The National Register. — London, England, 1808-05-23 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. " as they could summon a Parliament, would endeavour • to prAcure the Homan Catholics such further aid In that • pa, ticular us might preserve then trout any disturbance on ataount of taaa ehgton." This instrument, which was granted. not in a moment of weakness and terror, but in the pacification that succeeded victory, was during the fourth year of King. William, ratified and published in letters patent, under the great seal : And three years afterwards, mu affect contravention of this hope held out by the King, was passed the celebrated Act for preventing the growth of hOhers, of which the following is the history related by Burnet, and other cotemporary writers: a history which w serve to throw much light upon the question, and proves the fallacy of many arguments employed by those modern opposers of Catholic Emancipation, who are al ways eatteling the sleady policy of our ancestors. disposition of the King was known to be decidedly tolerant : and his Ministers, of course, had, adopted his pra.ciplcs. Hoe ever, the recent troubles and contests had excited a gre it prejudice among the people against the Roman Catholics : and of that prejudice the Opposition resolved to avail themselves, in order to discredit, and, if possible, to displace the existing Administratioe. With this view they introduced a very severe and preposterous Bill against the Catholics, not so much from any fear or detest atiou of that body, as in the hope that the Court party would oppose il, and so subject themselves to the imputa tion of protecting popery. The courtiers, however, were riot the dupes of this manoeuvre : and, instead of opposing the Bill in the Lower House, they added a variety of cruel and absurd clauses, which they conceived would certainly occasion the Bill to be rejected by the Lords, or at least sent back with great alterations: and, considerin the temper which theft prevailed between the teo Howes, this return of the bill must have been as good as a rejec tion, for the Continons would have been sure to withdraw tile Bill altogether. In this expectation, however, they were unfortunately deceived. The dread of popery, and still more the love of popularity, deterred the Lords from opposing the Bill : and it appears to have passed, against the real wishes of a majority o f both H o uses. This is the history of the English Act at least, which was as owedly the model of that which was passed for Ireland. By this latter Act, and the statutes that followed it, Catholics were disabled from porchasing or inheriting hind, from being the guardian, of their own children, from having arms or houses, front serving on graad juries, front en tering the Ines of Court, from practising a'.3 Barristers, or l'hysicians, Ste. &c. At the close of tile reign of Queen Anne, when the liberties of Englishmen stood Oil so triumphant a footing— to two thirds of . the Irish nothing was left which could distinguish them fiorn slaves or aliens, but the right of sut ing at elections : and this too was taken from thein in the reign of the succeeding ..sovereign, althhugh from the peace of Limerick they had lain prostrate and unol fend ing. Some of these disabilities have in this reign been re moved ; hitt how much still remains to be done, our readers wdi see by the fallowing precise statement of thaa; which s!ill oppress the ( atholics. The Catholics of Ireland cannot sit in either of the Hotee.s of Parliaineet, nor he appointed to any of the following gives :---Those of Chiel Governor or Governors of this kingdom, Chancellor, or Keeper, or Commissioner of the Seal, Lord High Treasurer, Chief Justice of King's Bench or Co::nnon Picas, Lord Chief Baron of Exchequer, -Chancellor of the rxchisicer, Judge in four Courts of Admiralty, Master of the Bolls, Secretary of State, Keeper of the Privy Seal, V ic• Treasurer or his Deputy, Teller or Cashier of Excherer, Auditor General, Governor or Cusios Rolulori.im of Counties, Chief Governor's Secretary Privy Conn6ilor, King's Counsel, Serjeant, Attorney or Colicitor General, Master in Chancery, Provost or Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, Post-master General, Master and L.eteenant General of Ordnauce, Commander in Chief, MAY M. • oeneral on the Staff, Sheriff and Sub-Sberiff, nor (unless the Lord Lieutenant grant a written dispeniation fur that. purpose) to the offices of Mayor, tiailu,, Recorder, Bur gess, or any other office in a City or Corporation. N Catholic can be guardian to a Protestant, and no Catholic Priest can be a guardian at all. Catholics are allowed to have arms only under certain restrictions : and no Catholic can be employed as a fowler, or have, for sale or other. wise, any arms or warlike stores. No Catholic can present to an Ecclesiastical living: although dissenters, and even Jews, have been found entitled to•this privilege, The pecuniary qualification of' Catholic Juror, is much higher than that of Protestants ; and no relaxation of ti ancient rigorous code is permitted, except to those who shall take the oath and declaration prescribed b) 13 and 14 Geo. 111. c. 3. There is scarcely an instance of the license of the Lori' Lieutenant granted for the admission of a Catholic into a Corporation; and in practice and effect, the Catholics are still as completely excluded from serving on juries as if th e privilege of service had not been accorded to thew. - REVIEW OF POLITICAL DECLAIMERS. No. XXII. SIR FRANC 'RDETT. IN a ,tIbSCqUCTIt part of our Paper we have given some ac count of the dinner which Wab held on Monday last at the C I.ls‘‘ and Anchor, to celebrate the anniversary of Sir Francis Bur detts's Westminster Election. We will here s , :y a fe‘% ortlN o! - the speech which the Honourable Baronet delivered on that Ms* casion. The principal topic on which he dwelt wai the necessity of a Parliamentary Reform. It is a little provoking to hear sir Francis Burdett and so many of his followers esclaiming ri loudly for a Parliamentary Reform, at a time when the dane-rs of the country are so great and so many. that it almost become., a question whether we shall long have a Parliameut at all. Sit Francis anticipates and denies this ment , declaring that time of great peril are most peculiarly the times for reforming shat is wrong. Ile puts the case of a Captain of a ship, who w hen the vessel was going into action, should insist on keeping every on board in a state of confusion till the engagement was in r. " What is it," says he, " that we, the stigmatised Reformer , , say upon the present occasion ? It is only this : Let the vessel he cleared out for action : let every obstacle that would eneumb.l us in our defence be removed."—W It ill answer this case by another. What would Sir Francis Burdett think of a Captnit., who in the midst of a dreadful storm, should take little care for providing against the immediate dangers menaced in the ele ments, bat walk up and down the deck, tinkling curious con sultations with his men about maritime niceties, and trying new expel intents, Lind Stantropes for instance, among the rigging and sails that ought to assist the ship in action ? Vet such is exactly the conduct which Sir Francis Burdett prescribes to the Government of Britain. We are agitated by external storms, and he recommends it to us to enter coolly on the trial of domestic experiments. Now, if the measure of Parliamentary Reform were a mea sure that to ali parties seemed clearly advisable, and likely to be attended with no very material disadvaista.te, ns is the i':t with the proposal for clearing decks before a battle, we should say at once, " Let us have a Parliameutury Reform." , taut wile!) the great majority of thinking men are decidedly of opi nion, that purity of Representation, him ever magnititentl it may sound in theory, is absolutely impossible in practice . I‘e awn that we should be sorry to see a reform introduced, woula go to establish the iutluence of the rich is a degiee much more dangerous titan that in which their influence t pretc!it exercised. •It is always to be remembered that the mischiefs which at tend the present SVFtelll of Parliamentary Organizatiou, air ba lanced by certain very considerable advantages. As ma tiers uo W stand, a great number of able and independent men conic nim the !louse of Commons by means of the Boroughs. S . onle "f these Boroughs are entirely at the disposal of c ertainrieli and great individuals : and of this Sir Frauds Burdett and hi, ft 'coo very loudly complain. But it must be observed on the H.lar hand, that these rich and great men, fur tkcir ono sakes, .ire ,~~-_ , • .. • •••••••",. . - ' N S' _ _ P