The Sun.
London, England, 1829-03-21 00:00:00

a kini lan !lord, hut he ma apposed. and defeated as,
the head ofs the Protestent,l.Aseentlancy. The effect of
the Bill would be temporiiily to disfranchise the whole
constituent body of Ireland,. except the Protestant Clergy.
He had no objection that this should be the case for the
purposes stated in the Bill ; but he wished that the forty-
shilling freeholders should, on registration tinder the new
Act, re-enter into the exercise of. the elective right, under
the provisions of this Bill, instead of raising the qualifica-
tion to ten pounds. The Noble Lord concluded by mov-
ing, that " it be an instruction to the Committee on the
Qualification of Fretholders in Ireland Bills, to insert a
provision to render it applicable to the due exercise of the
elective franchise by the forty-shilling freeholders, by pre-
venting fraudulent and fictitious registration, in order to
preserve the right of she people of Ireland to elect their
Representatives in Parliament as at present by law esta-
blished."
Mr. LENNARD seconded the motion. __ _

Mr. L. FOSTER, fur his own part, regarded this Bill
as calculated iu itself to produce great good to Ireland, and
at the same time to afford an importaNit practical secnr:ty,
as it would remove than), apprehensions that arose from
the adoption of the other measure. He trusted, therefore,
that as this was a matter of mutual concession, Hon. Gen-
tlemen on the other side would not attempt to fritter this
measure down, so as to render it incapable of yielding any
real security. By communications lie bad received from
Ireland, he learned that the announcement of these mea-
sures had already, in a great degree, removed the fears of
the more moderate and judicious opponents of the Catholic
Claims, and had even met the requisition of some of the
greatest Brunswickers.
Sir F. BURDETT was surprised to hear his Hon.
Friend behind him declare that he would oppose this Bill
even at the risk of losing the whole measures. He was of
quite a different opinion.—(Cheers.)--When lie consi-
dered the advantages to be derived to Ireland from those
measures, taken together, he could not for a moment con-
sent to have them defeated for the sake of the supposed
grievances of the forty-shilling freeholders ; he called them
" supposed," because they had never been made out to his
satisfaction. He considered it as part of the compromise
to do that which was not less essential to do justice and
give satisfaction to our Roman Catholic fellow-subjects
than also to satisfy and reconcile the Protestant interest of
Ireland. To object to the Bill on an abstract principle,
and thus to refuse a great principal benefit, would be
chil-lish in the extreme. He could not agree with the
Hon. Member for Dorset that in consenting to this Bill,
they were acting on the Jesuitical principle, as that Hon.
Gentleman had celled it, of " doing evil that good might
come of it." That was a mistaken notion. Having al-
luded to the Hon. Member for Dorset, he would, with re-
spect to him and his near relative, the Hon. Member for
Cores Castle, avail himself of the occasin to pay the tri-
bute due to the fair, candid, and many line of conduct
they had pursued in opposing these measures. He was
struck with the contrast it afforded to that of many other
persons on that side of the question. Those Hon. Gents.
were ashamed to have recourse to foul practices or base ar-
tifices. He was sorry that their minds seemed immove-
alr!e on the subject ; but be must admit that they had =du
a e,indid, fair, and manly opposition. The Hon. Member
fur Curie Cistle had shown his sincerity by resigning
the ofliesk be held under Government; and in so doing, he
had dune as all those ought to have done who meant to
oppose Governmeiat when engaged in passing measures of
this character.—(Chters.),-Hg agreed with the Right
Hon. Gentleman that the price that was 44-landed of them
W 4, dear; bnt he was willing to pay it for the purchase of
aa valuable a measure, and one. too, which had come from
so unexpected a quarter. To the Right Hon, Gentleman
who had brought that measure forward he thought the
country was most deeply indebted, as well for the measure
itsee as for the elolueat and convincing manner in which
he had int,..:s.luced it. The ('sight Hon. Gentleman had
done it with a and forge that fairly paned for him
a title to the phrase 1`,:.4 non laudanduM, 4.4 di4it, 4ut
sensit, alit fecit."—(Hear, bear.;
Mr. BUTLER CLARKE said, that the only thing that
Ile had to object to was the haste with which this Nil
was carried on, the consequence of which would be that
if the other measure should by any accident be lest, this
Bill would, never theleag, pass into a law.
Mr. PEEL said that it was entirely owing to accidental
circumstances that the Franchise Bill stood to be coin-
Mitted that day, and the other Bill for Monday. He only
wished that it should be committer, on the present occa-
sion pro forma, as he had some amendmants to propose,
sifter which be should move that it should ha re-c,cm-
,mitAed. He begged to assure the Hon. Gentlemma and
the Hai,zse, that as far as he could pledge the intention and
the faith ,at Government, the measure for the relief of the
Catholics simul,l be carried into effect. —(Cheers.)
Mr. FRANKLAND LEWIS had fully considered the
different bearings of the question, and the result was, that
be should give a not reluctant gonsioo to the present Bill.
And let it be observed that he did not suppp7t what he
ponsidered to be ill, in otTisf that good might come of it, aa
oai.oke Hon Gentlemen had ,expressi4 themselves, but be-
,eaose he believed it to be a measure that WiGtarl eventually
azgrue to the advantage of the forty-shilling freeholders
themselves. . .

