tion that in the event of your Lordship being returned to the ensuing Parliament, you would give your unqualified opposition to any attempt to establish or endow the Church of Rome in Ireland.

"It is also gratifying to us to know your Lordship's determination to resist any grants of public money to Roman Catholic priests, as teachers of schools, or to schools connected with monastic institutions, or conducted by persons as schoolmasters belonging to any organized fraternity of the Church of Rome.

"But your Lordship goes on to observe, 'At the same time I am bound in justice to my own views and feelings to declare, that I consider it a sacred duty of the Legislature, if possible, to devise some measures in the present state of our social economy, for imparting instruction to every class of our fellow-subjects; and perhaps there is no class more helpless and destitute in this respect than the children of Roman Catholic parents, chiefly Irish, residing in some of our manufacturing towns and districts.

"You will not, I am confident, expect me to pledge myself as your representative, to oppose every measure that may be devised to remedy the evils which are acknowledged on all hands to flow from the want of national education; but I shall always endeavour to make my votes on this subject consistent with the maintenance, in all their integrity and efficiency, of those great principles which were restored to us at the Reformation, and which in the present times, I consider it should be the special care of the Legislature to uphold.'

"On this latter part of your Lordship's letter we are anxious to ask, whether your Lordship is prepared to oppose any grant to schools in which the Authorized Version of the Holy Scriptures is not freely used, and in which the errors of the Roman Catholic Church form any part of the education of the children.

"We have the honour to remain,

"Your Lordship's most obedient servants." [Signed by all the parties to whom Lord Chelsea's letter was addressed.]

"Carlton Club, 22d May, 1847. "Gentlemen,—It is gratifying to me to learn from your letter of the 19th of May, that the general principles on which I am prepared to act with reference to questions affecting the religious and moral interests of the community at large, have met with your approbation.

"As regards the particular point upon which you request a further expression of opinion from me, I have only to add, that with the utmost willingness to give you every assurance consistent with that freedom which you yourselves would, I am sure, wish your representatives in Parliament to enjoy, I am not able to pledge myself to a specified course, which would effectually prevent me, under any circumstances, from endeavouring to remove those very errors and evils which you, in common with myself, are desirous of removing. "I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen, "Your faithful servant,

[Addressed as before.]

"CHELSEA."

"Reading, 24th May, 1847.

"My Lord,-It would have been more gratifying to us if the specific question proposed by us to your Lordship had received the precise reply, which we earnestly hoped. But your Lordship's sentiments, as expressed in your former letter, are so far in accordance with our own that we are unwilling to close the correspondence unsatisfactorily.

"In order therefore to bring the matter to a final issue, we will propose one and one only question more. Will your Lordship adopt our original Declaration and embody it in a letter to us?

"We have the honour to remain,

"Your Lordship's obedient Servants." [Signed by all the parties to whom Lord Chelsea's letter was addressed.]

"Strathfieldsaye, May 26th, 1847.

"Gentlemen, I can have no hesitation in availing myself of the method suggested by you of bringing our correspondence to a satisfactory close, inasmuch as the sentiments contained in your original declaration appear to me to be in no way inconsistent with the views expressed in my former letters.

"I shall therefore at once declare myself opposed to every attempt that may be made to establish or endow the Church of Rome within these realms and prepared to resist the grant of any portion of the public funds to any institution for educational or other purposes unfavourable to the maintenance of the Protestant faith; and I will use my utmost efforts to preserve the United Church of England and Ireland in its integrity and efficiency.

"I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen,

"Your faithful servant,

[Addressed as before.]

"CHELSEA."

MONTMORENCY.-A ROMAN CATHOLIC TALE.

(Continued from p. 149.)

