The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-02-22 00:00:00

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for the suppression of illegal societies in Ireland—Ordered to be
Fringed.
Mr. BROUGHA M, In presentirg petitions fmm the Catholic
inhabitants of cermin parishes in the county of Cork, aguinet the
Rill introduced for the suppression of illegal Associations m Ire-
land, took occasion to observe, that he hoped his:Melody's Jlinis.
ters would at least see the recessity of giving the inhabitants of Ire-
land, and those who wen o )000a to the inn In this country, an
opportunity of
ex pressin- their sentiments by petition. He under-
stood that petitiunder-
stoodikely to cane from every parish in Ire-
land, and from Many parishes in Ergland. He was convinced that
the more generally the principle of the measure should be known,
the greaser opposition it would meet with. The Bill was little
known yet ; it could not be known in Ireland : it was only known
to that House a week ago, and the details of the measure could
scarcely have reach'd the remote parts of Ireland. He hoyed his
Majesty's Ministers would consider the necessity of delaying to
gire the country an opportunity of expressing its opinion. The
Catholics had a right to this condderation ; the Houle refused to
hear them at the bar, and at least it should not refuse to hear their
petitions.
The petition wax ordered to be printed.

CORPORATE RIGHTS OF CATHOLICS.
hlr. BROUGHAM presented a petition from three individuals,
residents of the city of Dublin, named John Adcock, James Aleock.
and James Henderson, complaining of the unjust de.ention of
their eorporate rights by the Corporation of the City of Dublin.
Mr. Brougham said, that this petition was an answer to what hart
been so repeatedly asserted. that none but those in high stations
were affected by the disabilities under which the Roman Catholics
soffereti. It was also an 'illustration of what had been said on his
(Mr. Brougham's) side of the House, respectint!sele practical uti-
lity of such a body as the Catholic Association. The House were
aware that individuals. by birth sod a certain servitude. became
entitled to the civic ftoedom in chewy of. Dublin. The Fetittoners
stated their claims in the regular way, and had them laid before
the Council, but they were re;efted for no other reason but
because they were Catholics. They had an undoabted legal
right, two by birth, and one by servitude, hut still the Cor-
poration refused to admit them. Lie (Mr. B.) pledged Inaiself
ass lawyer, that the petitioners had as strong a legal right to the
civic freedom, as an eldest lawful son, after his father's decease,
has to the freehold. The right having been withheld by the Car_
poratioa, the petitioners applied to the Court of King's Bench gal.:
a rtanifstorts the mandamus was granted, and the rule made abso-
lute ; indeA it could not have been otherwise. Ity force of this
mandarnua :he petitioners became possessed of their rights. Had
they beim Protestants, they would have bees admitted without a
moment's delay, and without the expense or • single farthing. Did
not this prove that the penal Statutes, and the abuses growing cut
of them, affected the middle and the lower classes as well as those
in a high station ? It also illustrated the second proposition which
he had laid down, namely, the useful character of the Catholic As-
sociation in supporting the needy and oppressed agaiaat the weal-
thy and the powerful. If the petitioners bad not the assistance of
the Catholic Association, there was well-grounded reasons for sup.
posing, that their rights would have been withheld from them for
ever. (11 ear.) The petitioners were ready to prove the facts etattd
In the petition,—they challenged inquiry. The petition distinctly
proved that the Catholic is in a different situation front the Prete,.
tant as respects his corporate rights. (Hear. hear.) Ile also con-
tended, that it proved the practical utility of the Catholic Asso-
ciation.
Sir J. NEWPORT observed, that the hardships complained of
by the petitioners were of daily recurrence in Ireland, and he re-
gretted to add, that there were often grievous aggravations of such
a line of conduct. More than one person had been refused admit-
tance to his Guild—a preparatory step to his being admitted a free.
man—for no other reason but because he happened to be a Roman
Catholic ! After procuring one mandamias to gain admission to
the Guild, he had then the trouble and expense of applying for a
second mandamus to put him in possession of the civic right, to
which, as his Honourable and Learned Friend (Mr. Brougham)
said, he was as much entitled as an eldest son to the freehold of his
father. It was really a monstrous perversion of power which was
given to Corporations, to preserve the rights of the public, but
which they too often applied to the injury of those rights. (Hear,
hear.) The instance which this petition brought under the notice
of the House was not a solitary instance ;—there were a hundred
other instances equally oppressive and unjust. It was a notorious
fact, that, in order to induto persons connected with the Orange fac-
tion to heerme freemen, the fees of admission were diminished to
one half, one third, and, In some instances, one fourth of the onli-
dary rate, to the evident detriment of the corporate property:
whilst, oar the other hand, every obstacle was thrown in the way of
the Roman Catholics who applied for admission—not only .of the
Catholics. but of all those who were suspected to he friendly to theft
claims. He understood there was a respectable Protestant gentle.
man desirous of presenting a petition on this subject: he, like the
petitioners, had his corporate rights withheld, because he desired
that his Catholic fellow, subjects should participate fully in the be-
nefits of the Constitution. lie repeated. that this was a monstrous
perversion of power. Perhaps it only affected the humbler classes,
but the humble man had rights as well as the proudest Nobleman
in the land ; they were peculiarly pressed upon by corporate injus-
tice, and it was high time for the Legislature to interfere and pro-
tect their rights. (Hear, hear.)
The petition was then laid on the table, and ordered to be
printed.
Mr. ABERCROhIBY presented • petition from the parish of
St. Catherine's, in the city of Dublin, praying that no law may be
passed for the suppression of the Catholic Association, and that the
Catholic Amnia. Mn should not be condemned without hosing an
opportunity of being heard. The Honourable Member said, that
the Catholics were only anxious to procure equal laws and equal
rights by constitutional means. In these sentiments of the Ca-
tholics lie fully concurred ; because lie considered such sentiments
just and legitimate, and he hoped the Catholics would persevere,
by all the means which that House should leave in their power
until they obtained a repeal of those laws which excluded then:
from a full participation in the benefits of the Constitution. It was
unnecessary for him to say, that he entirely concurred in the opi-
nion of the petitioners, that no law ought to be passed for the sup.
pression of the Catholic Association ; and it must be quite unne-
cessary for him to say, that he fully concurred with the petitioners,
that the Catholic Association should not be condemned without a
hearing. The contrary might be the sentiment of the House, but
it was a sentiment so abhorrent to eeery feeling of justice—to every
feeling which he (Mr. Abercromby) had imbibed, by intercourse,
reading, or reflection, that he should never have believed it possible
that the House could have adopted it, if it had not been proved by
the vote of a previous evening, by which the Catholic Association
was denied a hearing.
The petition was then read, and ordered to be printed.
BRITISH CATHOLICS.
Lord NUOENT presented a petition from certain members of
the British Catholic Association, against the Bill for the suppres-
sion of illegal Associations in Ireland. His Lordship said, he had
no doubt the petition would have been more full" signed, if there
had been sufficient opportunity. As the Bill WM pressed forward
so rapidly through that House. the petitioners thought it advisable
to have the least possible delay in the presentation of their pe-
tition. This circumstance accounted for the comparative paucity
of the names attached to it. It was signed, however, by his
Grace the Duke or Norfolk, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Stourton,
Lord Arundel, sad a number of Roman Catholic gentlemen of the
greatest respectability. amongst whom lie noticed the names of
two Roman Catholic Baronets. Ile (Lord Nugent) was, naturally
anxious to express his opinion on this important subject ; lie sus-
pended his intention, however, under the feeling that .a more con-
venient opportunity would occur when the Bill should be directly
before the House. lie could not sit down, however, without oh.
serving. that he fully concurred with the petitioners, that the Bill
was alike injurious to public liberty and to the civil rights of in.
dividuals. _ . .

