lesson to those politicians who think they are justified in pursuing towards the Irish and English Catholics a system of illiberality and intolerance which they would condemn as monstrous and unpardonable if observed by the Catholic, and which, far from being in harmony with the English constitution, is a manifest deviation from, and infraction of it. SCOTLAND. - EDINBURGH. For some months past, a lively discussion has ensued between the biblical societies of Edinburgh and London. The point in agitation is, whether or not they shall circulate the Apocryphal books of scripture with those termed canonical The actors in the society of Edinburgh, apparently scrupulous gentlemen, have discovered it to be somewhat indecorous to publish the history of Susanna, that of Tobias, &c.; and they assert that the last edition of the bibles proved injurious to the society. These debates have dragged into the light of day some curious facts respecting the interior administration of the biblical society, and the application of the funds, which, to use the vulgar term, by hook and by crook they have collected together. It appears that the Messrs. Hughes, Brandam, and the Doctor Steinkopff, have received each, in their appointments as secretaries to the society, £300. sterling per annum; Messrs. Jackson and Tarn, the assistant-secretaries, have received the same sum; Dr. Pinkerton, agent to the society in a foreign land, receives £400. sterling, with an additional complement for the expenses of his voyage, and for his family. Mr. Neeves, agent in Turkey; Mr. Barker, agent in Syria; Mr. Armstrong, agent in America; and Mr. Dudley, agent for the interior, receive from 300 to 400 pounds sterling each, with proportionate considerations. Mr. Leandre Van Ess, professor at Darmstadt, has a comfortable concern of £300. sterling, which in Germany is equal to 700 or 800 pounds sterling of English money. Professor Kieffer, at Paris, receives, as second conti nental agent, £270. sterling a year. The expenses of voyages for the society amount to £1000. sterling, and sometimes to £1500. Expenses for collectors, porters, store-keepers, &c. consume more than £2500. sterling. In a word, they employ every year nearly £8000. sterling in the emoluments of office and expenses for luxury. This, then, is the application of subscriptions taken from the bare competency of good-meaning but simple men. It is to assign rich emoluments to agents, already in possession of other offices, that honest folks impose on themselves such sacrifices, and give up their yearly savings. what a sum would not the amount be swelled, were we to take into the account expenses for the printing of bibles, for assemblies, annual reports, &c. Thus it is that they employ the money of the poor; thus do honourable gentlemen derive their gains from the proffered mite of many a distressed donor. Query? Does not conscience upbraid them for thus filling their purses with the earnings of unsuspicious subscribers ?—and, on the other hand, could not these lastnamed persons employ their alms to a better purpose? To DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. BRITISH CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION. AN Open Meeting of the General Committee of the British Catholic Association was held at the Freemason's Tavern, in Great Queen Street, on Tuesday, the 30th ult. After the usual routine business had been disposed of Mr. Blount addressed the Meeting as follows: Your Committee now appear before you in pursuance of a fundamental law imposed on them, of holding four open Meetings in each year; which meetings were ordained no doubt for the salutary purpose of affording to the Association itself frequent opportunities of revision and ample power of control. Corresponding duties were thereby contracted; on the Committee was in posed the duty of holding those meetings, and on the Association that of attending them. Having submitted for your confirmation the proceedings of your Committee since the last open meeting, they feel it their duty to report to you that in conformity with a resolution previously passed, a Circular was sent to the pastors of 350 Catholic congregations. Since which nearly 3 months have elapsed, and answers have been returned by seven of the 350 respected persons to whom the letters were addressed. Of these, five have expressed their full concurrence in the measure recommended, and their desire to assist to carry it into practice at the same time holding out very feeble expectations, if any, of being enabled to afford efficient assistance. One Rev. Gentleman writes as follows:- Permit me to profit of this opportunity to advert to a circular which I received some weeks ago from the Committee of the Catholic Association respecting a plan for raising money for the publication of tracts. with