CHURCH IN IRELAND ** & fe . • V-. ■ -(jv w :A Pp : fe#& THE REV. A. HUME, LL.D. & D.C.L., FELLOW OF THE STATISTICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON ; FELIX) W OF THE KOVAL SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ANTIQUARIES, COPENHAGEN . FELLOW OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, LONDON j CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, SCOTLAND ; .ORARY MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, N KWCA ST LE-ON-TY N U . non; sf.c. of the historic society of Lancashire and Cheshire. The nations have fallen, and thou still art young. Thy sun is but rising when others are set : And, though slavery’s cloud o’er thy morning h&tli hung, The full noon of freedom shall beam round thee yet. Erin, O Erin ! though long in the shade, Thy star will shine out when the proudest shall fade. Moork. LONDON: RIVINGTONS, WATERLOO PLACE; AND HIGH STREET, OXFORD. DUBLIN: HODGES, SMITH AND CO., GRAFTON STREI BOOKSELLERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. Price CLu£-a &d fe rp r r ftr; / / k IG’AbsQ 4* *. «p» Kaflps £ ■■ ■ £i £ . jr ■'■^•/V'r\--- •■:>*' jLi* 't&etetfJ'-' - ■'' ! ife$3 f%iii • ■;$$$• : +M ,; ;.v::::^ : . • . ■ .. vf £7 - . I ■i ";. . :W'^K' . ">£■ : fgp *A| •* jjftJV ' * ^ '■ K: ,€t , •■.•£ Jifijfli awm •J _ /» I The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN FEB 28 1 MAR 2? B76 1976 1976 so izrJ RESULTS OP THE IRISH CENSUS OF 1861 , WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE CONDITION OP THE CHURCH IN IRELAND, BY THE REV. A. HUME. LL.D. & D.C.L., M FELLOW OF THE STATISTICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON ; FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ANTIQUARIES, COPENHAGEN ; FELLOW OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, LONDON J CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, SCOTLAND; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE; HON. SEC. OF THE HISTORIC SOCIETY OF LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. The nations have fallen, and thou still art young. Thy sun is but rising when others are set : And, though slavery’s cloud o’er thy morning hath hung, The full noon of freedom shall beam round thee yet. Erin, 0 Erin ! though long in the shade, Thy star will shine out when the proudest shall fade. Moore. LONDON: RIVINGTONS, WATERLOO PLACE; AND HIGH STREET, OXFORD. DUBLIN: HODGES, SMITH AND CO., GRAFTON STREET, BOOKSELLERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. Price One and Sixpence. 1864. LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS TO LEWIS LL. DILLWYN, Esq., M.P, Sir, The lively interest which you appear to take in the Irish branch of the Established Church renders it desirable, and in some degree necessary, that you should be in possession of the fullest and best information. I hope, therefore, that no apology is required for inscribing this pamphlet to you ; especially as I concur in the extended conviction, that your acquaintance with the subject is not equal to the zeal which you exhibit for alleged reforms. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient Servant, A. HUME, D.C.L., INCUMBENT OF THE NEW PARISH OF VAUXHALL, LIVERPOOL, Everton, Liverpool, 30 th April , 1864. Z7^ t \5 \ WZZru E§3?T Foe DIRECTIONS to the BINDER, see page Gl. PREFACE. When the “ Enumeration Abstracts ” of the Census of Ireland appeared in July, 1 86 1, I examined them carefully, and I read a short paper on the subject of the Distribution of the People, at the Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, held at Manchester. From that time until within the last few weeks I had dismissed the subject from my mind. But, as the publication of the formal Census approached completion, I was urged by some friends in London to give an analysis of it, as my familiarity with investigations of that class gave me unusual facilities ; and they were good enough to add, that they would place boundless confidence in my honesty and accuracy. I was unwilling to put aside an appeal made in this way, especially as I felt that I might aid in giving clearer and better views of the whole truth ; and, therefore, at great inconvenience, and in marked opposition to my own interests, I have written this pamphlet, and now issue it. It may save some readers the trouble of guessing, if I say at once that I am not and never was connected with either the Irish Church, or the Irish Society, or the Irish Church Missions, though I entertain good wishes for them all ; and that I have nevef taken any part in the Romish controversy, or in party politics of any kind 55466 CONTENTS. Chap. Page. I. — Area, Population, Value, &c 5 II. — Ages and Education 8 III. — Vital Statistics 10 IV. — Religious Profession 12 I. — General Facts 12 II . — Distribution 22 (1) Ulster as a Province 24 (2) Ulster in Counties 24 (3) Ulster in Baronies 24 (4) Ulster in Enumeration Districts 25 (6) Exhibition of a single County 27 III. — The Church in Ireland 20 (1) Its General Status 29 (2) Its Missionary Character 35 (3) Missionary Results 38 IV. — England and Ireland: — Resemblances and Contrasts 43 V. — Irish-Speaking Population 48 VI. — Occupations of the People 50 I. — Introduction 50 II. — Detailed Examination 52 (1) General Classes 52 (2) Examination in Sub-Classes 53 (3) Occupations in Detail 54 III. — Supplementary Remarks 57 VII. — Conclusion.. 60 Appendix A 62 Do. B 63 Chap. I.— AREA, POPULATION, VALUE, &e. There are 32 civil counties in Ireland ; and the old division into pro- vinces is more permanent there than in any other part of the United Kingdom. They were originally four in number — Leinster, Munster, Ulster, and Connaught ; and for various civil purposes this division is retained, though in the arrangements of the Established Church there are now strictly only two provinces — Armagh and Dublin. The counties of Cork and Tipperary, which are unusually large and important, are divided into Ridings ; and thus we account for 34 divisions or “ county districts.” To these are added nine of the principal cities and towns, which are enumerated separately ; so that with the suburbs of the city of Dublin, treated separately in some of the Tables, we have 43 or 44 county districts in all. Their names, their grouping, and many details respecting them, will he obvious from several of the Tables which follow. The portion of the Census referred to in this chapter is given to the public in thirty-two folio parts, which answer to the civil counties respectively. Each of these contains the population in Baronies, Parishes, and Townlands, with the males and females distinguished, the number of houses, and the gain or loss since the previous Census. The great towns and cities, like Drogheda, Belfast, and Cork, are given in connection with the counties to which they respectively belong. The population of Ireland in 1831 amounted to 7,767,401, and in 1841 it had risen to 8,174,031. It is from about this date that it began to he spoken of as “ eight millions of the finest peasantry in the world ” ; and it was in the next decade that the failure of the potato occurred, and that famine and pestilence diminished the population. The terror in- spired by such great and successive misfortunes naturally promoted emigration, and this aided still further in thinning the population. It was not, however, till 1848, that whatis called the “Exodus” fairly commenced. In the early part of the century the principal emigrants were Protestants ; for the Roman Catholic population still fed upon the dream of national independence ; and though there were numerous exceptions, it required some cause of more than usual force to sever the tie which bound them to their country. During the ripening of the rebellion of 1848 many openly declared that the alternatives were success or emigration ; and no doubt others participated in the sentiment without so expressing it. Owing to the operation of these causes mainly, the population had fallen in 1851 to 6,553,579, showing a loss of 20 per cent. ; and in 1861 it had further sunk to 5,798,564, showing a diminution of 11^ per cent. It is said that not fewer than three millions have emigrated during twenty years ; or at the rate of half the average population in a single genera- tion. Thus, the maximum was attained in 1841, and in the matter of numbers, the country has retrograded just fifty years. In point of national prosperity, however, it has made a marked advance. G The following Table exhibits under classified heads several facts of impor- tance i — ■ Table A— Population, Area, Valuation, &c.— Counties. Counties, Cities, and Towns. Population, 1841. Population, 1851. Population. 1861. Area in Acres. Valuation 1861. Popula- tion to a Square Mile. Separat ration Reli- gious Pro- fession.- e Enume- j Districts. General Popula- tion. Antrim County ... 274,673 249,459 247,564 690,225 £ 574,130 229 158 1,591 Armagh ,, 232,393 196,085 190,086 312,328 389 78 998 Belfast Town 77,622 103,067 121,602 5,637 278,695 13,818 3 2 Carlow County ... 86,228 68,075 57,137 221,293 163,067 165 88 621 Carrickfergus c of a t 9,379 8,520 9,422 16,702 22,334 365 4 1 Cavan County 243,158 174,071 153,906 466,261 268,475 211 74 2,018 Clare „ 286,394 212,428 166,305 768,265 212,187 139 130 2,194 Cork, East Riding.. Cork, West Riding 460,414 351,397 286,396 1,029,392 740,955 112 333 3,207 312,984 211,761 178,301 807,263 295,043 141 138 2,082 Cork City 80,720 85,745 80,121 2,266 119,916 22,892 8 7 Donegal County ... 296,448 255,160 237,395 1,189,980 289,998 128 106 2,814 Down „ 360,622 319,972 299,302 609,811 314 164 1,460 Drogheda Town ... 17,300 16,845 14,740 441 18,763 21,440 4 3 Dublin County ... 140,047 146,631 155,444 222,710 588,434 447 198 1,452 Dublin City 232,726 258,361 254,808 3,559 610,337 45,301 70 23 Fermanagh County 156,481 116,007 105,768 417,782 232,645 162 57 2,298 Galway „ 422,932 298,564 254,511 1,498,593 150,438 108 225 4,650 Galway Town 17,275 23,695 16,967 617 18,054 17,514 3 2 Kerry County 293,880 238,239 211,800 1,159,356 275,132 101 145 2,850 Kildare County ... 114,488 95,724 90,946 418,415 335,095 139 165 1,352 Kilkenny County.. 183,349 138,773 110,341 506,333 339,745 139 213 1,662 Kilkenny City 19,071 19,973 14,174 921 17,488 10,124 6 5 King’s County 146,857 112,080 90,043 493,019 241,523 117 86 1,285 Leitrim ,, Limerick ,, 155,297 111,915 104,744 376,212 134,822 178 44 1,531 281,532 208,688 172,801 660,898 455,925 167 216 2,116 Limerick City 48,391 53,448 44,746 2,075 63,285 13,531 9 8 Londonderry C’nty 222,174 191,868 184,209 513,388 342,009 229 87 1,311 Longford ,, 115,491 82 350 71,694 257,222 151,998 178 58 846 Louth ,, 110,940 90,812 75,973 200,955 205,370 241 88 697 Mayo „ 388,887 274,830 254,796 1,321,281 308,047 123 123 3,510 Meath County 183,116 140,750 110,373 578,247 543,871 122 194 1,678 Monaghan 200,407 141,758 126,482 318,733 260,137 254 47 1,898 Queen’s „ 153,792 111,623 90,650 424,854 257,249 136 103 1,270 Roscommon,, 253,591 174,492 157,272 585,407 292.584 171 94 2,848 Sligo „ 180,809 128,510 124,845 415,086 207,822 177 73 1,367 Tipperary N. Riding 201,161 147,128 109,220 512,242 276,798 167 112 1,725 Tipperary S. „ Tyrone County 234,392 184.359 139,886 536,726 393,727 196 169 1,543 312,956 255,189 238,500 778,944 419,028 156 97 2,206 Waterford ,, 172,971 138,754 110,959 455,773 279,182 156 111 1,699 Waterford City ... 23,216 25,297 23,293 533 36,428 28,022 12 n Westmeath County 141,300 111,409 90,879 433,769 314,544 134 93 1,263 Wexford ,, 202,033 180,159 143,954 573,200 372,056 162 214 2,238 Wicklow ,, 126,143 98,978 86,479 499,894 258,095 111 106 1,411 8,174,031 6,533,579 5,798,564 ! 20,322,641 | 182 4,506 63,753 Table B.— Population, Area, Valuation, &c.— Provinces. Population 1841 Population 1851. Population 1861. Area in Acres. 1 Popula- Valuation JJf* 1801 ' Square Mile. | Separate Enumera- tion Districts. Reli- gious Pro- fession. General Popula- tion. Leinster ... 1,972,881 1,672,543 1 1,457,635 4,834,865 4,417,635 190 1686* 15,806 Munster ... 2,896,055 1,857,244 ! 1,513,558 | 5,934,789 3,248,579 163 1383 17,442 Ulster 2,386,318 2,011,786 ! 1,914,236 1 5,319,790 ... I 230 875 16,597 Connaught 1,418,782 1,012,006 913,135 j 4,233,197 1,411,766 138 560 13,908 8,174,031 1 6, 553,579 5,798,564 1 |20,322,641 •182 1 4506 63,753 * There were eight of these in which no population was found. (1.) Comparing the population of 1841 with that of 1851, it will be seen that there is a reduction in each of the provinces ; and the same facts occur in each of the county districts except six, which either con- sist of town population or are greatly influenced by it. (2.) On comparing the population of 1851 with that of 1861, we see that each of the provinces has sunk again ; also each of the county districts except the towns of Belfast and Carrickfergus, and the county of Dublin. (3.) On comparing the areas with their respective values in 1861, we ascertain, that of the three provinces which are completed, land is worth 18s. 4d. per acre in Leinster, 11s. in Munster, and 6s. 8d. in Connaught, the lowest value showing where the original Celtic people exist in greatest purity and numbers, and the highest showing where they are least influ- ential. Thus, the prevalence of a particular people (and a particular creed) is in an inverse order as compared with the value of land ; but they do not exhibit any definite ratio. (40 A moment’s inspection of Table A will show that in counties the same law prevails, mutatis mutandis ; the Celtic shires of Clare, Galway, and Mayo, being much less valuable than the Anglo-Norman and Saxon ones of Dublin, Londonderry, and Antrim. (5.) In a minute examination which I made of the two counties of Down and Antrim, in 1859, based upon the Ecclesiastical Census of 1834, I showed that the same law applies to baronies and parishes. I have no doubt that it applies to townlands also ; but as neither Census distinguishes the religious professions of the people in sub-divisions so minute, it is impossible to proceed beyond moral certainty in the matter. (6.) Part of this Table, especially the last three columns, has been arranged by deputy, and I have not had leisure to verify their figures throughout. I have no doubt, however, that they are substantially correct. (7.) In Ulster there are 850 enumeration districts for religious profes- sion, and 16,597 townlands, or enumeration districts, for mere absolute numbers and houses. This is in the proportion of about 19 J to 1. If the religious profession were given in these minute sub-divisions there would be probably upwards of 7,000 little Protestant communities in 8 Ulster alone, and a smaller number scattered throughout the other three provinces. All these, as well as Protestant minorities, are concen- trated (1) into parishes, and (2) into unions or benefices. (8.) In all Ireland there are 63,753 townlands, and 4,506 enumera- tion districts for religious profession, or one of the latter to every 14 townlands on an average. (9.) The most densely peopled counties are Dublin, Armagh, and Down ; and the least densely peopled are Kerry, Galway, and Wicklow. [N.B. — The Barony in Ireland is a division of a county, answering to the Hundred in England ; and the Townland is the same as the English Township.] Chap. II.— AGES AND EDUCATION. (1.) The Population Return is given by months under one year, and in years afterwards up to 100. The males and females are kept distinct. (2.) Generally speaking, males are more numerous than females under 30 years of age, and females than males above 30. In these Tables, up to 35, the males preponderate in 22 cases, and from 35 to 100 the females are more numerous in 52 cases, and the males in 13. (3.) In nine counties the males exceeded the females ; but Kildare, which stood at the top, is exceptional by containing the large military establishment at the Curragh. (4.) The dividing age is near 21 J ; or half the population lie above it and half below it. Above 40 years of age there are about 28 per cent, of the population ; and above 90, 2 persons per 1000. The chances of advanced age are on the woman’s side in the proportion of 127 to 76. (5.) There were 249 males and 516 females who attained the age of 100 and upwards. Two women in Ulster reached 120 years. In 1851 there were some of the age of 121 years. It would appear, therefore, that longevity is not so rare as it is supposed to be. (6.) Of the whole number, 261 resided in Ulster, 237 in Munster, 130 in Leinster, and 137 in Connaught. Only 67 were bachelors and spin- sters, while 698 were actually, or had been in the married state. So many as 595 were wholly uneducated, 73 could read, and 97 could read and write. It would appear, therefore, that mere physical existence is not advanced by intellectual attainments. (7.) On the subject of Education, the people are divided into three classes, but we cut off infants under five years, and sailors and others, so as to compare those only resident in Ireland, of more than five years old. (8.) Of these, 41 per cent can both read and write, 20 per cent more can read only, and the remainder, 39 per cent, or from a third to two- fifths, are wholly uneducated, ! V. 9 (9.) For every 100 males who read and write, there are 74 females ; tor every 100 males who read only, 149 females ; and for every 100 unedu- cated men, there are 119 women. Thus, it appears that the attainments of girls are better than those of boys up to a certain point ; but domestic duties probably interfere, and in after life they have little practice in ■writing as compared with men. (10,) The progress of the country in education will be seen by the following tabular statement Table C. — State or Education at Three Decennial Periods. Read and Write. Read only. Neither. Males. Females. Males. Females. Males. Females. 1841 37 per ct. 18 per ct. 17 per ct. 23 per ct. 46 per ct. 59 per ct. 1851 41 „ 25 „ 17 „ 24 „ 42 „ 51 „ 1861 49 „ 34 „ 10 „ 24 „ 35 ,, 42 „ (11.) It is pleasing to see that the per-centage of thoroughly educated rises in both males and females ; from 37 to 49 in the one case, and from 18 to 34 in the other. Though the females are still behind, there- fore, in writing, they have gained ground with great rapidity. As the per-centage of those who read only is practically unalteredln 20 years, it is clear that the gain to the highest class of the three has been from the lowest. (12.) In 1861, there were 466,818 attending school ; and it is interest- ing to analyse them according to sex, locality, and grade. (13.) There were 244,092 boys, and 222,726 girls ; figures which do not differ sensibly from the relative numbers of the sexes at the school age. (14.) In rural districts there were 308,262, and in civic 158,556. Now the rural population is to the civic nearly as 4 to 1, while the school- going portion does not reach 2 to 1 ; it is clear, therefore, that the civic portion is twice as well educated as the rural portion. (15.) The education which 443,433 are receiving is primary, or con- fined to the elementary branches of reading, writing, and arithmetic ; while the education which 23,385 are receiving is of a superior kind. Thus, about 1 in 20 receives a superior education, while the remaining 19 in 20 receive that only which is practically useful. As 5 per cent, is the proportion of officers to soldiers, so it serves to indicate with some accuracy the proportion of those who are conventionally known as the “ upper classes,” who stand, or wish to stand, on the higher steps of the Social Pyramid. B 10 Chap. III. — VITAL STATISTICS. 