The Sun.
London, England, 1827-05-15 00:00:00

Contrary to order than another, it was that frequency of
allusion which had occurred in discussions of this !lam., to
the name of the Sovereign. The conduct of the Irish Co_
tholica had been frequently referred tt:, ; anti he meld not
avoidsaying, that he felt great Ple...eure in the spirit of mode-
ration they bad lately evirrct, by which they had saved
themselves from being misled by that spirit of a contrary
nature which had been manifested by some Members of the
other House. "i•he violent and factious conduct of these
latter gentl.emen, and the moderation of the Catholics, had
in therCAelves afforded him sufficient reason to be recon-
cikad to the postponement of the Catholic Question. He
(the Earl of D.) looked to the Noble Marquis who bad
recently united himself with the Members of his Majesty's
Government, as he believed all mankind did, as to a man
fitted to lead the Administration. Perhaps in this he
parpared `to 7,orne measure influenced by feelings of per-
es, to
eels from higher feelings he was pre-
Marquis would not in the" of place by that Noble
being useful tO hit!, country, though .A.;-t. his motives for
means, and thereby contribute to show that he vagase his
ago to have tilled a higher situation than that which he
had been uccustomed to occupy. The good of his country
would be found to be the motives that actuated the con-
duct of the Noble Marquis; and though he, like all other
good men, might sometimes be led by the influence of his
feelings beyond the limits which his natnral good sense and
judgment would prescribe, yet they might depend that no-
hing but the wish to advance the interests of his country
would influence his conduct. Seeing, therefore, a Govern-
ment, if not composed, at least chiefly supported by such
men, he could not but wonder at the motion of which
the Noble Earl opposite (the Earl of Witachelsea) had
given notice, and which seemed to him to have no
other view than that of embarrassing his Majesty's Govern-
ment. Such a motion could only be expo e • r to• -end in rejec-
tion, and could have no other object t'fian that which he had
mentioned. He put it, therefo-,t, to that Noble Earl, whe-
ther it would not be advis
:.;ble for him to abstain from
pressing it upon their lordships' notice? He thought,
that at the present -
monrent they had no grounds nor any
right to inquire whether his Majesty's confidence ought
still to be Pl.4eed where it had been, or whether the
_a Go-
vernme-
, t was composed, as a Noble Lord opposite had
of ..(,e, of rubbish. He certainly, if these questions were
ssked him, should answer, that, composed as it was at this
moment, it did not deserve any such epithet—for it was
impossible be could say that the Noble Lord who now held
the Seals of the Foreign Office was incompetent to the
duties of his situation. He believed indeed that that Noble
Lord was quite competent to it; and if his appointment
should be permanent, instead of being, as some said, tem-
porary, he should certainly be induced to give that Noble
Lord his support. He thought the same observation would
equally apply to the other Members of the present Govern-
ment. Under these circumstances, he was certainly pre-
pared to say that there should be nothing wanting on his
part to support then., especially as against those who had
lately possessed the chief power in the Government, since
he at length saw that there was a chance of the success of
those principles to which, for the most part, those of the
late Administration, who were now out of offiet, except-
ing one Right Hon. Gentleman, had long been opposed.—
He (Lord Darnley) was ready to acknowledge that Right
Hon. Gentleman's talents and merits, but he could esuielp
thinking that the opposition in whin that Right Hon.
Gentleman was now engaged was unworthy of him. The
Noble Earl concluded by rest.:ating the confidence he enter-
tained in the Noble Ma':.quess who had lately joined- the
Government, and v2,,0, he was sere, would do and would
countenance nc;dijog that he was not satisfied was for the
good of Theof his country.
earl of WINCHELSEA should say nothhig in an-
awe.;' to that part of the Noble Earl's speech which re-
garded hinwelf, but that the opportunity wou !soon occur
which would afford him the means of assuring the Noble
Earl that his principles were now exactly the same as before.
The Earl of LONGFORD observed, that the Noble
Earl who had just addressed them had spoken of the con-
duct of the Irish Catholics as moderate. The question of
their moderation was not now properly before the House;
hut as the subject had been alluded to, he must be permit-
ted to say, that he believed that Noble Earl to be much
mistaken. He (the Earl of Longford) had lived in the
country, and he could state that all he had observed of the
conduct of the Irish Catholics was diametrically opposite
to that tendency towards moderation which that Noble
Earl bad so much admired. Upon the other point of that
Noble Earl's speech, he begged to say that the description
of belonging to a factious opposition did not attach to him.
He certainly was in opposition; but he would not submit
to the term factious as applied to himself. It had been
said by some, that in no time of their lives had they
ever before witnessed such an Opposition—to which he
should answer in their own language, that in no time
of his life had he witnessed such a Government.—
(Hear, hear, hear !)—The opinions entertained of the
Right Hon. Gent. at the head of the Administration were
not the only opinions that influenced the conduct of those
individnals who were opposed to his Majesty's Govern-
ment. He was perfectly astonished when he considered
what were the component parts of that Government.. He
really did believe that if a steam-engine of 100-horse power
had been set upon the labour of forming a new Adminis-
tration, the success would have been just as great as at
present, and the whole of the country—the long expecting
and much disappointed country—would not have seen a
Government composed of individuals who were now, for
the first time, brought together, and who, though they had
long been opposed to each other, yet, because that they
were now united, thought that those who still maintained
their former principles ought to stand forward and say they
would give their support to the Government. Such an
expectation was not just, nor would it be gratified till it
was known what were the principles given up by each
party, and what were those intended to be maintained and
acted upon. It was with s espect to a Government so com-
posed, and not with regard to any individual of the Noble
Lords who were found among its members, that his Noble
Friend had, a few nights since, spoken of it as composed of
rubbish—a term by which he meant to describe that it was
farmed of ill-assorted materials, not connected with that
cement which promised it stability and would insure it the
confidence of the people. In such a building, he thought
there was nothing more than would please the eyes, raised
as it had been by the magic spell of one great magician,
But could it be supposed, even by those who swore by that
magic spell itself, that the building would hold together,
standing as it did, without a good foundation ? Its founda-
tion seemed to him composed of two parts, which he might
designate as ten shifting quicksands of political insta-
bility, attempted to be united with the mountain of
revolutionary desolation—(Hear, and a laugh.)—The
'whole object of those who were now united was to
assist Popish encroachment upon the confines of Pro-
testant toleration ; and that object was resisted by those
who were now in opposition not from a wish to refuse
freedom to their fellow-subjects, but to save the interests of
their country. Those who, in the principles of their poli-
tical system, in their speeches, and in their votes, had al-
ways been opposed to each other, were now united; and
because they had combined to form the present Govern-
ment, they required from Parliament full approbation for
the past, and confidence for the future. That approba-
tion he could not concede ; and he must say, that he did
not at this moment feel that he could afford them that con- •
fidence.

