The Protestant Association had its first anniversary meeting on Wednesday.
at Exeter Hall ; the Earl of Winchilsea in the chair. His Lordship delivered a vehement speech, in which lie mixed up party polities with religious fury after his usual fashion ; and then made way for Captain Gordon, who descanted on the terrific progress of Popery in England— To show the increase of Catholicism, he exhibited a map of England, the surface of which was covered with black spore. Ile said that each of those spots represented a Roman Catholic chapel or college. In one county (Lan- cashire) there no fewer than 87 chapels, and in Inverness there were as many as 17. There were altogether in England and Scotland 510 chapels ; there not being '20 in 1796. Since these maps had been published, 40 had been added ; and he had read in the Dublin Review, a work edited by Mr. O'Con- nell, that there were 40 more in progress. In 1796, there were no Roman Catholic colleges in England or Scotland. Now there were 10 in the hunter and one in the latter, besides 16 nunneries, and various seminaries of a subor- dinate character. Would they not infer from these facts a result most disastrous to the Protestants of England?
The Duke of Newcastle, Mr. Hardy, M. P., Mr. Henry Pownall, and several other gentlemen, harangued the meeting ; which then dispersed.
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