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expense of legal proceedings, without introducing uncertainty of decision, impairing the authority of the Courts, or lowering the high standard of the judicial bench, is a valuable boon conferred upon the community at large.

"I hope that the measures which you have adopted for promoting extramural interment of the dead, and for improving the supply of water, may be found effectual for the remedy of evils the existence of which has long been a reproach to this great metropolis, and may conduce to the health and comfort of its inhabitants.

"The extension of popular rights and legislative powers to my subjects resident in the colonies is always to me an object of deep interest; and I trust that the representative institutions which, in concert with you, I have sanctioned for New Zealand, may promote the welfare and contentment of the population of that distant but most interesting colony, and confirm their loyalty and attachment to my crown.

"It is my intention, without delay, to dissolve this present Parliament, and it is my earnest prayer that, in the exercise of the high functions which, according to our free constitution, will devolve upon the several constituencies, they may be directed by an all-wise Providence to the selection of representatives whose wisdom and patriotism may aid me in my unceasing endeavours to sustain the honour and dignity of my crown, to uphold the Protestant institutions of the country and the civil and religious liberty which is their natural result, to extend and improve the national education, to develop and encourage industry, art, and science; and to elevate the moral and social condition, and thereby promote the welfare and happiness of my people."

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In the evening of the same day-viz., in the "London Gazette' of July 1, being the Supplement to the "London Gazette" of Tuesday, June 29, appeared the following proclamations:

"A

"BY THE QUEEN.

PROCLAMATION FOR DISSOLVING THE PRESENT PARLIA-
MENT AND DECLARING THE CALLING OF ANOTHER.

"Victoria R.-Whereas we have thought fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to dissolve this present Parliament, which was this day prorogued and stands prorogued to Friday, the 20th day of August next; we do for that end publish this our Royal proclamation, and do hereby dissolve the said Parliament accordingly; and the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, and the Commissioners for shires and burghs of the House of Commons, are discharged from their meeting and attendance on the said Friday, the 20th day of August next: and we, being desirous and resolved, as soon as may be, to meet our people, and to have their advice in Parliament, do hereby make known to all our loving subjects our Royal will and pleasure to call a new Parliament; and do hereby further declare that, with the advice of our Privy Council, we have given order that our Chancellor of that part of our united kingdom called Great Britain, and our Chancellor of Ireland, do, respectively,

upon notice thereof, forthwith issue out writs in due form, and according to law, for calling a new Parliament; and we do hereby also, by this our Royal proclamation under our great seal of our united kingdom, require writs forthwith to be issued accordingly by our said Chancellors respectively, for causing the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons who are to serve in the said Parliament to be duly returned to, and give their attendance in, our said Parliament; which writs are to be returnable on Friday, the 20th day of August next.

"Given at our Court at Buckingham Palace, this 1st day of July, in the year of our Lord 1852, and in the sixteenth year of our

reign.

"GOD SAVE THE QUEEN."

"A PROCLAMATION

"BY THE QUEEN.

IN ORDER ΤΟ THE ELECTING AND SUMMONING THE SIXTEEN PEERS OF SCOTLAND.

"Victoria R.-Whereas we have in our Council thought fit to declare our pleasure for summoning and holding a Parliament of our united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on Friday, the 20th day of August next ensuing the date hereof; in order, therefore, to the electing and summoning the Sixteen Peers of Scotland, who are to sit in the House of Peers in the said Parliament, we do, by the advice of our Privy Council, issue forth this our Royal proclamation, strictly charging and commanding all the Peers of Scotland to assemble and meet at Holyrood-house, in Edinburgh, on Thursday, the 15th of July instant, between the hours of twelve and two in the afternoon, to nominate and choose the Sixteen Peers to sit and vote in the House of Peers in the said ensuing Parliament, by open election and plurality of voices of the Peers that shall be then present, and of the proxies of such as shall be absent (such proxies being Peers, and producing a mandate in writing, duly signed before witnesses, and both the constituent and proxy being qualified according to law), and the Lord Clerk Register, or such two of the principal clerks of the Session as shall be appointed by him to officiate in his name, are hereby respectively required to attend such meeting, and to administer the oaths required by law to be taken there by the said Peers, and to take their votes; and, immediately after such election made and duly examined, to certify the names of the Sixteen Peers so elected, and to sign and attest the same in the presence of the said Peers the electors, and return such certificate into our High Court of Chancery of Great Britain. And we do, by this our Royal proclamation, strictly command and require of the Provost of Edinburgh, and all other the magistrates of the said city, to take especial care to preserve the peace thereof during the time of the said election, and to prevent all manner of riots, tumults, disorders, and violence whatsoever. And we strictly charge and command that this our Royal proclamation be duly published at the Marketcross at Edinburgh, and in all the county towns of Scotland, ten

days at least before the time hereby appointed for the meeting of the said Peers to proceed to such election.