1. Deaf and Dumb . — There are 5,653 in all Ireland, of whom 4,930 are deaf mutes, and 723 mute but not deaf. Of these former, there is 1 in 1,026 of the gross population ; and there are 6,542 others who are deaf only. Of the deaf mutes, 4,010, or 81 per cent., were so congenitally, or from birth ; the remainder became so after birth, from specific causes. Of deaf mutes there are more males than females, in the proportion of 5 to 4 ; and of those who are such from specific cause, accident is the most prevailing one. Those who are dumb only are in many cases idiots. There are instances of 5, 6, 7, and even 8 mutes in a single family. Though deaf mutes have occurred after 14 children in their respective families, they are more usually numbered among the first 3. 2. Blind . — These amounted to 3,149 males and 3,730 females, or in the proportions of 100 and 118^. The absolute number of blind is smaller now than in 1851, but the relative number is slightly increased. The proportion of blind varies from 1 in 540 in Norway, to 1 in 2,489 in the States of America. In Ireland it is 1 in 843. So many as 2,947 were educated, viz., 1,604 males and 1,343 females. They were of almost every class of occupation ; but 748 were ministering to food, 845 to clothing, 507 were musicians, 265 soldiers and pensioners, and 317 beg- gars. There were 3,695 married, and 3,184 single. Of the causes, the principal were ophthalmia and external inflammation ; but smallpox and accidents were large contributors. More frequently blindness occurred in infancy than at any subsequent stage. 3. Lunatics and Idiots . — Jointly there were 14,098, or 1 in 411 of the gross population. They existed in nearly equal numbers, there being 1 in 821 lunatics, and 1 in 825 idiots. The greatest proportion is to be found in Leinster, and the smallest in Connaught. In some of the towns the proportion of lunatics is high and of idiots low. About one-fourth are married, and 3 in 7 are educated. There are 40 asylums in the country, capable of accommodating 5,549, and in ten years nearly 15,000 have been admitted, 4. Lame and Decrepit . — Of these there are 4,120, or 1 in 1,408, of whom 2,156 are males. Nearly half, 1,959, are married, and 1,933 are educated. 5. In Workhouses . — There were 50,010 in all, (20,089 males and 29,921 females, viz., 67 to 100) or 1 in 116 of the gross population. One-tliird of them were sick. In Ulster there were fewer paupers than in any other province, and the proportion of sick was smallest. Besides the number first given, there were 4,628 others receiving out-door relief. Cork union exhibited the largest proportion of paupers, 1 in 72, and Dunfanaghy the smallest, 1 in 423. Nearly 36,000 (in the ratio of 2 males to 3 females) were unmarried, the rest had been so. So many as 32,656, including 5,310 labourers, belonged to the unclassified section of occupations. 11 G. The Sick in Hospitals . — There is accommodation for 6,378 patients, or 1 in 899 of the population. At the time of the Census there were 2,993 inmates, and 435,000 had passed through in a single year. It would thus appear that many of the complaints are of a trifling character, the space having been occupied 145 times over in twelve months. 7. Persons in Asylums , Alms-Houses, fyc. — There appear to be 92 insti- tutions of this class, with accommodation for 2,510 inmates ; of whom there were 2,087 (100 males to 358 females) at the time of the Census. A little more than the half of these were upwards of 60 years of age. The Roman Catholic per-centage of inmates drops to 47 per cent. 8. Prison Population. — At the Census of 1851 there were 12,446 con- victed prisoners in the various prisons, &c., or 1 to every 526 of the population. In 1861 the number was 3,846 convicted prisoners, or 4,702, including debtors, persons untried, lunatics, &c. Of the gross number the males and females were 100 to 48, and of convicted prisoners 100 to 50. Antrim and Sligo were the county districts which were freest from crime, and Dublin, Belfast, Limerick, and Cork, all with civic populations, had most of it. The proportion of convicted prisoners for all Ireland was 1 in 1,508 of the population. Some of the counties had risen since 1851, and others sunk. The county of Down, which stood at the top in 1851, was fifth in 1861, and Galway, which was 24th, had risen to 7th. Many of the prisoners were educated, for while the proportion of ignorance in the whole country was 39 per cent., in prisons it was only 26, or two-thirds of that. Of those who could read and write, the males were in the proportion of 100 to 21. Roman Catholic prisoners amounted to 84 per cent., and Protestants of all classes to 16. More than one-half of the entire belong to the unclassified section of occupations, including 910 labourers and 1,323 of no occupations. 9. Sick at their own Homes. — These amounted to 28,193, or 1 in 203 for the whole country. In 1851 the proportion was 1 in 190. In the provinces, the lowest rate of sickness was in Ulster, and the highest in Munster. In the country districts, the lowest rate was in Carrickfergus, 1 in 942, and the highest was in Wexford, 1 in 142. In 1851, one-eighth of the entire sick were ill of fever ; in 1861, one thirty-second, or the fourth of that population. Influenza comprised 1 in 33 of the whole ; meazles 1 in 101 ; and dysentery 1 in 35 ; disease of the heart 1 in 97. In 1851, consumptive patients amounted to 1 in 25 of the whole ; they were in 1861, 1 in 29. In all Ireland, there is one person in every 52.27 unavailable as working members of the community ; but in Leinster and Munster the proportion is less favourable than this, being 1 in 42.89, and 1 in 43.89, respectively. On the contrary, in Ulster there is only 1 in 65.21 ineffective, and in Connaught 1 in 69.83. On the whole, it!s evident that the sanitary condition of the country at large is improving. 12 Chap. IV.— RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONS. I.— GENERAL FACTS. In the year 1851 a “Census of Religious Worship” was taken for England and Wales, and another for Scotland. The latter is little known ; but the leading facts of the former are familiar to most readers ; and many and very dissimilar uses have been made of it. The returns which it contained were voluntary ; and it is beyond all question, that some persons who were interested in producing a particular result, per- suaded themselves that their attendances were greater than they were actually. In some instances, all probabilities were set at defiance ; in others, physical impossibilities were complacently recorded as realities. Upon the publication of the Report and Tables, in 1854, a very extra- ordinary use was made of them. “ It appears,” said one, “ that the Estab- lished Church numbers scarcely a third of the population.” “ She is in a minority as compared with all other Christians,” exclaimed a second. “ She has a bare majority,” said a third, “ of the gross population ! ” Statements of this kind, though contradictory in detail, coincided in spirit. Their object was to show that the National Church had ceased to be the Church of the nation ; that Dissenters were, influentially, if not numeri- cally, the majority; and that therefore the privileges of the Church should be broken down. These exaggerations seemed to amuse men of intelligence, who never dreamt of principles so false being adopted as the premises for a series of important conclusions. In the meanwhile, by frequent repetition of such statements, by their wide diffusion in various forms, and by the silence of those who might or should have contradicted them, they came to be extensively credited. Indeed, the decisions of the Legislature on more than one occasion up to 1859, were alarmingly hostile to the Church ; and they were avowedly caused, in a great measure, by these incorrect statements. From the number of adherents of any particular creed, as given in the present Census, the number of actual worshippers may be reached ap- proximately ; and, in like manner, from the number of worshippers, the adherents, or the number of persons of the various religious professions, may be arrived at with considerable accuracy. The computation was entered upon by Mr. Horace Mann, after the publication of the Census of Religious Worship, and the result was published in the Journal of the Statistical Society of London. No more appropriate person could have been selected, and no more fitting audience or channel for publication. The general result was as follows : — Table D. — Analysis of the Population of England and Wales. Per Cent. Worshipping Members of the Established Church... 7,546,948 = 42 ,, Roman Catholics 610,786= 3^ ,, Protestant Dissenters and others 5,303,609 = 29§ 13,461,343= 75 Non- Worshippers 4,466,266= 25 Gross Population 17,927,609 = 100 13 As the Established Church ministers to those who neglect her public services, as well as to those who attend them, and especially to the non- worshippers, her held of operations comprises 67 per cent., or more than two-thirds of the gross population. It was my own fortune to draw attention to these figures by mere accident, while giving evidence before a Committee of the House of Lords in 1859 ; and the effect produced by the wide publicity which was then given to them is well known. In January, 1861, when the arrangements for the recent Census wero going forward, the members of the Established Church spared no exer- tions in order to secure an enumeration according to “religious pro- fession.” But Protestant dissenters in general, especially Congrega- tionalists and Baptists, — the very persons who had been loudest in pro- claiming the Church’s weakness, — were violently opposed to it ; and the Government yielded to their importunity while strongly disapproving of the course which they adopted. Thus, England still wants information of the most reliable kind on this important subject; while Ecclesiastical questions of the gravest kind are agitated in Parliament every Session, to which such information would be a guide. For Ireland, however, a Census, according to religious profession, was secured ; and already, by putting forward extracts as if they were ab- stracts, select portions as if they afforded general views, and by avoiding all explanat ions or corrections to mere abstract numbers, much that is untrue is propagated. We often hear a man speak so that every word he utters is true, while every idea he communicates is false ; because he has Been generalizing from selected examples. And never is the practice more deceptive to the speaker, or more dangerous to the hearer, than when it takes place in connexion with figures of this kind ; for there is much which an inexperienced person cannot compfeKendj "and he grasps eagerly at such isolated facts as serve to confirm his previous crude deductions. In the Tables, the absolute numbers are given in connection with (1) the Established Church, (2) Roman Catholics, (3) Presbyterians, (4) Methodists, (5) Independents, (6) Baptists, (7) Quakers, (8) all other Christian communities, and (9) Jews ; but as all except the first three amount to a very small portion of the population, the whole six are here frequently grouped under the head of Mixed Protestants, or some equiva- lent name. In the following, and in one or tw r o subsequent Tables, Methodists have been kept distinct, and have been placed next to the Established Church, for a reason which will appear hereafter ; so that the absolute numbers are shewn under five heads instead of four, in each of the Provinces, as well as in each of the county districts. 14 Table E.-Religious Peofessions.-Oounties and Peovinces. ^Carlow County , Drogheda Town, Dublin City Dublin Suburbs . Dublin County . Kildare County . Kilkenny City Kilkenny County .. Establsh’d Church. m ) King’s County fc \ i— i Hi Longford County .. Louth County .. Meath County . Queen’s County Westmeath County. Wexford County Wicklow County \ Total of Leinster.. Clare County Cork City Cork County, E. R. Do. W. R.. Kerry County 6,229 1,031 49,251 17,668 18,914 10,439 1,242 4,750 9,109 6,196 6,203 6,492 9,683 6,336 12,759 15,285 Metho- dists. oq I Limerick City \ Limerick County Tipperary, N.R... Do. S. R. .. Waterford City ... Waterford County , Total of Munster.. I ^Antrim County .. Armagh County , Belfast Town Carrickfergus Co. Cavan County .... Donegal County . Down County Fermanagh County.. Londonderry County Monaghan County... Tyrone County 180,587 3,323 10,632 18,279 14,543 6,200 4,238 5,648 7,359 5,441 1,989 3,208 182 144 1,897 580 402 375 42 72 409 95 139 106 492 156 482 717 80,860 45,275 58,735 29,832 1,821 23,017 29,943 60,905 40,608 31,218 17,721 52,240 6,290 89 893 461 1,299 161 344 301 397 175 266 50 4,436 Eh M o & £ £ o o Total of Ulster 391,315 Galway Town 837 Galway County 7,365 Leitrim County 9,488 Mayo County 6,739 Roscommon County 5,728 Sligo County 10,438 4,014 6,086 4,929 292 1,318 2,354 4,250 3,455 1,136 439 3,757 Total of Connaught 40,595 Persons at Sea Total of Ieeland 693,35 7 32,030 127 279 879 418 162 778 Roman Catholics. 50,539 13,342 196,549 29,639 83,556 79,121 12,769 105,356 79,955 64,801 69,678 103,327 80,025 83,749 130,103 70,044 1,252,553 162,612 67,148 264,754 162,140 195,159 39,124 166,604 101,171 133,710 20,429 107,225 Presby- terians ,420,076 61,369 92,760 41,237 1,046 123,942 178,182 97,409 59,751 83,402 92,799 134,716 106 207 4,875 1,724 936 876 97 127 327 560 937 428 240 343 287 285 12,355 228 881 899 219 243 418 148 194 304 234 245 966,613 2,643 15,621 246,330 94,006 246,583 151,047 112,436 4,013 131,687 30,746 42,229 5,582 5,352 26,215 133,796 1,909 64,602 15,149 46,568 503,835 All others. Gross Population. 81 16 2,236 874 1,151 135 24 36 243 42 16 20 210 295 j 323 148 57,137 14,740 245,808 50,485 104,959 90,946 14,174 110,341 90,043 71,694 75,973 110,373 90,650 90,879 143,954 86,479 5,850 1,457,635 53 567 2,003 100 37 352 100 99 256 375 231 166,305 80,121’ 286,396 178,301 j >201,800 44,476 172,801 109,220 139,886 y 23,293' ALIO, 959 4,173 1,513,558 5.219 1,759 2,550 681 277 701 3,767 45 3,851 374 1.219 247,564 190,086 120,777 9,422 153,905 ;*237,395 300,127 105,768 184,209 126,482 238,500 20,238 1,914,236 866,023 45,399 189 392 338 961 2 77 931 3,088 4,505,265 523,291 193 145 33 95 58 262 IV 16,967 254,511 .104,744 v -254,796 157,272 124,845 786 31,656 913,135 403 6,798,967 15 From this it appears that Roman Catholics have a numerical majority in each of the Provinces, ami in 38 of the county divisions ; while Pro- testants have a majority in six of the county divisons. T hese are, Antrim, Armagh, Belfast, Carickfergus, Down, Londonderry. There are tour others which are practically Protestant counties, just as Ulster is prac- tically a Protestant province ; and of course the influence of the Estab- lished Church is felt everywhere, and that of Presbyterians also in the We are now prepared to examine the remark of a Pamphlet,* which is quoted with high commendation in Batter shy's Catholic Directory , (for Ireland) 1864. “In no province, no county in Ireland, can the Anglican population shew a majority.” Assuming that by the “ Anglican population ” the writer means mem- bers of the Established Church, (though he ought to write the “Anglican, language,) and admitting that such is literally the fact, we offer the following additions and explanations : 1. This is a selected fact, in which colonists and their descendants are compared with natives and their descendants, and therefore, though literally true, it is false by suggestion. 2. It assumes what is false, that “Anglicans” are the antagonists of all other denominations of Protestants, and that the latter make com- mon cause with Roman Catholics ; whereas, in no country where the Anglo-Saxon language is spoken is the contrary so strongly the case. In short, in all matters except public worship, the various sections of Protestants are in alliance and accord. 3. In six of the county districts, already enumerated, Protestants are in a majority. The population of those districts amounts to con- siderably more than a million ; and, considering its industry, intelligence, and high moral character, it is scarcely too much to say that it is worth two millions in any other part of the kingdom. - 4. Omitting Monaghan and Cavan, let ns take the remaining seven civil counties °of Ulster. Though Donegal is strongly Roman Catholic, and Tyrone and Fermanagh are not Protestant, we find more Protestants in them, by 20,000, than there are Roman Catholics in all Connaught. 5. Since 28 civil counties shew a numerical majority of Roman Catholics, and only 4 have a Protestant one, it might be expected that we should find 56 Roman Catholic county Members of Parliament, and only 8 Protestant ones, the ratio being 7 to 1. On the contrary, we find only 19 Roman Catholic representatives and 45 Protestant ones ; that is to say, instead of being one-eighth, the Protestant Members find them- selves forty-five nineteenths, or nearly nineteen times as numerous in reality as by expectation. 6. If we cannot show a county in which the members of the Established Church amount to more than 50 per cent, of the population, we can do the next thing to it. There are two important Baronies — Oneiland West, in Armagh, and Upper Massareene, in Antrim, the joint population of which is 73,370. This is nearly equal to the entire population of five of the county districts, viz., the towns of Drogheda and Galway, the cities * Settlement of the Religious Establishment in Ireland. 16 of Kilkenny and Waterford, and the comity of the town of Carrickfergus. 7. In all such reasoning as that which we are examining, there is a suppressed major premiss which is false. It is, that all men are equal in qualifications and merit; a proposition which only requires to be dis- tinctly stated to be universally denied. 