Star.
London, England, 1827-03-06 00:00:00

_ •
Impoeilble to hear, In the gallery, one word that be old.—Sees• able as a ground' for relaxing the severities of
or these Petitions were ordered to be printed, and the rest to lie on law, and at the same time lamed to gr ant any furta
the rabic , relief to the Catholics of Ireland, because they had take.
Nooses sisfliveur of the claims of the Catholics oats
eto the House.
pre.ented by Sir John Newport, from the Catholics asf the_ a_d.iifetent
._Courfli.not
Catholics laid
T I d • by Mt. Brownlow, front! This proved to him h
province of Munster, in ..re an . that so loPnagiataar the
long would they
Catholics of Derry; by Mr. Carew, from the down willing to be trampled upon, so
Pretthe
eieleoneettan
Liadawava.Clergy..
end
other • iehabita'm °f be trampled upon—(Cheers.) A treaty, the policy of
the county of Wexford, In inland; by Mr. Power, from the'
which many persons questioned, and the consequences
Catholics of Arklow, and several other parishes In the tounty of
Mr. any looked to with dread, had lately' been
Waterford; by M IL Martin, front the Catholic Inhabitsminf of sr h•ch M
several parishes in the county of Galway, in Ireland ; by Mr. W. horiourably adhered to by this country, for the purpose
Maxwell, from several parishes in the county of Down., In Ire- of supporting the House of Braganza on the Throne of
land; by Lord Bective, from Stine, Denreney, and from other pa. Porto al.
But if the national honour and policy called
tithes in the county of Meath; by. Mr. R. King, from the Catholic'
srur
of Charleville;Buttevant,and two other places In the county of Cork, the for
faithfuldischarge of that treaty, bow, much more
Some of these, also, were ordered to ..
be printed, std others to de were 'we bound to fulfil our obligations to our attached
on the table. Catholic brethren in Ireland ? After alluding to a pas.
Mr. BROWNLOW proented a Petition from Protestant
sa
ge in the letters of Mr. Burke, he Hon. Bart. contended
Traders, Merchants, and others Inhabitants of the Town of Belfast;
In Ireland, praying* the House ro take into their favourable cons,. that the system of conciliation lately carried on in Ire-
d erstion the claims of the Rom land, and originally introduced by Mr. Pitt, would
Roman Catholics. The Petition was prove
signed by men of the greatest respectability, who were worth pro- an injury instead of a blessing, if this measure was
pert y to the amount of 2,00 ,0004. sterling —Ot der: dto be painted.
withheld. There was nothing wiser, perhaps, thaw
Mr. Secretary CANNING presented two Petiuons in. favour of ..
to strtke off the fetters of that country, one by
the Claims of the Roman Catholics ; one was from the
Catholic Rastas
Inhabitants of Liverpool, and the other from the Cathe. , 1 until its people were ready for the full and free action
lieso a parish in the County of Clare, in Ireland.—Laid on the of liberty. Mr. Pitt was the first who introduced
table. the system, but Le perhaps began at the wrong end.-1
Mr. PORTMAN presented a similar Petition from some In.
P erh aps it would have been wiser in the first instance to
habltants in the County of Dorset. The Hon. Member said that.
he concurred most cordially in the prayer of the Petition, and he have restored the higher classes to their indefeasible
hoped the present would be the last occasion in which that Hosee rights, rattier than to have elevated the people by a
would have to discuss this question.—(Plear.)—Laid os the table. partial enjoyment of their rights, to a livelier sense of
Mr. V. STUART presented three Petidons is favour of the
wrongs and injuries still to be inflicted. But it was
Catholics: one was from the Catholics of the City of Waterford
generally, the two others were from some Paddles of the same most preposterous to suppose, that after having enabled
City. The. Hon. Member assured the House of the loyalty and Catholics to hold landed property, to enter the liberal
attachment of the Petitioners to the Yang and to the Conatiogion, professions, and to exercise other rights and privileges
and said he would reserve such observations as he bad to make for
in common With their fellow subjects, it was absurd to
the question that was to be brought on in the course of the night. . .
