known and notorious fact, that the
Editor of "The Morning Chronicle,"
most probably for want of other mat
er to entertain his readers with, and
to vent his rage on the Bourbons, for
the disappointment experienced in the
downfall of Buonaparte, who was so
very partial to this paper, and so good
a friend to liberty, as to suffer only
"The Chronicle" and an evening
journal to be circulated in France du-
ring his three months' occupation of
the French sceptre,-
-was the first to
raise the cry of a religious persecu
tion being carried on by the reigning
family against the Protestants of Lan-
guedoe. This was denied by the lead-

crisy, peculiar to themselves, will oppose the liberation of their fellow-subjects from a code of persecuting laws for no other reason than that they happen to differ from them on some speculative points of doctrine. Governed by these sentiments, I feel satified that I shall render a greater service to the cause of truth and the good of my fellow-countrymen, by exposing the worthless and disgraceful means which have been practised to alarm the public mind, in consequence of the petty political squabbles which have occurred in the South in France, than in denying principles never entertained by the religion I profess, and which no true and sincere Catholicing papers of the opposite party, who can follow without violating its fundamental precepts. I, therefore, proceed to lay before my readers, in the first place, a specimen of the accuracy of the reports on which this pretended religious persecution is founded; and, in the second, I shall endeavour to prove that the pretensions of these individuals, who now make such professions in favour of humanity and religious freedom, are not only partial and interested, but grossly selfish and uncharitable..

as boldly asserted, that the transac tions at Nismes, deplorable and la mentable without doubt, and such as every friend to humanity and good order must strongly reprobate, arose solely from the political dissentions of two parties denominated Royalists and Republicans. The proofs brought forward by the editor consisted of assertions said to be contained in private letters from individuals; and amongst the rest the following was inserted on the 18th ult:-"We are concerned to learn, that among the innumerable VERACITY OF THE REPORTS. victims who have sealed with their As the verity or falsity of the evi- blood at Nismes their faith in the dence adduced forms the criterion by pure doctrines of our holy religion, which we are enabled to pass our we have to enumerate the Rev. M. judgment on the merits of a contro- Desmont, senior Protestant Minister verted point, the following bold and of that city. This venerable Clergy impudent assertions of The Morning man had attained the 80th year of his Chronicle, with the subjoined corresage, and had passed his life in tech pondence of Messrs. Ogle. Morgan, ing the gospel to his flock, and in edi and Colin, will suthiciently display fying them by his example. But his the grounds on which the public mind grey locks and unblemished life were has been terrified by the rumours of a no protection to him against the ruf religious persecution in France, and fans who now desolate the South of the massacres which have been insti- France in the name of the Bourbons." gated by the partizans of bigotry and To this account Mr. Perry tacked a superstition; two words of such dread- beautiful tirade against the cruelty and ful import, that the bare sound of bigotry of the Catholic clergy, and them is enough to shock the ears of the meritorious work of imolating a our liberal and feeling friends and heretic for the glory of God, well cal protectors of religious freedom, and culated to inflame the minds of the cause them to urge Johnny Bull to in- ignorant against the horrid monster terfere in the concerns of his neigh-Popery, and to raise a feeling in fa bours. But to proceed. It is a well-vour of these staunch friends of reli

tells some story about one having been attempted, but that it did not succeed. I have to request that you will be so good as to give these few lines a place in your paper, while I assert, upon the BEST AUTHORITY, that the President of the Reformed Church at Nismes, the venerable J. O. Desmonds, the writer of the letter in page 93 of Mr. Cobbin's pamphlet, HAS been assassinated. This aniable pastor, whose locks were silvered o'er with the snow of eighty years, was rejoicing in the prespects of extensive good likely to result to his country from its connection with Great Britain, in the establishment of institutions for Public Instruction, the circulation of the Scriptures, &c. and had received with gladness into his pulpit a worthy minister from this country some time previous to the date of his letter in January last.

