The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-02-17 00:00:00

MEETING of the CATHOLICS ..f IRELAND.

Yesterday si'nnight, a meeting' of the Catholic
of Ireland summoned by the Earl of Fingal, sea
held at D'Arey's, in EarLstreet, Dublin, to tak
into consideration the propriety of petitioning th,
Imperial Parliament for a complete Emancipation
Hie Majesty's subjeas, professing the Catholic Re
ligion in Ireland. Upon the motion of Lord French.
the Chair was taken by the Earl of Fingal, who in.
formed the Meeting, that he had been induce.' to
request their attendance there, by a sense of what
he deemed his duty, with the intent that the)
might in a free, independent, yet dispassionate style.
express their several opinions on a subject of the
highest concern to the Empire at large, and of vital
importance to Ireland. His Lordship finished by
declaring, that he understood, from the first autho-
rity, that Government meant to transmit to them an
answer expressive of how far their application was
likely to obtain the countenance of the Executive.
When his Lordship had done speaking, Mr.
Keogh arose, and addressed the Chair, to tie fol-
lowing effaa, and nearly in the following terms :
" My Lord, I feel no small gratification in being
enabled, by your Lordship's intervention, to address,
in a constitutional manner, so large a proportion of
the rank, talent, and property, of my Catholic Bre-
thren. This opportunity we owe to your Lord-
ship's having convened this Meeting of the Catho-
lks, from every part of Ireland, to ascertain their
opinions.
" Your Lordship has assured us, that ws shall re.
ceive an answer from Government, how far we
are to expect their support to our claims. My Lord,
no man could doubt that our modest, but firm re-
quest, on behalf of four millions of meritorious
subjects, would not he treated with silent contempt.
But I will venture, my Lord, to go et step further,
and to anticipate the result ; shouid this Meeting of
the Catholics of Ireland be divided in sentiment ;
some to petition, others to postpone ; perhaps it
might be the duty of the Irish Government to make
a correct representation thereof to England ; then
your relief would certainly be postponed, perhaps
for ever ; but when I look around, and observe in
every countenance a disgust of shackles, and eager-
ness to shake them off, your unnanimous vote on
behalf of our population will not be te;eaed by
Lard Grenville, but, on the contrary, yosi will pro-
bably receive assurances of his support before your
next Meeting. The fate of the Catholics is in their
own hands. You are unanimous—you will be
relieved. In respeft to the Irish Government, I am
sure their sentiments are the same, to which they
pledged themselves when in Opposition I firmly
believe they wish our disqualification removed,
equally and as sincerely as any gentleman present.
The Chancellor we know to be a man of unsullied
honour—and he knows our strength would render
the empire invincibe ; but to enable the Govern-
ment to serve us, we mut be unanimous ourselves
—we must enable them to represent to England,
that at a Meeting of the Catho:ics of Ireland, there
was not one dissentient voice; our own experience
may confirm this necessity for unanimity, by look-
ing back to a period not very flattering to our feel-
ings. In 1791, the Catholics made an application
to the Castle—humble to an extreme; they were
repulsed, and not a Member was found to bring it
in: repulsed from government and frees Podia-
meat, they determined to send one of tfair body to
the efficient Minister is Etiglitsd. As the cause
was hopeless, several refused to unklertake it ; it
therefore fell to the lot of one of the humblest of
your body—it is myself I so denominate.—The lie-
puty of the Catholics was fortunate enough to con-
vince the Minister, that it was the interest of the
Throne, and the People of England, to grant the
Catholics some relief. At this moment the Secre-
tary
of the Irish Government came to London, to
use all the influence of the Irish Government
Against our humble hopes—but what they relied
I upon, was a meeting of the Catholics called in Dub-
' lin, at which Government had prevailed upon some
Catholics of the first consequence to propose a re-
solution to postpone any application for relief.
" 'Fite English Minister instantly ceased farther
interview with your Deputy, and waited the deci-
cision of the Catholic Meeting. At that Meeting
the Resolution was negatived—all the influence of
Government could procure but 68 names against
four millions. Yet such was the mischievous effea
of this small division, that it blasted our hopes in
1792—fur the Minister was before disposed to grant
us relief on five different objelis, one of which was
to open the profession of the law to the Catholics;
but oar Bill was rejeaed with scorn—kicked from
the table—and had only twenty-three Members to
support our humble application. In this instance
we see the ruin of division, and the necessity of
perfe.l unanimity.
04 I do not allude to the resolution of these 6:3
Catholics, to revive the memory of past errors, but
to guard the Catholics against the rock on which
they were near being wrecked before, and to shew
the necessity of unanimity. In 1793, we held the
Catholic Convention - the most violent measures
were roasted to by Government, to deter, as well
as to divide us; they failed—the Catholics sent five
Deputies to England, of which the Nobleman oppo-
site to me (Lord French) was at the head. He
will tell you the attention shean to your Deputies
by Me. Dundas, who chewed them the recommend-
ation of His Majesty in favour of the Catholics,
which was to form a part of his speech to Parlia-
ment—in consequence, another Bill passed, repeal-
ing a coda of dreadful penal laws, and restoring to
the Catholics the Elective Franchises—here, erg tin,
w is the result of your unanimity. Can it be sup-
pored that the unanimity so evident this day, will
not have similar effeas, when it is considered, that
however deeply we are interested, in removing our
disqualifications, yet it is more essential to th-
Throne and to the Empire, than even to ourselves ?
—lt is more so, at a time, when a man of a most
seonderous kind has arisen in Europe—disposing of
crowns and sceptre;—with the sword in one band,
and religious toleration in the other—who owes his
conquests perhaps as much to one as to the other—
so little a slave to bigotry, that be has been called
by a respectable friend of mine—" an honorary
member of all religions,"--nho, profiting by the
intolerant laws of other countries, has ereaed his
mighty Empire upon their ruin.
, "Our empire consists of 16 millions—Bonaparte%
I probably, of 60 millions. Can it be possible that
a Malan of k.nglaad will ivied four sniUioas on

