The National Register. — London, England, 1808-06-13 00:00:00

870 - • THE ATI the reigning Ist - hay : but the persecution was not to lat tamely suftered. The peasants were hunted and murdered their meetings: in revenge, the military force was per petually thinned by the ambuscades of the exasperated people. As complete a civil war was carried on in Scot land, as lately raged among the Irish and in all proba bility Inc Scotch would not at this day be the subjects of the Luglish King, if the revolution had not restored the anew:loco of the oppressed, by removing their grievances. It has been argued that the Catholic Religion is dangerous in its principle, and we shall presently speak of that ques tion : hut in the mean time we assert, that there is not more veticutence or plausibility in the arguments of those who maintain the danger of the Catholic spirit, than there wa; formerly in the arg uments of the people who opposed Ca: cia:ras of the P resbyterians, as a class of men. thnt its every tenet, iorm, and proceeding, had fuld proved itself evidently hostile to monarchy. But what has been the result I The Presbyterians were no sooner delivered from peisecutions and disabilities, than they became the most loyal subjects of the island. The army and navy are filled with staunch Presbyterians: the descendants of men who struggled against-an oppressive government are the warmest defenders of that g overnment now that it has ceased to opp ress : an d t o thi s d ay the most devoted adherents of the Court Party arc certainly found amonglhe icotch. Surely this example is most thorougly analo!ous : and after reasoniag abstractedly on the neces sity of relief to the Catholics, and enforcing our reasonings . by an instance so directly in point, We shall expect to have some very very strong proof of the dangers to be appre hended from the eonct won of such relief. Among the foremost of these proofs are the ecclesiasti cal decrees that Catholic Councils used to pass, two, or three, or four centuries ago. We should not have believed that any body would have used such an argument, if we had not heard it with our own ears : f or w h at connection there can be between the despotism of a Catholic Esta blishment three hundred years ago, and the Emancipation of Catholics dissenting from the establishment of the pre sent day, it is difficult to form a conjecture. Are we to be told again about fires in. Smithfie:d Will men be sacri ficed to religion in these times, as they were when religion was only another word for superstition ? Is there any re serublaaee between the dispositions of the people in the two periods of which we speak I Is there any resemblance in the customs of society ? If there be any argument that for a mo:nent can make one think the renewal of religious martyrdoms a probable event., that argument is certainly the bigott'.d barbarity with which the Catholics of Ire land have been treated. We, we, the Protestants, are the olive -Nora : r:e are the upholders of intolerance : we are the frieeds of persecution, and the perpetrators of ani mosity If the Catholics cannot be trusted as allies, they Cannot be trusted as subjects : why do we allow, in the heart of our country, the existence of a body, whom we believe, from the inherent vices of their religious faith, to be persons toacife amid plenty itself, and ungrateful even in the fullness of indulgence ? Why do we not at once exterminate a race of beings so dangerous to our roperties, our lib er ti es , an d our li ves ? Because we know that they are dangerous, not from nature but from circumstance : we know that the Catholics, when their grievances shall be redressaal, can no longer ha%e a motive for hating us. Whea we have given them what they ask, and placed them on a level with ourselves, where is the furher !auger I Thry will see nothing more to fight against us tor. If they were governed by a Catholic King, C:ey coo;c1 but procure the ways of power and h o n o u r ro be ;aid ellen to them, and if those ways are laid open by 'is, a Catholic succession is no longer a mat ter to be coveted by them. For as to the other idle notion that .iee ciao) hear, a notion that the Catholics wiah to mordee ati the Protestants in the li:ng's dominions, by way of ;aettiriz their property, we should be glad to kiwi , bow their Enuit.cipation would ticilitatq sit& a al. Vii eo o4lllllll sTt l , -vototivarv4"---" _ 1 JUNE, 13. scheme, even if they were Mad enough to :limb it. tor thus : The Catholics would hold 'coonnissidrs on the toss; and be able. to turn the arms of the country a;ainst the country itself. But already thekatliolies have been per ;flitted to hold situations in the army, by their oast act of 1793, which enables a Catholic regiment to act in Iceland, where the seat of all the discontents is supposed to he : it is in England that such regiments Must not be seen. This is politic indeed I But even if the foes of th, Catholics would allow them to hold subordinate rommissiozs is England, they never would consent to admit thcm to the staff'. A man of courage and skill is pointed out to the King as a person fit to be trusted with a high command. !le has proved alike his patriotism and his ability, and he is about to be promoted, when suddenly he is discovered to he a Catholic. Promote a Catholic I impossihle. H e has fought in defence of his country, at the head of a regiment, but give him an arirry, and he directly fi,.(rho against her. Ad of course the whole army, touched as it - were by a stroke of magic, g o over to the same wa y o f thinking, and join their WM+ leader to burn all the testants alive ! And all for the love of the Pope, to w lo on they must needs be so much attached. Arid the will help Bonaparte and them to overthrow Et:glnd t ;;e. cause the Pope has so much reason to love nnd has so great a power in raising recruits. To he never thought of employing his power among his Catholic friends in Ireland when Bonaparte overthrew his do minions: but though he did not call out the Catholics for his own use, he will be certain to 4all them out for the use of Bonaparte And these ere the dangers which deter us from restoring Britons to their rights ! In our next number we will conclude our observations on this question. REVIEW OF POLITICAL PAMPHLETEERS. No. XXIV. TILL EARL OF SELKIRK'S FA MPII LET ON TTIE wrctssirT or A MORE EFFECTUAL SYSTEM or NATIONAL DEFENCL, AND. THE MEANS OF ESTA RLISMING THE PERMANENT SECURITY OF THE KINGDOM. We have so often had occasion, in oar Review of Political Declaimers, to creep among brambles, and work a laborio'G way, that we are particularly happy when an occasion presents itself of marching along a good regular high road. Though in former Numbers we have been riblieed to blame, we are alms! entirely relieved from that necessity in the present instance; and we are eager to recommend Lord Selkirk's pamphlet, as our of those broad, useful, and even admirable systems which have but u n been offered to the government of any country, and. which being offered in these times of difficulty and danger, appear to deserve a more than ordinary consideration. The first section of this pamphlet treats of the inadequacy of our present slate of defence. The second propo:es an organization of local militia upon a new and ex tenkise principle. The third thanonstrates the advantages which such an inititu lion is likely to produce for the security of the kingdom. The fourth enters into a comparison of this local militia with the volunteer system, and with the plan proposed for a gc neral array. The fifth suggests a measnre for the defence of Ireland and contains a geberal disquisition on tine militia establishment of these kingdoms. In the last, and concluding fiction, the es pence of the plans here proposed is 416(11 , 41, and svi h souse general obsersations the body of the work is then tetno::atecl. There is an Appendix, containing tables, calculations, and other details. In the prefatory advert; .s:Acietit the Noble Earl apologizes for discussing some military topic-, without haring haddirect es &deuce of :melt affairs : but he declares his reasonings to have received the sanction of men highly distinguished for their military talents. He also deprecates a euttfetiion between the Incal militia proposed in t pamphlet, and the local militia in stituted by Lord Castlereagh. As this pablication has ensiled a most unusual, but not anteel • - COO " now " that " pre " :LIN] "oft " part " hom " dilfic It w thin w he pro tiod, protrai proved and fu would long w rest uu the yo! lidpe t magogi • thug ti In " insta " so li " thin; " to " Iy ti " strut " oath " iter 4. pear " have " antaj " str•i S -