futile experiment of pacification, the Popish Bishops who solemnly pledge themselves to respect the rights of the Established Church, and not interfere with the Protestant Prelacy, have assumed the Popish titles as a preliminary to the assumption of their offices, their parliamentary friends have never ceased from aggressions on us, and rapine and blood have desolated Ireland. Dr. Croly fears not Dissent, because it wants the three great principles of Ecclesiastical permanency-a fixed creeda fixed discipline-a fixed revenue: but these Popery has. Let us again recommend Dr. Croly's Visitation sermon to every true Churchman.

THE PROPOSED GENERAL UNION OF DISSENTERS FOR THE PROMOTION of RELIGIOUS EQUALITY.

TRULY, this is a queer project to write. Non bene junctarum discordia semina rerum. From the Calvinist to the Arminian, the Independent to the Southcotonian, Ranter, and all the myrionymous distinctions-the trumpet is sounded to attack the Church! As the Dissenters have a perfect toleration and labour under no civil disadvantages, the equality which they pretend to seek, is in reality pre-eminence, temporal and ecclesiastical power-in one word, a pious scramble after our loaves and fishes. What boots it, if such a scramble can only be affected by direct robbery!-they will ask no question for conscience sake.

The Dissenters have long exhibited their hostlity to us; but never till now completely discarded the mask. We have long seen the objects concealed by their affectation of superior sanctity-they have now permitted the public at large to see it. How far a Government can be justified in listening to the conceited pretensions of men so imperfectly educated as the Dissenting preachers are, is a question too obvious to demand an elaborate reply; and how far they are entitled to any claim to the ministry, is a theological question. At all events their appetency of power is directly contrary to the Christian principles which they profess. Their first resolution must depend on the mode of interpreting the Scriptures; and unless they can prove that they correctly interpret them, their reasoning fail; and the third completely shows that it is secular authority at which they aspire. In this, however, we observe the extraordinary term social discord, which we cannot comprehend.

In this paper an organized system is developed: a central committee with its local branches and funds-a projected interference with the Legislature-an arrogant contemplated dicta

tion* to Members of Parliament—a tender of legal advice and aid to individuals, very much like Barratry, and an intermeddling with the return of Representatives to the House of Commons, are unblushingly proposed! The opposition of this union to the Church is plainly stated in the address; and its impellant cause is the heresy at Oxford. If any body of men had joined in a confederacy to avert the mischief, which the Oxonian triumvirate and partisans, if unchecked, must effect, they would have deserved well of all men; but when, on account of this, they take occasion generally to assail the Church, and seek political influence, they manifest a bitterness and worldly-mindedness which cannot co-exist with pure religion. The Church should therefore rally her friends around her-she should stop the schism in her body, or extrude the schismatics from her pale: —then may she defy the dastard and unprincipled designs of

her foes.

QUEEN'S COLlege, bath.

It gives us great pleasure to announce to our readers tha. a New College is to be erected at Bath, in connexion with our Universities. It deserves the countenance and assistance of every individual who is able to give them. Its object is to receive and instruct young men, either during the vacations, or to ground them for Oxford or Cambridge; or to prepare them for Ordination; or to educate them, should they not be intended for the Church, in the pure principles of Protestantism, as set forth in the Articles and Homilies of the Established Church, and every branch of literature and science on the lowest terms. This, indeed, is a noble project, and we wish it every possible success. Bath is setting our Metropolis a glorious example. Its Church of England Lay Association is worthy of all commendation, and must produce the most prosperous result in that city and neighbourhood.*

ROMAN CATHOLICISM.

WE have before alluded to the intention of the Roman Catholics to erect a magnificent Cathedral in London, and of one hundred wealthy peers and commoners subscribing £1,000.

*Where employment is devised for the Law, we are sure to find one or more lawyers present, in anticipation of Harpy-like occupation. As the name of Isaac Sewell stands on this Provisional Committee; the 5th clause of the General Objects must have been peculiarly gratifying to him.

* A Prospectus of Queen's College may be had at Messrs. Rivingon's, London, through any Bookseller in the Kingdom.

each towards it! This report, together with the subjoined table which we have added, and for which we are indebted to the Roman Catholic Directory for 1839, ought to arouse Protestants from the coldness and indifference into which they have lately fallen.

In Scotland there are 67 Roman Catholic Chapels, 1 College, and 74 Priests.

Thus in England and Scotland there are 610 Roman Catholic Priests and 513 Chapels.

In Ireland there are 2,022 Roman Catholic Priests, including their assistants.

