tears, and their pious lips ejaculated "From the dreadful visitations of blood-stained Popery, may the Lard deliver us!" But to be serious. The late events in the department of the Gard, bear a striking similitude to the unhappy disturbances which occurred in the county of Wexford in Ireland, in 1798.-Both were occasioned by religious animosities and party feuds; and each originated in consequence of the proud spirit of domination and intolerance which then prevailed, and now exists, among the Orangemen in Ireland, as well as the Calvinists at Nismes. The cruelties and atrocities committed on the poor Irish Catholics by the Protestant Magistrary and Yeomanry are accurately detailed by Mr. Hay, in his history of the Insurrection of Wexford; and the refined system of torture exercised upon the Catholic peasantry, not by the rabble, but by men holding commissions under the king, far exceeds in barbarity the atrocious deeds related by Mr. Perrot, admitting the latter to be founded on fact. I will not shock the feelings of the reader by reciting a single instance from among the many deeds of horror detailed by the

ings of your "Popery-haters," and to sharpen the prejudices of the credulous children of John Bull, against the bloody-minded and wicked Papists. The poor man fleeing on foot, because the bandittii, I suppose, had previously compelled him to give up his carriage, is a most excellent idea and then comes his heroic determination to recover the valuable articles which the forgetfulness of the good woman had deprived his family of, that is to say, a few heads of garlick and a ragged clout or two, and all this against the entreaties of his beloved partner.-Then again he finds his dwelling occupied by the banditti; but though before impelled by fear to seek his safety in flight, he now boldly ventures among the depredators, and forfeits his life for his temerity. Affection operated on the patience of the unfortunate wife, and in agony she waited the arrival of her husband, until fear compelled her to move, not in search of her spouse, but "forward," in what direction is not said, nor where the respectable friend of Mr. Perrot fell in with her. But so the tale-maker will have it, that the respectable individual found the mother and children dying with hun-historian, but refer him to the work ger and fatigue, and, like the good Samaritan, he descended from his carriage, together with his lady, and relieved the hungry stomachs of the four famished victims, perishing from want of food, with a ride in his coach! And mark, reader, without the timely as-stamps his work with the character of sistance of this man, the whole family truth. Better would it have been to had perished! What an extraordina- the credit of the reverend agent and ry escape! So then there were no his report, had he followed the same other means left for Providence to line of conduct. But Mr. Hay is a rescue the unhappy family from the Catholic gentleman, and Mr. Perrot jaws of death, than this rich traveller is a Calvinistic clergyman; the former and his coach! Well, since the om- could not obtain a dispensation for nipotence of God was thus limited, lying; whilst the latter appears to well may the fortunate victims rejoice claim that faculty as an inalienable at their deliverance from the grim ty- right," and therefore needed no li rant. Oh! how melting is this tale of cense. For, notwithstanding the nowoe! I have no doubt but the Mi- toriety of the massacres committed by nisters of the Three Denominations the Protestants in 1790, when 1500 felt so overcome at the recital of it, Catholics were put to death, churches that their eyes were suffused in briny | were profaned; priests assassinated at

itself; he will there further see that the writer has not insidiously screened those deeds which outraged humanity, when perpetrated by Catholics, but the actions of each party are recorded with a degree of impartiality which