the spot, withnnt colt or subsidy, er aught,
•easing to persecute, or staring nu Irish fact;,,
'.) persecute them ?
If we are to ccmtend for our country, upon our
own snit, AS Ministers have Often given us to appl..
end, I hope it will not be left to -Bonaparte and his
.illowern, to offer to our population the privile,.e,
-hich their owo Government refused—he is 11.3
:lend to the empire, that would wish to see thin
•xp•iiment.
air. Keogh concluded by moving the following
Restitutions :
That this is a fir and proper time to peek',
• Peritinn to the Imperial Parliament, for the .conipi,ta
Lin me 'patio, of the Catholics of Ireland "
V. bids was carried without Iy/raver/tire yoke.

A Committee of forty-one Gentlemen was
pointed to prepare and forward the same. The ‘3,
most unanimity prevailed, which it wasappreherstb./
some time back might not he the case.—Prevlov,
meetings of the Roman Catbolics of Du'.lin had br
held, at the first of which a smilar Resolution 11,3
beea adopted, and in consequence a rtition draw,
up by a committee appointed for the purpose. Ilut
although all Roman Catholics were agreed as to the
propriety of petitioning, yet two petitions comic,:
from the same city might have the appeara.ies
division. In order to obviate such imputation, it
was therefore determined, at the lest of those meet.
lugs, to stop all further proceedings, and to join the
meeting summoned by L,oril Fingal. This accord-
'ugly took place on Isioaday last.
It is supposed the e sample f Dublin will he I*, ,110‘.
ed by all the counties and Teat towns in Ire! nr.f. h,
order to procure such an unity of action,
letters have been dispatched is great numbers to Mr
rerpcctable Raman Catholics iu every part of the
countiy.