The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-06-27 00:00:00

0

AsseciArfok..

Saturday the General Meeting of the British
*Pc Association was held hr the Crown and Anehtle Tavern,
. was very respectably Jiteioled. Among the patliamentaty
aids of the Catholic* pervent were—Sir Frauds Burdett, Lord
inept. Mr. John Smith, Mr. W. Smith, 6.e.
Sir Frauds Burdett, on entering the room, was received *MI
rapturous applause. A similar ekpraision of itding took Ono on
Lord Nugent's entrance.
Lord Ctrieronto was called to the Chalk. •
Mr. BLOUNT, the Sr , stated, that he had teicrioni lama
from the Duke or Norfolk, Stourton, and several other ilia.
tinguished Catholics, expressing their extreme regret at not being
able to attend the meeting.
Lord Ccirroati then said, the Immediate object of the meet.
ing wait to bear the Report of the last year's proCeedings. The
object of the Association was to convince their fellow-subjects of
the reasonableness of doing justice to the Catholics. The means
they intended to use were discussion and the public press, by which
they expected the system by which they were oppressed would
cease to continue. It bad been called by Mr. Burke a system of
vicious perfection, whose object was the degradation of human
nature. (Hear, hear.) harass duty they hived to themselves, and
their able and virtuous advocates, to prove to the World that they
were not deserving of the treatment they rettived. The system
practised towards the Catholics of Ireland had been 'Nell tlescribed
by one of their friends as a system of unmixed oppresaioni eaten-
' lated to grind the people in the dust—to maintain a galleon of
Protestants in the midst of a nation of Catholic slaves. nippily
the Protestants were now uniting with their Catholic fellow-sub-'
jests—a union which must lead to the attainment of their rights.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. ROBBITE a read the Report, which dwelt on the great sup.,
port their petition had received from distinguished Members of
Parliament and other public bodies, and dito aseNdoil
sad stated, that the Committee had distributer espies
Wags gamin:ad to disabuse the minds of their oppsirmis no the
V:ef the tenets held by Catholics ; and reconitsseded that all
ends of civil and religious liberty should be Invited to unit
la t wotk so honourable and useful. The Report concluded by
ressinmending union and perseverance, by which the cause of truth
sat justice must become triumphant.
Mr. BLOUNT moved, and the Don. Mr. Cussouri seconded
a Resolution, " That the Report be received and agreed ti by the
Meetin*"
The Rpolution was agreed to unanimously.
Qatir next addressed the Meeting. If' their cause srtut'
making a triumphant progress in the public mind, the splendid
result was in a great degree owing to the advocacy of the Hon.'
Member for Westminster. (Hear, hear.) In this land of freedom,
which is said to refuse the footstep of a slave, the Catholics were'
depressed, as if unworthy or incapable of enjoying the blessings of
liberty. They were ready to defend the Constitution by the best
blood of their Nobility and Gentry, and by their fearless peasantry.
(Hear.) Their wrongs had filled the Senate with eloquence in
their cause that had never been excelled. Never was the cause of
freedom more powerfully advocated than by the intrepid champion
of their rights who presented their petition. It was worthy of the
Catholics to exrpesi their gratitude for such cervices, and their
prayer that lie might long continue the asserter of civil and religious
liberty, the glory of his country, and main stay of the people's
CUM The Ifon. Gentleman concluded by moving a resolution ex-
pressive of the thanks and gratitude of the Catholics to Sit Francis
Burdett ; which was received with long-continued cheers.
Mr. F. CANNING seconded the Resolution, which was passed by
ac:lemations, loud and long.
As mom aa he could be heard—

On'

