FUNDAMENTAL RESOLUTIONS.

I. That the influence of true religion over a people forms the best security for their individual rights, and the surest basis of national prosperity.

II. That the British Constitution acknowledges in its principle and laws the Sovereignty of Almighty God, and the Supreme Authority of his Holy Word, and has provided for the Scriptural Instruction of the people by its religious establishments.

III. That in opposition to this principle of the Constitution, doctrines have of late been propagated, that religion is unconnected with the duties of Legislation, that in the eye of the State all religions are alike-and that support should be equally given or denied to all.

IV. That under cover of these doctrines, the members of the Church of Rome are zealously exerting themselves to destroy the Protestant character of the Constitution, and that the first object to which they direct their efforts, is the overthrow of the Established Churches, as forming the main obstacle to their ulterior designs.

V. That to counteract these efforts, all who venerate the Word of God, and value the British Institutions, should be called on to co-operate in pointing out to the people the peculiar dangers of the present time, and in taking measures to inspire them with a just sense of the blessings and benefits of the Protestant Constitution,

RULES.

I. That the Association be under the direction of a President, Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, and a Committee, not exceeding twenty-five, who shall have the power of appointing Secretaries.

II. That Annual Subscribers of ten shillings and upwards, and Donors of five guineas and upwards, assenting to the Fundamental Resolutions, be Members of the Association.

III. That a General Meeting of the Association shall be held at least once in every year.

IV. That the Committee be chosen annually, out of the Members of the Association.

V. That the Office-bearers be, ex-officio, Members of the Committee.

VI. That the Accounts of the Association be audited annually, by three Auditors, to be appointed at the Annual Meeting.

VII. That the Committee, of whom five shall be a quorum, shall have power to regulate all matters relating to their own Meetings, or those of the Association, to fill up vacancies in their body, and generally to conduct and manage the affairs and funds of the Association.

REPORT.

IN presenting the Second Annual Report, your Committee desire expressively to call attention to the present critical circumstances of the Association, and of Protestant interests. During the past year one portion of their arduous work has been carried on, not without hesitation on the part of some of their friends; but still your Committee have abundant reason to be thankful to Almighty God for the increased encouragement which they have received in the course which they decided to pursue. Your Committee refer to that which they consider the leading feature of their operations during the past year-the adoption of the Petition for the exclusion of Roman Catholics from Parliament. Shortly after the last Annual Meeting, another Meeting of the members and friends of the Association was held in the Lower Hall, J. E. Gordon, Esq., in the chair, at which the following Petition was brought forward and adopted.

"The Petition of the undersigned Protestants signing the same in London,

"That your Petitioners regard the admission of Roman Catholics to legislative power as equally at variance with Christian duty, and with the Protestant principles and character of the British Constitution.

"That peril to the Protestant religion, and more imme

diately to the Established Churches of the United Kingdom, having been apprehended from the admission of Roman Catholics to legislative power, in order to obviate this danger, and as an adequate security for our Protestant Establishments, it was, by the Act of the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine, for the Relief of His Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects enacted, that all members of that communion should, previously to entering on their legislative functions, swear that they will defend, to the utmost of their power, the settlement of property within this realm, as established by the laws;' and also that they do 'disclaim, disavow, and solemnly abjure any intention to subvert the present Church Establishment, as settled by law within this realm;' and further, that they never will exercise any privilege to which they are or may become entitled, to disturb or weaken the Protestant religion or Protestant Government in the United Kingdom.' That, notwithstanding the security which this solemn oath was intended to provide, the Roman Catholic members of the Legislature have used their utmost exertions, in as well as out of Parliament, for the destruction of the Church Establishment, especially of that part of it existing in Ireland; that they have voted for the alienation of its property, a measure characterized by his late Majesty's Prime Minister, its advocate in the House of Peers, as a heavy blow to Protestantism in Ireland;' and that they have also voted for the subtraction of Church-rates from the revenues of the Church of England, not scrupling to avow, as their ulterior object, that the State should withdraw its support altogether from any particular denomination of Christians, leaving all alike to the precarious maintenance of the voluntary system, but with the ultimate design, as your Petitioners are convinced, of finally establishing the domination of the Popish superstition:

Honour

"Your Petitioners humbly submit to your able House that the foregoing brief statement establishes beyond all controversy the two following facts :

"I. That, upon the admission of Roman Catholics to

Parliament, a certain security was intended to be provided by the Legislature for the Church Establishment.

"II. That the security has proved wholly inefficacious. "Under these circumstances, your Petitioners humbly submit to your Honourable House, that it is absolutely necessary to devise some more effectual safeguard for our National Establishments; that Scriptural authority, and the principles of the British Constitution, as well. as experience, call for the total exclusion of Roman Catholics from the Legislature; and your Petitioners implore your Honourable House to take such steps as may be deemed advisable for the accomplishment of this essential object,

"And your Petitioners will ever pray," &c.

To this most important protest against our national alliance with the Church of Rome about 3,000 signatures were attached. It was presented in the House of Lords on the 28th of November by his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, one of your Vice-Presidents, whose Parliamentary conduct has been uniformly characterized by unwearied and uncompromising zeal for the cause of Protestantism; and supported by the Earl of Winchelsea and Viscount Lorton. In the House of Commons it was presented on the 9th of February by John Pemberton Plumptre, Esq., with a declaration of his unwavering opposition to the Act of 1829. The reception of it was in the first instance opposed by some Ministerial members, but after a discussion which will be referred to with much interest, that attempt to suppress the voice of the Petitioners was not persisted in.

A Petition to the same effect, which had received