the Sick. It is false that there are differences on these points between my clerical brethren and myself. And it is false that a reference or appeal has been made to the Pope, &c. At least, if these statements are not false, I am, to this moment, not cognizant of any such facts. In short, the whole paragraph in the Morning Herald is, as it relates to me, a fabrication from the beginning to the end: the invention probably of the same ingenious, but not over-scrupulous person, who lately forged the letter, signed Bernard Smith,' denying his conversion to the Catholic Faith. I am sure you will do me the favour to insert these few lines; and regretting that I am obliged to obtrude myself on the notice of your readers, I remain, dear Sir, your faithful servant in CHRIST.

Edgebaston, Jan. 24, 1843.

"R. WALDO SIBTHORP."

The following letter has also appeared in several papers. "To the Editor of the Morning Herald.

"St. Mary's College, Birmingham, "3rd Sunday after Epiph., 1843. 'SIR.-My attention has been called to a paragraph copied from the Herald, in which it is stated that the Rev. Mr. Sibthorp is reported to have already serious differences with his brethren of the Romish priesthood: that he refuses to pray to the Virgin, or to be a party to auricular confession; that an appeal is now pending to Rome for decision as to the absolute necessity of these practices; that the decision is looked for with great interest as a test of the probability of further concessions from Rome to converts from the Tractarians, and, finally, that should the decision be adverse, Mr. Sibthorp, it is said, will secede from the Romish Church.'

'A paragraph, much in the same strain, appeared a short time ago in the Record, or some other religious paper, and went, what is called, the round of the papers;' but it was not thought worth while paying any attention to it.

But now that

a repetition of what is not true is made in your paper, and will,

probably, be copied by others, I feel it my duty to come forward, however reluctantly, and give a direct and complete denial to every part of the statement above quoted. It is not true that there has ever been the slightest difference between Mr. Sibthorp and his ecclesiastical brethren or superiors; it is not true that he has ever refused or hesitated to pray to the B. Virgin, or to be a party to auricular confession, (whether they mean to frequent or to administer the Sacrament of Penance); it is not true that any appeal has been made, or is pending, to Rome on these subjects, or any other connected with Mr. Sibthorp; consequently it is not true that any decision is looked for from Rome in any such matter; it is not true that any concessions to converts have ever been thought of; and, in fine, a shadow of fear of Mr. Sibthorp's secession from the Catholic Church has never been entertained by any one acquainted with him.

"Had there been the slightest ground for any one of the statements put forth in that paragraph, I must, from position, have been acquainted with it, and Mr. S., whom I have seen this very evening, is aware of my intention of writing this contradiction. Two topics have been particularly selected by the writer of the paragraph (as calculated to give currency to his fiction) for the subject of Mr. Sibthorp's doubts, prayers to the B. Virgin, and auricular confession. As to the first, if the writer had been in St. Chad's Cathedral, in Birmingham, on Sunday last, he would have heard Mr. S. preach upon that very subject, in language which would have left no doubt on his mind as to the Rev. gentleman's opinions and practice. As to auricular confession, I would only suggest to the same writer to inquire from Mr. S. himself what are his sentiments, as I am not aware that he has publicly spoken on it. Nor do I think the trouble of such an application, sure as it is of being courteously met, should be considered as thrown away, when its being taken would save, what ought to be saved at any expense, the assertion of an untruth. But in fact it would not have cost much trouble to ascertain that the Rev. Mr. S.

occupies every Saturday, or even oftener, one of the confessionals in St. Chad's, where the inquiry, if necessary, might have been made without danger of intrusion.

"I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

"N. WISEMAN, Bishop of Melipotamus.

["The rumour which the Rev. Dr. Wiseman now contradicts had been in circulation so long without any denial, that it was generally believed to be well founded; we regret to find that it is not."-ED. M.H.]

We believe both these letters to be FORGERIES, Popery is a system of lies and subterfuges. Will either Dr. Wiseman or Mr. Sibthorp please to tell us how any man can WORSHIP any being? and what one act of religious worship is offered to GOD, which Papists do not offer to Mary? If Mr. Sibthorp "do not WORSHIP the Virgin Mary " he may belong to the CATHOLIC, but he does not belong to the Roman Catholic Church.

"CATHO

POPISH STATISTICS; OR, EXTRACTS FROM THE
LIC DIRECTORY, AND ANNUAL REMEMBRANCER
FOR THE YEAR 1843."

CHURCHES AND CHAPELS. Virginia Street. "The late change and consequent alterations, &c., have involved the managers in a considerable debt."

FRENCH. Little George Street, King Street, Portman Square. chapel now depends upon subscription for its support."

"This

"The

WESTMINSTER. St. Mary's, Romney Terrace, Marsham Street. regular receipts of this Chapel have been found scarcely sufficient to pay the rent and other indispensable charges, leaving the maintenance of the chaplains wholly out of the question."

