The Sun.
London, England, 1817-12-05 00:00:00

COLVNI A L INTERESTS.

Vietting the British Colonies as an essenti°:

portion•ni the 13ritish Empire, we stroll al\voYl
take an active inicrest.'in their prospetity, and d
theceidire readily itvbcrt the fol!owitig- article ---6'

." QUEBEC EXCIL Oct, 10, tam
ri At a-Meeting of the Merchants and other Inhabitan'f,'
• Quebec, pursuant .to a ?,;(tlite insvited in • the Que-ee
zette, of the 9th instant, J9IIN JONES, Esq. hi
Chair, the Chairman read the.fo;loWing Letter
" of Committee o f Prirq I
IP/iitthal/, Jab. 4Rr [517...4
" am directedl.
by the of the s.:01111111V 034,
Privy Council ioCitade to acquaint. you, fur the inf,t•tuatl
of the Gentlemen engaga 'in the Trade of the British :,\01,1,,,
American Coloniei, that it being deemed advisable by PI;
Majessx's Government, on various accounts, to postpone it,
coasolidation of the Customs for another year, thva eas nu O
teution of 'submitting to P.irliament any proposition fur f
alteration of the Timber Ditties the ~present Session
they think it tight that those who are inteeest‘ed its the slot:,
tion,,should Ise apprized that his. Majesty's Government 6',
of .opinion, that tl•e extension of a Doty to the Timber:
pOrted from the IltitiSh North American Colonies, equal' Yr.
amo4st•to the.ad.ditional Duty impoied tni Foreign 'I iFtrt~
in 1813, would be productive to the Revenge, without be"
pyrjudicial to the great interests concerned. .
• • - " I am, Sir, your must obedient Servant,
" J Bainbridge, Esq. (Signed) • "T. LACIC•
"On motion of Mr. Davidson; seconded by Mr. Yaterso:,
" Resolved, That this ideating-feels. itself bounctia d wry
.`4,
its WO as WCI; as the Interest of British North America.
express the strong sense of alarm which it feels at the co"
tents of the above letter.
" Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Meeting, tfre
any Duty imposed upon the Lumber of British North Aso
rica, would give a death blow to its Trade its that article.

" Resolved, That. since- the return of Peace, the Loml):;,.
Trade, though favoured ;by freights unusually low
.to
Ship-owners, has barely afforded a Commission to the parli`
concerned on the other side of the Atlantic.
Resolved, That the los-s•of such Trade would be grierol2.,,',
felt by all concerned in tise.Trade of this Country, more Pr 4
ticularly by those who,under faith of the good dispositioui,j
at& •Mother Country towards this Colony, bare exiled
.large sums of money on Saw Mills and other Lumber g.s.l4'
blishments.
• 0
• " Resolved, That the loss of such. Trade,. occasioning
very great decrease in the Toquage now employed,
severely felt by the very large body of Astizans now emploYll
in this and the-other Punka( Shipment .in the dressing ,;f
Masts, Spars, and other descrivinri of Lumber, as well as',„.
the labouring class, which now finds employment in the -11171
berliardS and in the Loading of Ships employee. in the LullW.
Trade.: .
Resolved, That the toiSs of such Trade will pie-vent '
',importation into this Province, of Salt, Earthenware,
other bulky articles of British Manufacture' -from the warit4
return freight for the'vessels employed, and seriously &Ajrrtf
an advantageous trade which- is now car ried on in the surto,
of the States bordering on the St. Lawrence with those s'
cies,- and which, as well as the Upper Province, will nt=cct
tartly be supplied from the sea-purrs of the United Statcs,
the tease time affording erupleyartut to the. vessels-of 1'
Power to the' prejudice of Urose of Great Britain.
" Resolved, That the loss of such Trade will d be,:grievov:,
felt by the new Settlers, from their being deprived of the 11'0
vantage which the sale of the lumber on their lands 0),,,,
d in furnishing then) with'• the necessary means of 10,1,1
liorating a condition s-uhject to very serious privationg uu
the most favourable eiremostaces.
rl°
"-Resolved, That deprived as this Country is of a free t
with the world by the Navigation Laws of -Great Britaimr `,1%
ports may be-considered as virtually closed by the loss of su
trade. th°
" Resolved, That in the event of inch annihilation to,. iv,
Lumber Trade of this Conutry-(now a great source L!'01.-
prosperity), -the' great staguatitm in business which will: , hi
low roust reduce to poverty the numerous class of per:s44P
whom the consequenees sv It Inc directly left and
convenience eveu -Meriliant, Householder, Mecharnialr

