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put them out. So I knew we were in for abuse. Next morning the Scripture Readers reported that their house was attacked, and the windows smashed, and that they were assaulted when coming over to me, and that their lives were in danger. On hearing this I thought it better to go over myself, and see the placards put up, as the placards that had been put up in the morning were pulled down, and the boards smashed into pieces. The village, when I arrived, was in a great state of excitement, and the people called on me to put up the placards that they might smash them. I therefore spoke to the police, and told them that if it was legal for me to have the placards hanging up, I would expect them to protect me, and that if they were illegal I would take them down. I then went and put one up, which was smashed in a moment, board and all. I then agreed with the police not to do anything more for that day, as they had no orders, and did not know what was the law respecting placards, and that they would write to their officer respecting it. Next day I came into Pallaskenry, and the excitement was at its height; the mob were running about like maniacs, and words cannot express the excitement. I had hardly ordered the Readers to put up the placards when they were assailed with great stones and cow-dung, and had to retreat into the house, and the placard was broken into pieces. The police were by, and were taking the names of the rioters. The attack then turned on me, and I was covered with every kind of filth, and the gravel and stones were flying about like dust, and the sergeant of police requested me to go into a Protestant house, that he might try and still the mob. The mob then went down to the priest's house, from which the priests were looking and enjoying the row, and cheered the priests vociferously. The sergeant seeing the mob so awfully excited, asked me would I go under the priest's protection if he asked him to keep the mob quiet while I got away, as he was afraid lives would be lost; but I at once refused, as I said I could not ask the person who I knew was the originator of the riot to give me his protection, and that if I could not go out under the protection of Her Majesty's police, I would stay where I was. My horse and car were pelted and broken, and covered with cow-dung, and only that the police led my horse into the yard of a Protestant where I was, the horse would have smashed everything, and run away, and perhaps killed some people.

"After remaining in the house for about half an hour, and seeing no likelihood of the excitement abating, I tried to bring

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out my horse and car in order to drive away; but my horse was assailed with such a shower of stones, gravel, and dung, that he reared so furiously that he had to be taken back, and I left the horse and car after me, and set out to walk home. The police escorted me all the way under a shower of stones, clods of earth, gravel, and cow-dung (which had been collecting for some hours before), and such was the quantity of it that was thrown on me at different times, that it sometimes felt like the weight of a load. One of the police received a severe blow of a stone on the back of his head, and was taken into the barrack fainting; other policemen were struck in different parts of their bodies, and all were a disgusting scene, so covered were they with filth. When opposite Mrs. cottage I received a blow with a stone which cut my head through my hat, and nearly felled me to the ground; it was not until after several steps that I recovered my upright position. With two other blows on the head from stones and several on the body I escaped, the crowd following me to my very gate, and trying to get over the gate after me when closed by the police. The police said they never saw such excitement at any election, and that if I had fallen, when struck by the stones, they said no power on earth could have saved me, as the mob would have trampled on me. Mr. Ghanner, the police officer, arrived just in time to see our condition as we walked the avenue, as he had not got an account soon enough, as he is quartered at Adere, six miles off, and he has ordered extra police into Pallaskenry on Monday; forty-four persons, I hear, are summoned by the police for the riot. I am very thankful to say that neither did the Readers nor I excite the mob, either directly or indirectly, as under every provocation the Readers never opened their mouths, according to my orders, and I never said one word myself. Indeed I could not feel angry with the poor misguided people, as I knew that they were hounded on by the priest. The Readers are regularly in a state of siege, they cannot go out to get anything, and are suffering much from want of water, as the populace will not allow them to get water at the public pump. Such is Rome! Oh, do we not require still more vigorously to cry, Come out of her, my people.'

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"I heard also that one of those who ought to be the most respectable Romanist in Pallaskenry, gave one pound subscription to the collection. The Mission building is a good deal injured. The poor Readers are daily in terror of their

lives, though I must say they have behaved nobly, both showing great patience and forbearance, never saying anything to rouse the people, under the greatest provocation. They have been hit with stones, the Reader's wife has been laid up with a stroke she received from a woman in the street; they have been insulted, covered with dung, and everything that man could invent to excite them; yet they have been patient, yet firm.

"You cannot imagine how hellish the cries of the shouting at Pallaskenry sounded here; though additional policemen are come, and a head constable instead of a sergeant, yet they are not at all intimidated. I have tried to show the Romanists that I have spoken to since, what a bad religion that must be that has no better argument than stones and cow-dung."

To the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P., Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.

"Wonsten Rectory, Micheldever Station, Hants, 29th June, 1861.

