The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-21 00:00:00

IHE IRISH CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION.

Fronr.the Dublin EreniNgs Poat of Tuesday.l
At twelve n'clbck this day the Asansiatlon resumed its sittings.
Lord FTRENCH in the Chair. •
Mr. FlTzeistow read the minute* of yesterday's pmieedings,
and tome regulation's adapted by the Committee appointed yi•ster-
day. The Report of the Committee, oh the mason of Mr. O'Con-
Dell. was then adopted.
Mr. N. :Ratios thought that sons, recent observations on his
conduct, as one of the Treasurers of the Association, and which
had been published in the newspapers, were, to say the least, totally
unfounded.
Mr. O'CossEht. read the draught of the general petition
which he stated his determination of moving, paragraph by para.
graph, in order that if any gentleman should object to any para-
graph, he might move the consideration of it at a future period ;
so that those parts on which there would be no difference of senti.
ment might at once be passed. Several paragraphs were then read
and approved of.
Mr. LAWLESS thought the paragraph in the petition, which re-
ferred to the violation of the Treaty of Limerick, was of suflieient
importance to have founded on it a separate petition ; were it only
to give Mr. Peel an opportunity of redeeming his pedge, that if
its violation was proved to him, he would have it, as far as his
power went, redeemed.
Mr. O'Coswet.t. agreed entirely with Mr. lawless. and said he
had in preparation a petition on that subject, which he should sub.
mit as soon as possible to the Association. He contended that the
Treaty 9f Limerick was violated in the person of the Chairman, who
was deprived of the only privilege left to the Irish Peerage—the
right of voting for a Representative Peer.
Some other paragraphs were then approved of.
The Rev. Mr. I:STRANGE offered some observations with
respect to the charge of divided allegiance, which completely re-
butted the allegation of their enemies. He adverted to the heroic
conduct of Irish Catholic soldiers in the service of the British Go-
vernment, particularly to the intrepid conduct of the filth Mot.
at the time of the rebellion—that regiment was almost !exclusively
Catholic and Irish ; at the mutiny "in Gibraltar, about that
period, that regiment never took any part in the proceedings of
the mutineers.

Mr. LAWLESS thought they should avoid till sectarian suptriority
in their observations. The Protestant* were equally loyal as any
other portion of the soldiery.
The Rev. Mr. I: :STRANGE explained—Be would be the last
person to throw any imputation on the Protestant portion of the
community.
Mr. O'Coremr.t.t thought no form bf faith so conducive to all
the virtue!, social and private, as the Catholic, and his conviction
that it gave more fidelity to the State thao any form whatever,
was one of the reasons which induced him to adhere to that re-
ligion. He protested against Mr. lAwless's delicacy about
casting imputations on those whose Christitua charity left the
'treaty of Limerick violated; and who displayed their religious
feeling in imputing to others doctrine* which they disavowed and
never professed.
Before putting the concluding paragraph of the petition, Mr.
(Mow NE I.L apologised for the absence of Sir John Burke, which '
was occasioned by the accidental burning of his Noble Relative's
seat, Portumna Castle, on Sunday night. Sir John had been
obliged to leave town; and he (31r. O'Connell) was sure the
apology would be deemed satisfactory. (Hear.)
Mr. O'CossEtt., after rending a paragraph which referred to
the Protestant Archbishop of Ctethel's testimony to the superior
intellect as well as cultivation of the Irish mind, made some ob-
servations on the Kildare-place Society—a Society which, he
said, the Catholics would never co-operate with. Ile also spoke
in terms of approbation of the report of the Comfnissionerm of
Education, which, taken on die whole, he said was most valuable
to the country.
. . . _ . .

Sir T. Eirstomn thought the facts contained in the paragraph
ought to be introduced into a separate petition on the subject of
education.

Ale. N. filattosr called the attention ,of the Meeting to some
observations, reported in a Paper of Saturday, with respect to his
conduct as treasurer of the Association. Ile entered into a detail
of all transactions with regard to the sum of money which had re-
mained in his hands after the Aggregate Meeting held in Claren-
don-street last year. Ile had never, directly or indirectly, made
use of any portion of this sacred fund. lle would not mention
these facts at all, if he did not consider himself unjustly heated by
the report in the newspaper (we believe the Freeman 'r Journal).
Ile alone was responsible for the rent of the Association moms;
he might surrender them at the end of live years, but unless
he did so at that exact period, he was, be believed, bound to them
for ever.

3fr. O'CONNELL—For 999 years. •
..Ir. Mallow resumed—He referred to Lord Killeen and his co.
trustee, Mr. D. Lynch. fora confirmation or the faces he stated, and
In conclusion apologised for taking up the time of the meeting with
these details.

