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

CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

Mr. CANNING rose to call the attention of the House to a
notice he was about to give upon a very important subject,
and to which lie desired the particular attention of the Righ t
Hon. and Learned Attorney-General for Ireland. Honour.
able Gentlemen who recollected the debates of last year
upon the Bill for removing the Roman Catholic disabilities,
might remember that there was one point of that mea-
sure which he promised to bring forward upon its own
separate merits, if the Bill itself should fail. He consi-
dered that promise to be a pledge which he was bound to re-
deem. Under that consideration, he felt that if he brought
forward the subject with effect, it must be done without
loss of time, as the Session was rapidly passing away. He
therefore took the present opportunity of giving notice,
that on the 30th of April, which was the first open day, he
should take the liberty of submitting a motion to the House,
for repealing so much of the Act of the 30th of Charles
11., as went to debar Roman Catholic Peers from sitting
and voting in the House of Peers. He begged it to be
understood that he should not interfere with the great question,
as a whole, in bringing forward this measure. But as he un-
derstood that it was as yet undecided whether the whole ques-
tion should be introduced under existing circumstances, he had
determined, in pursuance of his promise to the House, to bring
this subject before it by a separate and independent measure.
Although he felt there was no necessity for his stating any thing
of a justificatory nature, in respect to the noble individuals
whose rights and interests were so deeply concerned in the ques-
tion, he was anxious to declare solemnly to that House, upon
his honour, that he had had no communication, directly or indi-
rectl', with any of those noble individuals upon the subject of
his intended motion.

Mr. PLUNKETT considered the subject to which the Right
Hon. Gentleman had called his attention, to be a very prin-
cipal and important part of the measure which he had the ho-
nour to propose to the House ir; the last Session ; and, indeed,
if it were not so, any part of it to which the Right Hon.
Gentleman condescended to attend must then become im-
portant. Any information which he could furnish, in further-
ance of the object of the Right Hon. Gentleman, would be
given with the greatest happiness to the full extent of his power.
With regard to the expediency of bringing forward the gene-
ral question, considerable doubt was entertained ; and whe-
ther it would be more advantageous to bring it forward in the
latter part of this Session, or in the beginning of the next, he
could not take upon himself to decide. He was informed that
the great body of the Roman Catholics intended entrusting to
his care a petition, praying that the House would take their
condition under its consideration in the present Session. Ile
had acknowledged how deeply he felt the honour which had
been conferred upon him by the trust which they reposed in his
hands, and answered that he should take the earliest suitable
opportunity of laying it before the House. He trusted that
his sentiments were too well known to require any declaration
from him how deeply he felt for the interests of that reat and
respectable body, and how anxious he was for the time when
they should attain the object of their hopes. As to the expe-
diency of agitating the question now, or leaving it until the
next Session, he thought no individual could arrogate to him-
self the power of forming a conclusive opinion upon that sub-
ject. Before doing so he must consult the Catholics of Ire-
land, the Catholics of England, and both sides of that House,
and ascertain what was the general opinion. With regard to
the notice now given to that House, he would say, under what-
ever hands it might have fallen, it should have his unalterable
support. No person could doubt for a moment that any part of
the Catholic body could look with jealousy to the anterior re-
lief being afforded to another part ; and as the noble personages
who claimed the right of sitting in the House of Peers were the
last to lose their rights, so they ought to be the first to recover
them.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. TIERNEY said, that no one could be more friendly
than he to the measure of which the Right Hon. Gentleman
had given notice. With regard to what had fallen from the
Right Hon. and Learned Gentleman, if it was his opinion that
a necessity existed for ascertaining the sentiments of the Catho-
lics of the two countries, and of the Members of both sides of
that House, how could the general question be brought for-
ward, even if they were favourable to it, unless some steps
were immediately taken. It was. impossible that Irish Gentle-
men, and others who might wish to vote upon the measure.
could be assembled, unless notice were given before the Easter
recess. He had no hesitation in saying, that at present he
could not see where any objection could arise to the subject
being brought forward. After the advance which had been
made towards accomplishing the object in view last year, he
thought it would be unwise to let the subject pass unnoticed in
this. He hoped, at all events, that the Right Hon. Gentle-
man would lose no time in making up his mind on this import-
ant question.
Mr. PLUNKETT said, it would afford him great satisfac-
tion to be able to offer a more explicit answer than he had pie-
viously given. He, however, could not do this, as at piesent
he had not come to a definitive conclusion in his own mind.—
But this was not from his having neglected to take all proper
steps to inform himself of the state of the case. One great
governing principle which would regulate his conduct was at-
tention to the wishes of the Roman Catholics themselves, and
one reason against bringing the claiuns of the Catholics before