gious freedom. This positive affirmation of Mr. Perry was, it appears, for I do not see the prints, met by his opponents, who supposed the Whig editor to have mistaken M. Desmont for the Cure of Egmont, who was assassinated on the 3d ult. in his own house, and whose last words were, "I die content, a martyr to my faith, (the Catholic) and I pardon my assassins." Mr. Perry, however, felt his Whiggism insulted by such a supposition, and accordingly, on the 23d of the same month, he put forth the following paragraph: "The Times and Courier have endeavoured to hoodwink the friends of civil and religious freedom by pretending that the announced murder of the venerable Protestant pastor, M. Desmont, of Nismes, may have been mistaken for that of the Cure of Egmont. To this we answer, that letters of Protestant Ministers to their friends here, posi-Alas! he has not lived to see his tively state the horrible murder of this most exemplary person, eighty years old, and whose life has been an edifying example of Christian piety and beneficence." This bold declaration did not, it seems, intimidate the antagonists of "The Chronicle," and accordingly we find another combatant appearing on the stage, to confirm the evidence of his worthy friend, who had so civilly recommended to his Christian readers the dirty pamphlet which he published for the Reverend Mr. Cobbin. On the 8th instant appeared the following letter, addressed" To the Editor of The Morning Chronicle:"

"Sir, It is truly afflicting to every feeling mind to see our public prints, and one in particular, who occupies no small share of public patronage, attempting to invalidate the statements contained in Mr. Cobbin's pamphlet relative to the persecution of the Protestants in France, and the veracity of the facts upon which the Resolutions of the Dissenting Ministers proceed: The Times of yesterday asserts, that no Protestant Minister has been assassinated at Nismes, and

hopes realized. May the time, however, soon arrive when the bad passions of mankind in that unhappy country will give place to brotherly kindness and charity, and Catholic and Protestant emulate each other in doing good to their country and to one another. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, ROBERT OGLE.

"295, Holborn, Dec. 7, 1815."

One cannot help here noticing the doleful apprehensions of poor Mr. Ogle for the veracity of his reverend author. He says.it is truly afflicting" to see our public prints question the faithfulness of the assertions of a public writer, on a subject of the most interesting nature, in a religious as well as a moral point of view. Why, if this is the case,' of what benefit is the liberty of the press? Of what use is public discussion? It may, perhaps, be "afflicting" to Mr. Cobbin to be proved guilty of writing falsehood, and it may also be "afflicting" to Mr. Ogle to know that he has been aiding and abetting the circulation of a pack of untruths, and so far as the doctrines of Popery are con

can be "

OPENED THEIR ARMS TO THIS PROSCRIBED PEOPLE, and exclaimed, "Let us embrace ~ we are now to participate in the same rights,

your calamities, and the abuses of the country, are terminated together. Vive la Liberte!" Here we have a specimen of "brotherly kindness and charity," which it would be well for the friends and protectors of religious liberty in this country to imitate; but how different are the feelings of the reverend Mr. Cobbin, who asserts, with the most uncharitable impudence, that" after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, the rights of conscience were long lost to France. The reformed that continued there only wor shipped by stealth; and to the last days of Louis XVI. they laboured under these oppressions, the bare recital of which inspires the hearts of all BUT PAPISTS with sentiments of pity."-Now, if this assertion of the reverend writer be true, the other must be false, because it says, that the Catholics were the first to stretch out the hand of friendship to the proscribed class, and thus shewed that their hearts were as susceptible of pity and charity as those of their neighbours. The real fact is, that Mr. Cobbin's statements of the principles of papists are entitled to just as much credit as the report of the assassina. tion of the senior Protestant Minister of Nismes turned out to be. For, notwithstanding the positive assurances of Mr. Ogle, backed by his "best authority," the silvery locks of eighty winters still adorn the head of that venerable pastor, and be may yet live to see the "extensive good likely to result to his country from its connection with Great Britain;" as the annexed letter, which appeared in "The Morning Chronicle" of the 11th inst. testifies :

