Star.
London, England, 1811-02-23 00:00:00

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gir RbTI V MORVIOMERYiIiCit thee ens ti
greitt (*Weenie between supporting the lights of the
Catholics and granting them greater privileges than
were possessed be any other Oars of hit Majesty's
.objects. was to be regtetted that they lad no re-
piesetitefives in that House to asst in the discussions
i't Medi they were interested ; but it was fortunate
shat they haled Ii tends i:t the House, who, in poin• of
ability. were not etc:lied. He would ask those G. ft-
tlerthee whether such a convention as the Catholos
were eat: lilidling would be tolerated to Protestants in
this country ? He was confident it would not. If it
were whet would become of the authority of the two
Henses of Parliament ? Why then could the'Citholies
demand it ? The Lord Lieutenant was, in his npinion,
peiiectly justified in the measure he adored to pre-
vela their illetral proceedings. The'r Secietary issued
what might be called his warrant for a General Elec-
tion, and as the case admitted of n• delay, it was the
duty of the Deice of It 'climond to preveot it by stole
Means as the law had provided him with, for which
he considered him deserving of great praise.
Sir JOHN NEWI=ORT replied, that tOe Hon.
Gentleman thought the case of Ireland admitted of '
no delay ; that it was of the most urgent nature,
and celied for immediate suppression. how tlien •
was no notice given before. the 12:h of Vet-it-nary ?
A conversation had taken place in the Cony, nti, n
about the. middle of January, whether they would
promulgate to the nation Hay's letter or not ? It was
agreed to .have it printed, and it was accordingly'
published in many of the public pipers, which every
person had the opportunity of seeing, and which, he •
was convinced, few did not we. And was it possible
that the Haase of ;,erliament was not informed of
mole a preceeding; when' an Honourable Member of
the Houee'cathe away from Ireland, on the urgency
of the case, never doubting that before he reached -
the hall die Petition would be presented ? Could
the Hanourible Gentleman then say, that they were
not informed of the eubject, when it was publicly
known from the 12th of January? An Honourable
Gentleman lied stated, that they had good informs-
don of the dangerous tendency of the general .Cathoe
lic Convention, and yet he thinks it not necessary to
produce the inhtrmatian which he states they have in
their possession. The Honourable Gentleman only •
:aid, that tie deemed it suffizient to say in the justifi-
cation of the act that they lied acted right. Ireland
was a loyal and deserving country,. and ought to be
long cherished in the bosom of England, before she.
would num out the remembrance of her wrongs.-."
And he would venture to say, that should the same
way of conducting the Irish affairs be pursued, that
had marked the conduct of late Ministers, the col:se-
t:peace would he serious. He could not help looking.
forward on times, when ruin would terribly punish;
our neglect and our iniquity. If obsolete acts were to_
be raked up from the oblivion which they merited,
to ruin that natural communion between us and the
Catholics, then you may learn to hear them when
they regard not your attention, and you -may offer to,
help them when too late for help. He would ccre
taiely admit that praise was due to the Goveramen‘ •
of the Duke of Richmond ; that he had endeavoured
at winning the affections of the people; but the way
in which Ministers had all along acted to them, bad
destroyed tlrat trust which they ought to cherish for,
the delegate of their Monarch. Was it not an insult
to them, and of the most afflicting kind, to behol4
that man honoured and caressed who had so recently
i'cl.timed them traitors? He would wish to know
whoee conduct seemed most intolerant—this askin
for privileges, which men no better deserving than
themselves enjoyed ; and that appointing men to high
offices of trust and honour, their avowed enemies,
and who had proclaimed themselves such before the
honourable tribunal of their country ? And did the
H hn. Gentleman say, that the Catholic Emancipa-
tion only tended to promote the welfare and ambition
of a few im:ividuals—that it aimed alone at their wel-
fare, without stretching itself over the land to emanci-
f ate a nation?—May nut a Catholic peasant entertain
tile idea, thet the son whom he nourishes and educates
may rise to be Lord Chancellor of Ireland? It is an ho-
nest ambition, and no one can resist it?—Do not we
see men in high rank lifted from obscurity. raised from
among die peasentry? Have we not the son of a wool-
comber now otliee; and may not a peasant then hope
and aim at:emu:clot)? The road to greatness is free to
ail. Such conduct as had leaely marked the Councils
of our country, makes Ireland our weakness, rather
than our strength ; and while we persisted in it, we
were sliewing a stubborn deternsinetion to .weaken
ourselves fat thee. It appeared from the general de-
licacy with which the Catholic Convention had acted,
that they looked to the country with respect and kind-
ness. It was deb :red by them, on his Majesty's Moms,
whe;her they wimid urge the question of emancipa-
tion on the Regant or not ? They wished to collect
their whole kilos% ledge on that important occasion,
which had given use to the letter now in question.--
It would seem fleet the Irish Government had deter-
mine I to put in terce an obsolete Act passed under
an-intolerant I+ ish Cabinet, who, having been foile,d
in the Penal Laws, enforced this with greater seee- ••
rity. Butt he was aware, that the Irish Cabinet never
would have dime it, had they trot been overpowered
by that of Britain. That ought to proceed warily,
and not, by an act of rigour, sink them into de-
struction.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER la-
mented that any disputes like those he had now lise
tened to, should have taken place ; but it was a sad
truth when, that any question concerning the Cacho- •
lies of Ireland came to he discussed, it constantiy, et
a wide sweep, brought in all the ereuments of eman-
epetion, accompanied with the wonted bitterness of
diepiee, and remembrance of woes, which c, uld not
br thought on without regret. Much did he c..ndemn
that system of holding forth in argument the degraded
condition of Ireland, in her Catholic claims, when
their existed no prospect of bettering her condition by
the debate ; that it could only tend to, hold up the
rancour of thwarool views, and stimulate .and newish
that natural propensity to outrageous feeling which
public questions always excited. 'l.'o be told of Ire-
land's distress was a natural emanation from the sub-
ject, bat to couple it with emancipation WAS departing
from the business of the House. Tlie.lion. Gentle-
man had forgot one thing in these statements, which
was simply that the late disturbances in Ireland had
no mite-pee to Catholic emancipation. He could not
see how such a measure would tend to help them,
maces it were to establish the Catholic religion on
the ruins of the cothatryo That was Cie oniii

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