They will readily confide in him, because, in the discharge of his duty as a public officer, no man can acquit himself more honestly to the revenue, nor more feelingly, judiciously, and honourably to individuals; and the manner in which he gave his evidence before the committee, with respect to the monstrous system of sub-commissioners sitting in judgment, where they are alternately witnesses and judges for each other, evinced such spirit of independent candour, and determined honesty, that his name is well calculated to inspire strangers with confidence in whatever he may suggest respecting the people of Ireland.

But it should be recollected, that Mr. Foster is the professed and unyielding opponent of the rights of six millions of his countrymen; that he has grown up in and imbibed the most determined prejudices against them; that he owes his seat in Parliament to his hostility to Catholic claims, (and he should here say, the circumstance is most discreditable to the numerous Catholics of the county Louth,) and above all-they should recollect that Mr. Foster is one of the most active and ardent promoters of the Kildare-street Society; so that really Parliament might as well authorise government to pay the commissioners their salaries, and adopt the last report from the Kildare-street Society as that of the commissioners.

On the first onset, there is a shield of protection, and a cloak of concealment thrown around the very institution, whose system the people were most anxious should be inquired into ; an institution that deprives the country of the advantages which the liberality of Parliament had intended for her; which diverts the public money to the purposes of proselytism instead of education; whose sole object is to deprive the Catholic clergy of the confilence, attachment, and respect of their communion, and to encourage the multitude to become expounders of the Scriptures; and, by filling their minds with doubts and difficulties, qualify them to found some new religion, which, no matter what species, must be preferable to that of the Catholic; and whilst the first obiect of education should be to teach truth, sincerity, and benevolence; fraud and hypocrisy appear the only practical lessons of the Kildare-street Society.

Many persons thought he (Mr. O'C.) should have been on that commission; but they forgot, he was the projector of the Catholic rent, and there was also a salary to the appointment; but he cared little for the omission; and neither wanted, nor woul he receive any of their wages. But there were other Catholic.

names that ought of rig to be upon it, whether he were there or not.

Mr. O'Connell then gave notice of a motion for the appointment of a committee to prepare an address to the crown, praying for the enlargement of the commission. He observed there could be no difficulty in procuring a peer to present the address; which there ought to be no delay in preparing; and in sending forward so that proper representatives of Catholic feeling might attend the inquiries from their commencement.

IRISH CATHOLIC MISSIONS THROUGH ENGLAND.

The learned gentleman next addressed the meeting on this sub ject, saying, that he supposed that every one present had read Cobbett's letter to Lord Roden, and he sincerely pitied those who had not. That letter gives a masterly exposure of the present system of calumnious fraud practising upon the people of England, by the grossest and most absurd libels upon the Catholic clergy and their religion. In truth the darkest recesses of the most depraved, malignant, and infuriated minds, seem to have been sedulously ransacked in order to supply a sufficient store of filth and abominable falsehood for the gang of itinerant defamers, who are now employed in traversing England, to raise subscriptions for educating those whom they style the benighted, deluded, and uncivilised Irish. At one of those meetings held in the town of Birmingham on the 7th instant, under the presidency of the Earl of Roden-notwithstanding the voluminous, explicit, and satisfactory documents which the Irish newspapers have published in contradiction to the calumny respecting the instruction of the Irish peasantry-one reverend speaker at this meeting, in order to show the necessity for exertions of the meeting, made the monstrous statement recorded of him, in the following extract from the Birmingham Chronicle :

"At the last meeting of the Warwickshire Auxiliary Bible Society, the so of an Irish nobleman observed that many friends of religion were anxious to know what was the description of books admitted into the Irish Catholic Schools; he could inform them, that they principally consisted of histories of immoral characters, lives of robbers, and of men and women of the most infamous description. Thus children were made familiar with vice even from infancy."

And, in conclusion, the rev. gentleman observed

"That at missionary meetings, where much was said respecting the wants of the heathen afar off-it was not unusual for persons to reply, why should no unch be done for them, when so much is wanted to be done at home?

Does not Ireland need our assistance as much as the Hindoos?-Docs not Ireland want christianizing as much as other nations?. Such persons had now an opportunity, and he trusted they would not neglect that opportunity, of coming forward in the cause of those poor Irish."

After several other rev. speakers had proceeded in such a strain, as if their only purpose was who should succeed best in most foully libelling the Irish Catholics and clergy, an English Catholic clergymen attempted to address the meeting; but after making way for him to the head of the room, when it was known who he was, with that spirit of Christian candour which would have been expected from such a meeting, Lord Roden informed him that no person would be allowed to speak but those whom the committee had appointed. (Hear.)

The indelicacy and injustice of such a proceeding disgusted several persons present, and amongst others a Protestant Dissenter, who attended the meeting for the purpose of subscribing, but immediately quitted it with many others, when the Catholic clergyman bowed to the decision of Lord Roden, and retired.

