Star.
London, England, 1819-03-05 00:00:00

ROMAN CATHOLIOS OP GREAT BRITAIN.

Lord NUGENT presented a Petition from the Ro-
man Catholics of Great Britain, praying to be re-
leased from the disabilities under which they at pre-
sent 'labour, in consequence of the laws enacted
against them. His Lordship, in presenting the Pe-
tition, observed, that it was signed by upwards of
10,500 names, amongst'which appeared the signa-
tures of eleven Noblemen and thirteen Baronets. At
Vie head of these highly respectable signatures there
appeared the name of the Duke of Norfolk, Heredi-
tary Earl Marshal of England. It was not, he said,
his intention at present to inquire what species of re-
lief would be most desirable, nor indeed was it: very
necessary to do so, in consequence of the discussion
which this question had already undergone. The
language of the petition did not attempt to prescribe
the manner of relief—(Hear, hear, hear). It was ex-
pressed nearly in the same language which had been
used when the petition had been presented to the
House by great and good men, on former occasions.
Incompetent as he acknowledged himself to do jus-
tice to the subject of the petition, it would at least
claim a peculiar and melancholy respect from the
memory of those distinguished frienJs whom it had
lost. Of these friends to the object of the petition,'
the loss of one was recent and generally felt. The
last of that distinguished'class of men to whom Mr.
Elliott belonged is now no more—.(Hear, hear, hear).
To him the late Mr. Wyndham left the claims of this
long-suffering class of people as a bequest. And
here his Lordship observed, that an uninterrupted suc-
cession of distinguished Statesmen, from Mr. Elliott
to Mr. Burke, and to Sir G. Saville, had opposed the
persecuting system of laws which had been enacted
against the Roman Catholics; and he hoped that
their claims would shortly be brought' forward by a
Gentleman to whom the subject might be said pecu-
liarly to belong. He trusted that at Tie very distant
period, th .t Honourable Member (meaning -Mr.
Grattan,) would be heard pleading not only the cause
of his own country, but of Great Britain-.(Naar).
After noticing the moderate tone and temper evinced
by a patient though long suffering and spirited peo-
ple, his Lordship observed, that no good could arise;
but, on the contrary; much evil from the fatal policy
of attempting to make terms with Parliament, or
from a negotiation between such persons as the peti-
tioners and Parliament. He thought that the prin-
cipal consideration for Parliament on the subject of
the petition would be to remove the political disqua-
lificauons and religious obloquy under which the
Catholics labour. As for the Religious scruples of
the Catholics, he conceived them to be opinions for
which man is responsible to GOD alone, and to his
own conscience—(ther, hear). sach scruples acting
severely against the Catholics as they do, afforded
the best test of their sincerity in the oaths which they
were willing to take--(Neer, hear). Political dis-
qualifications pursued the Catholics to the privacy of
domestic life, and marked them out as a cast distin-
guished from their fellow-countrymen for some suspi-
cious, because unknown, imputation. They were thus
reduced to the state of aliens in their native country.
The refusal of the Roman Catholics to conform to
our established faith was at least a proof of their
sincerity, ana he could not conceive a nobler or more
interesting spectacle than that of the English Ro,
man Catholics, although doomed to move in the nar-
row sphere within which the lawll have placed them.
What is the period of our history to which we should
refer as a proof of their disaffection ? Never were
they wanting in their allegiance except when groan-
ing under the pressure of severe and unjust laws.'
He should refer even to the reign of Elizabeth for a
proof of their chivalrous attachment to their coun-
try. At that time Lord Effingham, who comman-
ded the fleet, Lord Howe, who held the frontier of
England against Scotland, and Lord Pembroke, who
held Pembroke Castle, were all Roman '
(Hear, hiar).—lt should be remembered that Magna.
Charta was obtained by Catholics, and that the De-
claration of- Rights itself was but a declaration of
rights which had
previously been obtained by Ro-
man Catholics. In presenting the Petition astbst of
the Catholics of Ragland, be masted It node: that
title because their condition dilated ftein that of
their brethren in Irabutd. He hoped that ha t
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