493 Dr. Chalmers' Speech on the Catholic Question. with her radiance, and developing the complicated hues of the fading forest, creates for him a poetic Eden. The landscape is subservient to his "fine frenzy," as completely as is the canvass to a painter; and, by the power of his moral alchymy, he gives to the most repulsive objects features of order and beauty. Constituting his muse "the handmaid of religion," he instructs our understanding coevally with delighting our fancy. We may wonder at our second Cowper for so rigidly secluding himself from the world; but the words of his great prototype may be aptly applied to the eremite of song "Stillest streams Oft water fairest meadows; and the bird That flutters least, is longest on the wing Finally, may it not be concluded from these observations, that asseverations of our virtuous supremacy over our progenitors are assumptions which we cannot justify? that in our contemporary literature, frivolity and scepticism abound in place of moral excellence?-that we have lost, almost irretrievably, that relish for ethical dissertation possessed by our literary predecessors?-that our belles lettres is corrupted by sentimental innovations which weaken the energies of true taste?-and that these lamentable deviations have their origin in the universal advancement of letters in the nineteenth century? These premises established, our ideas naturally recur to the remedy; a panacea, the existence of which is obvious; but whose application to so extensive and deeprooted a disease, involves a question so complex and philosophical, that its demonstration is as difficult as was the enodation of the complicated knot tied by the heathen Gordius. London, Jan. 1, 1829. G. Y. H. DR. CHALMERS' SPEECH ON THE CATHOLIC MR. EDITOR, rest. 494 "AND I advert to this (the calling of the present meeting,) only in consequence of anterior efforts to get up an anti-catholic petition-simply for the purpose of remarking how delusive the indication often is of the state of public sentiment, in as far as it is grounded on the majority of petitions, or in the majority of signatures. The truth is, that they are the non-contents, the alarmists, who are in motion. And the contents scarcely ever think of moving, but in the capacity of counter-alarmists. Meanwhile, if arithmetical deduction were to be made of all the petitioners on both sides of the question, it would be found that the great body of the public were in a state of We have read of expressive silence; and this is what their silence expresses. (Loud cheers.) There may have been a local effervescence here and there, but mainly, and throughout the land, there is a general attitude of quiescence, perhaps the strongest demonstration that could be given of the reliance which the people of Scotland have on the wisdom and the safety of the measures now in agitation. I cannot answer for others; but in vindication of myself, I can at least say, it is in the spirit of devotedness to the Protestant cause that I came here; and because, in this emancipation of Papists, I see for Protestants a still greater and more glorious emancipation. These disabilities have long hung as a deadweight around the Protestant cause for more than a century. They have enlisted in opposition to it some of the most unconquerable principles of nature;-resentment, because of injury-and the pride of adhering to a suffering cause. They have transformed the whole nature of the contest, and thereby they have rooted and given tenfold obstinacy to error. They have transformed a nation of heretics into a nation of heroes. We could have refuted and shamed the heretic out of his errors, but we cannot bring down the hero from his altitude; and thus it is, that from the first introduction of this heterogeneous ele. ment into the question, the cause of truth has gone backward. (Loud cheers.) It has ever since been met by the unyielding defiance of a people irritated, but not crushed, under a sense of indignity; and this notable expedient for keeping down the popery of Ireland, has only compressed it into a firmness, and closed it into a phalanx, which, till opened up by emancipation, we shall find to be impenetrable. Gentlemen would draw arguments from history against us; but there is one passage in history which they never can dispose of. How comes it that Protestantism 495 Dr. Chalmers' Speech on the Catholic Question. 496 Ireland. (Loud applause.) It is since the admission of intolerance-that unseemly associate-within our camp, that the cause of the Reformation has come down from its vantage ground; and from the moment it wrested this engine from the hands of its adversaries, and began to wield and brandish it itself,-from that moment it has been at a dead stand. (Applause.) It is not because I hold Popery to be innocent, that I want the removal of these disabilities, but because I hold that if these were taken out of the way, she would be tenfold more assailable. (Cheers.) It is not because I am indifferent to the good of Protestantism, that I want to displace these artificial crutches from under her--but because I want, that, freed from every symptom of decrepitude and decay, she should stand forth in her own native strength, and make manifest to all men, how firm a support she has on the goodness of her cause, and on the basis of her orderly and well-laid arguments. (Loud cheers.) These were enough for her in the days of her sufferings, and should be more than enough for her in the days of her comparative safety. (Loud cheers.) It is not by our fears, and our false alarms, that we do honour to Protestantism. A far more befitting honour to the great cause is the homage of our confidence; for what Sheridan said of the liberty of the Press, admits of most emphatic application to this religion of truth and liberty. Give,' says the orator, 'give to ministers a corrupt house of commons; give them a pliant and servile house of lords; give them the keys of the treasury, and the patronage of the crown; and give me the liberty of the press, and with this