The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-28 00:00:00

CATHOLICS.

The Earl of LONGFORD rose to present three peti-
tions, from different places in Ireland, all praying that the
Catholic Association might be put down, and no further
concessions granted to the Catholics. In presenting them,
he begged leave to claim their Lordships' indulgence while
he briefly replied to the attack rather ungenerously and
unexpectedly made on him last night. The Noble Lord
(Plunkett) had, in the attack he made yesterday evening,
taken an aquatic excursion ; and though he did not be-
long to the Hon. profession of the Navy, and might mis-
apply nautical terms, he should endeavour to follow him.
After cruising about, be had been caught in the chops of
the channel of concession ; but he, for one, would not
enter into, and would not certainly get into their whirl-
pool, and would not go through the channel. But the
Noble T.ord meant to enter the channel, and get at length
oft' the port of Popery ; but he would nut be able to get
in—he would he fenced off by a bar called the British
Constitution. He might moor his vessel off the bar ; but
the stream of public opinion was running strong against
him, and he would be driven away. The Noble Lord
had gone to sea in the good frigate Surprise—bad made a
good voyage, and had at length moored himself in Peerage
Bank, and in the Court of Justice, and he wished he might
remain.—(A laugh.)—The Noble Lord said that he (Lord
Longford) looked at things only on one side; and he ad-
mitted that he did, because on one side was attempting to
subvert the Constitution, and the other to uphold it.—
, (Hear, hear, No, no.)—He was not one of those who, like
the Noble Lord, thought Brunswick Clubs and Catholic
Associations equally lawless and dangerous. He thought
the different principles on which they met made all the
difference as to their proceedings. He would trust one to
the discretion of the Noble Lord, but not the other. The
Noble Lord had made use of some forensic sarcasms,
which might be expected from his profession, and he could
not answer the Noble Lord. He would not venture to
• state any opinion of his own of the Noble and Learned
Lord ; but he might, which would answer the same pur-
pose, venture to state the opinions of ether people. When
that famous Bill was passed, in 1925, for putting down
the Catholic Association, which was drawn up when the
Noble Lord was in the Government, what did the Pro-
testants of Ireland say of that Bill ? They called it the
Enabling Statute, signifying that it was so drawn up that
the Catholics had no objection to it. And what said the
Catholics of that statute? They said that it had been
prepared by the ignoramus Plunkett. Both the Catholics
and Protestants condemned the measure. He did not say
this on his own authority, bat on the authority of persons
learned in the law like the Learned Lord. With respect to
his own prophecies, he did not make prophecying a trade;
but he remembered certain prophecies of the Noble Lord,
about the Union, that shewed that he too was a defeated
prophet.
Lord PLUNKETT begged to offer a few words to their
Lordships, in reply to what the Noble Lord had just
stated. The Noble Lord thought himself entitled to corn-
plain that he attacked him unexpectedly, and that he was
not prepared to expect it ; and his Lordship seemed to
think it was proper to do as they do in Ireland—pay off
one gale (an Irish term, we understand, for rent) before
another was due.---(A laugh.)—But when the Noble Lord
thought proper to attack a public officer, and make a se-
rious charge against him, he ought at all times to hold
himself in readiness to give every explanation, and answer
any defence; he ought to be prepared with a satisfac-
tory' reply. It was not necessary for him to enter into
all the well-considered sarcasms uttered by the Noble
Lord, nor to redress all the mis-statements he had
made : there was, however, an ol,servation or two which
he felt himself called upon to notice, and he had one
or two remarks to make upon that part of the Noble
Lord's speech, which referred to, the feelings created
among Protestants 'and Catholics by the Bill of 1925.
The Noble Lord in-the warmth of his zeal had arrived at
conclusions which were not at all warranted by the pre •
misas; but, taking these conclusions in the Noble T ord's
reading., it appears that he (Lord Plunkett) had sueacieded
in obtaining the impartial detestation of both, parties—
friends as well as foes—Protestants as well as Catholiea.
Upon that question he was not able to express any opi-
nion ; but he had always thought that, next to the praise
of tire virtuous, the censure and the condemnation of par-
ties who were both equally enemies to the peace and the
prosperity of their country must be considered as the ob-
ject most to be desired. The Noble Lord had, arraigned
his conduct and expressions w:th reaucct to the Members
of the Catholic Association. hoc never' hesitated to
.•
express fins opinion et'.oleir proceedings when they were in
the smith of their prosperity; and he certainly could not
be charged with any meanness in giving utterance to the
same opinions, now that those who composed it were des
prived of the advantages of their union, and shorn ul their
power. He had declared his conviction more than once,
that the Association containeil among its members men of
great talent
intentions; but he hail not hesitated, at the
al,o‘e!nliowirients, and of the most patriotic and
berrevoleni
same time, to express his detestation of tine language of
personality and menace whieli was frequently to be fianni
in their discussions. if, however, he ;van: to he called
upon to say which of the tv{o
parties, the Association
or the ti Brimyici,:era, posSessed the strongest palliations
Lf their violence, be should not hesitate to express his
opinion that the se who were smarting under long-
continued and most grievous wrongs were more en-
titled to claim an apology, for their violence than those
who lorded it Over their fellow-men by the possession of
an odious monopoly. There was another palliation

two of those acts of violence into which the inter-
ference of some of the leaders of the Catholics had betrayed
them. They had never, like those who supported the
Brunswick Clubs of the Noble Lord, attempted to accom-
plish their objects with arms in their hands. He believed
indeed that there had been much greater apprehensions of
danger from the proceedings of those Clubs, than from the
intemperate denunciations of the Association ; and he re-
peated his observation of the former evening, that nothing
contained in the violent language of members of the Asso-
ciation ever approached the treasonable declarations of some
of the members of the Brunswick Clubs, when they ex-
pressly delivered it. as their conviction that the King,
by consenting to Catholic Emancipation, had forfeited his
title to the Throne. The Noble Lord concluded by ob-
servint, that he was not disposed to be guilty of the bad
taste bf continuing this episode, although the Noble Lord
was perfectly at liberty to do so to any extent be thought
proper.

The Earl of WINCHILSEA begged (with some
warmth) to dissent from the opinions advanced by the
Noble Lord (Plunkett) on the subject of the Catholic As-
sociation ; and declared his determination to resist that
emancipation which the Noble Lord contemplated with so
much satisfaction, to the utmost extent of his power. If
the voice of the country was against him, he should bow
with submission to its decree ; but he was determined to
lose no opportunity of rousing it to a sense of the danger
it incurred from admitting the Catholics to political power.
The petition was then laid on the table.

The Earl of LONGFORD then presented petitions to
the same effect from the Protestants of Down and
Monaghan.
The Earl of DARNLEY presented petitions from the
Protestant Dissenters of Tenterden, in Kent, in favour of
the Catholics. The same Noble Lord presented similar
petitions front Dulick, in Meath, and from the Catholics
of Rathbov.
Lord KING presented a similar petition from the Pro-
testant Dissenters of Park-lane, Lancashire.

Lord PLUNKETT presented a petition from the Catho-
lics of Bandon, against the Vestry and Sub-letting Acts.
Their Lordships then adjourned at Half-past Six o'clock,
until Monday.