5 DECEMBER 1835, Page 3

A meeting was held at the Freemason's Tavern, on Thur--day,

for the purpose of raising a subscription to relieve the Irish Protestant Clergy. The Archbishop of Canterbury took the chair, and explained the object of the meeting, in a mild and conciliatory address. He en- larged on the virtues and the sufferings of the Clergy; stated the ne- cessity of coming forward for their relief; complimented the British nation on its generosity to the distressed ; recommended abstinence from politics; and concluded with reading a note from Sir Henry

Wheatley, enclosing donations of 500/. from the King and 100/. from the Queen. The Archbishop also announced, that the Bishop of Oxford, Dean of Canterbury, had informed him by letter that the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury had voted 200L; Lord Ripon had sent 1001.; and the University of Oxford had in all remitted 2Z300/. to the Committee.

The Bishop of London spoke at length, but did not attend to the Archbishop's recommendation to abstain from politics. He said he

was persuaded that the persons before him had not assembled merely because of the physical wants of the Irish Clergy— "but is because you feel the absolute necessity of coming forward and evincing your attachment to that Reformed religion in which, under the blessings of Divine Providence, you have been educated, and your determination to uphold the true Protestant Church in these realms, and to do your part, according to the means with which Providence has blessed you, to prevent Protestantism from being starved out of Ireland; for that is the ques- tion at issue; that is palpably the policy of those who have withheld their just due from the clergy of the Protestant Church in Ireland. I say, gentlemen, that is clearly their policy."

He gave several instances of clergymen in Ireland who were reduced to distress ; and quoted a letter from the Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, which showed a decrease in the number of students of about 100 since 1833: this be attributed to the inability of the Clergy to send their sons to College.

Sir Robert Inglis declared, that "the majesty of the law" must be vindicated ; and that the moment a right was withheld, and the law was silent, that moment the Government sanctioned every species of wrong which might result from its violation in that particular.

The Reverend IL Melville reminded the landowners, that when tithes were refused the rent-roll was in danger. Protestantism, he said, would not survive long in Ireland without a Protestant Esta- blishment.

The Bishop of Jamaica, Lord Radstock, and Mr. Maclean addressed the meeting briefly. The Bishop of London announced, that between 11,0001. and 12,000/. had been subscribed; and Mr. Justice James Parke having moved a vote of thanks to the Archbishop of Canter- bury, the meeting separated.