Star.
London, England, 1829-05-05 00:00:00

across my mind that this Most disesttous letter might'
be turned to some account. I said; "'(iP to DOW
Curtis, look at the letter. see whether it can be of any
sue; and if it can, I shall be ready to make any uteri-
gee. Use it as you please, and do not think of me!"
My Lords, the effect of the appearance of that letter was
almost magical, the people conceiving it to contain the
advice of a real 'friend who was anxious for their wel
fate, and to whose directions they were willing to bow.
I Leg Noble Lords to consider what the • effect of that
letter was on the Catholic Association, and throughout
the country. .If it had not been for that letter, unless,
indeed, the Noble Duke had stated at the time' that he
meant to carry the Catholic Question, of which we were
then ell ignorant, I protest that the country would have
been in such a state, not certainly of insurrection, but a
state of- agitation, during which the consequences might
have been fearful. Now, my Lords, I will take leave
to call your attention to this letter, and I wish you to
eonsider the spirit and feeling with which it was written.
I say it was with the kindest spirit and feeling towards
•the Noble Duke, and laudatory of him, for it pointed
him out as the only man who had the power to carry.
the Catholic Question. It showed the Catholics bow
utterly useless it would be to appeal to brute force; and
it pointed out to them that their only chance was an
appeal to the Legislature. I know it has been stated
that in that letter I encouraged and invited agitation.
Letany Noble Lord, if he can, point out a single pas-
-aage that does so. I will refer you to the only para-
graph that can at all bear upon this point. I should
have liked to have taken the whole lever, paragraph by
paragraph I but, as I conceive this is unnecessary, I will
go at-once to the only paragraph that can be at all mis-
construed—" What I do recommend is that the mea-
sure should not be for a moment lost sight of." Was
there any agitation in this? " That anxiety should con.
tinue to be manifested." There is nothing-of agitation
hem. " That all Constitutional tineontradistinctioa to
several legal) measures should be resorted' to." • Now, I
am told that there has been much cavilling at thii pas.
sage. I am but little of a grammarian, and not much used
to letter writing, but to my mind the simple meaning of
this junsage is, " Your acts should not merely be within
the law, but they .must be constitutional." For instance,
with regard to the Catholic Association, while was in
Ireland I never found one person to tell me that the
Association was illegal. although I found many to tell
me that it was unconstitutional. It was, they, in this
sense, my Lords. And in this sensionly, that I said,
f! Let constitutional measures be resorted to."- Now, My
Lords, my firm belief is, that if this letter had not been
written, the Noble Duke would never have had it in his
power to press forward .to so happy a termination the
Bill for the relief of the Roman Catholics, for which I
am desirous to express my gratitude, and to state my
'belief in the deep and permanent gratitude of the Roman
Catholics.pf Ireland. The Noble Marquis then moved
for cop'
.of letters.written by the Secretary of State
for the Home Department to the Lord Lieutenant of
lieland, dated November 10 and November 14.
The 1:011D CHANCELLOR having read the motion,
The Duke Of WELLINGTON said—lt is with much
pain;my Lords, that I feel myself compelled to enter
into a discussion upon this subject. Ithink we should
have been spared the necessity'ot entering into such a
discussion at this period'of the Session. I think that
in the course of this Session, dating which the state and
the government of Ireland have been so frequently un-
der consideration, and during which I have so Ire-.
absently had occasion to address the House upon the
subject, in all my addresses caretully abstriining from
making any allusion to the government of the Noble
Marquis in Ireland; in fact, not only abstaining from
making any disrespectful allusion to it, but actually,
upon the only occasion on which any serious charge
war really made against it. I defended the conduct of
the Noble Marquis. as I consider it to be my duty to
defend the conduct of one who was appointed by his
Majesty to the goveronient of Ireland; under these cir-
cumstances I must say, that .I do think any further
discussion upon this subject might have been spared,
and more particularly so after all that has 'since passed.
I !Mast object to the production of 'the papers Which the
liohle Marquis has moved for. It must be obvious to
etm7 14Ob1e Lord present that this House has no busi-
ness to interfere in cases of the dismission of any of his
Majesty's savants, except in cases where martial pub-
lie 'injury and inconvenience-Would follow,* in cases
in which ,Parliament hai directly interfered in 'the
.ap-.
pointnient. In such cases as these the House would
have a right to interpose. But I believe the fact is, that,
except in such cases, Parliament hasnot interfered; and
zm wire Parliament never Can interfere without great
inpiry and inconvenience not only to the House but to
the country at large. The course which the Noble M.r-
quis has pursued in the discussion of this day shows
whatthe inconveniences of such dieustions are. The
.140ble,MarqUis has moved for the production of one or
two papers;. but, in order to elucidate the native of
those papers, he has read 1 urge and copious extractiirorn
othfr documents; hilt he has not 'read the whole of those
docontents, nor has he :rad many of those parts which
1 consider are material to elucidate, in a fair and
proper manner, the -nature of the papers which
he now seeks to obtain. beg to obsetve, that she
Noble Marquis has also read some letters which
passed between him and myself of a nature the most
confidential that could by possibility take place between
the Lord*Lieutenant of Ireland and a &balker of this
country, viz. the .sentiments and ieelings •or the Sove-
reign upon any particular subject. The Noble Marquis
has said that he had his Majesty's permission to read
those letters, in order that he might be the better able
to explain the eircumStaneesirldei which he quitted
the government of Irefan4: bitable Marquis has
eritleav,ourd -to explain . those circumstances, but 'I
toeless 'bat I have understood them very differently to
what he has done. I Understood it to be his 'Ma-
pleasure . that . the Noble Marquis should be
reliesed.from the government of Ireland, liecanit the
. correspondence • between the Noble ' Marquis and
another person in Ireland was of such a nature
at precluded the possibility of . his remaining;lcinger
in so responsible a situation. A 'correspondence
accordingly took place between the Noble Marquis
aild,myulf, but that *corresPiondence was of a strictly
private and etmgdential nature; therefore, can-
not believe that his Majesty could have.given his per
mission .for their being read is this House. .1 cannot
• !Mims I gay, that his Majesty could have given his
.permission for any such thing: Inow come to What that
cotyjeapoodeoce was. Tun are lan aarare,:iss, i Loikthat
.sforang the whole course of the list importaot summer
I had in contemplation the measure *lna 'this- Session
has pissed into a lien It *alio well known dial my
object from the cOminetternienkffihe ducussidhl Opiati
ibis alibied has 141),tolirtieall nlion'the
of all others, was most interested in it, to give his con-
Mat to its being brought forwaid...Without that conseM
• Ifelt that I could not bring-itiorward, or at least thait
.1 could not bring it forward 'with effect. Now. in
the letter to Dr. Curtis, arid agaiiithia"night, the Noble
Marquis has stated that he did luit knosawhat nsy sentr
meats Were orgies subject of thiCatbolir quehtion outi