"Witness ourselves at Westminster, this 1st day of July, 1852, in the sixteenth year of our reign.

"GOD SAVE THE QUEEN."

IRELAND.-IRISH CHURCH MISSIONS, ETC.

(From our own Correspondent.)

THE point of continued and surpassing interest, in our religious history and prospects, since I last wrote, is the daily increasing prosperity which attends the efforts of the "Society for Irish Church Missions." This Institution, although literally but in its infancy, has already ramified its operations into every province, and nearly every county in Ireland. It is now perfectly needless to enter upon a formal proof of the fact, that numbers-hundreds,-I may truly say thousands,—are fast falling away from the ranks of the Roman schism in this country, and joining the Church of Christ. The unmistakeable fury and frenzy of the Romish Jesuits and priests are sufficient proof of this. The latest on dits on this head announced the conversion to the truth of a very distinguished member of the Irish aristocracy, together with his daughter: these were among the few of the old Irish families who adhered to the Papal schism, and their departure will be (if verified) a telling one. It will be, moreover, a countervailing fact, for the wretched defection of a scion of our aristocracy, one of our southern M.P.'s, who lately deserted to the enemy's camp, having found his way thither, like too many on your side of the water, through the Tractarian quagmire.

The Society referred to carries on its operations mainly through the quiet but determined aggression of Scripture-readers, through the homes and haunts of the poor in town and country, following this up by an open, bold, determined, yet evangelical assault through controversial sermons and lectures on the tenets of Popery. In Cork, Galway, Tuam, Carlow, Kilkenny, Dublin, and lately in Belfast, this is the course pursued, and the results are really blessed. I was lately present at two of these controversial sermons, in widely different localities, and it was soul-cheering to behold the number of black-visaged working men, and poor women, evidently of the Romish persuasion, who crowded the churches. During the time of prayers they remained, many of them, about the doors, and when the sermon commenced began to creep into the aisles, until these became quite filled, some crouching down in an attitude of eager attention on the floor, round the pulpit. Occasionally a voice calls out, a question is asked, or an exclamation is made, when the blows dealt against Popery are becoming too hard for remaining prejudice; but even these are generally uttered in good humour and respect. The leading church in Dublin where a battery is maintained, weekly, throughout the entire year, of this sort, is St. Michan's. This

church, with its controversial class in the parochial school-room, is the stronghold of the new Reformation in the metropolis. Apropos of St. Michan's, its excellent rector, the Rev. Charles Stuart Stanford, to whose case as opposed in the performance of his duty as chaplain in the North Dublin Union, and finally dismissed by the Poor-law Commissioners, I formerly alluded, has obtained a partial, and I trust also it will eventually prove a complete triumph over those functionaries. This has been in the shape of a conditional order being confirmed by the Court of Queen's Bench, for their being obliged to appoint to the office, thus rendered void, the Rev. C. F. M'Carthy, Curate of St. Michan's. This latter appointment will ensure sound Protestant teaching, and effectual protection to the poor Protestant paupers in the Union, and place the Commissioners in anything but an enviable position. In fact, the old saying of the frying-pan and fire applies pretty well here. Meanwhile Mr. Stanford has been driven to a suit at law, of an expensive and harassing nature, and this, only as "set for the defence of the Gospel." I feel certain that the Protestants of Ireland, and of Great Britain, will look to this faithful man of God, and stand by him. Surely the present law officers of the Crown will not suffer these union workhouses to prove, as they have hitherto done, Irish Inquisitions on a small scale !