a view to the removal of prejudices and misapprehensions concerning the tenets of our religious creed. The plan I think excellent; and I certainly felt disposed,on the perusal of it. to use my best endeavours to contribute to the execution of it within the very limited sphere of my professional exertions. But having since been informed that it is very generally objected to by the clergy of the Northern district, on the ground of interfering with a similar plan which had previously been devised for the general purposes of religion throughout the district, you will not, I hope, blame my reluctance to adopt a measure which, in existing circumstances, appears to be deemed inexpedient for the reason which I have assigned, by those with whom I wish, as far as I possibly can, to act in concert; particularly as the sum which I might be able to raise within my limited sphere would be so very inconsiderable." Another, and more encouraging correspondent, writes thus: '" Ĭ should have answered yours of the 26th of July before, had I not wished to ascertain first whether my poor congregation were disposed to contribute their mite towards the object mentioned therein. The Catholics of this town, and its neighbourhood, are very few, and with only one exception are very poor. I have, however, been able to get subscribers of a penny a week to the number of 15: before I transmit to you the subscriptions of the last quarter, I hope to make it 20. The number, though small, forms more than three fourths of the congregation. One lady, however, supplies the deficiency by giving one pound annually; perhaps more several make it 1s. 6d. a quarter. Would it not be rather inconvenient to send by post so small a sum as that which I should have occasion to send to Wright's? If I may be allowed to suggest any thing to the association, I would recommend that a short appeal be made to the Catholics individually, to come forward on this occasion; an appeal embracing the objects recommended by the Catholic committee. For a clergyman to state to each individual, especially in a numerous congregation, the purport of the Committee report, (No. 1. of the letter,) might seem inconvenient: that difficulty might be removed by distributing among them a printed circular and appeal. The collection shall receive my mite with thankfulness. I approve most cordially of its object; and I have no doubt, if properly attended to, will produce fruit a hundred fold." But the time that has elapsed since the circular was sent, forbids your Committee to entertain any sanguine hope of further replies; and it is with regret that they feel called upon to perform the painful duty, of informing you that their well-meant endeavour to increase their means of vindication by procuring more general contributions, appears to have failed of success. They bitterly deplore the apathy into which, apparently, a large portion of the British Catholics are sunk; and from which no excitement can arouse them, even at a moment that may be emphatically termed the crisis of their fate, when the great struggle is impending which is to decide whether intolerance is to prolong its misrule on the wrecks of justice, liberality and truth; when the lowest and most obscene publications are not only tolerated but made current by the guardians of the public morals, provided the filth be purified by libels on our faith and loyalty. At such a moment, when our friends in every class of society unite in conjuring us to redouble our exertions, and declare their inability effectually to assist us from the prevalence of rooted prejudices against us, unless we will unite to assist ourselves; at such a moment, a general appeal to the British Catholics is met with indifference; and the whole amount of contributions received since June amounts only to £352 when there is ample room for the most beneficial employment of as many thousands, in counteracting the incessant efforts that are made to prolong the deep rooted prejudices that prevail against us. Can the Catholic reconcile this apparent indifference with those honourable feelings that should prompt him to regard the humiliations heaped upon him as the most cruel of inflictions? Can he justify his supineness to his children, who are robbed of their best inheritance; to his progenitors, who are bitterly aspersed; to his religion, calumniated, reviled, and scoffed at? If distrust in your committee be the cause of this want of energy; if suspicions of the purity of their intentions are entertained; if their ability be not commensurate with the importance of their trust;→ in fine if they possess not your confidence, God forbid that they should continue for one hour to paralize your efforts; they will resign their trust into your bands; will pledge their entire support to those whom you may honour