Star.
London, England, 1805-05-11 00:00:00

Naming themfelves United Kamen, a term eei.
deafly adopted to comprehend men of all defcriptions
I
' religion, an union of feds and by no means of the
'Catholic perfualion only. In the courfe of the in-
furredion, the principal leaders punithed were ac-
,tual:y Pn'teflants. The Rebellion took its rife in
circumStances wholly foreign to religious opinions,
and pointed to very different objets t and in the
event of heeds, the overthrow. of Catholic power
was as certain as that of Protellant ascendency. Its
object was, not merely to overturn the Proteflarrt
bnt the blenarchy, and to atchieve
the independence and fep.aration of Ireland from
Great Britain. It has been Paid, that in Come" places
All the Rebels were Catholics; but if all the
inhabitants there were Catholics, it is not very fur-
prifing that many Catholics Should be Rebels. But
did that Rebellion difplay no inaances of Catholics
Ibuggling for the Cenftitution, Tithing their lives
against the enemies of their Sovereign, and manifell-
ing as Int?ch bravery as others did in the ranks of re-
bellion, (haring with Protellants the danger of the
times If at prefent three-fourths of Ireland are
better difpoled towards you than they have been for
many years pall, is it not as fair to give them credit,
as to throw refleelioes upon their loyalty ? You have
the ihongell evidence in their favour, in their own
folemn repeated difclaiming of all that you objea to
them ; but you have recourfe to old-fashioned abfurd
arguments. Aye, let them fwear what they will,
they can recur to the difpettling power of the Pope,
in which every Catholic believes!' If that be true,
and that four millions of fubjeets cannot be believed
on their oaths, then they are pofitively difyialified
from civil government ; and therefore we ought to
withhold from them not merely what they now ask,
but the partial conceffions made to them ought to be
retraeted : for. I repeat it, in Such a fituAtion they are
abfolutely difyialified by Gots and nature from the
advantages of civil government. But this is nor a
very happy argument for thole who ufe it, Since the
very reflridlions impofe an oath. You fay you think
the Catholic dangerous, unlefs he takes the oath of
fupremacy. What ? but will he not violate the oath?
If he be difpofed to violate his oath, what prevents
his taking it ? I expect to hear it obferved, that no
Prick have Signed the Petition I hate had the honour
to prefent. But lam authorifed to (late as a reafon
for this, that the rnatter,'relaring,only to civil rights,
and not having any relation to any Stations the Cler-
gy-can fill, they thought it more proper to abllain
from putting their Signatures to it. But they arc per!.
feelly willing to join in it, and I am willing and ready`
to thew that the refpesflAble Prelates of that Church
(for refpcdable I muff call them) have all actually
taken the oaths, and believe them to be qu;te confer-
, mable to their church. They have earnestly exhorted
their clergy to do the fame, st he are ready to take
them as willingly as the lehicriber s. But if all the Ca-
tholics have not been traitors, all C irholic Prielts, it
swears, mull now, of necellity, be reckoned traitors,
mailer, the Pipe, has taken a journey to
Paris to crask.n Bonaparte, and by this ft:int-adios
their allegiance ic tranferred to France. Mark, my
Lords, the wendetful force of di's Species of argu.
ment. Really it is fo trifling that I lhosild have taken
no notice of it, were it not attempted to make use of
it, to revive heart-barnings and animofities, not only
in Ireland, brit even here :ilk As if we had not known
enough in this very town, of the mifchief and danger
of the abfurd cry of " No Popery," bandied about
for'the purpofe of railing a clamour and riot, and
creating an infurredion to prevent the Legiflattne
from patting an Ad of fubilAntiAl justice. But is the
Pope really more ibe enemy 'his country now than
he was when the family of the Bourbons were-on the
throne of France ? Is be more heltile to us than.when
the claim' of the Pretender were declared and fup.
ported at Rome, and when he reacted there ? Can any
perf m imagine that the Pope has a more carnet with
to exalt the power. of France more at prefent than in
former tutees ? I hope there is no man but views with
pity the degraded Situation of the Roman Ps noff in
the recent tranfailion at Paris; and the humiliating
circumstances in which he is placed. Circumflances ,
eltich mull, one Should think, inspire him with deep
mortification, andwith difgutl at thole who impofed
:hem upon him. What inference can be drawn by
any reafonable man feorn the tituation of the Pope,
' but that his influence has diminillied, and his power
is much lets to be feared in every refpeel, than that of
any preceding Pope ?. What can be better calculated
to deflroy his greatnefs, than to reprefent him in that
degrading and dilhonourable ceremony-? The times
have been when Popes fupported France with all their
might, without producing any dangerous confequen-
ccs in Ireland. I remember when the lail Pope ex-
erted himfelt to fupport your Government, and jolt
r with as much die& as when he oppofed it i • his weak-
nefs in both cafes was equal. Li the prefent State of
lEurope the power of the Pope has no effed whatever
in Ireland. If, my LOrtls, all thefe allegations were
'abfislutely true, that the Catholic Religion does make
all men sfho profefs it difloyal, acd that the new date
of France has thrown the Pope entirely into her'
hands, then, the neeeffity of ri roving to countered that
difpolition, would demand of u, to take fuels meditates
as arc now propofid. I would fay, in that case,
that the allies of Bonaparte are not the Catholic
Clergy of Ireland ; but these w:to exafperate men's
minds by tiling to excite animosities that were gra.
du..lly composing, and might be fettled and tran-
quillized. But it was laid, &mild your Lot dlhips
comply with. this Petitior, the conseeueace fh
muff be the repeal of the l't;il Ad ; but without
tuteting at all into the quelli..n of fuch a repeal,
whether you may thiak• it Advil-able, or not, this,
at leaf', I am lure of, that it is ads &able to Mita
to the Catholic Petition. Even though pm Should
think fit to continue the ditabilitiee attached to the

Di,linters, it •could be a ntua unjull, unwarrant-
able, and unheard of argument, to tacit that the
Ira Catholics 'hall not be relieved, became you are
unwilling to telieve the Diffenters in this country, a
body of wen in a fguatiou totally unconneCted with