The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-18 00:00:00

CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION.

The Marquit of LANSDOWN, in rising pursuant to his notice,
said that although the petition which he was about to move might
be laid upon their;Lordships' table as similar to those which on
many other occasions had been. brought betbre them, yet as he was
sure they felt the magnitude and the importance of the subject to
which it referred, he could not have felt justified in placing it upon
the table without saying a few words, although he was far from
wishing to invite them to an argument upon a subject that had
been heretofore and•wouhl be hereafter fully discussed. He was
the more especially desirous of offering a few observations because
this petition .had been placed in his hands, in consequence of an
event which this House could not fad to deplore—the loss of that
lamented individual, a Noble Member of this I louse, whose services
had been so long engaged in the cause to :which his whole
tical life, from. its commencement to its close, was, from parti-
cular circumstances, so intimately connected ; and of which he
continued to the last to be the able, the eloquent, and the disin-
terested advocate. Their Lordships-would feel, that although
the grave had closed over him as it had closed over many other
.distinguished Characters; who, in submitting to -the c.onarion-lot.
of humanity, had bt*n,compelled so commit to others the unfirtish.
ed task of endeavouring to enlarge the bounds of civil guetreiigi.,
ous litaittytt-JAH • • •
".• ,44,10,1•:hluttai aunt-hi-es vitai lampada trudunt ?" . •
--the cause that he left unfinished. was one 60, could not.
fxiflVOlßlithough one of its best and ablest supporters had.
414.04447:411fi1' although he bad- left to others to advocate its

clalms, those claims would continue to be urged upon their.
Lopiehips,'eo long as the -different members of the community
retained it just sense of the advantases of equal rights; su long .as
a population existed under a system of exclusion, which, though
it always unites, can never diminish; so long as they felt, and,
God forbid they should ever cease to feel, the disadvantages under
which they laboured, in being excluded front those constitutional
rights which their fellow men and their fellow subjects enjoyed,
and in which, if they hadlived under any other Protestant Go-
vernment now existing in the world, they would he allowed to
participate. •-• It was therefore impossible for their -Lordships
to expect that they would not again and again have these claims
pressed upon them : that they would not again and again have to
listen to those appeals which were , made equally upon their
policy and upon their justice. Having said so much, although
it was not his intention to offer - any arguments in support of
the prayer of the petition,' he thought it a duty to those who had
placed it in his hands to state, that having perused it. with atten-
tion, and knowing how indulgent their Lordships would be, even
those -who were hostile to the claims therein maddtowarda any
language that might have been accidentally . employed in
giving vent to feelings; somewhat irritated, under the pur-
suit, as the Petitioners were, of what their Lordships would
admit were no contemptible privileges. Notwithstanding
this, he owed it as a duty to the Petitioners to -state, that
in the Petition they had placed in his hands, there was not
a single sentence deserving of reprehension. They had judicious-
ly abstained from entering into theological discussions which are
not necessarily connected with their cause, and which, however
fitting they may as subjects of •instruction front the pulpit, .or
for learned dissertations from the press, he, ritoet sincerely wished
they in a greatrt elf et t
o enj
might never be heard within the walls of that House. They had
confinedoyththee;isevillvegesestat,ncjoomyabalt
subject:SW the same Government under which they lived, the idle-
the assertion - that
gation of a divided allegiance they solemnly disclaimed, and to that
generally by other
disclaimer, worded and signed am it is, he begged to draw their
Lordships' attention, as well its to 'the petition generally, which;
for'the number of 'its signaturem, the respectability and character
of those by whom it was signed, and from the object it sought to
obtain, would be' treated by them with the consideration it dererv.
ed. - He considered it at the present moment unnecessary to oc-
cupy any more of their Lordships time, save to assure them' that
he retained all the sentiments upon this important subject whirl;
he hail heretoforeexpressed-,-and that he trusted theperiod wouid
arrive when those sentiments would be snore generally adopted by
that House; The Noble' Marquis.then presented a petition from
various individuals ps'asfessing the Roman Catholic Religion in Ire-
land, praying for'- Catholic Emancipation, which was read at
length, and laid on the table.