the altars, and the town exposed to concurrent testimony of history exhipillage for three days, and the country bited as unfriendly to the Protestants." for two months; notwithstanding (p. 56.)...." The truth must not be these scenes were partially renewed dissembled ; the majority of them were on the 3d of April, 1815, by Pro- not indeed very forward in exposing testant Buonapartists, when they their lives and fortunes for a family, murdered many of the volunteers, under whose infant authority they abused and imprisoned others, while had experienced no kindness, and they plundered and insulted several from the consolidation of whose power more; notwithstanding the return they had they thought much cause of Buonaparte from Elba was cele- for alarm." So much for the untaintbrated at Nismes, by pillaging and ed loyalty of these faithful Calvinistic destroying the houses of Catholics; subjects of a Catholic king; it is notwithstanding the Duke of Wel- only to be equalled by the fidelity of lington, Lord Castlereagh, Earl Lian Orangeman, who swears to be true verpool, and many other official chato his sovereign so long as he shall racters haye made public declarations remain a Protestant, and no longer. against the conduct of the Protestants Speaking of the difficulty which he exin the Gard;-notwithstanding these perienced to obtain his information of glaring facts, the reverend Mr. Perrot the sufferings of his poor persecuted unblushingly and unhesitatingly as- brethren, he says, p. 12," The sufferserts, and has even the effrontery to ers themselves dare not, surrounded as challenge contradiction, that "they they are with spies, convinced as they (the Protestants) preferred oppression are by melancholyexperience ofthe danto civil war ;" (p. 6.)" that notwith-ger of uttering one complaint, tommit standing the extreme misery to which the lower class of Protestants have been reduced, not ONE of them has been guilty of a DISHONEST ACT;" (p. 22.) that "the (only) vengeance taken by the Protestant populace, was confined to a few improper songs, by no means sanguinary. Persons and property were respected;" (p. 44) and that "the mass of the Protestants was sincerely attached to the king." (p. 46).—If this latter assertion be correct, the credit of "the English paper (the Morning Chronicle) which pleaded the cause of the Reformed, and appealed to Europe in their behalf," must be blasted, because it constantly asserted that the south of France was in a state of discontent, and attached to the rule of Buonaparte, as well as the other parts of that country. Moreover, one of the documents produced by Mr. Perrot says, "they (the Protestants) judged of the future from the past; and from the authority (that of Buonaparte) that protected and favoured them, they had hoped for more justice than from a a dynasty, (the Bourbon) whom the

to writing, and hardly to their bosom friends, their tale of misery." pp. 16, 17, "Even on the spot it is very difficult to obtain exact information, from the dread which oppress the Protestestants, lest their complaints should increase the rage of their oppressors." "At Nismes they dare open only one of their places of worship, and that is not filled, though it can contain only 1200 persons; such is the fear of appearing as a Protestant in a town where there are 10,000 Protestants. ....In a word the utmost dread oppresses the southern churches." p. 3. Such is the description given of the state of the Protestants in order to blacken and defame their supposed persecutors, the Catholics; but when it was necessary to praise and exalt the character of the immaculate Calvinistic populace, oh! then the dread and terror which prevailed amongst them was turned into heroism and disinterestedness."At St. Laurent (says Mr. C. P. p. 22.) a heavy contribution was levied on the wealthiest Protestants; when the poorer members of the church heard that the Catholics had

rich Catholic would be in danger, unless from some of the opposite faction, who hated his religion?-How Mr. Perrot will be able to reconcile these jarring statements I know not; the task to me seems difficult; and in order to avoid falling into so unpleasant dilemma again, I would recommend him, should he be again employed upon so important a mission, to take care in his next report, 66 To tell truth and shame the devil."

tainly was not a political re-action; it began when not a shade of difference existed on the subject of politics, between the Catholics and the Reformed.

not contributed, they repaired to the house of their pastor and said: The contribution levied should weigh on all the Protestants. We are not so rich as our respectable friends, but that is no reason why they should pay for us all. Let lists be made according to every one's property, that we may bear our part of the burden laid on them only because they are Protestants; WE WISH IT TO APPEAR THAT WE ARE ALL PROTESTANTS." Here then we have the statement of Mr. Enough has been said to enable the Perrot, that the sufferers dare not reader to decide on Mr. Perrot's atcommit to writing the state of their tachment to truth and candour, there misery for fear of the rage of their op- is one subject, however, on which his pressors; and yet that gentleman came employers are never tired of ringing home furnished with the minutes of In- the changes, and which this gentleterrogatories referred to different per-man has studied hard to impress upon sons at Nismes, and verified in other the mind of his readers, I allude to parts of the department of the Gard, the alledged persecution being a reli by more than forty unnamed respect-gious one, on the part of the Catholics able witnesses, and not only mi-ouly. Mr. P. says, at p. 4, "It cer nutes but supplementary notes also. That at Nismes the Protestants were afraid of going to church lest they should appear to be such, and at St. Laurent the poor Protestants insisted upon contributing to an exclusively Protestant contribution, in order that they might appear as such.- Nor is this all-Mr, P. asserts that Protestants only have been the victims; that Protestants are forced to become Catholics to obtain subsistence, and that ❝often twenty of these miserable Pro-ligionists would not tamely submit testants at a time have been going to mass, where they are re-baptized, as if they were Jews or Heathens," (p. 17.) -Yet in the next page but one, he writes thus "I have met with mer. chants who were Catholics and in the habit of visiting Nismes, to make large purchases who, since the massacres, have not dared to visit it."-Very likely not; but does not this plainly shew that the disturbances were not confined to one party. If the persecution was purely against the Protest ants, what had those Catholic merchants to fear? If the becoming a Catholic on the part of the poor Calvinist, was sufficient to save his life and fill his belly, is it likely that the

