The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-30 00:00:00

CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

CHI STERr Amu 27.

:Some degree of excitement has been created for
the last few days ia_this city, by the official announce-
ment from the Mayor that a public meeting was to
belald this day in the Town Hall to petition Par-
liament against the Catholic Claims followed as
this was by an anonymous but demi-Official notice,
placarded all over the city, that the petition would be
opposed on the ground that the meeting, though os-
tensibly called to resist the Catholic Claims, was
really intended to express indirectly an opinion fa-
vourable to the retired Ministers of the late Cabinet.
Between the parties it is unnecessary to express an
opinion. The Requisition was signed by 33 inhabit-
ants of the city. It was addressed to the Mayor, as
follows :

" We, the undersigned inhabitants, request you will call
a public Meeting of the Inhabitants of this City for the
purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of peti-
tioning both Houses of Parliament against granting political
poa,er to his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects."
The following is a copy of the placard alluded to :
" FRIENDS AND FELLOW-CITIZENS, BEWARE
OF TRAPS.

" A Meeting is called for Friday next, to petition against
the Catholics. And why so ?It is hut recently you were
called upon to do the same thing, and the House of Lords
has not yet deliberated on the subject of your former peti-
tion. Why then again agitate this delicate question ?
Why again endeavour to inflame the passions of the inha-
bitants of this ancient city on religious topics already too
ninth inflamed by those of a local nature? I will tell you
the reasons, because hints have been given from a distant
quarter that it would be acceptable to a party that have
just been defeated in an attempt to controul the prerogative
'of the King, and who have yet always pretended to exclu-
sive loyalty. They are now (and it is time) unmasked ;
they are seen in their true colours; but in their expiring
agonies they are determined to do all the mischief they can ;
and they believe one great method of doing so will be to
obtain petitions any where, or in any way, against the
Catholics. It will be their watchword, but do not be
humbugged and made parties to a desperate intrigue. Rouse
yourselves, attend on Friday at the Town Hall, and sup-
pm t your Sovereign's independence of faction.
"Itis no religious question, depend upon it. It is
merely a political attempt to recover place and power.—
Rouse, then defeat this disloyal mameuvre of a few, for
few only of those who bare signed the requisition are really
in the secret of this wily machination, and instead of the
cry of No Popery, substitute that of the King's Preroga-
tive and No Petition."
At twelve o'clock the Mayor took the Chair, and
baring stated the object of the Meeting in the lan-
guage of the requisition,isaid he was ready to hear
any gentleman who was willing to address him on
the subject.
RICHARD TTRWITT, Esq., the Recorder of this
city, said that having latterly devoted some atten-
tion to it, he could now declare, without reserve,
that upon principle he was opposed to granting an)
further concession to the Carholirs. Before enter
ing into a discussion of the Catholic question, he
wished to advert to an anonymous publication,
which intimated that the present meeting was held
for party purposes, and was intended to express in-
directly an opinion upon the present state of the
Cabinet. He would assert broadly that there was
no such object in view, and he hoped the writer
would come forward and support his assertion; but
if he did not, the respectability of the signatmes to
the requisition would, he hoped, sufficiently refute
the charge. The quarter from which he first heard
of it was totally unconnected with political or local
parties; and he hoped the people of Chester would
not believe that he would lend himself to such an
artifice. Before entering upon the objections which
be had to the Catholic religion, he would lay it
down as a position, that all men, whatever be their
religious tenets, should not only be tolerated in the
exercise of their faith, but also have the protection
of the Government under which they live. He
maintained that the Catholics enjoyed that tolera-
tion and protection; but he denied that legislative
enactments on no account should be applied to im-
pose civil disabilities upon particular sects. He
then moved,
That a petition be presented to Parliament against giv-
ing political power to the Roman Catholic subjects of these
realms.

Mr. MORREL seconded the motion. Upon the
resolution being read,
Mr. WILLIAMSON moved, as an amendment,
That in the opinion of this Meeting, any petition on the
subject of the Catholic claims, is, at this period, ill-timed,
more especially as having a direct tendency to harass a
Ministry scarcely formed, and in constituting which, his
Majesty has found it necessary to assert his prerogative
undermost unusual circumstances of unbecoming opposzt:on,
This was read and seconded.
Mr. JOHNSON ROBERTS said that he would put a
question to the Learned Recorder : he wished to
know whether that gentleman would support an ap-
plication to Parliament for the repeal of the Test and
Corporation oaths, as fares they applied to Dissenters.
There was a long pause, and there being, ap-
parently, no disposition to answer the question,
Mr. Roberts repeated it, when
The RECORDER said that he would reserve to
himself the right of expressing his opinion upon that
subject in discussion, and although his mind .was
made up respecting it, he did not wish to be cate-
chised, and would therefore decline to answer the
question.
Mr. ROBERTS said the Learned Gentleman must
be inconsistent with himself if he did vote for a
repeal of these oaths, but he would merely say, in
addition, that he would oppose any attempt to agitate
the Catholic question at the present moment, as
such a course would only have the effect, and whe-
ther it was intended or not, it would have the effect
of embarrassing the Government of the country at
this important crisis, which he was most anxious to
avoid, as he was favourable to a Ministry of liberal
and general principles.

The RECORDER (upon the amendment being put)
said that the course pursued by the gentleman who
supperted the amendment, was only an attempt to
pass over the subject which this meeting assembled
to discuss; and although those gentlemen denied
any participation in the placard, they showed that
they approved of its contents. He was surprised
those gentlemen should not meet the question in
which some of them felt such an interest.

The petition was then adopted, and passed by a
large majority.
On the question of its being presented by the
City Members.

The Rev. Mr. BRIGGS, a Roman Catholic clergy-
man, offered himself to the notice of the sneering,
amidst mingled applause and disapprobation. He
denied that the Roman Catholic church had any
thing to do with the establishing or the revival of
the Inquisition in Spain ; it was purely a measure
of state policy, although ecclesiastics were engaged
in it. No doubt crimes had been committed in
Spain which would make every man shudder, hut
they alone were responsible who. had committed
them. Reverting to the reign of Elizabeth, notwith-
standing the insults and the injuries heaped upon
the Catholics in that reign, they gave the most ms-
equivocal proofs of their loyalty, and an unanswerable
Wument against the charge of divided allegiance.
hen this country was invaded by the invincible
Spanish Armada, the Catholics were the first to
oppose the invaders; and this, too, with their Ad-
miral's ship, the Santi.ssima Triniclada, bearing ni
her that formidable animal the Pope's bull, which it
had been asserted no Catholic dared to disobey.—
(Applause.) The Catholics of that day did disre-
gard that bull; they said, " Queen Elizabeth is our
sovereign, and her will we defend," and they drove
the invader from their sheres.—(Much applause.)—
As to the massacre of Protestants in the Irish re-
bellion, the learned Recorder could not be so igno-
rant as he affected to be upon that point. If so, he
Mr. Briggs) would refer him to the report of the Irish
House of Lords, declaring that the Catholics had no-
thing whatever to do in originating that massacre.--
It had been said that there was an extensive con-
spiracy by the Pope and the old Romish priesthood
against the growing intelligence of the times and
the liberties of mankind in general. He, as a Ca-