250 LIFE OF OOBDEN, [oma®

1851,
=p, 47.

the meantime the old sore is opened in Ireland, and there
a new lease for Guy Fawkes, and the ¢ Immortal memory —
and my cynical brother will be confirmed in his doctr®
that we are, after all, not progressive creatures, bub only
revolving in a circle of instincts. Verily we have nob made
great strides during the last two centuries in religion
toleration.” i
“Feb. 15. (To J. Sturge)—Ts there vo way of bring
out a declaration from the friends of religious equality
Birmingham agains the Whig Bill for inflicting pains 220
penalties upon the Roman Catholics? Birmingham was tho
first to give a check to the public meetings in the North.
Could it not have the honour of taking the lead in promulgating
 a sound declaration of opinion against all inter
ference by the legislature in the religious concerns of th
people? I should like to see a declaration put forth rep®
diating the rights of the Parliament to encourage by terporal
rewards, or to discourage by temporal penalties, the Pro
gress of any religions opinions. Surely the mass of the
people of Birmingham are favourable to this principle; it 18
in fact the principle of religious liberty which all parties
profess to advocate, but so few are prepared to practise:
Suppose you were to call a few friends together and take
their advice as to whether anything can be done. We 8°
going back rapidly in the House, and unless helped from
without, our case is hopeless.”
“« London, Feb. 19. ( ,, )—1I expect that this no-Pope’y
ery will prove fatal to the Ministry. It is generally though¥
that the Government will be in a minority on some impo™
tant question, probably the income-tax, in less than a fort
night. The Irish Catholic members are determined 0 do
everything to turn out Lord John. Indeed Ireland i8 1#
such a state of exasperation with the Whigs, that no Trish
member having a Catholic constituency will have a chan?