The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-03-05 00:00:00

present to the mina, (tern the reconeetioi: of
thole illni,trious men whose wimt councils in time

of iirescr, and glorious achievements in time of
War, hive contributed to the renown of Great
Britain.—(Hear, hear.)—The House will, in those
nettles, recognise eminence of clivarzer, iis well as
extent of disqualification ; it will recognise the
names of nom who, in times of turbulence au l
danger, maintained the character and reputatiou of
their country, wider the endurance of the severest
dirquisiifications. Well, indeed, might ton Noble
Friend cite the deeds of the ancestors of the-i, Pe.
titiotters, to intereet the House in their behalf, end
to shew Cita, from their own conduct and charac-
ters, they were peculiarly deserving the relief of the
Legielatitrr. I hope I may, without ine.iiietiounn,
be permuted to recommend that every floe. Member
of this I will, if lie shall not have done so
ready, before he makes up his mind on the vote
winch he means to give on this question, diligently
read through, and carefully examine, the history of
the times which gave birth to the disabilities of
which the Petitioners now complain. I wish every
Honourable Member to read the record of We pe-
culiar circumstances under which these penaliies
were justified and colleted—/Hear, bear)—and if
it will be 'bond that the circumstances which ell-
gendered acts so hostile to the spirit of our Consti.
Union have long since passed away. it will thrum re-
main for us to consider, whether, after the ),remises
are changed, the consequences are not also to he
removed. You will then have to consider whe-
ther, as the cause ha• ceased, the effect should not
irate, and those restriction% be altogether re-
moved for the prolongation of which not the slight-
est plea of necessity could any longer he urged.
This is surely a moment peculiarly auspicious for
settling this great question. It would well become
a new Parliament w assist, in a time of profound
peace, to replace within the pale of the Constitu-
tion that large and respectable portion of our fel-
low-eutijects who have 'hewn themselves, by their
loyalty and moderation, so worthy of participating
in all the privileges enjoyed by the rest of their
fellow-subjects."—(Hear, hear.)
The Petition was then brought op and read. It
stated in concise and expressive terms the illequalt-
ficatione which the Catholics endured, and prayed
that the Heuer would adopt such measures as in
its wisdom it thought fit, to restore them the bless-
lugs of the Constitution.
The Clerk did not read any of the signatures.
On the question that it do lie on the table,
Mr. WILLIAM SMITH rose, stud said—" 1
would be the last man in this House, or in the
country, to utter one word against the prayer
of the Petition which has just been read ; on
the contrary, I most sincerely hope and trust
that the subject will receive the fullest consi-
deration, aud.tliat the pruner of the Petition will be
completely granted. I should not now have arisen
to make this declaration, were it not for a mistake
into which the floolourable and Learned Gentleman
who last addressed you seems to have fallen, re-
specting the bode of pereons to which I have ever
belonged—l mean the Protestant Dig:welters. The
Iliiiitiorehle and Learned Gentlemen sac% that
the Catholics are shut out from the enjoyment of
privileges fruits which no sect of Dissenters are
excluded but 61,111'0 Veg. I cannot allow this mis-
take to go abroad without correcting it on the instant.
The Dissenters are equally subject with the Catho-
lics to the Test and Corporation Acts; they are
with them equally subject to this obloquy (as it is
properly celled) on account of their religious prin..
riples, and also to the obloquy that attaches to their
civil disabilities. Theme is one point indeed in a hich
we differ from the Catholics—we are eligible to
seats in this House ; in other respects there is no
difference. the disqualification remains the same,
and though I am competent to sit here, I urn not
competent to hold the smallest or most insignificunt
race, civil or twittery. The Amine% Indemnity
Act blues not alter the matter ; it dues not exempt
us from the consequence of holding office at all,
contrare to the provisions of the Statute. With
respect to this Petition, I think it right to state,
that it has my sincere and must cordial support,
for it stands oil the ground of peact, justice, liberty,
and hear)—tad the Dissenters, who
I have an Noel right to the commiseration of the
i. gislature, will not, I trust, be deemed less
worthy of your attention."
The Petition was then ordered to he printed.
THANKS TO THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS.
Mr. CANNING said, that in rising to snake the
proposition of which he had already given notice
to the !louse, which was for a Vote of Thanks to
the Marquis of 11uoings, and the Officers who 111111
the 11,111041 r of serving under him in time late Cam-
paign iii India, he would beg, in the first instance,
to slate that his vote was according to the usual
coursi-, purely of a military nutore, and in no de-
gree connected with civil matters. He stated this
the more einphetically. because, in order to make
more intelligible the nature of the military services
of the objects of his miution, it wosld be necessary
for hici to sliest *lout v.as the state of the principal
Native Powers in Indio. and the political relations
they bore to the British Government before this
ckntevt. He meant to state three litchi only with a
view to makitig his motion intelligible, and not at
all fur the purpose of calling their attention to any
thing hut the military operations. lie wished to
guard himself upon this point at the outset, fur he
k new the prejudices with which !whim conquests
were viewed Ly many in this country; he knew
how obeli the; were charged to toe irregular am-
bition of the dd.-rent Governors of indivi, and he
dill not wonder that miscoostructions should prevail
}loon such subjects. Whatever may be their
opinion upon hornier wars in Loki, he was per-
salat'ekl that on tie recent one there could
be but one opinion, that the care of its
necessity was as clear as the military prowess which
it exhibited was glorious—( Ilene, hear.)—In look-
ing ut the vast extent of territiny which England
had arqiiired im tlie vast empire, from the lucre
folinulsit;"is of a single factory, when slur now
subjected to her ii hmiuion a space ,of country to the
extent of 1,000,0e0 geographical squitie wiles,
and CMClpribin.4 a population of 100 millions of nl-
dividu Js, was natural that the rye of a philoso-
pher remit' oot eiirvey such an increase of territorial
acqinsition without sttributieg it in a great. degree
to the ciiiistenetices an inordinate lust tor eon-
quest; tint since Perlimment hart taken the effairs
LI India more i 11111 l ediately troller its supervision
and cootrul, every thing had lotil Out: to couuter-