8. The attempt proves too much. If these “ Anglicans ” and their allies be so utterly contemptible in numbers, ho^ happens it that they occupy their present position? They survived the massacre of 1641; they were triumphant at the Revolution ; they maintained the emerald gem for the crown of Great Britain in 1798 ; and they were loyal in the rising of 1848. In short, the opponent unconsciously admits that they are the cream of the Irish milk-pot, while he ostensibly tries to prove the contrary. There are 33 Parliamentary boroughs in Ireland sending 39 members to the Imperial Parliament. The Table which exhibits their condition, is arranged in the same manner as that for the Counties, and is as follows : — Table F. — Population op Boroughs according to Religious Propession. Parliamentary Boundary. No. of Repre- senta- tives. Established Church. Metho- dists. Roman Catholic. Presby- terian. All Others. Total. Armagh 1 3,024 164 5,101 941 90 9,320 Athlone 1 1,009 21 5,101 60 36 6,227 Bandon 1 1,555 2 75 4,477 85 27 6,419 Belfast 2 19,043 2,867 27,851 27,069 1,514 78,344 Carlow 1 1,071 70 7,749 55 28 8,973 Carrickfergus 1 1,821 292 1,046 5,582 676 9,417 Cashel 1 304 25 5,128 1 5,458 Clonmel 1 1,149 47 9,713 102 132 11,143 Coleraine 1 1,792 206 1,598 2,348 292 6,236 Cork 2 13,207 913 86,779 972 655 102,526 Downpatrick 1 1,342 58 1,974 926 17 4,317 Drogheda 1 1,171 144 15,888 217 16 17,436 Dublin 2 52,936 1,986 201,350 5,411 2,068 263,751 Dundalk 1 1,389 66 8,606 35 7 10 10,428 Dungannon 1 1,329 114 2,192 337 22 3,994 Dungarvan 1 190 3 8,433 11 8 8,645 Ennis 1 380 19 6,704 56 16 7,175 Enniskillen 1 2,197 195 3,263 160 5 5,820 Galway 2 1,158 140 23,449 212 202 25,161 Kilkenny 1 1,401 42 16,141 104 25 17,713 Kinsale 1 763 59 3,990 29 9 4,850 Limerick' 2 4,600 353 51,021 462 366 56,802 Lisburn 1 3,998 456 2,196 1,841 104 8,585 Londonderry 1 3,658 289 12,036 4,420 472 20,875 Mallow 1 527 17 4,2.57 11 29 4,841 New Ross 1 542 22 6,494 40 34 7,132 Newry 1 2,596 189 8,327 1,895 101 13,108 Portarlington 1 941 42 1,883 8 2,874 • Sligo 1 2,012 254 9,838 306 155 12,565 Tralee 1 1,017 88 9,171 74 5 10,355 Waterford 2 2,311 268 25,590 250 371 28,790 Wexford 1 958 85 10,573 41 16 11,673 Youghal 1 739 62 5,648 32 33 6,514 33 132,120 9,831 593,567 54,407 7,542 797,467 17 The writer, already quoted on the subject of Counties, goes on to say, — “In no city, no borough in Ireland, can the Anglican population show a majority * * * There are only two of the 33 cities and Parliamentary boroughs — and these the small towns of Enniskillen and Lisburn — in which the Pro- testant element reaches one-third of the general population ; whereas, in the united aggregate of these boroughs, Anglicans form only 16 per cent., or less than one-sixth.' 1 ' 1 The following facts are given in addition and explanation : — 1. The statement of the writer is “ inexact,” as the French say, and as the reader may see for himself. (1) There is one borough, Lisburn, where the “Protestant element” amounts to more than two-thirds — to nearly three-fourths. (2) There are four others — Belfast, Carickfergus, Coleraine, and Downpatrick, in which it amounts to more than 50 per cent ; in other words, these, also, are Protestant towns. (3) There are six others — Armagh, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Londonderry, Newry, Portarlington, in which it reaches the number stated — “ one- third of the general population.” 2. It may be said that this misstatement was unintentional, as the writer referred throughout to the Established Church. The reply is very simple, that he employs two distinct terms where there was no necessity for doing so ; and that, after having served his purpose with the term “ Protestant,” he returns to the original term “Anglican.” 3. It is technically true that in no Parliamentary Borough of the country do the members of the Established Church constitute a majority ; but it is virtually false, for there are several great communities of equal or greater importance, in which they do constitute a majority. I can point out ten rural parishes outnumbering by several thousands ten Roman Catholic boroughs, in each of which, and of course in the aggregate, members of the Established Church outweigh Roman Catholics and Protestant Dis- senters of all classes. The parishes referred to are situated in Down, Antrim, and Armagh. Table G. Ten Church Parishes. Ten Roman Catholic Boroughs. Aghavea 4,188 Athlone Ballinderry 4,547 Bandon 6,419 Derryvullen 6,348 Cashel 5,458 Donaclony 5,812 Dungannon 3,994 Drumcree 14,140 Dungarvan Killyman 5,976 Ennis 7,175 Magheracross 3,367 Kinsale 4,850 Magheralin 5,490 Mallow 4,841 Moira 3,423 Portarlington 2,874 Tartaraglian 7,483 Youghal 6,514 60,774 66,997 4. The five Protestant boroughs have 6 representatives, and the 28 Roman Catholic boroughs have 33 representatives. We should therefore expect, in the circumstances of equality which are covertly suggested, to have only 6 Protestant representatives against 33, whereas we have 26 to 13. In other words, the expected ratio is 2 to 11, the actual ratio c 18 is 22 to 11; or eleven times as great as the mere numbers of the people would lead us to expect. As the absolute numbers have already been given for the leading denominations in each of the 44 county districts, we proceed to give the relative ones only. For this purpose they are all brought to the common standard of 100, and the most superficial reader or thinker can form an estimate of the strength of the respective parties. t For example, in the county of Carlow there are in every 100 persons 10.9 members of the Established Church, 88.4 Roman Catholics, 0.2 Presbyterians, and 0.5 mixed Protestants ; and in Sligo the numbers are, Established Church 8.4, Roman Catholics 90.1, Presbyterians 0.7, mixed Protestants 0.8. These two are selected for illustration, because they are respectively the first and last in the Table ; the first in the alphabetical arrangement of Leinster, and the last in that of Connaught. Instead of shewing the component elements of each county district, grouped in the order of the four Provinces, it may be instructive to arrange each of the three great religious bodies in the order of descent from its maximum. Thus, the highest Roman Catholic per-centage is in Clare, where it rises to 97.8; and this fact has been put forward strongly by newspapers hostile to the Church. We are not deficient in either courage or candour, and accordingly we start with it. The second and third shew a slight diminution, as in the counties of Galway and Sligo the per-centage falls to 96.8; and so it passes onto Carrickfergus, where Roman Catholics amount to only 11.1 per cent. The details will be found in the following Table, so far at least as they are of any general interest : — Table H. — Relative Numbers, Descending from the Highest. Established Church. Average 11.9 Homan Catholics. Average 77.7 Presbyterians, Average 9. Fermanagh 38.4 Clare 97.8 Carrickfergus 59.2 Dublin Suburbs . . 35.0 Galway County .. 96.8 Antrim 53.2 Armagh 30.9 Mayo 96.8 Down 44.6 Belfast 24.7 Kerry 96.7 Londonderry 35.1 Tyrone 21.9 Waterford 96.6 Belfast 35.0 Down 20.3 Limerick 96.4 Tyrone 19.5 Dublin, City 19.4 Roscommon 96.1 Armagh 16.2 Carrickfergus ... 19.3 Tipperary, S.R. .. 95.6 Monaghan 12.0 Antrim 18.3 Kilkenny County. 95.5 Donegal 11.0 Dublin County ... 18.0 Meath 93.6 Cavan 3.5 Wicklow 1 7.7 Tipperary, N.R. . 92.6 Dublin Suburbs... 3.4 Londonderry 16.9 Cork, E.R 92.4 Dublin City 1.9 Cavan 14.9 Westmeath 92.1 Femanagh 1.8 Monaghan 14.0 Galway Town ... 92.1 Drogheda Town... 1.4 Cork City 13.3 Louth 91.7 Louth 1.2 Donegal 12.6 Cork, W.R 90.9 Cork City 1.1 Kildare 11.5 Drogheda Town . 90.5 Galway Town 1.1 Carlow 10.9 Wexford 90.4 Waterford City ... 1.0 Queen’s County . . 10.7 Longford 90.4 King’s County ... 10.1 Kilkenny City ... 90.1 Limerick County 9.5 Sligo 90.1 19 f Established Church. Average 11.9. Roman Catholics. Average 77.7. Presbyterians. Average 9. Leitrim 9.1 Wexford 8.9 Kilkenny Comity 8.8 Longford 8.6 Waterford County 8.5 Sligo 8.4 Cork, W.R 8.2 Drogheda Town . . 7-0 Westmeath 7.0 Louth’ 6.8 Tipperary, N.R... 6.7 Cork, E.R 6.4 Meath 5.9 Galway Town ... 4.9 Kilkenny County. 4.3 Tipperary, S.R. . 3.9 Roscommon 3.6 Limerick County. 3.3 Kerry 3.1 Galway County... 2.9 Waterford 2.9 Mayo 2.6 Clare 2.0 Leitrim 89.7 King’s County ... 88.8 Carlow 88.4 Queen’s County .. 88.3 Limerick City ... 88.0 Waterford City... 8 7.7 Kildare 87.0 Cork City 83.8 Wicklow 81.0 Cavan County ... 80.5 Dublin County ... 79.6 Dublin City 77.2 Donegal 75.1 Monaghan 73.4 Dublin Suburbs .. 58.7 Tyrone 56.5 Femanagh 56.5 Armagh 48.8 Londonderry ... 45.3 Belfast 34.1 Down 32.5 Antrim 24.8 Carrickfergus ... 11.1 1 1 This Table speaks for itself, yet a few remarks for the sake of the less observant may not he out of place. (1.) The Established Church rises above its average for the whole island in 16 county districts, and falls below it in 28. These 16 com- prise the whole 11 of Ulster, with Dublin City, Dublin Suburbs, and Wicklow, in the province of Leinster, and Cork City in Munster. (2.) The Roman Catholic numbers are so large comparatively that the average for the whole island is exceeded in 32 cases, and they fall short of it in 12. It is worth remarking, that the counties which stand at the top, or present the highest average, are those in which the Irish language has lingered longest. If, for example, we take the first ten counties, we find eight of them enumerated in another chapter as those in which the Irish language is most prevalent. It is true it is rapidly dying out ; but down to the present time it has presented an impediment to improvement, except in those instances in which the Irish Society has adopted it as the medium of instruction. (3.) The Presbyterian per-centages rise above their average for the whole island in 9 cases, and fall below it in 35 ; the whole of the 9 lying in Ulster, and in the more northern portion of it. In two instances, Carrickfergus and Antrim, they amount to more than half of the gross population, and in 26, which it has not been thought necessary to give here in detail, they fall below 1 per cent. The rapidity of their descent is veiy remarkable. The first five per-centages average 45.2, shewing that the chief Presbyterian localities are Carrickfergus, Antrim, Down, Londonderry, and Belfast ; the next four average 14.6, or less than a 20 * h* S* third of that ; the next two 3.45, or less than a fourth of this number ; while the next seven per-centages do not amount to 1.5. The accompanyjjig Chart shews to the eye the per-centage of each of jthose thrle bodies in each of the 44 county districts. The Roman Catholic numbers, being the largest, their curve was first constructed', and the other two are therefore less regular in form. The county districts are not only arranged in the Roman Catho- lic order, but the rectangular spaces are made proportionate to the gross population. .The reader sees at a glance, therefore, whether any per-centage applies to a large number of population, or, on the contrary, to a small one. (4.) In 14 counties there are no Independents. In 15 there are no Baptists. In 11 there are no Quakers. In 33 there are no Jews. (5.y If we take the six highest Roman Catholic per-centages, and the six lowest of the Established Church, we find that they apply to the same counties,', |hbugn not each to each, viz., Clare, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, MayofWhteYforct. If we take the next hine in either division, we find a similar correspondence ; and, generally, the high numbers in the one case - correspond with the low ones in the other. The members of the Estab- ^ Jis^d Church, and Roman Catholics, are thus the complements of each other throughout tire i^WfctcLi jhey stand face to face everywhere, and f the^one is the*Mfcs d$ the other. At one point, however, this fs a modification. The five Rarest Roman Catholic per-centages corresponi^V^thg? ^S^lngne^in the Presbyterian column ; so that in the "part of Ulster where the latter are more numerous than the -members of the Established Chu^ph, their numbers become the correlative cpies. The town of Beftast*is less Roman Catholic than the county of Londonderry, but it is not more Presbyterian, as the large number of mergers of the Established Church which it contains makes a slight alteration in the 'ofdS? . -v ^ . The analysis of the whole country should perhaps have been given first ; but the order, which is not very material, was determined by our illustra- tions. The following gives the absolute populations in the four provinces, and in the whole island : — Table I. — Absolute Populations. — Provinces. Tifiinsfip.v Established Church. Roman Catholics. Presbyterians. • ■ All Others. 1 m**; Total. 180,587 80,860 391,315 40,595 1,252,553 1,420,076 966,613 866,023 12,355 4,013 503,835 3,088 12,140 8,609 .5ifcft6S' 3,4?9 1,457,635 1,513,558 1*914,236 913,135 Mrmfltpr TT1 sf.pr Connaught 693,357 • 4,505,265 523,291 76,446 5,798,564 In this and the following table, Methodists are included in “ All Others.” The following are the per-centages of each of the classes in each of the Provinces : — Leinster . . Munster Ulster Connaught Table J. — Relative Population. — Provinces. Established Church. . 11.89 Roman Catholics. 80.57 Presby- terians. .75 All Others. .79 100 .. 5.10 94.21 .24 .45 ■ — 100 . 20.42 50.44 26.77 2.37 = 100 ,. 4.45 94.85 .33 .37 = 100 The first Diagram is designed to shew to the eye, either with or without colour, the relative strength of these four constituent portions of the community in each Province. Each square is divided into 100 equal and similar sections, in which the respective per-centages are marked. Further, as the Provinces differ in population, so the squares differ in size ; Leinster and Munster being nearly equal, Ulster the^ largest, and Connaught the smallest. The actual area, therefore, devotecTtb any one religious community shews its proportional part in the whole country. Now, it is known that in 1834 a Census of Ireland was taken accord- ing to-Religious Profession, and though an outcry was raised against it by all parties, the evidence goes to shew that it gave a very fair repre- sentation of the country. The general results were as follows : — Table K. — Results of the Census of 1834. Places of Worship. • -m Persons. Per Cent. Per Cent. Members of Established Churches 1,338 Church 853,160 = 10.726 196 1,534 = 34 Roman Catholics 6,436,060 = 80.215 Roman Catholic Chapels 2,105 = 47 Presbyterians 643,058 = 8.784 Presbyterian do. 452 = 10 Other Protestant Dissenters 21.882 = .275 Other Dissenters* do. 403 = 9 7.954.160 100. 4,494 100 The proportion of places of worship shews us something of the con- dition of the various religious bodies. (1.) The Established Church, having to provide for all parts of the country where its members exist, has one-third of the places of worship, and an average congregation of 535. (2.) Roman Catholics, who exist in large numbers, and can use their town chapels for successive congregations, have one for every 3,057 members. (3.) Presbyterians, who are concentrated in three or four counties, and rarely exist in small numbers, have a meeting house for every 1,423. (4.) The other religious bodies, who require to provide for the various sects even when there are few members, have a chapel for every 54 people. This last statement, however, requires explanation: Many persons who were Churchmen or Presbyterians, attended the meetings of Methodists, Independents, Baptists, &c., and thus appeared to cultivate two forms of Christianity ; but in filling up the returns they were represented as adhering to the creed which they regarded as more important. But an important point is, that in the 27 years which have elapsed, the population of the country has sunk nearly two millions and a quarter, of course reducing the absolute numbers of all the religious bodies. From differences in the mode of describing themselves, however, some appear to have actually gained ; and of course the reduction is in very unequal degrees. 22 'Table L.— Changes in Twenty- Seven Years. Koman Catholics ... 6,436,060 4,505,265 1,930,795 Presbyterians 643,058 523,291 119,867 Other Dissenters ... 21,882 31,655 Increase. Per Cent. 13.4 30 18.6 9,773 44.7 7,954,160 5,798,967 2,164,966 9,773 Balance loss 2,155,193 27.1 Thus, it appears that the reduction of population all over the country amounted to 27.1, or more than a fourth ; while the Roman Catholics lost 30 per cent, or nearly one-third ; Presbyterians 18.6 per cent., or '7 between a fifth and a sixth; and the Established Church 13.4 per cent., i or between a seventh and an eighth. Losing so heavily, the Roman Catholic per-centage for all Ireland fell from 80.22 in 1834, to 77.7 in 1861 ; while that of the Church rose from 10.7 to 11.9; and of Presby- terians from 8.78 to 9 . 0 . It will be observed that we have bracketed Methodists with the mem- bers of the Established Church in 1861 ; and the reason is, that they had not become a separate body in 1834, but were reckoned along with it. In the interval they have been thrown off, and still the Church has risen ; but the comparison of the two periods is incomplete without them. \ Practically, therefore, the per-centage of the Church rises to more than h. twelve and a half It is easy to see how facts of this kind might be misrepresented by making a judicious selection. Thus a dishonest man could declare, truly enough, that the members of the Established Church have diminished during 27 years ; and without further information it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that she is retrograding. But, when the facts are fully before us, we perceive that she has experienced in the slightest degree the effects of a great public change ; and that not only by in- creased attention to her high and holy mission, but also in the relative number of attached members, she stands higher than she did before. Yet truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. The figures have actually been turned to the very use which we have suggested, in order to make “ the worse appear the better argument.” II.