The National Register.
London, England, 1816-04-07 00:00:00

SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 1816.

glory of the British empire have attained the limits of
earthly greatness. History, that has recorded the course
of so many nations from infancy to maturity, from weak-
ness to strength, has never graced her annals with so
noble a theme, r.s the progress of our country to her '
present elevation. The wars of Rome and of Carthoge
shook the World, but did not change its fate. The con-
queror, uthoejnir ,lio,inig,ht be, only held forth•chuina to
mankind, and the triumph of the Roman Eagle was the
slavery of nations. Far &awe is the glary of England,
and far above her power. She has conquered, and the
world is free. Where her arm has not smitten, her ex-
ample has tired. But it' she resign that power which
has been found unconquerable,—if bite suffer the spirit
of life to depart from her counoils, and niggardly econo-
my to palsy all her faculties,—then may her Ministers
be justly•arraigned, and in the downfall of its guardian,
the world may anticipate the revival of despotism.

imrEill.4l, PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LOBOS, AIONDAV, APRIL. 1.
The Aturquis of Bath resented a Petition from the Wiltshire
Agricultural Sudety, complaining of the Distressed State of
Agriculture, and prrying rchtif.

Tt s:snav, Aynat. 2.
The Duke of Sussex presented a Petition from the Ward of
Cripplegate Without, against the Stauding Army, and the your-
mous Public Expenditure.
The l:arl of Launsat only. said, that Government must be
aware that some speedy relief must be given to the Igrictißore
of Scotland ; for they st know that a deficit in the Revenue,
arising from that part of the country, amounting, he believed,
to 97,001)1. had taken ?lace in the mouths of Dec. and Jan.
Lord HOLL A Sp n, iu presenting a Pet,tion front the Freeholders
of Middlesex against the S anding Army, comnatulated the
House on the increase of knowledge in the country displayed
iu this Petition. He also prestuted a Petition from horthlk
on the same subject ; anal also praying for relief to the Agri-
caluiral Interest. it was by the voice of the people that the
limotne-tax hod been gad rid of; autl it they would only come
forward in the same manner, they would also get rid of the
enormous and useless Establishments. Let them mot listen to
what %mild be said by persons holding offices under Govern-
ment, (kat these Establishments wore absolutely necessary.
Let theta persist in calling for realucti iiii , and lioverument
would soon begin to retrench. He believed d: _overtunent had
now reduced the Military Establishment 250,0001. in compli-
ance with the voice of the country. This was but little; but
if the people et* Englund called on Parliament for further re-
duction, Milliliters would be obliged to retroicb still further
their lavish expenditure of the public money.-•-The Petitions
were then read.
Lord RoLks: wisheikthe higher 9rdut s, who had been relieved
from the Income-tax, to come Nrward with a voluntary sub-
scription to the amount of that which they would have paid to
this tax, for the relief of the lower orders. He also hoped,
that the people would not beTurther burthened on the Assessed
taxes.
STATE or IRMA-ND.
The Marquis of Huck st.HA M rose to move for a Committee
to enquire into the State of Ireland. In doing so he felt em-
barrassed, because the picture was so large a one, that he
hardly knew in what point of view to place it beforellieir
Lordships. The grievances be complained of were those of
the whole of Ireland—the rich impoverished, and the lower
orders enslaved. If called on fur documentary es idence, it
would consist of immense masses from the history of Ireland,
sheaving Governments radically bad ; which, by attempting to
govern by division, had wily united the whole population
against themselves. His object, however, was not to entrire
into the origin of this system, but what the means were of cur.
reeling the evil. To look to the past only fur instruction, and
to bid the people of Ireland took to the future with hope ; to
govern with mildness and oonciliation. lie Wright, without
stating any reason fur his motion, call on Ministers to show the
House the present state of Ireland. But Ministers had ad-
mitted the existruce of the evils, when they called on Parlia-
ment for so large a 'Watling force in Ireland, and for the power
of suspending the laws in that country. The House vs as called
on to spew that there were other menus of protecting Ireland
1 than by ruling her like a conquered cutuitry, by placing over
her a military garrison in time of peace. It was impossible td
look into the state of Ireland without looking also at the pre-
sent state of the Catholic Wuestion, mid winch was their duty
to icuicily. He would restore the Catholics to every office of
trust, pre tit. or rack ; except that lie would not allow a Ca-
tholic Chancellor to be the keeper of a Protestant King; that
there should be no Catholic fellows of Colleges ; nor would lie
be fur allowing Catholics to superintend the education of Pro-
testant youth; but he va stunt encourage the education of Ca.
tholie youth, tliat thus might not be forced to seek protection
in oilier comitries. the King too should have a caontroul over
tie• oatnitiation of (*Mitotic Bishops. Vi ith these guards, oud
some others which might be pointed out, the remedy %%amid be
ate and cats of amine:Atom The es il of Tythes arose from
the mole of go' erring Ireland ; it was taken oil the great
latolholikr. and pot on the poor peasant. The riches of ire-
, land toi mei ly consisted in pasture lands, and cousequently a
tythe w.. put on cattle, until u clamour was raised by the
English petty the eutiutrj , %%hick was most pow erfol. M hea.
Chit Iv the tA.29l.llkra eff i retest ant limo holder, the Catholic
peasant I. idned to e.sy a tithe to support a chnrch whirl %sea
in o.te;SsCuthe he urotissed. the e:antoynie
at
1 of Ty-
-m ra was a source ot any woes to Ireland. Ilia