This (he adds) is the answer I received from the highest authority, to repeated inquiries respecting the sentiments of Protestants on the return of the Bourbon family."-In another place, pp. 31, 32, he observes "The chiefs of the royalist party feared the Protestants; they knew that the Re

(at p. 6, he says they did prefer oppression to civil war!) to their intrigues and authority, and feared that a body of virtuous and enlightened citizens (and let it be remembered that there is more real virtue and knowledge among the Reformed, than anong any other distinct class of inhabitants) would easily penetrate their motives and unmask their de signs. One of their first measures, therefore, was to deprive them of the confidence of Government. They represented them as crafty enemies to the royal authority, and left no means untried to load them with POLITICAL odium." After admiring the modesty of Mr. Perrot in extolling the Re

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was killed by the mob was of a re-d spectable condition in life: "he was merchant who had failed, and afterwards, without satisfying his cre ditors, had realized a considerable fortune." On the other hand, this list confutes the insinuation of Mr. Secre

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formed as the most “virtuous and en lightened" of mankind, let me ask the reader if he can discover any thing of a religious nature in the charge which Mr. Perrot has: here imputed to the royalist chiefs. The whole is laid down as a political division not a word is said of religion. The Protest-tory Morgan, who wished it to appear ants are represented as ready to dis that the Rev. M. Armond, of Nismes, pute and brave the authority of the was a victim in the room sofwolds Royalist party (A few pages before Olivier Desmond. Not one Protes the author says there was not a shade tant Minister appears to have lost his of difference in political principles, and life in this religious persecution, nor one! therefore denies, the existence of ea respectable individual In stating the party); and in consequence the royal occupations of the descendants of the ists are described as fearing their op- martyrs and confessors of the French ponents and intriguing to load them Protestant Churches, (weavers and with political odium.Nay, in page day-labourers) who have been singled 36, Mr. P. himself declares, When out as the victims," Mr. Perrot insiTrinquelagues, Bernis, and Calvieres nuates, that they were not likely to loudly proclaimed the murders at be dangerous in a political view.'»»In Nismes to be the effect of POLITICAL this I differ from him, and am confiopinions, THEY SAID THE TRUTH dent they were more likely to be so their infernal policy inflamed the mob, than in a religious one. By whom and directed its fury on the unoffend- are riots in general created? By whom ing Protestants." Now, is this, not were the disorders which disgraced confirming what the friends of the the metropolis in 1780 committed?Bourbons have asserted? They contend By whom the outrages which recently that religion had nothing to do with the took place at Ely transacted?-By origin of the dispute, although it might whom the orange murders perpetrated subsequently tend to encrease the in Ireland ? By whom, but such cha acrimony with which it was carried racters as those who have fallen at on; they also contend that none Nismes, in consequence of their own but the very lowest of the populace unlawful misconduct. But admitting were engaged in these affairs, and Mr. Perrot to be correct in his asserthat all that could be done by the off- tion that the persecution at Nismes ier cial authorities was done to repress a religious one, may it not as justly the outrages of the mob. The latter be attributed to the hatred which is has been denied by Mr. Perrot and borne by Protestants to the Catholic his friends; the former is proved by religion, as to that of the latter against one of the documents which he has at the creed of the former, especially tached to his report. In the list of when Mr. P. acknowledges, (p. 6.) names given (42 only, though it is as that none were more deeply interestserted that upwards of 200 have beened than themselves: (the Protestants) killed) of persons who have fallen victims in these transactions, with the exception of a Lieutenant and a Merchant, they are all stated to be of the lowest class of society. It is not a little remarkable that this list corro borates the Rev.Mr. Gandolphy's letter to me, and inserted in my Journal for December last, wherein he states that only one of the Buonapartists who ORTHOR, JOU B. VOL. IV.

