Star.
London, England, 1825-10-21 00:00:00

IVESTMINTER SESSiONS-1111S DAY.

•
Joint Grosset Matirkead, Esq. was indicted for an indecent r:
demeanour, on the 15th of August, upon the person of El. '
Burton Lane, a lad of 16 years of age.
The prioner is a venerable-looking man, and wore specte.,
he was dressed in a brown surtout coat.
Mr. Ilsoontcx, in stating the case to the Jury, obsetved, ' '
was one of those infamous propensities which disgraced the pc •
and which were becoming but too common, and which, in
dreadfully dentoralising effect, could scarcely be regarded
patience. The case of the wretched man accused had circuingi;'
of extreme enormity attendant upon it, as he euileavetoe-
taint the mind of the youth of the metropolis. lie held ill
the rar.k and station of a Gentleman, which, from his propettY
connexions, he was entitled to ; but he would find this day, th4l,
matter how affluent he was, the Jury would find such a eeoli3i:
should not shelter him from the punishment attending such OA"
of conduct.
The witnesses for the prosecution proved the case as s!,itrjb!
th- Learned Counsel, and which are already sufficiently rintorp.i
They were cross-examined at very considerable length, het r
thing material was elicited.
Messrs. Attar and Ausurairs addressed the Jury fol ‘:
The CHAlsnaa stated the evidence to the Jury, who founa
defendant Guilty.
There is another indictment against him for a similar ollce.

A Society has been for at LAtisan ef r the p
pose of educating yo .ng Gretks, iu coac-rt A'.
already established us

Tnr. sPEIZCII Dr.T.lvr.nr.D BY ,
wiLmor.HowroN, ESQ•
.:1E ToWN-HALL ()V NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME,
• rca.:ln of hi: attending the Election of the Mayor and
rrr,•rzte Officers of that Borough, un Turatlay, the 4th
• o:ta'orr,

v„ :ki,AVR AND GENTLEMEN—I beg to assure
•Ist I folly a op: eciaie the hourur which you have
.... s-e, in reposing a vote of thanks for my public
A'iiamentary set vices. If the measures of his Ma-
.., ;overnment have been such as, in your opinion,
~.
'-.i:le them to the approbation of the country, I
• • ventore to plead a zealous and conscientious
1:.
i f ufficial and parliamentary duty, as in some
(:.; s estitiing me to your good opinion. I believe that
.s,e exargeration to state, that the degree of public
rrer•:y which has been enjoyed since I last met
1.1,1; sely been equalled, and never exceeded, in
C(c :e.! •siv of our histot y; and though I will not pre.
:•,' • , :alply that this state is in any degree owing to
•,..,.. .!ct of the Government, I may confidently as-
, • e fsw 1 eriods can he found when there has been
. ,-. i 0.; ion t ) iminign the measures of Government,
s:a of f-aeie it or domestic policy. But at the same
- l ..t..1 vie: ,!i-guise from myself that there is one
i - ;::, on which I have had the misfortune to differ in
1 , 1 ',oat many of my Constituents; and it is on that
~. -: !i:at 1 am most anxious to take this opportunity
~-.i31:::•Ig my sentiments. You Will easily under.
.:ss! tlrat I ahnde to the vote which I have given in
•I'l !II of tl,e me.isure which is geoerally de,cribed as
He e! Catholic 1-:inancipation. Whether that be a
7!:(: eNrt e•sion ot not, I will not pause to inquite;,
: sil 1 to any d grce pretend to asset that you have
1 1 • reilsct tight to call me to account fcr this or any
..,1 r'!te which I may have given. All that I request
this, I will piestime to say, I think equally due to
~,.sclves and to me) is, that you should avail your-
ss, of every means in your power of understanding
ssture of hat question upon which it is my misfois
le to differ in opinion from same of you—that you
s, uld not be led a w.,y by any . general declamation
• ~rast the coo: se s; Mich I, in common us ith some of
;.,.! tiot ant best men in this country, of the peseta as
,ell as of inot tunes, have felt it my duty to pursue;
oat the cotioat y, should take pains to understand
:e ;fin cuthis'e,rnetis which have influenced my vote.
1 It ise a'reoly t xptessed my conviction, how desirable
e i, :hat rr.c:ils 41 education should be amply furnished
t .i.,. It classes of society; atid I pledge my 'ell,
ts: f..hae that period shall anise, mte.' it may be
is e: 'hat 1 Altruist personally claim your suffrages, 1
• ..: :ire cc,ty man, woman, and child, is ithin this
•011;,11, ulio i; able to read, the means of judging for
. se-eivt•s on the subject of what is called " the CA-
. Q:e,lim.." It is quite impossible, in the course
I: .01 :I.ltileSl made to you en such an occasion as the
o•rst, Oa- Me to enter into any minute explanations
.-; t!.e so!jecr. ; but there are a tew points to which I
•.i take this opportunity of adverting, for the
rifle of sheering you how necessary it is to look
rasi.ully into this question helot e any opinion can
:-Iy he folioed u; on it; and I feel satisfied that
oily tetpliOte to afford you the means of in-
:.:r ion w ith resvect to this measure, to convince
I ;hat, in many 1,0 in , its nature and objet t
1 :%e hitherto been but impei reedy understood. It
i• ,or chores AS`fil teal that the concession of the Catholic
t:.6ls is a measure of such decided innovation as to
h,z,sa the safety- of the country in Church and State,
:A to plase our civil liberties in danger. But we have
osJy to (oily:lie what has been clone doting the reigns
of hi, late and of his peseta Majesty, witl, what is still
isopsseti to be done, to satisfy ourselves, that if such
(oh, qiences ale the result of our measures, they will
' .• Jos ibutahle rather to the points which have abeady
s ..i; cosc,altal, than to those which yet remain unsatis.
s .!. I ail' venture to say, that there are few among
) u who have any conception of the disabiiities which
.statli•ai to the hish Catholics at the commencement of

