The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-02-01 00:00:00

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their Sovereign or the Legitature whiCh all their fel- mast faudable moderation and loyalty of temper.—
low subjecti enjoyed; but what he insisted on, was, It should be recollected that the population of ire.
that the Irish Government had never attempted to land had long since been admitted to the elective
interfere in hny proceeding of the Catholics which franchise, while the Catholic Nobles, Gentry, and
had the object of petitioning fairly in view. The fact men of property are held unworthy of being the
was, that they had thought tit to proceed to the form- Representatives of their brethren ! While he
titian of a Representative Convention. Against a had the honour to hold a share in the Govern.
'procedure of this kind (said his Lordship) the Irish went of Ireland, he did every thing in his power
COvention Act had been more particularly framed. under these circumstances to conciliate and softest
1 The Members of the Honseof Commons,and no other, their condition; he conjured the House to consider the
were the legitimate and constitutional representa- situation in which so numerous a portion of their fel.
I tires of the people. What an incongruity, at best, low subjects were still held, and to turn their serious
would it present, to see one assembly affecting to attention to the critical situation in which so valuable
speak the sentiments of the country, while another a branch of the empire was placed, in consequence of
expressed them in a manner directly opposite ? .Bet such deprivaiimmettei the nsiscondact of Its Gevevie
'.lice danger, of suffering such an assembly to exist was meat. For this, the motion of his Nob'..: Friend '
tbe more important conside/116m. Had each ea as. afforded them a convenient oppotennity._ 'lt. were
sembly been suffered to cehtinue until now, what a waste of their Lordship? time to expatiete epee
1 destructive consequences might not hove ensued ! theietopics. Instead of the harsh snd hoeties system
An assembly so constituted, if tolerated, might 1 which was latterly adopted, they should hold out the
think proper to discuss the questions of peace and I olive branch and the ha! 8 of friendship.—[llear,
war—the resources of the country, the taxes neces- . hear!]—Such was the only way to unit, all hands
sary for the continuation of hostilities, and the ability and hearts ; and such conduct e eu;d teed more ef-
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of the people to bear them; the commerc::, the exchan- i fectually than any other, to promote not only the
ges, and the currency of the empire-.all these topics ; tranquillity and happiness of Ireland, but the best in.
such a Convention may' proceed to discuss ; iu terests and security 4 f the Empire at large.
short every thing discussed in Parliament might 1 The Earl of ABERDEEN took a survey of the
most undoubtedly he debated in such an assembly. ! general state of Ireland, in order to examine what it
.As-to the objection and its temporary duration, he' was which could so urgently call for au inquiry into
would say, if it were lawful to discuss them one day, I the condition of that country at the present moment.
it would be lawful to do so another, and so on to I What most forcibly struck him in considering the
any tweeter. Such an assembly, if tolerated, might ; state of Ireland, -vas the taneaud attitude which the
sit whether Parliament were sitting at the time or body of the Roman Catholics hadassumed in the pre.
not.. No arguments, however plausible, should, he paration and furtherance, as they called it, of their
contended, be allowed to sutler a precedent of so dint- petition to Parlianieet. Was the present the proper
gerous and destructive a nature as the establishment moment for pressing forward their claims ? Was
of such a Convection. No Government could long their petition ready to be laid now before the House ?
maintain itself if such a system prevailed—no Go- , Was it in the manner in which that petition was pre.
vernment in its senses would sutler the existence, still pared, or the circumstances that attended and marked
less the continuance of such an anomaly !—(llear, ; their meetings, Parliament was to discdverand hall that
hear ! )—That of Ireland, therefore, had acted moste moderation, that forbearance, that respect, for the
prudently in not suffering such an assembly to coati- : laws, that veneration for the Constitution, which had
nue organized in the capital. It was necessary to ;so much and so frequently been the theme of pane-
put the existing laws in execution for the preserve- gyric and applause uith their advocates ? What
tion of the State.—(flcar, hear .9—They were justi- was the real object of the motion which the Noble
bed not only in the principle, but in the mode of Earl had this night submitted to their Lordships'
their conduct, as was amply illustrated by the pro- consideration i Were test the Noble Mover and those
ceilings of the Catholics. The proclamation of . who supported him, anxious rather to extend the in.
the Duke of Richmond on one day, was followed by quiry into the whole conductor his Majesty's Govern-
that of Lord Fingall on the next. They had set meat--to canvass and criticise their proceedings under
themselves in open hostility to the Government of all the aspects of that conduct ? This he believed
Ireland, which was unjustly blamed for exciting dis- was the true motive amid object of the present motion.
e•sstente, while in fact they had only eurnmed tha But ha had attentively watched the proceedings of
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laws of the country. The Noble Duke at the head the Government in Ireland; indeed the general mea-
of the Irish Government would, instead of meeting., sures of his Majesty's Government, both there and at
with censure, meet the applause of every impartial home; and his humble opinion was, that conduct not
man who had the opportunity of observing the acts of . only was not deserviii7 of blame, but was highly
his administration. His conduct, instead of being entitled to commendation. It would be imperti.
