The National Register.
London, England, 1808-05-23 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

" as they could summon a Parliament, would endeavour
• to prAcure the Homan Catholics such further aid In that
• pa, ticular us might preserve then trout any disturbance
on ataount of taaa ehgton." This instrument, which
was granted. not in a moment of weakness and terror, but
in the pacification that succeeded victory, was during the
fourth year of King. William, ratified and published in letters
patent, under the great seal : And three years afterwards,
mu affect contravention of this hope held out by the King,
was passed the celebrated Act for preventing the growth
of hOhers, of which the following is the history related
by Burnet, and other cotemporary writers: a history which
w serve to throw much light upon the question, and
proves the fallacy of many arguments employed by those
modern opposers of Catholic Emancipation, who are al-
ways eatteling the sleady policy of our ancestors.
disposition of the King was known to be decidedly
tolerant : and his Ministers, of course, had, adopted his
pra.ciplcs. Hoe ever, the recent troubles and contests had
excited a gre it prejudice among the people against the
Roman Catholics : and of that prejudice the Opposition
resolved to avail themselves, in order to discredit, and, if
possible, to displace the existing Administratioe. With
this view they introduced a very severe and preposterous
Bill against the Catholics, not so much from any fear or
detest atiou of that body, as in the hope that the Court party
would oppose il, and so subject themselves to the imputa-
tion of protecting popery. The courtiers, however, were
riot the dupes of this manoeuvre : and, instead of opposing
the Bill in the Lower House, they added a variety of cruel
and absurd clauses, which they conceived would certainly
occasion the Bill to be rejected by the Lords, or at least
sent back with great alterations: and, considerin
the temper which theft prevailed between the teo Howes,
this return of the bill must have been as good as a rejec-
tion, for the Continons would have been sure to withdraw
tile Bill altogether. In this expectation, however, they
were unfortunately deceived. The dread of popery, and
still more the love of popularity, deterred the Lords from
opposing the Bill : and it appears to have passed, against
the real wishes of a majority of both Houses. This is the
history of the English Act at least, which was as owedly
the model of that which was passed for Ireland. By this
latter Act, and the statutes that followed it, Catholics
were disabled from porchasing or inheriting hind, from
being the guardian, of their own children, from having
arms or houses, front serving on graad juries, front en-
tering the Ines of Court, from practising a'.3 Barristers,
or l'hysicians, Ste. &c.
At the close of tile reign of Queen Anne, when the
liberties of Englishmen stood Oil so triumphant a footing—
to two thirds of. the Irish nothing was left which could
distinguish them fiorn slaves or aliens, but the right of
sut ing at elections : and this too was taken from thein in
the reign of the succeeding ..sovereign, althhugh from
the peace of Limerick they had lain prostrate and unol-
fend ing.
Some of these disabilities have in this reign been re-
moved ; hitt how much still remains to be done, our
readers wdi see by the fallowing precise statement of
thaa; which s!ill oppress the ( atholics.
The Catholics of Ireland cannot sit in either of the
Hotee.s of Parliaineet, nor he appointed to any of the
following gives :---Those of Chiel Governor or Governors
of this kingdom, Chancellor, or Keeper, or Commissioner
of the Seal, Lord High Treasurer, Chief Justice of King's
Bench or Co::nnon Picas, Lord Chief Baron of Exchequer,
-Chancellor of the rxchisicer, Judge in four Courts of
Admiralty, Master of the Bolls, Secretary of State, Keeper
of the Privy Seal, V ic• Treasurer or his Deputy, Teller or
Cashier of Excherer, Auditor General, Governor or
Cusios Rolulori.im of Counties, Chief Governor's Secretary
Privy Conn6ilor, King's Counsel, Serjeant, Attorney or
Colicitor General, Master in Chancery, Provost or Fellow
of Trinity College Dublin, Post-master General, Master
and L.eteenant General of Ordnauce, Commander in Chief,

MAY M.

•
oeneral on the Staff, Sheriff and Sub-Sberiff, nor (unless
the Lord Lieutenant grant a written dispeniation fur that.
purpose) to the offices of Mayor, tiailu,, Recorder, Bur-
gess, or any other office in a City or Corporation. N
Catholic can be guardian to a Protestant, and no Catholic
Priest can be a guardian at all. Catholics are allowed to
have arms only under certain restrictions : and no Catholic
can be employed as a fowler, or have, for sale or other.
wise, any arms or warlike stores. No Catholic can
present to an Ecclesiastical living: although dissenters,
and even Jews, have been found entitled to•this privilege,
The pecuniary qualification of' Catholic Juror, is much
higher than that of Protestants ; and no relaxation of ti
ancient rigorous code is permitted, except to those who
shall take the oath and declaration prescribed b) 13 and
14 Geo. 111. c. 3.
There is scarcely an instance of the license of the Lori'
Lieutenant granted for the admission of a Catholic into a
Corporation; and in practice and effect, the Catholics are
still as completely excluded from serving on juries as if the
privilege of service had not been accorded to thew.