Star.
London, England, 1826-11-15 00:00:00

BANK OF IRELAND.

Saturday a Meeting of the. Proprietors was held,
pursuant to requisition, to take into consideration the
opinicatof the Law Officers of the Crown, as to -the
eligibility of Roman Catholics to chi situations ot Oa
vermin and Directors of the bank of Ireland,-.John
LILAND MAQUAIre Esq. Governor, in the Chair.
After stadag the purposes for which the Meeting was imavened,
he called ea the Secretaty to had the !Leo/Walden.
' The Secretary having read the Requisition for calling the Meeting,
The Governor said, that it would be right to read also the Re.;
quisition far calling the former Meeting.
The Secretary then read the former Requisition, after which
J. D. LATOMIes, Req. said, that the measure sub-
mitted to that Meeting was, that the names of one
or two Gentlemen of the Roman Catholic persuasion
should be put en the house list, and returned to the
Secretary as fit persons to fill the situations of Governor
and Deputy Governor of that establishment. That
measure was strongly objected to by the Proprie-
tors on that day. That Meeting approved of the
principle, that members of the Roman Catholic per-
suasion should be admitted to fill those offices, if quali-
fied, but it would not recognise the principle laid
down; at that meeting it was suggested to him and to
all those who attended, that the most proper step to
take would be, to lay a case before Counsel, and that
the reasons and opinions of the Legal Gentlemen
should be had on the question, whether Roman Ca-
tholics were admissible to fill those offices without
taking the oaths of supremacy and abjuration Ikr-and
that the reasons and opinions of those Legal Gentleman-
should be laid before a meeting of Proprietors eon.
vend for that purpose. If he believed ri ht, there
were not the °pigskins of all those Legal Gent amen
at the last meeting; but there bad been obtained since
that period, all the opinions of those Legal Gentlemen
—and still there remained a doubt as to whether mem-
bers of the Roman Catholic persuasion were obliged to
take those obnoxious oaths of supremacy and abjuration.
Some of those Legal Gentlemen are of opinion that it
is not requ;site, and others that it is. Now, as be (Mr.
Latouche) was the person that happened to propose that,
resolution, 0 that the opinion of those Legal Gentlemen
should be obtainee—he would, however, beg leave to
interrogate what was the result of those opinions now
that they were obtained. It struck him, and a great
number of his friends, to whom he bad spoken to on
the subject, that something should be done to do away
with those disgraeeful disabilities under which his fel-
low subjects of the Roman Catholic persuasion laboured;
and in order to arrive at that most desirable object, he
rose to move a resolution which be would take the
1 liberty of reading.
" Resolved—That inasommh as doubts relit es to whether the
Bank et Ireland is ea of the lay bodies seeperate, in which it is
lawful under the Irish Aet of the Sad Geo. 111. cap. 11, for Ro-
man Catholics to hold any elks or plan of trust, without taking
the oath of supremacy, and subscribing the declaration required by
the Acts, to prevent the further growth of P , this Meeting do
prepare and forward a Petition to the ParWasgt, praying that
sub &sues may be removed by a legislative enactment, declaring
that it is and shall be lawful for Roman Catholics, if otherwise
qualified, to hold any web edit* er place in the Muth of Ireland.
without Mug required to take and subscribe any ether oath and
declaration than those prescribed by the said Act of the sad Gee.
the Si, chap. st, for enabling Roman Catholics to bold any such
ellee or place in say other lay Caerpratioaras in said Act oismisesa."
He then continued by saying, that .he conceived the
object of that resolution was to do away with those ob-
noxious acts of oppression and disqualification, and he
thought that this measure would be net only beneficial
to the Roman Catholics and the country, but he would
presume to say it would be also agreeable to the greater
portion of the Protestants of this country. It might be
1 for some Gentlemen to look into the errors of Churches,
and to argots polemics, hot it was his wish to be relieved
from those oaths, and that all persuasions should be
placed on an equality:
The Caanonan having read the resolution, •
Jean Seen Maxey, Ike, seconded it.
Alderman Aneisat requested the Secretary to read the
requisition. The Secretary having read the requisition,
the Alderman said, that be thought the Meeting should
confine itself to the requisition, and he conceived, that
were he to give an opinion on that, it would not be
dealing fair with the proprietors at large, until they had
notice of it. To call a General Meeting was the only
fair way of treating the question. The thing could be
then discussed, and the sense of the proprietors at
large had on is. The Governor bad it in his power to
do this—ull he bad to do was to call the proprietors
together, and have their opinion on that resolution,
and he thought it but right to caution the Honourable
Gentleman to pause before be had the resolution put.
—.As a corporator, and holding the situation be held in
the Corporation, be would give his opinion respecting
the question at issue. He thought it was only in the
power of the Legislature to alter that charter, and to
think that the Corporation should come forward with-
out notice, and pampa the Legislature for the removal
of doubts long entertained entertained for a period of
43 years. Let the law of the land decide the question
at issue. He would be sorry to see the doctrine of il-
liberality acted on is that establishment. Taking every
thing into consideration, the only way to decide the
question was to have it argued is the Court of King's
Bench—then the value of the Attorney General's opinion
could be appreciated.
Mr. J. Pue observed, that the law made it abso.
lately necessary for a Roman Catholic to apply to the
Court of King's Bench if elected and refused. The
Court had before it five opinions respecting the case at
issue—two for, and three against it. He gave it as his
opinion, a Petition should be laid before the Legisla-
ture, and an Act pas,ed to remove the disabilities, and
until that was done, the question must remain in a very
unpleasant state. With regard to the Resolution now
before the Meeting, he was sorry that the question
should bo put, but if it was se-modelled be would sup-
port it to the utmost of his power—the Amendment
which he would propose, would be to strike out the
latter part, and to make all proprietors, duly quali-
fied. eligible.
Alderman Ascots said, the sense of the Meeting
should be taken on the subject, it should be put in the
shape of an amendment.
Mr. Lemmas was satisfied with the modification.

