The National Register. — London, England, 1811-06-02 00:00:00

THE NAT . • ASSESSED TAXES. Mr. PERCEVAL rose to make a motion of which he bad given notice. Considerable • complaints had been made by persons coming to this country frnm Ireland of their having been called upon to pay for their servz.nts' horses, Sf.e. after they bad paid the assessed taxes there. It was desirable that an ar rangement should be made to remove this cau- , ,, at the same time guarding against the duties being evaded by allowing ex emptions in certain cases from the duties on carriages, servants, horses, and dogs. The motion was agreed to without op position. Mr. 'WHARTON brought in a Bill for repea'ing certain customs duties on hides and hair, and one for repealing the Hat Duty.— They were severally read a first, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow. TUTSDAY, MAY 28. At four o'clock the SPVAKER proceeded to count the House, but there being only :;8 Membas, it was, of coarse, adjourned. WEDNESDAY, MAY 29. r On the Speaker's taking the Chair, the CHA sic ELLoR of the Ex cut:Qv R suggested, that as the attendance was thin, it would be better to put off the Bills which were likely to produce any dis cussion, and forwaid those which would be unopposed. This suggestion was acceded to ; and after the Irish Drainage, the New Forest, and the Hat Duty Repeal Bil:s had been read, the remaining orders were postponed till to-morrnw. • THUR SD AY, MAT 30. Lord COCHRANE gyve notice, for Thursday next, of a motion for certain papers relative to the Vice-Admiralty Court at Malta. Lord MILTON postponed his motion relative to the reap pointment of the Duke of York till Thursday next. • Several petitions from the distressed weavers In Lancashire were presented, and Colonel STAN LEY gave notice of a motion on the ►u')jett on Wednesday next. Mr. U'ui rbREAD, in consequence of certain circumstances, postponed hii rdotion for supplying any deficiency that may arise in the Executive Government in the event of any return of his Majesty's indisposition, to this day se'nnight. He (Mr. IVhithread) next called the attention of the House, pursuant to the notice he had given, to the answer lately made by the Prince Regent to the Address of that House, concerning Mr. Pahner's claim. During his search through the Journals, he had never met with any answer from the Crown to that House, ft Lollar to the Prince Regent's upon the subject of Mr. Palmer's claims. It was perfectly well understood, that the Commons had a right to originate and to dispose of all grants of money to the Crown. The adherence to tkis right was peculiarly impor tant, and in no one instance had. time House violated its assur ance to make good those grants. The Honourable Gentleman concluded an able speech, by moving "That those who advised his Royal Highness the Prince Regent to send an answer to that House expressive of a doubt of its readiness or sufficiency to snake good any grant to the Crown, gave advice that was calcu lated to disturb the' good understanding between that House and the Crown, which was necessary to the support of both." A lung debate ensued on this Resolution ; the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Baokes, and others, contending that as the Crown had a right to refuse assent to a Bill which has passed through both Houses, surely it may refuse assent to an address which is merely the act of one House. The House then di vide(' :—.For )Or. Whitbread's motion, 68; against it, 161. Majority, W.—Adjourned at half past one. FRIDAY, MAY 31. Tt was agreed to, that the House, at its rising s should adjourn to Wednesday next. Mr. Hu rciiiNSON presen•ed a Petition from the County and City of Cork in favour of the Catholic Claims.—Ordered to lie oa the table. REGENT'S MESSAGE. A Message was sent from the Pante Regent, which was re ferred to a Committee of Supply; the substance was as fol lows " G. P. R. " The Prince Regent, in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, having considered it of great importance to be em puv. erect to answer such emergencies as might occur in the pre sent situation of affairs, trusted that the House would enable him to do so,cunsistently with the welfare of the State." The Committee of Supply was ;os-tponed to Wednesday, upon which day the CIIANCPLI.Ok of the Ezettzgy zit said that he would bring on a motion respecting I.otteries. ROMAN CATHOLICS. Upon the tootipn of M. GAATTAN, the PetitiOn of the ... • ,FfiriST I I- ) in . Roman Catholics of Ireland was read, as also were the Votes. of Thanks to Lord Wellington, General Graham, &c. &c. Mr. GRATTAN" in a speech distinguished by an eloquence, which even himself never exceeded upon this subject, entered largely into the injuries sustained by the Catholic Body. The charge against that great class of people was, that they were a hotly of idolators. This charge was the confused result of. vehe- - merit writings upon religious subjects, and of the dogm .s of the Court of Rome. 