Star.
London, England, 1807-03-27 00:00:00

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What then was tha nnavoidabit infere4..te
It w: this, that they had hroght forward wanton•
le, and contrary to the w•;11.of their SoveCeign, Then
With regard to the pledge, he could not conceive how
.ti,: e could continue in the service of
v.itl-, the refervations for which they contended. Could
they retain their fituations with the liberty of bring-
ing forwaid the meafure lo opvt-ett by the King, and
to connett with it all the authority of their situations in
•Government ? How could his Majetty fobrnit tean-
goilly to remain in loch a flotation ? At any one mo-
ment it was to he again forced epon his attention—.
a! any time, at the pleafure of Miniflers, it was to be
ho aught into Parliament, although he had made up
;tic mind,•he had formed a deliberate, a corifeientions,
and an unalterable opinion. He would not fay that
the Noble Baron had not ailed from a genuine fenfe
ot duty ; but he fhould air° allow something for the
feelings ot a Sovereign fo much beloved and revered,
In fully entitled to the gratitude of thofe who had
,be honour to forround his perfon, and the Noble
naren mutt have known it was a piopofition to which
1 is could not accede. The Constitution Paid,
tc King could do no wrong fervants; how
ever, were to teach the country, that tliey were of a
dilerent opinion. They were to "be permitted to
rife up in their places in Parliament, and to fay,
e I admit your danger, you May lofe your fecurity
Ind independence ; b'ut it is no fault of mine ; had
pis Majelly taken my advice; you.would have been
preferved e to him °only you„ sire to attribute your
ruin." Was the King thus to be dravin forth:to pub-
lic notice, and to be thus expofed to public cenfure
He thought the. peace -of Ireland -might 'be le:cured
without fuch coricellinns. If the late fervants of the
Crown 'would not :comply with the willies of their
Lord CARNA RVON Paid, that if his Majefly's
*prefent Minifiers had accepted theif places upon any
inch condition, as that of relingtiifiting their duty.to
give his Majelly fair and full advice, to the bell of
their opinions and their conrciences, upon every fub-
jeet, then the principle that the King could do no
avrong, would fall to the ground ; for the King would
be left to a.. 9 without advice from his confidential
upon emergencies of the molt viral import
cum,. If-fuch were the terns upon whicl. they ac•
cepred their flotations, he cid not hetiette to fay, they
were as much guilty of High Treafun as any man
that ever fuffered for that clime.
Lord HA\VKESBURY explained, by denying
that the preterit Ministers had bound themfelves by
any loch pledge : they had entered his Majefty's
Councils entirely nnfer•ered by any pledge whatever:
he laid, if his Majesty's late Miniilers thought their
own opinions right, they did right to fupport them ;
and if they found dick opinions pofitively refilled
tny his Majefly, it was their duty to refign their
Situations.
• The Earl of BUCKINGHAMSHIRE rofe to ex-
plain the principles that were in the contemplation of
Government, in 18oz, refpeeing any further con
cerlions to the Catholics ; which, he laid, were nothing
more than to pars a bill in the Englith Parliament,
adopting the fame principle as the bill palled by the
Irak Parliament, for throwing open the fobordinate
ranks of the army, under that of Staff Officers, to
Catholics ; and without which the Irifh bill would
have no operation out of Ireland. It could have no
operation whatever in rerpeet to the navy. Farther
than this he never could content to go. He was well
aware, that the impoffibiliry of riling to all the advan-
tages of the military peel-en:ion mull confiderably
damp the ardour of an officer ,• and though he could
fee no great objeeion, nor mikidef, from giving to
Catholic officers Itaff rank in.any other country than
Ireland, yet he conceived it exceedingly dangerous,
and nothing fhould ever (hake his opinion upon this
point The Irith Parliament never would have con-
fented to filch a. meafure, and. this Parliament would
do well to paufe before they ventured to carry con-
celtiion much farther than the Parliament who well
underflood the lubjeft.
Lord EKSKINEfaid, he confidered the fultjeft of
the Catholic Q2eflion ac completely irrelevant as any
other whatever, to the late change in his Nlajelly's
Councils, although it happened to be the fubjea which
led to Inch a conjuncture. Although a Member of
the late Government, he was decidedly adverfe to the
Meafure, and fhould not have advifed it, becaufe he
did not fee the political neecffity for it, which had in•
the great majority of his colleagues to recoil]-
tend it to l.is hlajefly ; yet he thought they were
a(tighly commendable, and only doing their duty in
oieing his Majeay fuel' advice as they in their con-
(eience thoUght ju4 ; as well as in declit:iit to be
bound by any pledge to retrain from g.;,-Ing to.fheir.
Sovereign upon t/, i-,orery fubjettl,fech advice as they.
conceived to be jute. The firrnnefs wish which his
llajcfly had mainteined his own confcientiour °pi.
nions, by refitting the Bill in the. extent to which
it wen:, had elf; hi; relpe6tful approbation ; but I
he mull fay, that hi, colleagues did tight in de-
clining t., he bound, never again to advif the mea•
Lute unocr any poflible preffilre of ciretiroftences. At
the moment when his Majelly's late Minitlers relin-
Ttli;:ed the Bill, in enecefilon to his Mejelly's
- lernples, they flood in the fame fituation as upon their
firfk rice:llion to office. They knew his Majesty's
feelings. His Mejetly was aware that their fenti-
Ments were in favour of the concctTion. But their
dereliEtion of the meafure at that time, in deference
to the Royal (Tinier). was a tacit pledge-that they
would not again prels it, unlefs under tome extraor-
einaly ciicumflances, which Might render it more
logently neceffary. Had if pleafed his Niaj:lty then
ta await for this experience in the conduct of iris ieli-
filters, and to fee if they again endeavoured to prefs
tea-ward the meafure, or !ohmic it to Parliament;
• d if they did contrary to his Majelly's wiihes, they
'erottld have merited The right of his Mil•
jelly to change his Minilters no man could deny; but
to have Kill Arm' in power, or accept office upon any
fto_h condition as the pledge alluded to, was, in his
(pinion, contrary to every principle of Ministerial
duty, and directly in violation of the Conaitution,.
• Had the bonnet's ended wish the nbaudonmene ofihe
Bill, by the late Admiaiarntion, the Catholics
would • nly have to fay, they had been abandon-
ed by their friends, and would have all cherifh-
ed the hope of being more fortuna•e at fome fu-
ture period. But by the difmilial of thofe ,Ifiens4
from the Councils of their Sovereign, for no other
rearnn thati their aeclining to pledge themfelves
never again, under any circumilances, to revive the
Itptcflion, or prefs any thing connettedwith it, upon
bls Majelly's mind, they would be taught to cop-