FRANCES rose two hours earlier than usual, on the day after she had heard of the death of Ernest Willoughby, which hours she devoted to extra forms of devotion as an atonement for the culpable weakness she had been guilty of in feeling any compassion for an obstinate heretic; pale and exhausted, she joined the breakfast party, and though evidently far from well, not all her mother's entreaties prevent her from departing on her daily office of washing the feet and dressing the wounds of twelve old women, which was one of her accustomed acts of voluntary humility; revolting in itself, yet rendered endurable by the hope of its obtaining for her a place in the Romish calendar of canonized saints.

could

Father Adrian, contrary to custom, lingered in the room, casting an eye of gentle approbation on Frances, as she departed, and saying in

a low tone of voice, "There is one who does not overlook your good works in thus ministering unto the saints."

"Poor Frances is more fit to be ministered unto than to minister this morning," observed Clarice. "Is it really requisite that my sister should thus injure her health and distress her friends, by performing offices, the meanest menial could better discharge ?"

"I do not say it is absolutely requisite, but I do say the reward of such meritorious self-denial will be great."

"Is the reward to be given, Father," inquired Clara, "because we have deserved it, and will it be great in proportion to the number of self-imposed penances and mortifications?"

"Doubtless, daughter, good works will merit heaven, and they who afflict the body to atone for and subdue the sins of the soul shall have their reward."

"But how can we atone for or subdue our sins by afflicting our bodies? Is not this a part of that false system which leads the poor Heathen to torture themselves to propitiate their offended deities? We pity and blame them as deluded and ignorant creatures, yet are we not guilty of a similar error, when we believe God is pleased with those who lacerate and emaciate their bodies, wear sharp crosses next their hearts, crawl over stones until their flesh be bare, and then call this an offering acceptable and well-pleasing to God?"

Father Adrian looked angry, but with unmoved gentleness added, "There is utterly a fallacy, and a most dangerous one, in the conclusions you have drawn; our Church nowhere teaches that God delights in the sufferings of his creatures, but he wills his saints to be holy, they also will the same, and use these means to accomplish the desired end, they mortify their bodies to subdue their sins, and to atone for their failings submit to the penances commanded by the Church and approved of by God."

"But," dear father, said Clara, now completely thrown off her guard, "has not Jesus fully atoned for sin, and when on the cross he exclaimed, 'It is finished,' was not satisfaction made, and God completely reconciled, through the merits of his suffering?—yet, if we are again to offer atonement for our offences, how can we be said to be healed by his stripes?"

"Your questions, my daughter, will lead us into conversation scarce fit to be thus publicly held. I fear you are unconsciously reasoning on subjects too deep for you to fathom, instead of humbly submitting to the authority and teaching of the Church."

Clara blushed, and remained silent, with difficulty suppressing the inquiry that burnt for utterance, "Can it be a question too deep for me to fathom, how my sinful immortal soul shall be justified before a holy God?"

"Surely, Clara," interrupted Clarice playfully, "you have not profited as you should have done by the instructions of Father Joachim, or you would not now require to learn truths that favoured children have been taught from our cradles."

we

"What truths, daughter?" said the father, somewhat sternly. "Never to presume to think for ourselves, and implicitly to believe all we are taught by our infallible teachers, truths which I have learned so well, that I cannot think how any one who has freedom of

choice can exist beyond the walls of a nunnery, or ever taste peace, unless, like dear Frances, they are perforining some saintly action." "Your levity," observed the father, very justly, "is ill-timed, and will, I fear, if not checked, lead to greater evils than you are willing to believe."

"I did not mean to offend; you all well know how truly devoted I am to dear mother Church, only I would give half my fortune to those who would repeat masses and kneel on the cold stones for me, rather than perform these penances myself."

"Madam," said the priest, turning to Mrs. Cleves, "may I request you to aid my endeavours to end a conversation, the style of which is so little suitable to the solemn subject on which we are discoursing?"

Mrs. Cleves seriously reproved her daughter, and Clarice again protested her sorrow at offending, observing, her spirits always led her to say what she afterwards repented of; thus the party separated for the present, and Clarice was again pardoned and restored to favour.