HAMMERSMITH. No. 5, King Street. Chapel in debt." HAMPSTEAD. St. Mary's, Holly Place. Gross Idolatry. "This chapel

was solemnly blessed under the invocation, and in honour of the B.V.M. who is known to have been in ancient times the Patroness of this place !!"

BERMONDSEY. Parker's Row, Dock-head. "The population incapable of defraying the necessary expenses of the Chapel. Two numerous schools now almost destitute of the means of keeping them open any longer."

WOOLWICH. St. Peter's New Catholic Church. "N.B. An annual solemn mass of ‘Requiem' will be offered up in perpetuum for all benefactors." ["There is no peace saith my God to the wicked," (Isai. lvii. 20, 21.) Poor Papists! have they no "rest" for their souls ?] COLCHESTER. Idolatry. "Solemn invocation of the patronage and intercession of our Blessed Lady." [If the LORD do not help them, little good indeed will she do them. "A deceived heart hath turned them aside," with old idolators, to "worship the Queen of Heaven."]

CRAYFORD. St. Mary of the Cray. "The scattered members of this congregation are at present unable to supply even the indispensable necessaries of the Pastor."

NEWARK. Parliament Street. "As there is no permanent foundation for either the mission or schools, assistance is most respectfully solicited." [What became of the old priest, Mr. Iver's, property? Thereby hangs a tale.]

COLRIDGE. "There is a splendid school-house attached to the Church, capable of containing five hundred children, male and female; but now partially useless, owing to a want of sufficient funds."

LEEK. "The Pastor of Leek appeals to the readers of the Directory in behalf of the Sunday Schools, which have here struggled into existence."

COVENTRY. "The Chapel at Coventry is in a ruinous condition." LEE HOUSE, near Preston. "Vacant."

PRESTON. Chapel Street. "The school is in considerable debt." HARTLEPOOL. St. Kildas. "The funds at present are quite inadequate to the necessities of the schools."

NEWPORT, Wales. "A debt remains to the large amount of £2,890; and a formal notice has recently been sent to the R. R. Vicar Apostolic by the Creditors, that unless the whole is repaid within a short period they will proceed to sell the Church."

PONTYPOOL and ABERSYCHAN. "Vacant." Recently excluded from the room in the Village Inn.

CARDIFF. "The Missioner at Cardiff continues to have no means whatever for his own support, and the maintenance of a large poorschool, besides the weekly, uncertain, and sometimes very inadequate collections made by his needy flock."

MERTHYR TYDVIL. "Has no chapel, but says two masses every Sunday; one at Merthyr, in a dark low loft, without ceiling, and gaping between the tiles of its roof, beneath which is the foul, noisy public slaughter-house of the town; the other at six miles distance, in a room of a public-house." "The collections" to meet the expenses, "have latterly been inadequate to furnish the bare necessaries of life."

(To be continued.)

THE

CHRISTIAN WATCHMAN

AND

MIDLAND COUNTIES' PROTESTANT MAGAZINE.

POPISH STATISTICS; OR, EXTRACTS FROM THE "CATHOLIC DIRECTORY AND ANNUAL

REMEMBRANCER FOR THE YEAR 1843."

SWANSEA.

(Continued from page 176.)

"The Chapel is in a ruinous condition." "The floor of the scanty building devoted to [Roman] Catholic worship, gives way in numerous holes beneath the feet, whilst the decayed and crumbling roof` threatens the lives of the crowd which is jammed together underneath."

WREXHAM. "This Chapel is still encumbered with a debt of £300, even the interest upon which the Right Rev. Vicar Apostolic of the District has no present means of paying; neither has the Rev. Incumbent, whose annual income, including all the perquisites of his mission, amounts to no more than £84, unless by subjecting himself to very great privations."

TOTAL NUMBER OF CHAPELS IN ENGLAND AND WALES, 500, showing an increase of thirteen in the year. There has been a decrease in the county of Herefordshire and Yorkshire of five chapels, during the same period. In the "Central District," two new chapels are reported for Warwickshire; we suppose the one is in connexion with the Convent at Handsworth, the other with Kenilworth, attached for the present to Coventry. But in the "Ecclesiastical Statistics of the Central District," the number of churches and chapels is the same as that given last year. There are five additional " Missionary Priests in the Mission," the number now being 106. There have been many changes among the Priests. Eighty-six new names appear on the list, and fifty-six are omitted. Some of these, we know, have ceased to be idolatrous priests; Is it possible that all these have been converted? Nothing, indeed, is too great for the grace of God to effect, but though we are aware that the downfall of Popery is plainly foretold in His Holy Word, yet we must not be too sanguine.

N