The National Register.
London, England, 1812-04-26 00:00:00

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ro which he had the honour to belong, and he would state the motives
which directed the vote he meant to give that night—.
" I-lonio sum, humane= nil a me alienum puto."
The wisdom of Government. he thought, was shown by tolerating all
religions. By such wise und whulesome indulgence alone could any
gt-eat State maintain tranquillity, or retain in peace and accord the con-
ea!, she might make, or the territory which.she might acquire. Such
%ea!, the indisputably sound policy of the great antagonist with whom
the country was at present engaged, and it was wise to take lessons from
an enemy, and adopt a course which alone could render us able to con-
teed with him. It the memorialists in their petitions had not been so
full, explicit, and eatisfactory on the subject of the Pope's supremacy,
he should, undoubtedly, have thought it. necessary to say something on
that head; but they had obviated all fair objection, and be need only
add, that the doctrine had lung ago and frequently been renounced by
the Pope's themselves in their negociatione with the Sovereigns of Eu-
rope, as well as by the Decree of the Council of Constance. His Royal
Ilighness here took a survey of our own history, with a view to prove
the supremacy of the Civil Government.llonglyonggly deplored the ne-
cessity which the Catholics of Ireland had lain under, of seeking in
a foreien country, that education which would not be afforded them at
home. To deprive any man of the fair means of gaining a lthe i
ill velihood,
sees palpable if:justice, howsoever sophistry might try to gild por
sweeten the draught. Exclueions were unnatural, and contrary to the
spirit of the Constitution, and the Catholics were entitled to all the pri-
vileges and indulgence which were extended to any other class of dissen-
t. rs from the Chuch stablishment. Tere was no encroachment to
he dr.. aded while thee Constitutional were maintained. He could see
no objection to the prayer of the Petitions, and thought that. the religi-
ous subjects of tkose realms should he as sisters of oue family. Nor
%weld there, on inquiry, be found so material a difference between the
essential forms of the Romiell Church and our own, as might
be aperehended. In the ceremony of visiting the sick, the doctrine of
abco.ution was copied from the Romish form, and the dignities and ra-
dations in our Hierarchy were feehioned from the
tosu same origin.
Pope
Had
nut for a long time been teigaged in warfere pport the
a .:ainst the power which attacked him ? And were we not still in
triendly league and alliance with Catholic powers, and Catholic commu-
nities. There, then, our conduct gave the lie to our prejudices. He
heti heard it said, the present was not the fit time fur granting what was
asked. No time was unsuitable to the concession of right, and it could
never be yielded too soon. lie could easily conceive a disposition at
times in people to be turbulent, but he could by no means perceive the
fitness of trying to quell turbulence by aggravating the cause of it. To
the generous, tractable, and amenable temper of the Irish people, hie
Royal Highuess paid a most warm and liberal compliment. But the
ci it and religious disabilitien uoder which they laboured could not tail
to gall them. When he was in Rome he saw two pictures of their Ma-
j. sue,:, which were the objects there oi public esteem and vemeration.--
fyr his part, he had very glitveiy and attentively considered the subject,
aed tee object of the petitions before their Lordships. They had come
%woo his meditation on a recent occasion, when a severe and alarming
iooisposition had led him to contemplate Ls probable death with calm
Christian resignation. At that awful moment, he had considered what
wes the most acceptable service he could render to God, and the sug-
gtsti ih -arising to his conscience to follow the dictates of charity, meek•
oess, and indulgence, set forth his example in the practice of our blessed
Redeem._ r. hie would repeat, that with the bulwarks which the Con•
stit town had provided, there was no danger in acceding to the Catholic
and vto etched indeed must be the foundation of that church,
which could be shaken by an ac: totot.rince and equity. The yielding
those claims to the Catholics ~‘ttAild hind the two countries in bonds of
affectitoi and mutual confidence, more valid, firm, and efficacious,
than any Acts of Parliament, and contribute more essentially than any
other ineesure to the permanent security of the empire. His Royal
I iehness conciudtel N jib observing, that he could not sit down or free
hie conscience without giving his h iocty vote for the motion of the No-
ble Earl.
Lord REDESDALit said, the view he had of the subject now under
consideration, differed entirely feum that of the Noble Persons who
had moved and seconded it. Ile felt convinced, that so tar from pro-
ducing security, it would only increase the dangers and difficulties
which it was rvpresented as teading to remove. The laws ofkcting the
Catholic body had been fountled on long experience, not indehd an ex-
perience procet.dieg from what had taken place in the darker times tit
the world, hut an experVoce, collecoel in doles when the human mind
re-
was, perhaps, more enlightened that at any former period. I:very
‘o..ct was, in the nature of thini,s, obliged to he, more or less, a
political party; and, in conformity to this principle, it could not be
dc-
'hat the Catholics were: also a political party. The some may be
leisertea of all other religious stet; in the State. The question then
lerot v.-ould be possible to prioerve good order in the State, after
the.:.emktion to political power of ]:arty differing so fundamentally in
-.titoso Such a measure would be much less dangerous in an
eoe.lao• ,vernmeet than in a free one lil-.e that of England. When
Lrioo! abic:lute, he can contruul the views of any sect by io,tant
teo.b.O. io..loi;etl power ; bit the case was not the same uneer the
ion: at lf the Ronvin Cathodes were admitted to all
he, Coo t!:• would e..!5t a great political body
..• ; ; coobli innents of the kingdom, so tar as