— DISTRIBUTION. There are some who either do not think at all, or who imagine that Protestantism is spread over all Ireland in a layer of uniform thickness, like a coat of stucco over a brick wall. Of course this is not so, nor does the same per-centage exist at all places ; on the contrary, every place takes shape according to circumstances. All antagonistic bodies have their respective centres of action ; and not merely Protestants and Roman Catholics, but even the various sections of Protestants have their fixed positions and their strongholds. DISTRIBUTION OF EACH CLASS IN THE FOUR PROVINCES. ! Rail ; L POOL 23 If we divide each of the four great sections of the community into 100 parts, it is easy to see its distribution in the various Provinces. Taking a square with 20 divisions in each side, it contains in its area 400 times the square of one such division ; and arranging the Established Church at the top, Presbyterians below, then mixed Protestants, (in this case including Methodists) we place Roman Catholics at the bottom. The Table of per-centages shows the following distribution : — Table M. — Distribution oe each Religious Community in the Provinces. Leinster. Munster. Ulster. Connaught. Established Church 26.0 11.7 56.4 5.9 == 100 Presbyterians 2.3 0.8 96.3 0.6 = 100 Other Dissenters 17.3 12.2 65.6 4.9 = 100 Roman Catholics ; 27.8 31.5 21.5 19.2 = 100 73.4 56.2 239.8 30.6 These proportions are shewn as nearly as possible in the Diagram constructed for the purpose. It will be seen that Protestants of all classes abound in Ulster ; (1) the Presbyterians having more than nine- teen in twenty of their whole body there. They are therefore the least dis- tributed, and the most concentrated of all. (2) The other Dissenters, called on the Diagram, u Mixed Protestants,”* have more than thirteen in twenty of their number in Ulster : and they are much better distri- buted than the Presbyterians in the other three Provinces. (3) The members of the Established Church are better distributed still, having more than half their number in Ulster, more than a fourth in Leinster, and the remainder distributed in unequal portions in Munster and Con- naught. (4.) The Roman Catholics are distributed best of all ; Leinster and Munster containing rather more than one-half, and Ulster and Connaught rather less than the others. It is clear, therefore, that in absolute numbers, Munster, in the south- west, is the stronghold of the Roman Catholics ; while Ulster, in the North-east, is both absolutely and relatively the home of Protestants. Of the mixed Protestants it may be remarked, that in general they are off-shoots from the Established Church, or from Presbyterianism, the daughter of the Kirk of Scotland. To the former, Quakers, Moravians, and Methodists stand in the filial relation ; and to the latter Indepen- dents, Baptists, Covenanters, and Unitarians. It is rare for any of these smaller bodies to be absorbed into the bosom of the church from which it did not spring, as Methodists into Presbyterianism, or Indepen- dents into the Established Church ; but each parent commonly assimi- lates, and is assimilated with her own daughters. To shew the distribution of the various creeds, and their respective local positions, let us open up a single Province, or continue its analysis * The attention of the reader is called pointedly to the fact that here the term denotes the small bodies of Dissenters. Elsewhere, it denotes the Established Church and all other Protestant communities, none of which singly outnumbers all the rest, but to which unitedly the Roman Catholic numbers are inferior. For illustration, see the details respecting Belfast, Londonderry, Armagh, and Down, in the table of County districts, and Lisburn, Downpatrick, &c., in the table of Boroughs. 24 and dissection as far as it is possible for us to go. No province presents so great a variety as Ulster, and therefore no other is so suitable for our purpose ; though, in an inferior degree, any one would suit. 1. — Ulster as a Province. Here we find 50.44 Roman Catholics to 49.56 Protestants, so that on the ground of mere numbers, it is a Roman Catholic Province. With such questions as industry, enterprise, skill, intelligence, influence, pro- perty, morality, and social order, we have at present nothing to do, — the entire province must be coloured green, 2. — Ulster in Counties. We now see it divided into eleven portions .or “county districts,” nine of them being civil counties, to which are added the county of the town of Carrickfergus, and the town of Belfast. Of these, two are Presbyterian, and must be coloured blue, viz., Antrim county and Carrick- fergus town. Four are districts in which the members of the Established Church, not alone, but along with other Protestants, preponderate over Roman Catholics. These we may colour yellow, viz., Down, Armagh, Londonderry, and Belfast. The remaining five are Roman Catholic, but in different degrees ; as in Tyrone and Fermanagh their per-centage does not amount to two-thirds, while in Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan it does. Accordingly, we distinguish the two former by a faint green, and the three latter by a deeper shade. Of the 11 districts, so many as 7 show a preponderance of some one kind of religion, and only four which, as just described, we call “Mixed Protestants,” exhibit any great fusion of the various elements. This shows that the people have always existed in distinct sets, though mingling in the neighbourhood of towns. The more we investigate the more clearly we find this marked as a characteristic, but it is rare to meet with it on such a large scale as this. 3. — Ulster in Baronies. The following Table shows the character of the whole of them : — Table N. — Analysis of Ulster by Baronies. Church. Presby- terian. Mixed Protes- tant. Roman Catholic. Total. Antrim 1 9 3 1 •-= 14 Armagh 1 3 4 = 8 Belfast 1 — 1 Carrickfergus 1 ... = 1 Cavan 8 = 8 Donegal 7 = 7 Down 5 3 6 = 14 Fermanagh 2 6 = 8 Londonderry 2 2 2 = 6 Monaghan 5 = 5 Tyrone 2 6 == 8 2 17 16 45 = 80 jf/em&ers of ^ /Jsta/ksAet/ (%ure/ over 30 per Coni. I I Tree&y tertnns rf/t-xxz/ /rotes htn/s . . Ev^l Jlontarv Cat/o/tcs . . _ i&liSI OP ir.'i'i'i'i'i'ill ULSTER IN BARONIES. l.POOl. ' ^ ' . 5 . V 25 * It thus appears that there are 35 Protestant baronies, and 45 Roman | Catholic ones ; or, in other words, that the two are in the proportion of ' 7 to 9. So many as 64 shew a preponderance of some one class of creed, only 1 6 shewing signs of commingling. In other words, the separate commu- nities are to the mixed communities as 4 to 1. Nor does this express the whole fact ; for many of the communities which are mixed in the present generation were Church, or Presbyterian, or Roman Catholic in the last or previous generation ; and the altered condition has been brought about by the pressure of one or two different kinds of population from the borders. Thus, Belfast was an English town, but it has become mixed, from the great number of people of Scottish descent in the two districts which bound it ; and Carrickfergus was English also, but has become thoroughly Scotticised. Presbyterianism is seen in the county of Antrim, uniting the two landing places from Scotland, (near Carrickfergus and the Causeway) and spreading over the greater part of the county. Carrickfergus is the most Presbyterian place in all Ireland. In Down the blue line passes from Donaghadee up into the country, spreading out on both sides, and only stopping on the borders of Armagh. The “Mixed Protestants ” appear in 2 baronies of Londonderry ; 2 of Tyrone ; 2 of Fermanagh ; in 3 of Armagh, which lie between a Church district on the one side, and a Roman Catholic district on the other ; in 3 of Down, between a Church or Roman Catholic district on one hand, and a Presbyterian one on the other ; and in 3 of Antrim, one of which lies on the sea, and the others of which are formed by the fusion of Churchmen and Presbyterians. There is one Roman Catholic barony in the lofty and inhospitable mountains of Lower Glenarm. In 16 Roman Catholic baronies the numbers do not reach two-thirds ; these are therefore distinguished by a faint green. Of these, 6 are in the county of Down, 1 (Dartee) in Monaghan, 2 (Clanawley* and Coole) in Fermanagh, 2 (Derry and Loughinsholin) in Londonderry, and 5 (Clogher, Lower and Middle Dungannon, and East and West Omagh,) in Tyrone. These are all Protestant in influence and general character, though coloured according to mere numbers. 4. — Ulster in Enumeration Districts. The ancient parish was taken as the unit in enumeration for the pur- pose of ascertaining Religious Professions; butthe sub-divisions were more minute. For example, numerous parishes lie in two or more baronies, or in two or more counties, in which case each is separately enumerated ; or the rural part is distinguished from one, two, or three villages, called “ towns,” and these again often lie across a border. The result is that the divisions are very numerous ; and that it is sometimes difficult to re- construct the parish from its original elements. * Clonkelly has been shaded lightly by mistake; also, Inishowen should have been divided into East and West, but these are of the same character. D 26 There are 80 baronies in Ulster, and 875 districts separately enumerated, giving us an average of nearly 11 to each barony. The number is about 4 per cent, less than 875, as that number includes “ Public and Charitable Institutions,” which do not represent separate areas, though they include separate persons. The following Table shows the details : — Table 0. — Analysis of Ulster by Enumeration Districts. Established Church. Presby- terians. Established Church & other Protestants. Roman Catholics. Total. Antrim 13 85 41 19 = 158 Armagh 15 4 26 33 = 78 Belfast 3 = 3 Carrickfergus *3 1 ... = 4 Cavan 74 = 74 Donegal 3 14 89 = 106 Down 16 64 30 54 = 164 Fermanagh 18 7 32 = 57 Londonderry 3 23 34 27 = 87 Monaghan 2 4 41 = 47 Tyrone 6 2 33 56 = 97 71 186 193 > 425 895 450 This Table shows us the very remarkable fact, that in Ulster alone there are 450 Protestant communities ; in 71 of which the members of the Established Church preponderate, in 186 Presbyterians, and in 193 the Established Church and other Protestants. There are also 106 other enumeration districts, not separately shown on this Table, in which Protestants are in a minority, but where the members of the Established Church alone amount to from a fourth to a third, so that with Protestants of all denominations they would average more than a third. These dis- tricts are virtually but not actually Protestant ; and, if added to the others, would give us 556 Protestant districts out of 875.* So many as 582 exhibit a preponderance of some one creed, viz., 75 per cent., and many more did so a century ago, but there has been a mixing up of the elements of population. * The analysis for all Ireland may be given here : — Table P. — Analysis of Ireland by Enumeration Districts. Estab- lished Church. Presby- terians. Leinster 23 Munster Ulster 71 186 Connaught 2 Establishd Church Roman Total. Of which and other Catholics. about £ Protestants Protestant. 6 1649 1678 (107) 1378 1383 ( 0) 193 425 875 (106) 560 662 ( 9) 199 4012 4498 (231) Protestant divisions — literally 486, virtually 717. Having a majority of one creed, 4,299, or 86 per cent. • *■ _ ' . ■ * \ couc w/m [^OCKBfV J-^eokoo 0 ' ;^/VIBAL'.RO/¥ € ^ ^ .+W°K* .■mm kilcoo uicctsile EX PLAN ATI 0 N . /Z'fto/sfcs/trry Cfew'cfy VS sstW/srcte, COUNTY OF DOWN, I N ENUMERATION DISTRICTS, SHOWING THE LOCAL PREVALENCE OF CREED 27 5 . — Exhibition of a Single County in Registration Districts. The county of Down is the largest of all the county districts both in area and population ; and from its mixed character, it affords an excellent example for analysis. It comprises 164 registration districts ; but as six of these refer to “Public and Charitable Institutions,” and cannot be represented by distinct areas, the number is reduced to 158. Their character, in respect to Religious Profession, is shown by the following Table : — Table Q. — Analysis op the County op Down. Estab- lished Church. Presby- terians. Established Church & other Protestants. Roman Catholics. * Total. Ards, Lower „ Upper 12 — 12 5 i 8 = 14 Castlereagh, Lower 15 ... 15 „ Upper 4 12 2 ... = 18 Dufferin ... 2 1 1 = 4 Lower Iveagh, Lower Part 7 4 1 = 12 „ „ Upper „ io 1 5 2 = 18 Upper ,, Lower ,, 3 2 10 = 15 „ „ Upper „ i 2 7 5 =* 15 Kinelarty i 2 3 3 = 9 Lecale, Lower „ Upper i 1 9 == 11 3 7 = 10 Newry 1 2 = 2 Mounre ... ’ 2 =7 3 17* 62 29 50 158 In Upper Castlereagh and a portion of Lower Iveagh we can trace the parishes and towns with a strong Church feeling. These lie in the track of Lord Conway’s settlers from Warwick, Worcester, and Glou- cester, who, with others under Sir Moyses Hill, Sir George Rawdon, and Sir John Magill, extended in an unbroken line from Carrickfergus, up the valley of the Lagan, and across to the Bann at Portadown. Nor did they stop there ; but crossing Armagh towards Dungannon, they mingle with the Celtic race near the Pomeroy mountains in Tyrone. Throughout nearly the whole of this distance, English surnames, habits, traditions, manners, and dialect are still found ; and some of the people treasure to this hour portions of the furniture brought over by their ancestors in the early part of the 17th century. In all this district, extending over four counties, the houses are better, the farms are larger, and there is a higher idea of human comfort than anywhere else for twenty miles on either side. This is the region of the apple and other fruit trees, for “the meere Irish never planted an orchard and it would be a blessing to the wretched kerne of the South and West, if they could be driven through it from one end to the other, to see how industry can literally make the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose. In a remote corner of it, near the banks of Lough Neagh, Bishop Jeremy Taylor spent some years of his life, and * The Summary on the Map is given incorrectly, as there aro 17 Church districts and only 50 Roman Catholic ones. 28 taught mankind both how to live and how to die. There was another settlement of English near Downpatrick, in Down, and their charac- teristics are still preserved in the parish of Inch. The line of Scots is traceable from Donaghadee, opposite the Mull of Galloway, past Comber, and over Upper Castlereagh and Lower Iveagh baronies. The Presbyterian parishes occupy an intermediate district, between the Roman Catholics in the mountains on the one side, and the Churchmen in the plains on the other. (1.) So many as 129 of the Districts, or 82 per cent., show the pre- valence of some one peculiar creed, and certain others which resembled them in the time of living persons, have lost their distinctive character. (2.) Of the 50 Roman Catholic districts, 14 are towns and 36 are parishes in whole or in part. It is clear, therefore, that this population is agricultural in character, and consists largely of cottagers and labourers. (3.) Of the 62 Presbyterian districts, 22 are towns, and 40 are parishes or parts. Hence, these also are of rural tendencies, and are mainly em- ployed in agriculture. (4.) Of the 17 Church districts, 10 are towns and 7 parishes ; hence these are more inclined to business, or are related to ordinary labourers as officers are to soldiers. (5.) In numerous cases a Church town or a mixed town is found among a Presbyterian or Roman Catholic population in the parish, but there are very few cases of an opposite kind. (6.) Of the 29 “mixed Protestant districts,” in which members of the Established Church and other Protestants con- stitute a majority, 20 are towns and 9 parishes, and nearly all of these were originally Church in their character, but they have been gradually altered by a strong infusion of Presbyterians from the surrounding neighbourhood. It has been stated that the boundaries of baronies sometimes divide parishes, and even towns. In this county there are 18 parishes and 3 towns so divided, into 45 portions, all of which are separately enume- rated. In seven instances these fragments differ in character. For example, in five parishes, (Dromara, Garvaghy, Aghaderg, Kilmore, and Newry), one part is Roman Catholic, and the other Presbyterian. In Seapatrick, two parts are Presbyterian, and one mixed Protestant. In Blaris, one section is Church, and the other mixed Protestant. If the enumeration on the grounds of religious profession had given the results with respect to such small areas as townlands, some very remarkable facts would have been brought to light. In not a few instances a townland is wholly Protestant, or "wholly Roman Catholic ; that is to say, the farmers and the ratepayers are so, the servants and labouring people being, with few exceptions, of the latter kind. Here the two parties stand, face to face, like two armies in neighbouring encampments, very little fusion having occurred since they were placed in their respective positions 250 years ago. In a county of this kind, the more minute we make the examination, the more will small Pro- testant communities crop out, even where they are least expected ; but, in the mountainous districts, where they are more exclusive and reserved in their intercourse, they are absorbed numerically in the greater popu- lation of Roman Catholics which surrounds them. 29 III.— THE CHURCH IN IRELAND. (1.) Its General Status. Historical Sketch . — The Gospel was introduced to Ireland before the time of Saint Patrick, who was not a native of the country, nor an Italian, nor subject to Rome. The brief but interesting creed which he has left us is not only anti-papal but ante-papal ; that is to say, it coin- cides with Protestant doctrine, but it was written in anticipation of the introduction of certain errors, not as a testimony against them. What he and his successors did in planting and watering churches, let historians tell ; but even after pruning the narratives of all exaggerations, more than enough remains to excite our wonder, and to call for our thankfulness to God. Some of the centuries which succeeded constitute the golden age of Irish history, especially from the sixth to the ninth ; then the country was known as the “ Isle of Saints,” Holy Scripture was extensively used and studied, learning and the arts were cultivated. Caledonia was won by the great missionary station of Iona, and the Apostles of the Faith were found labouring in almost every region, from Iceland in the north of Europe to beyond the Alps. The Danes, who ravaged Ireland as well as England, were converted to Christianity about the middle of the tenth century ; but associating in their religious rela- tions with their kinsmen the Normans, a union with Rome was effected at their three settlements of Dublin, Limerick, and Waterford. Romish bishops were consecrated irregularly for these three cities ; and thus was introduced the point of the wedge which was driven home in the time of our Henry II. Before the twelfth century, Ireland had been celebrated for its holiness and learning. In her history, from the fifth to the ninth century, we see a bright constellation of Irish names, illustrious for sanctity and learning. But after the twelfth century, for more than three centuries in succession, we look for such luminaries in vain ; scarcely a single honourable name can be cited from that period. The sky was dark — it was an age of gloom. It seems as if the rise of the Roman power had been the signal of a general eclipse — intellectual, literary, and religious. We hear no more of strangers flocking to Ireland to study the Scriptures. Instead of this, we behold a noxious cloud of legendary fables rising up, and darkening the air with a murky exhalation, and veiling the pure light of the Gospel ; and instead of Scriptural schools, which had formerly abounded in Ireland, we see a large number of monastic houses, built with the spoils of voilence, and designed as an expiation for sin, and deluding men with the notion that a holy life is not necessary to salvation, and that heaven may be purchased by posthumous and vicarious repentance, and leaving few traces of godliness ; and we behold the people sunk in ignorance, barbarism, and superstition. * * * The whole period of Roman ascendancy in Ireland, that is to say, the interval between Henry II. and Henry VIII., was a period of deadly feuds. The history of these three centuries and a half presents an almost uninterrupted succession of savage, rebellious, and sanguinary wars. The State was torn by discord, and the Church was rent by schism. — Words- worth's Occasional Sermons , Fourth Series. The Reformation was therefore a restoration of the Church to its pure and primitive condition ; but