P'arliament was founded on the fact that such was not the wish.
ai ite Catholics, of Ireland. AU he desired was to be allowed
to exercise his own discretion, and act as he thought the inte-
rests of the question demanded. Whenever the eause could be
served by discussion, he should be ready to bring it forward, but
he mutt remind the :Right lion. Gent. that, this had never been,
regarded as-an annual measure, and that it had never been con.
sidered indispensable that it should be brought forward, under
all 4ircumstances, SesSion after .Session. :The Right Honour.
are Gentleman had said, the advantage gained in the last
:Session made it desirable that they Should Troceedivithout loss
Of time. He could not exactly agree with the Right Hon.
Gentleman in this. For his awn part,' after the near approach
made to final success last year, he' should enter upon the sub-
ject With more caution and more fear than on any. former occa-
. sion. He did not think the present state of Ireland was such
as would induce the friends to the measure to wish that it
should be immediately brought into discussion.. He believed
the Roman Catholic body in Ireland had the good sense and.
good temper to concur in this. • Whether the circumstances of
Ireland furnished a reason for accelerating the discussion, was
that on which others must decide ; but he had no hesitation in '
saying, that if the. measure were successful, nothing could
operate more beneficially on Ireland than that would ; whilst,
if Unsuccessfill, nothing could do more harm, or prove more
irritating than suck failure at the present moment. His opi-
nion was, that this was not a favourable season for bringing the
discussion forward. At all events no harm could arise from
allowing.the subject to stand over till the Motion of which no-
tice.had.been given for the 30th April had been made: ,By.that
time. he thought the House ought to be informed of the in-
tentions of those who. interested thernselves-in this question,
:Ina put In possession of their determination to bring it for-
ward, or not to bring it forward. He-begged to say that his
Conduct in , this case would be influenced by no secret in-
formation whieklie.might be supposed to have obtained. No-
thing of the kind- operated on him;
_He,, acted on public
grounds only.
Mr. BRIGHT said a few words in a low tone: he was un-
derstood to say that the Catholic'elaims were advancing step by
step, and he disapproved of that step which the Right Hon.
Gent. (Mr. Canning) now proposed that they should take.
Mr. CANNING begged to state to- the House his view of
the racition which be proposed to submit to their considera-
tion. 'He thought it would Prove one great'ste toward the
accomplishment of the final, object. of the Catholics, but it
would have this additional recommendation, that the measure,
if carried, would be in itself a most valuable acqUisition.
.Sir J. NEWPORT was of opinion, that what the Right
lion. Gentlenian .(Mr. Plunkett) had urged as an argument •
against' bringing the subject forward at the present moment,
made in favour of such a step. He' (Mr. P.) considered the
present disturbances in. Ireland made it desirable that the dis-
cussion of the Catholic claims should be postponed till another
session. lii (Sir J. Newport) viewed it in a totally different
light, and considered them to supply art additional reason for
proceeding now. to entertain a measure on which the establish-
ment of permanent tranquillitY, in Ireland mainly, depended.
Ike Was of opinion that no delay ought to take place, and it
was - his most firm conviction' 'that it wouldbe unwise in the
friends of Catholic Emancipation to lose the advantage gained
in the last session by not follewina it up in this?, ,
Here. the conversation terminated.
Sir NEWPORT brought np the 'Report of.. the Cons-
,, mittee on Public 'Records.—.Ordered to be printed.

ADMIRALTY QUORUM BILL.
CROKER hoped the Bill which had been received from
the Lords that day would be passed through all its stages as
expeditiously as possible, as it was a measure on which no dif-
ference of opinion existed, and one, the delay of which would
cause Much public inconvenience. The Bill was shortly after-
wards read a first and• second time, and ordered to be commit-
ted. It subsequently passed through a Committee, was report-
ed, and read a third time, and passed.
Lorca J. RUSSELL moved 'for it return of the Stamps" issued
for-Newspapers in 1800, distinguishing those for London Jour-
nals from those which were for country Papers, . and also a si-
rhilar return for 18:20.—The motion was agreed to.