The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-05-05 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORIN, TUILIDAY, MAY 4.

torit ERMINE m u Lord WAt,raftlariVe look the oaths
and their IN ai

INSOLVENT DEBTORS.
The Earl of SIIAFTVIIMURV inc.riited a Petition from the
pane h of Si 110010 Without Aldt ale, again‘t thelmitilvcut
Dchtura* Act.
ACCOUNTS.
The Animal Arelinnt• of the !ll:irgate Pier and Harbour
ti el e preaeutcd at the Par, and laid on the table.

COTTON SPINNERS.
The Earl of DI ltuY presented • Petition front se•►ral
Proprietors or Cott is Fscsoriesio Matiehester and it* •ier-
niiv scams, the Rill now pending fur the Regulation of
'Allmon. within throe Factories, awl praying to he beard
by Counsel neainlit the —Tine Petition was order-
ed is. hr referees' to the Committee on that 'subject.
The Earl of I at,DEIIDALE %Ma, that it was certainly right
to 1s ur the Petit,,,,, to the Consesitler, hid he conceived
the Petitioners hail ass undoubted rigid to he heard by their
1111 l *el agaiast the ustes•re on the second ceding of the
Bill. _ _

—••••
ROMAN CATHOLICS.
The ?ail I)EaBY ',resented ■ Petition from
the Roman Catholic Inhabitants of 13irmnnghrm
and Salford. praying for a repeal of the disqualifi-
estrous with which they are oppressed.
N. hle Earl prevented similar Petitions from
the aomuan Catholics of London, Wratminster,
and Southwark, %hick were read, and laid on the
table.

—The Earl of Donouutinons: postponed (as- we
understood) until to-morrow, his intention of pre-
twisting sev.ral Petitonia from various parts of I fr.•
land, in favour of the Catholic Claims- The
Noble Eltl spoke in a tone of voice so extremely
low, that it was impossible below the bar to collect
the motives that induced him to postpone the pre-
senting of these Petitions.
The Bishop of SsusnuttY presented a Petition
frost the Clergy of Bristol, against the Claims of
the Pomona 'Catholics.
The Pet;trolt bring rand,
Earl of C A lINARVON rose and said, that us'.
doislitedly the doors of Paeliarnent ought at all
time. to be Menisci open as wide as possible to admit
of Petitions front every clans of his Majesty's sub-
jects, hut he viola not avoid expressing his opinion,
that the Clergy of the Church of England were
tx:rentely ill-advised in presenting Petitions to the
Legislature against the extrusion of political pri-
Nllrgt6 to soy class of their fellow-subjects. Such
a proceeding ill became that high character of in-
mgrity cud generosity for which he would ever wish
to see them dissioguiabed. With the -queoirtOn of
the admissibility of Catholics to places of bust
and power, he conceived the Clergy of the Chat+
of England had uo slid not affect their
interests, however it might warm their feelings. it
was, on the untimely, 3 which was peculiarly
remote trieu their province, and they might well
have withheld their indecent prayer for the oppres-
sion of every flock which was subject to other
pastors. Ile remembered the time when the Clergy
of the Church of England conceived themselves so
excluded from the consideration of every political
question, that on a subject affecting their own interests
OM alstaly in the State, they felt and expressed an un-
willingness to idler themselves by Petition to the
attention of the Legislature; hot that ince sense of
delicacy stemed no longer to exist, and they now
appeared before Parliament and the country, in the
odious character of the champions of persecution.
Ile had witnessed their conduct on the present oc-
casion Willksll4lastonishment, as it went to
confirm the optimist too generally received, that
thiuugliout the hisitny of the world, the Clergy
lead at all times *hewn themselves the advocates of
political stimitspoly and teligions into!ennier. On
ais occasion like the Prescott, when • large portion
of their conittryinen sought to obtain a restitution
f thew civil rights, it would loom brat bee the
Clergy of the Chinch of England to have main-
tamed a decwous and respectful silence.—l I fear.)
Lord KLNYOM said, that any one hearing the
speech or the Noble Earl would have supposed that
their Lordships were etigageol iu discussing some
question regiwilieig religious toirrition. and that
the Clergy of the Church of England had arrayed
themselves soloist it. Such, however, was not the
fact ; and so far, in his view of the subject, were the
Clergy censissalek for having expressed their opi-
seiollll on the Claims of the Roman Catholics to Par-
liament, that he thought them somewhat remiss in
not having prepared more numerous Petitions.—
But why should the Clergy of the Church of Eng-
land be conitrunited fur adopt's% a hoc of conduct
which, in other persons, is at bast free bout ern-
Pure ? Uid ai.y one find fault with the Hierarchy
mid Clt shy of the Church of Rome for preselititig
Petinosis on this subject No improper motives
Nvere inpituted to them for engaging in the conside-
ratio', of • political questiost. Why then should
the Clergy of the Chinch of England, who felt
that the safety of the Constitutioti and of their
Church depended on the circumstances of their
brio;; a Protestant Legislature to frame laws fur
the mover ttttt rut of each, be censored for expressing
their tears lest the security of the Church and State
May lie endangered by any injudicious conceasions?
(lad the Clergy been silent on such on occasion Ise
should have considered them as remiss en their duty.
-e-/ hear.l
The Petition was then laid on the table.
The Doke of Llnerotto 'emended a Petition
from the Ftreholdris and Isikaleitants of the 80.
riaigis of Tavnitock, praying for the removal of the
efiststniities mittens% Roman Catholics.—(aril on
VA. table.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY presented a Petition
front the Town of Colchester against the Catholic
Clasins.—Laid no the table.
QUARTER SESSIONS.
The MArquis of LANsDoWR unwed the thitd
reading of the Bill fur enabling hlagi•trates
trs
divide tier Quarter Sessions. Ile was trot aware
that site objection aoulst he shade to this Bell. It
was therefore stellictesit for him to state that the
llill too! init with the approbation of every Ode!.
ligesit Magisitate lee hull convenwri with on the
'whirr!, We! feeling that it would be of great ad-
vantage if they were eisaltied to divide theinwlstit
ions two bodies, fee the uthninistration of justice.
The Ball was tlseu read the third time, and
patoord.
'flw Life Anosities Bill was Tad a second time.
Ailjuurued.

r- 1 ,
1