t: r feign of George the Third. At the commencement
ti that reint, tho Irish Catholic could not legally hold
-y civil office; he could nt t hold any military office;
i.e iiad not the privilege of voting at electrons; he
ittuid wit be admired into any Corporati n; he was
al allowed to ptactise the profession of the law ; he was
squa.ly ptoltibited front practising that of physic ;—a
!o:4lgcr bt other of a Catholic family, who became a Pi o.
liad the power of depriving the elder brot'.ei of
bitthti ht, as derived under the laws of primogeni-
[we, by claiming a portion of the paternal estate for him-
!elf. Any child of a Catholic parent, becorriitigPtotestant,
("Itid dept;v.• his father of a pottion of his property,
csimpei,g hint to furnish " a liberal provision for
I'm; a Catholic was incapacitated from holding free-
hold lands ; •he was equally unable to hold leasehold
lands; and any Protestant could, by the payment of
line pounds, legally obtain possession of the horse of
1-4 C ithol c neighbour. S'sch was the state of the law
at the comme, cement cf the reign of George the Third ;
set, in every imjividual point which 1 have cited,
t.acessions have been made, and these laws are no
I giger in exist: nee. Al, or almost all that now re•
i!..ins to be ('needed, is the pertnission to the Catholics
!ti sit in either House of Parliament, and to be. eligible
ill. a lew officei, from which they have been hitherto
Pxt.ltided. It is necessary to explain to yoo, that the
cii!ect in imposing these disabilities was, to tempt the
Catholic to reject the faith of his ancestors, by subject-
ing to the persecution to which the disabilities ex-
Puted him. This system, so unjustifiable in principle,
“"(1 so impolitic in practice, was found to be nut
'.:t y unavailing, but calculated to produce the very
ieverse of that which it was intended to effect.—.
-\:°'°t, %s lien we are told of the " portentous" change of
l'Atcy whcli this " Catholic Question" (as it is called)
is to Carry into effect, I call upon you to compare the
ali:ch have already beets made, with those
wino'. are still sought for, and to ask whether the de-
merit t.f conce,sion rests with ourselves, or with those
`h.) have pteceded us ? above all, to consider whether
that ssliich is now asked for is just and necessary to be
g' aired, under due qualifications and protections; and
tt is possible to stop where we are ? All of
)'"t vtell tinkle+ stand the important privilege cf exer-
cii7!g the E ective Franchise. Catholic Freeholders in
Iretand, in common with you, possess that important
right, by an Act passed in 1793 ; and do you think that
it is so prepotacrons on their part t 7 express a wish,
,that basing been thought worthy to receive the privi-
lege to eh ct, they might also receive the privilege to
b.! etected ? I request you to understand me, that it 1
conceived that tl'ete was any danger in this additional
conce.simi, to the Protestant Clu ch or to the State. no
t for Mer c-ocrssion would in any degiee re-
statc.! me to the measure. But, on the cola' arY, I
tne interests tf both would be cot.fir med