The Sun.
London, England, 1812-04-22 00:00:00

their future Monarch to titans by e clokibla
Strong, indeed, appeared to be the foundation on
which their hopes and expectai imas were built. But
it vanished. Instead of the paternal indulgeuce for
which they had fondly prepared themselves, the
sharpened edge of a slumbering statute, never before
awakened, was, fur the first time-, called into mis-
chievous activity against them. A set of desperate
Men dared to intercept the Petition Of four miltians
of people to be confirmed in the possession and ex-
ercise of their rights; and these ten. were made
the Ministers of his Royal Highness's awn choice.
by the first act of an unrestricted Regency. The
country had, indeed, been told from the highest
authority, that the present. was a new wet.—
But what were the circumstances which gave to this
high-sounding phrase its distiuguishieg characteris-
tics ? What act of mercy and grace to a suffering
people had introduced this new order of things ?
What grievances had been redressed? What pledges,
the accumulation of a long public life, had been re-
deemed ? None., The expectations of the country
had been disappointed, and to come mote nearly to
the question before the House, the dearest interests
of the Catholics of Ireland had been sacrificed.—
Such were the true characteristics ; such were the
distinguishing features of the new era. It was an
era unequalled for the abandonment of pre-conceived
opinions, and Oldie pledges of former times. Those
who were at a loss for the influence which the pre-
sent Ministers had unexpectedly obtained might dis-
cover it in the linearnentS' of that setter sex which
first beguiled mankind. They might discover it in
the youthful allurements of CalypAo's Cour', uuited
with the wiles of maturity and experience. It
was there that the facility of getting rid of all en-
cumbering prepo,sessions was' acquired. There
was shaken off that Noble Lord, the prick—the re-
fuge—the hope of his distracted country--the or-
nament of this. But be would dwell no more
on this painful subject. He would rather in-
cHge in pleasing anticipations of the future.—
He would imagine that the illusion would
speedily vanish, and that the spell would speedi-
lyebe broken, by which a generous and enlight-
ened mind was at present held in bondage. He
would now address Ministers. He would put it
to them, whether they had calmly deliberated on the
.circumstances of the country, and of Europe, before
they determined to exclude so large a portion of the
people -from an equal interest in the general wel-
fare ? A.moment like the present, when such a gi-
gantic mass of enmity was directed against this coun-
try, by the energy of a great and compreherisive
mind, was surely not the precise time to sport with
the feelings of our Catholic brethren—to irritate a
generous, gallant, and high-spirited population, the
sinews of our naval.and military strength. We had
arrived at a crisis so alarming and portentous, as to
render necessary the operation of that high and con-
trolling authority of which Parliament was pos-
sessed. Parliament might secure a double claim to
the confidence and affedion of the Publi,e--by open-
ing wide their doors to the petitions of the people
people—and by annihilating the exclusive sys-
tem, together with the administration by • which
it was to be supported. He could not permit him-
self to doubt of the ultimate salvation of the Empire.
He trusted that there were in store for this united
nation a long series of blessings ; and with this
hope and expectation .he must still recommend to
her suffering and calumniated countrymen the ex-
ercise
of that patience and endurance which they
had hitherto manifested so honourably to them-
selves. He would conclude by moving, that a Com-
mittee be appointed to take into consideration the
penal laws, as they affected the Roman Catholic seb-
jects of Ireland. With respect to the petitiens, no
counter-petition lied been presented except one from
the ministerially obsequious corporation of Dublin.
He had a right, therefore, to assume that the peti-
tions of the Catholics spoke the almost undivided
sentiments of the people of Ireland on the vitally
important question at issue. He should also move
to refer the Petitions to the said Committee.

His Royal Highness the Duke of SUSSEX second-
ed the motion. He observed that every good subject
must respect the laws of his country, which it was
his duty to submit to, and to maintain as long as they
existed. This religious observance of the law, how-
ever, did not prevent any one from investigating
statutes, which, however necessary when originally
framed, might by a total change of circumstances
become very unnecessary and even very oppressive.
If on such an investigation the subject had reason
to find himself aggrieved, he had a right to petition '
the Sovereign and the two Houses of Parliament.—
This right was one of the greatest privileges of our
glorious Constitution--,-a privilege to which too
much importance could not be attached, as it re-
lated both to the liberty of the subject and to the
tranquility and happiness of the state. All such me-
morials
as were humbly and respectfully presented
te the Sovereign or to Parliament, ought to be
received in a condescending and gracious manner,
and the utmost attention ought to be paid to
their prayer, that the people might be, satis-
hed there was an inclination to redress the
grievances of which they complained. With
such impressions the House ought to regard the
memorials before them, and ought to give to the
subjea the consideration which its importance and
magnitude demanded. They would bear in mind
the additional weight given to those petitions by
the charaaer, both with respect to moral worth
and property, of the individuals by witom they
were signed. They ought to deliberate upon them
with the most serious p,itienee—to lay aside every
passionate feeling—to evince the utmost calmness
.and prudence, in order by a strict comparison of cir-
curnatances to form a correa judgment as to the dis-
cretion, the feasibility, the propriety, and the expe-
diency of granting the prayer of thu petitioners. If
bigotry were to be. found in that House, skulking in
dark end loathsome corners, it ought to be ouittd,
to make room for a wise and enlightened toleration.
H such were the pilot at the helm, whatever might
be the dangers which surrounded the vessel of
the state, no doubt could be entertained that she
would be ultimately brought to a safe anchor.---
Much had been said about a new asra ; he had
looked for it in vain. It was only to he found in
absurd publications of murders committed 1, PA; iiri, '
which were fit to frighten women and cliOren ;
and in lette's addressed to divines, exhorting tiieui
to preach on ;ratters which wire much better kept
out of tie pulpit. Whet) a systcm of general tha-
r4 should be pinsued, tlyit indeed would be a new
xia, and oueht to be hailed with ioe,