"ment independent and well supplied with the “necessaries and conveniences of life.

"To the college are attached more than a thou"sand acres of land, which the Jesuits keep in their "own hands, and farm under the direction and

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management of one of their members. In addi"tion to the produce of this land, which is con"sumed in the college, the Jesuits, by means of

large purchases from the neighbouring farmers ❝ and others, extend their influence, and with it "their faith, throughout the whole of the sur"rounding country. Conversion of Protestants, "and Roman Catholic instruction are provided "for, on a scale the most extensive and complete; "and the success of the experiment, we are sorry "to say, has been fully equal to the preparations.

"The pupils in the establishment are collected "from various parts of Great Britain and Ireland, "and the Continent; so that the Jesuits in this 66 college have extensive communications and "correspondence with numerous parts of the "world; and the importance of their letters may "be inferred from the particular precautions "which they adopt respecting them. Their pre"sent number of pupils is supposed to be from "two to three hundred, which is thought to be "not more than the average for the last five and twenty years.

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"Within a quarter of a mile of the college, "is a seminary for boarding and educating boys

b

preparatory to their entering the establishment "at Stonyhurst. This initiatory institution is ap"propriated exclusively to those who are des"tined for the superior college, and our author very justly remarks, that the almost entire "seclusion of these youths from all intercourse "with mankind, which takes place during their probationary studies, is not calculated to re"move the distrust and apprehension which "are naturally excited by the mystery which "attaches more or less to Jesuitism in general.

"There is every reason to suppose the Stony"hurst Society to be possessed of considerable "wealth, arising from the profits accruing from "their pupils and their estate, with perhaps "some other sources, such as the voluntary dona"tions of their partizans and admirers. Their "influence is greatly strengthened by their being "the accredited heads of the neighbourhood, especially in their own manor, and the sur"rounding district, so that they feel no necessity " for being either timid or private in their un"ceasing efforts to make proselytes. By their "exertions, Popery has alarmingly increased in "the duchy.-It is certain, that whereas before "their arrival there was not perhaps half a score

Papists about Stonyhurst, the greater part of "the population in that vicinity, to the amount "of some thousands are now become such; and "the principal Jesuit priest of Preston is said to

"have made a boast, that when he came to the

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place a little more than twenty years ago, a "small room would have accommodated his "whole congregation, whereas now, two large chapels, which have been since erected, and "are each capable of containing two thousand, " are not sufficient for their converts.

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"It is not an unimportant or unalarming cir"cumstance to those who know the real charac"ter of this Order, that the Roman Catholic "chapels in that part of England, which are nearly "as numerous as the Protestant Churches, are filled ઉં "not with ordinary priests, but with priests of "the Society of Jesuits. Several Jesuit ministers " are stationed at the neighbouring town of Pres❝ton, who frequently make excursions to Ireland, " and who, since the peace, have maintained con"siderable intercourse with France, and other "parts of the Continent."

σε

"The Jesuits, in conjunction with the Papists "in general, lately created a large school upon "the new system for the education of children "of both sexes to the number of about a "thousand, to which the members of Parliament for Preston, as well as CERTAIN CLERGYMEN and "other avowed Protestants are stated to have largely contributed."

"To those who have well considered the gen"eral history and character of the Jesuits, the

"subtility and ingenuity with which they thus in"sinuate themselves into the confidence of re"spectable and opulent Protestant families, and "the dexterity with which they mould them "to their latent purposes, will not appear at "all surprising. It is a fact, that these men "have regularly and systematically preached for

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years past in the populous town of Preston, 66 against the English church and faith; while it "is said that even the booksellers of the town are "afraid publicly to expose for sale any books against Popery, though there is a bookseller in "the town, whose windows and shop are covered "with Anti-protestant publications. The Jesuits "literally exert an ascendancy over a considerable "number of the clergy and magistracy in the "neighbourhood, and boast among their patrons " and allies names of considerable influence and respectability."

"The danger with which such an establishment "is pregnant, both to the Protestant faith and even the Protestant government of these realms "is too obvious to need much comment; especi

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ally when we consider that the intrigue is con"ducted in a part of the country most favourably "circumstanced to promote its success. The "dense population of Lancashire, and the disaf"fection of a large class of its manufacturing in"habitants, render a Jesuit college in the neigh

*

"bourhood doubly ominous and alarming. If "one institution of the kind be thus allowed, "there can be no reason, if it so please his Holi"ness the Pope, whose sworn servants the Jesuits "are, why a similar system should not be intro"duced into every other county and neighbour"hood in England. It cannot be said in extenu❝ation, that although the college has been thirty

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years in existence, it has done no injury, and "therefore ought not to be suppressed; for the "undeniable fact is, that in a religious point of "view, it has done incredible harm; and the probability is, that in a very few if the sysyears, "tem be suffered to go on with its present accel"erated progress, but a small number of Protes"tants will be found in the county of Lancaster, "or within a considerable distance of its influence. "Even nearer home, the number of Roman Ca"tholics is sensibly on the increase; so much so, "that it has been calculated that in England ❝alone, there are not at present much fewer than "one thousand public chapels in the connexion, "besides the private chapels of Catholic families, "of which far the greater part have been erected "within the last five and twenty years. Consid"ering these things, we are not much surprised

* "We would, however, in candour add, that at a late meet"ing of magistrates in Lancashire, these fathers have thought proper to send in a very loyal and proper address on the " occasion."