Aggregate Catholic Meeting.-Lord Fingall in the chair. THE Aggregate Catholic Meet. ing has just terminated, and the following Resolutions were adopt. ed by acclamation. The Meeting was most numerously attended, and several Gentlemen spoke in . vindication of the views and conduct of the Catholics of Ireland. Councellor Finlay spoke with his usual energy and eloquence. In the course of his speech he mentioned, that neither Princes or Parliaments could stop the progress of the Catholic Cause, and the enthusiasm of the people: the thousands within and without doors, burst forth into shouts of acclamation, that reached from Fishamblestreet to the Castle of Dublin. That an Address be prepared, and presented to his Royal High ness the Prince Regent, praying his interposition on behalf of the faithful and long-suffering People, professing the Roman Catholic Religion. That the Individuals entrusted with the management of our Ad. dress and Petition, composing the General Board of the Catholics of Ireland, be requested to prepare and present an Address to the Hon. C. H. Hutchinson, expressive of the unbounded gratitude of the Catholics of Ireland, for his unremitting patriotism, splendid ta lent, and incorruptible integrity, and of our deep regret, that the Irish People are at present deprived of his eminent services in Parliament-a deprivation which we rank amongst the most severe of calamities to Ireland. That the Earl of Donoughmore be requested to present the Petition of the Catholics of Ireland to the House of Lords. That the Right Hon. Henry Grat tan be requested to present our Petion to the House of Commons. That the most cordial gratitude of the Catholics is due, and hereby given to our friends and advocates, the Liberal and enlightened Protestants of Ireland, composing so deci of the Catholic Prelates has just closed; their proceedings have been kept profoundly secret; but their serious deliberation has embraced various important objects.-The Great Petition for Relief--a deputation to Parliamenta final judgment in favour of Dr. Milner against Dr. Poynter and the other Patrons of the Abbés Blanchard, Trevaux, &c.--a Repub lication of scarce Catholic tracts ---an Episcopal adoption of the great Lancasterian plan of Education. These proceedings, will however shortly be presented to the public in a printed form by authority. Eighteen Archbishops and Bishops attended; ten Bishops were absent from illness, business, or inclemency of weather. The profession of the long robe is pretty lucrative in Ireland. The present chief Baron (O'Grady) was Attorney General in 1804. He attained his present seat on the bench in 1896, and since that period has invested nearly 109,000/. in purs chasing estates in his native county of Limeric, and now opposes his eldest son to Mr. Fitzgibbon, son of the late Earl of Clare, as a representative for the county. Lord Norbury, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, has amassed a landed property of nearly 8000l. a year; he was the grandson of a poor shepherd.—Mr. Donnes, chief justice, by salary and emoluments gets about 70001, year, and having from deaths an income of about 5000l. aunnally, he is well provided for, and can have little reason to wish for alteration or reformation, -9d. SELECT LIST OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. THE Laity's Directory, for 1813, An Attempt to record the Political Principles, Sentiments, and Motives, of the Right Hon. W. Pitt, 8vo. 6s. Bromley's Few Plain Questions and Observations on the Catholic Emancipation, 18. Nolan's Objections to uniting with the Bible Society, 28. Gabbett's digested Abridgment and Comparative View of the Statute Law in England and Ireland, to the year 1811, 3 vols 8vo 3). 3s. Walpole's Essay on the Misrepresentations, Ignorance, and Plagiarism of certain Infidel Writers, 2s. 6d. Longman's and Co's, Catalogue of Rare, Curious, and Valuable Books. Gratis. The Dangers of Infidelity, 3 vols. 18s. (A Novel) Grattan's Speeches. 1 vol. 8vo. 12s. Lord Somers's Speech in the House of Lords, on the Catholic question. Jan. 30, 1812, 28. Hale's Letters on the Religious and Political Tenets of the Roman Heptarchy. 56, Appeal against the Claims of the Catholics, 18. Pinkerton's Collection of Voyages. vols. 12 and 18, containing Norh America, 440, 41. 48. The Beauties of England and Wales, vol. 14. Containing Yorkshire, 11. 10s. or Royal Paper, 1 Bs. Frend's Evening Amusements; or The Beauties of the Heavens Displayed, for the year 1818, 12mo. 3s. The Annual Register, for 1811. 8vo. 16s. Malcolm's Sketch of the Sikhs, a singular nation, who inhabit the Provinces of the Penjab, situated between the Rivers Jeuuna and Indus, avo. 8s. 6d. Dellon's Account of the Inquisition at Goa, 8vo. 6s. Asiatic Researches, vol. 2. 6ve. 188. or 4to. 21. 28. Lichtenstein's Travels in Souther Africa, 4to. 26s. Strictures on the Methodist Ma- learned and valuable elucidations; gazine. LETTER II. SIR, MY no calm and dispassionate investigation of texts inimical to their own proceedings; no solidity of ecclesiastical research, or beneficial exY last closed with some stric-planations of difficult passages.tures on the 3d Department of the Methodist Magazine. I now, with your permission, proceed to animadvert on the other portions of this fanatical publi cation. "IV. The word of God illustrated:" This portion, as you will readily conceive, is devoted to Biblical criticism. You will also easily conjecture that the Holy Scriptures are twisted to answer every purpose of Methodism. Truely, sir, these methodistical critics may fairly be charged with "wresting the word of God to their own destruction," and of “handling that word deceitfully." Nothing is supposed by these sapient divines, to "illustrate" the word of God," that does not, directly or indirectly, go to "strengthen the hands of Conference, to support the wild ravings of Methodism, and give a sort of sanction to their frantic proceedings. Here are no manly and liberal expositions; no deeply VOL. I. I The "right of private judgment" is here exercised with a vengeance; and "private interpretations" are every where given to the records of truth. Trite and insignificant verbal criticisms, unimportant intimations, and trifling scraps of information, fill up the few pages that are generally devoted to these scriptural illustrations. The Number for December last, for instance, gravely tells us, that "seven weeks and a day," are fifty days!!" and this in a pseudo critique on the phrase "first-fruits of the spirit." "V. The works of God illustrated." A page or two generally suffice to illustrate the works of God. The order and beauty of the visible creation are by no means calculated to excite the attention or suit the taste of the readers of the Methodist Magazine.