Star.
London, England, 1827-05-02 00:00:00

Administration of the country, I bad always felt that a
difficulty would have lain in the way of my combat•
ante in office; but not merely in consequence of my
expended 'opinions upon • the Catholic Question, anif
upost other subjects connected with Irish affairs. I have
for the last twelve months felt that difficulty in the two
situations in which I was placed respecting those quip
'dons...and with which my office of Secretary of State
Ihr" theHoine Department intermixed mit. I confess
t the relation in which I stood respecting these, and
in which I should have been placed, with respect to the
office of Prime Minister, constituted a new difficulty in
the way of my retaining office—(Hear, hear.) Lin
now returned into the ranks of private life, and in nol
way connected, either actually or prospectively, with
office, I may be allowed to state, that I have for some
time painfully felt the strange situation in which I stood
in this House—in which I was the only one of his Md.
Csty's Ministers who took the view that I did of the
atholic Question. I felt that my situation here was
one of delicacy—of difficulty—one of a most embar-
rassing nature—and that it was not one in which a Mi-
nister of the Crown ought to be placed—(Hear, hear.)
I entered, in the year 1822, upon the office which I had
lately the honour to hold, with a full notion of iheline
of conduct which I should and ought to pursue. In the
year 1825 I said, upon the occasion of the debate on
the Catholic Question, that if I retained office, it would
not be for the sake of office.. On the three Bills intro-
duced in the course of that year—that for what is termed
the Catholic Question—that for regulating the Elective
Franchise in Ireland—and that for the payment of the
Catholic. Clergy, which I thought would be something
like establishing the Catholic religion in Ireland--I
did, in commumcatine with my Noble Friend, then at
the bead of the Government (Lord Livet pool) re-
present to him that it would be extremely painful to
be separated horn my friends; but I also stated the
difficolty of my situation, and my most anxious wish
to be relieved from it, by being allowed to retire.—
At the request of my Noble Friend, however, I con-
sented to gem-tin-1m deeming, as I did and do, that
the person holding the situation of Secretary of State
for the Home Department should be of the same opinion
upon all important political subjects with the person at
the head of the Government. lint I consented to retain
office, only on condition that a new Parliament should
be called. When I addressed the House lately on the
Catholic Question—l mean when it was brought for-
ward by the Hon. Baronet (S .r Francis Burdett)—l did
so with a feeling that I should be in a minority—and I
was determined, should that expectation be verified, to
retitle immediately from office—(Hear,hear). Although
not treated by my Right Hon. Friends by any other
than good faith, still being the single Member of Go-1
vernnient in this House who resisted that motion, I found
my situation painful and difficult-,.particularly when
I saw all the other Members of Administration here,
not only advocating the measure, but acting in con-
cord with their political opponents—(Loud cheering.)
I make no complaint of the conduct of any of my
Right Honourable Friends—l only state it as a rea.
son why my position in this House appeared to
me one of difficulty. These seasons have, I repeat,
for some time past influenced my mind—but if, in act-
ing under him with is hum I entered public life, and be-
tween whose opinions and my own, on public questions,
them was not a shade of cl•ffereace—and if in his room
1 found my Right Hod. Friend, wi:h whom, on some
important points, I differed—l felt it would be impos-
sible to hold the situation which I filled in the Hoene
D:partrisen:—( He a., hear)—and if I could not retain I
that, it is impossible that 1 could be guilty of the paltry
subterfuge of removing to another—(Cheers)— no alter-
native, therefore, remained to me. The relation .A
the office of Secretary of State for the Home D:part-
ment, with that of the Prime Minister, is most intimate.
Not only drts all the Irish business come under the ad-
ministration of theHoute Se:retary, but in every instance
of civil preferment—in every promotion in the Church
—in short, in every instance of official appointment
made by the Prime Minister,the signature of the Secre-
tary for the Home Department is indispensable. I must,
therefore, say, that the office of the Home Department
should not be filled by a person differing in ()Onion from
the individual holding the situation of Prime Nlittister.
No other alternative presented itself to me, therefore,
than that of coming into the most painful of collisions,
or that of retiring from office, and a pretext for which
might be found in some single isolated point, without
acquainting the country with the real cause. Thus
feeling, it was my duty to ; revent the occurrence of the
most painful of the ahem:tiers, by retiring from office,'
rather than run the risk of embarrassing the Adminis-
tration, and of itaerfering wall the public service, by
that collision—(Hear, hear). These are my views, with
reference to the Catholic Question, and with reference
also to the duties of the Secretary of State for the Home
Department; and, mixed up as those duties are with
the affairs of Ireland, they furnish, in my mind, impe-
rative seasons why I should nut retain office under my
Right Hon, Friend—(Hear). And, acting on these
'grounds, I did, with regret certainly, but without hesi-
tation, signify to his Majesty, that it was impossible for
me to continue to hold office—(Hear). Whether the
H. use shall deem those reasons for the step I have
taken good or not, is a matter of 'little consequence to
me, compared with the satisfaction of my-own mind.
I feel that I would be acting inconsistently had I done
otherwise, and 1 feel convinced, that the course which
I pursued, will, on mature consideration, be viewed
as the only one I ought, or could, have followed. In
taking that course, I wished not to influence the con-
duct of any other person. The first individual to
whom I communicated that I should not be able to
take any part in the new Ministry, was my Right Hon.
Friend himself. At that moment, I nut only did not
make my own intention known to, but I was totally
ignorant of the determination of, any other person on
the point. I am sure that my Right Hon. Friend
will du me the justice to say, that, en the very first oc-
casion, the 29th March, on which I mentioned to him
my determination, I also told him what had been the
stature or my feelings for some time previously, and
that they dictated to me my retirement from office.
That intimation was conveyed by him to the highest
quarter, where no reset ve could be preserved. It cannot,
therefore, be imputed to me, that I acted with precipi-
tancy, for, at the moment when I first mentioned my
intention, I stated also the difficulties that 'presented
themselves to my remaining in office. I stated that I
would have felt pleasure in remaining connected with
the late Administration—that if any arrangement could
be made by which an individual of sufficient weight
might be placed at the head of the Government, with the
same principles as those which had governed my Noble
Friend, I was willing to retain the same office I had
previously held—(Hear). I must also state, that I de-
clared to my Right Hon Friend, that the CatholicQues-