the impediments which England threw in its way, and chiefly by discouraging the use of the Scriptures and of 30 religious services in the language of the people, prevented the success which attended it in England and in Scotland. (2) Part of the United Church. In common parlance we speak of the t( Irish Church,” but strictly speaking there is no such thing any more than there is the Welsh Church. There is the Irish branch of the “ United Church of England and Ireland,” and the attempt is sometimes made to stab the Church in England through the body of her weaker sister. The union of the Churches is in most respects of long standing, but since 1801, when the Act of Union took effect, there is community of interests as well as of doctrine and discipline, and the general object in each division of the United Kingdom is the same, though the difficulty of the labour, and the extent of popular sympathy differ in almost every shire. On the two sides of the channel, it is true, there is a marked difference in the field of labour, but each has its fertile and its sterile portions. Though there are English clergymen ministering in Ireland, and Irish in England, and although changes from one diocese to another take place as freely across the channel as on either side of it, but less frequently, it is astonishing how little is known by English people of the Church in Ireland. This is owing to faults on both sides. On the one side, the English clergy look down upon the sister Church as comparatively small and unimportant ; and though some of her divines, past and present, take rank among the foremost of their profession, it is thought that the Irish clergy are only partially educated, because the University of Dublin does not enforce residence for B.A. Degree. This impression is scarcely excusable, inasmuch as they are all graduates; while the number of non-graduates in the Church in England is increasing every year. The Irish clergyman, too, is trained, during two years of residence, in a long and valuable course of theological studies, while in England we are sighing for a condition of things only approximately as good. On the other hand, the Irish clergy do frequently give the impression that they value words more than things, that they consider their duties to lie more in controversy than in parochial labour. One can understand this, and, perhaps, excuse it, in theological soldiers whose training has been in the field more than in the canip, and who have been accustomed to look upon error in one prominent form. They are also too exclusive. The Church in England contains at this moment probably 2000 clergy who were educated and ordained in Ireland, some of them deservedly \ occupying high positions, yet the feeling is that “ the reciprocity should be all on one side,” as it is thought a great hardship that an English- man should occupy a benefice in Ireland. But the important point is that there is not only a legal union between the two branches of the Church, but, also, from ancient days, close com- munion and fellowship, and in great matters, identity of position. As truly as the English Church represents the ancient apostolic Christianity of this island, before Gregory ruled or Augustine preached, so truly does the Established Church in Ireland represent the ancient and pure faith which prevailed for centuries before England and Rome had com- bined to enthral her. She is not merely the Church of Ireland as by law established, but the Church by unbroken ecclesiastical succession. 31 (3.) The term u Parish .” — The Parish in Ireland was no doubt founded in the same way originally as that in England, that is to say, it was co- extensive with a secular estate, and was endowed by the landowner with the tithes, for the spiritual benefit of the cultivators of the soil ; but it was originally a name and a thing exclusively ecclesiastical. Owing to the peculiar circumstances of the country however, and frequent change, the term has come to be used in several distinct senses. For example, (a) It denotes a certain limited area employed for the collection of county assessments, and is thus, like the townland, a purely civil division. ( b ) It denotes an area which has at one time constituted a distinct cure of souls ; but, owing to the diminution of Protestant inhabitants, or other causes, it has no longer a separate minister, but is united to one or more adjoining parishes, (c) It is used to denote the area of a present cure of souls, but the more correct term would, in many cases, be Union or Benefice. By the Act 3 and 4 William IV., chap. 37, section 116, the Commissioners have the power (but are not obliged) to suspend appoint- ment to any Benefice in the gift of the Crown or of a Bishop, where there was not divine service for three years preceding February 1, 1833. During the suspension, which they can remove when they think fit, they have the income. In several cases the suspension has been removed and a church built. Many of the older Unions are of inconvenient size, as some of the parishes united were wholly without income. The laws for Unions and Dioceses require revision. “ When the Ecclesiastical Com- missioners take the income of a Parish, the Bishop appoints some adjoin- ing Church for the parishioners to resort to, and the Commissioners pay a nominal salary to the clergyman of that church for the occasional duty.” * Facilities for creating new Incumbencies do not exist. Before any one can be recognized or treated as a parish, | it must be endowed with £75 per annum, by the investment of £2,500. (4.) Mode of Enumeration . — The old census of 1834 was taken accord- ing to Benefices , but this one is nominally in Parishes , in the section which is devoted to religious profession. There is no doubt that, in the majority of cases, the so-called parishes are actually such, but it is equally certain that many are not so. It was shown by Archdeacon Stopford, in a recent speech^ in Dublin, that many of the so-called “Parishes” are really small divisions of the country for fiscal purposes, and have no connection with the ecclesiastical parish at all. So many as 80 of those civil parishes were contained in only 20 virtual parishes ; and in the county of Meath, for which the civil parishes were returned in the Census at 145, there were only 84. Of these, however, 16 are suspended, so that * From some important information kindly furnished by Archdeacon Stopford. f The Presbyterians of Ireland can at any time create a new congregation by means of a “ split.” About thirty persons having kept a preaching station open for three years, and guaranteeing to provide £35 per annum in the shape of pew rents, are thereupon endowed with £75 per annum of JRegium Donum. As a result of these facilities, the town of Belfast has quadrupled its Presbyterian congrega- tions, while its Presbyterian people have only doubled ; and there are two such congregations in Waterford, though there are only 236 Presbyterians of all ages in the town, and 235 others in the county. 1 Dublin Daily Express , April 5, 1864. For extended and corrected information, ,/See Appendix A. 32 there are only 68 benefices ; and there are 11 other parishes, now unions with others consolidated by law. Thus there are four kinds of parishes practically, those referred to in the Census being least of all entitled to the name. If we take the civil parish, in that rural district of Meath, there is an average of 45 members of the Established Church for each ; if the bond fide parish, the average is 77; if the benefice, it is 95 ; and if the present actual unions, it is 114. It appears by a recent return that there are 1,510 Benefices in Ireland ; the Census Report states that there are 2428 civil Parishes ; and we find j by reckoning"that there are 4506 Enumeration Districts. This fact is of great importance ; because we should divide, in every case, by the num- ber of benefices to ascertain the average of clergy, and of members of the Established Church, whereas the word parish is taken according to its English signification, and the divisor being in every instance too large , the quotient in every instance is too small , and leads to impressions wholly erroneous. If we wish to compare the Census of 1834 with that of 1861, the enumeration districts must be condensed into parishes ; and then we have no clue whatever to the constituent elements of a benefice. In a very large number of cases, therefore, or on any large scale, it is im- possible to institute a comparison ; for, except where we are quite certain that benefice and parish are identical, uncertainty hangs over the whole. In some locality which is well known to any individual inquirer, the defective information may be supplied; but in numerous other cases such a comparison is impossible. This is very unfortunate, because English laymen will make the attempt, as they have done, in ignorance ; and thus misrepresentation will take place before any one has had time to cor- 6 The United Diocese of Down and Connor and Dromore is nearly co- incident with the two counties of Down and Antrim; and while the Census of 1834 contained only 114 benefices * or enumeration districts, that of 1861 contains 326 in all. (5.) Dioceses. — In the olden time there were certain ancient dioceses in England, the very names of which have been forgotten, as they have long am) 0 merged in the dioceses with whose names we are familiar. Thus, Selsey, (in Chichester) ; Devon and Cornwall, (Exeter) ; Dorchester and Sidnaceaster, (Lincoln); East Anglia, Elmham, and Dunwich, (Norwich;; Sherbourn and Hilton, (Salisbury); Westminster, (London); Lindisfaine or Holy Isle, and Hexham, (Durham.) Gloucester and Bristol were united m 1836 ; but in the cases of Bath and Wells, and Lichfield and; Coventry, we have a union of names rather than a union of dioceses. i Scotland had formerly fourteen dioceses, but has now only seven ; the! I names of Caithness and Orkney being sunk like that of Mortlach, and) Fife being changed into Edinburgh. # J j The Irish Church Temporalities Act of 1833 abolished ten bishoprics, fj uniting the dioceses to adjacent ones, as in the case of the union of) parishes, but handing over their incomes to the Ecclesiastical Commis-j * There are 146 at present, showing an increase of 32 in 27 years, or more thanjj one new incumbency per annum. . ^ jj t It is said that the Church has suffered very much in the Dioceses of &naare| and Clogher by the suppression of their Bishoprics. 83 sioners for the general purposes of the Church. Long previously, however, there had been a merging and union similar to that noticed with respect to England and Scotland ; Glendalough having been united to Dublin in 1214, Mayo to Tuam, and Clonmacnois to Meath — all of which names are lost. The diocese of Kerry in the Roman Catholic arrangements is identical with that of Ardfert in the Established Church. But, of those whose names are still officially retained, there are so many as 32, though they are united into 12. In the Roman Catholic arrangements there are 28, viz., in Leinster 4, in Munster 8, in Ulster 9, and in Connaught 7. Now, the people of England have occasionally acted unfairly without meaning to do so ; they have quoted the popula- tion of one of these small ecclesiastical divisions as if it were an inde- pendent unit, just as they refer to parishes instead of to benefices. The following Table, which is derivable from the Census Report, but is nowhere given in it, shows the details respecting the whole 32 dioceses, grouping them into 12 sums, which show respectively the united dioceses superintended by the present Archbishops and Bishops : — Table R. — Details Respecting the Dioceses. Bene- fices. Dioceses. Gross Population. Established Church. Roman Catholics. Presby- terians. Other Protestant Dissenters. 101 65 Armagh Clogher 386,260 262,572 85,583 65,195 234,651 170,998 57,556 21,197 8,470 5,182 166 648,832 150,778 23.2 405,649 62.2 78,753 12.1 13,652 2.5 107 Meath 253,354 16,289 6.4 235,136 92.8 1,053 .5 876 •3 70 40 Derry Raphoe 293,251 169,204 43,738 22,213 164,475 126,991 79,287 17,501 5,751 2,449 110 462,455 65,951 14.3 291,466 63.0 96,788 20.8 8,250 1.9 47 69 30 Down Connor Dromore 163,943 386,027 172,215 28,868 80,125 44,474 46,451 103,245 66,136 83,849 184,330 55,818 4,775 18,327 5,787 ( 146 722,185 153,467 21.3 215,832 29.9 323,997 45.0 28,889 3.8 L 49 ■ 38 I 58 Kilmore Elphin Ardagh 209,714 201,879 136,298 31,646 10,506 11,044 169,886 189,508 124,185 5,519 903 646 2,663 962 432 \kl7 j , 547,891 53,196 9.7 483 579 88.2 7,068 1.2 4.057 .9 K 34 Table R. — Continued. Bene- fices. Dioceses. Gross Population. Established Church. Roman Catholics. Presby- terians. Other Protestant Dissenters. 45 Tuam 312,961 9,041 302,367 744 809 14 Killala 87,075 4,724 81,337 685 329 12 Acbonry 108,870 3,392 105,203 138 137 71 508,906 17,157 3.3 488,907 96.1 1,567 .3 1,275 .3 54 Kill aloe 225,096 12,700 211,098 498 800 4 Kilfenora 23,042 251 22,789 1 1 15 Clonfert 64,143 2,521 61,183 256 183 I 4 Kilmardragh 24,789 434 24,333 23 8 77 337,070 15,906 4.7 319,403 94.7 778 .29 992 .31 112 Dublin 513,329 100,267 396,916 8,165 7,981 43 Kildare 98,369 12,499 84.590 654 626 155 611,698 112,766 18.4 481,506 78.7 8,819 1.5 8,607 ! 1.4 54 Ossory 140,086 8,258 131,248 250 1 330 60 Ferns 151,368 14,383 135,650 288 | 1,047 57 Leighlin 124,889 13,022 111,006 241 620 171 416,343 35,663 8.55 377,904 90.75 779 ! .48 1.997 .22 37 Cashel 120,011 4,721 114,831 1 215 1 244 17 Emly 62,196 1,414 60,707 49 1 26 9 Waterford 43,506 2,943 39,472 297 i 794 43 Lismore 145,265 4,775 139,769 333 388 106 370,978 13,853 3.8 354,779 95.7 894 ±J 1,452 .2 64 Cork 239,213 26,736 206.918 1,229 4,330 81 Cloyne 215,166 11,746 202.294 s 678 448 26 Ross 69,903 4,746 64,540 | 76 i 541 171 524,282 43,228 8.2 473,752 90.3 j 1,983 j .4 j 5,319 1.1 52 Limerick 172,622 8,679 162 324 353 1,066 44 Ardfert and Aghadoe... 221,939 6,424 215,028 | 259 j 228 | 96 394,561 15,103 3.8 377,352 i 95.6 i 1 612 | .2 1,294 I •4 A 35 2. — The Church as a Missionary. In all parts of the kingdom, Dissent among Protestants is congrega- tional \ not pastoral or parochial in character ; that is to say, a mere preacher is supposed to be a minister , and religious ordinances are supplied to those only who attend the chapel. On the contrary, the Roman Catholic religion is nominally pastoral ; for even in England the gross population is said to be under the care of their priests and titular bishops, not the Roman Catholic population merely. The Established Church is parochial or pastoral, as opposed to dissent ; and is so in reality, as opposed to Romanism. The theory is, “ that every sheep has a fold, and every fold has a shepherd;” that wherever a human being resides requiring the performance ot any ecclesiastical office, the law takes care that a person is provided. All the inhabitants of a given area are assigned to him ; to these he is bound under penalties to perform the duties of his office, in season and out of season, either personally or by deputy ; and to avoid confusion, he is exclusively responsible. We have seen that 33 per cent, of the population of England and Wales do not attend religious worship in the churches of the land, while 42 per cent, do ; but it does not follow that the clergyman is therefore released from all care of one-third of the community. Though in some respects the severance is becoming more complete, in others the breach is being closed ; for the fact is that a small number are still communi- cants in the church, and have their children baptized there, while a very large number still refuse to be married except in churches, or buried except in churchyards. Of course the case is still stronger with the 25 per cent, who are non- worshippers, who consist of the residuum left behind by all the sects, and who are utterly deserted except by the clergy of the Established Church. The duties to be performed towards these are secular, social, intel- lectual, moral, religious. The health of their bodies has to be promoted, cleanliness and order in their habits, and cleanness and purity of mind, besides directing their attention to spiritual things. The clergyman of every poor parish knows what an immense amount of trouble he has with signing papers, where either the minister or a magistrate is the appointed guarantor of accuracy ; with the incessant teasing of him to sign papers of recommendation, whether he knows the parties or not ; and the thankless trouble which often falls to his lot in acting as almoner for the rich. But especially, the labour of superintending the education of the parish often falls heavily upon him, and not unfrequently that of sup- porting it also ; thus a duty which belongs to all citizens in common falls mainly upon one, till the labour and anxiety at times are utterly insup- portable. In Ireland, the work of education is still more exclusively clerical than in England; and the difficulty of the case has been immensely increased, by the persistence of so many of the Clergy in refusing Govern- ment aid under the present circumstances. Of the prudence of the course which is pursued I say nothing; but it is lamentable to see the body whose special duty it is to educate, performing the task single-handed, while every other class of the community, and every other creed, is 36 largely subsidised from public funds. England is more deeply interested than she is aware in the sound education of the people of Ireland, as the following facts will show. During the period of the Lancashire distress, the privations of the people were endured with a degree of resignation that reflected credit on human nature, and but one disgraceful scene occurred to tarnish the well-earned reputation of the working classes. This was at Staleybridge, where there were riots ; but it was found on investigation, that of the 26 ringleaders 21 were Irish Roman Catholics! Again, a recent Parliamentary return shows that there are 1,633 prisoners in six of the principal jails of Lancashire during the present year — Lan- caster, Preston, Liverpool, Kirkdale, Salford, Manchester. Of these 1,174, or 72 per cent., are Roman Catholics, though the Roman Catholics of Lancashire amount to only 11 per cent. In other words, in com- parison with their respective numbers, there are six and a half times as many Roman Catholics as Protestants the inmates of our jails. The laudable efforts of the Irish clergy during the time of the famine, their unwearied toil, their generous self-sacrifices, and their impartiality wherever suffering humanity was to be found, as well as the manner in which they tended the sick and dying during the time of the pestilence, I will not attempt to describe. No enemy to their faith or to their per- sons can rail away facts which are every where notorious, and which have secured for them a new and better position in the affections of the Roman Catholic people. Besides, whatever objections may be felt to the creed of the Established Church, there is the fullest confidence in the high honour and integrity of the clergy; so that the