PROTESTANT MOVEMENT IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND. (Abridged from the "Exeter Flying Post.")

ON Tuesday, 12th Jan., a highly respectably attended meeting was held at the Subscription Rooms in the city of Exeter, for the purpose of forming a Protestant Alliance for the western counties of Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall.

The Earl of Cavan was in the chair; and on the platform, and among those in the room, we noticed Sir Digby Mackworth, Bart., W. H. Peters, Esq., J. Axford, Esq., J. Bacon, Esq., W. Trenchard, Esq., G. H. Harvey, Esq., Dr. Deshan, Captain Wright; Revds. J. Hatchard, W. H. Howard, R. H. Kendall, R. H. Tripp, P. Douglas, S. Rowe, H. A. Simcoe, D. Nantes, Lundy, T. Dixon, W. G. Heathman, Whidbourne, Prebendary Tottenham, R. A. Taylor, Humphrey Allen, G. P. Despard, Harvey Marriott, Hobart Seymour,

Whish, W. Hockin, W. Strong, W. Bagnell, Mr. Cowie, J. P. Haswell, J. J. Topham; W. C. Barnard, Esq. (Clifton), Guy Everard, Esq., James Lord, Esq., E. Henning, Esq., Lieut. Brokenshire, R.N., W. Porter, Esq., Wm. Wreford, Esq. (Clannaborough), Samuel Wreford, Esq. (Chulmleigh), E. P. Pridham, Esq., R. Arscott, Esq., Capt. Berkeley, &c., &c., &c.

Prayers were read by the Rev. PHILIP W. DOUGLAS, Minister of Escott Chapel.

The Noble Chairman then rose, saying, that in accordance with a notice to this effect they were met there that day, and he could have wished that to preside over them some gentleman had been found possessed of more freedom of speech, and greater abilities than he could pretend to. But so far, he felt this to be a call of duty, from which he dared not shrink. Did he do so, he should be unworthy the name of an Englishman, since the cause on which they met was in itself most holy, being the cause of the Bible. (Applause.) For 300 years, under Protestant principles, had this country enjoyed prosperity, and been blessed in its privileges and liberties. It was these blessings which it was desired should go down to posterity; and for this purpose a greater means would, in all probability, shortly present itself. An election could not be far distant; and he did hope that when this should take place, the electors of England would not be led away by offers of silver or of gold-by the plausible pretences of this, or by the sophistical arguments of that; but would remember that it was a sacred duty they were about to discharge, and in doing this, what they owed to their country and their God. (Applause.) He said nothing about Conservatism, or Whiggism—of Radicals, or any other of those political terms that were so profusely handed about, and obtruded on the public ear; but what he wanted, and what he wished the electors of England to see, and to insist upon, was, that the man who obtained their votes was in truth and indeed a Protestant-one who would maintain the principles of Protestantism in all their integrity, and protest strongly against any further concessions to Popery. The subtlety of the arts of persons of that persuasion rendered it necessary that every one should be on his guard; but as other gentlemen would address them upon this subject, he (the Chairman) would now request attention to what they might say.

The Rev. JOHN HATCHARD, Vicar of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, now rose for the purpose of moving the first Resolution, and addressing the Noble Lord in the chair, and his Christian friends comprising that Meeting, proceeded to say, He had been called on by the voice of his fellow men, by the voice of his brother clergymen, and he believed by the voice of God, to come there and take some part in these proceedings; and his heartfelt prayer was, that they might be so guided by the Spirit of God, that they might be enabled to speak openly, fairly, firmly, and scripturally, on the great matter on which it was necessary that Meeting should be addressed. He spoke it unfeignedly, but had felt that he ought not to take this upon himself, but had been called to it, he believed, because he was among the oldest incumbents in this diocese; and, therefore, it was that he had been placed in the very front of the battle, and to this, and in the name of God, had he come. This then was not a political meeting in the sense in which the term was so frequently used, but it was a political meeting, and a political question of the highest import to the present and eternal interests of man was about to be brought forward in it. Had it been for the discussion of some mere point or question connected with Whig or Tory, then would he not have been there. There was another question, however, mixed up with this. It had been said the clergy ought not to meddle with politics, but he did not assent to this; on the contrary, it could be shown on the very highest authority, that the clergy most especially were called on to discharge their duty to their country and to their fellow men in this respect. He would refer them to Scripture in proof of this, and it was upon the ground of this command that he now came forward to agitate. His design was to agitate as to the means by which to avert the evils with which the kingdom of England-all that is holy and sacred in it—and the throne itself is threatened. To show the Meeting, and he hoped the public also, that the clergy were the parties whose bounden duty it was to arouse the people in all seasons of danger, and more especially of danger such as that with which they were now menaced; he would refer them to the 33rd chapter of the book of the Prophet Ezekiel, where it would be found written, "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: if when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning, his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, Ŏ son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me." The clergy were thus imperatively commanded and called upon to discharge their duty; they were the regularly appointed

watchmen for the people, and they were to warn them, their children by their firesides, their neighbours as opportunity was afforded for this, and their congregations from the pulpit. My Lord, said Mr. Hatchard, I love those who are Papists, I love those who are Tractarians; but I hate Popery, and I hate Tractarianism. I will now then read to the Meeting the Resolution which has been placed in my hands, and it is this, "That this Meeting do express its gratitude to Almighty God for the blessings of Protestant light and liberty enjoyed by ourselves and our forefathers during the last 300 years; and deeply regrets that state of moral insensibility to those blessings which has been manifested by every succeeding ministry for many years past; and more especially that our Parliaments, elected by a Protestant people, should so far forget the sacred nature of the trust committed to them both by God and their constituents, as to carry by increasing majorities every measure which has been brought forward to aid the ambitious efforts of Popery to regain her ascendancy in this Protestant land.” He would ask, who could tell the wonderful blessings which had been introduced into this country by the Reformation? Previous to that glorious era, the Bible was shut up from the people of England. It was to be found in monasteries and religious houses, but to which, or to that blessed book, very few among the people had access. And yet how stood the fact now? Why that in one town in England alone, in one year, there had been distributed and circulated 90,000 copies of the Bible, and this, they owed to the Reformation. He would not vote for a man who would not first so pledge himself, in the University of Cambridge, in the county of Devon, or the borough of Plymouth, in all which places he had the privilege of a vote. He did not say for whom he would vote, but this he did most distinctly say, that he would not vote for a man who would not first pledge himself to support, in all its integrity and rights, our Protestant Established Church, and oppose to the utmost every further concession to Popery.-This, then, was the medium, this the means by which Popery was to be arrested in its course, and resolutely, fearlessly, manfully carried out at the next election, and he had no fears for the result. The effect must be very great and immediate, and eventually would greatly alter the tone in other places. Mr. Hatchard now touched on the several bills that have passed the Legislature, giving encouragement to Popery: on the subject of Maynooth; and on the dangers arising in the education of youth, from the principles of indifference to matters of the most vital moment, implanted in their minds by those under whom they are placed. He adverted to the insidious nature of many works that are now placed in the hands of the young,-to the novels, the poems, and other works, speciously drawn up, but pernicious in character, which with fine showy outsides, and engravings and wood-cuts, serve but to poison the minds of those in whose way these are placed, and either beget in them a desire for alliance with religious error, or cause an indifference to all holy things, and to religious truth. He advised that great care should be taken as to the parties with whom young persons were placed, and this particularly as regards females, relating instances of the mischief which has followed the neglect of this. He combated the doctrine also which has been so frequently and spe