The National Register.
London, England, 1812-06-28 00:00:00

TILE NATIONAL REGISTER.

IMP

389

been sad in another place, that when the Catholics were asked
give security for the existing establishments, they repl ed " Shew
the danger to them." A fair answer. It the Catholics did not see t
dangers, how could they suggest the security. Let not Great Brit t
shut her eyes to the example of other countries. In the great empi
of Russia existed a Catholic establishment, and Episcopacy. not d
pendant on the Pope, except spiritually. In France, the Cethuo
Church experienced a liberty from the thraldom of the Pope, whie i
it did not enjoy even in the days of Louis XIV. When we saw ei
this, when we saw that it was impossible the Pope could recover ii
power ; when we saw the mitigated spirit which prevailed in modele
tunes, and which mitigated and allayed the violence of religious di,.
sentions, surely we could not consider it difficult to unite with co t.
cession to the Catholics security to the Protestant Church. He cols
eluded by moving the following Resolution :—" That the House will,
early in the next Session of Parliament, take into its most serio le
consideration, the state •of the Laws atieeting his Majesty's Rom ,n
Catholic subjects of Great Britain and lit hied, with a view to such
afinal and concilietory adjustment as may be conducive to the peace
and strength ot the Un'ted Kingdom, to the stability of the Protestant
esta list:meet, and to the general satisfaction and concord ot all classes
of his Majesty's subjects."
General Merenew called upon the House to adopt the Amend
meet which he should propose to them, which was to omit all th
words after the word " that" for the purpose of substituting the fel
i lowing t " the Claims of the Catholics of Great Britain and Ireland
11 be taken into immedhoe consideration, and that the House will te-
-1
I I solve itselve itself into n Committee of the whole House for that pus-
pose on Thursday next."
Mr. W. Pose, spoke in favour of the Motion.
Mr. R VDER opposed it.
Mr. M. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fuller, Sir J. Newport, Mr. Marryatt,
and Mr. Martin spoke in faveur of the Catholics.
Mr. M. MONTAGUE was against the Motion.
Mr. PARNELL and Mr. W. BOOTLE were for the motion, but th.:
latter would not pledge himself to go farther.
Sir J. NICHOL opposed the motion.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER and. Mr. BANKS were in
favour of taking the Catholic claims intc, consideration. •
Mr. G e eeeets observed, that it the opinions ot those who formed
the Government were changed, he could easily conceive that such
I i change might be justified by circumstances, and he would not call the
present a victory gained over them ; to him it appeared, that they had
gained a victory over themselves.
Lord Ceseseereecu declared, that if he were not that night to
concur in the motion of the Right Hon. Gentleman, his conduct
would work an abandonment of those principles which he had al-
e ways avowed, and which had uniformly regulated his conduct.—
Feeling as he always had, the necessity of endeavouring to adm te
Catholics into the Constitution, when the difficulties whichit had
opposed that measure were lessened or removed, when the temper of
the Catholics, and the circumstances of the times would, in hi,
opinion, justify its being attempted to be done, if no one else had
taken up the subject, he himself would have telt it his duty to have
brought it forward. (Hear, hear, hear!) The obstatees which had
formerly stood in its way were such, that, in his opinion, to bring it
forward could have but the effect ot injuriously agitating the public
mind. Those obstacles to which he particnlarly alluded, existed lio
longer. He wished to be understood, that he only expressed his owe
ineiviigual sentiments, as the other Members of the Cabinet had done
theirs. He then noticed that anomaly in the Constitution which was
presented by the situation of the Englieh Catholics, whose conduct
had been go unexceptionable, that it had never subjected them even
to the least charge of imprudence, yet they were, not only labouring
under all the disabilities complained of by the Catholics of Ireland,
but they were exposed to the penal laws, the operation of which was
such, that the humanity of the times would not suffer them to be en-
forced. When he looked on this, he had always felt that the• Const-
itution could not rest securely till some alteration was effected. Thin
struck him the more forcibly, when he considered that in Scotland a
Catholic might fill the highest offices in the State,while their situation
was such as he had described in England. lki,
.had,. however, never
looked forward to a concession of the Catholic claims as a measure
that could be either wise or politic, unless it were accompanied wit ii
safeguards, which would sufficiently guarantee the safety of the Con,
stitution. With.respect to the securities necessary to begiven, he had
never looked to any that went to impose any th'ng at variance with
the principles of their religion ; he had never wished tor any cone
cessions that would degrade or dishonour them, or that were not as
valuable to be conceded by them as to be received by the Protestants.
He had wished for no securities which the Catholics had not tecoge
nised in other countries, as compatible with the principles of their
religion. He had wished to follow the example of our Catholic
ancestors, in the measures they took for guarding against the effect,
of foreign influence. As to what had bean said ut the Pope, ho
would say that, however feeble he might be in the hands of the
i
Tyrant of France, he would be formidable o,F,ngland, and still morn
so in Irelatid. It had been said that the Pope had ‘not nominated east
Irish Catholic Bishop fora considerable numletrof years. He dooot,
ed the correctness of this statement, but it it wareoorrect, it was to be
remembered that if that contended for were allowed, he might AMU,

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