emigrants who send home money to take out other members of their families, usually remit to the rector or vicar of the parish, not to the priest of their own com- munion. Some of the humbler clergy have had remitted to them, in the course of a single year, sums amounting to twice or three times their own income, yet the trust which hard-handed industry had confided in a foreign land, and which affection and hope had rendered sacred, has in every in- stance been faithfully discharged. The presence of an Established Church in Ireland is valuable, even if a word of controversy were never uttered. The very name ‘‘Protestant,’' which it possesses in common with other Christian communities, shows that it retains its standing protest against the errors of Rome ; errors which are innovations and comparatively modern, the Protestant Church being virtually the ancient one. And for many reasons, the residence of the clergy at intervals all over the country produces the same general effect negatively. Each is there, as the representative of a better cause, as a witness against gross error as well as against sacredotal tyranny ; he is the friend of the government, and a perpetual court of appeal to the people. The establishment of a police barrack in a disturbed district is always found to improve the morals of the people, even when not a single person has been taken into custody ; and so, the presence of a clergyman modifies the extremes to which the Roman Catholic religion frequently runs, in social and civil matters as well as in religious, even when his voice is apparently not heard except on his own ground. Any one who has had an opportunity of contrasting the practice of the Roman Catholic religion in Connaught and in Ulster, and then in Lan- 37 cashire or Middlesex, will understand tlie modifications which it may undergo. Southey, in treating of this subject, says, that it is incalculable what good is effected by the mere residence of families of education and taste, of morality and intelligence, and social position, at various points over the country, where the humblest rustic has both a guide and an example. He speaks in reference to England, but the importance of his remarks is increased many fold when we apply them to Ireland. Cobbett, also, who was not celebrated for being the friend of the Church, declared that the happiest county in England ought to be Suffolk, as nowhere could one pass for more than two or three miles, without finding a neat village, a parish church, and a snug parsonage. And, many years alter the speaker had been called to his rest, the calculations respecting the number of worshippers in the Established Churches of the land, showed that Suffolk stands at the top of the list. Thus, in the fog of conflicting assertions, and in the darkness of ignorance which still surrounds us, truth sparkles out at times, illustrating some valuable principle. But it is objected that as a “Missionary Church” the Irish Church is a failure. To this the reply is, that the charge is partly true, with expla- nations, and that it is partly false. The objection means, of course, that success is to be estimated by the number of avowed conversions made, or by the change which takes place in the per-centages of professing Chris- tians ; and we must still say that Ireland is Roman Catholic. But we have just shown that there are many ways in which good may be done without compelling a man to read his recantation ; and there is therefore a "false major premiss which underlies all the reasoning on this subject. But let us examine the question more minutely. (1.) Conversions as they are called, or changes in religion, usually take place in detail, that is, by single individuals ; and in a country like Ireland, where a broadside of wit, raillery, or ridicule, can be discharged at a man at any time, it requires the moral courage of a martyr for any one to' take so formal a step. And, unfortunately, persecution is not always of so mild a character ; it occasionally assumes the form of out- rage, but more commonly consists in a sort of incessant harrass, which renders human life a burden, at least in that part of the country. A change of creed which would place the parties beyond annoyance, would almost require a combination among the individuals, like that which exists in a secret society. (2.) The case of the Rev. Charles Seymour, Vicar of Tuam, furnishes an interesting illustration. By constant and earnest teaching respecting the errors of the Roman Catholic faith, he had begun to enlighten the people, when the word went forth that he ought to be opposed. The result of this intimation was that for two whole years the Government was under the necessity of allowing him a permanent guard of two policemen, who never remitted their care of him for a moment. During that period he was obliged to be in continual readiness for promised violence ; and he was subjected to a thousand petty annoyances. “ In going through the town he had to exercise extraordinary patience, as some emissaries among the people would pluck him by the hair, and try to insult him with every disagreeable and offensive epithet.” At length, 38 however, the opposition subsided ; and he has since had numerous and pleasing proofs of good will from his Roman Catholic neighbours.* (3.) Of late years, there has been a great outcry about natives of England joining the Church of Rome, during the interval when the pendulum of public opinion oscillated from the free-thinking side in 1833, which it reached again in the “Colensoism” of 1862-63. Yet it is speaking far within the truth to say that, for every member gained by the Church of Rome in England, she lost ten in Ireland. It is true that the former were of a higher social grade. — It is well known that the Irish in America desert the Roman Catholic Religion in large numbers, their own clergy being the witnesses. It does not follow that Pro- testantism is a gainer to that extent ; for many pass through an inter- mediate stage of scepticism or irreligion, and they or their children end by becoming connected with some denomination of Protestants. — But the most important facts on this subject are those connected with the wholesale conversions in Western Connaught ; and the matter is so important that we devote a subordinate section to itself. 3 . — Missionary Woric in Ireland. In one sense Irish Church Missions are as old as the Irish Church; but we use the term here in a modern and special sense, f as has just been indicated. Of course, here, as elsewhere, I regard the Census returns as absolutely correct, though the details have been impeached J in the news- papers. The former condition of Western Connaught, even since the Census of 1834, excites our astonishment, and reminds us of the two alternatives offered to the native Irish at the edges of the swords of Cromwell’s * The following remarkable List, from an official return by the Hibernian Bible Society, tells of the purchase of the Holy Scriptures by the Roman Catholics of Tuam during four years Bibles. ■ Testaments. Portions. Total. In 1859 .. 73 223 334 = 630 copies. 1860 .. 200 138 4 = 342 )) 1861 .. 228 32 0 = 260 3 ) 1862 .. 213 6 0 = 219 33 4 months of 1863 104 0 0 = 104 33 Bibles, 818 Tests., 399 Portions, 388 Total, 1555 copies. - : — — - — (l) This wonderful sale of God’s Word has taken place in one benefice alone, and (2) according as the people have understood its value, they have become satisfied with no less than the entire Bible. f In this special sense, the term includes all Missions to the Roman Catholics, carried on by the Church in Ireland, whether through the medium of an organized society or not. My remarks, therefore, are not confined to what is called the “ Society for Irish Church Missions.” X The Hon. and Rev. Charles Bernard, after an examination of the two Bandon parishes, found that in his own (Kilbrogan) the Protestants had been returned at 59 below their actual numbers, and in the other (Ballymoney) at 11 lower, while in the latter there were 157 Roman Catholics returned over the actual number. 39 soldiers. Far removed from civilization and the seat of government, the people had manners and customs of their own ; and as there were few Protestants at first, the maintenance of the faith was surrounded with difficulties, and in remote districts it was utterly quenched. In the reign of Queen Anne, Sir Arthur Shaen introduced a Protestant colony to the northern part of Western Connaught, but their religious interests were not attended to, and the result was that some disappeared, and others sunk into the mass of popery which surrounded them." The southern portion of the district had its Protestant colonists in like man- ner ;f but large numbers of them were also lost. It is well known that it is peculiarly difficult to recover either those that have been perverted or their descendants ; yet the missionary fruits are two-fold, embracing (1) the Roman Catholic population, and (2) the descendants of lapsed Protestants. The former are pure Celts, mild, docile, and gentle in their dispositions, far different from the Romanized Normans imported from England, who make up the dangerous classes of the worst counties, and constitute England’s “ great difficulty.” To show the difficulties surrounding clerical labour in some parts of Ireland within the last thirty years, I quote the facts respecting the Union of Ballinakill, in the south portion of Western Connaught. It was 40 Irish miles long, by 20 broad, and was formed by the union of ten parishes, viz., four rectories and six vicarages, five on the mainland, and five in islands. Four of the rectories constituted a barony, and between the extremities of the parish (or union), another barony and two arms of the sea intervened. Embracing an area the size of an English county, and containing an ignorant population of more than 42,000, with two small churches at remote points, and bad roads or none at all, how could the work of a clergyman be performed ? There was a marine curate who visifed the remote points at intervals, voyaging through the Atlantic in the coast-guard boat. During the year 1863, the Govern- ment chaplain at Lima, in South America, undertook a journey of 600 miles to baptize the children of six years old and under, and to perform other ecclesiastical offices. One is reminded of a foreign land by the facts which have occurred in Ireland. The gross income of the rector was £240 18s., and his net income after deductions £193 11s. lOd. “ One will naturally ask, What was the condition, in a spiritual point of view, of the district of Derrygimla previous to 1848? “ There is but one answer. It was dark and barren. No ministry; no means of grace ; no Bible, and no Protestants to read it, with the ex- ception of four or five families residing in different and distant parts of the parish, who never assembled for public worship, and never went to any place of public worship, as the distance was too far ; while many original Protestants, who came to reside there on farms, suffered their * “ Good News from Ireland .” — Ilaichard Co., pp. 83, 1C3. t “ I learned with astonishment the extraordinary fact, that not more than a century ago one half of the population inhabiting this very district of Connemara were members of our own Church; and that consequently, in sending out mis- sionaries into these districts, we arc only, after all, carrying out the unquestior.a duty of recovering the straying sheep that wandered but a few years ago from our own fold.” — Rev. W. C. Plunket's Short Visit to the Connemara Missions , p. 44. 40 children to be baptized by the priests — this being the natural result of intermarriages with Romanists — and the absence of all means of grace to counteract the evil influences and consequences that followed.” * The Irish Society had been employed in scattering the good seed for many years, and the whole region was ripe for a change ; but the matter was brought to a climax in 1846, by an English clergyman, who, examin- ing a map of Ireland, fixed upon the spot of blackest darkness for making the attempt. I will not attempt to describe the effects in my own words, but gladly quote from another English clergyman, w r ho may be supposed to be a more than usually independent witness — the Rev. Canon Wordsworth : — “Some among us have been perplexed and discouraged by the unhappy defections to Rome in our own country; but let such persons be invited to con- template Ireland. There, in the last few years, hundreds and thousands have renounced the errors of Romanism, and have publicly declared their belief in that pure form of religion which is contained in the Holy Scriptures, and was professed by the Primitive Church. * * From circumstances which are too well known, isolated conversions from Romanism were not to be looked for in any considerable degree ; but it lias pleased a gracious Providence to baffle the powers of persecutors, by a simultaneous movement of large numbers. Almost entire villages and towns have been stirred by the breath of heaven; and these are enabled, by mutual protection, to defend themselves from the baneful effects of spiritual outlawry and exterminating denunciation. It would be premature to pronounce any confident opinion on the ultimate results of this movement ; but there appear to be reasons for believing that a religious revolu- tion is there going on, not much inferior in importance to the Reformation in the sixteenth century. 4 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.’ ” f Let us first examine the number of sheepfolds and shepherds, and then make a minute inspection of the flocks. The following liable shows the first class of facts : — Table S. — Increase of Churches and Clergy. 1 With Permanent With Precarious Increase Provision. Provision. 1837. | 1862. in 25 years. 1 1837. | 1862. 1837. 1862. Churches Jr 28 21 6 1 X7 1 11 Licensed Rooms 6 29 23 4 i 1 ! 10 2 19 13 | 57 44 10 27 3 30 Clergy 1 1 11 ! 35 ! 1 24 It thus appears that wdthin a quarter of a century there has been an addition of 44 congregations, 21 churches, and 24 clergymen. The places for public worship are more than quadrupled — viz., the regular houses of God nearly trebled, and the incipient ones increased tenfold ! But it may be objected that there is a needless multiplication of con- * Letter to the Rev. W. C. Plunket, from the clergyman of the District , f Occasional Sermons. Fourth Series, 41 gregations, that the folds and shepherds are out of all proportion with the sheep. Now, it should he borne in mind that the Southern division merely of the mission field is of the size of an English county, and the objection may be considered as substantially answered. But we have here the great advantage of independent public testimony afforded by the Blue Books of 1834 and 1861, and I will content myself with the naked state- ment of facts. It may be that I will give offence to the friends or foes of the Missions, by reporting a smaller or larger number of converts than they re- spectively announce, but it should be borne in mind that I do not invent the facts, and am not responsible for them, I merely tabulate and exhibit them. I gladly confess my obligations to the Rev. W. C. Plunket, who identified the various Enumeration Districts of 186 L, and arranged them under their respective benefices, as noticed in 1831. I have, however, verified, con- densed, and arranged the materials. It is only necessary to add, that the Commissioners for Public Instruction made two Returns, the first analysing the population, as given in the Census of 1831, on religious grounds, and the second the Return for 1834, already noticed in these pages, and which was based a good deal on computation. In the Table given ( Appendix Bj, the Return for 1831 has been taken as probably more correct. The general result is, that in a district 80 miles long, and averaging 30 broad, embracing a population of more than 186,000 in 1831, the Roman Catholics have lost 31 per cent, of their numbers, while Protes- tants of all classes have gained more than 70 per cent. The absolute number lost in the former case is upwards of 57,000, and that which is gained in the latter case is 2,326 -j- 336 = 2,662. Let us suppose that the diminution of numbers from deaths, removals, and emigration, was as great among Protestants as among Roman Catholics, or that it amounted to at least 30 per cent, instead of 31. In that case, we should have expected the members of the Established Church (including Methodists) to amount to only 2,794, and other Pro- testant Dissenters to only 88. But we find them to be 6,031 and 491 respectively ; so that the actual gain by conversions to Protestantism appears to be 3,237 to the Established Church, and 403 to the minor sects. This result harmonises in every important point with the state- ments with which we are familiar ; indeed, the gain from conversions is usually stated at only 3,000, though it is clear that it amounts to con- siderably more than that number. If to these we add the clearances that have been effected by death, in a period of 27 years, even this result is much below the truth. From the records which have been kept of the number of converts who died or left the district, it is estimated that they amount to 3,000 more, making, it is said, about 6,000 in all. I have never been connected with the movement, nor taken any part in its promo- tion ; but from a careful examination of the evidence, I see no reason to doubt the substantial accuracy of this statement.* # The following extract is given from a recent speech of the Rev. W. C. Plunket: — “ Let them bear in mind the fact that, if it had been proved at the end of 30 years that their Church in West Connanght had not fallen off in any degree, it would have been a convincing proof of success. Ho would bring forward a proof with reference to this matter. The fact that emigration had acted on members of the Established Church, as well as on Roman Catholics, was convincingly borne testimony to by F 42 The twenty-five benefices given in the Table in the Appendix, are divisible into five sets ; in four of which the Missionary labour has been carried on vigorously, but in the fifth scarcely at all. If we select these four, we find the results still more surprising, as in the fifth even the Protestant population has occasionally declined. * Estab- lished Church and Methodists 1831. Estab- lished Church only. 1861, Increase. Roman Catholics. 1831. Roman Catholics. 1861. Decrease. I. — Achill and Erris, com- prising benefices i. n... 169 965 30,549 24,023 II. — Non-Missionary Ground, hi. — ix III. — Bunlahinch, Tour- makeady, Aasleigh, and Castle Kerke Missions x. — xtn 232 588 16,636 11,893 IY. — Connemara & Arran, XIV. — XXII 495 1932 39,860 32,549 Y. — Oughterard, Spiddal, &C., XXIII. — XXV 543 893 29,099 20,994 1439 4378 2939 116,144 89,459 26,685 Deduct for Methodists ... 165 Total 1274 4378 3104 116,144 89,459 26,685 Estabd. Church, Estabd. Church, Increase Roman Catholics Roman Catholics Decrease 1831. 1861. 1831. 