The Earl of Winchilsea has addressed a long-winded, stupid, bigoted
letter, to the Synod of Aberdeen, in consequence of their " de- claration " and address to the Irish Protestant Primate, mentioned last week. The following may serve as a specimen of Lord Winchilsea's epistle- " When I reflect upon the persecutions which commenced against our Protestant clergy in Ireland swat after the Whigs assumed the reigns of Government, which le1, not only to the suspension in many parts of that country of the payment of all tithes which were dtte to them, bat also to the barbarous assassination, is open day, of some or the most pions unit exetnplary men who graced or adorned our Clench. I feel morally convinced that this tirst instalment of the destruction of our Established Church in Ireland was promised to the Popish party, as the price of their support, in
PediateirT(tn the Whig party taking .flee. • • • •
" The last act of aggression and persecution against the Established Church in Ire- land, to which I shall at present allude (for were I to attempt to enumerate them all, the catalogue would be too numerous to be coutaiued in twenty-letters), is tile pro- pc,asl suppression of every Protestant Church in Ireland (amounting to upwards of one-third of the whole number), where the population did not exceed the number of Shy. with a pledge on the part of his Majosty s Ministers (for I dared them more than once, during the last session of Parliament, to rise in their places in the Douse and deny it) of the speedy surrender of the rein r in Mg part of on- Church Establish- ment into the hands of that worthless Agitator whose support they have bought by the moral and political degradation of our count..y. • • " 1 beg to offer to you my warmest and most bearsfelt thanks, for the decided and truly religious course w hich you have taken at this momentous crisis. If we are true to the sacred cause which we now stand forward to advocate—if, above all, we are true to that God and Saviour whose merciful Kul idence has so often been extended to save this country when she stood on the very brink of destruction, casting ourselves en- tirely upon his mercies, and looking upon our strength and power as very weakness—
I feel confident that we shall triumph over the united powers of Popery, Socinianism, Scepticism, and Infidelity, which are now arrayed against us."
This noble and religious "duelist" used to be called " Mad Hatton" at school and college : mature years do not seem to have sobered his intellect.
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