The Protestant Dissenter, the following day, addressed a letter to Lord Roden, through the Birmingham Chronicle, in which he expresses his hostility to the Catholic religion; but, with the liberality of a genuine Christian and the talent of an accomplished writer, he demonstrates the despotic, uncandid, and illiberal conduct of the meeting. (The learned gentleman here read some of the most striking passages of the letter.) "It was well to learn tactics from the enemy ;" and he (Mr. O'Connell) could see no reason why the Catholics should not set on foot a tour of a different description to that of Lord Roden and his friends; for as they go about levying contributions on the English people for the alleged purpose of educating the Irish, and avail themselves of that opportunity to calumniate the Irish priesthood and their religion, but will not permit them to be heard in their defence; the Catholic priesthood should prevail on Doctor Doyle, Mr. Kenny of Clongowes College, the Irish Jesuit, and Mr. Keogh, to take a tour of England for the purpose of soliciting subscriptions for really instructing the Iris poor, and for the purpose also of, at the same time, disabusing the English people of the prejudices so industriously circulated against the Irish people and their religion, but allowing every opportunity for their opponents to be heard.

It would be the only effectual mode of conveying to the English people that information which the English press does not and its interest to furnish them with, and the English people

would have an opportunity of seeing what an Irish Jesuit really is, and not as described by Sir Harcourt Lees.

Mr. O'Connell then gave notice of a motion for an address to the Catholic clergy, calling upon them to request those distinguished persons he had alluded to, to undertake the mission through England, for the purpose of soliciting subscriptions for the education of the Irish poor; and meeting and refuting. the calumnious attacks of which he had spoken.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25:

MR. O'CONNELL gave notice of a motion for appropriating the sum of £100 for the purpose of discharging all claims of newspapers upon the Catholic Association; but he would assert that there were several made which had no just foundation.

At one period of the Catholic Board he (Mr. O'C.) found they were £3000 in debt, and in the space of one fortnight he cleared off £2500. Mr. Hay kept possession of some of the books containing the finance accounts. These he retained as private property, upon what grounds he (Mr. O'C.) could not conjecture; but he would repeat, although he knew he was putting his hand in a hornet's nest, that the most unjust demands were made by the Dublin newspapers-by the base Dublin press, that turned upon him and all the honest Catholics for pursuing the same measures that are now approved of; but in spite of that vile press, he now held up his head too high, and enjoyed too much the confidence and consideration of the public, to be affected by their envious rancour or impotent malignity.

If he now made use of them, it was not for their sakes, but because they were necessary, and served the cause in which he was engaged; but their claims should, when all others were discharged, be considered as honorary ones, notwithstanding he knew them to be unfounded, and also knew the calibre in society of those persons who put them forward. Although the debt was that of the peers and aristocracy, whose interests alone they advocated in those days, yet the Catholic rent, the voluntary contribution of the people, should pay those claims upon the nobles and honourables, who have now shamefully deserted their

own cause.

The appointment of Eaward Dwyer, Esq., having been again called into question,

Mr. O'Connell then proceeded to defend the appointment of an assistant-secretary, whose duties could only be performed by a gentleman of education, intelligence, and ability, who would have to reply to upwards of twenty letters per day, to keep 2500 accounts, to correspond with and supply the country collectors and treasurers with books, and to acknowledge the receipt of every contribution; for those who subscribed one pound were as deserving of an acknowledgment as those who transmitted much larger sums.

If, he said, he could be surprised at any occurrence in the unfortunate history of the Catholics, it would be at the opposition that was offered to this appointment; but to prevent further cavilling, he would himself pay the £80 for the six months. Cries of no, no.)

AGGREGATE MEETING.

Mr. O'Connell gave notice of a motion for calling an aggregate meeting.

The Association, he said, had been appointed for the purpose of preparing petitions to parliament for obtaining redress for Catholic grievances, to procure a due administration of the laws, by bringing before the tribunals those who convert them to party purposes, and the oppression of Catholics; and for the purpose of procuring the necessary funds for those objects.

As the petitioning sessions were now at a close, the Association would give the Catholic body an opportunity of assembling generally, and of approving or condemning their proceedings. The aggregate meeting for that purpose it was intended should be held about the latter end of July, against which time the heads of a number of petitions would be ready to submit to the meeting amongst which would be one for liberty of conscience upon subjects of religion, to be presented by Sir F. Burdett and Lord Donoughmore.

If they could get the Dissenters of the North of Ireland to join them in that petition, they would pray the legislature tc extend to the Dissenters of England the privileges of the Dissenters in Ireland; and if all Jack Lawless says of the Dissenters of the North of Ireland be true, there would be no doubt of their joining in the petition. The next would be upon the subject of Catholic education--another upon church rates, fee

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