The Sun.
London, England, 1821-02-27 00:00:00

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Mr. WATLEN, 13, Leiester-prace, can with confidence re•
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!ammo

FOR THE SUN.

111 THE ROMAN CATIIOLIc: QUESTION.
As many persons jtave been induced to sup-
port the Roman Gi. colic Claims under an idea
that both Mr. PITT and Sir W. BLAcksTosrE were
favourable to the concession, we beg to call the
attention of our Readers to the following Ex-
tract from Mr. STOCKDXLE HARD Y'S late Pam-
phlet upon the subject, (first published in this
Paper under the signature of Britannia's) which
we think conclusive on this point.—Vide, " A
Series of Letters addressed to a Friend upon the
Roman Catholic Question."
" You assert, as another reason why the Claims
should be conceded, 'that the Laws sought to be
repealed were merely made for temporary pur-
poses, which have long since ceased to exist, and
that it is unjust any longer to retain them.' The
authority of Judge Blackstone has been quoted
for this opinion, but a reference to the works of
that eminent lawyer will not justify the appeal.
His words, when speaking upon this subject, are
the following, and the caution displayed in them
is particularly remarkable. Afterhaving explained
the reasons which had induced the Legislature to
enact several severe Laws ?which are Bow re-
pealed) against the Roman Catholics, the Learned
Judge proceeds :—' But if a time should ever
arrive, and perhaps it i not very distant, when
all fears of a Pretender shall have vanished, and
the power and influence of the Pope shall have
become feeble, ridiculous, and despicable, not
only in England, but in every Kingdom in Eu-
rope, it probably would not then be amiss to re-
view and soften these rigorous edicts ; at least
till the civil principles of the Roman Catholics
called again upon the Legislature to renew
them.' Had Judge Blackstone lived at the pre-
sent day, I think there can be little diffeerence of
opinion as to what his sentiments would have been
on the Roman Catholic Question. It is seen, that
when the rights of Englishmen were entirely de-
nied to the Roman Catholics—when their persons,
their religion, their properties, and their means of
defence were withheld from them, he still enter-
tained some doubts as to the policy of repealing
the existing laws, and evidently consikered himself
as treading on tender ground, when hinting at
such a repeal being made. The wish of the Learn-
ed Judge has been accomplished, as to the revi-
sion and amelioration of the rigorous edicts which
were in force when he wrote his book ; and none
are now left, except those which, in the almost
immediate subsequent page to that wherein the
above extract appears, he has denominated as
" Bulwarks of the Constitution." * The authority
of Sir William Blackstone is therefore decidedly
in favour of the existing system ; the Penal Laws
have been reviewed—they have been mitigated—:-
those which were passed for temporary purposes
have been repealed—and such only are left as
are necessary for the preservation of the Pro-
testant Constitution.

'' You have also attempted to connect the
name of Mr. Pitt with the Roman Catholic
Claims, by representing that great Statesman—
that true Whig of 1688—as an advocate for their

• Dl. Com. rol. 4. p. 57, su, 15th, edit. and Ditto, p. sg.