The National Register.
London, England, 1812-02-09 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

estahh -htnent, is at least to incur the arus pro/much, before a reasonable
expectation can be indulged of bringing others to the same persuasion.
But my Right Hon. Friend sees another danger, and is alarmed for the
pecuniary resources of the Church. Considering that a general concur-
rence of sentiment should be first manifested, arid that the measure now
proposed may be attended with the various practical advantages, I must I
give my vote against the motion.
The Hor.. C. Hutchinson supported the motion, as did Lord George
Grenville and Mr. Herbert.
Sir ARTHUR Piorrier could not conceive a more proper time to
Comply with the object of the present motion, and to give effect to the
claims of the Catholics, than the pr sent. It was trifling with the
feeling of the Catholics, to play off this political pantomime upon them
...to say to them, your claims are fit to be received, but not at present
—and to point out to them no time when these claims may be taken
into consideration. The Union of 1801, had been the occasion of
feeding the Catholics, he could not say with promises, but certainly
with expectations. The Catholics had received a Grant between the
period of 1793 and the Union. The Act of 1793 contains a long cata-
logue of offices from which Catholics are excluded. In 1801, at the
time of the Union, it was held out and promised, that all local dif-
ferences would be removed, that the questien would be imported,
would be transferred into a United Parliament, free from all lu,al pre-
judices. But from 1801 to 1811 and 1819, during these eleven years, in
what situation were the Catholics of Irelaad ? They were like subjects
out of the pale of the Legislation ; their care could not be taken into
consideration, for a reason so well known to every person in the House,
that it was superfluous to allude more forcibly to it. During that
situation they had been inure like outcasts than subjects.—Sub-
jects no doubt they were to your Legislatnre ; they were subjected
to the payment of taxes but all considera: ion of the complaints were
suspended. It was perfectly ridiculous to cons=ider that as now sub-
sisting, which had already suspended the faculties of the Leei,lature,
and was contemptible to the last degree, to state that the Exalted Per-
son who administer,. the Government of these realms, should be so
far under the influence of prejudice, as to refuse to act upon the advice
of Parliament. They had hitherto been kept back by some story of a
Coronation Oath, or some nonsense like that, never made intelligible
-(Hear !)--as if that or any thing similar could ever operate as a sus-
pension of the Supreme Legislatute.
Mr. Weeeesetv POLL' having lit'ver taken part in any former dis.
oussimis on the subject, felt himsel little eyial to the task he had in
rising undertaken. The Rip ht Hon. Gentleman here entered at length
Into a detail of the proce.iings in Parliament last ye...r, on Mr. Puu-
sonby's motion regarding the Circular anti Proclanntlen under the Con-
vention Act, during which lie insisted, that no attempt had been made
to show that the Irish Government had acted contrary to the real and
true construction of the Convcin.: in Act. lie followed up this part of
the speech, which was urged with much ingenuity, by noticing the
reasons which had induced the Lord Lieutenant to issue the Circular
and Proclamation. Mr. PAe went on to state the measures recently
a !opted, which had drawn upon the Duke of Richmond, and his ad-
visers, the severe animadvereions that were heard that night; and in
doing so, he entered at much length in matter already before the
Public, regarding the interviews he had had with Lord Fingal', at the
time the Catholic Comn;ittee was sitting in Dublin, in which he in-
formed his Lordshie, that he had consulted the Crown Lawyers of
Lngland and Ireland, and the Vli!ii:.t.ers of b Ith were fully convinced that
the Catholic Committee, consisting of 117 Membei a, was an illegal
assembly under the Convention Act, and that the law would be put in
force against it, or if it was allowed to rcmaii: unmolested it would
annul the Government. He justified the is.; sir of the warrant of the
Chief Justice, authorised by all the Law Giiicers. and warmly com-
bated the assertion, Hutt there was scarce ally contrivance betsseen the
Government and the Court. He eonclnded, by expressing his decided
Hostility to the motion.
Mr. tiu CRI I) A N would not thick of detaining the House long at this
la e hour; but he never heard a Si,t3:ol with which he more completely
disagreed than that just delivered. It was admitted, that the Catholics
had a right to some concessions. but because their cause had been ill
pleaded by an intemperate advocate, or because restraint had made
shorn n-,lpatient, was that :.ny reason why justice should not be done,
even tor our own ie concluded by moving an adjournment,
wkich was carried witheut a division.