The petition wu read. and ordered to be printed.
SPECIAL JURIES.
Mr. PEEL gave notice. that on Thursday next he would move
for leave to being in a Bill fur the better regulation of Special
Juries.

NAVY ESTIMATES.
The House then resolved itself into a Committee of Supply.
Sir G. CLERK, in moving the votes for the Navy Estimates,
observed, that there was an increase of 120.0001. this year on the
Navy Estimates, in consequence of the additional wear and try,
and the increase of wages to artificers and labourers in the dock.
yards. They were now only obliged to work five days in the week,
instead of six. which they formerly did. The gram last year for
the payment of wages to artificers and labourers in the dockyards,
was only 476,00111., whilst that for the present year, from the cir-
cumstances which he had mentioned, amounted to 560,000!.
The total amount of the ordinary estimates would ba the same as
those of last year. On the half-pay estimate there was a consider-
able reduction, and a portion of the pensions now charged in the
estimates were formerly charged upon other funds. The new works,
particularly those carrying on at Sheerness, had added considerably
to the amount of the estimates. It was not intended to go to much
expense in this year, but the individual Mho had the direct on of
the works there, had demonstrated, that, by the employment of the
machinery at present on the spot, he would be enabled to conclude
the weeks in a manner very advantageous to the public. 79,0001•
would be the sum necessary to complete the whole of the works at
Sheerness. The next of the public works which caused so greaten
int:refute in the amount of the Navy Estimates, was the work at
Plymouth Sound. There • light-bourse was about to be built,
which was net comprekended in the original estimate. That part
of the works on winch the light-house was to be erected, was neces-
sarily constructed in a more expensive manner, in order to protect
the light-house. The expense here was estimated at 285,0031.
which wu within the original estimate presented to the House in
11112, though that estimate did not comprehend the light-house,
nor the full completion of a part of this great national undertaking.
For the preservation of the light-house, and to complete the whole
Breakwater. the sum he had mentioned was only required. In Ply-
mouth, the Victualling Offices were found to be very inconveniently
situ-tied, they were at a distance from the storehouses, and the great
object i‘ as to have them together. Besides, the Victualling Offices
were in a very dilapidated state. The amount required for the erec-
tion of new Victualling Offices was estimated at 40.005 W. The Hon.
BIITIMCS, in conclesion, proposed that 54,886/. ss. Id. be voted for
the mashies and contingent expenses of the Admiralty Office.
Mr. HUME confessed he did nor understand how such an ex-
penditure as that now proposed could be requisite, if the promises
held nut in former years from the other side of the House were to
be relied on. In the year 1818 a Committee had been appointed to
investigate and regulate the expenditure of the Naval Department,
and from their labours the country had been led to expect the
diminution of some millions In that branch of our expenditure.
How had those expectations been realized? The fact was, instead of
a decrease in our naval expenses, the exact contrary had taken place,
sad they bad become greater and more burtheneume in their