Mr. Suer!. thought Mr. Al shoo was like CteUT'll wife, not only
chaste herself, but above the shadow of suspicion. He also entered
into sonic details of the funds of the Association, sad stated the
grounds on which be had made some observations with regard to
them.' He thought it unjust that Mr. Mahon should beiridtled
exclusively with the !lament of the rent of the Cathelienenees.
Nothing could be further from his intention than to impute try
motives bat the most honourable to Ms. Mallon ; rtst.nun base
person of base motives could make any such imputation against
that Gentleman. (Hear.)
Mr. Cow WAY complained of a breach of privilege. He read in
the Freeman's Jettrual of this dej-I1 grouailiction made by Mr.
O'Reilly to a statement made by him (Mr. Conway), that Mr. E.
M•Donnell had told him he had alrnert watered into a personal am.
flier with Mr. O'Reilly. He tool thirepponoeity
O'Reilly who be referred to when be made that contradiction.
Mr. O'REILLY rose with pleasure to answer the call. Nothing
could be further from hit wish or intention than to impute any
thing like falsehood to Mr. Conway, who wee, he (Mr. O'Reilly)
believed, utterly incapable of asserting what he had done. without
having had the conversation alluded to by him with Mr. Ennis
31`Donnell.
Mr. CorrwaY expressed himself satislital with Mr. O'ReiliAl
explanation.
Mr. O'Coarwete had now to 1 a resolution trestssubilll
which had caused some division , them. .144 badman**

propose
amongst.: , ,
weighed this important topic. For eight oisalairiroinde ge Ca.
Moho. had frittered away their time on it. He wan coneillasd that
those measures never can, as he wished they never shield, he in.
trodueed. Ile had told Mr. Plunkett, that if these meeseres were
not carried during last session. in connexion with the Catholic Bill,
they could never after be carried with it: He would say that man
was not true to the Catholic cause who would not now throw those
measures overboard. Mr. o`Ct'innell then read the paragraph
which it had been resolved at a meeting ou Friday should be nine.
duced into the general petition. This, lie said, as far as it went,
was then deemed satisfactory. He would now move that it form a
port of the petition. But he would go further—he was resolved*/
give up his own opinions for practical
_purposes. and defer to
of other gentlemen. He thought the Bill of 1793 a disfranchising
Bill ; but he would oppose those manures, that the Catholilli
nright.not verify the assertion of their enemies, that they were "
rope of send." Howeter, he maintained that the present sasses/
forty.shilling freeholds in' counties wigs had in itself—at the NM
time he wished it to be understood, that in sweating to Shemert.
lotion he was about to propose, he did not approve of the prrswtt
system. lie bad taken the resolution on the subject paved at the
Connaught Meeting, and, with the assistance of Or. °Vermin,
amended it as follows :

" That the terms of our petition shall embrace the principle. to
its fullest extent, of unqualified emancipation, and that we em-
phatically deprecate theintrosiuction of any measure into Parliament
purporting or tending to restrict the elective franchise, or interim.-
log with the discipline or independence of the Catholic Church in
Ireland."

lie (Mr. O'Connell) declared that what he proposed here he would
support everywhere. He conjured gentlemen to recollect on what
it was they were differing. As to the ecclesiastical wing belonging
to religion. he would bow to the ectlestastical authority of the coun-
try on that subject. In truth and in fact, these measures are out
of all probability of discussion in Parliament. Let them not,
when agreed in substance, differ about words. He concluded by
moving the resolution..
Mr. R. O'Gonmayr rose to second the resolution, conceiving it
was brought forward to pledge this meeting, and every Catholic,
not to sanction any measure which would deprive the freeholder
of his right or interfere with the integrity and independence of the
Church. lie thought It satisfactory under all the circumstances of
it. Me moved the resolution amid cheers.
Mr. O'REILLY felt no objection to the Resolution'after the ere
planation given on the subject by Mr. O'Connell ; it had therefore
his cordial concurrence.
My. R. O'Gottatan asked Mr. O'Connell would he oppose
those measures should they be introduced into Parliament again?'
Mr. °Ton NEILL declared he certainly would.
The Iiar...Mr.•PRIESTON could not vote for the present Resolu-
tion ; but he thanked God the question was about to be set at rest
for aver; and he would defer to the expression of public opinion,
elicited as it bad been, on these measures.
Lord GOaNANSTOwx would vote tor the Resolution, with the
hope that it would procure union : but he would reserve to himself
the right of entertaining his own private opinions.—(Cheers.)
Mr. REEK° uns completely approved of Mr. O'('onnell's Resta.
lotion. Ile had opposed the wings from principle, in common
with the parishioners of Sr. Audeon's. But, conceiving the pre-
sent Resolution went as far as was necessary, it had his warm ap-
probation.
Mr. LAWLESS declared that if he considered this meeting a
fair representation of the public feeling of Ireland, he would not
rise to interrupt what, he feared, would be the consequence of this
day's debate—union among them. He wax certainly as anxious for
the harmony and strength of the Catholics as Mr. O'Connell or
any other Gentleman ; but he wanted such a resolution on these
measures as would prove itself a fair and honest indication of the
public opinion. He hoped to see this body and Mr. O'Connell
acknowledge, in deference to that opinion, that he had committed
a high political offence in enteeing into what lie candidly acknow-
ledged to be a barter with the Mintster of the Crown.
Mr. LAW LESS read a resolution which he had prepared on the
. _

subject, and nicieed it as an amendment.
Mr. Con w AV asked was there any one to second it ?
Sir E. BELLLIV had no objection to support the resolution.
On one of those wings, that for pensioning the Clergy, he
had formed a decided opinion, and he did think it would be of
service to Ireland. But be did not think he gave up that opinion
by sanctioning or supporting the resolution. He reminded them
of the advice of die sixty-nine Peers, which was the reason
inducing hint to give his support to the resolution now proposed.
He timer could bind himself toe promise that he would. at any
future time, oppose the introduction of .Aran measure. The pre-