Mr. Stanford has appealed, through the public press and otherwise, for the sum of 500l., in order to enable him to enlarge St. Michan's Church, as it is now quite unable to afford accommodation to the crowds of poor Romanists, who flock to the controversial sermons there statedly delivered. Perhaps these few lines may fall under the eye of some British Christian who loves our glorious Reformation, who loves the truth as it is in Jesus, and also the souls of Irish Papists, and that the good Lord may put it into the heart of him (or her) to send us help for this particular object. If so, just send me the amount, and it shall be thankfully acknowledged by the Rector of St. Michan's, or, if you please, send it direct to himself.

Irish Protestantism is looking on with mixed feelings of surprise and thankfulness at the action taken by England respecting Maynooth. We are, all of us, it is true, thankful that your eyes are even in a state of semi-openness on this head. And yet we do somewhat wonder at your modus operandi.

*

We cannot but think that, were a great opium warehouse established among us, and that men, women, and children were sent away from it, in mad, reeling, ghastly intoxication, to emprise and to perform feats of murderous atrocity throughout the entire island, it would hardly comport with the proverbial sagacity of a British Parliament to

*We wish our Irish friends had more generally stirred themselves upon this question, and that, too, a little earlier, and a little more unitedly-especially at the general elections.

Often, when we for years past have been urging others forward to do something, have we been met by the remark, "Oh, it is an Irish question. If they don't care for it in Ireland, why should we? If they do not pronounce' against it, why should we? They have not told us that Maynooth teaching is poison."

Well, be it so; let us not dispute who has done least, or most; but let each now do what he can.

consume entire nights in debating, whether or not a commission of investigation should be appointed, to determine whether opium was poison, and the effects of it deleterious.

When we reflect on the bygone history of this morally poisonous emporium, and recollect that your British legislators have endowed it, against the earnest remonstrance of more than a million of the soundthinking, enlightened, and loyal subjects of this empire, we do really, at times, give ourselves credit for some degree of forbearance (whether you do or not), that our remonstrances and recalcitrations against this most iniquitous piece of legislation are not, and have not, been more earnest and energetic than ever they have been. freely confess that we deem inquiry here a work of political supererogation. What do you, what do we want to know about Popery— about Maynooth-bred priests? You ought to know enough about both we know, for we feel quite sufficient. Just let me, as I am pen in hand, throw off an illustration or two on this head. Of course you know the "Tablet," the great organ of the Romish hierarchy in Ireland, and not long since transplanted for a more luxuriant soil, to

We

us from you. I sometimes keep by me excerpta from such journals: here is one of these, which appeared some little time ago, when the aggression war ran high. Thus writes this accomplished Roman scribe, editorially:

"It is very nearly as certain as that God is in heaven, that Cardinal Wiseman is Archbishop of Westminster, that Dr. Cullen is Archbishop of Armagh, that Dr. Murray is Archbishop of Dublin, that Dr. Slattery is Archbishop of Cashel, and that Dr. M'Hale is Archbishop of Tuam. In accordance with the fact, therefore, we propose, as usual, to give to the archbishops and bishops the styles and titles which the Church of God bestows upon them.

"On the other hand, it is equally certain, as we have elsewhere intimated, that a certain Dr. Sumner is not even a Doctor of Divinity, much less a priest, a bishop, or an archbishop. It is not true, therefore, to call this man Archbishop of Canterbury, or even Dr. Sumner. It is even doubtful whether he has even been made a Christian by baptism; but as this is confessedly a doubt, we will give this estimable gentleman the benefit of this doubt, or take.his Christianity for granted. What, under this charitable assumption, we may call his Christian names, are John Bird. As he is a member of the Privy Council, this civil status entitles him to the prefix of 'Right Honourable;' and his true name and title, written at length, are The Right Honourable John Bird Sumner.' In ordinary parlance such a person would be called 'Mr. Sumner;' and, as accuracy is everything, now we have a theological Parliament, the only designation by which henceforth that ambiguous Christian whom the Protestants heretically call Archbishop of Canterbury, will be known in this journal as plain' Mr. Sumner.'

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Now, if the proper feeling of this Protestant country were alive and active, would such language be tolerated; or if the Legislators of our land require demonstration as to the nature of Maynooth loyalty and religion, is not here a specimen? Perhaps you may have room for another. Lately, in the city of Cork, two respectable Protestant

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