The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-01 00:00:00

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]icy of prevention would 'be done away, and a dangerous
door he opened to the ali'solute ruin of the Constitution. The
Test and Corporation Act's, be said, had been wisely adapted
to secure the Conititution, and had it not been for them, the
'family of Stuart might helve_ been at. this time in pOssessiou
of the Throne,. and the Right Hon. Gentleman not have
had an opportunity to state those opinions in the House
• which they bad that day beard. e (s) The Right Hen. Gentle-
man, he said, was mistaken iti his assertion, that no sell—.
gious test was taken by the Members of the Legislature---.
Every Gentleman Present had Aitken axeligious test, by mak-
ing a solemn appeal to providence, when he took the oath
against transubstantiation, which was purely religious. (a)l-le
urged the proprietyand advantage of tests, and contended that
all Governments adopted a test of some kind or other; but in
a country like this,where the Monarchy was limited, it is pas,
ticularly necessary, that the executive. power should be 'ad,
witted to exercise a right of discrimination into the fitness of
individuals to fill those stations, for which the executive
power is responsible: A§ public offices seer,: created for th
public at large, the idea of a right to fill•tbens was ridiculous,
unless it could be proved that they wert made for therbenefit
of the holders,- arid nut as a, trust for the Public. In our
mixed Constitution, the appointment to offices necessarily
and naturally rested with the. Executive Power, over whirls
the Legislature had made -a wise application of limited Mo-
narchy, by a' list' ktion on even the Monarch hmself, in the
disposal of those offices. In private life it was a common po
]ley, for no man to admit another to the mauagement of Isis
affairs, if he did not think well of that man's-principles. The
same policy kept good in States; it was therefore no Usurpa-
tion in the Goiernment, if not approving of the political
principles of theDissenteis, they excluded them front office."
In the month of March, 1805, the Irish Re-
man Catholics presented Petitions to both Houses
of. Parliament, in which they prayed, that the
Statutes now in force against them (including the
Test Laws) may be repealed, in consideration of
their uniformly 'loyal and peaceable conduct;
though they had raised two Rebellions for the
subversion of . the Constitution, one in the year
1795, the other in the year 1803. In these Peti-
tions they denied the existence of some of the
fundanAial principles of their religion, though
they are "Contained in the general CouncilS of
their Church, of which editions are to be found
in every . public library in Europe, and 'though
every Member of Parliament is required by the
Test Laws, before he takes his seat, to make a
specific renunciation of them.
Mr. Pitt, with his -usual eloqUenee, resisted
their application :
" Ile disapproved of the terns Emancipation, which he said
was not in the smallest degree applicable to a repeal of the few
remaining penal statutes to which the Roman Catholics were
liable. He considered the admission of them to any posts or
offices as a matter of expediency, and not of right ; for they
were created for the benefit of the public, for whose advan-
tage they were to lee exercised, and not fur the sake of the
individuals who were to possess them. He said that he be-
lieved the line of argument which he took forinerly was, that
if it should be thought right to give what the Roman Catho-
lics required, it might be given after the Union with more
safety to the empire ; and if it were thought proper to refuse
that it might be refused, without producing those disas-
trous
.consequences which might have been apprehended
before the Union. I come, then, to the present discussion,
perfectly free and unfettered. I certainly was of opinion,
that under an united Parliament, these privileges migh,t he
granted under proper guards and conditions,. so as not to
produce any danger to the Established Church, or the
Protestant Constitution. I never thought that it would
have been wise ur prudent to have thrown down,
rudely and abruptly, the guards and fences of the Con-
stitution. I formed a determination not to press it,
unless I thought it could be done with that pro§peet of suc-
cess, and with that general concurrence, without which it
never can be beneficial. As to tile chance of carrying the
question, at present, with general concurrence, or gratifying
the RO/11:111 Catholics without offending the Protestants, or
confirming the affections of one, without raising the suspi-
cions of the other, not only in Ireland, but in England, I
confess there appears to be none. I lament it as much as any
man can. I ask any Gentleman, whether he does not believe,
looking to the opinions of the Members of the Established
Church, of the Nobility, of the men of property, and of the
middling and respectable classes of society, I ask him, whe-
ther he does not believe, looking at the sentiments of the
mass-of theiProtestante of this Country and Ireland, that there
is the greatest repugnance to this measure ? (4) soil that even
if it could now be carried, so far front producing conciliation
and union, it would tend, on the contrary, to disapp iint all
the prospects of advantage, which, under other circum--
stances, would he derived front it ? I do not mean wilfully
to shut my eves to this conviction, that a Catholic, how-
ever honouraieler leis intentions may be, must he anxious
to advance the interests of his religion. It. is in the
very nature of man. He may disclaim and renounce
this wish for a time, hut there is no man aequainted
with the operations of the human heart, .who sloes not
know, that the (Roman) Catholics must feel that ;All xivo-,
whenever ths,power and the opportunity may be favourable(s.)
It has beets urged by some Gentlemen, that we ought to go
into a Committee, to take into consideration the minor crier,.
ances under which the (Roman) Catholics tabour; Sir, 1 con-
tend, that these points are much too unimportant to induce
us to go into a Committee upon a petition, which embraces
the whole of this important subject, and which excites the
hopes and fears of all the subjects of the United Kingdom."
M.

(1) It is absurd to suppose that Mr. Pitt, well knowing the
sanguinary and intolerant principles of the Romish Church,
could think seriously of admitting its votaries to political
power.

- 12) It is well known that. Mr:Fox encouraged the Irish
Papists to petition Parliament for Emancipation iN the year
1805, but in the year 1806, when lie and his friends came into
poWee, be eniteaeoured to dissuade them from doing so.
(3) Every Member of Parliament before he can' take his
seat, is required to renounce, and condemn upon oath as im-
pious, damnable, and heretical, the licensing and dispensing
powers long claimed and exercised by The Pope, and that faith
is not to he kept with Heretics.
(4) In the year 1813, eight years after this question was
discussed, most of the Counties and Corporations in England
and Ireland petitioned against making any more concessions
to the Roman Catholics. See a list of them in the Protestant
Advocate, vol. 1. p. 3:34.

(5) In the beginning of the year 1793, ;di the Penal Laws
affecting tlrc Irish ('atholics were repealed, and they
obtained the Elective Franchise. They then declared them-
selves grateful and.contented; and yet in a few months after,
They formed a teeaonahle consi.iraey to separate Ireland front
England, and to extirrate tlicirnotestant fellow• subjects as
Heretics.

ZOR 1, 182/.

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS, Fr.n. 28.
Mr. COOPER and several other Members
brought up various Private Bill: from the Com-
m Ons, which were read a first time.

Sricca, from Chelsea Hospital, presented
an Account of Unclaimed I'-size Money lying
there from 1819 to 1820.--4Jaid on the table. -
STR <TI-LNI OR E: PE ER4G

'The LORD CiIAINTCELLOR wished to' draw- the
attention of. their Lordships to the claims.made
in the Court of chancery by- two Individuals, to
the Earldom of Strathmore. lie understood that
a Petition had been presented to the House on
the subject, and he gave notice, that in a few-days
he should move . that it be referred to the Gotn-
mittee of. Privileges now sitting. 4k stated this
in order that the house might be acquainted with
the matter when it should come t eiroti.i them, the
question being one of great importance,.not.only
as it affected the claimauts, but their Lordship s.
theMselves.

The Earl. of It oss N moved that the Commit-
tee on Foreign Trade have Nave to report from
time to time.— Agreed to.
The Annual Indemnity Bill was read. a second
time.—Adjourned.