The Sun.
London, England, 1827-05-04 00:00:00

justice of those measures which bad been adopted.—(Hear,
hear, hear.)--The Right Hon. Gentleman has asked, how-
ever, .upon what principles the Government now means to
proceed upon .certain .questions of policy ? Among others,
he has mentioned the State of the Roman Catholics of Ire-
land. Does the Right Hon. Gentleman, then, not know
that principle ? Issthere no principle resolved upon with
which the Right Hon. Gentleman is acquainted?—(Hear,
hear, hear. )_And if, then, there is no principle, why did
he quit office ? If there was no principle to be adopt-
ed upon Catholic Emancipation, why did he, upon the
ground of that question, desert the King ?—(Cheers.)—
The Right Hon. Gentleman, in that case, is embarked in
the same boat with me. Ile is equally with me engaged
to support the Government; or if not, his question is a
two-edged sword, which wounds only himself, or at least,
the sharp edge is applied to him, the blunt can only be
turned upon me.—(Hear.)—He has not been justified in
abandoning his colleagues in office, and withdrawing his
'support from the Government, if I am not justified, under
the circumstances, of affording that Government all the
support which it is in my power to bestow.—(Hear, hear.)
There is another point connected with the question of Ca-
tholic Emancipation, to which I wish to advert. It is not
by, the exertion of party spirit, however powerful, that
ouch great measures are to be rendered successful. The
Emancipation of the Roman. Catholics must depend upon
the progress of knowledge. It must advance with the
advance of mind—(hear, hear)—and the diffusion of
better and more liberal feelings.. These are the only means
by, which I ever thought the question could be supported in
this country ; and I may say now, that it was never said
by me, or by any other Gentleman who advocated their
cause, that we were prepared to raise the standard of re-
bellion in this country, unless we obtained our object.—
(Hear, hear, hear. )__We have worked, or as we must
still continue to labour, by argument, and endeavour to
still the fears of the timid, and obviate the objections
of the conscientiously hostile. We have endeavoured
to proceed in our course with the same caution which
I trust still to see displayed ; and I cannot doubt, by
a union of wisdom, of prudence, and of temperance,
with that caution which ought never to be abandoned,
we must ultimately triumph. Let us not, however,
allow our efforts to be counteracted by the sugges-
tions of our adversaries, nor suffer ourselves to be taunted ,
into a course of folly by those who know that precipitation
would be destruction.—( Hear, hear.)-1 think great good
has resulted to the country from the secession of those who
were opposed to, usk--always excepting,the Right-Hon. Gen-
tleman, to whose merit I.would do every justice. It might
be considered even an interposition .of that Providence
which permits not .even a sparrow to- fall to the ground
without its knowledge...4liter, and laughter. )—I must
hope, therefore, that thefallof theme. Ministerial sparrows
was intended for some wise and benevolent purpose—(hear
hear, hear 9.--and sorry should I. be to see , the acts of
&Vine wisdom and justice receive any counteraction from
the efforts of human industry..--(Hear, hear.)-,-With re-
spect to Ireland, I have been told this very day, -from an
authority upon which I can depend, that it begins already
to feel the influence of . the beneficial change in the Go-
vernment, and to enjoy the blessings of tranquillity. I
',ear that the Catholic Association, so long considered
formidable to the Government and destructive of the peace
of the Empire, no sooner saw fair hopes held out to them
of a fair consideration of their claims to the attention
of the legislature, and a reasonable prospect of justice being
done to their representations, than they seized the op-
portunity to give a proof of their confidence and satisfac-
tion in the Government. They felt that' the reign of
narrow-minded bigotry—of that intolerant opposition which
would, from the most indefensible feeling, shut cut the
dawn of hope, was at an end ! They felt that the light of
hope was breaking in upon the darkness of their political
degradation, and that they must participate in common
with their fellow-subjects in measures of general improve-
ment.—(Hear, hear.)—The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
Peel) has taken his stand upon a spot from which he cannot
recede.—(Hear, bear.)—But the mind. of England is not
chained to any party-prejudice; it is not, as the Right
Hon. Gentleman and his coadjutors have declared they
must be, stationary.—(Cheers.)—lt is open to argument,
it is free to conviction, and knows how to appreciate. the
effects of those enlightened principles of policy which I am
now here to support and to defend.—(Hear,.hear.)—And
however satisfactory the reasons of the Right Hon. Gentle-,
min may be to .himself and to those who participate in his
prejudices, they will not be equally satisfactory to the
country. Convinced that the :time must come when the
force of argument must be felt, and satisfied that we cannot
go back, although I,would not now shrink from advocating
the cause to which have pledged myself, and 'declaring my
continued conviction of the propriety of concession, to the
fullest extent, I have ever maintained it ; yet, convinced, I
repeat that there is no standing still—that the intellect of
the English people must go onward—that it cannot go back,
I feel satisfied to trust to its effect for the ultimate accom-
plishment of that object which I have ever most earnestly
desired.—(Cheers.)