-Philosophy is quite beyond their depth. Wesley's "Philosophy," however, helps these puritanical naturalists and philoso phers to some very plain and simple facts, with which to treat the young folks of the connexion, who might otherwise throw away the Magazine with disgust. This fifth portion, therefore, operates as a very convenient lure to the young, while the elder brethren in the country listen to these "wonders of nature and art" with a stupid admiration of the superlative and multifarious knowledge of the London brethren; yet silently pray that they may not be led to backslide through" head-knowledge," and human wisdom; two terrible bugbears to Methodists. "VI. The Providence of God asserted." This is certainly meant as a burlesque upon that Power who A Hero perish, or a sparrow fall!" Nonsensical dreams, pious phantasies, "hair-breadth escapes," miraculous visits, exorcisms, and impulses, thrown into the form of short letters, anecdotes, stories, &c. make up these "assertions of Providence." Every thing is deemed "a Providence," that in any way can be construed into a confirmation of Methodism. The misfortunes of supposed enemies are "awful examples;" their own mishaps are "gracious visitations, and fatherly chastisements." Were a Catholic chapel to fall during divine service, it would find a place in "the Sixth department," as a dreadful dispensation against bigotry: were an old barn to tumble to ruins, during the romping, noise, and confusion, of a country lovefeast, or the madness of a watchnight revival, it would be a flat demonstration of the divine favour, "VII. The grace of God manifested." This head is of a similar character to the first. It consists of scraps of biography; but is mostly devoted to remarkable conversions, instantaneous awakenings, experiences, happy deaths, It is a labours and conflicts. "Department" much read by the Methodists, as it gratifies the vanity, the pride, or the feelings of all those who may have been acquainted with the gracious subject of gratulation, whether living or dead; for it is not absolutely necessary to die, in order to live in the VIIth "Department." 1 "VIII. Miscellaneous." Any thing that may happen to fall in; especially letters from Methodist Preachers to their friends. I can. not illustrate this part of my subject better than by transcribing the whole of the "Miscellaneous" for December last. It consists, as you will perceive, of a letter addressed by a Methodist Preacher now resi dent in London to a LADY, on the subject of affinity. It solves a case of conscience, or rather tries to cool the incestuous passion of an elderly, or, at least, a middleaged lady, whose " noon of life" had, it would seem, been not only "luminous but even fierce and burning. I will pass over without particular animadversion, some of the many indelicate allusions with which this precious epistle abounds; neither will I be very severe on the propriety of committing to public inspection, a letter on such a subject, to such a character, written no longer ago than the 24th of August last, in all probability, while the unlawful passion is yet glowing, or at least warm, in the bosom of the tempted fair one. Should she ever marry (for I would fain hope the terrible threats of John Stephens would deter her from pursuing her incestuous purpose,) her husband will doubtless read this record of his wife's propensities with no very comfortable anticipations, unless, indeed, she shall have arrived at that sinless state of grace from which she cannot fall; a state which the Arminian founder of Methodism thought attainable in this life. Mr. John Stephens, the author of the letter in question, begins by addressing his fair catechumen as his dear madam, and reminds her of an application which she made to him" some weeks ago," respecting the propriety of "her marrying her brother-in-law." Mr. Stephens, "considering how headstrong and untractable the passion of love is," expresses his " surprise and delight," to learn that the lady had made up her mind to follow" seasonable advice,” which determination he piously ascribes, "to the power of the grace of God" I should suppose this lady must be one of the richer sisterhood, as her methodistical confessor proceeds with a considerable portion of care and caution. He accounts for a lady of such "delicacy of sentiment, and piety of conduct," and withal evincing the possession of a large measure of grace," yet" listening to the ad dresses of her brother-in-law," to "ignorance." This is fatherly and tender. He then proceeds to lay down the "points of law" relative to affinity in the following terms: "Affinity, among civilians, denotes the relation of each of the parties married, to the kindred of the other. Affinity is distinguished into three kinds: 1st. Direct affinity; or that subsisting between the husband, and his wife's relations by blood; or, between the wife, and the husband's relations by blood, 2dly. Secondary affinity; or that which subsists between the husband, and his wife's relations by marriage. 3dly. Collateral affinity; or that which subsists between the husband, and the relations of his wife's relations. The degrees of affinity are always the same with those of consanguinity. Hence, in whatever degree of consanguinity the kindred of one of the parties married are, they are in the same degree of affinity to each other. "By the canon law, direct af nity renders marriage unlawful to the fourth generation; but the case is otherwise with respect to the secondary and collateral kinds. It is likewise to be observed, that the affinity contracted by a criminal commerce, is an impediment to marriage, so far as the second generation thus, a man is not allowed to marry the sister of a woman with whom he has committed fornication. Let it also be remarked, (which bears directly on your case,) that affinity is not dissolved by death, with respect to marriage; for, though a woman may be admitted a witness for the brother of her deceased husbaud, yet she is not at liberty to marry him." |