We must now use the author's privilege, and pass by in silence the next six weeks, during which nothing happened worthy of the reader's attention. Hubert had now extended his visit to its utmost limit, and the time fixed on for him to depart on a tour through Italy had arrived. Clara was to remain some weeks longer with her aunt and cousins. Since the day, on which the conversation respecting Ernest Willoughby had taken place, a kind of reserve on the sentiments each person entertained had been felt by the cousins. Clarice had refrained from ridicule, Clara from observations of any kind. Frances had been even more earnest in the discharge of her ceremonial routine, and more sedulously shunned the society of her cousins. Clara and Clarice again appeared to live only for amusement. Hubert passed the greater part of the day in studying divines of the Romish Church, selected for, and perused with him by Father Adrian; divines, who had laboured hard and succeeded well, to "make the worse appear the better reasoning." Entangled in the mazes of their sophistical arguments, Hubert departed further from the simplicity of the Gospel,further from the faith, to the knowledge of which his lamented friend had so longed and laboured to bring him,—from that peace which he was indeed sincerely, though ignorantly, seeking.

A letter which, about this time, Hubert addressed to his father, filled the latter with much anxiety, as his son expressed himself utterly dissatisfied with a military life, and most anxious, could he be released from other engagements, to undertake the sacred office of the priesthood. He entreated his father attentively to consider his wishes, and not to give a decisive reply till he returned from Italy.

Clara, who knew nothing of this letter, saw her brother depart from Ardennes, with mingled emotions of pleasure and pain. Yet, why did she feel pleasure? She could scarcely define her feelings, but she always sighed when she heard he was closeted with Father Adrian. She sighed, and rushed to seek a temporary oblivion of her fears and sorrows, amidst the scenes of dissipation to which she was led by her aunt and Clarice. But seasons of reflection would occur, and it was in one of these seasons, when Clara was walking in a retired part of the garden, feeling sad and perplexed, recalling all that had occurred

since her meeting with Pierre, at times grieving she had resigned her Testament, and then justifying herself for so doing, that she was joined by Clarice, who entering into conversation with her, directed her steps to a rustic arbour, at some distance from the house. Before seating herself, Clarice walked carefully round to feel satisfied they were unobserved, then kindly taking her cousin's hand, and speaking with some embarrassment, she thus introduced her subject.

"I know not, dear Clara, if good or evil will be the result of this interview, but, were it not that you have promised to confess on the morrow, I would make you the confidant of feelings I dare not mention to my only sister, who believes it to be her duty to reveal each thought and feeling to Father Adrian. But, surely, my cousin, you can promise me secresy ? "

"Can it be right for you and me to conceal, what it is the duty of Frances to confess?" replied Clara with hesitation.

66

erroneous

Certainly not. But Frances may have formed an estimate of duty, as you once said, We may be wrong, and Ernest Willoughby might have been right.”

A silence of some moments followed these words, during which the cousins read each other's feelings.

"We may be wrong," said Clara, "but how shall we discover this, who will teach us? Once I thought God would teach. Once I hoped he had taught me, but I am bewildered now, and know not whom to trust."

66

Ask

And, therefore, you intend to trust Father Adrian, and meet him to-morrow to confess your fears and receive instruction from him; he will tell you how happy we Catholics are in having an infallible Church to direct us; ask him how he knows that Church to be infallible, and what part of God's Word declares it to be so? him, what part of that Word commands the Scriptures to be taken from the people, and ask him also, how that infallible Church will answer at the last great day for the blood it has shed of the saints and martyrs of the Lord Jesus?

66

Clarice, dear Clarice, you amaze me! Bible?"

Have you ever read the

"You forget, Clara, you attend confession, and I am not safe, unless you promise secresy."

"I dare promise nothing at present, but if Father Adrian cannot satisfy my doubts —”

"If he cannot;—he will, his tongue drops manna, and can make the worse appear the better reasoning. Yet, I believe, he is himself deceived; misled, rather than meaning to mislead; perhaps his punishment will be less severe than mine. I know the truth, but have not courage to follow it."

"What can you mean?" inquired Clara.

"That I no more believe the Church of Rome to be the one true Church, than I mean to come out of her at the risk of persecution, perhaps even of death; though at times I tremble lest I should be a partaker of her plagues. But I have said too much, far too much, from dreading the fetters in which to-morrow's interview may more deeply bind you."