WHILE Our "best possible public instructers" are raving with bloated fury against the Pope and the Jesuits, and the Monks and the Friars, imputing to them all the imaginary ills which the people in Catholic countries are supposed to suffer, we shall draw the attention of our readers to a farce got up by Protestant Parsons, which for impudence, ignorance, and humbugging, exceeds any thing of the kind we have before witneseed in these days of cajolery and parsoncraft. The man of the Morning Chronicle, Dr. Black, openly proclaims his hatred of the Catholie religion, because, he says, it locks up the intellectual faculties of the mind, while history proves that the greatest proficients in all the sciences have been members of that Church. But what are we to think of the intellectual faculties of those men who can patronize and applaud such a scene as we here present from the Blackburn Mail of the 3d inst.

It appears from this last mentioned paper, that on the 26th of December last," the second annual meeting of the Association formed for the Deanery of Blackburn, in aid of the venerable and truly excellent Incorporated Society, for the Propagation of the Gospel in FOREIGN Parts, was held in the Assembly Room, at the Hotel, and was very respectably though not numerously attended." That the company was very respectable, as to rank, cannot be doubted, as there were the Rev. J. W. Whittaker, Vicar of Blackburn (Chairman), the Rev. R. M. Master, Incumbent of Burnley, the Rev. Jackson Porter, Incumbent of St. John's, Blackburn, the Rev. R. H. Feilden, Curate of Walton-le-dale, the Rev. J. S. Master, of Chorley, the Rev. W. Vernon, Curate of Grindleton, the Rev. J. M. Whalley, Incumbent of Whitewell, the Rev. S. J. Allen, Curate of Salesbury, the Rev. J. W. Hubberstey, Curate of Blackburn,

the Rev. R. Noble, Vicar of Whalley, the Rev. T. H. Backhouse, Incumbent of St. Peter's, the Rev. J. Clay, Chaplain at the Preston House of Correction, and one or two members of the squirarchy. A very respectable and godly company, whose resolves are too many to be specially enumerated, but one deserves particular notice, and was as follows:

"That in order to facilitate the collection of subscriptions in a district so extensive as the Deanery of Blackburn, the Clerical members of the Committee be requested to co-operate in this respect with the Treasurer, and to receive all the contributions that proceed from their own Parishes and Chapelries, and, either by congregational collections, or personal solicitation, to increase the number of its members."

Of the language used in proposing the resolutions we sball say nothing, as it was the most common place nonsense ever delivered, and such as would not have been tolerated by any people but those who have become bewildered with scriptural inspiration, and fancy themselves the most learned and wise of all God's creatures. But we must not pass over the epilogue of the Rev. Vicar of Blackburn at the close of the farce.-The resolutions having been passed unanimously, of course, the Rev. J. W. WHITTAKER is reported to have said what follows:

The Rev. CHAIRMAN observed that though by the last resolution the regular business of the meeting was concluded, he would beg leave, before they separated, to allude to a subject slightly touched upon in the report,—he meant the Church in the valleys of Piedmont,—a Church very strongly resembling our own both in doctrine and discipline, and which was in fact the earliest Protestant Church in Europe; if, indeed, the term 'Protestant' could be applied to a Church which existed long before that word was known as a distinguishing mark of the Reformers. In the year 820, in the time of Pope Sismondi, this Church existed, and although that man, before his elevation to the Popedom, had denounced the Pope as Antichrist, yet after he had attained the Pontificate, he caused crusades to be preached against these Christians in the valleys of Piedmont, for the purpose of exterminating them from the face of the earth. They had in truth been continually in a state of suffering, but, in the wise councils of PROVIDENCE, they were the means not only of preserving the purity of the faith, but of spreading it abroad; for, driven by persecution from their native vallies, they settled at the foot of the Pyrennees, in Germany, and in England, and there they diffused the light of the truth, and their efforts terminated in the conversion of half of Europe to the reformed faith.-(Applause.)-We cannot (observed the Rev. Chairman) contemplate the state of these Christians without feeling deeply interested in their welfare-without making some effort for their good. We hear much in these days of ultra liberality, of the necessity of toleration; but let us look at the state of these Christians. Until very lately it was lawful for the Roman Catholics of the Alps, (nay they were encouraged to do it) to steal the children of the Waldenses, that they might be taken to a hospital provided for that purpose, and there brought up in the principles of Popery; and even now every means are used to entice their children away from them, and bring them up in the Romish faith. Their Pastors are prohibited (by a law

recently enacted) to sleep a single night out of their own parishes, nor are the people allowed to go beyond their vallies.-When I speak of vallies, I do not mean such as the vale of Ribble; the habitations of this interesting people are in the deep ravines and fastnesses of the Alps. Their pastors are extremely poor, and though their Government is strictly and purely Episcopalian, they have no Bishop, but an officer exercising nearly the same functions, styled a Moderator; and it is a fact that the last of these officers died in so extremely poor and wretched a condition, that his family were totally unprovided for, and one of his sons was afterwards found working in a lime-kiln, and the other is now, I believe, at Lausanne. Nothing (continued the Rev. Gentleman) would give me more heartfelt satisfaction than to witness some effort for the relief of the poor people whose condition I have stated, and I therefore beg leave to propose, on the spur of the moment, that a separate subscription be set on foot for the relief of the poor pastors of the vallies of Piedmont, and I trust some of the Rev Gentlemen around me will second the motion.