Tradt.stuari, thrum...bout ,Ire Province. • , -Jr
" Resolved,• That a Cominittee of Eight,Gentleineo
pointed to draw up a Memorial tit the Lords
Trade and Plantations, pursuant to the aforegoing 14'
tions, and-report ;lie same with all convenient dispatch.. 0,4
" Resolved, That the Thanks of this Meeting be "11."
to the (.3nairaian. • • '
" Ordered, That the following Gentlemen tio compose
Cotunrittee:-- -
Mr. Datielson, Mi. Burnett, Mr.
Mr. Patterson, Mr. Finlay, Mr. Moir.
Mr. Pri ' Mr, 'St mart,
.oi,sned) "11,0liT. MF LVLNs Sccrt,t:

THE 'CAFIiaLIC CLAIMS.

FOIL THE

, 1

1100'1
rul
, 'llll

540

• • [L.E'rrEn.
Ma. EOrrOa,--Tke Writer in The British Press
tas:taken some .pai:l3, to cot:l.:ince us that he is
trot the Pamphleteer R.e.spondeut of_ 'Air. PEEL.—
] am satisfied, and -paTlon my error, I
trust, when I assure him 'that it arose entirely
'from a conviction that no 'Man, capable of istring-,.
:ing together, half a dozen sentences in English
lhowever zealously, disposed thwards THE CAUSE),
could he. found in the United Kingd6M, volunta-
illy to espouse the arguments of this,PamPhleteen,
except himself.
These Gentlemen (since they must no lomger
be identified)_ are great sticklers for authoritY„
when it ,suits•their own purpose, and though the
Old Whig Fathers of the Revolution are little
better in their eyes than an equal. number of Old
Women-, they would clap a padlock on all mouths
which are opened to confute or even dispute the
Dogmata of mcn like Father 'MILNER or tiir HENRY
PAKNELL.

p 0,1:
51"

'fbl
afelb

the
c 5.;

The Pamphleteer affects to retison Mr: PEEL out
-of his ptiociple!, it.,,tl to prove their absurdity, be-
cause Mr. ELLIOT and Mr. !'ot..e %vete Irish Secre-
laries, and thougllt differently, and because my
Lord GRENVILLE held a similar 'offir.ial situation
before Mr. - PEEL. was bortF! ! ! and this he is
ideased to call " the argumentum ad verecundiam!"
llis Compurgainr, howevc-r, in The British Press,
in the trite spirit of Catholicism, copsiders ail
resoning 'upon the -question as- saperation-, inas-
nitich as the solriect is worn threadbare. He ands,
that it is the inure u-nuecsary,- as it is seldom,
:argued in Parliament upon the general principle,
'?,otlivie are few in the Country abase opinions
are valuable, either by their 11.. ink -or Talents,
who tlo not admit, that with certain Conditions,
thE Clainis of the Catholics might nit be con-
ceded.—This EicOmmunication 'against Heretics
will not succeed in silencing ME, at least ; and
the attempt, to CHECK INO.HIRY, by erecting an
infallible standard of political authority, will'only
tend to convince all sober-minded and constitu-
tional Men, that Truth is to be found only iu
eneral Prinriples, anti that delusion is only suc-
cessful when the e are obscured.