The Earl of DARNLEY, in explanation, said that his
praise of the moderation of the Irish Catholics referred to
their conduct during the recent change in the Government.
In the present situation of affairs they submitted patiently
to a delay in asserting those claims, which, in the long run,
he was sure would be successful.

Lord MELVILLE wished to occupy the attention of
their Lordships for a few moments, while he referred to
the charge of a factious opposition which had been made
against a Right Hon. Gentleman who had lately held the
Seals of the office for the Home Department. He could
assure the Noble Lord who had made that charge, that he
was much misinformed upon that matter. That Right
Hon. Gentleman, if he believed that the principles of the
late Administration would entirely he lost sight of, was
justified, as a supporter of those principles, in being found
in opposition to the Government ; indeed, he would' be
hound to oppose those who (if he might use use such an
expression) should so disgrace themselves. He (Lord Mel-
ville) trusted that they would not disgrace themselves in
that manner ; and Le could assure them, that while they
conducted themselves on the principles by which that Ad-
ministration was regulated, none of their colleagues who
had lately retired from office would be found in the ranks
of the Opposition.

Lord GODERICH said he was quite prepared to con-
firm the stater-I:Tit of the Noble Lord who had just resum-
ed his seat, as to the intentions of his Right Hon. Friend.
He had no reason whatever to believe that his Right Hon.
Friend would he found to form part of a factious opposi•.
tion to the Government; and unless he disbelieved all
which that Right Hon. Gentleman had said, he could not
think that any such opposition was intended by him ; but
if he found that those who had not declined still to form a
part of the Councils of his Majesty, abandoned those prin-
ciples on which they bad so long acted, he would be justi-
fied in opposing tikvn, and not only they could not claim
his confidence, but would deserve his reprobation; but
while they adopted measures, in the principles of which
that Right Hon. Gentleman and others had for years con-
curred, they were entitled to support. It was not when
the Members of the present Administration were placed iu