Star.
London, England, 1813-03-10 00:00:00

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not sacrifice it by precipitation or punctilio.-(//ear,
hear.) His object was to give to the Catholics the
benefits of the Constitution, and they might rely on
it that they would lay the seminal principle of being 44
one people by adopting it. It was a Committee of
concord. They were there to speak to the peol)le of
Ireland—they had never done so before—what lan-
guage then did it become them to adopt ? We are
friends to yaur liberty and to lour religion" His
idea was, that proper delay should take rl..ce—they
should not legislate wi'hout consulting the feelings
of the people, though they should nut legislate under
their dictation ; the whole principle sh,mild he com-
mon sense ; England was not Raced to give up her
religion, but to share her liberty ; if she refitted thi
appeal—if Parlitment refused to redeem the pte(ige
it had given, then ail :he guilt and folly would
with them—all tlte putti.htnent and di,grace with
then whom they rejected ; if, however, they acted ai
wise r.ad a better part, a brighter ploireet presented
itself ; he would promise thi.m, that if thy sent for
the dove, it would return to them with the glad tidings
that the storm was hushed and the waters subsided.
(Loud clacr.r.)—The Right Holt. Centltinan then
conciuded by moving the foll.)wiug Resolution :

" That with a view to the preservation of the Church and the
State, and uniting 111 classes of his Majesty's s+dhj• co, it would
be necessary to remove the di,abilities which his Majesty's Ca-
tholic subjects laboured under, taking care at t'te same time, to
adopt such measures as should secure the safety ref the Episcopal
Church of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Church of Scot-
Land."

The SPEAKER then rose and addressed the (,'bait'
to the following effect:
" MR. CHAIRMAN—As I have not yet met with
an opportunity of expressing an opinion on the sub-
ject under discussion, and as the Resolution moved
by the Right Hon. Gentleman is intended to serve
as a basis for future Foceedings, I am desirous, as
well as indisposition will allow me, of stating my
views of the question before you on this occasion.—
I feel, indeed, the greater desire of so doing, be.
cause, when I enter my protest against the form of
proceeding which has been adopted, I am compelled
at the same time to protest against the measure itself
which that proceeding is intended to carry into ef-
fect—(Hear. hear.) I xvish, likewise, to accompany
this avowal with a statement of those points nit!' re-
spect to which it appears to my jti.!gnient, further
privileges may be communicated to the Catholics,
without detriment or danger to the Constitution.—
Looking.back to the coin se that has been pursued,
and toe various modes that have her: recommended
for attaining the object V. hich the advocates of the Ca-
tholics contesrplate, I am strongly impressed with
the persuasion that this cenrse will not be successful
in the accomplishment of that object —( Hear, hear.)
Of the three p;ans which have been proposed, and.
in some meAsure detailed to the House, one has been
abandoned ; the second is not likely to succeed ; and
the third is notoriously impracticable—(Year, hear.)
The first plan was a project of unlimited concession ;
a project, for which there are, indeed, now to be found
bat few advocates within these walls, although the
Right Hon. Gentleman who is the Ault. r of the pre-
sent mcssure was once loud in its support, -that
principle, however, the Right Honourahle Gcntle-
man has abandoned, nrid it is disclaimed by a Right
Hon. and Learned Gentleman (!tl. Plunkett) also
distinguished himself on a forayer evening, and it
may be, therefore, considered as r.jected by every
authority in this House. The second plan, is that
which professes to aim only at qualified concession
upon obtaining such conditions as are necessary to
the security of the establishments in Church and
State. The Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr.
Grattan) has never explained the details of those pre-
vious arrangements and regulations, nor did he adopt
them as a part of his measure, until he found that
they were essential to its reception. My Right Ho-
nourable Friend (Mr. Canning) who in the last Par-
liament submitted the question to the consideration
of the House, took as his basis the necessity of regu-
lation and security. We know that this principle
the Catholics resist, they declare that they will sub-
mit to no State inspection, or to any control over
their own Church—(Near, Hear.) This their deter-
mination was declared in November, 1312, both in
the resolutions and their public meetings, and in the
work of Mr. Clinch, who has been avowed by several
Catholic prelates to be their advocate and organ.
Thus far the Right Hon. Gentleman's measure will
not satisfy the Roman Catholics ; but another part
of his measure is to repeal the test and corporat oil
laws, and will this satisfy the Church of England—
(Hear, hear.) It appeals then, that the two great
parties to the arrangement in contemplation do not
approve it, and the main object of general concede-
• tion is therefore not attained. The third plan of a
Noble Viscount, which depends on the possibility of
gaining the concurrence of the Catholics to every
condition which can be prescribed with a view to the
security of the Chinch of England, is still less cal-
culated to prove practically efficacious. Thus then
all the plans yet devised or suggested, are deficient
or inadequate to the end %% hid' they propose. In a
Committee, however, upon the present state et the
question, 1 must embrace the opportunity it affords
me, cf objecting altogether to the form and charac-
ter of the measure to which we are now requited to
assent—(Hear, hear.) We are desired to acquiesce in
a sweeping repeal of all the Statutes and mutinous
which have been made fur the safety of Oar Protes-
tant Establishment, without previous assurance or
condition, to surrender entirely all the guards estab-
lished by our ancestors, to yield advantages which
are certain and immediate, and to rely on defences
which are subsequent and contingent —(Hrar, Hear.)
We are required to give tree access to the Priv;
Council, to the Judicial Bench, to open the doors
of Parliament, to abolish the Test Act, winch the
Prince Orange insisted on retaining when he as-
cended the English throne. I must confess, lam
not one of those who consider old checks as inappli-
cable to new dangers, or who think that those sate-
guards erected by our forefathers, for the purpose of
excluolng a Pretender to the Crown, cannot be use-
ful in protecting us either against a distut ber at home
or the machinations of the subverter of empties
abroad. After all that has been urged with respect
to the oath taken by the Catholics, 1 cannot lay out
of my consideration that the oath has been taken by
very few without qualifications and reservations, and
that an ecclesiastical admonition had been promul-
gated, instructing those to whom the oath bad been
adamostered, that they ought not to hold it too CL.

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