Star.
London, England, 1826-12-07 00:00:00

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_ he had returned fully
tint.tellef that the lila* serious duty of Parliament
was that Zrconsidering wbetheb it were not yet too4ate to save the
integrity of the empire. He would say fur himself, that nothing
which bad passed in Ireland had shaken his opinion as to the jus-
tice and safety of concedinr to the Catholics their indisputable
rights; on the contrary; he was more firm than ever in the belief
that concession could not longer be safely postpongd.
Mr. Secretary PEEL, who had entered doting the
discussion, said, that whenevei.the subjects to which the
Hon. and Learned Gentlemon alluded, should come
properly under the discussion of the House, he should
be perfectly prepared to meet hi m ; but he could not think
that this was the time for entering into such questions,
and he should therefore cautiously avoid following the
example which the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had
set. He wished sincerely that all.parties on both sides
would follow the precepts recommended by the Hon.
Member for Limerick, and he did wish that the party
with whom the Hon. Member's opinions might be sup-
posed tp influence, would obey that wise recommenda-
tion—giear). He should confine himself to the ques-
tion of whether or no his. Hon. Friend ought to abstain
from the printing of the Petition. The advice he should
give would be given upon principle; not considering
either side of the question to which the Petition referred,
but founJed upon his unbiassed judgment. He found
that the Petition Dime from a single individual, that it
contained a very long statemeot of facts and opinions,
presented Co the House in the form of a Petition. Now,
that an'lndividual had a perfect right to present his
sentiments to the House, he had no doubt: but the
House had also a perfect right to give publicity to those
sentiments, or not, as it should think fit. He found that
by the terms of the Petition, many persons were alluded',
to as being :mot ious for their avarice and cupidity.—]
He did not think it right and fair that any person should
be enab'ed to circulate personal matter like this, and
under the pretence of a. Petition to Parliament, asperse
the characters of private individuals. He should there-
fore advise his Hon. Friend to abstain from pressing his
motion; because he did hold that it was an abuse of the right of
petition for an individual to take that means of indulging in abuse
and calumnies of a personal chiracter. This was a growing evil,
and extended even to the publication of treatises in the shape of
Petitions to Parliament, by which the parties saved themselves the
expense of printing. He hoped his Hon. Friend would not press the
printing of the Petition ; if he did, he should vote against it.
Mr. MOORE said, that alter what had fallen from
both sides of the House, he should be insensible to the
best feelings, if he did not yield to what had been sup-
portrd ; and, certainly had his attention been sufficiently
directed to the objectionable wording of one clause of
the Petition adverted to by his Right Hon. Friend, he
would not have insisted on its being printed. At the
same time, it was due to himself to say, that he was
called upon by one of his constituents to present and
move to have it printed, and he felt himself bound to
comply, the more particularly so on reading the .Peti-
tion, he found that the facts it contained were generally
well founded, and the observations it made were'
generally good. He would assure the House, if he had
thought that the Petition of any individual could have
the effect of unduly prejudicing the mind of any Mem-
ber of the House on the great question that would here-
after be brought before them, be would be the last man that would
be instrumental in creating such prejudice, as no mu was sabre
alive than be was to the necessity of giving that gumless the Moat
calm and impartial deliberation. The Hem. Member ameleded by
stating his intention of concurring in the worn suggested by the
Right Hem Secretary. and would ask permisdat to withdraw his
motion.
The motion for printing the Petition was accordingly vritbdrawu.
Mr. J. GRA rrAN gave notice, that in the course of
the Sessions he should submit a motion to the House
respecting the Poor of Ireland. He also presented a
Petition from the Catholic Inhabitants of a parish in the county of
Mayo, praying to be relieved from their disabilidese.—Ordered to

Instead of

be plated: -
Mr. MONTEITH presented various Petitions -from Paisley,
and other places in Dumbartonshire, praying that the House would
enable the parties to emigrate to the Colony of Upper Canada.—
The Hon. Member stated, that as the Petition prayed for pecuniary
• assistance from the House, it could not be received without the
recommendation or consent of the Government. He therefore
hoped that at the object of the Petitioners would be one of great
public advantage to the Colony, it would not be objected to.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said, that he should make no objfaction.
Ordered to be printed.
Mr. J. WILLIAMS begged to ask the Right Hon. Secretary
of &ate for the Home Department, whether any measure Was
likely to be introduced to the House in consequence of the Chan-
cery Report?
Mr. Secretary PEEL had no difficulty in stating that daring the
Session, the sense of Parliament would be taken upon a proposition
founded upon the Chancery Report.
Mr. HUME presented a Petition from certain Seamen of South
Shields, praying for an alteration of the Corn Laws.—Ordered to
be printed.