1861. many competent witnesses. He would, however, give a practical example now as to how the deficiency was made up. Three years ago he accompanied the Bishop of Tuam to Connemara, and they were present at a confirmation which was held in the town of Clifden, and embraced members from the parishes of Clifden and Ballin- akill. There were 201 persons there, and from a list which he held in his hand, he found that out of the 201 persons 162 were converts from the Church of Rome (hear, hear.) During last year he was present at a similar confirmation held in the same town, and composed of candidates from the same parishes. Upon that occasion he asked the clergyman of the district to give him a list of the candidates who were confirmed upon the previous occasion, mentioning particularly what had become of each of these different persons. He found from this return that during three years no fewer than 88 out of 201 had left the district, or nearly one-half that number. There was a gap that emigration and persecution had made (hear, hear.) Now ho would show what supplied the gap. Here is a list of those who were con- firmed in the August of last year. In that year 190 persons were confirmed in the same district, and of these 139 were converts from the Church of Rome (hear, hear,) who went to fill up the gap that emigration and persecution had made. Therefore, he would repeat it as an inexorably logical conclusion that if the Church population had at the close of 30 years merely kept up to the standard of 1831, it would have been a proof — a demonstrative proof — of the vast success of missionary operations. But when they found that 3,000 have been added to the Church in the missionary districts of West Connaught, he thought they might go forward without fear, and go on with the missionary labours, of the success of which they had so satisfactory a proof (applause.) ” 43 Thus, if we wish to test the actual missionary labours of the Church, and omit the districts which are only geographically but not virtually included, the Church's population has been nearly quadrupled! In other words, it has risen 344 per cent., while in the same localities the Roman Catholic population has fallen 23 per cent. It will be observed that there are only 25 Benefices or virtual parishes, but so many as 50 enumeration districts or conventional ones within the area under consideration. The population of workhouses and bride- wells is added in : but these are not separate areas. We have thus a practical illustration of the difference between Parish and Benefice , and of the different modes in which the two enumerations of 1831 and 1834 on the one hand, and that of 1861 on the other, were taken. Several of these portions of benefices, outlying parts of parishes, and villages or “ towns,” are distinct communities ; and the increase of Protestants, both past and prospective, at these remote points, is the reason why a large increase has taken place in the number of places of worship. IV —ENGLAND AND IRELAND— RESEMBLANCES AND CONTRASTS. Members of the Established Church too frequently know little of the Church except in their own district. It is rare for them to understand its position in the whole country, and still more rare for them to know it on both sides of the Channel. The following comparison, therefore, will probably be useful to many readers : — 1. England is a manufacturing country, though not exclusively so, densely peopled. Ireland is in general an agricultural country, thinly peopled. England (of course comprising Wales) contains 20,223,746, and Ireland 5,798,967. England, therefore, is equal to three and a half Irelands, if we merely count heads. If modern logic were sound, Eng- land should have seven representatives in Parliament for Ireland’s two, and should pay £7 in taxes for Ireland’s £2, neither more nor less ; whereas, the populations remaining as they are, the larger country might be only twice as important as the smaller, or might be ten times as important. 2. Allowing 33 per cent, to represent all those, Protestant and Roman Catholic, who are not connected with the Established Church in England, we have a present population of 6,673,837, or more than the gross popula- tion of all Ireland, who are dissenters and partial opponents. 3. In England the absolute or gross population is always reckoned as connected with any ecclesiastical district, parish, or diocese ; but when speaking of Ireland, the same persons quote the members of the Established Church only! These are conventionally known as “Episcopalians”; but the term being at once provincial, vulgar, and false, (for Roman Catholics and Moravians are also Irish Episcopalians) it is unworthy the lips of a scholar. 4. Being the Established Church of the realm, that of Ireland is at least equally missionary with that of England ; but both have fallen short 44 of completeness in tlieir work, though from different causes. In reason- ing on the subject of Church Rates in England, a dissenter invariably assumes that the clergy minister to those only who worship inside their churches ; and though this is true from his point of view, or according to the light that is in him, it is utterly false in fact. When a member of the Established Church reasons in a similar way respecting Ireland, he does a grievous wrong to himself and to a good cause ; and, what is of more importance, he does wrong to truth, and falsifies the facts of the case. 5. In England one fourth of the population, or more than five millions , “never darken the door of the house of God.” They are the non- worshippers ; and nearly seven millions more, as we have seen, are alienated. There are fourteen counties* of England whose Church feeling is not to be questioned, yet their non-worsbipping population is greater than the whole number of Roman Catholics in Ireland. Besides, as 117,820 emigrated from Ireland in 1863, both the absolute and relative numbers are fast diminishing ; and the force of this remark is daily in- creasing. 6. Not even in the face of these facts do we despair of England ; for the large resources now at the command of the Ecclesiastical Commis- sioners will in due time effect the complete subdivision of overgrown parishes, and will make suitable provision for the officiating minister. The strongest apology for the existence of Dissent being thus removed, it must eventually die out in many places, especially as it can only exist where it is self-supporting. In Ireland there was £14,523 in the hands of the Commissioners in 1863 for Church purposes ; and this fund is in- creasing. Her members are multiplying, while Roman Catholics are diminishing ; she is alive to her high and holy duties, and anomalies are gradually disappearing. Then, why despair of the Church in Ireland ? The fact is, that as soon as she begins to show herself strong and active, friends who are lavish in professions of kindness, call for manacles and fetters. 7. In both England and Ireland, where the numbers are small the areas of cures are large ; and where the numbers are large the areas of cures are small. We may illustrate the remark by saying that in Pro- testant England there are 28 bishops of the Church, and 12 Roman Catholic bishops ; while in Roman Catholic Ireland there are 12 bishops of the Church, and 28 Roman Catholic ones. Further, in the area embraced by the diocese of Tuarn Killala and Achonry, and where Protestants are few in number, there are 97 Roman Catholic parishes and only 7 1 benefices of the Established Church. On the contrary, in the area embraced by Down and Connor and Dromore, where the majority of the people are Protestants, there are 164 benefices against 62 Roman Catholic parishes. 8. In England, Wales is alienated from the Church, and constitutes the “great difficulty.” It contains a little more than a million of people, and, (including Monmouth,) they are spread over 13 counties. These contain 4 dioceses, with 950 benefices; giving a gross population of * These are — Cheshire, Durham, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Northumberland, Nottingham, Somerset, Stafford, Surrey, Warwick, York. 45 1354 to each benefice, viz., 433 Church people and 921 Dissenters. Now, Munster and Connaught are the Wales of Ireland ; comprising 11 counties, 4 dioceses and two parts of others, and 505 benefices. This gives a gross population of 4,163 to each benefice, including 202 Church people and 29 Protestant Dissenters. Of course there are 3,932 Roman Catholics. The Welsh incumbent occupies a land where law and order are respected ; where Protestantism, even in opposition, shows its peaceful and regular character; where the postman never brings him a letter with a skull and coffin pictured inside ; and where the area of his cure averages eight and a half square miles. In Munster and Con- naught, besides the privations of a remote region, and the incessant claims of a hostile and pauper population, his life is frequently in danger, and he has to do duty among his few sheep in the wilderness over an average area of 31 square miles !* 9. In Ireland the difficulties arise i$ a great degree from extent of area ; so that even in Protestant districts, the population being scattered, benefices are very large. In England, until the close of last century, population being sparse, there were several very large parishes, especially in the north. Lancaster, Whalley, Prestwich, Win wick, and Prestbury may be mentioned as examples. Yet the difficulties in England arise from a sudden and immense rise in the population ; and from want of knowledge, want of means, and want of legal authority to meet it promptly. 10. The English policy, as avowed towards New Zealand, is now to dot over the whole country with clusters of English settlers ; so that a practical garrison of loyal subjects will maintain order at their own risk, and save a colony without cost to the mother country. In this way the Saxons settled among the ancient Britons, and again the Normans among the Saxons. Nearly the same thing was done in Ireland, where, on the east side was the English pale, and “ conformable Protestants ” were “ planted ” especially in the north. But if loyalty be discouraged at present, rebellion only wants the word to develope itself into large proportions; and who knows whether liberal Dissenters might not be found in opposition as in 1798? Let Protestantism only be beaten down, and England erects by her side another Poland, to harrass her soldiers, exhaust her treasury, and defy her laws. 11. As there are Protestant parishes in Ireland, in spite of the dead weight of pauper and labouring population which hangs on their flanks and seeks to be absorbed, so there are Roman Catholic parishes and Ecclesiastical districts in England, especially at such points as Liverpool, London, Preston, and Wigan. My own is one of several in this town. And not only are those districts the special homes of idleness, poverty, and crime, but even the single streets, inhabited by Roman Catholics, are * In the seven dioceses of New Holland there is an average area of 456 square miles to each clergyman, and a gross population of 354, of whom probably 236 are Church people. In the four dioceses of British India there is an average area of 503 square miles, and a gross population of more than 250,000; very few of these, how- ever, are Christians. Ireland in some respects resembles Australia, and in some India. 46 noted for an unusual proportion of crime and immorality.* Our wish is that, in their native land, they shall he elevated as nearly as possible to the Protestant level of intelligence, industry, morality, and order ; the wish of others appears to be that the Protestant population there may be dragged down to the Roman Catholic level. 12. The principle of Unions in Ireland appears repulsive to the English mind : and Canon Wordsworth speaks of them as “ godless combinations, comprising large tracts of country to be superintended by a single pastor, to whom they often supply but a very slender pittance. The churches in the several parishes thus conglomerated, can not all be served by one minister, and, therefore, some are allowed to fall silently into decay. In many cases the parishioners are thus deterred and debarred from coming to Church, * * and Christ’s flock, for which He shed His blood, is scattered abroad like sheep without a shepherd.” Everything that is here stated is literally true ; and yet the system is not without its advan- tages. In the Clergy List for this country we see numerous instances of parishes bracketed together — frequently Unions ; and in mighty England’s great heart — the city portion of London — there are more proportionally than are to be found anywhere else. Within the last two or three years a further series of Unions has been agreed upon by Act of Parlia- liament, of course with the view of dividing and relieving overgrown parishes elsewhere. 13. It is true that there are many ruinous churches in Ireland, from the cause assigned ; but the people seem to like such things rather than otherwise. In a large number of instances, the re-building of a church takes place at a new site ; so that the church is in one place, and the church-yard and ruins at another. f To an English mind this is a painful sight ; — yet I find in the Clergy List notices of 62 English churches in ruins, not to speak of others whose remains have disappeared; for example, nine or ten in Dunwich, Suffolk, which were first deserted by the people, and then carried away piecemeal by the sea. 1 4. It is said that the Irish church contains many sinecures, and with the exception of the word “many” thisistrue. But, therearenot manyparishes in which the faithful performance of the duties would be a light matter, considering the wide area over which the few Protestants are spread. It is true that 199 of the civil parishes are returned as having no members of the Established Church ; but most if not all of these are now united with others in benefices where there are many. In 1834 there were 204 civil parishes with no Church people, and yet there were only 41 bene- fices of that kind. Of the present number of sinecure benefices, if any, the Census contains no record. If there be so many as 20, or even 10, we are ready to admit that there 20 or 10 too many. But, let us look to * See the writer’s Moral and Social Map of the Borough of Liverpool , showing the ecclesiastical districts, and the streets of crime and prostitution, 1858. t The beautiful and rural parish ofBallinderry, on the east bank of Lough Neagh, con- tains four churches, or their ruins. The first, originally on an island of Lough Beg, existed before the Reformation; in the second, Jeremy Taylor preached occasionally; the third was erected about 1660, and deserted in the present generation; the fourth is modern. This parish is not a union, and it is not extensive, yet it con- tains three parochial burying places. 47 England. In 1835 there were 70* sinecure Rectories, viz., 32 in the gift of the Crown, jointly worth £8,894 a year ; 33 in colleges and private persons, worth £9,075 ; and 5 worth £1,404, from which no return was made. — Total value £19,373. There are 12,600 benefices in England, | of which about 1 in 180 is a sinecure ; there are 1,493 benefices in Ireland, so that, in the same proportion, we should expect to find 8. In the peculiar circumstances of the country double that number would not be surprising ; or 1 in 90.J 15. Again, it is urged that the populations in Ireland are small, and though the statement is true in only one sense, let us suppose it to be absolutely true. One principle of an Established Church is that no community shall live without God, but that a priest at the altar shall be maintained in all time. The .-Census of T 834 is the last which gives us the Church numbers in Irish benefices ; and without reckoning a few years of difference, let us compare, from the Census of 1851, the popu- lations of English benefices : — Benefices. Ireland. England. With a population under the nmnber 20... . .. 99 30 20 and under 50.... .. 124 109 50 „ 100 .. 161 362 100 „ 200.... .. 224 1059 200 „ 300 .. 286 909 194 2,469 16. Now we do not attempt to deny or conceal any fact respecting Ireland ; but let us see the full bearing of the reasoning employed. (1.) If all the small benefices, say with only 300, are to be swept away, we must be prepared absolutely for the abolition of nearly thirteen times as many in England as in Ireland ; or relatively , for the destruction of 13 per cent, in Ireland and 20 per cent, in England and Wales. (2.) But this is not all; the disgracefully unfair principle has been adopted in this Table, for the purpose of exposing it, of reckoning only “ Episcopalians ” in Ireland, but the gross population in England. That is to say, there are 194 in Ireland which have 300 Churchmen and under ; there are 2,469 in England which have 300 and under, of population of all creeds. Let us weigh them impartially in the same balance. If the gross population be taken as the standard in Ireland, not a single benefice appears in this Table ; if the Church worshippers merely be reckoned in England, * The situation of the principal of them was as follows: York 3, Lincoln 13, Norwich 17, Essex 5, Lichfield 3, Peterborough 3, Ely 1, Gloucester 2, Exeter 3, Chichester 1, Canterbury 2, Rochester 1, Salisbury 3, Winchester 2, Worcester 2, Llandafi 2. — Total 63, at an average of £257, worth £16,191. t The muster roll of the clergy contains in all about 22,000. Of these the Earl of Abergavenny and others, rals, intelli- gence, social standing, and orderly habits of various classes of the community, the occupations always guide us to some extent, and occa- sionally to a very large extent. It has therefore been thought desirable, not only to state a few of the leading facts, but to show how these tend to illustrate some of the points brought out in other sections. It is said that a Republican elector once exclaimed, in a condition of excitement, “Is notone man as good as another?” and that an Irish bystander exclaimed, “ Aye, to be sure he is, an* far betther.” While intending to sympathise in the sentiment, he very naturally, but quite unconsciously, denied the proposition respecting human equality. We are not equally tall, equally strong, or equally intelligent ; and so in the arrangements of society we cannot all occupy places of the same degree of importance. Some classes of the community are its feet, others its hands, its head, eyes, tongue, &c. ; and we might as well expect that all men will at some period be of the same age, as that all should be of equal importance in society. If the differences caused by occupations be IMMOT), SHOWING THE LOCALITY & PREVALENCE OF THE IRISH SPEAKING POPULATION # m 000 , 70, 000 , 2 000 f,. 1/fri/v, (ra/uwy ,J£erry. 0br%, 7?a/pr0rrc7 (Tare £7nteru2/. L \jfypreraryj Tfarcomnumj ATemtufAtW'. 'ORRALL, LiTH LIVERPOOL ' . • . . 