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London, England, 1824-02-20 00:00:00

*as very unfortunate in attributing to the English Treasury the
appointments of Mr. Mahon and Mr. Troy, as they had both been
made by the Irish Government. If the Hon. Gentlemen opposite
were desirous of showing, that partiality existed in those appoint-
ments, let them state their facts, and then they might be fairly
met. He did not suppose that the question would be satisfied
by shewing that there were more Protestants than f'atholies in
OniCe in Ireland ; but let him produce an instance where a Cacho.
lie and a Protestant were candidate.t for an office, and that an undue
preference had been shewn to the l'rotestant : that would bring the
question to an issue. Reference had been made to the Trustees of,
the Linen Company ; now it happened, that the great linen inw
nufactories were chiefly in the north of Ireland, where the majority
of the people were Protestants, and therefore no argument could I
be deduced, if it should turn out that ore of these seventy-four
trustees was a Catholic : the Honourable Gentlemen might as
well institute an inquiry into the reliMon of the gentlemen em-
ployed in the iron or any other trade. The lion. Gentleman con-
cluded by stating, that he should oppose the return now called
for, for fear that the principle of such an inquisition might be ex-
tended, and also for the inconelusiyenehs of such a return, if made.
fir JOHN NEWPORT thought the return of essential im-
portance, to phew that House and the Country how the Act of
1793 had been enforced, as he did not think it right that the peo-
ple of this country, or Ireland, should be hoodwinked by Acts of
Parliament, which were never put in operation ; for the Catholics of
Ireland were not in poaseouiun of any of the places named by that
Act. The preamt Government deserved no credit for the two ap-
pointments that had been alluded to, for both of those Gentlemen
had been brought into of by the Administration of 1006, (" No,
i no," from the Chanceller of the Exchequer) an administration
which professed and acted on a union of interests of Catholics and
Protestants. On the whole, he contended that the Act of 1793 was
fallacious; put the facts against the proofs, and leave the public to
judge, not by words, which were asserted on one side of the !louse
and contradicted on the other, but by documents on the table of
the House. It was idle to contend that the lower classes of the
people of Ireland were indifferent as to their exclusion from any
offices of retpectability on account of their faith. Let than look
to the illustrious lined Avonmore, who Tidied himself from being
the son of a wool-comber to the high situation of Lund Chief Damn;
and there were many of the lower classes of perhaps equal talent,
certainly of equal ambition and therefore it was absurd to state
that the people of Ireland did not fed degradation at such whole-
sale exclusions.

IiIr.C.INN iNO fully concurred In all that the lion. Baronet
had stated at the conclusion of his speech, and they were topics fur
which he had often contendcd in that (louse hand in hand with the
llon. Baronet; but be was of opinion that he hail, in intro:lt:log
those topics, digressed trout the subject thn under discussion. It
was his opinion that there should exist no bar to preferment be.
tween the Sovereign and the subject; but, as Parliament had re-
stored to the Crown what thrmerly had belonged to it, viz„ the
faculty of appointing to offices, he never would consent to the
principle, thit Parliament had a right to interfere, and call for an
account as to haw throe °Netts were bestowed, and it was contrary
to the usual policy of Parliament in all eases. Until the year 1819,
no Homan Catholic could serve in the army; yet it was well
known there were many in the %rmy, and it was to protect these
that an Act of Indemnity was annually passed. Suppose •
menial had been made in that !louse before that period, to ascer-
tain the religion of the officers of the army :t would have had the
effect of exposing to a prosecution many Catholic officers, who had
crept into it by the connivance of Parliament; and such an inquiry
w0..1-I Ilan:savoured of the spirit of persecution, and on this same
prf,ciple he would object to this motion as often as it was brought
forward. It was not discreet to inquire into the exertise of patronage,
unless prime fault t r crime could be charged on the party on whom it
was bestowed. There was at present as earnest a disposition to admit
panics of all religious principles into a share of the State, as ever
existed, butlinquiries like the present were the means of checking
such a distiosition, and instead of soothing party (sling would set
rather as a firebrand.

Mr. HUTCHINSON supported the motion. lie could not see
why Ministers opp•vial the motion, without it was to conceal from
the population of Irelaud the real state of their grievances.
Mr. GRATTAN replied; and the House divided—
For the motion, II ; ai,ntinst it, 30 ; majority against the
motion 27
••. _ _

The other Orders of the Ihy were then disposed of, sod the
House adjourned at half-past ten.

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