To do tbe Peimphleteer jostice, however, his

views are More etllwged, and certainly of a more
general natare„any are, tiierefore, mote calcu-
lated to as,ist,vor enqu:ries as to the propriety of
Vonce(sion' to tt,e Roman Catholic Claitnants.—

_ .
He is ready, or ratder he givec c-redit to the Ad-

rite

vacate% of lt. Man Carbolictielief torheing ready,.
lo (h,russ ihr4;eslloll- pro—ns ed by the Irish Se-
cretary, whether it " adviscable to continue
the, present system of Laws atlecting the Roman
Catholics, 'tinder which Ireland has heen governed
5ince,1793, or whether %re shall snlwititte some

„.stein in its place. Wlseth, rwe 311311-adopt

in the place of the -present almost a new form of
Governmtnt I"—Mr. PEEL says, " It is not 'whe-
ther we shall remove certain inconsistencies anti

anomalies which are pointed out, in the existing
Laws ; but whether we shall substitute it; the
place of the present, almost a New Form of ,Go-
vernment P'—Attend, Sir, to the answer of the
Pamphleteer, which, he assumes, the Advocates of
Catholic Rditf ►►re ready to giTe to Mr. PEEL—
" The Friends of the Great ibleasure now expected,
certainly cannot stop to look into anomalies and
inconsistencies existing in the Laws of 'England-
anti Ireland reFpreting the Catholics; such petty de-
tails are quite unfit to occupy the minds of men intent
upon a great and general arrangement, which con-
templates the purpose of conferring on the Catholics
of both. Countries, the RIGHT OF SITTING IN

PARLIAMENT, AND EVERY CAPACITY FOR OFFICE
AND POLITICAL POWER !" Here then is the ready
answer to Mr. PEEL'S Iniiniry, whether we shall
or shall not adopt the alternative of overthrowing
the Constitution. No hesitation, no feint of de-

licacy or prudence, is assumed upon the occasion,
but the open and avowed admission on the part of
this most zealous Representative of " the Advo-
cates of Catholic• Relief," tliat in pursuit of the
grand object of POLITICAL Puwan, not only every
lesser consideration, every minor contingency—
but THE CONSTITUTION ITSELF, ►s to be 'set aside
and overthrown, if it stand in the way of its full

attainment !

Can any town blind himself to the consequen-
.
tic ces thus held over us, tiros anticipated even by
)!". the incautious Zealots for the Question ? Are the
foundations of our .Constitution to he torn n p
, .
and the maxims of State, by which the Great
r . Machine of Government bAs been worked from the
it period of our glorious Revolution. repealed, for
ve• the purpose of givibg political Power to those
who have invariably abused that Power to pm-
, poses at which every,Pao.TEsTAgr feeling. shud-
ders—and which every Constitutional Briton
_Abhors

Whgt, let us asis, is the object of Pow Ea—ls

t to capa'ciutte ns to sztbinit more'ratientiv (O what

we consider a grievalce ? Is it flili ratt)er s'ou ,ht
As the direct means of rtitrivil,;,:: a tfrievanee t)

these Advocates vtrisli its even to utter, titstt if they
•rz f
possessect the
power of esta_ OMANiiv

THOLIC ASCENDANCY, they ;vonLI ref' Sin from

applying it to that ptirpose,? Or if they %could,
where is the man to he foi;ocl ;lbove he lowest
state ,tf. Trostratsion, %Ole, would be—

lieve. them ,?--Stich an inference is ()noosed to the
Natin'e and 'COnstitt:tion of Man—and in a- MeM-

her of the Chirrcil'of Rowe niole -esp.el)4.lly. , is

contrary to every pre-conceived • noti,n of duty
and allegiance to its Heat! !--if then Nicer
be the avowedobject of the A(locatt-vot
fit lief•.---and it Pow-t• alone be %valiiing to over-
ihroic THE PROTES:TAI3T Ascrtislrmi:cy, the ales:

Lion is reduced to the alternative of siippotrting or
abarrdoning the Constitution as se,tled at 'the
Revolution ! But here recurs the great Prin-
cii.l.e, no,' of the British Constitution
only—
but of all Governments whatever ! What gill
be the result as 'to the General Interests of the
People at large, by' the experiments proposed,
for it will not be contended that partial evils are
to be remedied at the hazard of the Common
Safety If we look no further than the present
arrangements proposed by the Catholic Adv -
cates, if we consider them merely.as tending to
gratify the natural disposition of torn to parts-
' cipate in the hot-mars 'of the State, or to gratify
personal ambition, in opening to them the dis-
tinc.imir of becoming Legislators, we might not
be disposed to oppose a:prineiple so natural anti
inherent in the -constitution_of nian ; still, if this.
concession could. Only be made at the expence of
a sacrifice, which might eventually involve the
existence or the interests of the State itself, no
sound politician could hesitate his, decision
against it. -But if the- motives lie deeper than