TL'I.SII `r , FEB. 4.

The Regency Expences Bit! was read a I.!ird time and passed.

Sir Jo UN o T the tittered into the Catholic gut in a
speech of comiar.thlr h.r.gth, which brought on a lung and iirguenentit-
live debate, in which gceat :tbllity, and !audit ingenuity wero
played on both Fide.; hot it is iniposib.e fur ens to detail the same, as it
world fill up the whole of our P4er.
r. `.V. -Wvnue, Mr. WlCithread, Mr. Ponsotiby,
Alr. 1.1r."1 it- ne.v, and Mr. Eiliot, tiprortcd the motion
for goir.e Conottittee: while Mr. C. A.tainm, Mr. Fitzge-
rald, Mr. :Ilati:•*:•3 3titton' Lured Castlereagh, i\ r. Secretary Rytier,
ti Ateoiney-Grtter.,l, and :11r. I'vrceval, opo-ed it. At half ;.ast
o'el%)ck e t 11'ee'.11,•zilay etlut the House divided, witelt the num-
ber were—E.' :r the :notion, 13; ; At;tltU3t it, 5!...„9. Majo;:ity against
tic inotiwi),

FEI3. 9.

THURSDAY. FEB. 7.
Mr. PERCEYAI. said, that he should, on Monday, move the thanks
of the House to Lord Wellington.
Mr. WHITBREAD enquired of Mr. Ryder whether the scandalous
proceedings at Nottingham, which had for three months disgraced the
country, were quelled, or whether any measures were in contemplation
fur that purpose ?
Mr. RYDER said, that he had reason to think, that for the last two
days the riots were subsiding,—that he trusted to he able, in a few dap,
to bring before Parliament something which might lead to discus.ion
on this subject. 'lle Hon. Gentleman had preferred no charge; if he
should, he was ready to meet it.
EAST INDIA COMPANY.

Mr. WALLACE moved the re-ape ointment of the select Committee
which had b:en sitting on the aft-airs of the East India Company.
Mr. CKEEVEY objected to the motion ; and proposed as a more effica-
cious measure, that the whole House should go into a Committee on the
subject.. He took a general view of the causes from whence arose the
Company's difficulties, and considered these difficulties to arise from
their appearing in the character of Sovereigns, under the disguise of
Merchants: territories and revenue was more the object of the Company
than commerce. He next adverted to the commercial distresses of the
country, and urged the necessity of permitting all the subjects of this
country to have a free trade whh India. The Hon. Gentleman then
alluded to the produce of the Property fax, which, in the year ending
October 5, 1811, hart fallen short of what had previously been, by ne
less -a sum than one million one hundred thousand pounds.
Generals GA scolotve and TA n exTo sr described the distressed state
of commerce at Liverpool, and wished the trade of India to be thrown
open tor their relief.
The CIIA scELLoR of the Excitrotrea was of opinion that the Fact
India trade might be opened in a very considerable degree, and that
such enlargement might be made with perfect security to the East
India C:mwany. While contemplating this, however, they cu; ht to
keep in mind the great importance of preserving the tranquillity of the .e
possessions, and he should never enter into the discussion without at-
tending to both those points. In reply to Mr. Creevey, he was not pre-
pared at that moment to say what had been the produce of the Pro-
perty Tax between the sth of October, 1810, and the sth of October,
1811, but he could state from the latest returns, m: de up to January
sth, 1812, that the f.lling off in the la•t year, instead of being one mil-
lion one hundred thousand pounds, was but two hundred and eigley.
nine thousand. fhil was the total decrease, as compared with the
year ending the sth of January, 1811, the year in which the returns
were greater than they ever were in any pre,•edine year. Compared
with the returns of the year ending the sth of .I:lnuary, 1812, instead of
there being any dilniutrition• of the revenue, there was an in-
crease of between 7 and Beo,oool. The revenue of the year ending
in January, 1811, was greatly increased by the collected arrears of
former years.
After some general remarki from Sir Samuel Romilly, Mr.Whithread,
&c. on the present state of commerce, the motion of Mr. Wallace was
agreed to, and a select Committee appointed..--Adjuurned.