During the few weeks which were allowed us for relaxation in the last quarter, we had several opportunities of making inquiries in the country relative to the working of the New Poor Law. What appeared to be satisfactory answers were at first given to our inquiries; but when we had made further examination, we found that there was more of the Old law in operation than the New. The whole management of the Poor was confided to a set of Guardians, many of whom had never read the iniquitous Bill, and all of whom had not hearts hard enough to put those

• In this, distinct chapels are being built at Derby and Cossey.

In this, district chapels are being built at Halifax, Evingham, Selby, Manchester, Oldham, Wycliffe, Bellingham, Keighley, Sytham, Preston, Staley Bridge, Cheshire, and Skipton, in Yorkshire.

In this, district chapels are being built at Clifton and at Chipping Sodbury.

§ To this number may be added two or three hundred stations in which the Roman Catholic worship is performed.

clauses which they had learned by hearsay into operation. Contrary to the Act, out-door relief was invariably given; yet they declared that the New Bill worked well. Truly it worked well, so far as it allowed the Guardians to exercise their humanity to their fellow-creatures, but how would it have worked, had they strictly adhered to the Act? In six months it would have caused a revolution in the country.

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

From the annual report of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, just issued, it appears that 95,649 Bibles, 87,496 Testaments, 191,723 Prayer Books, 10,069 Psalters, 145,479 bound books, 2,222,652 Tracts, have been sold this year; making a total circulation of Scriptural publications of 2,753,608. The income of the year amounts to only 83,1637. 14s. 5d., while the expenditure is stated at 85,1407. 38. Od. The number of Schools in connexion with the Society is 6,068 Sundayschools, containing 438,280 scholars; 10,152 Sunday and daySchools, in which are 514,450 scholars and 704 Infant Schools, containing 43,730 scholars. Total Schools, 16, 224; and total number of Scholars 996,460.

ON THE LAW OF LIBEL.

It cannot be denied, that in the complicated body of our laws there are some which press unequally, some which by the investment of power in the one party, to the exclusion of the other from an equal exertion of it become liable to abuse from unprincipled persons, to whom an oath is a mere legal requisition, divested of all sanctity, and thus are positively unjust. We are far from affirming that the legislation, at the time of legislating should be expected to foresee all possible contingencies; but we have a right to exact, that contingencies which are not only probable, but obvious, and must operate evil, should be precluded by the stringency of Parliamentary enactments. We also have a right to demand, that when any law shall have been found incompetent to the purposes of justice, on account of the various interpretations of which it may be susceptible, and of its inadequacy to preserve the balance of power between litigating parties in seeking open and unprejudiced decisions, it either should be entirely repealed, or its errors in principle should be immediately rectified. But as, according to the trite proverb, what is every parliamentary man's business becomes no man's business, and thus abuses continue in full operation even during the increase of civilization and intellectuality: the Chancellor in the Lords, the Attorney-General in

the Commons, should have the task of bringing all such defects in our Legal Code before the Senate imposed on their respec

tive offices.

We would particularize the Law of Libel as being so circumstanced; and we are well assured, that the circumstances under which it is placed operate against the prevention of Libel. Magna est veritas, et prævalebit, is falsified by its operation. A vexatious power is given to him who will make oath that he is the subject of a libel, whilst the right of proving the truth of the allegations, which are professed to constitute the libel, by means of subponed witnesses, is injuriously taken away from the defendants. Thus may a malicious or revengeful person twist and torture passages, which have a totally distinct reference, to his object, and giving plausible reasons in his affidavit and the counts of the indictment, succeed, by the help of an oily-tongued advocate, in persuading a jury that he has established his case. Thus too may fraud and all various wrong prevail, unintimidated by the public press; for the exposure of it, in the present state of the law, is libellous; thus too is a door of iniquity opened to the ruined profligate to procure finances by damages. Nay, we ourselves scarcely know, whether by some wire-drawn sophism, we, as Reviewers, in our just criticism of works, may not continually be exposed to the charge of libels; for the case stands precisely with us as with the public press; we censure and pull to pieces the character of works, in which are included necessarily the characters of the authors, as scholars and reasoners: we say not, that any one so censured would attempt to enforce the law of libel against us but we affirm, that the law will as much favour such an attempt, as it has already favoured the application of its provisions to the remarks of The Times in a

recent case.

Three modes of operation are presented to the choice of the person libelled: a civil action, a criminal information, or an indictment. The first enables the defendant to compel the attendance of witnesses, and thus empowers a jury to decide on the truth or falsehood of the assumed libel; it is therefore the process which every one who wishes to justify his character would adopt. But though the process by criminal information may comprehend the question of truth or falsehood, if it be vigorously pursued, it is not co-extensive in efficacy with that by civil action; for the defendant has not the privilege of enforcing the attendance of witnesses. The criminal information indeed can only be obtained by the plaintiff's oath, that the allegations against him are false; and although it may be refused, if the defendant can by an affidavit convince the Court that they