The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-21 00:00:00

THE cATtroliit: CLAIMS.

The following Petition has beet► presented to
{he llon. the Ilouie of Cominwas. froth the Lou-
don Clergy _

TO THE HON. THE COMHONS OF THE UNITED KING-

DOll OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, IN PAR-

LtAmENT AiiEMBLED.

The humble Petition of the LONDON rutßas, incorporated
by the Title of the PIIESIDUNT and FELLOWS of Sros

COLLEGE, within the, City of London ;

girtr.vvrrt—That yaur Petitioners have learned from the
Votes of your Hon. House, that measures have been proposed
and are now engaging your attmtion, for the purpose of giving
further relief to' the Roman Catholics from those civil disabili-
ties and restraints which are imposed on them by the existing
lags of the realm.

That your Petitioners, in the just and seasonable exercise of
their right of petition, c^ns:der it, bounden duty to repeat
their most serious apprehensions of the dangers which will
accrue to the civil and 'religious interests of the Protestant part
cf rommunity, should the proposed Measures terminate in
the repeal of those B:3tiltOS, to which, under Almighty 6'4 the
Protestant Church of these realms has been indebted for the
mil l flecenlaney it dies hitherto maintained.

That while your Petitioners are desirous that every class of
their f.111,,,,--s; should be partakers of the benefits of- our
invaluable Constitution, so ihr as this can be clone consistently
with the general security and the interests of our holy
y:et they cannot forget that repeated expechne.nts have proved.,
beyond all reasonable doubt, that the distinctive character of
the Roman Catholic Religion is to prevent all freedom dis-
cufsion, and to tyrannize over human opinion ; and consegnentlY
that it ever has been, and, so long as it retains its specific cha-
racter, ever must be found incompatible with true Christian
toleration, and the rn:intenance of a ProteStant Church and

•_'fit:.

That your Petitioners further beg leave humbly to express
their conviction, that it is not consistent with sound policy to
remove the lei. al restrictions im'ifosed on the Roman Catholics
by the wisdom of our ancestors, as such reMoval would mate.
riidly affect the sense and spirit of the oath of, supremacy, un-
ss it could be shewn that a change had taken place in the
t. 3 of Popery, or unless it 11-::re not manifestly impossible
for ti:e compLinants to offer such securities as should render
tiClrir principles consistent with the establishment of a Protestant
Church and State.

[The Times.]
In the Gaulle of last night there appeared a
copy of General Orders, prohibiting all British
Officers from engaging on either, side in .the
Italian lyars, and recalling those who may be
already employed on pain of losing their corn-
missions in the English service. The course
that was adopted with respect to the con-
Aid en the Spanish Main, may haVe led some
to suppose that the present measure was proba-
ble. But a :light consideration will show the
cases to be widely different. The war in South
America was a war of Spaniards against Spaniards, - Major General Sir JOHN LA MEERT has arrived
though chiefly born on different sides 'of the in Dublin, and will slimly assume the command
Atlantic. The w6r in Italy is a war of nation at Cork, hi the room of Maior-General Sir JOHN
against nation, as strictly as if Austria had now 'Er.f,cv, who is to command in the Limerick dis-
been invading Russia on the one side, or France trict, which is united with the county of Clare.
on.the other. The voyage,to South America was lic;id-quarters in Limerick.

Your Petitioners therefore most humbly pray, that your
Jon. House will in its wisdom discourage any measure that
proposed for repealing the Statutes complained of, and
which, under Divine Providence, lave been the firm support
of cur National Constitution both in Church and State, and of
the ti.de of our gracious Sovereign and his august Family to
the Tilton:. of this Unitcd Kingdom.

Given at Sion Collep, under onr Common Seal, this .16th
day of March, m the. year 1821.

-A. Such expectation ttust haTe bOrnill-founded, as nothing
short of a formal act of the Legislature could give countenance
to it. The Act of Union, preamble to 30 and 40, Geo;
will sheer, that the Catholics had no g:ound to exp::ct, the Ed-
mission of their claims, as a return for choir prornthas
Unijn. The *utmost that can be elicited from the wor,ls of thizt
Act, is an intimation of the possi'ollity of some change.
Q. Upon what inducement did the Irish Protestants give
their consent to supersede the suunnocing of an - Irish Par-
liament ? • . •

A. Upon the hope that the Protestant cause wt-Itthl be therz-
by strengthened.;. AvhichAtopc. and expectation will: be -disap-
pointed by concessions, made by the very Legislature on which
the Irish Protestants' relied for protection , against any futFe
designs of the Roman Catholics.

Q. Are not the Bishops influenced, in their oppoSlt:on to
the measure, by son're motives which they do not own ?

A. The motives which guid,.: the Votes of the Eistops are—

Ist. Consistency, They owe their indepmdence to the liitg's
Supremacy : therefore thcy cannot consistently vote for a n:ea-
sure, tentliug to impede the exercise of that Supremacy.-
2.d. Honour. When a Protestant Sovereign nominates to a
Bishopric, the person 'nominated is supposeel by the Sovereign
to be unalt _rably attached to tilt Protestant Cause ; he is thle.:
forcbound, by a tacit promise, net to disappoint the e.pcetr.tion
of the Sovereign.

