11 JULY 1868, Page 13

THE OBJECTORS TO DISESTABLISHMENT.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Your anonymous correspondents who kindly undertook on Saturday to set my mind at ease on the subject of my letter of the 22nd have much obliged me. I cannot venture to trespass on your space by a detailed review of the arguments put forward by " A Dissenter " or " A Layman " ; but I am sorry to say that, although I have read their letters attentively, my difficulties are not removed, and I may perhaps presume to point out two or three particulars in which " A Dissenter " is strangely oblivious. I pass over his statement as to the loyalty of the Romanist priests, which I fear is not borne out by facts,—nor is there any need to attempt by an examination of parliamentary and other speeches to refute his assertion that " Fenianiarn has not been mentioned as a reason for carrying out Mr. Gladstone's measure." But he will excuse my reminding him that when he says the Voluntary system will provide for the case put in what he is pleased to call my third argument, he seems to forget that " Voluntaryism" will only support a clergyman in a parish where Church Protestants amount to a quorum of, say 30, or 20 at the least, and will leave such a place as I have described completely out of their calculation, certainly for the present.

Then, again, he blames me with begging the question, because I say conciliation is for " the Priests, the Fenians, and the Romanist peasantry,"—(I included small tradesmen and small farmers, by implication, which " A Dissenter" forgets),—and here he shows himself ignorant of one important fact, namely, that such a class as he speaks of —" the Romanist and Protestant Dissenting landowners,"—are politically speaking the children of his imagination, having no existence in Ireland, except in what would there be called the " immense minority," of about 1 in 8 of the whole body of landlords ; and as to a middle class, they are represented in most places by the small tradesmen and farmers to whom I have referred. There are no large farmers, no rich tradesmen, to represent the middle rank of life, as in England ; such men as the late Sir Benjamin Guinness or Mr. Dargan can scarcely be called middle-class tradesmen ; and if they could, they would only stand as exceptions to a rule. It is true that Mr. Disraeli has been anxious to teach us the right of a minority to govern ; but I hardly suspect "A Dissenter" of being a convert to the Premier's eloquence. " A Dissenter " also gives us a new view in his words "Ireland needs conciliating." He must here refer to agricultural improvement, and speak of the soil, as he appears to have excluded the inhabitants.

" A Layman " has kindly restated my own question, for which I beg to thank him ; but as he has added no argument to weigh the scale to either side, I cannot say I am relieved by his letter.

I ask leave to put my question again. Can I and those who hold with me assist in an act which seems to entail a certain evil consequence, in the very uncertain hope of good coming? Is our anxiety that the Protestant Church, and the cause of liberty in Ireland should be strengthened and relieved from party ties, a sufficient reason for joining in a serious attack on England's authority in that country? We know that at present the Pro- testant Church progresses under almost insuperable difficulties, that were they removed she would have far greater advantages in her work, but is not their removal too great a shock iu the present weak state of the patient?

Again, apologizing for my late and present intrusions, and thanking you for the generosity and impartiality of which I am reminded by " A Dissenter," I am, Sir, yours obediently,