—The Petition was then laid on the table. imagine thin they could still be treated as when oppress
CATHOLIC QUESTION.• sion and ignorance had bent their minds to that condi-
Sir F. BURDECT rose, end said, that in bringing tion to which hope was a stranger, and to which none
this question under the consideration of the /louse, be but feelings partaking of its own grovelling nature were
felt the more difficulty, when he remembered who had allied. Irish genius and Irish intellect bad taken a
been its tinnier advocates in former and more import- start, which chains could no longer controul ; and if this
ant times; when he remembered that in that list were measure were to be refused, then Mr. Pitt had only
included the names of a Burke, a Fox, a Pitt, a Sheri- been inflicting so many injuries upon the country in all
dan, and though last not least, a Grattan, besides a host that he had done for it. It appeared to him incest-
of others, whom he would not enumerate, forming alto- ceivable how Gentlemen who professed to be the fog-
gether a constellation of intellect not to be exceeded in lowers of Mr. Pitt could,upon the question of the Unit*
any age or country. He thought that man must feel with Ireland,where his abilities and comprehensive mind
very confident indeed, who, without much reflection, had taken its grandest scope, there cast him off—
would venture to stand out against such authority, or (Hear, bear.)—there consider him a schildish statesman
without being able to advance some powerful reason of no authority or weight.—(Cheers). The Hon. Be-
for resisting it. And when it was considered thit upon rodet then referred to Mr. Pitt's declarations upon the
almost all other questions those great men were at question, and contended that they admitted of no in-
variance—that either from their views of policy, their terpretation but one, namely, that the restoration of the
interests, their ambition, or what not, they were opposed Catholics to all their rights, was the ultimate object oil
upon all other topics, and united only in this; and his measures, and that the union with Ireland never
when it was considered that in advocating this measure could be substantial Until Mr. Pitt's scheme should be
they had nothing to gain in popularity, but were stem. completed. If opposition to that scheme should have
using the torrent of public prejudice, it was quite clear the effect of maintaining in Ireland, at the expense of
that they never would have united in such a course bat , this country, a junta of jobbers, as they had been justly
from the certain and irresistible conviction that they called by Mr. Burke; they would be ready to oppose
were thereby pursuing the best interests of the country. Emancipation; they would oppose the Union; they'
Therefore they bad the authority, not only of the in- would oppose losing the prey from their talons, so that
tellect of those great men, but also of the pure and they 'could keep up the system which existed from the
patriotic motives by which alone they must have been days of my Lord Chesterfield, to those of my Lord
influenced. Their great minds had, indeed, removed the Cornwallis, they would be ready to blow the fires of
difficulties by which the question was once surrounded ; dissension,—they reaped the emolument, while that
they bad dispelled the clouds of ignorance, almost House and England reaped the shame and disgrace.—.
turned the tide of prejudice, disencumbered it of the But if Mr. Pitt's Union were really carried into effect,
learning and casuistry in which it had been enveloped, instead of being a continual dram upon her finances.
and left it strips to its natural state of right and justice. Ireland would be pouring wealth into the lap of
But be should found the claims of his Catholic coon- England; instead of being her shame and her re-
trymen not only upon justice and policy, but upon the pruach, she would be her pride and her glory ;
faith of treaties. He implored the House to come to instead of being to her a point of attack open to every
the discussion with their minds free from the atrium- enemy, she would be her bulwark and her defence against
sities which might have been excited by recent examples the world. He believed that all parties concurred in stet-
of individual conduct, and to consider the question ing that things could not continue as they are. He would,
upon its own intrinsic merits. It had been objected to say, then, to those who opposed this measure, that be
the Catholic religion that it was incompatible with the had a right to call upon them for their propositions—.