cerned, I have no hesitation in pro- | THOLICS THEMSELVES FIRST nouncing Mr. Cobbin's pamphlet to be one of the most gross, foul, and malevolent medley of lies and misrepresentations which has appeared in this country since the dawn of the pretended Reformation. But how it afflicting to every feeling mind" to have it proved that the persecution reported by Messrs. Perry and Cobbin did not exist, or at least that it did not bear the sanguinary character which they have given it, is a matter of astonishment to me.Does Mr. Ogle imagine that the feelings of the English nation would be more gratified in finding the atrocious proceedings to be of a greater extent than a lesser one? Does he think that the humane feelings of Englishmen would be more pleased at finding the number of victims said to be massacred to be truly numerous instead of contracted? Really I should think, if the editor of The Times proved the statements contained in Mr. Cobbin's work to be grossly exaggerated, although he might afflict the feelings of that reverend gentleman and his coadjutors, he would confer a benefit on humanity, and be richly entitled to the thanks of every honest man in society. If this were not the case, it would be a "truly afflicting" circumstance indeed. With respect to the wish of Mr. Ogle, contained in the latter part of his letter, I most heartily join with him in the desire of seeing it realized not only in France, but likewise in this country, where we stand in need enough of "brotherly kindness and charity;" and I will just beg to remind him, that the pamphlet of Mr. Cobbin asserts that such were also the feelings of the Catholics in the South of France. If he turns to page 8 of the Defence of the Protestants, he will there find the following passage:"A great revolution was preparing : it promised to restore to the Protestants all their rights, to re-place them in the class of citizens; and yet no one can accuse them of having anticipated, contrived, or fomented it. THE CA

"FRENCH PROTESTANTS. William's Library, Red Cross-street, Dec. 9, 1815.-Sir, While the cor respondence of every day accumulates the proofs of a desolating persecution

in the southern province of France, it ble or unwilling to make any reply; is a duty as grateful as indispensable for, notwithstanding he had so boldly to prevent all unnecessary agitation accused the Catholic clergy of being and distress. I embrace, therefore, the instigators of the death of this the earliest moment, through your old man of eighty, under the stale preJournal, to allay public apprehension tence of his being a heretic-notwithas to the fate of the Rev. O. Desmond, standing his repeated professions of an President of the Consistory at Nismes. inviolable attachment to truth-the From a letter received this day, the editor inserted the letter in a part of following paragraph is extracted:his paper probably not noticed by the "I render a sad homage of truth generality of his readers, without diby confirming the frightful accounts of recting their attention, as he ought to the massacres in the south. How have done, by an apologizing para many widows inconsolable! How graph, for this gross outrage to truth. many orphans wanting bread!! Not--Mr. Ogle, however, after recoverwithstanding the number of Protest-ing from his shock, felt rather loth to ants who have been assassinated is great, we cannot count among the victims the venerable Olivier Desmond, the President of the Consfstory.'

Having been informed by another correspondent that the reformed Churches have sustained a great loss loss by the death of the Rev. M. Armond, one of the Pastors of Nismes, it appears probable, in the distracted state of the country, that the event has occasioned an erroneous report to obtain considerable circulation. By order of the Committee, (Signed)

commit himself again before the pub, lic, and therefore requested his reverend friend to vindicate his conduct, which he did in the following letter addressed To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle," who inserted it on the 13th instant:

Sir,-At the request of Mr. Ogle, I readily take up my pen to justify his conduct in writing you the letter respecting the death of Desmond, which appeared in your paper a few days since. I saw the original communica tion of that report, and it appeared to come in an unquestionable shape, T. MORGAN, Secretary." though the writer was very far distant The reader will perceive with pleasure from the south of France. The counthat Mr. Morgan does not think it ter-statement also comes from the "truly afflicting" to allay public appre- same authority. This I trust will prehension as to the fate of M. Desmond; vent the congratulations of the ene but the mode of negation adopted by mies to the cause of the French Pro the writer is of the most cold and testants in the detection of a blunder, curious kind. "We cannot count which has been corrected by the very (says he) among the victims the ve- individual who made it, and prove nerable Olivier Desmond."-Bless me, rather the care which is taken to did he wish to have the venerable pas- ascertain facts than tend in the least to tor among the innumerable slain, in invalidate the general truth of the order that the cry against popery statements. The death of one of the might be the stronger? By the cold- Ministers at Nismes, very plainly acness of the expression, such a conclu- counts for the mistake. No man of sion might be drawn by an unchari- common sense would ridicule the retable critic; for we see not a single port of a great fire having lately happhrase denoting the happiness of the pened in Holborn, because on accuwriter at the escape of the fortunate rate inquiry it was found on the north preacher. This flat contradiction of side of the street; and rumour might the "best authority" however, afflict- have at first stated that it was on the ed Messrs. Perry and Ogle so feeling-south. I embrace this opportunity to ly, that the former found himself una express to you my public thanks for