• •
-considerations of a private or personal tiature,
and political power should appear. to be the latent
object of the Alernands thus brought forward,

should we not hesittte it linzine, awl ask our-
wives, to what end and 'object.. this power was-
likely to be. directed—and if we should
,further
discover that this power was sought by those who
had a separate or opposed interest to that which
was considered as the Common Juterest, should

we not at inlet deride against conceding it ?
Let me not be tc.)1,1 by the puling and vapouring
Professors Of:Liberality, that these are unchari-
table, reflections_upon a whole_corumunity ! They
are the reflections of Common Sense upon our
Comtnon Naturewhat we • anxiously wish, we.
ardently. seek to obtain—and if we remain attigra-
lifted, it is because the power of gratification is
beyond our reach. We have indeed -moral re-
stca?nt to circumscribe our wishes-•--but•where
the object contemplated is not only apparently legi-
timate but sanctioned by a tonviction that higher

interests than those visich bind us to human insti-

tutions are connected with our nesires, even these

moral restraints become subordinate in our ono-
,
logne of duties !

How 0)(11 stands the question, divested, as our
Answerer proposes, " of all petty anomalies and
inconsistencies- existing in the Laws: upon the
subject ? The Roman Catholics, when euttusted
with political power in these-Realms, DID AMISH
THAT Powert, and had nelrly reduced- a Nation
of Freenien to-it State of arbitrary. servitude. The
Nation bad sufficient strength and energy to
thrriw-off the-Yorte before it was rivetted, and as
, •
their first and great security against its being
again imposed, deprived the Roman Catholics of the
Power by which their Liberty, had been endan,

tiered.
A Century hail scarcely elapsed in which the
progress -of arts, sciences, manufactures, and
commerce bad been more than commensurate with.
the promises at first held out of the benefits to he
derived from a fixed and settled, PROTBSTANI: CON-.
STITUTION. when these Roman Catholics again
come forward with a claim (mark the expres-,
siou I) to be admitted to Power—and to be rein-
stated in equal authority in the Councils of the.
State with, the Protestants—to legislate, and to
be the' Executors of the Laws—to return, in,
short,' to that state in which they originally stood
befOtC their exclusion ! Supposing that, in the
course of years, their principles had undergone a
change which might naturally-have been inferred;
Claim indeed there couldlave been none, but a
pica for the Restitution of their lost Privileges might
have been fairly set up ;—but when, durin4 the
now long and detailed discussions which have
.Vakt n place upon -the question, 'not one single ad-.
mission on the part of the lionian Catholics them-
selves (though asserted by their Protestant Advo-
cates) can be discovered ot the least Change in the
prin:iple or practice, by which they originally
rendered themselves' obnoxious to the interests
and welfare of the .Constitution, when (I appeal
to facts open 'to the world) they have resented
the charge, as an indignity offered to their body—

. ,
declared thyroselves tone the'satne,

. .
, .
)1F• for over, :vhtit plea, what claim, what pre-

ence even, c.-u be 35s ,metl • for threir, return to

priwt;r? A-i!• else is leather and prttimWt-7-whitst

ten pFrsist*in pritjciple was (mom!, upon
-mirricince, to be lipstile. to the best interests

of the Commonwealth, they can bare no claim or
pretence, I repeat, to be re-ingrafted on :0 stock.
The Constitution has not changed, and what was

lerniciotri at one time must be pernicious at coo-

her *hen the nature .of things hag undergone

lo revolution ! Those penalties for past .crimes

•
which subsi•ted.for.,perhaps too .loog. a. period, are
dotEle filAray—those franchises of which they were
hecause they had abnsed them, are re-
.
stored.; evei'y restraint upon personal freedom is
repealnot only as a Measure of Indulgence;
but because *being still WITHOUT Political. Power,
'they are prevented from offering any injury to our
Political: and Religious Establishments, by the
intrusion of principles. professedly hostile to THE
LATTER, at least. The Reign of our.beloved So,
%;erei,n has been 'a Record of successive 'Conces-
sionsto Body—and it %rill he t ernembet ed,
'that at each stage it
.Was; professed (look
_to it,
Mr. -GRATTAN), soleninlii profelsed, that nothing
further -Was expected or looted for I. We are at
the last ditch, and Political Power is all that re 6
mains to be granted ! THAT POWER IS NOW
.dt..mmEn, and the Advocates-for it are in the heart
of the Legislature !

