The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-11 00:00:00

quired by the‘dutY I owe . myself, to give a flet contra-
dirtied to the'falsehood Otte!' has been widely circulated,
that an alteration • has taken place in my opinion on the
subject of the Catholic Claims. Ever since I have had the
honour of a seat in this house I have always voted
against the Catholics, under an honesrapprehersion thitt to
admit them infd either House of Parliament, er give them
political power, would endanger the Protestant Church, and
might possibly overact it. I now see no 'grounds, my -
Lords, in any recent ocearrences to allay these apprehen-
sions. I have. no intention to enter into any discussion,
or. to make any remarks anticipating' the nature of the
reeasures to be proposed. I wish merely to do myself
justice against imputations which have no foundation in
truth, and which are injurious to my character. Ilis
Grace then presented a petition from the Archdeacon and
• Clergy of the diocese of Canterbury, against further con-•
ceeeions to the Catholics; a second petition, with the sate
prayer, from the Clergy of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
His Grace observed that he presented this petition for the
,Aichhishop of York; and a third petition on the suns
subject.
The Bishop of LONDON presented it petition from the
Dean and Chapter of the Diocese of Chester, praying thei •
Lordebips not to grant atieh &inceesions .to the Catholics as
would endanger the Constitittiort, dud, at. the sante time,ex-
preseing a wish to grant their Catholic fellaw-subjects-all
the privileges of the Constitution, if it could be done with
sufficient security. In this wish he begged to state to their
Lordships that ht cordially coin:aired, though he could not
entertain any hope that it would he Ile would
take that opportunity of stating, though it was tidt the
proper time for delivering any opinions as to the measures
to be proposed, that after a careful examination of the
question, though it had been said that he was friendly to
the admission of the Catholics to political power, his senti-
ments on the subject bad undergone no alteration. tie had
attentively examined the qmstion, with a view of -finding
out eeenrities, and it was *ith regret that he was obliged
to declare that he had been unable to devise any securities
which satisfied his mind that the Catholics could ba p *mit-
ted to nessese political power, with safety to our Constitu-
tion in Church and State. At the same time he hoped,
that in stating this opinion he should not be thought to
imply a censure on any other persons. In the discuseiens
which were to ensue on this
,question, their Lordships
would he required to control their present feelings, which
were too often excited on subjects of such a description.
He hoped their Lordships would do one another justice, atad
not ascribe to each other any other motives than fhose
which were perfectly pure, giving one another credit for
their intentions, and remembering that it was quite con-
consistent with the roost perfect unity of intentions to adopt
different measures as most proper to carry them into exe-
cution. •

The Earl of ELDON presented petitions against the
Catholics from Malritesbury and a place in Denbighshire.
Lord REDESDALE presented similar petitions from se-
veral places in Carniarthembite. When their Lordships
were told, his Lordship observed, that they were to open
their arms to a pestilent heresy, in consequence of the
threats that had been held out, it was like threatening to
blow nut a man's brains unless he allowed himself to be
robbed. Looking at the measures to be proposed• in this
light, beshould oppose them all.
Earl TALBOT presented several similar petitions from
places in Staffordshire.

The Duke of RICHMOND presented a similar petition
from the Protestant Dissenters of Providence Chapel, Chi •
cheater.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in rising to present
some petitions of a different description, begged to state that
he concurred fully in the opinion of the Noble Duke oppo-
site, that the measure should proceed from the Govern-
ment, because that alone held out the certainty that the
benefits whieh were expected to result from it would
obtained by that unity of purpose ia carrying itinto effect,
which was indispensably necessary to obtain the benefits
it promised. He was glad to take that opportunity of de-
claring, that in all the votes he had ever given on the sub-

jeet, he bad ever done so with a view of forcing the Go.
vertnnent —he meant in a constitutional manner—of
forcing the Government to take that measure into their
hands ; the settlement of which he, with many others, re-
garded as essential to the tranquillity of the empire
(Hear, bear.)—Without entering into any arguments on
the subject, he mast state that it was not possible to brint,
any reeastire of that kind before Parliament in a manner
more consistent with the principles of the Constitution, and
more convenient to their Lordships, than by a reeommend-
ation in a Speech from the Throne. The Noble Lord had
said he was surprised, but he was afraid he confounded his
own feelings of surprise with some surprise which Ile sup-
posed had been attempted on Parliament. It was impos-
sible that a communietttion of that kiwi eould be brought
before Parliament in a better manner than by a Speech
from the Throne; and impossible that it could be earlier
made than on the very first day of the Meeting of Parlia-
ment. It was impossible also that any more convenient
method could be found than one which made known to
Parliament the sentiments of Government on every branch
of the question; and which, before calling or Parliament to
pass any vote, or come to any resolution, or agree to any
recesnre of detail, placed the whole subject on which they
might be calls il to vote, or come to a resolution, or agree
to a measure, during the Session, filly and fairly before
them. He could not stand there and hear it asserted that
the mode of proceeding as to these measures was calcu-
lated to take Parliament by surprise, or was at all pecu-
liar, when, in his view, that mode was the most consti-
tutional and most convenient which could be employed.
His Lordship then preeented several petitions in favour of
the Catholics.
The Earl of LONGFORD, on presenting a petition to
the contrary efflct from Clontarf, remarked, that the dif-
ference of the petitions only showed the various opinions of

those who opposed and upheld the Catholic Claims.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented a petition,
numerously signed by Protestant inhabitants of Newark, in
favour of the Catholic Claims.