After wine argument torspedeg the reinededing of the resoistiem.
Alderman ASIC#Ita said, he was sorry the original
resolution did not embrace every persuasion; for, to his
magisterial capacity, he was sorry at being obliged to
refuse his friend's (Mr. Pim%) affirmation.
Mr. BOYD confessed that it did surprise him that the
Proprietors of Bank Stuck met here this day, when
there would not be a meeting of Directors for six
months to come, and when a di-eussion of this kind was
to be avoided. Political discussion should not be en•
tered into. He thought the question should not be put ;
but perhaps he was confirmed in that opinion from the
technicality of his education ; however, he coincided
with his respected friend the Alderman, that the only

way to decide the Empties was to return the name of
a Boman Catholio4 the Direction, and if he was re-
fused, to have recsansolto the Court of King's Bench.
eastldr. Mange moat fteiallos for adjearainset in a defy
getic roomer. . •
Mr. J. Powea.As one of the Requbitionists, he
would beg leave to say, that it was natter Catholic
ascendancy be did it, but fpr the good of the country
that he signed it.
Mr. P. Baorav &Veered his sentiments on the ques-
tion. He was for going into a fair discussion of the
question, and against adjournment. Sufficient notice
bad been given of the Meeting.
Mr. Lutoncos was also spies* an adjournment.
Mr. Guinness would not vote for an adjournment;
he spoke in a very eloquent manner in favour of the
question before the Meeting. He would not put the
question off to another day, when it. could be discussed
at the present period. He considered the motion for
lan adjournment as an ingenious mode of getting rid of
the question at issue.
Mr. Dicason in a very pointed way. alluded to
the manner in Which the Hon. Member (Mr. Boyd) at-
tempted to get rid of the question. and said, from the
way in which it was proposed, he, for one, would op-
pose it, and vote for the original question.
After some farther discussion, the question of adjournment
was put from the chair : the ayes had the adjournment by a ma.
josh? el I & —Ayes, el ; Noss. 43 ; Majority, IS.