The Marquis of LANSDOWN presented a petition from a
great number of the PreteStant Proprietors in Ireland, complain-
ing of the injury which they, as Protestants, suffered from the
state of the laws respecting the Catholics. The Noble Marquis
moved that it be remit in order that their Lordships might learn
froM the words of the petitioners them Selves how deeply they were
affected by the disabilities of their Roman Catholic brethren.
The petition was then read. It stated, amongst other things,
that the restrictions to which the Catholics were r,stricted not
only discouraged manufactures, but diminished the value of
property in Ireland. That ProteStants having • more than two-
thirds of the landed property
of the country in their 'possession,'
they suffered proportionably more from its deterioration, occa-
sioned by the checks on the Catholics, than the Catholics theni-
selveii, who had only the remaining and inferior part. They
therefore prayed, for such remedy as the wisdom of their Lordships
might devise.

On the motion of the Noble l'ilmkeuxs, the petition was then
ordered in lie on the table.
Earl GRAY said, that be held a petition from n part of the
same body who had entrusted their general petition to his Noble
Friend, and could not possibly have entrusted it to in abler man.
His Noble Friend had shown that his zeal iu their cause was
tempered by sound judgment, when be had declared that he would
do nothing more than. make the usual motion that their petition do
lie upon the table. He (Earl Gray) would follow thesame course;
but before he did so, he could not refrain front exprelsing lua cou.

