The Sun.
London, England, 1822-03-30 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1822.

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

EXTRACTS MOM THE DAILY MORNING PAPERS

March 30, 1822.

[NEW TIMES.]
It will be seen by our Parliamentary Report,
that Mr. Canning has given notice that be will,
on the 30th of April, move for leave to bring in
a Bill for, repealing so much of the Act of the
30th of Charles 11. as goes to exclude Catholic
Peers from their seats in the 'House of Lords.
It is certainly not a little extraordinary that a
law, founded as the Act of Charles was, in a de-
lusion so gross in itself, so completely detected,
and so universally reprobated, should have been
suffered so long to hold its place among the sta-
tutes of a great and a just nation. That Act
originated in the sanguinary impostures of
the infamous Titus Oates, to whose diabolical
perjuries so many itmacent lives were sacrificed.
" Witnesses," says the Historian, " of such a
character as not to deserve credit in the most
trifling cause, or upon the most immaterial facts,
gave evidence so incredible, or, to speak more
properly, so impossible, that it ought not to have
been believed if it had come from the mouth of
Cato; and upon such evidence, from such wit-
nesses, were innocent men condemned and exe-
cuted." In such a ferment of the public mind,
were passed two laws, the Attainder of the inno-
cent and aged Viscount Stafford, and the general
disherison of all the Catholic Peers from a
right which they had exercised even in the
brightest era of the Reformation, wider Ed-
ward VI. and Elizabeth, of sitting and voting
in the Upper House of Parliament. The
reversal of both these Acts is surely a matter of
plain and simple justice. No honest man will
,pretend to say that either of them would have
passed, but for the false witness of Titus Oates,
and his perjured associates, and the blind cre-
dulity of the nation, worked tip to fury by some
unprincipled individuals of higher rank. And
yet to this day, the posterity of the murdered
nobleman are kept out of their hereditary dig-
nities; and the whole body of Catholic Peers
are excluded from the Legislature, because the
mob of 1678 shouted as franticly for Titus
Oates, as the mob of 1819 did for Hunt, or that
of 1820 for Queen Caroline.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
The Vagrant Laws Amendment Bill, the se-
cond reading of which- was moved last night by
Mr. Clietwynd, is only emendatory, it would
seem, in so far as it brings together all the pro-
visions of former Acts. We have not ourselves
had time to examine this Bill, but we have been
told by a friend, in whose discernment and judg-
ment we repose the utmost confidence, that as it
now stands, it would, if passed into a law, be
productive of great injury to individuals and the
community at large, and that it is altogether such
a measure as ought not to be tolerated in a com-
mercial country like this. Mr. Canning sounded
Mr. Plunkett, with a view to learn whether
he had determined to bring forward the Ca-
tholic Question in the present Session ? The
answers of the latter gentleman are rather curious.
—" The Roman Catholics of Ireland," he said,
" had themselves the good taste to perceive
that whether the disturbances were, philosophi-
cally speaking, a reason for passing a measure of
relief, yet it would be most unwise to propose
such a measure, without a moral certainty of its
being successful." The present leaning of his
opinion was, that now was not the moment to
press the measure. We are to understand then
that when the measure is brought forward, there
will be a moral certainty of its passing. Mr.
Canning gave notice, that on the 30th April
next, he should move for leave to bring in a Bill
to repeal so much of the 30th Chas. 11. as de-
barred Catholic Peers from sitting and voting in
the House of Lords. This exertion on the part
of Mr. Canning will probably close for the pre-
sent his Parliamentary career.

[MORNING POST.]

In the House of Commons, last night, Mr.
Canning gave notice of a very important motion,
which he fixed for the 30th of April, and to
which he particularly called the attention of his
Majesty's Attorney-General for Ireland, Mr.
Plunkett. The Right Hon. Gentleman prefaced
his notice by reminding the House, that when
the Catholic question was last year under dis-
cussion, he expressed his determination, in case
the Bill should ultimately fail, to propose a par-
tial measure for the relief of Catholic Peers. He
now. intended to redeem that pledge, and with-
out wishing to interfere with the general question
entrusted to Mr. Plunkett (with whose views he
was unacquainted,) should, on the above day,
move the repeal of that part of the 30th Chas. H.
which prevented Catholic Peers from sitting
and voting in the House of Lords. Mr.
Canning further stated, that up to that mo-
ment the Noble Personages most interested
knew nothing whatever of his instituting this
measure. So pointed a reference to Mr. Plun-
ket necessarily drew from that Right Hon.
Gentleman a few observations explanatory of the
course he was now pursuing with respect to the
petition entrusted to him by the Irish Catholics.
After expresshig his hearty concurrence in the
measure proposed by Mr. Canning, and his una-
bated sincerity and zeal in support of Emancipa-
tion, his present conduct respecting which was
solely guided with a view to its certain success,
he declared his incapacity to say positively as
yet what course he should finally adopt. Whe-
ther he should bring the subject forward
during this Session, or postpone it till the