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

PdiRkIMANTARr PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, MAY io.

rrTITION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS OF lIRLAWD.
Lord GRENVILLE moved the Order of the
Day for taking into confideration the petition of the
R•iman Catholics of Ireland.
The petition having been read by the Clerk,
Lord GRENVILLE rofe and addreffed the Houfe
to the following effect
I rife, my Lords, with great fatisfadion, to ad-
drefs your Lordlhips, after the very moderate and
refpedful petition which has been jot} read. lam
happy to recoiled that when I gave notice of this
difctifilon on a former day, an opinion was expreffed
by Noble Lords, that this great fubjed ought to
meet with a fair, full, and impartial difcuffion. The
perfons who have figned this petition, have done
every thing in their power to entitle them to fueh a
difcuilion in this .Houfe. They addrefs a body
whom no local prejudices can be fuppofed to affect
the contideration of their claims, and where party
violence cannot be fuffered to have - any weight in
deliberating on ro important a fubjed. I will fay
• for myfl, that I am wholly incapable of the folly
or wickednefs of introducing, or of fupporting in this
Houk, for parry purpofes, any meafure that is fo
materially and effentially conflated with the profpe-
rity, peace, and unity of the empire. I might ap-
peal to all your Lordfhips, whether, if this were a
question likely to conduce to views of fuch a nature,
and if the individual who addreffes you had fuch an
cbjed, his condal would not have been precifely
the reverfe of that which he has, in the courfe of this
bnfinefs, found it proper to adopt. I am well aware,
that in loch a queftion I mull make up my mind to
encounter much perional oppoiltion, and many at-
perlians ; no common degree of clamcnr and mifre-
prefentation, with many ill founded forpicions re-
fpeditig my own fentiments in general. All:this I I
expel, and in return for what mull be felt
on this head, I mull confole myfelf with the gratifi-
cation of having endeavoured to difcharge a great
public duty.. Whatever may happen, I (hall not
have to t eproach myfelf with the evils that might re-
Cult from the fuppreffion of this petition ; the mil
chiefs art ling from which mull be infinitely greater
than any that can arife, had no opportunity been thus
publicly given to examine and difcufs the merits of
the petition now before your Lordlhips. lam con-
fident, my Lords, that the fubjed will be fairly and
juilly confidered in this Houfe ; and that if not now, ,
yet that the day is not very far dillant when its
prayer will be granted. What would have been the
cafe had it been in the power of the Roman Catho-
lics of Ireland to fay, there is not one perfon whom
we can find to prefent our prayer to the attention of
the United Parliament.? the Legifiature has Phut its
doors againil us I' What mull have been the im.
preffion made upon them, but feelings of abfolute
defpair ? How contrary, my Lords, to all the views
we were led to expect from the event of the Union,
which held out the profped of an impartial and un-
biaffed Pariiiment, freed from all peculiar preju-
dices, and ready and defirous to confider the willies
of a nnmercus, confiderable, and refpeetable dais of
our fellow fubjeds ! Whether the petition be com-
plied with or not, furely it demands our moil parti-
cular and impartial confideration.

" This being the cafe, my Lords, how Shall I be•
gin the difcullion of this lubjeet, and lay before you
the grounds on which I humbly think the claims cf
the Catholics of Ireland are worthy to be granted.—
I (hall begin by (Wing, as the foundation of the po-
licy of this meafure, though it is a fart that feems
fcaicely ever to enter into the confideration of thofe.
who arc decidedly adverfe to it, that in this United
Kingdom you have a population of from three to
5,000,0c0 of fellow fubjeCts, who have been educated
in the Roman Catholic Religion, who profefs that
faith, and are firmly attached to it, and whom you
mutt confider, for every purpofe of Government and
Legiflation as perfons to be treated as Roman Ca-
tholics. In Ireland, it mutt be recollefted, that three-
fourths of the population of that country is compofed
of perfons of that perfuafion, and that it is therefore
impoffible to attempt to provide for the Govern•
anent of Ireland, or for the happinefs of its inhabi-
tants, without adverting contlantly to this fart, and
' giving it that leading confideration which it muff al-
ways deferve. We are to confider this (tare of the
faEt, as it has been fince the period of the reforma-
tion, as it is at the prefent moment, and as it is likely
to be beyond any time to which we can rationally
4nok. It is impoffible for any wife man to :hut his
eyes upon the fad, that three-fourths of the people of
Ireland are of the Roman Catholic faith, and fay.
4 I will provide only for thofe who profefs the ella-
blithed religion, and leave all the tell out of my con-
fidericion. Ilope no man will be found to main-
tain (itch a propofition. If any perfon Ihould enter-
tain fuels an opinion, let his eyes turn back to the
time of the Reformation, and point out, if he can,
at what period, fince that event, he will not find the
state of religion in Ireland to be nearly the fame.—
Ala, how can he look forward to any means of go-
vern* that country, without that feature which has
been to Ilrongly marked for more than two -centu-
? I will not detain and trouble your Lordfhips
tedious, and wearifome details of Catho-
lic T. At the Revolution the Catholics were
viewed as connected with thofe political fentiments
which were adveife to the Revolution. It was not
fo moch against the religion of the Catholics that our
efforts were then direfted, as againtt thofe politics
t:i!ertained by the profeffors of the Catholic
faith, in favour of the exiled family. I do not
mean to condemn, or even to arraign the policy of
thole time, which depended very much on a varie-
ty of'important local circumflances : but the ft:e-
a:lea of ii,ofi days, is not t&
.fituaion of this.—
it is only doing bare jullice to one of the greatefi
of Princes, to one of the belt and molt enlight-
ened friends of toleration, when I fay that it is
aut on the memory of King William, that a de-