with your confidence; and will view with heartfelt gratification the public cause more efficiently served.' Since the last open meeting, the Defence Committee have distributed nearly 27,000 publications of various kinds, including 7,500 of Dr. Baines' Sermon on Faith, Hope, and Charity: and to make that distribution beneficial, by extending it as far as possible, the parties to whom they are sent are requested to lend them when it can be conveniently done, and to point out those works which suit best the public taste. When answers are returned, proper attention is paid to them when none, the Committee is reasonably led to suppose that due attention is not paid, and other distributors are sought for. Much advantage has attended the distribution of small sheets at the entrances to public meetings, in places of public resort, and at country fairs; at all of which innumerable attacks are made upon us. Your Committee have studied to husband your slender resources, as will best be proved by a reference to the prices ot their various publications, of which a copy now lies on the table for your inspection; with a statement of the accounts made up to the present day, and audited by two of the three respectable gentlemen, who, at your instance, were so kind as to undertake that office. The following is a copy of the Auditors' Report: British Catholic Association IN pursuance of a Resolution passed at the Annual General Meeting of the British Catholic Association, held at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand, on Thursday, the 7th of June, 1827, appointing us whose names are hereto subscribed, Auditors of the Accounts of the Association, we have proceeded to investigate and adjust the same from the time of our appointment, (beyond which we consider our authority did not extend), and having inspected and examined all the accounts and Vouchers produced before us from the time of striking the last balance of the said accounts as reported at the said meeting, to the date of this our first report, we find as follows, that is to say:-That the balance in the hands of the Treasurer on the 7th day of June last, was £125.; and that there has been received for subscriptions since that period £352. 9s. 6d., making together the sum of £477. 9s. 6d. and we find that the payments from the said 7th June last, to the date of this our report, amount to £349. 2s. 6d., which being deducted from the above sum of £477. 9s. 6d, leaves a balance of £128. 7s. in the hands of the Treasurer. And we find that there remains due to Messrs. Keating & Brown, the sum of £91., and that the sum of £186. is claimed by Mr. Harting, which is disputed and not admitted. We shall insert the Resolutions, &c. in our next Number. THE fine old mansion of Weston Underwood, near Olney, for many years the property and residence of the Throckmorton family, has been parcelled into lots, sold, and is at this time in the course of demolition. In pulling it down, the workmen found, by the side of a stack of chimneys, a secret room, accessible only by a trap-door and a ladder; its dimensions were small, but as much attention had been paid to the comfort of the occupiers (if ever there were any) as possible. A box sufficiently long for any person to lie at ease was placed in it, in which were two mattrasses. The people living near the spot have an idea that it was designed as a hiding place for persons of the Roman Catholic persuasion, who in years gone by had offended or come under suspicion of the government; the steady adherence of the Throckmorton family to that religion somewhat strengthens the supposition. J. C. Throckmorton, Esq., the last occupier of the mansion, died in that faith a few months since,, having made proselytes of nearly all the inhabitants of the village; this he did, however, rather by the moral force of example, which a life spent in acts of charity and good will to men, and of devotion and humility to his Maker afforded, than by any other means, An inhabitant of Olney purchased, at the sale of the materials of the mansion, a portion of the walls for eleven shillings, in which the workmen whom he employed to take it down found a leathern purse, containing twenty-eight guineas, and four half guineas, of the reigns of Charles II. and James II.; they were as bright, and in as good preservation as if they had just come from the mint; the purchaser of the lot and his workmen divided the treasure between them. IN our last Number we stated, in reference to the proceedings of the Friends of Civil and Religious Liberty, at their Annual General Meeting, held on the 10th September last, that Mr. Dias Santos, the Chairman, had since declared that he did not concur in the resolution relative to Mr. Canning's death, proposed by Mr. French, and seconded by Mr. Grady. We have since been