existence of liberty in the same state. But who could (Hear)—to shew what alternatives they had to offer--
call to mind the deeds and the renown of our Catholic (Hear, hear.) Of all the countries in Europe, excepting
ancestors, by whom was achieved all that we had of that over which a more than Cimmerian darkness
liberty, and to whom we were indebted for all our seemed to have shed its influence, England, who
rights? who could remember this, and maintain that formerly stood the first and proudest in protecting the
the Catholic religion was incompatible with the persecuting and the proscribed, was now the last to
freedom of a people? Yet the very names which erase from her laws the monuments of intolerance and
stood most conspicuous in those of our annals which bigotry. He hoped at least that, the House would not
recorded the founding of our liberties, were now retrograde from what three successive Parliaments had
proscribed and shut out from the enjoyment of the done, but once more shew that the Commons of Eng-
ble.sings they conferred upon the country, and for land did not deserve to share in that reproach. He
which they still continued to shed their blood ; he treated the dangers which many Gentlemen appre-
believed that if the records of Cressy, Agincourt, and hended from the carrying of this question as mere
Waterloo, were searched, the same names would be phantoms of fear, resembling, as apprehensions
found amongst the heroes of all—at least there was much of the same nature as those which formerly
one, the name of Howard, which stood conspicuous in existed with regard to ghosts and witches. What
them equally—(Cheers.) He then referred to a should they do by this measure? They should be
letter of Edward the First and his Barons to the Pope, restoring the prerogative of the King to select
alisclaiming the right of the Pope to compel the King whom he pleased to fill the offices of state. They:
to do certain actions to the prejudice of their liberties should give the power to four or five illustrious,
and laws. This ought to remove from Gentlemen's families to- take their seats in the other House -'I
minds the fear of that slavish subserviency to the and the same rights would be restored to about the,
See of Rome, which was said to be inseparable from same number of noble families in Ireland. They should,
the Catholic religion. The Honourable Baronet then further give the power to the freeholders of both coon-
:alluded to the circumstances under which the disabili- tries to send a few Catholic Gentlemen to that House,
"ties of the Catholics were imposed, contending that the and there would be the extent of a measure which, if'
lame dangers and the same excitement of men s minds not now, must prevail, and that shortly too, by the
no longer existing, the Legiblature of the present day weight and justice of its claims: The question was
ought, to be ashamed of perpetuating acts then only re. now become practically this—could the people of Ire.,
sorted to under a mistaken and groundless-appreben- land be left to remain in their present state? He con.
aim, When. Parliament of itself had thought fit to ceived it to be utterly impossible. In the wide strides
reverse the attainder of that innocent and martyred which amelioration had already taken—in that human*
.•ictim to the blind passions of his time, Lord Stafford, relaxation of the chains under which their forefathers
when this tardy and unavailing justice had been done, suffered, which had already
been effected, the Catholics
and after three successive Parliaments had declared in 'oust see the security for their ultimate triumph, if they
favour of the justice and policy of such a course, he reflected that the system of amelioration was always
hoped the House would not now think it too much to progressive, and never retrograded, and if they after.
make some little attempt at expiation; that they would mined to pursue their object with d stea y perseverance
not refuse some reparation to those innocent persons and calm discretion. The Hon. Baronet then alluded I
who still laboured- under disqualifications, or inflicted to the King's visit to Leland, and tohis Majesty's . et-
under similar circumstances, and under the influence ter to the people of that country, arguing that they
of the same mistaken notions of an unfounded danger. must have expected the emancipation of the Catholics
He thought the Catholics of Ireland had a tight to call to follow those events. It was on that account that his
upon the House to fulfil the stipulations of the treaty of Majesty was received by the people of Ireland with a
Limerick, by which be contended they were guaranteed feeling as though he had been
from the 'imposition of all oaths but the oath of alle- .i Mesarati come with healing In his wing."
glance. He could no conceive how it could possibly be The language of his Majesty's farewell letter, addressed
said that faith had been kept with the Catholics, when to warm-hearted, faithful, and affectionate subjects,
by other oaths only, and by new.made oaths too, they spoke as plainly as language could speak, the promise
had since been kept from office and political power. of that boon upon which their happiness and peace de-
-Tris he thi.ught made out the rights of the Catholics of pended. He maintained that, as the Roman Catholics
Ireland. But when he came to consider the case of had proved themselves to be trusty and faithful subjects,
the Catholics of England, when he remembered that so ought they to be admitted to those privileges, rights,
. amongst them were some of the most illustrious names and immunities which were enjoyed by the Protestants;
the country ever boasted, when he considered that as and if the Royal visit, to which he had alluded, was
a body their conduct was so irreproachable, that per- not meant merely as a delusion, a mockery, and a
bars no body of men in 0;1e country could better or so cheat, they must be freed from the disabilities under
-well meet the test of scrutiny, either in their public or which they laboured. lie sincerely hoped that the ex
their private characters; and when he remembered pectations of relief and happiness which had been
that these men upon whom no reproach had ever been engendered, would not prove fallacious, but that they
c ist, were in a worse situation than their Catholic would be amply and speedily realised.—(Cheers.)—
' those' They had arrived at that point—at that crisis when
oath- it was absolutely neccs.ury that something decisive

. . - .
brethren in IrelarA, he could not understand tl
1111116....iimmim
persons who refused to admit conduct so imps°.