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in the destruction of feudal claims, and the OVERTHROW of superstition and fanaticism;" by which terms the bigotted Protestants always designate the Catholic religion. If the French Calvinists then were "deeply interest ed" in overthrowing the Catholic religion, the demonstrations of loyalty pretended to have been exhibited by them on the restoration of the Bour

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therefore, unwilling to have their wise scheme become abortive, they set about establishing schools for the purpose of teaching the unlettered to read, and, as scriptural information was the primary object of their hearts, they determined that the bible should be the only read ing book. To work they went; appeals were made to the people, subscrip tions were entered into, schools were raised, masters provided, yet the places of instruction did not fill so rapidly as the projectors wished. But above all, they still found they were as far from

bons were only so many instances of hypocrisy, like those which govern their worthy brethren of the Three Denominations, who prate and brawl about religious toleration," and "liberty of conscience," in favour of every class of society but the poor Papists, whom they endeavour to oppress and insult by the most atrocious calumnies, and strive to bind tighter those shakles from which they are de sirdus of relieving themselves. That the Protestants of France were longing to overthrow the Catholic religion in that country, enough has been disilluminating the dull visions of the closed in this interesting and luminous" Report of Mr. Perrot; this part of the subject, however, I must postpone till my next, and for the present conclude with the motto of Messrs. Ogle and Co. Magna est Veritas et prævalebit."

priest-ridden papists as ever, because they were so much under the influence of their pastors, as to prefer the instructions and advice given by them before the" enlightened" doctrines of a med ley of biblical enthusiasts. Determin ed however to persevere, some few of these religionists in the metropolis, SEDUCTION OF THE POOR-When imitating the example of the first Re the sapient sages of biblical lore, con- formers, resolved that foul means ceived the sublime scheme of convert should be employed to obtain their ob ing this land of iniquity and impiety ject, since fair ones would not accom from the ways of wickedness, and of il-plish it. Accordingly, meeting with luminating the sister island with the ra- a needy Irishman, who preferred a life diance of scriptural knowledge, by an of ease to that of labour, and who was indiscriminate distribution of the bible, as ready to assist in calumniating his without note or comment, the ignorant countrymen as to stigmatize the minis sons of Popery, being enveloped in ters of the religion he then professed to Egyptian darkness, were unable to follow, they accepted of him as a ready comprehend how this could be effected, instrument to assist in forming one of when the greater part of mankind did the most anti-christian establishments not understand the use of letters, and, ever before heard of, even in this pro of course, could not embrace the sweet lific land of irreligious schemes. This and consoling blessings which were man having previously been sent round designed for them by their benevolent with a plausible tale, and succeedinglin and philanthropic brethren. Some of getting subscriptions, on the 29th of the more hardy of this stupid class even April, 1814, a general meeting was ventured to stafe their opinions public-held at the Freemasons' Tavern, to take ly upon the subject; but although the arguments which they used could not be refuted, yet they got pretty well covered with gross epithets, and many charges of ignorance, superstition, and I know not what, were brought against them. Time, however, which proves all things, soon taught our biblical philosophers that unless a person could peruse a book, it was of very litly resolved that a society should be tle use to putoit inte his hands;

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into consideration the state of the children of the poor Irish resident in the metropolis, when it appearing to the assembly that the deficiency of their education rendered it highly ex pedient that some effectual means should be adopted for the improvement of their morals, and affording them suitable instruction, it was unanimous

formed for this purpose, and a code of