The National Register.
London, England, 1819-03-22 00:00:00

No. 11 (16.—'

The press of other important matter in our long Post-
script of last week, prevented us from noticing the Pe-
tition of the English Catholics presented by Lord Nugent
to the House of Commons. It has been customary for
many years for the English Catholics to separate their
cause from that of the Catholics of Ireland, at least as
far as presenting a distinct Petition for relief from their
civil disqualifications does so. Anxious, however, to
avoid all cause of jealousy or dissatisfaction among their
brethren, they have still forborne to petition for any pe-
culiar or exclusive privileges, and have endeavoured, as
far as possible, to connect the relief of the whole Catho-
lic Body with their own. His Lordship, therefore, no
doubt, in conformity with the instructions he had re-
ceived, declined making any further motion upon the
Petitiem than simply that it do lie upon the table, wait-
in,g, as he then intimated, till the fate of the Irish Pe-
nnon, about to be presented to the House of Commons
by Mr. Grattan, and by Lord Grey to the House of
Lords, should be decided. Should this last mentioned
fail of its object, which it is rather expected it will not,
as, among other grounds of hope, Lord Liverpool is
himself said to have been at last convinced of thejustice
and policy of concession, some further measure, on be-
half of the English Catholics will be then adopted.
So strung, indeed, and so entirely unobjectionable ap-
pear to be the claims of our English Catholics, that had
they chosen to prefer a different course of proceeding,
and to have at once insulated their own question, it is
handy possible to conceive upon what grounds it could
have been resisted. The common claims of the whole
Catholic Body, and the Unreasonableness of the restric-
tions to which their civil rights continue to be subjected,
are topics which have been over and over again urged
by all the powers of eloquence and the force of truth.
Whatever sanction the weight of authority can confer on
any measure, or what one would think an unanswerable
are:omen!, the union of even the most eager of political
opponents on other subjects, has been repeatedly thrown
into the balance of our Parliamentary divisions on Ca-
tholic Emancipation, and yet those ponderoits materials,
ignorance, bigotry, and intolerance, have outweighed
the whole, and may do so again. We are no friends to
• rash and hasty spirit of legislation; we would have
even abuses apparently the most flagrant, well and de-
liberately considered before they are swept away, lest
the very mode or time of effecting their destruction
*hood itself occasion mischief. We are, therefore,
neither astonished nor indignant at the course of cor-
rection and improvement which the lapse of time is
perpetually demanding in our social and civil institu-
tions, Icing somewhat more tardy and obstructed than
our must holiest mid zealous politicians would frequent-
ly contend fur. IVe have seen a cobweb rudely brie-lied
from the corner of a mirror, alai the glass skis ered to
Msees by the zeal of a cleanly house-maid. But this
reasoning is happily no longer relevant to the point now
at isuue. The complaints and prayers of the Boman
Catholics for aihnis.itm to their en tl rights, have been
almost cotistaady before the Legislature ever since the
Kwolutiou. Objections which were then, perhaps
wisely thought instirrable, have gone on gradually
disappearing. Tile faintly of the Pretender, which was
always or:4eil a., the natural rallying-point or their alle-
giance, is now extinct. The prowess of society, and
the general spread of knowledge have taught the Catho-
lic, as well as others, to distinguish between civil and
religious obetheoce. interferelice of Polk:, in the
temporal affairs of Pt i reS atud siates, is 110 W 110 longer
heard of. The British Catholics or Cie piesetit (lay tilt'.
fer ins' as with Iv from the politics of lieliannine, a• the
Clergy of the Estatilished Chinch now differ from iitiise
whn maintained, as an orthodox doctrine, the (lit we
r4ht of Kings in the d.ls of 1/1111:$. A inure universal

acquaintance with history has huffier taught us, when
we remember that Protestants were once persecuted and
burnt by Catholics, not to forget, also, that Catholics
were persecuted and burnt by Protestants in their turn,
and has shewn us that to the slate of society, rather tllllll
to any inherent property of their faith, the vitt-Armee and
errors of both parties are to be referred. To all this we may
still further and particularly add, the ntany and glorious
opportunities that have been afforded to the Catholics
of proving, by positive facts, their unquestionable loyalty
to the throne, and attachment to the constitution.—
Thtoughout the late arduous and protracted struggle,
their blood has flowed quite as freely in their country's
cause as our own, and their share of the public burdens
has been borne with as exemplary a patience. Lastly,
we must not forget to mention, that all those obnoxious
and anti-social tenets, so long charged upon them, and
so generally believed, have been formerly and solemnly
disavowed by every Cathblic university and college in
Europe. Nor has the moroabstract question of I
and political justice, as connected with their cause,
been less successfully argued and determined in their
favour. All the greatest masters of human reason and
philosophy have agreed that conscience, inasmuch as it
is beyond the reach of laws, and even beyond the con-
troul of a man's self, cats never be a proper object of hu-
man legislation ; and that it is equally a violation of all
equity and justice, either to demand the performance of
an impossible duty, or to abridge a 111311 of whatever
rights and privileges belong to the society in which he
lives, for not doing that which he has it not in his
power honestly to perform. " No civil 3.lagisnate,"
says Locke, " can have mote than any other man, the
care of souls. It is not conintitted to him by God, nor
can any such power be vested its him, even by consent
iof the people." Ttte rights of conscience are natural
rights, both antecedent and superior to all human insti-
tutions. They are what laws never gas e, and what laws
cannot take away. Any particular church, also, is no
more than a free and voluntary society. Men are not born
either Catholics of Protestants, nor bound by any natural
connection to any sect or denomination whatever. Nor
again, is a ...buret' establishment any proof of the truth
of the doctrines maintained within it. For otherwise
the faith of Bramalt would be true in India, of Nlaho-
met in Turkey, and of Christianity in Italy, France,
and England; and if it were, you can still have no
power or authority to compel a man to follow even
truth itself, if he prefer being a disciple of error. If
then you C3ll have no right to interfere with liberty of
conscience, you cat, certainly have no just plea for re-
ligious disqualifications. You may erect a national reli-
gious establishment, and may clothe it with whatever
dignities and emoluments you may think most condo-
cite to its welfare, and best adapted to promote its pro-
per end, the spiritual advantages of all its members.—
And as an established religion necessarily pre-supposes
that it is so constituted by the consent of the majority
of those will arc to live under it, that very circum-
stan:T renders it the bounden duty of all, even of those
who are not associated in the communion of its worship,
to contribute to its maintenance, and to du nothing
which may directly tend to injure or overthrow it. It
is a natural ally of the state, and entitled to a civil alle-
giance equally extensive. But here all civil jure-diction,
its 11111.1.? ts purely spiritual, met ends. Offences
against a national religious establishment, are offences
agJinst the state; lint until any Mills idual has actually
committed some overt act rti aizgresitiOn,
.yollll'l%l. HO
I i,411l to legislate opon his presumed host Yon have
uu ri2lit to sill jest hint to lity civil disi.ranchisenteut
is hen he has incurred no forfeiture. I.llCse distinctions
are the store important, as they contribute to set in its
propre liAt the nalore tliat °lilt/mini' which has
so lung been considered by many, and w:fultunately