4. *

f

ran-F:

bionic lay in that system of division which relidered the 1.,.
meat of tythes in Leland. From the evils arising by the em-
ploYment el Ty the Proctors, the interests of the.Chnrch an
its character was injured in the opinions of the people. The
remedy was easy(iti his opinion, by levying a rate in proportiog
to the rent on the lends, tie lieu of tythe s, which ought only to
be paid by the rich landholder. Another grievance was, the
power given to the Grand Juries iii Ireland OQ the presentment
of roods, which was often made a private jub. Any one might
400te:. r that a road a antectsepitirs, and then the Grand Jury had
dte "Inver of ordering it to be repaired, the expence being
'paid by a rate on the. Barony; and that money frequently went
40 pay a tenant's rent. Another es if was, the appointment of
High Sheriffs in Ireland being vested in the Crown ; and these
offices were under the sole contruul of the Crown. Atwitter
evil ton arose front the appointment of magistrates in Ireland ;
for, owing to the pressure and inquietude of thetintes. the office
of sianagistrate laid become very laborious, and, cousequeatly,
many got into the magistracy who did not deserve to be there.
The lam point, but by no means the least, was the finaricial state
of Ireland. From time to time the revenue of Ireland had sunk
below the charge due to the public creditor. He entered iuto
a variety of numerical statements to prose this. In 179!, 49
midioes of yards of litter) were imported from Ireland into Eng•
land ; and in 1810, only 39 millions were so imported. Add to
all this the increase of illicit distillation. and the i.ictui e a as one
of national bankreptev. He trusted the House would be of
opinion that he had stated enough to lay a parliamentary ground
of enquiry. 'they were now charged with the protection of a
country meant as a blessing to us in peace, and a source of as-
sistance in war. By neglecting it we might cast these blessings
far front us.—Ouifuture rule in Belated would consist of' ewe-
matting exertions to keep down her generous population, if en-
quiry were not made as to the best means Or suothiug and con-
eilialing that country. He concluded by moving, that a Com-
mittee be appointed, to enquire into the state of Ireland.
The Earl of Lis ER root contended, that uo practical good
could result from sendiug this question to a select Committee.
No ens,. had been made out which called for enquiry ; and, even
if it were referred to a select Committee, it would be next to
impossible to -cute the mode of proceeding. He was ready to
admit, that the system of Government fur Ireland, for many
years, was radically wrong ; for it went on the principle of sa.
crificing the interests of Ireland to the supposed interests or
Great Britain. But, during the present reign, that system had
been totally chairged into a system of conciliation; and he re.
membered a noble Baron, in another place, had stated, there
was not a Sessiuu but what some boon was granted to Ireland
by thiucountry. He was far, howeser, from wishing to be tiu-
derstood as meaning to say, that became much had been dour,
more, if possible, should not be done for that country. He so-
lemnly declared!, that lie, and those with whom be acted, had
invariably labonred to throw every fair advantage into the scale
Mil-eland. Whatever evils might formerly have existed in
Ireland, no coimtry in Europe had made such improvement ih
power, prosperity, and wealth, during the last 50 years. The
agriculture of Ireland had quadrupled daring that period, while