mighty engine I will overthrow the fabric of corruption, and establish upon its ruins the rights and privileges of the people.' In like manner: Give the Catholics of Ireland their emancipation; give them a seat in the parliament of their country; give them a free partici made such triumphant progress in these realms, when it had pains and penalties to struggle with? and how came this progress to be arrested from the moment it laid on these pains and penalties, in turn? (Enthusiastic cheering.) What have all the enactments of the statute-book done for the cause of Protestantism in Ireland? | and how is it that when single-handed truth walked through our island with the might and prowess of a conqueror; so soon as propped by the authority of the state, and the armour of intolerance was given to her, the brilliant career of her victories was ended? There are gentlemen opposed to us profound in the documents of history; but she has really nothing to offer half so instructive as the living history before our eyes. With the pains and penalties to fight against, the cause of Reformation did almost every thing in Britain; with the pains and penalties on its side, it has done nothing, or worse than nothing, in Ireland. (Loud cheers.) But, after all, it is a question which does not require the evidence of history for its elucidation. There shines upon it an immediate light from the known laws and principles of human nature. When truth and falsehood enter into collision upon equal terms, and do so with their own appropriate weapons, the result is infallible. But if, to strengthen the cause of truth, you put the forces of the statute-book under her command, there instantly starts up on the side of falsehood an auxiliary far more formidable. You may lay an incapacity on the persons, or you may put restraint and limitation on the property, of Catholics; but the Catholic mind becomes tenfold more impregnable than before. We know the purpose of these disabilities. They were meant to serve as a barrier of defence for Protestants against the encroachments of Popery; and they have turned out a barrier of defence for Papists against the encroachments of Protestantism. They were intended as a line of circumval-pation in the politics of the realm; give lation round the strong-holds of the Protestant faith; and in effect they have been a line of circumvallation around the strongholds of the Catholic faith. It is to force these now difficult and inaccessible strongholds, that I want this wall of separation taken down. When I speak of force, it is the combined force of truth and charity that I mean, (Immense cheering)—and it is precisely because I believe it to be omnipotent, that I am an emancipationist. It is precisely because I agree with the Duke of Wellington in thinking, that if the political distinction were done away, the result would be the spread of Protestantism in them a place at the right ear of majesty, and a voice in his councils; and give me the circulation of the Bible;-and with this mighty engine I will overthrow the tyranny of antichrist, and establish the fair and original form of Christianity on its ruins.-The politics of the question I have left to other and abler hands. I view it only in its religious bearings, and I give it as my honest conviction, and I believe the conviction of every true-hearted Protestant, who knows wherein it is that the great strength of his cause lies,-that we have every thing to hope, and nothing to fear, from this proposed emancipation." 497 American Baptist Mission at Avá. AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSION AT AVA. (From the Missionary Chronicle.) Narrative of the Sufferings of MR. and MRS. JUDSON, at Ava, the capital of the Kingdom of Burmah, written by MRS. JUDSON on board the Irrawaddy gun-boat, 60 miles above Prome, on the 12th of March, 1826, and addressed to the late Joseph Butterworth, Esq. of London. In my last to you, I mentioned that every thing had a warlike appearance. The Burman government, however, had no idea that the English were in earnest in their communications; consequently they heard the report that Rangoon was taken, with surprise and amazement. No preparation had been made at that port for the reception of strangers; and even the viceroy was absent. An army was immediately raised, and ordered to march under the command of the Khgee-Woongyee, who was to be joined on his way down by Schagah-Woongyee, he having been recently appointed viceroy of Rangoon. The only fear or anxiety which the king and government then manifested or expressed was, lest the English at Prome should hear of their approach; and, precipitately leaving the country, deprive the Burmese grandees of the pleasure of em ploying in their service, as slaves, a few of the white strangers. "Send to me," said one of the ladies of a Woongyee (minister of state) four kalarpyoos, (white strangers) to manage the affairs of my household, as I hear they are trustworthy." "And to me," said a gay young sprig of the palace, "six stout men to row my boat." The army, in their gayest attire, danced and sung down the river; but few, if any, ever danced back again, and the Khgee-Woongyee found other commissions to execute than those just given him. As soon as the first force was despatched, the government had leisure to look round, and inquire into the cause of Rangoon being taken, and the probable intentions of the arrival of those strangers. It was at once concluded that spies were in the country, who had communicated the state of things, and invited the foreigners over; and who so likely to be spies as Rogers, Gauger, and Laird, who, under the garb of merchants, had plotted so much evil! They were all three accordingly arrested, and put in confinement. We now, more than ever, began to tremble for ourselves, and hourly to expect some dreadful scene. On examining the accounts of Mr. Gauger, it was found that Mr. Judson and Dr. Price had taken money of him; which circumstance, to 126.