The National Register. — London, England, 1813-03-07 00:00:00

AfIk.RCH 7. the Clergy had stepped forward in the business. He believed in his conscience, that instead of the Protestants being more adverse than formerly, they were now by many degrees more favourable ro the claims of the Catholics. The Hon. F. ROBINSON said, he thought the question was now coe to that point when it wit; impossible to - refuse corssideration the m claims of the Catholics. He was therefore for going into a Com mitre:, and for securities being given. Sir T. ACKLAND, ol)sereed, that the question was not about leav ing our Consti talon in Church and State withont securities, but Nvhether, in the room of the securities now existin, others might not he sub aituted that were as free from danger, and less objectionable. If no real good were to be expected from the House going unto a Com mittee, he should nut vote for it. He believed, however, that it would nut he difficult to find other securities, which woull remove ti e apprehended. As to the effectual preservation and guard of the Protestant Church, he thought it almost as necessary as the preservation of our Monarchy and of our liberties. In the laws which . were passed at the time of the Union between England and Scotland, there was an express reservation of the power of Parliament to alter the provisions of those enactments, if they thought proper. He could not avoid recollecting that many of the greatest Statesmen of our age, however they diffi:red on other points of policy, were agreed on this, that there was a po s sibility of making a safe arrangement of the Catholic claims, without danger to the present constitution. Last year it had appeared to the majority of the House, that the time was come for taking into consideration those Catholic petitions. He mac a new Member of that House, but he considered the resolution of the House last Session to be a legacy which the present Parliament should be anxious to ratify and confirm. He would certainly have wished that the foundations of freedom to the Catholics had been gradually and silently laid, in such a manner as would have afforded effectual security. Among a number of arguments which he could hi ing to chew an alteration of late years in the Catholic mind, he must observe that Catholics in Ireland frequently sent their children to be educated by Protestant Clergymen; he would also mention the great increase of late years of Itcanan Catholics as students in the College of Dublin. He had spent some short time in Ireland, and among the siany hospitaliti:. lie received there, he was at the house at a Protestant Gentleman, where the Catholic servants came up WIT hour scruple, and with the permission of their titular Bishop, to j,,in in the general fnmily worship, which was taken from the liturgy of the Church of England. He considered that their conduct was, in every situation of life, such as to induce the House to remove the remaining disabilities under which they now labour. Sir T. sur lost spoke in a low tone of voice, it is believed against the mot inn. Lord P. LcasaszoN considered the danger apprehended from ad m:ttieg Catholics to power to be visionary and impossible. On the contrary, he thought great danger was to be apprehended from the coiltinoari , o of the present system. He urgeii that we ought to enlist the great body of Catli , .;;L: talent on our side ; and, that we had al realv given them too much to refuse what now remained. Mr. H ART Das' r opposed the motion.—The debate was then, on the motion of Mr. Ponsonby, further adjourned. IU!i9UAY 11.% nne it 2. lIETt. 'ROYAL HIGHNESS TILE PRINCESS OF WALES. Soon a f:er the SPF AKER had taken the Chair, he rose, and addressed the Hou,e to the following effect ; " It 1 n“ - duty to aLquaint the 'louse, that yesterday ewning ort.., as I was sit ti. , e in this Chair, a Letter was brought me , which purp ed to be from her RI) al Highness the Princess of Wales. As the • letter was with Jut date and simiture, and as it wai given by an un known parson to one of the Mes:;engers at the door of the House, I test it to be due to the r...'spect which I owe to her Royal Higlines as well as to the house, not to take any st , :p on the receipt of it until I hat fully ascertained its authenticity. I hope that so far I shall not he considered a-; having failed in the discharge of the trust reposed in vie, or as having shown a disposition to iw:rpose unnecessary impe diments in the way of any persons who might wish to lay their cases b , ..fore this House. Hear, hear, hear!) lam now enabled to state to the Ilous-% that the Letter which I received yesterday was authentic ,• . and w;th the leave of the House, I will read to them a Letter which I have this thiy recched from her Royal Highness, enclosing a dated du plicate of her Royal Highness's original communication.