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"SIR,-In the Parliamentary Report of the Times of the 25th instant, of what took place in the House of Commons on the previous evening, it is stated, that with reference to the recent riots at Pallaskenry, in the county of Limerick, you said that you understood that by the exertions of the Roman Catholic clergymen the excitement which existed among the people had been calmed, and that peace was entirely restored, and that the Protestant clergyman had on his part undertaken not to repeat the publication of the placard which had produced the excitement.' As the reports in the Times are usually very correct, I take it for granted that these words represent what you stated in the House of Commons.

"This statement consists of three points, on each of which you must have been greatly misinformed, for not one of them has any foundation of truth, but the facts of the case are strongly and palpably in the opposite direction.

"On the first point, the fact is that the Roman Catholic clergymen never attempted to calm the excitement. When the Roman Catholic stipendiary magistrate on the bench told the offenders in court that if they took the advice of their parish priest they would not be there, one of the people in the dock said, that was not the advice we got.' You must have access to all the official reports, and if you will refer to that made by the police, of the harangue given by the officiating priest, on Sunday, the 9th of June, in the White Forge Chapel,

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near Pallaskenry, I doubt not that you will readily perceive the cause of the riot which took place on the 11th of June, and be able to judge how far the Roman Catholic clergymen were the persons to calm the excitement.

"On the second point, so far from peace being entirely restored, the fact is that the excitement is carried on by the same promoters who originated it. On Saturday, the 22nd of June, as one of the Readers was returning from Limerick, he was so pelted with stones and followed by a mob, that he had to escape into the Police Barrack from their fury. Mobs constantly follow the Scripture Readers, and their little children were pelted with stones on the 25th of June, when they were going to Mr. Waller's house for milk for their parents. These children are eight and nine years old.

"On the third point, the Rev. John Thomas Waller, so far from undertaking not to repeat the publication of the placard, against which the promoters of the riot had excited the mob, when he was asked publicly in court by the Roman Catholic stipendiary magistrate whether he would discontinue the exhibition of the placards, he distinctly declared that he meant to continue to exhibit them. This reply of Mr. Waller's is given in the accounts of the trial at the Petty Sessions, which appeared in the newspapers. Mr. Waller did afterwards exhibit the placards. When, however, the police, without pretending to interfere with his right to do so, earnestly requested him to defer their exhibition for a time, Mr. Waller paused, and then applied to the committee of neighbouring clergymen, who superintend the Missionary operations in that district. They were of opinion that it would be right to continue to put up the placards, as they considered that the excitement would only be increased by stopping, and beginning again in a week; but as the police asked it, they thought it would be proper to accede to their request by allowing the delay of a week; but the police were at the same time informed that the committee were perfectly determined to continue the exhibition of the placards, and that no considerable time could be permitted to elapse before putting them up again.

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Having shown you the errors in the statement you made in the House of Commons on all the points of which it consisted, I must request you to refer to the documents you will doubtless find in the Castle at Dublin, relating to this very subject the right to exhibit unobjectionable placards, in spite of the opposition excited by certain parties. În the year 1853, a similar excitement to that produced at the White Forge

Chapel was attempted in Dublin, and the Roman Catholic police did not interfere to prevent the excited mob from destroying the placards from the walls. The Committee of the Society for Irish Church Missions remonstrated with the authorities, first in Dublin, and then in London. A memorial was addressed to the Government on the 15th of November, 1853. A very influential deputation afterwards waited upon Lord Palmerston on the 3rd of December following, and the result of the whole was, that the legal right to exhibit such placards was clearly established, and one of the police authorities in Dublin stated to the Society's Missionary, that no further interference with the placards would be allowed.

"Since that decision the Society has had to maintain a similar struggle of more or less difficulty and intensity in various districts. In each case the same course of calm, steady, and unflinching perseverance has invariably resulted in success, with more or less of patience. Mr. Waller and his Readers have manifested the most praiseworthy forbearance. They never spoke a word of reproach, even under the greatest provocations. They have not been charged with the use of an exciting expression. The placards are the most inoffensive that can be imagined, being absolutely nothing but texts of Scripture, taken from the Roman Catholic version. I enclose an exact copy of them. To suppose that the law of this land does not protect a man in exhibiting these, would be to place this country under the same tyrannical restriction as that in Spain, which is at this moment exciting so much indignation in the public mind in England. The truth is, that these outbursts of Papal excitement never occur unless the minds of the Roman Catholic people are beginning to be moved to inquire as to the grounds of the priestly claims to power. Experience, therefore, shows that such a riot, produced like that at Pallaskenry, is an indication of the progress of truth amongst the people, and therefore a good reason for continuing the course which has awakened the inquiry. In the present case the placards were read by the people during ten days before the riot. They excited no anger; but were read with interest and approval; and since the riot several Roman . Catholics have privately encouraged Mr. Waller to persevere as a means of helping them in the struggle for liberty of conscience. Mr. Waller is acting in connection with the Society for Irish Church Missions, of which I am privileged to be the honorary secretary, and I am sure, that when the committee meet to consider the subject, they will support Mr. Waller in

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