Annual

Sir F. BURDETT said that what he had the honour of attending I
the Meeting, he had no expectation of such a Resolution being
passed. He attended the Meeting to show the respect he felt for
the Catholics. and the deep interest lie took in a question which
invoiced the best interests of Catholics and Protestants. (Cheers.)
Fortunately, feligioes bigotry was fast passing away ; it was now a
pretence for the monopoly of power. (Cheers.) It was his deter-
, mination in every. way to support the broad principle of religious
I liberty. It was, in Ins mind, arrogant and impious for any set of
men to dictate to the conscience', of others the Manner in which
they should worship the Creator. It was even to say to the Creator
himself, that he should not receive their worship. (Cheers.) Re-
-1 gious worship, in all the forms professed by those who maintained
the great principles of good will to men and gratitude to God, must
be acceptable to the Deity. But religion was only made a pretence
for depriving those who adhered to the faith of their ancestors of the
advantages of that Constitution which those ancestors had founded
and preserved. (Cheers.) Their best recommendation to the good
feelings of their fellow-subjects must be the evidence they gave of
the estimation In which they held the rights of which they were so
unjustly deprived. (Cliches.) It was the cense of the liberty of
the whole people, and he trusted all would unite in its attainment,
and in the recovery of all their popular rights, and place their
liberties on the firm basis of • Government by a Parliament freely
chosen by the people. (Cheers.) He was not aware that any
motive could ever dithdraw him from the advocacy of any portion
of the people, and should always steadfastly persevere, because the
question of emancipation was only the question of general liberty,
in which all were concerned. (The Hon. Baronet sat dawn amidst
immense cheers, which continued fora considerable length of time.)
Mr. Rossox proposed a vote of thanks to Lord Fingal, and the
other Members of the Catholic Association in Ireland, for their
strenuous exertions in support of the great question in which they
were all corcerned. The claims of the English Catholics stood
upon somewhat a different ground from those of the Irish Roman
Catholics, because they had to urge, in support of their claims, on
general grounds, the virlstien of a distinct compact, namely; the
Treaty of Limerick. Too much praise could not be given to the
Irish Roman Catholics for their strenuous exertions ; for without
such men as Lord Fingal and Mr. O'Connell, it was impossible
the cause could ever succeed. (Applause.)
Mr. Eseterox xeconded the Resolution, and said the highest
praise was due to the gallant and noble Irish nation for their un-
wearied perseverance for the accomplishment of their just rights,
and the establishment of the great principles of civil and religious
liberty. It was a melancholy subject of contemplation for a pa-
triotic mind, that the Catholics had no hope but in internal com-
motion, or from foreign war. (Great cheers.) And there never
was a period when it was more incumbent upon all Catholics,
English and Irish, to co-operate in the pursuit of their common
object.
The Resolution was carried with acclamation.
Mr. EN CAS ffl`Dowstn, on behalf of the Irish Catholic Asso-
ciation, addressed the Meeting, and said that although unwilling
to trespass upon their attention, he could not abstain from recog-
nising with the utmost gratitude the desire expressed by the Eng-
lish Catholics faithfully to co-operate with their Irish brethren ;
for that principle of union amonest themselves he considered the
moat essential auxiliary towards the attainment of their object. He
was unwilling to despair of their success—he could not. he dare
not despair. • But let them not forget the situation in which they
are placed—they might boast as they pleased of their English jus-
tice and English generosity, but when he saw the English Ca-
tholics about to enter on one more year of slavery, how could he
reconcile their gloomy prospects with such professions ? (Cheers.)
Lord Fingal, and some of the most distinguished Peers and Corn.
moners of Ireland, came over to prefer their humble petition not
to be condemned without being heard, and yet their prayer was re-
fused by those very l'eels and Goulburns who shrink with horror
from the idea that the fame of a single Magistrate (Mr. Kenrick)
should be even breathed upon, without being heard in his defence
by counsel. (Cheers.) And yet they were still told to be tempe-
rate. Good God! what nation on earth has ever exhibited such a
spectacle of human forbearance, amidst such an accumulation of
injustice ! It was well for cavaliers to talk of putting them down ;
but that might not be found so easy or practicable. In the midst
of their oppressions patience was preached to them. Oh ! for God's
sake be calm—

" Calm and unruffled as a summer's sea,
Then not a breath of wind flies o'er its surface."
He trusted they would observe all that temperance and forbear-
ance which their obedience to the Constitution required. Beyond
that, no friend of liberty had a right to require them to go.—,
(Cheers.)
The Hon. HUGH CLIFFORD then rose, for the purpose of pro-
posing a vote of thanks to Earl Grey and Lord Nugent, for the
ability with which they had advocated and supported the petition of
the English Catholics in both Bowes of Parliament. The cha-
racter of Lord Grey had been long known to the country ; he had
ever been found the steady and undeviating friend of the people.
In the person of Lord Nugent, they found the purest representation
of the Fox and Grenville politics, a course of policy quite opposed
to that fatal opinion which the first law authority of the empire had
pronounced, namely, that a full participation in the blessings of
the Constitution was not the birth-right of all Englishmen, but
only of Protestant Englishmen.
Sir EDWARD BLOUNT seconded the Resolution, and it was
carried by acclamation.
Lord Nrozxr returned thanks.—He observed, that whatever
the hopes of the Catholics might have been, they had received front
Parliament, he thanked God not from that portion of it to which he
belonged, a severe reverse; the sanguine friends of the cause, how-
ever, still hoped, that a year or two might make much difference ;
but even if it were so, that ought only to be an additional reason for
renewed energy and exertion. The major, and the better part of
the country, was at least with the Roman Catholics; and lie did
not think that a stronger proof could be given of the inertia of
education in the country, than the words that had fallen from the
mouth of a journeyman cotton-spinner on a late occasion ; words
well adapted to confound the sophistry of those who assumed wis-
dom, and to bringto shame the antiquated prejudices and the paltry
bigotry of the hereditary great : that poor man, to his honour he it
spoken, had entertained more liberal views than the Lord High
Chancellor of England and was more wise in his deduction than
the heir presumptive to the throne. It was childish to declaim ;
any ose might declaim on the wrongs that the Catholics had re.
ceived it was rather duty to seek redress than to complain, and he
was glad to find the British Catholic Association meeting, not only
to do their own duty, but to press upon Parliament their duty. The
Noble Lord concluded by entreating the Catholics to pursue
the same course that they had already adopted, and sat down amidst
universal applause.
On the motion of Mr. BUTLER, and seconded by Mr. SILVEIL-
TOP, thanks were voted to the English Ear for its support.
Mr. SICAR returned thanks.
Mr. F."Caarstttro moved the thanks of the Meeting to the Dis-
senters of Great Britain for their petition.
Mr. IVILLIAM SINITU, M.P., returned thanks. Ile had al-
ways, during a long Parliamentary life, advocated Catholic Eman-
cipation, and always would. Ile would likewise always be ex-
tremely happy in assisting the operations of that Association, and
he was firmly persuaded. that as reason and justice had so long
been active in bringing about the great cause that it had in view,
the Protestants and Catholics of Great 'Britain would soon be able
to embrace one another as brothers. (Applause.)
On thanks to the Bankers and Merchants of the City of London
being voted, Mr. Joint SMlru returned thanks, sad observed

-AiElm