Star.
London, England, 1811-06-19 00:00:00

P4RL4NENT4Rr PROCERDINER:
HOUSE OF LORDS. JUNE in.
Their Lordships met, according to adjournment, at aboid
twelve o'clock, in a Committee of Privileges on the BerVele,
Peerage. Doctor Jenner was examined at some length, aftot
which the Sollcitor-General signified that he should be ready,
to-morrow, to stun up the evideace.—The Committee adjourned
till to-morrow.
At about five o'clock, the Spirit Drawback Du. y BO and other
Bills, from the Commons, were brought up and read a first time.
BANE TOICENs.
After some observations from Lord STANHOtt and Lord Bea
rims sT, It was agreed that the Bank fokegs Bill should be read
a second thus next "rhursday.
INSOLVENT DRISTORS-
The Earl of MOIRA &tinned to the Clauses Whleh had beet
introduced into the temporary Bill for the Relief of insolvent
Debtors—Clauses which he deemed directly at variance with Ow
original principle of the Bill, and which, he trusted, would yet
undergo some salutary corrections in another place.

PENITENTIARY HOUSES.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved that a Message 1*
seat to the Commons, to request a Copy of the Report of the
Committee of that House re-pccting Penitentiary 1-louses.—.
Agreed to.
PRIVILE,CS.
- Tha Earl of VUTDERDA LE rose and observed, that thong%
it was not eithirhabit or inclination to make motions omit*
to tat which he now felt it right to urgeoirtoands Ilast.eVaugers
be.ordered to withdraw.
'lt was conjictured that the Noble Lord's motion was sultes'ed
by the notice which Earl Radnor had given °fa Motion tor this
day, concerning the copy of an indictment in kW: Court at King'e
Bench against a certain Peer et the Realm.
CATHOLIC QUESTION.
Soon after our admission, the Order of the Day*
upon which their Lordships were summoned, viz. for
the consideration of the Petition of the Reiman Cathoe
tics of Ireland, being read,
The Earl of DONOUGHMORE rose, and said
the question their Lordships were about to consider,
was not to be regarded as the commencement of st
proceeding, respecting which it may be necessary to
lay down certain principle?, as a ground or basis on
which they were to proceed. This was a frequently
repeated application to their Lordships' branch of the
legislature, from a large portion of their fellow sub-
jects.,. for a participation in the advantages of the
common Constitution under which they lived. It
was equally competent to the supreme power to give
or to withhold : it lay with its discretion in what
manner, and to what extent they might think fit to
restore the Petitioners to those rights to which, he
contended, they were in every point of view entitled.
He did not conceive that, alter she repeated discus-
sions the subject had undergone, it would be neces-
sary to.enter into any detailed consideration of those
various points upon which a great stress had heretti-
fore been laid. What had been insisted on with re•
spect to those points, he averred, had not deprived
the Catholic Question of any one of its supporters in
either House. of Parliament. They were prepared to
meet and refute those objections in detail, whenever
the Legislature shall engage in the good woik of na-
tional amelioration to which they were now iovited.
They were prepared to spew that the enjoyment of
these rights, which they claimed, was not inconsistent
with the perfect security and permanence of the Pro-
testant Ecclesiastical Establishments. They were
ready to afford their assistance towards the 101 l pre.
tection of every establishment in Ireland, civil and re-
ligious ; and they were ready to remove all just
ground of apprehension on that head. Oil the part
.of the Petitioners, he chimed the justice of their being
permitted to prove, to substantiate, the justice and
reasonableness of their claims. He adjured their
Lordships not to think of again deciding to perpe.
twice their exclusion from political privileges and poli-
tical power, without affording them the decent for.
mality of some previous investigation—not to dismiss
them discredited and condemned without a hearing 1.
The prominent feature by which this great quesuon
stood distinguished, was the peculiar circumstances of
the country from that of any other on the face of die
IGlobe, viz. That the religion of a small minority of
its inhabitants was the religion of the State. In no
other part of the United Kingdom was the like to be
seen. In Scotland Presbytery was established, agree.
able to the will and wish cf the majority of the people.
In this country, Protestantism was preferab!y esta-
blished, on the same principle. In Ireland the CAS,
was very different; and under the auspices' of that
very Revolution, that of 1688, which secured Pres.
bytery to Scotland, and Protestantism to England. In
Ireland the whole weight of the Government was ape
plied to extinguish the religion of the people, and even
in the teeth of one of the must solemn treaties that was
ever concluded !--(Hear, hear, frost some of Me Ome.
sition Parr).—In what he said, he wishe4 not so be
misunderstood, nor, he trusted, he should not be
misrepresented. The claimants on their parts
solemnly disclaimed any intention to participate in
the honours or the advantages of the' Ecclesiastical
Establishment. Their object was freedom from those
political disabilities and restraints by which they were
still oppressed, and a participation in the blessings of
our common Constitution. h. was with pleasure he
recollected the conduct of their Lordships on a recent
occasion, when, by their so properly attending to the
wishes of Protestant Dissenters, so unequivocally ex.,
pressed, they evinced themselves the friends of reli-
gious liberty. No voice was raised against the Dis-
senters. No attempts were made to misrepresent
them. In the present case he stood before their Lord-
ships the actual advocate of four millions of their fel-
low subjects. who ought to share in all the privileges
and immonities of the British Constitution ! He de.
precated,with earnestness every misrepresentation of
the views and objects of the Petitioners. Had they
no other ground but that of the convention solemnly
concluded at Limerick in October 1691, confirmed
under the Great Seal in the following year, it would
be sufficient for them to claim of the British Legislis.
ture the tardy and long protracted restoration of their
rights. But upon a variety of other grounds, were
they entitled in full justice to those .rights which they
so respectfully claimed : as the solemn disclaiming
lonli the part of the principal Catholic Universities of
the aborninalak doctrotes so otten imputed to therm a