The Sun.
London, England, 1823-04-23 00:00:00

SLAVE TRADE.

Lord PALMERSTON presented a 'petition from the 'Usti.-
versity of Cambridge, praying that the House would take into
its consideration the state of Slavery in • the West Indies, with
a View to mitigate the condition of Slaves until Slavery could'
be altogether abolished. Ile was sure that such a prayer would
receive the greatest attention which the House- could give it.
Mn BROM; HAM. congratulated the House upon such sen.
timents coming. froM Aso respectable-and enlightened a body as
the University of Cambridge. It was seldom that a lover of
liberty had to agree with the political views advanced by such'
bodies; but he was sure that no sentiments had ever come from
them which were more to their honour and credit; and he was •
quite sure also that the-House would attach due importance to
the 'petition.
• Mr. BERNAL said, that as a Member of the University of
Cambridge, -he shared the admiration of his lion. and Learned
Friend, of the sentiments expressed in the petition ; but he was
also anxious to caution the House against being prejudiced upon
this question until the time came for proper inquiry.
The' petition was ordered 'to be printed.
Lord STANLEY:. presented a petition from the Chamber of
Commerce in Manchester, praying that the Union Duties might
be continued..—Ordered to lie upon the table.
GOU 1411 U RN . presented'a petition from the Grand .fury
of the COunty of WestMeath, relating to the A ssessed Taxes,
hut the exact prayer of.tehich we could not ascertain.
Ordered to be printed. •
A DJ OURNM EN T.

Mr. Secretary CANNING moved that the House, at its
rising, do adjourn to Thursday.,.-Agreed to.

CATHOIIIC PRIESTS.

General ARCIIDALL' presented a Petition. from Ennis.
killen against any further concession to the Catholics,
Colonel THENCII stud, helms happy in having this on.
portunitpot saying a few words upon what fell front the /lon.
Member for Leitrim', upon a forrner occasion, as to the inter.
ference of Catholic Priests, at the late election for Dublin. lie-
had been 'applied to by lion. Members to know whether there
was any foundation for the char4es which had been triads
against this body ; and from the information which he had
been able to atibrd them, three Hon. Members had changed'
their opinions Upon the Catholic Question. It was a fact, that
the Priests had been most active about the hustirv, and' went
about to those of their congregation who- had been pledged to
vote for one party, for the purpose of bringing them over
another, under the threat of eternal damnation, Yl x iota aril:-
davits in his possession in which all these facts were .stated,
upon oath. They had harangued their congregations from the
altar, while still upon their knees in the act of piddle worship,
Who would the Oentlemen of England say it' they. heard Ow
some demagogue had got into the pulpit and harangued the
congregation assembled for the purposes of devotion, in the
style whiCh was generally adopted at an election ? lie had
stated this, because the; lion. Member for Leitrim had denied
the interference of Priests with political MUM-3.
Mr. 'S. ItICE wild, that such observations ought not to he
made upon an occasion like the present,: unless some measure
of inquiry were to be fotinded upon them. One of the parties
in the late election had petitioned against the return upon the
very same grounds, and afterwards shrunk from entering into