— I' it the pleasure ofthe House that these Letters should be read ?" (Genera cries of Read, read ! ) The SPiIAKZR t hen read the Envelope, and the original Letter. They • were In substance as foLows : ENVELOPE. " Nlontague House, Blackheath, March 2, 1813. " The Princess of Wales, by her own desire, as well as by the advice of her Counsellors, did yesterday transmit to Mr. Speaker, a Letter which she was anxious should La ve been read, %iihout delay, to the Hou,e of Commons, and which she requests may he read to the House this very day ; for which pr pose her Reyel Highness encloses a daplicata." Trin NATIONAL REGISTER ita DU PLICATE o', "Montague House, Blackheath, .arch " The Princess of Wales I.,forins Mr. Speaker that she has received from Lord Viscount Sidninuth a copy of a Report, made in pursuance of the orders of his Royal Highness the Wince Regent, by certain Members of his Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, to %violin it anears, that his Royal Highness had been advised to refer certain documents and other evidence respecting the character and conduct ut her Royal Highness. " The Report is of such a nature, that her Royal lli?hness feels per suaded no person can read it without tieing sensible ot the aspersions which it casts upon her ; and although it is so vague as to render it impossible to discover the tenour of the charge, yet us her Royel Hieh [loss IS conscious of no offence, she feels it due to herself to the illustrious Houses with which she is connected by blood and mai risge. and to the people among whom she holds so distinguished a renk, nut to acquiesce for a single moment in any imputation affecting her honour. "The Princess of Wales has not I , een permitted to know on wiiat evidence the Members of the Privy Ceuecil proceeded le their investi gation ; nor has her Royal Highness beer allowed to he heard in her own defence. She knew only by common rumour that such an inquiry had been instituted, until the result was c omiuunicated to her in the form of the Report. She knows not whether she is to consider the 'Mem bers of the Privy Comic 1 by whom her conduct has been inquired iuto, as a body, to whom she would be anthoriaed to apply for redress, or in their individual capacity, as persons selected to make the Report en her conduct. " The Pi ineees of Wales is. therefore, compe:led to throw herself en the wisdom anti justice of Parliament, and she earntetly desires a full investigation oilier conduct during the whole period of her residence in this comely. Her Royal I,lighness fears no scrutiny, however strict, provided it he conducted by impartial Judges, and in a fair and open manner ; accoidin7 to law. " It is her Royal Highness's wish either to be treated us innocent, or to he proved guilts , . " 11er Royal llighness desires that this letter mey be communicated to the iheise of Commons." During the reading of this Letter, the fall of a pin could he heard in the remotest part of the House, and its close was tollowed by a total, deep, solemn, and awful silence, broken, after a pause, by Mr. Wit tT tsaEAZ, who observed, that the letter v hich had just been read by the Slietker, could not fail, not only to interest every person who lied heard it, but to anew to all to be of such importance as tole- quire the immediate attention of the House. He apprehended impossible that such a communication could be made front so high a quarter, and suffered to pass with being simply read, in silence. He had waitee until a Noble Lord opposite, a Minister of State, one of the confidential servants of the Crown when her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales's conduct was taken into consideration, by that part ot his Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, particularly and po pularly designated teeter the name of the Cabiaet, and who must have been one of that betty of Privy Councillors, to whom the considere ioo of her Royal Highness' , conduct had recentlybeen submitted —he had waited until lie saw that NI ble Lord take his piece (an en tit led Lion, as he presuni d, tha t it was not that Noble Lord's intention et/ make any proie.sitien on the subject), before lie had risen to address the Chair. Not seeefe any other Hon Member disposed to proceed in tile business, he wished to rot; the Noble Lord whether it was his intention to call the further attention otthe Noose to her Royal High ncss's letter ? Lord CASTLEREMIII replied, that no person cold I feel more thoroughly than himself the importanee and delicacy of the present subject. But, as a notice was seitered in the books of the House, of a motion at no farther distant period than the day after to-murrew, relative to her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, it did not appear to him to be (necessary, at present, to enter on the transaction al luded to. Whatever delicacy be might entertain on the subject, whet the proper day should arrive nrcessity might prehably impese on him the obligation of fully exFlahning all the circiorstences of the case. But he trusted tha t the House would agree with him th hc had fulfilled his public duty in not anticipating the expected discussion. Mr. Wm TBRZAD said, he did not observe in his place the Honour able Member to whom the Noble Le rd had alluded. He was not aware, a t least that Honottra hle Geiltleman had not said, tkat he acted by authority in bringing torwatd the r wltiori whicifhe had g i ven notice. On that fac t mast del end, in a great measure, the course to he pursued ; and whether the matter alluded to in the let ters read from the Chair should not be treated as an independent ques tion. It would, therefore, be necessary that the subject should lie over till such time as the Honourable Member should come into the }louse, and be made acquainted wilt the nature of the which had to-night been con menicated to them from the Committees were ballotted for and sworn to try the Petitions against the recturtls fir ttic County of Pembroke of Liverpool. 1 ORIGI\"AL LEtTER. u..... Rine!: heath, March 1 1813. information c chair. merits of the e and Borough