Illy. The s2rvices of orcin tioa, and of corts,zt-iation, con-

:tain solemn promises " to baniSh- all erron7:ous and stralga
doarines.7, These promises, and the " 6.-,:th of the Kites su-
premacy," are binding upon the coNscre:NcEp of every Cler-
gyman, whether Deacon, Priest, or Biskop ;' and niust
,them in contradiction, if not in perjury, it they aid and assist
in advancing Roman Catlwrics to legislative.
These were Che motives which determined the
votes of Bishops Douglas, tiorSlev, Poi-tens,
Dampier, Law, Bishop of. Etphin ; these motives
dictated the " Protestant letter," of which I hale
given this imperfect•summary.
it was printed, .1813, for Cadell and .Dav'eS,
Strand, and for the Booksellers hi Gloucester,
anti Winchester. It concludes kith these affect-

R words

" The recollection of having maintained, that fora Prolms-
tant People there should be a Legislature pnrzly Protestant ;
the remembrance of having contended for the prevalence o
Gospel Truth; will be sovirces of satisfaction wan 41,-;
hpur, capable of r 2tketion in this state of exists:net: h..ve
come.to him, wl:o has the honour," &c.
Y. S. In the course .of the " 4 Letter," authori-
ties are mentioned in support of the argument
against " Con,ceSsion," viz, the great Oilicers or.
State, and the ablest Lawyers) in both Ijotthes of
Parliament, and all who shewed their tl:sent by
speakinganck voting. Also such as were Authors
,as well as Legislators, e. g. .Bishops Barrington,
Burgess, and Totpline ; Lord :Kenyon, whose'
". Observations on the Roman Catholic Question,"
4th Edit. 1812, deserve attention. Among many
other writers," Remarks 'on the Consideration's
of Sir J. ,Throckmorton," by John Coker, Esq.
in 1806, are named, as sound in princ:ple, close
in argument, perspicuous in style.

In-the year 1819, came out a Pamphlet, "6 By
ranmer," Bath, printed by Biuns and
Robinson. In this work, the " Extracts from
the Speech of the Right Hon. John Lord •Fitz-
gibbon," contain arguments which may be deem-
ed aracular.---lakant q. v. (peewit !

ERRATA.—In. the aiiicle on the Roman Catholic Religion,
front. this r.spectablo Corn.sponcltn t, ios;.•-ctod the Lith in .4.
for " proselyticat fa dears,'' r: ad s"l,,rvoll;s ;" arl for "
BILAXIIAN,' read " lint aLUALL."

PARMA Al ENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS, MARCH 20,

The Earl of IhtslNrox, adverting to a Con-
versation which had, on a former night, taken
place between himself and the Noble Earl Op-
posite' (the Earl of Liverpool), relative to the
balances now in the hands of the Irish Govern,
merit of those sums granted for the relief of Ire-
land, thought that the_best:way of_obtaining the
account' of these balances would ire to.move.for
'an accotthi of all' monies voted 'for the re-
lief of _lreWitt; stating in what Manner such
'sums were applied, Oielfunds now' remaining in
-,'lbe'hands :of the Irish government, and what..
portion had -been repaid. At the same-time he
-.should wish to move-for copies of any additional
correspondenco• between the Secretary for her
land and the parties applying for relief.
The Earl of LIV-Enpoo-t, • recommended that
.the -latter Motion should lie omitted, and it was
4cordingly withdrawn.
..-. -Lord 'HOLGAND presented a- Petition from
Horsham, in Sussex, praying for a revision of the
criminal laws. For the last seven years this
.4uestiOn had been under ' consideration ; but
nothing had yet been done to remedy the evil—
. The petition was .laid-on• the table.
_Lord 'SiDMOUTit - presented a' Petition from
Stirling against the Catholic claims.—lt was laid
on thl table. •
GRAMPOUND DISFRANCHISEMENT BILL.
The. Earl of CAnNAavoN, in -moving the first
reading of the Grampound Disfranchisement Bill,
Said it was not - his intention then to make any
comments upon the measure ; but he should fix
some day for its second reading after it had been
printed..
Lord CALTHORTE did not -wish then to enter
at length into the merits of the Bill; but he
could not allow it to be read a first time with-
out expressing his opinion of the great import-
ance of the principle, which it recognised. He
knew that the country would look with great.
anxiety linen all the proceedings of the House
, relative to this measure. He considered the
principle involved in this Bill to be of such vital
importance, that if it should be the prevailing
opinion of the House that any particular provision
-or provisions were objectionable, he should feel
it to be his duty to propose any modification of
such provisions, so that the Bill should receive
the general approbation -of the; House.
The Bill was then read a first time, and order-
ed to be printed. -
The. Earl of CARNARVON then moved, that a
Message be -Sent to the Commons, requesting, a
copy of the evidence taken before that House on
the Grampound. Disfranchisement Bill.
The LORD.CIIANCELLOW had no objection to
the motion ; but he hoped their Lordships- would
izot depart from the established practice of hear-
ing evidence at their own bar.
The Bishop .of LoNncor presented a Petition
from the Archdeaconry, Clergy, &c. of _Essex. ,
against the Catholic Claims. Laid on the table.
—Adjourued.

CIOUSrE 01 COMMONS.

__......_.

The Report upon, the Newington Vestry Bill was brought
Sp. It stated that the 'Standing Orders of the Day, had not
bmin complied with.
Air. H. SEIIINER then gave notice that to-morrow he
should move that the Bill be re-committed. • -

Mr. BYNG presented a petition from the Inhabitants of Ux-
bridge, piaying that the .Criminal LaW might be reformed.
The Army and Marine Mutiny Bills were read a third time
azoi passed.