the zealous manner in which you have | of my ancestors was a Protestant."

come forward to advocate the cause
which I have had the honour to plead.
And remain, Sir, your obedient ser-
vant,
J. COBBIN."

Now, as royal dukes seldom converse with dead men, it was necessary to raise the worthy minister to life again, and therefore, Mr. Secretary Morgan "Maida hill, Monday evening." CONTRADICTS THE DEATH of Olivier Bravo! reverend minister of the gos- Desmond, and substitutes that pel! Bravissimo! reverend Mr. I. Cob- of Mr. Armond, a pastor of Nismes, bin! You have certainly attempted upon the information of "another to justify your friend; but you have correspondent," whose name and most deeply wounded your cause; residence is likewise withheld. Then for I have too good an opinion of the again appears the justifier of Mr. anprejudiced part of the public, to Ogle, the reverend J. Cobbin, who think it will be cajoled by the flimsy assures the readers of "The Chroni allusion to the fire in Holborn. The cle" that he saw the original commuquestion is not whether M Desmond nication of that report (Mr. Perry was massacred at Nismes or Avignon, spoke in the plural number, and talkbut whether he was actually murdered of letters,) that "it appeared to ed or no. The Morning Chronicle come in an unquestionable shape, asserted on the 18th ult. that M. Des-though the writer was VERY FÅR mond was murdered at Nismes in the name of the Bourbons; on the 21st, the Protestant Society for the Protection of Religious Liberty, entered into various resolutions, which were published in that paper, and in the sixth resolve it is stated "that an aged, venerable, and excellent minister of religion has been put to death" at Nismes; on the 23d, the editor of the Chronicle, in answer to two other journals, re-asserts the murder of this clergyman, which he says is positively stated in the letters of Protestant ministers to their friends here; and on the 7th inst. that is to say a fortnight after, finding the two papers still incredulous, Mr. Ogle puts forth a letter to vouch, upon the 66 BEST AUTHORITY," for the authenticity of of Mr. Perry's statement. But lo! these religious patriots could no longer keep up the game without fear of detection; the French papers stated, that the Duke d'Angouleme had an interview with the President of the Consistory, as he passed through Nismes, before he visited Toulouse, to whom he said, smiling, "People have perhaps taken pains to prejudice you against me; you have, probably, been told that I disliked you: I am, I confess, a sincere Catholic, but I shall never forget that the most illustrious

DISTANT from the south of France!"-God of Heaven! and is this the evidence on which these feeling friends of religious freedom build their uncharitable attacks upon the professors of Popery? Is this the testimony on which they ground their resolutions, one of which stigmatizes a foreign government, professing the Catholic faith, with want of gratitude, benevolence, and christianity? Whydo not these gentlemen give us the names and dates of these private letter-writers, and likewise their residences; we should then probably find the dis tance of some of them to be as wide as London is to Nismes.-I do not take upon me to say that the letter in question was written in this metropolis; but I have no doubt but many which have been inserted in "The Chronicle" on this subject were penned in London expressly for the purpose.

Having laid before my readers a specimen of the veracity due to these friends of religious freedom, which will enable them to form some opinion of the love of truth which guide their actions, I shall now place within their view a different picture of these transactions, derived from a less questionable source.-The following extract is taken from an excellent