." ()linter ipso hi liniine Porte

" Substitit, atque utero sonituniquater aimh redere!"
• LANFRANC.

ROMAN CATHOLIC BOARD,

DUBLIN; DEC. i;
Yesterday the t atholic Board met at the Board
Room, in Fowoes's-street, pursuatit to a Itc-qui-
sition, The Meeting was not numerous, though
several. Gentlemen of respectability attended.—

About half-past three, o'clock,
OgvaF. O'Coz+Nolt, Esq. was called to the
Chair.
Mr. HA? stated that he had, agreeably to -the
instructions of the Board,. for Warded the-Remon-
strance to the Pope. It was transmitted by a pri-
vate hand to l'atis, 'and it was there put into the
General Post-office, but no account has yet arrived
of its having been received at tome; though other
letters, sent off at the same ,intr, and through ihe
3 am° channel, had been regularly received and

acknowledged. -
Mir. O'Cowstst.t. said, it was of considerable
importance, at this crisis, that the Remoustranee
of the Catholics of IrelAnd,. on a siihject so Mo-
mentous, should- reach the ears of his tiolincsS
the Pope—that Remonsfraace, adopted nnortbs
ago, and entrusted to their
.Secretary, has, not, it
would appear, been received. tie wOuld suggest
the propriety of iuttnediAtely transmitting a du-
plicate of that document,. through .the General
Post-office of Dublin, to Rome,,aud another copy
Might e4sily be sent by private hand to Bour-
demur, and there put into the Vost-office.
Mt. 0-CoNNELL next observed, that he had
been informed that a I,ll.Mbet of COMLbetCI,II

lemen could not conveniently 'attend-the Meeting
his dav,-as they were detained on ,He
uhmitted the propriety of adjourning to 'l'lints
lay next, as 'Matters of considerable inr-py6t and
mportance were likely to coMe under discussion,
e would,-in the mean time, give notice, pia? on

. .
the next day of meeting, he would movo that a
Sub-Committee might be appointed to t.ll- up a
disavotral,on the part of the Catholics of thio-3,..trin-
try, of the bigoted, uncbaritable,.and intolei:Vot
doctrines contained in the Rheimish Testament.
Considerable efforts, it appe2red, had Been mtide
to impute these doctrines to the Catholic Body,
even by men -who kn6v that the Catholics held
them in Jitter detestation. it was necessary that
they should refute the calumny—the •disavowal
Might be made somewhat comprehensive, and the
curious history of the Itheimis4 Testatneot tnight
be stated, for it is an historical fact, that; in angry
hoes in England, these notes were written lay Eng-
lish Clergymen, but werenevercountenanced by any
of the Divines 01 the Catholic Church in Ireland ;
they were' always denounced—and at the- present
day, no Catholic, he believed, in the country
would peruse them without disgust, and yet their
corrupt and interested enemies du not hesitate to
say that these doctrines are entertained by the
Irish people. Ti., calumny-has gone abroad ; and,
under the circumstances;' he thonght it would be
wise to refute it ; he wnuld.-. rherefore, give-no-
tice, that, on Thursday neict he would move
that a Committee be appointed to draw up a disa-
vowal of these doctrines:
Mr.-ENEAs M'DoNI4I.ELL said, that the words of
Mr. O'Connell's notice appeared to hint to be
too general. Souse of-tlie notes to the Rhei-
mish Testament were bad enough, but this would
go to condemn the entire., . '
-Mr. O'CONNELL)--The words of the notice are
not more general than the words of Dr. Troy :
but we had better not discuss the merits of a mo-
tion•-befort it has been made.
.. Mr, O'CONNELL also gave notice of a motion
for a deputation to wait on the Rev. Mr. thyes,
requesting that that Gentleman would attenclthe
Meeting on'a convenient day, to give them,an ac-
count of his mission to Ronie. . 4
The ,Meeting adjourned to three o'clock on
Thursday, and Mr. secret;iry Hay War directed to
summon the Meothers of the Board to,attend on
that day,-7(Carrick's Morning Post,)• .
It is understood that Mr. Lucas MlThnnell will
oppose a " general denunciation" of the Rheimish
Testament ; and that the comse of proceeditig,
which he trill endeavour to persuade the 13141 to
adopt, will be to select such votes as he conceives
are objectionable, and con lemn those specifically.
It is alio believed that Mr. Howley, and several
other Gentlemen, will oppose the motion for a
Deputation to Mr. Hayes, and very interesting
discussions are expeeted to take place on both
subjects iit the Meeting on Thursday, which, no
doubt, will be very autueronsly at tended.—(Free-
ton's. ' •