"Ore; necessaryrecogruzantee. 'This he thought went far to ne-
gative the truth of such charges against the Catholic Clergy.—
The Hon. Member complained that a misrepresentation had
gone forth out of doors upon the subject of the late division
upon the Catholic question. It had been stated that this large
maaority ilh that division were against the Catholic Claims.—
It was not necessary to say in that House such was not the
case ; but for-the effect which might be produced on the pub-
lic mind he was desirous to contradict it.
Mr. WiiITE made some observations which were inaudible
hi the gallery. He understood him to say that with regard to
the charge made upon the Catholic Clergy, of threatening their
flocks with excommunication in order to induce them to vote
in a particular way, he was assured that it was not true: no
sorb thing had occurred, or could occur.
Col. WHITE eaid,that nothing but diffidence had prevented
him *cm rising when the petition of Sir H. Lees was presented
to the Ilouse. It was not, he could assure the House, may
doubt of the falsehood of the charges which prevented his rising
to give them his contradiction. The Reverend Baronet stated
that undue influence was exercised upon the hustings by the
Priests ; but in a leiter published in a 'Morning Paper of that
• day he had contradicted himself ; for he there stated that it
-war near the hustings that they were.uttering horrible dentin.
ciatiens against those who voted contrary to their wishes.—
This, he could take upon himself to say, was also tithe. Any
one who knew any thing about Ireland knew very well that the
Catholic Clergy exercised a justifiable influence with their
flocks is favour of those who were favourable to their cause.
And he did not wish to deny that he had pledged himself to
support it. There was no necessity, indeed, for them to use
any ether kind of influence ; for his opponent had frankly told
the Catholics, that he always had opposed them, and always
would. , Was not this enough laugh.),--These charges
'faiailit deceive English Members, but it could not deceive Gen-
tlemen from Ireland, unless it were those who were determined
not to be undeceived.--(dear, hear !)
:Mr. V. HUTCHINSON wished to ask the Hon. Member
for Cambridge (Colonel Trench) whether he forgot that the
roost active agents in all elections which took place in England
and Wales, were the Protestant Clergy.—(Hear, hear !)—The
objections which had been made would go to disfranchise the
• Catholic Clergy altogether; and to lay down that 'because they
were Clergymen, they were not to enjoy and exerclee their con.
stitutional rights.
Mr. V. FITZGERALD concurred in what had fallen from
the Hon. Member for Limerick as to the observations which
had been made upon the division the other night, upon the mo-
tion of the Attorney-General for Ireland.
Mr. GRATTAN was not disposed to lengthen this discus.
Sion, but he wished, injustice, to state, that the Archbishop of
the diocese issued directions to his Clergy not to interfsre in
the election.
• Sir T. LETIIBRIDGE said, that when he presented the
petition of Sir H. Lees, he stated that he did not bind him.
self to he authenticity of its contents.—(Hear !)—He only
presented it as, matter of duty. At the same time he would
remind the House of that part of it in which the petitioner
prayed to be permitted to prove its allegations at the liar of
the House.
Sir .1. NEWPORT said, that the fact of the petition against
the election having been withdrawn, was a proof that the alle.
gations could not be established.
Mr. DAWSON said, that notwithstanding the importance
of the debate, for which the House was impatient, he must make
a few observations upon what had passed. After the positive
contradiction which the gallant officer (Col. White) had Oven
to the:charges ageinst the Priests, he telt some difficulty in re.
pealing them. But Several of his friends and of his family,
possessing considerable property in the county, had opposed
the Hon. Member in the late contest, yet amongst their own
tenantry their Mbyte had been paralyzed by the influence of
the Priests; not that fair and justifiable influence whiclithey
had a right to exercise, but the secret influence of religious
tenor impressed upon the minds of the people. It was noto-
rious all over the city, that all the Gentlemen of the county
opposed the lion. Member, and that he was returned entirely
by the influence 'of the Priests. He had been informed by a
near friend of his, that the persons who had first been intimi.
dated into voting for the Hon. Member, and afterwards con.
teased that they had been so intimidated, were now afraid to
come forward and give evidence under the same terror and ape)
prehensions. He had received this information from quarters
on which he could depend, and he believed it as firmly as he
believed in any thing.
Colonel W ITE-said that on either side the House had no.
thing but assertion. Ile said, that what the lion. Member as.
sorted had no foundation, and the lion. Member said the
cannery. These charges were brought against the Catholics,
and let them bring proof if they were true. lie defied them—.
(Hear, hear!)
_ Colonel TRENCH said, that he held affidavits of the facts

in his hand ; theretime the charges did not rest upon assertion
only.
Air. R. MARTIN deprecated the sort of conversation which
had been carried on under .present circumstances. In threecon.
tested elections in which he had been engaged, he had found
the priests to exercise a fair influence only, and that on both
sides. • He did tot believe that any spiritual denunciation was
ever denounced for the exercise of a civil right.
Sir J. MACKINTOSH said, that the contradictions pro.
ceeded from parties equally respectable, and who undoubtedly
entertained an equally conscientious belief in the information
which they had received. But fortunately the house were in
possession of circumstances which would enable them to decide
upon the respective value of the conflicting evidence. One of
the parties had had an opportunity of proving their case, and
had shrunk front it ; whereas, the other challenged inquiry and
defied their accusers, but the Honourable Member for Derry
told them that the witnetEes were Catholics, and could not be
produced because their minds were acted on by the terrors of
privathood. This. then, proved at any rate, that the accusa.
tiont were incapable of proof. With regard to the affidavits
Bra in the possession of the n. Member for Cambridge, why did
not the persons who had sworn them come forward to drove the
allegations of the election Petition ? Perhaps it was because
it was safer to give evidence in that way than to submit to a
• cross-examination.
Mr. BECHER made a few observations on the state of the
county of Dublin during the election, and expressed a hope
that such a period of agitation and irritation aught not again
occur.
Col. TRENCH said, that if the allegations contained in these
affidavits had been proved before the Committee, they would
not have invalidated•tite return..
The petition was, then ordered to he printed.
General A RCH DA LI I presented several petitions to the
laine effect frotn the County of Fermanagh.—Ordered to be