round-about period is, no doubt, good sense and solid argument !) and it would be also understood that he should not make a capricious use of it, conse quently should he ever have the intention, he could not send any wolves in upon them! Let me ask you, Mr. Maynoothean, who affect to understand Logic, do you recollect any thing of the petio principii, or begging the question? How assume as first principals, from which to deduce your consequence, the very fundamental preposition concerning which the new herarchy-modellers and I differ in opinion from each other? Would not the King, by virtue of this antiCatholic compact, have at least the possible means of withholding from the flock of Christ, the assistance and protection of the ablest pastors in the land, and that for ever? And is it not equally certain that one individual, such a man for example as Dr. Milner, often stands alone the champion of the faith in a great nation? And could not the vetoing such a man under such circumstances be tantamount to a virtual introduction of the wolf amongst the flock for the guarding of which against the common ene ray, the most vigilant pastors are scarcely sufficient. This is the gordian knot which I defy " usurpers" from the head to the tail of the association" to untie this is the argument, which the united talents of all our “natural representatives" never can overturn this his is the danger threatening our hiearchy, and confequently our faith, from this novel experiment which every true catholic would avoid, were be to forfeit thereby all the treasures of the Eaft. What would St. Ruth, &c. &c. think of a parent who could be induced to call a council of his friends to deliberate whether he fhould, for a large fum of money, which he wanted much, fuffer his beautiful fa vourite daughter to keep company with a notorious enemy, whofe constant practice it had been to rob him of property and character by calumny, perjury and feduction? Most affuredly, he would juftly reprobate him for thus expofing his child to danger, for, according to the divine writer, "He who loves danger fhall perish "therein." One learned quotation more and I have done with the letter of St. Ruth," Student Maynooth "College, College Maynooth."Talking of the important Seminary of Maynooth, of which the Lord Lieutenant is Head, he fays in his own claffical language, "Though Sarsfield makes all the noife in the world about their Heads, the College has not received the leaft da mage from her own Head ! ! ! Surely, ofter this extraordinary lecture on Heads, (whether wooden or leaden he himself is most competent to determine I have no hefitation in advising St. Ruth, &c. &c. to digeft his logic better, and begin to learn English before he returns again to ftand before the public as reprefentative of his important feminary-and should he on any future occafion, while in college, be hurried on by an itch for fcribbling, let him fubmit his compofitions to the infpection of that worthy and learned Gentleman, who now prefides over his college. From him he will learn 66 that, if the Laity exercifed the right. of choofing their Bithops in the early days of the church, it was the Catholic Laity, not the enemies of their faith, who did fo. Yet, thole pure Catholics would have fuffered a thoufand deaths rather than allow their Anti-Catholic rulers to have the most diftant, indirect interference in the election of their Bilhops-not like the nominal leading Cathones of the prefent day, who would fell their God and their country for a mels of pottage-the poffeffion of titles, penfions and places for hemfelves or families. From the fame Gentleman he wil alfo learn, that it is not ogical for him to fay, because we are now bleffed with a wife and pacific Monarch, who is equally attached to the Irish Catholic and Irish Pr teltant, and with a Miniftry who are the profeffed champions of genuine, conftitutional toleration, that it is therefore impoffible a period fhoud ever arrive, when we are again to be curfed with fuch a fanguinary madman as Henry the eighth, who never fpared man in his anger, or woman "in his luft." Or fuch a Parliament as a late Irish one, which refufed to inveftigate the infernal business of Armagh, although Meffis. Grattan and Curran, in the face of the nation, offered to bring forward damning facts to prove that that abomination wa the foul work of Adminiftration itfelf. To bring this letter to a conclufion, I will fuppofe a plain fimple cafe in point-a money tranfaction, which St. Ruth and his next door neighbour will probably understand much better than my former round-about periods :-Suppofe two men, long in the habit of dealing with each other on a very extenfive fcale, and that one of them always deceived the other by falle promifes, &c. when ever of your honor, place it not in his hands--if you do, it is gone for ever ! In like manner, my Lord, when : the English Minifter and his imps now make an infidious propofal, affecting not only the honor, but, indirectly at leaft, the very faith of our country, I would exclaim, Avaunt! Traitors-for 700 years you never adhered faithfully to word or oath with Ireland, except in executing your bloody penal code.