Star.
London, England, 1810-02-23 00:00:00

PARLMMEIVTART PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FEBRUARY 22.
The Royal Assent was given by Commission to Weßasle&
Divorce Bill and a Naturalization Bill.—The Commissioners
were, the Loan Cunr,Car.kuit, Earl 841:Au5.!,..r, and Lord
Wtt.snthuAM. -
The Qualification Indemnity 1341, the rthess at Wales's Lease
Bill, the £1,500,000 and £10,500000 glablIVIN Bills Bills pass-
ed through COraviaitteereaiiere lepeieei
The Earl of LIVERPOOL laid on the table Lord Chatham's
Naristive, which was ordered to be printed.

CATHOLICS OF ENGLAND.
Earl GREY presented two. Petitions from the Ro-
man Catholics of England—the first stating the hard-
sliips arising from the disabilities under which they
laboured, and respectfully praying to be relieved from
them ; and the second expressing their willingness to
eoesent to any arrangement that might be deemed
necessary for the security of the existing Establish-
ments, which might not be inconsistent with their
own religious 'opinions.
• The Petitions having been read,
His Lordship said he should merely now move that
they be laid on the table, and should not prpbably
make any motion relative to them this Session. He j
could not, however, omit the opportunity of making
a few observations upon the subject to which these
Petitions related, and which, in whatever point of ,
eriew considered, was one of the greatest importance.
At the present momentous crisis, it was surely of the
utmost consequence to unite all his Majesty's subjects
hiartily and cordially in the defence of the country.
Yet, as the Petitions stated, in the most respectful
terms, the Catholics of England were placed under
the most degrading • disabilities, and were not even
ermitted to attain those situations in which they
could render themselves useful to the cause of their
country ; and this notwithstanding they were a most
loyal and respectable body, at all times eager and
ready to join their fellow-subjects in promoting and
defending the common interests of the State, and
who fulfilled all their duties in society with exemplary
propriety. They were indeed placed in a worse situ-
ation than the Catholics in other parts of his Ma-
jesty's dominions. In Canada, his Majesty's Catho-
iic subjects were allowed all the benefits of the most
enlarged toleration, or in other words, were eligible to
all offices in common with their fellow-subjects. In
-Ireland, Catholics were allowed to act as Magistrates
under Commissions of the Peace—to become Mem-
bers of Lay Corporations, except Trinity College, at
which, however, they might take degrees, and to
vote at elections for Members of Parliament; all the
ranks of the Army were also open to them except
that of a General on the Staff. In England, Catho-
lies could not act as Magistrates—could not be in-
cluded in a Commission of the Peace—could
not become Members of any Corporation—and
were debarred from taking degrees. at either of
the Universities ; the ranks of the Army and Navy
were closed against them, and even if giving up
the rank to which they were born and becoming pri-
vates in any military force, they were dependent upon j
the will of others, not merely as to whether they
should be allowed to exercise their own religion, but i
whether they should not be compelled to attend a reli-
gious service, different from their own. It was surely
utterly inconsistent with a liberal and enlightened po- i
licy that such degrading disabilities should be conti-
need. The Catholics had uniformly displayed their
loyalty, and their zeal, whenever they had had op-
portunities of being employed in the service of their
Country, and were in other respects a most respecta-
ble body. In the county to which he belonged there i
were several persons of that persuasion cif ancient and
respectable families, who, as friends and neighbours,
as parents of families, and in all the relations of so-
ciety, conducted themselves with the greatest pro-
priety, and this he believed to be the general charac-,
ter of that body. He could not, therefore, but hope,
on all these grounds, that a long period would not
elapse before the disabilities under which this body
of men at present laboured, would be done away,
and that they would not be much longer prevented
from attaining those situations in which they might
serve the cause of their country in common with their
fellow-subjects. He was the more induced to enter-
tain this hope, having been authorised to state, that
the Catholics of England were willing to consent
that, in granting them those privileges which they
asked, such means as might be thought adviseable
should be adopted for the securityof the existing estab-
lishments, and that were not contrary to their religi-
ous opinions and feelings. He had stated, that he did
not intend to make any motion upon this subject du-
ring the present Session, and he did so with a view to
all the circumstances of the case of the Catholics in
another part of his Majesty's dominions. He trusted
that, with reference to this part of the case, the letter
of his Noble Friend, (Lord Grenville) would have'
the wished-for effect. He begged leave decidedly to
declare, that to every reason, to every sentiment, and
every word of that letter, he most entirely sub-
scribed, and ,he hoped that so temperate and well
.reasoned an appeal, would lead to those consequences
and to that disposition which were so much to be de-
sired. He wished it to be understood, that he could
support the object desired to be attained by the Ca-
tholics, upon no other ground than that every secu-
rity should be given to the existing establishments,
consistently with liberality and justice, and with the
religiutis opinions and feelings of that respectable
The second Petition, which was signed by •
;lute out of four of the A postolic Vicars General, and
by most of the Catholic Peers, went to this object ;
it xv.is worded in a general way, and he thought it
Was better that it should be so. He had little doubt
.that the object so much to be desired, would be in
the end attained, and that a disposition would be
brought about under the influence of which those
points which were necessary to its attainment, would
o:, both sides be conceded. His Lordship concluded
by moving, that the Petitions do lie on the table.—
Ordered.

HIS NIAJESTY'S MESSAGE.-.-POItTUGA L.

The Order of the Day for taking his Majesty's
Message into consideration having been moved, and
the Message having been read,
The Marquis WELLESLEY in callin their
Lordships' attention to the subject of his Majesty's
Message, it having been intimated by his Noble
• Friend, .hat it was intended to enter into the discus-
sion of the general policy of our conduct with respect
to Portugal, thought it necessary to state the reasons
had influenced the policy adoptikil by his Iva-