ti

-nient:nned vesterdny t ie Nie:Nch of this Gen-

tlett►ah, to,,k pl.►ct• on the 12tt► hit. at Stati-

niorc, Bud the public, ‘ye a►e sure, will join with

us irer fer.,retdog the everit, wbvn they ;earn -that
lie liV4 long so- respectable a member •of the

theatrical communi;v a 4 to do honour to himself
and his profession.• He bad reached a "very ad-
ranco.age, and if we Are rightly informed, was
an.oificer.in the;Marines at the raking of the Ha-
vanna!). Ambitions of distinction on the stage, and
rinwilling to wait _the slow -progress of' military
protnotiOrt. he first , ventured upon' theatrical
hoards in I.,otidon'about the year 1757.- His per-
son vas manly and well-Proportioned, and his
face, if not ha'ndsome, was capable of strong and
varied expression. Elis chief detect W3S in his
but his judgment, feeling, and knowledge of
the',author; gave value and importance to what-
ever character he assumed, and he was
.too pru-

dent and too, well acquainted with his own powers,
ever to attempt parts that Nature had not fully
qualified him to sustain with credit to himself and
,advantage to the respective dramatic Works to.
which they might belong: Characters of manly
energy, such as Pierre, Eustaches de St, Pierre, and
others of a similar cast, always found in him ri fit
representative. His lap was a masterly perform-
ance,
,and he :ignited considerable reputation Ilk
Prover°. But he was nut confined to trigedy
or the graver characters of comedy. His Mutvo-
tio admirably embodied the , author's intention,
and his 'illosea in,UEs JuNsoN's excellent play of

The Fox, might almost be considered as aperfect
performance. it is impossible to fOrget the ad-
mirable manner in which this comedy was sup-
ported; when the respectable Veteran Smitt was
Attsotas Corboecio, anti BENSLEY Mosca.
In characters of modern lire Mr. BENSLEY divrayS
deservedly held a, distinguished rank, as in Mrs..
I NCH BALD'S I'll tell you what, and General Bun-,
GOY NE'S Heiress. But he' chiefly appeased to ad-
vantage in those characters which, besides digni-
fied,sententiopsness and moral energy, required
something of a sarcastic mixture. The predominant
feature of his 'acting, however,- was good sense
evidently tesulting from ..judgment, a cultivated
understanding, and extensive knowledge of man..
kind.
,His-private character" was marked -by the
qualities, blended with something of aisati...
Tical mood. but -3.vithout•the least mixture of ill-
nature. His conduct iv.as distinguished for lute-
grilyand a nice sense of honour, and the Actor, the
Officer, and the Gentleman formed the compound of
his-character. He was induced-to retire trotn the
Stage many yews ago, having procured a military
appointment under the patronage of his late friend,
-Mr. WI.NDHANI: To \yards the latter end of his
life a near Relation btllneathed to Lien .a consider-
able lortude. Mr. BENSLEY, without ail uti-

.seengly pride, wai always select in his connexions,
which consisted of the most tespectahle iieLtary
and other friends.—lle p,tssed through life excit-
ing general esteem, Mid never giving offence ; not
restrained by timid prudence, but wvll-hred roar-
tesyi and he has lett an amiable, and intelligent
widow, and a numerous IE3III of• friends, to la-
ment the loss of who, in all the re...
ions of lire, acted his p.itt with judgThent,
'pricey', -and rectittitle.