Star.
London, England, 1821-04-17 00:00:00

=a the Protestants. His objection was not against
the individuals, but against the religion itself. He
doubted their ability to perform their promises. The
Catholic Church declared that all others were here-
tical, and were out of the pale of salvation. It de-
'elated that every compact with others, which inter-
fered with the interest of the Church was, ipso facto,
void. These were the tenets of the Catholic Church,
at least they had been attributed to it, and not de-
nied. They said the Pope was the Head of the
Church, and we said the King was the Head; and
no doubt could arise as to which would be preferred
by the Protestant, and which by the Catholic. Tire
Influence of the Catholic Clergy might be shewn in a
single instance. Between the years 1789 and 1795,
a Declaration was prepared and signed by many of
the principal Catholics, in terms which no doubt
Would be satisfactory to every l'rotestant. A Letter,
however, was published by authority, forbidding the
subscribers from interfering in the spiritual matters
of the Catholic Church; and, in obedience to that Let-
ter, the Declaration was withdrawn ; and there was
no reason to doubt that the same circumstance would
occur again, while the present doctrines were main-
tained ; and he therefore conceived that we were
bound by self-preservation to withhold that share of
political power which it was proposed by the present
Bill to concede to the Catholics. This objection, he
thought, could riot be answered; he was sure that as
yet it had not been answered. His next. argument
was founded upon our Constitutional principles, as they
were established at the glorious Revolution. The King
must be a Protestant, and even his writ of summons
to their Lordships must declare that they were sum-
moned to deliberate upon matters for the security of
the Church and State; and every Clergyman, upon
being ordained, declared that no foreign power could
legally be exercised within the realm—(Hear, hear.)
He intreated their Lordships to remember that Pro-
testantism was the key-stone which bound the edifice
of the Constitution. If they passed this 13111, they, in
his opinion, would surrender all the advantages which
had been gained by their ancestors at the expense of
their blood—(Hear, hear.)—The King swore to main-
tain die Protestant Establishment inviolate; and how
could he i:o so if this Bill passed into a law? He
hoped their Lordships would, in their candour, allow
him to observe, in justice to the illustrious dead, who,
for the last too hundred years had sat in those seats
which their Lordships now occupied, that they would
not, during that long period, have continued to re-
fuse to grant a greater degree of civil liberty to the
Roman Catholics, unless in their consummate wisdom
they had thought they were unfit to enjoy it. In con-
clusion, Ire would state, that it was his anxious hope
and prayer that the vote of their Lordships that night
would put an end to the agitation which must be pro-
duced by a recurrence of the discussion of this sub-
ject in future times; and that their Lordships would
slew their determination not to open a door to mea-
sures tending to endanger the security of the Protest-
ant ascendancy in this country—(Hear, hear).
The Bishop of NORWICH then addressed the
House, but in so low a tone of voice that the greater
part of his speech was inaudible below the Bar. He
assured their Lordships that he was rio party man,
and that he did push himself forward upon this oc-
casion from temporal views ; and indeed, humanly
speaking, that might be the last time he should have
an opportunity of addressing them. He inveighW
against the illiberal policy of refusing the Roman
Catholics what they at present claimed. He was
sure that such a mode of conduct could not be in
Unison with the dictates of the Established Church of
this country, which was neither harsh, severe, nor
uncharitable in its attributes. Oh the &build of
justice, the Catholics were entitled to what they
claimed, as good subjects, if no crime could be
proved against them. He was convinced that those
who °l:posed this measure were not acting in con-
sonance with the best interests oldie Church of Eng-
land ; for it was only placing it in a very suspicidus
point of view to tell the world that it required to be
supported by measures of disabilities and penalties.
No one could be a more strenuous advocate for the
Established Church than himself; but he was satis-
fied that leaving the Clergy to themselves would do
more than any law to render their doctrines respected.
Lord REDESDALE considered that they had a
right, in viewing the question, to look at it in a po-
litical light, and to adopt the experience of preceding
times. What weighed most with him against the
Roman Catholic religion, and which he thought the
most danger was to be feared from was, that no man
of that religion had complete possession of his con-
science—( Hear, hear).—This Bill provided that the
Protestant Succession to the Throne, and the ascend-
ancy cif the Protestant Church Establishment, should
be maintained, while its enactments went directly to
undermine them. Amongst other provisions of this
Bill, one was to regulate the correspondence with
the See of Rome, thereby recognising by an Act of
the Legislature, that which was declared by the laws
to be illegal. They would not repeal those laws,
but by a side wind completely rendered the Roman
Catholic Church an Established Church in this king-
dom. The Bill passed by the Act of the first of
Elizabeth, declared the extinction for ever of all
foreign ascendancy, spiritual as well as temporal,
since it went to enact, that the spiritual power of the
Pope should not be obeyed in this country.) This
Dynasty succeeded to this Throne from their prude-,
cessors not having been of the Protestant religion.--
But the present Bill held the exclusion of Catholics
abominable, and was as much as telling the Sove-
reign to dethrone himself, as he sat on his Throne
Upon false principles. It did appear to him, that in'
adopting the second reading of this Bill, they would
be going in contradiction to the principles upon which'
the Throne and the Protestant Church were esta-
blished. By continued applications, the Roman Ca-
tholics bad gained more and more and they would
not stop even were they to gain this. Ireland held
hierarchy ready cut and dry, arid her Archbishops,
Sthops, Deacons, and Chapters, were all ready to enter
upon possession; and take the field on a different foot-
ing from this country. Under these circumstances,
the Noble Lord declared, that it was impossible for
bin to support this Bill.
The Earl of HARROWBY declared himself fa-
vourable to the Bill before the House. Could he feel
perstradtd of the reality of the dangers said to threaten
the Church in the event of this measure being car-
ried, he assured their Lordships that whatever hopes
he might entertain of conciliaring by it a portinnr of
his fellow-subjects, and of making a valuable asidi-