Lord SUFFIELD rose. - Though the subject of his motion was
totally unconnected with the emancipation of Slaves: or the time
at which it was to he carried, into effect, yet he could not help
ob:te.nrinbgroaugfihnst.
iiitlltisueras...anttiroonves sois;mneftht,llie
ipetnatab Isle tato!
or rather he • ought to say, apologist. of the present system in
the Colonies did not deny her propriety of Emancipation, but
only contended as to time. The Anti-Slavery Society bad been
charged with precipitation in its efforts to bring that great and
desirable -event to a close. But this charge was unfounded ; and
nothing precipitate could be &nal in its language or in its mea-
sures. With respect to compensation, his own view was that the
country having during the lost' thirty years added lot) millions
to her national debt, mid sacrificed. 60,000 lives to protect the-
colonic.% -she was More entitled to compensation for what she, had.
done than they for what was required from them. At all events,
- however, it Would be better fur her to pay three •,istilliOnt anon
. ally for the abolition of slavery, than an equid stun for their de-
fence and support. As to the charge thrown on the Abolitions
ists that they represented slavery as incompatible with' Christianity,
it was wrongly laid to their account; for the assertion originated.
with the West Indians themselves. - He had rend that very
morning an article in the 'Royal Gazelle of the West Indies, pubs
lished in ISOS, which said, " He that chooses to make them Chris-
tians, let him give the slaves their freedoM. • What might not be
'the coqsre of calling, Such men ILBeleved.' /hethreh?".. • To
, ,• •
• assertible Ors' in a place of woribip tas: givei- thea, feeling of
iu-
dependence, Ind makes' them form ideas and comparisons which
it is' dangerous to indulge, anti which must not be encouraged."
•It wits evident, therefore., that the idea of slavery being incompa-
tible-With the Christian Religion, was the growth •of the -West
Indies., Having thui taken a general view 'of time question, he
-should say that the single object of his motion was not to • convey
civil rights to the slaves, but' to .preVent criminal wrong, 'an idea,
which was an well expreased by CommiSsiOnet I)wharrie hi his
Report. on their Lordships' table. And -he should think that he
would do Much towards effecting that object if he • could make it
be law, as he intended to propose this evening, '" That no poblie
functionary should be aliened to be the owner of any slaves; as ,it,•
.was impoasilde that •the corruptive influence of slavery should- not
be .felt in the 'routine t nithosechargoal with the administration of
the laws,' if they were suffered to have an interest themselves in •
the possoSsion• of slaves. The Noble Lord then referred to a dis-
patch from Earl Bathurst, which said that there was not one
the Colonies in the West Indies which bad not done snore than
Jamaica towards ameliorating the condition of slaves. He also
read part of a letter from tins Duke of Manchester, expressing a
similar opinion. He then stated that he had made a saminary of
what hail been done by the , other islands, from which 'it
resulted that Sunday labour had been prohibited in one island,
Dominica; that the evidence of slaves-had been admitted in
two, Grenada and • Tobago ; that marriages of shwa had
been legalized also in two,' the' Bahamas and ' St. Viucentlii ;
that the slaves right to property had been admitted ins four,
Grenada, Tobago, 'St. Vincent and ;Dominica, and perhaps ,
Ja-
maica ; that she pewit. of purchasing their own manumission
had been granted to slaves in no one of the islands '; that the
non-separation of families had- been enacted in two, ' the .Baha-
ma and St. Vincent's, but that in • none had " the abolition of'l
the driving whip, or of female flogging, been carried into
effect. The Noble Lord afterwards • gave an account of twenty-
, four case of complaints tried at• Demerara. Seventeen of
those were from Slave» against their masters, and the' result was,
that twelve out of the seventeen Coinplainants were pimished by
the Fiscal's Court: that two were restored to their masters with •
liberty to be flogged ;' and that two only Were 'flsiressed, one by •
the dismissal 'of the manager, and the other by the imposition of
;fine which was never paid. Six of the other cases were cons-
plaints froM masters against their ,laves, and all the six were
• given in their favour, four of the slaves being ptiniahed byllogging
told two-by imeristunnitins. The Noble Lord then •read from: the Re-
port on the table kinttelter of other cases which had taken place at.
Berbice,sand in other colonies in which slaves, after having proved
the cornelaints whirls they had made; were still ordered by the Fis
eel to he' flogged, though at the same time be severely repri-
Mandell the managers. In some of, 'those- eases, -great.. cruelty
had been displayed. Two women had miscarried, in ceuaekeence
of severe and unjust flagging ; at negro, who had been flogged for
resisting the violation of his daughter,. had applied fur redress to
the Fiscal's Court; but in none of these cases had any decision
been given. This slimed a great-partiality on the part of public
functionaries, anti a mockery of justice, arising from the corrupt-
ing influence of slavery, which could only be remedied by a mo-
tion like that with which he should conclude. For what else
than being parties .to the practices which they wens appointed to
repress, could-make public functionaries act, as it was admitted
that they were in the habit of doing? The Noble Baron, after
collating several parts of the Report of Cummissinner Dwherris,
to show that he was liable to the charge of inconsistency, con-
cluded by Moving an humble Address to his Majesty, praying that
he be pleased to appoint as Judges, Attornies-General, . Fiscal*,
Guardians of Slaves, and other officers in bin Majesty's West
India Colonies, 'such individuide ate shall themselves not bit owners
of slaves, or have reversionary interests, or any interest in slaves,
directly or
• Earl BATHURST said, that the Noble Lord had alluded to the
manner in which the propositions submitted by his Majesty's Go-
vernment had been received-, by the Colonies, and had stated cm-
reetly what they had jorodiseed.- He (Earl Bathurst) was glad that
so lunch had been tionei' and he thought it a greet advantage that
whatever was done, should be done by the Legislature of the Colo-
Mee, rather than by Parliament. The Noble Earl was then under-
ousel to explain and defead the continet of the Fiscal at Demerara.
The' Govt nor himself had questioned the %laves, and had, in a
very few instances, heard any complaint. ;lid hot mean to
infer front that the nott-existence of punisinnent with the slave
proprietors, lie knew, on the contra y, that they were punish-
ed,• but they had deserVial that punishment. The Noble Lord
had charged Mr. Dwharris with inconsistency ; he (Mr. D.) had
property in the West Indus, and therefore Was perfectly competent