—.Sir EDWARD' KNATCHBULL complained of the
language which had been used to the Right Hon. Gentle-
man and hie. Friends,' as' wholly unjustifiable either from
their conduct or expressions: Nothing was, in his opi-
uinn, more natural, nothing more reasonable, than that his
Right Hon. Friend should feeLanxious to know upon what
principles the Government *as in future to be conducted, '
and who were the men to *loin. the realising the plans of
those principles was to be entrusted. He did not deny that.
the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Canning) pos-
sessed great talent and great eloquence; but he recollected
very well, that an Hon. Member, now'sitting upon a. dif-
ferent side of the House, declared but a very few weeks
ago, when seeking to know the steps taken in the formation
of this very Administration, that although lie bad heard a
great deal about measures, not men, lie had always consi-.
dcred the expression as net very alien from nonsense.—
(Cheers.)—Now, that was precisely what his Right Ho-
nourable Friend desired to know. He wished the Right
Honourable Gentlemen to say, Who were the men who
were to propose and carry into effect the. measures. That
was what he wished to know himself, net from any ob-
ject of otiose Curiosity, but from a sense of duty to his
Constituents and the country. After some high compli-
ments to the manliness of character, and clearness of expres-
sion of the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel), and an ex-
pression of his deep regret that he did not form a part of
the Government, the Hon. Baronet observed, that no man
was fit to preside over a divided Cabinet, but a man
of the high character, profound judgment, and exalted rank
of Lord Liverpool. It had been his fate to differ from the
Right Hon. Gentleman now at the head Of the Government
upon a very vital question. If that question had been
carried in that House, he for one, protesting against
its principle, and deploring the consequences likely to
.result to the country, would have felt it to be his
duty to bow with submission to the decrees of Parlia-
ment; but as the opinion of the House had been most
decidedly expressed against the entertaining such a proe
position,' he felt it more imperative upon him to require
from the Right Hon. Gentleman some intimation of the
nature of the principles upon which the Government was in
future to proceed. Then came the question of what con-
fidence was to he reposed in a Minister? Every thing, it
was known, in this country, turned upon confidence, and it
was therefore a matter of the last i in portaece that the person
placed at the head of the Government should openly avow
the principles upon which he intended to proceed. The
Hon. Baronet then animadverted with some severity upon
the topics advanced by the Hon. Baronet (Sir F. Burdett),
and declared that it was altogether impossible for him or
any other person who had been in the habit of supporting
his Majesty's Government, to continue his confidence to au
Administration formed of such a strange mixture of poli-
tical parties. Could any thing be so irreconcilable with all
the notions entertained of an efficient Government, as the
fact, that when the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr., Canning)
was asked to etplain the principles of his Government, that
explanation came not from the 'Minister at the head of the
Government, but from the Honourable and Learned Gentle-
man (Mr. Brougham), the Member for Witichelsea. It
had been said that the Honourable and Learned Gentle-
man would be able to give a more active, liberal, and
efficient support to the Government by not taking office.
That his support was efficient, every one who knew
great abilities must allow, and that it was liberal as yet,
he was prepared-to admit ; but he preferred knowing the
exact condition in which that Honourable Gentle-
man and his friends were placed ; for so long as the Right
Hon. Gentleman abstained from entering into an explana-
tion of the principles neon which he *as to conduct his
Administration—so long as he avoided naming clearly the
persons of whom it was composed—so long must the con-
fidence of the House and of the country be withheld.—
(The Hon. Baronet was vehemently cheered by Mr. Peel
and others during the whole of these observations.)
Mr. CANNING then rose and said—l hope that the
House will permit me to say a very few words in reply to
the very didactic speech of the Hon. Baronet who has Just
favoured the House with his opinions, and in explanation
of my observation upon a former occasion. The speech of
the Hon. Baronet refers principally to the reception which
I have given to a question addressed to me in the com-
mencement of this debate. Ido not object to that ques-
tion itself upon any considerations connected with its oh..
ject, but I must take leave to say, that I have never
known, in the whole of my Parliamentary experience,

these rules which courtesy permits, and which convenience
has sanctioned, to have been violated to so great a degree
by any Member of this House.—(Cheers.)—,Upon the un