The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-04 00:00:00

" PROCLAMATION.

" George IV.; by the Grace of God, King of Hanover.
" having conte to our knowledge that soma. doubts
are' entertained respecting the interpretation and applica-
tion of the first paragraph of the 16th article of the Act
of the German Confederation of the Bth of June, 1815,
which is to the'following effect The difference of the
Christian religious communities cannot lead to any dif-
erence in the enj.)7ment of civil and political rights, in
the countries composing the Germanic tonfederat:Ja ;'
we ate induced to issue the following declaration and or-
dinanee. .

" The several professors of the Christian faith enjoy a
perfect equality of civil and political rights in the king-
dom ; and, in conformity with the said article, the no-
tion of a predominant and of a merely tolerated church is
entirely abolished.
" All Christian religious communities bay* a right to
the unobstructed and free exercise of their religious wor-
ship, and every clergyman can require the surpliees, &c.,
only from the parishioners of his own persuasion. Con-
sequently,
" Those inhabitants who belong to a different Christian
persuasion from that of the parish, are to pay the fees,
&e. only to the clergyman of their persuasion to whose
parish they are positiVelv annexed. Fees can be required
by a clergyman of a different persuasion, when 'be has
been required to petit= 'an official duty, and has really
performed it.
" On the other hand, all dues to churches old schools,
which Proceed from houses, farina, and other landed pro-
perty in a pariah, without regard Id the personal qualifi-
cations of the professor in respect to his religious belief,
are still to be paid to those to them by every pos-
sessor, even if he belong.to a Christian party different from
that of the parish.
" Hanover, Dec. IS, 1824."
Mr. „A. DAWSON' in returning thanks, observed
that the Catholics, in supporting the repeal of the
Test and Corporation Acts, acted without any•re-
ference to what might be its influence on the ques-
tion of emancipation, but on the broad principle
.of
religious liberty. Ile went ou to say that the Roman
Catholic 4 were to a man friendly to reform, and
added, that if the system of voting by ballot were
adopted, it would have the best effect on the 40s.
freeholders, as it would protect them against the
persecution of their landlords. In.conclusion he ob-
served, that the present meeting afforded a much
better specimen of the sense of the people of Eng-
land than that which was held on Venenden-haath.
Mr. Webb was now called upon to sing, and gave
the " Sprig of • Shilelah" in admirable style.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed the health of the
" Bishop orNorwich," the venerable prelate, who at
all times and under all temptations had proved him-
self the steady and undeviating, friend of civil and
religious liberty. The toast was drank with loud
applause.
Mr. WILLIAMS nett claimed the attention of the
meeting,- and after some slight interruption, pro-
ceeded to say, that he stood there as an English-
man to redeem the pledge which he had given some
fourteen days ago in the Catholic Association in
Dublin, to speak of the Catholics of Ireland as he
had found them. He then went on to say, he had
mixed amongst them, and he could state that k
had found them much more liberal than the Pro-
testants. He then proceeded to say, that the ilia-
abilities under which the Catholics laboured by the
penal code, were practically felt in all classes. The
Protestant noblemen and gentlemen felt themselves,
or affected to feel, that they were superior to the
Catholics of the same rank, but much of the acer-
bity which that feeling tended to generate was qua-
lified -by the polite intercourse which subsisted be-
tween them. With the Catholic peasantry, how-
ever, this qualification did not exist ; for their rro-
testarit felloW-labourer assumed all the airs of a
superior without-in any degree mitigating the aspe-
rity of the assumption by any of the civilities of
polished life.
Mr. H. HUNT next addressed the Meeting, and
was received -with a mixture of applause and disap-
probation. The cries of " Off, off " (('tough • not
from the majority in the room) prevented his being
beard fur-a time.
The CHAIRMAN begged the Meeting to bear him,
and regretted that a few should I::ive the post er to
disturb the order of the meeting by opposition to the
hearing of any man,
Mr. HuNT then proceeded. He said that he had
not expected any opposition at that meeting. He
had d bbeyei4 gross';frie abusedfriend
r;
Lawless.in some
He
ee
denied,l h ptgaipaciai
09tifvue hist life, publicly
psi
ui eeb,
iactdityi
the
or
Catholics.
the
rt
outitei
privately,
meeting, or at any period
alitileaTatydmthiiti;ged those
claims to be founded in justice, but he thought they
had little, chance of success until a reform was curried
iii .htfli4meat, of which at present he had not much
hope. Otie effect of Emancipation would, he thought;
be, that the Irish Catholic aristocracy would be found
!Osid,e”)witTbhGlisow a
s:es his
against reform. (Cries of
No
is opinion, and he stated it can-
didly, though it it did not amount in his -opinion to an
objection to Pnancipation, lie then referred to- the
late meeting at Penenden Heuth, arid expressed his
surprise that 04 press should, almost without excep-