51 overlooked, it is impossible to arrive at any close approximation to truth. The Lord-Lieutenant is added up in the same column of .figures with a rag-and-bone dealer ; the judges of the land with the thuns who Lire themselves out to shed innocent blood ; the magistrates with drunkards and thieves ; and ministers of the gospel with prostitutes and brothel- keepers. Among the mere mechanical occupations, there are some which are more dignified than others. Thus the mason differs from the sweep, the coachmaker from the wigmaker, the carpenter from the goldsmith. And professional men, from their education, from the higher class of duties which they perform, and the more important interests with which they are entrusted and associated, naturally take precedence of numerous other classes. It has been remarked, that “ the importance of the three great professions, with their allied and subordinate members, cannot be over- rated ; yet in point of mere numbers they would be outvoted by the tailors of the kingdom.”* In Ireland, the three learned professions would be outvoted twice over by the tailors ; and they are exceeded in numbers by either the coach and carmen, or the office clerks, or the professional beggars. The pub- licans and pawnbrokers — “those classes who live, one by the vices of the people, and the other by their misfortunes” — are more numerous than the clergy and ministers of religion of all the various creeds ; and the fowl-and-egg dealers would outvote all the barristers, attorneys, soli- citors, and proctors in the country. But in Ireland the curious fact is, that separate classes of occupations are pursued respectively by the great religious sections of the com- munity. Thus we see that the people are not equally distributed, or equally important, but that ethnology and creed on the one hand illus- trate and are illustrated by occupation and social grade on the other. I am not aware that the following line of investigation has ever been followed before; and indeed few will venture upon it now. In the Tables, the males and females are kept distinct; and after consolidating these, it was necessary to calculate the per-centages of a large number, of which these are only a part ; so that even this one chapter has not been written till more than a thousand arithmetical operations were per- formed, and subjected to the necessary checks for ensuring accuracy. The roll of persons engaged in specific occupations does not include all the population, but it comprises more than heads of families ; the relative proportions of Protestants and Roman Catholics, however, are not sen- sibly different from those which are shown in the gross population. The following preliminary statement may illustrate the character of inquiries of this kind, and may also serve to show their importance. If we select five of the more menial and unskilled occupations, (viz., farm-labourers and servants, herds and drovers, seamstresses, domestic servants, and labourers generally,) we find that they embrace 51 per cent, of all the Roman Catholics employed in any way whatever ; and of course the other 49 per cent, are spread over many hundreds of occupations. It may be said that these five occupations embrace a large number of * Census Report for England, 1351, p. 87. 52 the people, in any country, and under any circumstances ; and this is true. But it so happens, that only 21 per cent, of Protestants are engaged in these five employments, while 79 per cent, are spread over all the other occupations. The inference is irresistible, therefore, that in Ireland they are vocations which are specially Roman Catholic or Celtic. II.— DETAILED EXAMINATION. The occupations are arranged under 13 general heads, three of which are again broken up into sub-classes. Under these general heads or sub- classes so many as 789 distinct occupations are enrolled, and it is curious to see throughout, how the work of a man’s hand coincides in a re- markable degree with his religious profession. As we examined the religious professions of a province, (1) in counties, (2) in baronies, and (3) in enumeration districts, so we may here examine the occupations of the whole island, 1, in the most general classes, 2, in sub-classes, and 3, in minute detail. The per-centage of Roman Catholics following any particular trade or business has been calculated ; and the residuary number shows, therefore, the per-centage of Protestants of all kinds following it. The first division stands thus : — 1 . — General Classes. Roman Catholic Occupations. Per-centage of Roman Catholics. Contributing to Amusement 80 Producing Food of various kinds 82 „ Lodging, Furniture, Ma- chinery 83 Unclassed occupations 84 Protestant Occupations. Per-centage of Roman Catholics. Ministering to Banking and Agency 40 Justice and Govt. ... 46 Science and Art 47 Health 50 Charity and Benevo- lence 52 Literature and Edu- cation 56 Religion 59 Clothing 64 Conveyance and trav. 73 It thus appears that the Roman Catholics exceed their relative num- bers in four of the classes, and fall short of them in nine. These four, which we may call, for the sake of distinction, the Roman Catholic occu- pat ons, bear reference merely to the physical wants of human life and to amusement ; while all the other occupations which tend to make life valuable are monopolized by Protestants. It should be borne in mind that the Roman Catholic per-centage for the whole island is 77, and that of Protestants 23 ; so that whenever a greater number of either class ap- pears in connection with any trade, it is unusually popular with that class; or when a less number, it is the reverse. For example, the class producing food consists of 82 Roman Catholics in every 100, and 18 Protestants, (the latter number being deducible from the former, is not given,) instead of 77 Roman Catholics and 23 Protestants, the numbers which, d priori, we should expect to find. 5a The most popular Roman Catholic class, or that in which they attain the highest per-centage, is of a miscellaneous character. But its nature may be inferred from an enumeration of ten occupations, five of which have the greatest number, and five the least number of representatives. Greatest — labourers, miscellaneous dealers, shopkeepers and assistants unspecified, pensioners, beggars. Least — vitriol rectifiers, knights, plate maker, gun-cartridge maker, Russia merchant. It is no wonder that Ireland is the chosen home of wit and humour, when the market for amusement is so large, and produces such an appre- ciable effect upon the character of the population. If we add together the pipers, fiddlers, play actors, and ballad singers, we have a number absolutely larger than is found in the whole section of u Science and Art.” The Irish are an imaginative people, it is true, but imagination with them moves in a particular direction. 2 . — Comparison including the Sub-Classes * Three of the General Classes are sub-divided as follows : — I. Ministering to Food, (1, vegetable food; 2, animal food; 3, drinks ; 4, miscellaneous food.) II. Ministering to Clothing, (1, wool clothing; 2, cotton do.; 3, flax ; 4, skin ; 5, silk ; 6, straw ; 7, miscellaneous.) III. Ministering to Lodging, Furniture, and MACHiNERYj (1, architecture ; 2, furniture ; 3, machinery.) If we combine these sub-classes with the ten general classes which are not sub-divided, we have a new arrangement under 24 heads. The following are the particulars — Roman Catholic Occupations. Per-C'ntage of R. C. Skin Clothing * 77 Architecture 78 Amusement 80 D'inks 81 Vegeta b'e Food. 82 Ui i classed Employments 84 Furniture 84 Wool Cloildng 88 Animal Food 91 •Those printed in i Protestant Occupations. Per-centage of R. C. Banking and Agency 40 Flax Clothing 43 Justice and Government 46 Science and Art 47 Health 50 Charity and Benevolence 52 Cotton Clothing 53 Literature and Education 56 Religion 59 Straw Chthing 66 Silk Clothing 06 Miscellaneous Chthing 67 Conveyance and Travelling 73 Miscellaneous Food 73 Machinery 76 lies are Sub-Classes. The following inferences are obvious : — 1. The Roman Catholic occupations, nine in number, are those in which a large number of persons are employed ; the Protestant ones, fifteen in number, embrace a more limited number of persons* 54 2. The general class, “ Banking and Agency,” stands at the top as before, showing that property is to a large extent in the hands of Pro- testants. 3. The most Protestant manufacture, or that in which the smallest per-centage of Roman Catholics is engaged, is that of Flax Clothing ; and this is explained by its geographical position in Ulster. Of every 100 persons 57 are Protestants and 43 Roman Catholics. 4. The Cotton manufacture is also chiefly seated in Ulster, but the distinction of creed, though still very noticeable, is less marked. Instead of 77 Roman Catholics and 23 Protestants, (the proportions for Ireland,) we find 53 Roman Catholics and 47 Protestants, which are an approxi- mation to the relative proportions for the province. 5. In Literature and Education there are only 56 per cent of Roman Catholics employed ; and, as this occupation is not localized, the figures must be contrasted with 77, the relative number of Roman Catholics in the island. 6. The remaining four classes on that side are also Protestant occupa- tions. Although the per-centage of Roman Catholics is larger, it is still below the the standard number, 77. 7. The religious and moral agents of the Protestant faiths, and of course supported by Protestants, in like manner exceed the expected proportions. 8 The more closely we scrutinise, the more clearly we discern that the occupations of the Roman Catholics are of a lowly character. The producers of animal food and wool clothing exceed in the per-centages even the highest of the general classes. 9. The promotion of Health, which tends to prolong human existence, the exercise of Charity and Benevolence, which tends to sweeten it, the cultivation of Science and Art, which elevate the intellect and refine the taste, and the promotion of Literature and Education, — all these are Protestant occupations. 10. It has been well said that Justice and Government constitute one of the most elevated exercises of the human faculties; for the daily happiness of millions depends on their correct application. These we find near the top, among the Protestant occupations. 3 . — Occupations in Detail. It would have been at once extremely difficult and practically useless to have examined the per-centage of Roman Catholics in each of the 789 occupations ; for in some instances there is nothing to arrest our attention, and in many occupations there is nothing characteristic, so that a difference of per-centage might be the result of an accident. I have, therefore, selected about 200 occupations, from all the 13 general classes, (and from all the 24, including the sub-classes) ; and they are so varied in character as to be extremely illustrative and suggestive. [A. — Roman Catholic Occupations.] There are a few employments in which the Roman Catholic members reach 100 per cent,— that is to say, not one of them is followed by any 55 Protestant. These are— forced-meat and sausage makers, trotter-cleaners, fowl-skewer makers, cordial dealers, leather-breeches makers, brogue makers, flock makers, carriage brokers, pipers. The following are almost exclusively Roman Catholic occupations Feather dealers, 99 per cent. Roman Catholics. Pig jobbers, tobacco- pipe makers, 93 per cent. Fiddlers, 97 per cent. Turf and bog- wood dealers, snuff makers, fish mongers, and shell-fish collectors, 95 per cent. Beggars, chimney-sweeps, woollen spinners, dealers in old clothes, blacking makers, herds and drovers, cattle dealers, 94 per cent. Water carriers, fowi-and-egg dealers, dairy keepers and milkmen, miscellaneous clothing dealers, 93 per cent. Picture dealers, 92 per cent. To this point, the per-centage of Roman Catholics employed is greater than in the highest sub-classes ; in other words, the foregoing are the most exclusively Roman Catholic employments with which we are acquainted. The following are in continuation : — Cattle dealers, woollen dealers, masons, 91 percent. Tobacconists and tobacco twisters, huxters and provision dealers, coach and car- owners, masons’ labourers, pedlars, stone-cutters, miscellaneous provision dealers, 90 per cent. Farm labourers, fishermen, vendors of soft goods, coopers, brothel-keepers, labourers, 89 per cent. [. Producers of Wool Clothing .*] Crate and basket makers, miners, slaters, charwomen, 88 per cent. Butchers, thatchers, French- polishers, midwives, 87 per cent. Waiters and pot-men, prostitutes, lime-burners, coach and carmen, 86 per cent. Domestic servants, dog-fanciers, billiard-markers, 85 per cent. To this point, the occupations are all more Roman Catholic in their character than the highest of the thirteen general classes, which stands at 84. In other wor a a 138 216 19 8 t? 4180 3482 498 130 4327 3819 518 138 Westport tn Westport Quay tn Westport Vliouse 5 68 4 53 1 1831 QO rl 381 73 58 92 8,290 8802 Oil 11,954 12,557 VII. — Aghagower 1861 Loss per cent... ... 25 37 30 Part of Mo. 520 Mo. 530 211 96 2852 2216 Part of 7 31 2603 oi on ••• 4140 1831 32 d. 307 an a 7 31 4723 11,419 5068 040 12,045 VIII. — Kilmaclasser 1861 Loss per cent... ... 51 ... 59 58 Mo. 520 32 d. no 9 1237 3278 1274 1831 4o IDO 8444 IX. — ISLANDEADY 1861 Loss per cent... ... 83 ... ... 62 63 Part of Mo. 520 Mo. 522 49 1 1 7 2370 1839 Part of 1 2303 1837 ••• 1831 36 d. 50 07 2 17 4140 853 7 4209 8564 X. — Kilgeever 1861 Gain per cent... Loss j, ... 85 ... *51 *‘*49 TCiIo'Pavpv p v Mo. 520 a jj 166 14 20 Louisburgli tn. ... Roonagh tn ... 5470 647 125 5656 661 125 1831 48 d. 180 104 ... 20 0 6242 11,793 6442 11,900 O i 1 Gain per cent... Loss ,, 73 ... 566 ‘**47 ”*46 • 65 1 Benefices or Parishes Practically. Enumeration Dis- tricts, convention- ally called Parishes. County and Page of Report. Established j Church. Methodists. Other Px-otestants. Roman Catholics. Total. XI. — Ballyorie 1861 Ballyorie, p.r Mo. 521 202 2 2460 2664 Tooreen, tn 5> ... ... 173 173 202 2 2633 2837 1831 36 d. 16 • •• • •• 4009 4025 Gain per cent... Loss „ 1162 34 *29 XII— Ross 3673 3726 1861 Gy. 511 50 1 2 1831 42 d. 11 4350 4361 Gain per cent... Loss „ ... 354 ... 16 *14 XIII.— Cong 18B1 Part of p Gy. 511 Mo. 528 81 2329 2410 Part of p 55 io 2809 2874 Cong, tn 20 449 469 156 10 5587 5753 1831 36 d. 101 8277 8378 Gain per cent... Loss ,, • •• 54 • •• 32 *31 XIV.— Ballynakill 4289 4587 1861 Gy. 691 34 d. 278 4 16 1831 90 7093 7183 Gain per cent... Loss „ 209 • •• 39 *36 XV. — Omey 18fil Omey p.r Gy. 491 620 3 3 4159 4785 Clifden tn. 199 16 1 1218 1434 „ w’house.. 33 8 129 137 ,, bridewell 33 1 1 827 19 4 5507 6357 1831 34 d. 179 6538 6717 Gain per cent... Loss „ 362 ... 15| * *5 XVI— Moyrus 7944 8150 1861 Moyrus p.r Roundstown tn... Gy. 491 197 5 4 61 2 1 344 408 258 7 5 8288 8558 1831 34 d. 106 2 9684 9792 Gain per cent... Loss ,, 143 150 13 12* j 1 Benefices or Parishes Practically. Enumeration Dis- tricts, convention- ally called Parishes. County and Page of Report, Established Church. Methodists. J Other Protestant--.. Roman Catholics. Total. XVII . — Ballindoon 1861 ••• Ml 305 1 3956 4262 1831 34 d. 6 4937 4943 Gain per cent... 4,983 | XVIII. — Inisboffin Loss „ 19 13£ 1861 Mo. 631 1236 1236 1831 34 d. 4 "*1 1457 1462 Loss per cent... ... 15 15£ XIX . — Killannin 1861 ... Gy. 610 169 4 7783 7956 1831 34 d. 88 8879 8967 Gain per cent... 92 Loss ,, ... ... 12 10 XX. — Arranmore 1861 Arran p.r Gy. 488 5 1200 1205 Killeany tn • •• ... 459 459 Kilronan tn 68 55 7 625 73 2216 2289 1831 34 d. 26 ... ”2 2287 2315 Gain per cent... 280 Loss „ 3 1 XXI. — Inishmain 1861 Gy. 488 • •• 478 478 1831 34 d. 434 434 Gain per cent... 10 10 XXII. — Inisheer 1861 Gy. 488 22 ... 510 532 1831 34 d. 442 442 I Gain per cent... ... ... ... ... 15 20 1 XXIII. — Kilcummin 1861 Parish r 207 43 23 7286 7559 Oughterard tn ... 80 41 775 896 ,, w’house . 1 71 72 ,, b’dewell. 1 1 288 84 23 8133 8528 1831 48 d. 153 9663 9816 Gain per cent... 88 Loss ,, ... ... ’l5| *13 G7 Benefices or Parishes Practically, Enumeration Dis- tricts, convention- ally called Parishes. County and Page of Report. T3 At A sg £1 3 ci -SO W Methodists. Other Protestants. 1 Roman Catholics. Total. XXIV.— Rahoon 1861 Rahoon (Gy. tn.) 199 16 76 3154 3445 ,, w’ ho use. 4 ... 383 387 Rahoon r.p 254 11 *27 4181 4473 Barna tn 24 • •• IM 329 353 Rahoon r.p ... 5 ... ... 451 456 486 27 103 8498 9114 1831 46 d. 384 4 13,747 14,135 Gain per cent... 26^ 2475 Loss ,, ”*38 35^ XXV. — Moycullen 1861 Moycullen r.p 34 6 4253 4293 Spiddal tn 85 HO 195 119 6 4363 4488 1831 46 d. 6 ... 5689 5695 Gain per cent... 1883 Loss ,, *23 *21 Total in 1861 5741 290 l 491 125,007 131,529 „ 1831 3705 125 182,209 186,039 Gain 2036 290 336 2326 Loss 57,202 54,610 BY THE SAME AUTHOR. ANCIENT MEOLS ; or some Account of the Antiquities found near Dove Point, on the sea coast of Cheshire. Illustrated with 6 maps, 30 plates, with 435 figures, and about 350 wood engravings. Pp. 428, 8vo. John Russell Smith, London. Price One Guinea. FOUR MAPS, showing Liverpool Ecclesiastically, Historically, Muni- cipally, Morally, and Socially. Neatly mounted, 2s. each. The four in a case, 8s. 6d. CONDITION OF LIVERPOOL, RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL, with a MAP, which may be had Coloured Ecclesiastically, Historically, Municipally, or Morally and Socially. 1858. One Shilling and Sixpence. BY THE SAME AUTHOR. THE INSUFFICIENCY OF THE VOLUNTARY SYSTEM. TO MAKE SPIRITUAL PROVISION for the COUNTRY. A Lecture. , Sowler & Sons, Manchester, 1861. One Penny. UNIQUE MAP, showing the Spiritual Destitution of Seventy- Three Great Towns in England. A few copies in a case, specially printed from a Report of a Committee of the Lords. 1859. One Shilling and Sixpence. REMARKS on the CENSUS of RELIGIOUS WORSHIP (1851) FOR ENGLAND AND WALES. With a Map. 1860. One Shilling. ANALYSIS OF THE SUBSCRIBERS TO THE VARIOUS CHURCH SOCIETIES IN LIVERPOOL. Privately printed, for the use of Canvassers. 1861. CHURCH EXTENSION IN LIVERPOOL. Remarks on the Census of the Borough for 1861, with suggestions for the formation of a new Church Building Society. With a Map. 1861. Privately printed. CLERICAL LABOUR : ITS OCCASIONAL CHARACTER AND EXTENT, as shown by ft A Lancashire Incumbent,” in Correspondence with the Times Newspaper. The articles on the subject, from several journals, Collected and Edited. Privately printed. 1861. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN OUR LARGE TOWNS. Written in reply to the articles of Herbert S. Skeats, Esq., in the Non- conformist Newspaper, on “ Dissent in Poor Populous Places.” 34 pp., with a Map, showing the migration of more than forty Dissenting Chapels in Liverpool. London: Seeley, Jackson, & Halliday. 1862. Eightpence. DEFENCE NOT DEFIANCE; OR, A FEW WORDS FOR THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND: Including, (1) THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND THE BEST HOME MISSIONARY; (2) THE ACTUAL PROGRESS OF DISSENT IN ENGLAND; (3) FURTHER EXPOSURE OF FALLACIES AND MISSTATEMENTS. Oxford and London: J. H. & J. Parker. Price Fourpence, GEORGE M c CORQUODALE AND CO., PRINTERS, LIVERPOOL AND LONDON. I :