Star.
London, England, 1803-03-24 00:00:00

CATHOLICS.

The MASTER of the ROLLS rote, porfuant to
notice, to move for leave to bring in a Bill to re-
move certaia inconveniencies and difabilities to
whiA the Catholics of Great Britain are at pre-
fect 1,11..ic0, in corifequence of two oaths prefcrib-
ed /lets of the iftlyt and 311! of hi, preterit
Majtfl:•, hoth r:f which were intended for their
relief. The as of the :ith tbt. lion. Cca-

tieman obarved, was introduced by Sir Georget
Savile, and that of the 3111 by the prefent Lord
Chancellor of Ireland. The former was dcfigned
to releafe the Catholics from the penalties to which
they were liable by the ails of the 1 ith and 12th
of William 111. and the latter from them which
had been impofed by any ftatutes from the reign
of William tip to the period at which it had been
enafted ; but by neither the 18th nor the 3111 were
the llatutes to which they referred aftually repealed.
The benefits they allowed were only conditional.
They were not communicac,d to all Catholics in-
diferiminately, but to fuch only as difclaimed cer-
tain opinions, and as took and fillifcri bed the oaths
which were f pecified in thofe two ads. From thefc
oaths arofe the confution which it was his objelt to
remedy ; for, according to the aria letter of the
law, no one was entitled to the combined benefits
of thofe efts, who had sot taken both the tells they
preferibed, and it fo happened that the greater
number of Catholics only took the oath mentioned
in the 3111 of the King, not conceiving the other
neceffary. Their furprife, of courfe, was great
when, on inftances occurring to inveftigate the
tenure of their eftates, they found they poll-died
no legal claim ; for, though they might conform
to the Aft of the 3111, yet in omitting to take the
oath which the Aft of the 18th direfted, they re-
mained fubjet to all the difabilities impored by the
t ith and 1 ath of William 111. among which was
a difqualification to hold lands by defient, devife,
or purchafe. The Houfe, he apprehended, would
not Coffer the Catholics to continue thus circum-
flaneed, merely in conrequence of there two oaths,
to retain both of which was sot by any means ne•
ceffary, as the diftinaion between them was quite
immaterial, amounting only to an omillion in that
part of the firft which related to the renunciation
of allegiance to Charles the Pretender, who was
not in exiftente when the laft tell was enafted. Yet
the effea of this difference was fuch, that a Ca-
tholic, who, by taking the tea prefcribcd by the
3111 of the King, was a good fulajea under that
Aft, might fill be a bad fubjea according to the
Aa of the 18th. Thus, through neglect, inadver-
tence, or ignorance, a Catholic might he fubjefted
to confiderable inconvenierroies. From a full per-
fualion, therefore, that the requilition of there
tells was quite unneceffary, and that it involved a
legiflative incongruity which ought not to exift,
the Learned Member concluded with moving for
leave to bring in a Bill to entitle fuch Catholics as
have taken, or may hereafter take, the oath pre-
Icribed by the Aft of the 3t t 1 of his prefent Ma.,
jelly,to all the benefits given by the Aft of the 18th.
The Motion was referred to a Committee, and
on the Houfe refuming leave was given to bring in
the Bill, which was brought in accordingly.—
Read a firft, and ordered to be read a fecond time
on Monday next. 1