"The Rev. R. M. MASTER immediately rose and seconded the resolu tion, which, he said, he had much pleasure in doing, as he felt deep interest in the welfare of the poor destitute people.

"The resolution was carried unanimously.”

We cannot but admire the prodigal charity of these reverend beggars for the poor Protestants of Piedmont; but how contemptible must they appear in the eyes of all sensible and rational men. And why was all this milk of human kindness shewn for foreign sufferers, when the Vicar's own parishioners are starving around him, and have been compelled to eat pig's meat to keep body and soul together! That he, a minister of the Gospel, might belie and calumniate his neighbours, breaking one of the commandments of God, which he is ordained to teach the people to observe, by bearing false witness against the Catholics. He tells his hearers (many of them Parsons like himself), that the Protestant Church existed in the valley of Piedmont in the year 820, when Pope Sismondi, who, before his advancement to the Papal chair, denounced the Pope to be Anti-christ, caused crusades to be preached against these Christians. We know not how to characterize this outrageously false statement, nor what to term those men who could listen calmly to such a gross violation of truth. History tells us, that the Vaudois or Waldenses, here alluded to, did not spring up till the twelfth century, and therefore it was impossible that crusades could be preached against them in the ninth. Neither was there such a Pope as the Vicar has named at the period he speaks of, nor, we believe, at any time, in existence. As to these Christians preserving the purity of the faith, and spreading it abroad, the assertion is a compound of folly and absurdity,

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since no one can tell what this faith was, when it was changing every day. He further states that the efforts of these good people terminated in the conversion of half of Europe to the reformed faith; and yet it is well known that two-thirds of Europe never embraced the reformed faith, but remained and are still Catholics, and that one-third of the population of this united kingdom are Catholics. Again, he says, we hear much in these days of ultra liberality, and the necessity of toleration, and then he recommends us to look at the state of these Christians. Until very lately, he states, it was lawful for the Catholics of the Alps to steal the children of the Waldenses, and they were encouraged to do so. This we have no doubt is a lie; but does not the reverend Mr. Whittaker know that there are such things as Protestant Charter Schools in Ireland, estab lished by the act of a Protestant Parliament and sanctioned by a Protestant king, for the express purpose of buying and stealing Catholic children from their parents, in order to bring them up in the reformed or rather deformed faith? And does he not know, that at this very moment every means are used by the bigoted scripturalists to seduce the children of the Irish peasantry from the faith of their parents, and make them turn Protestants. Nay, we dare venture to say that the charitable Vicar has lent his aid to this disgraceful system, by patronizing subscriptions which have been raised from the credulous and unthinking people of this country, for the very purpose which he now reprobates in Catholics who never put them in practice. Their pastors too, poor fellows, are prohibited (by a law recently enacted) to sleep a single night out of their own parishes; well, allowing this to be true, though we doubt it, are they worse off than the Irish Catholic, who is liable to be transported, without trial by Judge or Jury, if he is found out of his house after sunset or before sunrise.

Bless your charity, most reverend Vicar; could you not have confined it somewhere nearer home. Your commiseration of these poor Christians might as well have been exhausted on your suffering parishioners, but you seem to have no bowels of mercy for them. You lament that the poor Christians in the ravines and fastnesses of the Alps are without a Bishop, though their government is strictly and purely Episcopalian, and they

are therefore obliged to put up with a Moderator; but why not make a Bishop of the Moderator, good Vicar, if their Church government be strictly and purely episcopalian? It is not riches that constitute a Bishop, nor does poverty prevent the Holy Ghost from descending upon him if rightly ordained. We are sorry to find the Moderator so badly provided for, and must allow that you and your reverend confreres know how to manage matters better. You seem to take especial care that while your parishioners are starving you will not starve with them, and you have the impudence, too, to undertake to divert the charity of the more affluent from their horrible state of suffering to give it to those who are not in want of it. Your re verend worships take care that your sons shall not work in limekilns, though you cause many an industrious family to labour hard for their support when put on the pension and dead weight lists. If the poor Christians of the Alps have no Bishops, the people of England and Ireland cannot complain of the want of them, though many begin to think they can do without them, and we would recommend the assembly of reverends congregated at Blackburn, to pay more attention to their country than to foreign parts, if they wish to secure a little comfort for themselves in the event of a breaking up of the system. They seem to think at present that their parishioners have nothing to do but to give them money when they ask for it, and it must be confessed that the Blackburn Clergy will have their hands full of this business. Here is a public subscription to be solicited by Clerical members for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts, and a private subscription for the relief of the poor pastors in the valley of Piedmont; while his Majesty's Secretary of State, Mr. Robert Peel, a Lancashire man, who derived his fortune from the use of spinning jennies, is ordered to transmit the following letter from the King to the two Archbishops of the Established Church, to be by them sent to their suffragans, that they may call upon the Parsons to call upon the people, at their respective dwellings, for money to support the miserable starving creatures, who have been thus placed by one of the most accursed systems of misrule that could ever be devised to reduce one part of the people to beggary and desti