The Sun.
London, England, 1813-02-18 00:00:00

M PERTA L PAR LIAMEN T.

. HOUSE OF LORDS,
WEDNESDAYJ FEE. 17;
"Ciransel were heard at great length on the
Trish Appeal Cause, "
Gore v. Stack'poole,- Sir S.
and-Mr. Richatls. for 'the appellant, and
Mr. Hart as leading Counsel for the; re'poutlent,
The farther hearing was ajjourned till eleven
o'clock to-morrow.
Lord ELIOT took the paths andhiS scat. •
CATHOLIC CLAIMS. •
Lord Rota. 4 presented 'a Petition from the -City
of Exeter, prayitig that those may not be acceded
to. Ordered to lie on the table.
Lord Viscount Strmourn presented one to the
same effect from the Township of Leeds, Yorkshire.
The Clerk Was 'proceeding in the general way,
to read the Petition shortly ; when
Lord IfeLLANro.observed, across the table, it
possibly was the Noble Viscount's wish, the *Peti-
tion shook! be read short.
Lord Viscount Sinstount begged leave to set
the Noble Baron right in that respect; it was
his. decided wish, that not only the Present but
every petition. Of the kind should, he read at
length, for the attentive consideration • of the
House.
The Petition was accordingly read at length
itset forth, among several other paints, that the
sufferings of Protestants under Roman Catholic
domination, were too fresh in their minds not to
contemplate, without emotion, the possible suc-
cess of their application to Parliament ; and the
conviction of the Petitioners, that a Protestant
Government could be well regulated only by a
Protestant Legislature and Minsters.
The -Petitioo. being fully read was ordered to lie
' on the table.
The Noble Viscount presented a Petition to the
like effect from the Bailiff, Magistrates, and Bar-
gesses of the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in
bnilliwick assembled.
The Petitition was stated by the Clerk to be
under the corporate seal.
The Petition being read,
The Duke of Noriporx. took occasion to in-
quire Of. the. Noble Viscount, whether he intended
to bring forward to the House any motion or pro-
ceeding founded upon these PetitionS ?
Lord Su?stOurti begged leave to observe, he
saw no feason why that question should be put to
more than to any other Peer in that House.
With reSpeet to the Petitions, he had been .re-
qUested.by the parties to present them to their
Lordships ; ai proceeding which he did not con-..
ceive authorized any Noble Lord to inquire of
him :whether he meant to take any steps in con-
sequence.:
The Duke of Notasout, in answer to what had
fallen front the Noble Viscount, said he conceived
from the; usages of the House, he had a right to
make such an inquiry from any Pter who laid a
Petition, before the Honse. He thought so, and
therefore he ventured to dolt. With respect . to
ime or more' of these Petitions,' he Observed; it.
was asserted by the petitioners that the Iri'sh Ca-
tholics, with respect to political power, were in
possession. of their full rights.- That lie denied :
t hey were not, for instance., into either
' tiouse, of Parliament; and though . they had the
power of voting or Members of the !loose of
Commons, they had no vote for Reprewntative-s
in that ot thew Lordships.
Viscount SIWIOUTLI agreed with the
Noble Duke that he was intitled -to make such
inquirieS generally ; but in such case, 'to put the
que•Jtion to hini inure than any other Member of
that House, who had presented similar Petitions,
was what he doubted, With respect to the ob-
servations of the Noble Duke, in reference to the.
allegations of the Petitioners, he must remark,
they were statements of the opinions of the Pe•
itionerti upon those important points. The No-.
hie J)uke, seemed to entertain a contrary one, and
so far as they Were at issue. He could not avoid
deprecating a rigid scrutiny of the language of
such Petitions. What objections might not be
taken to the contents of the Petition if examined'
word by. word. They should be construed in a
more liberal spirit, arid stone indulgeoce in that
point of view should be shown to those who
came fOrward in the character of VetitionerS,
Lord HoLLAtro -Was of opinion that, particu-
larly on a questioti of such great importance, it
was ><t matter of serious 'consideration ,with the
House,' whether the allegations of Petitioners
were true or false. 'He was, howeVer, not awilee
of any great degree Of scrutiny being exerci,.ed at
his side of the; House, in that respect. As far as
his own knowledge went, the .country was cer'
taidaiy divnkd upon the subject ;, but not so as to-.
be very , WH.1;11) upon the question. But when
pains appeared to be taken to give colour to the
sense ;_lo expressed., he thought it regal proper the
ilothe should urilec,itand the grounds'upou 11,,aieh
Load it4wtso..,LE deprecated ,;tly thing like a
too close or; .:try scrutiny into the. Lin-
guageof petitioners, as; such itittst, to .a twain
extent, operate to deter them from coming for-
' word with their complaints. .What theSe peti-
tioners stated, in his mind, was correct, nameiv,,
that these Catholics were in the ]enjovmentcal
-
their personal rights and civil privileges. Fronl'a
participation in political power, it was the object
, of the petitioners to exclude them. He was of
opinion, -with his Noble Friend, that the language
of petitions shoidd not be too el,,selv scrutinized,
and more especially was he adverse to the impu-
.tation of any opinions or character which did hot
belong to them. No one .could fairly charge Mali
With a want of liberality towards their Catholic
fellowsuhjects ; but he must declare his opinions,
with these petitioner, that to-grant the coneessious
which were now desired,. %void(' be totally incon-
sistent with the political establishments of ithe
country.
The Duke-of NORFOLK • aita Lord Rtqw.snALE.
spoke respectively in explanation.
The conversation was dosed by. the LoaD
CuAt;cp.r,Loa, who said, lie should not bare Iron.
bled -their Lordships with a word upon the pre-
sent occasion, were -it not to observe, in conse-
quence of something: that appeared in what had
Just passed : that whatever the sense Of the cowl!:
try may be upon the very important subject to

Which the Petitions rgerred, it must be a matter
of great satisfaction to every one of their Lord-
Ships to have seen the•'nioderation and tem-
per 'with' Which that great question had Bern
discussed out of that 'House ; and the opi-,
pion of the parties hid befoi e them. And he was
confident.that alt their Lordships would fee, ott
act, whenever they should be called upon to disi
cuss the question, with the so.me temper an& ino-
deration, which had so happily prevailed respect-
ing it hitherto.
The Petition was ordered to lie on the•table,
as. was a Petition presented b,: the nishop of Ox-
vORD, from the Debtors eo:liine4l in the- Jail of
that City, praying relief.
_ _

Mr. Arehew., from the Board of Controul,, pre-
sented at the bar certain account., les:fleeting Ow
affairs of India; directed to be laid annually be-
fore Parliament. _ • # •

Adjourned till, to-morrow, -when their Lonl-
ships stand F mrimoned for the roiniideration of the:
Pliperi before the !louse, rdative to theNeguch,-;
tinns and hostilities with America.