-VOL. XI. 498 the uninformed mind of a Burmese, was sufficient evidence that they also were spies, and in the employ of the English government, as they received their supe plies from an Englishman. The king had before been advised to put the missionaries in confinement; but his reply had been, "They are true men-let them remain." He was now, however, informed of the above-mentioned circumstance; and, in an angry tone, issued an order for the immediate arrest of Dr. Price and Mr. Judson. And now commenced a series of oppressive acts, which we should, before, have thought human nature incapable of committing. On the 8th of June, a city writer, at the head of a dozen savages, with one whose marked face denoted him an executioner; rushed into the house, and demanded Mr. Judson. "You are by the king," said the writer (a mode of expression when about to execute the king's order,) and instantly the small cord was produced by the spotted face, who roughly seized Mr. Judson, threw him on the floor, and tied his hands behind him. The scene was now dreadful. The little children were screaming with fear-the Burmans in our employ running here and there, endeavouring to escape the hands of those unfeeling wretches,-and the Bengal servants mute with amazement and horror at the situation in which they saw their master. I offered money to the executioner, to untie Mr. Judson; but in vain were my tears and entreaties; they led him away, I knew not whither and I was left guarded by ten men, who had received strict orders to confine me close, and let no one go in or out. I retired: to my room, and attempted to pour out my soul to Him, who, for our sakes, was bound and led away to execution; and even in that dreadful moment I experienced a degree of consolation hardly to be expected. But this employment was of short duration. The magistrate of that part of Ava in which we lived was in the verandah, continually calling to me to come out, and submit to his examination. Supposing that all our letters and writings would be examined, and feeling conscious of having noted down every occurrence since my arrival in Ava, I instantly destroyed every thing of the kind, having no time to make a selection; and then went out to receive the officer. The writer was now ordered to take down my name, age, and country, with the names of my four little Burman girls, and thos 2 K 499 American Baptist Mission at Ava. of the two Bengalee servants; and then pronouncing us all slaves to the king, again ordered the guard to watch me closely, and departed. It was now near evening, and with great anxiety I awaited the return of our faithful Moung Ing, who had followed Mr. Judson at a short distance, to see what had become of him. I had then no doubt that I could procure the release of Mr. Judson, if he had not been executed, by getting a petition presented to the queen; but I was also a prisoner, and could not move out of the house. After dark, Moung Ing returned, with the intelligence that he saw Mr. Judson conducted to the court-house, and thence to the death-prison, the gates of which were closed, and he saw no more. What a night was now before me! The uncertainty of Mr. Judson's fate, my own unprotected situation, and the savage conduct of the ten Burmans, all conspired to make it the most dreadful night that I ever passed. I barred the doors, and retired with the four Burman children into the inner-room. The guards were constantly ordering me to unbar the gates and come out, as they could not be assured of my safety, if I remained within. They next threatened to go in and inform the magistrate that I had secreted myself; and that they must not be blamed if I made my escape; finding themselves unsuccessful in their demands, they took the two servants and made their feet fast in the stocks. As I apparently took no notice of this, they ordered the stocks to be raised, which makes the situation of the person confined extremely painful; this I could not bear to see, and promised them all a present in the morning, if they would release the servants. The next morning I sent Moung Ing with a piece of silver, in order to gain admission to the prison to ascertain the real situation of Mr. JudDr. Price and the three Englishmen were all confined in the inner prison, each with three pair of iron fetters, and fastened to a long pole. son. My only concern was how to get to the governor of the city, who has the entire direction of prison affairs, in order to obtain at least a mitigation of the sufferings of the missionaries. I sent a request to - the governor, with a present, to allow me to visit him. The next day I received an order, which I most readily obeyed, to visit him. My present gained me a favourable reception, and after listening attentively to my relation of the brutal manner of Mr. Judson's arrest, and his present dreadful situation, he manifested 500 considerable feeling, severely reprimanded the writer who allowed such treatment, and then assured me that he would make the situation of the "teachers" more comfortable. He told me, however, that I must consult with the head writer respecting the means, and immediately called and introduced him to me. 1 shuddered to look at the man, for a more forbidding countenance was surely never before seen. I found, to my sorrow, that, under the governor he had much to do with the prison, and had power to make us suffer much. He took me aside, and told me that if I wished to make the situation of the missionaries more tolerable, I must bring him two hundred tickals and two pieces of fine cloth, on the reception of which he would release Dr. Price and Mr. Judson from the hole, and put them in another building, where I should be allowed to send them pillows and mats to sleep on, and their daily food. At the same time I obtained an order from the governor for an interview with Mr. Judson; and, for the first time in my life, I had an opportunity of looking into the interior of a Burman prison. The wretched and ghastly appearance of the missionaries produced feelings indescribable, and forbad a moment's hesitation in producing the sum demanded for their