Star.
London, England, 1817-05-09 00:00:00

CATHOLICS Ur IRELAND.

The Earl of DONOUGHMORE, on the subject
of the Catholic Petitions, observed, that it had been
his intention,according to the notice he had given in
the last Session, to bring forward the question early
in the present Session, and he found that .he delay
had excited the attentio3 of a Noble friend cf his,
who was naturally anxious that the question should
be early discussed. There was, -however, a reason
fur the delay, which he trusted would be consigleied
perfectly satisfactory. The winter had been occupied
by the Catholics in endeavouring to produce concilia-
tion amongst .their own body, and also in devising
the means by which they could best conciliate the
two Houses of Parliament, and produce a favourable
disposition towards their claims. With such objects
in view,, it would have been highly injudicious in him,
by bringing on a premature discussion, to interfere
with the projected accomplishment of their views,
and thus, perhaps, to deprive the Catholic Body of
all the advantage they expected to derive from them.
That they had succeeded• in producing one opinion
amongst their oven . body, he was nut prepared to
state, but they had attained the important end of
projecting an arrangement which would, he thought,
set at rest all objections' to their claims. It was ndl
now the moment to go into the particulars of the
expedient they proposed, but its object was to do
away all the objections that arose on the ground of
foreign influence, by making the nomination to the
Catholic Ecclesiastical Benefices entirely national,
and rendering it altogether a purely strict domestic
nomination. This they had agreed upon, and to this
they were ready to accede, in such manner as Parlia-
ment in its wisaoni should deem it advisable to
enact in the provisions of the Bill, and they ,had sent
over two most respectable Members of the Clerical
Body to answer such questions upon the subject as
that or the other House of Parliament should deem
it advisable to ask. The question, therefore. now
stood upon wholly new grounds to those on which it
formerly rested. The formidable objection Of foreign
influence no longer attached, and he could not con-
ceive any objection that could not be most adequately
met by the proposed scheme of domestic nOtnioation,
to which, there was no doubt, the Head of the Ca-
tholic Church would accede. He assured -their
Lordships, that this measure now called for was
most essential to the good Government of Ireland,
and that there were many points with regaid to the
Catholics that required amelioration. The relaxing
Law, • lox instance, as it was called, was ftequently
not carried into effect. Though Catholics were ad-
mitted upon Grand Juries, yet in the Metropolis
County, that of Dublin,. there were many Gentlenien
as respectable, and possessed of as Much property as
any othersin the county, Who were not summoned
upon the Grand Jury. Another circumstance which
he wished to notice was one that occurred in the Me-
tropolis itself, at a convivial meeting that took place
there. At some of these meetings it was not the
practice to pass resolutions, but to give them in the
shape of toasts; and at the meeting he alluded to,,
consisting of highly respectable Gentlemen, a toast'
was given shish he was almost ashamed to repeat;
betraying, as it did, a determined hostility to the
Citholits, and that toad at..a time during the circu-
lation of the bottle, when then's hearts were'erned,
and when they Might be supposed to speak thew real