Dr. LUSHAtIQTON felt a very great disinclination to
give Lib ,Copsent to Abia Rill, unless it was subjected to the
most minute investigation. Various reasons had been
;urged by Hon. Members for supporrong it, but upon two
of the grounds stated tkat evening be ayaa not disposed to
permit the Bill to pass into a law. Asa measure of p4F-
liament3ry Reform, he utterly repudiated and rejected it;
and he did not et all agree with those who aonsitlered it a
measure of conciliation. The Catholics were in eiTect
making whit he cousideroi most unparalleled sacrifice;
hut, it must be admitted, they 44 their reward.
Mr. S. RICE—He denied that the Bill was intended
to pun:sh the forty-shilling freeholders for their cmidupt
at Clare, ;,,r Louth, or Waterford. If there was any ,tech
intention, It? ,Should oppose it to the utiPitst extent of his
power ; but he so'Aa satisfied that the measure would prove
highly beneficial to the people of Ireland, and tend much
to improve their conditiou landlord and tenant.. From
she evidence given by Juetg Day and Mr. O'Connell,
before the Houses of Commons and goeds, it was beyond
question that the present system, whet" the tenants
voted with or against their landlords, tended to Flog 4r-
etruction of the power of the midAllo class of landowners,
And jo the misery of the unfortunate vptsri. With this
view ,5,f the question he should support the Bill; kit he
entreated the Right Hon. Gentleman to reconsider tau
nubject, and snake some distinction between these W 49
voted .upon leaseholds, and those who voted from the pm-
ovnion of a fee simple ; 4n- he thought it was of great im-
ports/Ice to encourage doe Acquisition of property in
4. He denied the doctrine 44 Awn by some Hon.
Gentlemen, that a political franchise ayes an inalienable
right which could not be interfered with.
The Marquis of GRAHAM supported the measure no*"
before the House.
Lord MILTON considered the subject was one of much
ornEculty. In the difficulty in which he was placed, he
was inclined to support the instsantione moved by his
Noble Friend (Lord Dungannon.) He was not aware that
the change in the amount of the quah6ca49o, without any
**lunge in the nature of the tenure, would he a p;terial
improvement foe the purpose of creating a more indepen-
dent class of electors than that which at present existed in
Ireland. The best way of creating an independent body
of:electors would be to eatsbliish a bona fide forty-shilling
i:reelnaer, who had his freehoill in fee-simple as in this
eountry, Pad not on leasehold tenure es ip Ireland. This
was the only effectual mode, in his opinion, 4fptrodneine-
body of independent yeomanry in Ireland; but wl flat the
det.ivative freehold was maintained, he bad little expecta-
tion twat the freeholders in Ireland would be relieved from
that subs;rviency which was now so touch complained of.
It was uncle: this impression that he appros'nd o the in-
structions movs::1 by his Noble Friend—but at the same
time he wished it might be understood that should he
fail- in carrying these iostructions, he would not offer any
opposition to the Bill in it: future stages.
Sir JAMES MACKINTekH—Sir, I cannot bring
myself to consider the question before us as one of a little
better or a little worse mode of repsieeentation. I cannot
bring myself to consider it as a question x,e4ting to a pre-
dominance of aristocratic or democratic influence,. Leon-
bider it us a question which relates to the pacificatiPp? pf
Ireland—to the union of the two islands, and as the salva-
tion of the empire.—(Hear, hear.)—Sir, 1 consUer the
three measures which have been introduced by his Majestia
?Ministers, in pursuance of the recommendation from tl4_,
throne, as inseparable, and that a blow at one part of the fabric
would endanger the downfall of the whole. Under these
circumstances I cannot hesitate to vote for the Bill
,at pre•
sent under our consideration. I eonfess that I have arrived
at this conclusion through a long courcuof perplexity and
doubt, and not without many deep and pliant regrets.—
But, having deliberately balanced the good against the
evil, the former appears to me so greatly to prepundepate,
that whatever pain and inconvenience it may have cost use
to come to the resolution of aupporting tie BM. I will
support it, and I wilt heneeforward think and speak no
more of the reasons which have rendered that deterudice
tion difficult :

" Vestigia nulla retrorsum."
Sir, it is singular that any opposition should be made to
this particular Bill. Any man who judged from first ap-
pearances would have concluded that all parties in this
House would concur in Its support, though undoubtedly
an different grounds. In the first place, it was to be ex-