among those by our venerable and afflicted Sovereign
himself, as an insuperable bar to any concessions to
the Catholics, we mean the Coronation Oath. if the
pryer interpretation of this oath be to sanction and
enforce the principle of civil exclusions on the solo •
ground of speculative opinions in religion, then we
have no hesitation in saying that it is an obligation which
can never justly be imposed, which is better broke
than kept, and which, in fact, has beets broken above a
huhdred times. But We must conteud that it fairly ad-
mits of no such harsh and unnatural construction, and
that properly explained, it neither imposes nor justifies
any interference, on the score or religious opinions, with
the civil capacities of our fellow-subjeett. Such then is
the real state and character of this important Question,
and we need not hesitate to assert that the sentiments
we have put together upon it, are those of all the liberal
and enlightened part of the community. We say no-
thing of a mild and tolerant spirit of conciliation being
both best suited to our professions, and the best policy
for the interests of the Church Establishment, nor of
persecution being the stronge.d ligament we can apply
fOr cementing and keeping together the whole body of
those who dissent from it. Our argument rests upon
the higher ground of imprescriptible right and moral
justice; and upon this firm foundation we shall now
leave it, adding only a few words upon the peculiar fea-
tures of the Petition presented to the House. It was
signed by npwards of 10,000 names, amongst which
arc, 13 Peers, It! Baronets, and, what furnishes a cu_
tines and eery interesting fact, the only five names that
now remain of those who signed Magna Charta, and
thus laid the foundation of British liberty, are sub►cribed
to this document, now praying to be admitted to share
the blessings their forefathers procured to the country,
and, to use his Lordship's beautiful and impressive lan-
guage, that they may no longer be " aliens in their na-
tive land."

We are sorry to observe, that the Political Horizon in
France wears but a lowering and tthcheering aspect to
the friends of peace. The Ministry over and over again
defeated by the Opposition in the Upper Chamber, have
had recourse to an unprecedented creation of 64 new
Peers ; and amongst these are numbered 34 of the old
Officers and adherents of Napoleon. The profession or
these men is arms, and no workman is well-pleased to
be long destitute of employment.

Extract of a letter from Buenos-Ayres, dated
Dec. 16.—" Lord Cochrane has arrived in Chili,
slid on the 4th inst. entered St. Jag°, where he has
been received with every mark of aspect. He has
been olI:red the command of the Chili squadron,
which he is expected immediately to assume. The
merchant vessels in Valparaiso arc likely to be much
distressed for seamen, every one is running to join
Lord Cochrane.

French papers of Monday and Tuesday haVe just
reached us ; they are totally devoid of interest.
The French Funds are 66.10. Rink 1500.

The Perntentirry at Milhank contains :It present 1(9
males and 123 rent:des ; it is to hold uhlinJtely 400
the prison is extrcincly healthy.
On Monday last Crptain Mattis!, exitihitt d at the bar.
rocks, Yarmouth. his eltmaratua for ratiouoi•timg Inc
had ;wittily invited the Maynr, E.I I Pct,trin, Esq. the
drimi% 11a, or, and oilier acinlirrien, to sitsvect alit, %ail.
ors %attending its applicati.os. At. ',repent
tars e icitch Gratified, lint it appealed to he the itcrieral
p 1 espion Mot Abe inttriiions contrivance is hiller vitt:opted
to private than to pottlie use. The :111 .re 4IW eene.lsts of a
topper ve,sl I Hbotit 3U itirluts luteg, .uul nt a Asithei-ro ea-
tly to hold Lrur gal ion, of ineptrgual«d valor and
Alr, hasileg as a t.rck a in.ts. pio• with .1 stop
cock, tin totuiog of which the wart is propt.trett by the
rnintot,,cil air a of 35 no 4tt fief.
Ilse who, otitis ;dhoti 4into., '• : a' .'t
:I, 10 he ramly eonsryed to on, room. or par..ot it . •
ts brie a fiic is lint ow, ,;• •s.
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VOL. XII.] MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1819 [Piaci Md. ,
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