informed by Mr. Dias Santos, who is exceedingly tenacious of words, that he made this declaration at the time of the meeting. Query: Why did not this appear in the official Report of the proceedings transmitted to us?, EXTRACT of a Letter dated the 21st ult., received from the Rev. John Briggs, of Chester. "I avail myself of this opportunity to offer my best wishes for the success of your valuable publication. May I be allowed to suggest to you the probable advantage and interest that might arise, could you prevail on the Catholic Clergymen to furnish to your Miscellany what may be called a Catholic tour through England. This, I should conceive, should comprise the venerable remains as well as the present state of Catholicity in the different parts of the kingdom. You probably may have received many suggestions, but little help in the la bour in which you are engaged: if it shall be deemed by you desirable, as soon as my avocations will permit, I will endeavour to send you something on this subject relative to this neighbourhood, and thus give you an earnest of the sincerity of my good wishes." CATHOLIC LIBERALITY.-An Act of genuine liberality on the part of the King of Bavaria, who is a Catholic, is mentioned in a late Hamburgh Paper. Is appears that a Professor in the Catholic University of Landshute, of the name of Fischer, was obliged to resign his professorship, in consequence of having become a Protestant. When the King of Bavaria heard of this, he appointed him to a similar situation, with his original salary, in one of his Protestant Universities. IRISH NOBILITY.-In a work entitled Statistical Tables of Ireland' recently published, it is stated that in July 1827, the number of the Irish nobility was 212, viz.-1 duke, 14 marquesses, 76 earls, 48 viscounts, 70 barons, and 4 peeresses. Among the 212 Irish nobility, 66 are also British peers. The ancestors of the Irish peers became ennobled thus;-5 as princes of the blood royal, 8 as courtiers, 8 as younger branches of nobility, 41 as statesmen, 7 for naval service, 23 for military service, 6 for diplomatic, 11 for legal service, 11 by marriage; and 121 by influence of wealth. The descent of 13 peers can be traced to the 11th century, that of 10 to the 12th century, 12 to the 13th, 13 to the 14th, 10 to the 15th, 37 to the 16th, 31 to the 17th, and 2 to the 18th century; and the genealogies of 26 peers are omitted, the author not having been enabled to trace them with certainty. The ancestors of 48 Irish peers were foreigners. In Ireland there are 8 Catholic Peers,viz., the Earls of Fingal,(eldest son, Lord Killeen,) and Kenmare; (eldest son, Viscount Castle-Rosse,) Viscounts Gormanston, Netterville, Taafe, and Southwell, and Barons Trimlestown and Ffrench. In Scotland there are 2, viz., the Earls of Traquair, (eldest son, Lord Linton,) and Newburgh, (eldest son, Viscount Kinnaird,)-and in England 8, viz., the Duke of Norfolk, (eldest son, Earl of Surrey,) the Earl of Shrewsbury, (eldest son, Lord Talbot,) and Barons Stourton, Petre, Arundel,› Dormer, Stafford and Clifford. In Ireland there are 4 Catholic baronets; in Scotland 1, and in England 16. viz., in Ireland, Sirs, Patrick Bellew, John Burke, Thos. Esmonde, and James Fitzgerald; in Scotland, Sir James Gordon; and in England, Sirs, John Gerard, Edward Hales, Hy. Tichborne, Chas. Throckmorton, Edward Blount, Richard Acton, Hy. Hunloke, Carnaby Haggerston, Hv. Webb, Richard Bedingfeld, Edward Smythe, Thomas Stanley, Thomas Gage, Hy. Lawson, Edward Mostyn, aud Clifford Constable. The mortal remains of the lamented and venerated Countess De Severac, were at ten o'clock on the morning of Friday, the 19th ult. interred in the family vault of the Noble House of Kenmare, in the Parish Church of Killarney. Every possible mark of affectionate respect that an aggregated community could offer to departed worth, was, on this melancholy occasion, rendered to the memory of the illustrious object of general regret. The body was followed to the tomb by the congregated population of the town, and the whole surrounding country; and never was the homage of unfeigned respect and lively gratitude more justly due to every Christian virtue that could adorn or dignify human nature. It was the sorrow of the heart manifested in the widow's bitter tear, and the sigh of the destitute orphan; and an estimate may be formed of the loss they suffered, and the cause of their affliction, by merely stating that the income of their benefactress was 1,500l. per annum, and her charities on an average amounted to at least 251. per week. On the 10th of October, a numerous assemblage, consisting of upwards of 100 persons, friends of the German Catholic chapel, dined together at the Albion Tavern, Aldersgate Street. It had been announced in the tickets, that the Honorable Edward Petre |