-Your King and Parliament, 117 years ago, fo lemnly fwore to obferve the Articles of Limerick, which are violated to this day and within the last ten ever he could take auy advantage. Nay, after having, by perjury fwin dled him out of his property which he had honeftly laid up for his children he, a few years back, notwithftanding his former villainy, again fo far impofed upon this unfufpecting, foft hearted neighbour, that he actually prevailed on him to furrender the ight of managing all his earthly affairs, under a new promife on oath, of a friendly communication of Capital, Connection, Civilization, &e. in return. Even this laft promife he infultingly broke! And whilft this transaction is fresh in the memory of the poor dupe, the impofter again in folently comes forward with a pro-years, Pitt, of detefted memory, pofal affecting the very honour of his perfuaded the Catholic "Leaders" family. What would be the advice and many of the Bishops to affift in of St. Ruth and his next door neigh-earrying the fatal Union, under a probout in this cafe? Would it not be exactly this? Injured man, you have already placed too much confidence in your defigning neighbour-in all his transactions with you, he has not only played the knave, to the ruin of your poor family, but has given you a bad name amongst all his acquaintance. Open no new account with him, until he has firft cleared off the old balance, which is very greatbut above all, when there is queftion mife of immediate emancipation, which he never intended to fulfil. Therefore, previous to any new com pact, difcharge the immenfe balance which appears against you on the ledger of the nation. But above all in religious matters, I fhall hold no fort of intercourse whatsoever with you-for evil communications cor rupts good manners. Auguft 16, 1808. SARSFIELD. DOCTOR MILNER. AT the great Dinner lately given at Cork to our prelates, who attended at the Confecration of the new Chapel in that City, the Rt. Rev. Englifhman's coaft was. "The Union "of the English and Irish catho "lics." The Doctor's wish in this cafe we fufpect in the manner it was given, and the nature of the subject that engroffes his particular folicitude, ap pears pears to involve a political as well as a religious relation, between the perfecuted and profcribed catholics, and to tend more to fawn on the Government, than to the happiness of the Irish or even English catholics, fo much do we value the fufpicious fincerity of any Englishman that we promife nothing to our fuffering countrymen by fuch an Union, proposed from fuch a quarter, but an abject furrender of our Hierarchy and our church to English projectors, whofe paffion to domineer and fubject us, is not to be reftrained by any fyftem of religion, catholic or proteftant. An Englishman is the fame invariable creature, After seven centuries experience with the English nation, Hiftory informs us, and Statutes written in blood, that we have had no remiffion of pains or penalties from an English catholic, no more than from an English proteftant. Catholic legiflatures decreed that killing an Irishman was not murder. They enacted ftrong laws against our beards, when they admired our religion, nothing was relaxed of perfecution, while our properties, or induftry re mained unalienated or our people berayed any fymptoms of independence of retaliation !!! We have had one Union already, and our miserable country verges to rapid decay. Our Cities, are wafting into ruins. Our men of property and every man who can bear the expences of eration, rejects the mercantile dulneis and the difgufting military activity that have fucceeded our independence. Should the bafe confpiracy which this Miffionary and our upstart gentry, have entered into fucceed, we would foon behold our people difgraced by fanatical variety fo univerfal in England fince its fall from the church. The people abandoned by their prelates, and the enemies of our faith empowered with the nomination of our inftructors would creat fuch a reasonable diflike to a corrupt 2nd new modelled priesthood: that Herefey itself would be an Afylum, to which an Irishman would impatiently refort, to vindicate his fenfe of honor, and his abhorrence of fervitude. An Union with English Catholics, or with any profeffion of good men, we must admire, but we know that an Englishman of any defcription, has no other fenfe of an Union with us, only a tame submission to his ideas of monopoly, to his misgovernment, to his mercantile avidity. |