temporary relief. Mr. Judson was allowed to hobble to the door of the prison; and, after five minutes' conversation, I was ordered to depart by a voice, and in a manner, to which I was unaccustomed, and which convinced me that those underlings felt that we were entirely in their power. My next object was to get a petition presented to the queen, the brother of whom is by far the most powerful man in the empire. Our situation as prisoners rendered a personal interview with the queen impossible. I was obliged, therefore, to address her through the medium of her brother's wife, who is of low origin, proud, haughty, and ambitious. I had visited her in better days, and received distinguished marks of her favour; but now the scene was changed: Mr. Judson was in irons and distress, which were reasons sufficient for a frigid reception. I took with me a valuable present, consisting of a gold wrought mantle and other little trappings. She was lolling in state, and hardly deigned to raise her eyes on my entrance into her splendid hall. I took my seat, not at a respectful distance, or at her bidding, but as near as I could well approach, that she might not lose a syllable of what I had to communicate. I 501 American Baptist Mission at Ava. waited not for the question usually asked, "What do you want?" Grief made me bold; and, at once, I began a relation of our wrongs. I stated to her that Dr. Price and Mr. Judson were Americans; that they were ministers of religion; that they had nothing to do with war or politics; and that she well knew that even their residence in Ava was in consequence of the king's command. In vain I strove to work on her feelings, by requesting her to imagine herself in my situation; a stranger in a foreign land, and deprived of the protection of an only friend who, without any alleged crime, was thrown into prison and in fetters. She unfolded the present, and coolly said, "Your case is not singular; the other white prisoners suffer equally with your husband. I will, however, present your petition to her majesty the queen, come again to-morrow." I went from her with a little hope, and, faint as it was, I endeavoured to communicate the same to Mr. Judson, but my admittance was strictly forbidden by the writer to whom I had given the two hundred tickals. The next morning I saw three of the king's officers pass; and was informed that they had gone to take possession of Mr. Gauger's property, and that on the morrow our house would be searched. I spent the day, therefore, in making preparations to receive them, arranging and secreting as many articles as possible, knowing that we should be in a state of starvation, unless some of our property could be preserved. I again endeavoured to gain admittance to Mr. Judson, but was refused. The three officers, who had taken possession of Mr. Gauger's property now came to take an account of ours. Among the three was one (Koung-tong-myoo-too) who seemed to take an interest in my forlorn condition, and who prevented the others from taking many articles, which were afterwards, during our long trial, of the greatest use. They first demanded our silver, gold, and jewels: I replied that gold I had none-jewels, I had never worn since my residence in their country -but here was the key of the trunk which contained the silver; and they might open and look for themselves. They seemed pleased at my offering them the key, requested I would open the trunk, and that only one person should be allowed to enter my inner room to take an account of the property. And here justice obliges me to say, that the conduct of these Burman officers in this transaction 502 was more humane and civilized than any other which 1 witnessed in Ava. The silver was weighed, and laid aside. "Have you no more?" said one of them. "Search for yourselves," I replied, “the house is at your disposal." "Have you not deposited money and jewels in the hands of others?" "I have no friends in this country; with whom should I deposit treasure?" Where is your watch?" I produced an old one of Mr. Judson's, which had been out of use for a long time, but which answered their purpose just as well, and was the means of preserving a good one which I had then about me. "Where are your goods, your pieces of muslin, handkerchiefs, &c ?" Mr. Judson is no merchant: he neither buys nor sells; but subsists on the free offerings of the disciples of Christ, who collected the money which you have taken, to build a church for the preaching of the gospel. Is it suitable to take the property of a Pongyee (priest?") "It is contrary to our wishes," said Koungton, "but we act in obedience to the king's command." Even our trunks of wearing-apparel they examined. I begged that they would not take them, as they would be of no use to the king, but to us they were invaluable. They said that a list only should be taken, and presented to his majesty; when, if he gave no further order, they should remain. They did the same with regard to the books, medicines, and most of the furniture; and, on presenting the list to the king, he gave an order that the things should not be taken at present. These gentlemen, however, took every thing new or curious, and whatever to them seemed valuable. When they had finished, I gave them tea; and begged the royal treasurer to intercede for the release of Mr. Judson. After their departure, I had an opportunity of going again to the queen's sisterin-law, who informed me that she had presented my petition to the queen, and that her reply was, "He is not to be executed let him remain where he is?" I felt ready to sink down in despair, as there was then no hopes of Mr. Judson's release from any other quarter; but a recollection of the judge in the parable, who, though he feared not God nor regarded man, was moved by the importunities of a widow, induced me to resolve to continue my visits until the object was obtained; but after entreating her many times to use her influence in obtaining the release of the missionaries, she became so irritated at my perseverance, that she |