its trade had doubled since the Union with this country. The
principal evils under which Ireland laboured were to be traced
to the lawless and dissolute manners of many of the lower order a
of the people; and arose from no religions feelings whatever.
Catholics as a ell as Protestants were the objects of these tu-
mults and illegal proceedings. These were only to be corrected
by extendiug the benefits of edireation. He read a horrible pie:.
ture of the state of the lower orders in Scotland in 161115, when
there were 200,000 beggars in that conntry, living without re-
eard to the laws of God or man. How was it that the lower
orders of the people ofneothriel werenow so tranquil and oho-
diem to the laws: at wos not front the excellence oldie consti-
tution aurae country ; it was from thegeneral extrusion of edu-
cation among all classes in Scotland. '1 he Catholic Question
was, in his opiuion, a simple question ; and if it should be con-
ceded at all, should be dune without qualification, except, as ~.../MI
had been already stated, to the Catholics themselves. The sys- ae .--
tem of ty thes might become a question ut' fair commutation; .
but hr could tenure: the House that every attention had twos
paid to this subject by Government, but they bad found no plan ''..
P h itil was not liable to inure blunie than even the tythe system '
itself. On this point, unless sunie plan were laid down before-/
hand, be would object to the goiug into the Committee. As
oit •
the question of 'Grand Jury presentments, he nuderstood a
was now -prepared to amend that part of the laws. The, app '
recut of magistrates could not be better than in the Minds 4 •
Crown. As to the Prtances el Ireland, it was intended, aver
the recess, to brine toward a measure for the consulidativ of
the finances of Gr at Britain amid Ireland. The, reigestAvils
of Ireland were to no ascribed (treat to the *ant TA eadeation,)
tonic want of a resident Gentry ; a circumstance which might
be lamented, but could not be remedied. He felt it as strongly
as the Noble Marquis to be the dirty of Government to use ever,
means to make Ireland a source of • trem;th, and not of weekneee
to this cour''sx. Bat each i ..:rose topics, which the Noble
Marquis hail alluded to, might be separately brought before
Parliament, without referring them to a Committee.
'The Earl of itt!i'st.V.: said, that the Noble F.er: opposite would
have I ' I that the distresses of Scotland in 18n8 arose flow a
tyrannieal Government endeavouring to force Balm to a reit-,
which they an their consciences abhorred. Be.. •
the history of those times, to: would ha•
evils were relieved by giving them the ....
misty believed in, aud the pastors in whom
Shniiar were the evils, and similar ought
them in Ireland.
The Earl of STANHOPE considered ,
ing the emicession of the l'eto from the
usit to injury, Fur his part, lir had au
bevieg tire people from the louden of '
the Cruirch, which lie lead learned (ruin
the Isce Mr. Darel,,s, and that was, to'
(mil isewert). —(A fuligh.t)
The But of 4toyouEEN opposed, and
sec, orted the motion.
Lord Kilitstiaxe contended, that it
effort te bring the people of IrCaird *lei

to force 'Wm to a relizion
med. Had he consulted
rive also found that those
. religion they cocisrienti-
itoni then had con .. c.. -
ght to be the re *ilk
the question o ... ' '',...i.‘ ;0,,
to rat ellent pi Ir, .P.7'l'. IR
I'ety"ithtusl4,titeusda‘o: 4 '''.... t, fig : :10111.'
nn a shrewd ,ic 44., alio
Li leave toe Cht ,
li
• .4 —^
nd the Earl of i __
there never ha • "
tto sabjectiunig . • 'll‘l*

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