'This charge had been refuted by six- Univers. sities of Europe, which denied eve; y thing that was urged against the morality of the Catholic Religion, or its coorpatibility ith the principles of the British Constituti al. it went to argue that England had failed in every attempt to inAitute a Government. A good. Government made a good people, and if the laws were moralized, the people would be moralized. This charge then was against Religion and against the British Covet nment, and the inference to be drawn from it was, that Religion be fi. st expunged, and then that the Government should be abolished. He represented that the penal laws respecting the Catholics should be repealed before they would be satisfied ; while they were In an imperfect state of privilege, they must remain in an imperfect state of allegiance, and nothing could be expected from them, unless they were governed as isn 6 land was. The policy of the penal code was utterly inadmissible; no Legislature had a right to establish an inquisition into the thoughts of any man, or punish him for his religion; it could no more make laws of religion than laws of motion. The Catholics know this. there fore they looked to no body of men ; they looked to the world and the Bible. What was the religion of our ahcestors Were its, • men, who made our liberties, unable to make our laws—and why were the Catholics exempt from so many arid so important privileges ? It was in consequence of political combina tion. The Catholic's religion was considered nut as his crime, but as the evidence of his disloyal y. When a people were governed by civil incapaciiy, they were eoverned by the law of conquest, which was no law at all; by principles contrary to thole by which God governed the world. H e was aware of the destiny of his motion ; he knew it would be out-voted; but still he felt that there remained a portion of the old chivalrous honour of the English na:ion, which would concede a little, and unbend from that formal severity which bad been too long exercised. There was not a single Ally left in the world to Britain, save Ireland; her other allies called for assistance, and none wet'e strong enough todefeml themselves ; and he hoped none of that sup; art would be taken away, which would make bate her claims, and risk her existence, by perse vering in an act of folly. Would to Heaven that our Guardian Angel might descend among us, and stretching her celestial arm over the land, show to her the whole world forging arms for British conquest, strew her the grins edge of ruin visitr;e, end the strength of Europe mate!lafled in terrible combination against us. ''byre should be no religious quarrels, thsy preyed upon the vitals of the nation. There was (ere point which the/ wisdom of the Senate had never reached, which the divine, in his heavenly calling, had not found, but which every simple swain discovered, that " Ireland tights your battles.' In every ship of war which travieates the ocean in the path of esenuest, she is filed with Irish Cathol cs. The lines of your army. thicken to the foes of Britain with men wham lie has degraded:. And the numbers employed in our navy and army were greal,ihat they might turn the scale or empire. Belold at a tine w.,en all the fire of Austri r was quenched, when the discipline of Prussia found resistance in vain, and when Russiar fury gt'sviv • tame before the awful fire of the battalions of France—behtid that tremendous power checked, and victors wrested fro:a hini . who had never witnessed defeat before; and that too by people who had been insulted and considered unfit for the service of their country. To whom was to be attributed the re cent splendid victories on the Continent ? To whose bravery did the French owe the loss of their eagles ? To the Irish Catholics. To a regiment which was recruited in the heart of Ireland, and the tenets of whose religion wer but known by their conduct. Ile couid only say,' that if the religious (pinions of ti.usenne n were ativassed with as much care as the political creeds of the Members of that House, thaa France would have an Fagb. reore, and England a regiment leis.—( Heine hear ! f—lt might naturally be asked why the Irish Catholics were considered suck - 11 isnds abroad, but such enemies.at home ? To this he would answer, because abroad they were - but one :limy, and at home they • were two people.—( Hamer, hear ! )—Having said thus much, he would no longer trespass on the patience of the House, but concluded by moving that the Petition should be referred to a Committee of the whole House. Sir John Coxe Hippsley supported the motion, as did Mr. • Herbert and Mr. Matthew. Dr. DUIGENAN, in opposing this question, uroceeded to quote a variety of authmities f?bm the Roman Catholics themselves, in order to expose their real v'ews and principles. The first ad verted to the oaths taken by the Roman Catholic Bishops and • reests, whereby t ey entoge to support, maintain, and defer I 4 i