harsh or precipitate, was rather remarkable for its nent in him to detain their Lordships with a de-
Iconciliation and forbearance,. to tho utmost hounds .: tail of all that had recently passed in Ireland. All
lof prudence and safety. He begged the House to he would now take upon himself to say wa-:, that
recollect what was the conduct of America when she in all their late proceedings, the conduct of the
I was determined to separate from this Country? Was Irish Catholics, notwithstanding their own, and
it not the organization of a representative conven- the claims of their advocates to the praise of mo-
t tion ? What was the case with respect to France the deration and forbearance, had every thing in it
1 other day? Was not an assembly of the 'tales-Ge- that bespoke the very reverse, and appeared to him,
neral first called, and a National Convention imme- upon the whole, to be highly reprehensible. They
i diately afterwards organized ? The dangers of suf- seemed wholly to Torget the many successive endea.
; feriug such an assembly to have existence, were in. , yours timeliest been• made to improve ind meliorate
calculable, and he felt that the Government of Ire- , their conditions ; endeavours which theJiberality of
I land had only exercised its power, at a crisis when their own Parliament, and of their Protestant fel-
-1 the safety of the state was seriously menaced ! (Hear, ' low subjects, had carried as far as respect for the
I bear ! )-- •Had it acted otherwise, its supineness and Constitotion, and a due regard to its security, would
pusillanimity would have been censurable indeed—it admit. Much had been said about the rights of
I had enforced the laws on which the safety of the State mankind—about the rights of the Irish Catholics to
I depended. Had it declined to do so, the case in both ' privileges and immunities which they claimed—Will
!countries would have been different, but infinitely the Noble Lords who state thi3 question of right,
worse. Increased murmurs, and multiplied alarmists contend that the Irish Catholics can claim those prie
would have been one of the lightest consequences; vileges and exemptions as matter of right? Will
• but, as it was, he deemed them, instead of censure they assert that the question of right properly belongs
and reproach, deserving of theapplause and gratitude to the situation of the Irish Catholics? If they do,
1 of the country. , then must they be also prepared to assert that it does
The Duke of BEDFORD strenuously supported trot belong to their Lordships' House; that neither
1 the motion. He considered what had been advanced , this nor the other I louse of Parliament, nor both
1 by the Noble Earl, as not tending in the smallest do- ! together, have the right to impose restrictions on any
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g ree to do away the arguments and the facts ad. 1 class of men, even were those restrictions deemed ne.
: verted to by his Noble Friend. With respect to i cessary for the security of persons and property, arid
the recent conduct of the Government of Ireland, 1 for the general good and welfare of the community
he widely differed from him. An eulogium had .at large. lie should not enter into any minute dis.
been pronounced on the Noble Duke at the head cussion of the tendency and nature of religious opt-
of that Government. He trusted, however, it ' nions merely in their speculative form. Ile wished
would be allowed him, notwithstanding his near to consider them only as they might shew themselves
connection with that Noble Personage, to express practically, and how far that practice was or was not
himself as to this particular point, of a different inimical to Government. Under this point of view,
I opinion. The effects of the unfortunate measures of he would consider the Claims of the Catholics ; and
that Administration were too obvious, he thought, ask what had been refused to them, or, rather, what
to allow the merits of the question to be undecided. i had not been granted to them within the space of a
The actual state of Ireland he too felt, with his .No- : very few years ? And, after all these concessions,
ble Friend, to be such as forcibly to call for the of what did they now complain, and what did they
speedy interposition of the Government and LegiAa- further require ? Their complaint, it seems, was
ture of the Empire. What was that situation ? It , now reduced to this, that they were still precludes
was a Catnolic population under a Preeestant Go- ! from holding certain offices in the State. On this
vernment. Four-fifths of that population had to' point they were at issve with Parliament, and would
maintain their own hierarchy and their priesthood, their advocates contend, that as a matter of right
while the other fifth were in possession of all the re- they could claim an admissibility to those high
venues and the resources of the Government, to offices. This was the real state of the question. If
maintain and uphold their own establishments! Un- that doctrine was set up, he for one would not hesi.
der these circumstances, the Catholics had fre- tate to declare that such a doctrine was not tenable.
quently approached Parliament in a supplicating at- He was as solicitous as any Noble Lord could be
titude, for redress ; with what effect, was too.well for the better improvement of the cotaiition of Ire.
known. The discontents of that country were land. But would the grentiog of the present claims
to be attribtited to the intolerant spirit of of the Catholics contribute in the least to that im.
those who now were vested with the powers provemeot ? Ile thought not--neither could he see
of Government. The object of their recent con- the danger of withholding such a grant. At a dis.
duct was, he thought, to induce the more effect, tance, some appearances would indicate dangers.--
and to give a character of dignite4/and solemnity,
„Those dangers ,however, diminished as you approach.
to their proceedings. This object was frustated by ed them, and vanished altogether upon a nearer view.
the conduct of the Irish Government. Under such The Noble Lottl then proceeded to vindicate the rate
circumstances, It would not perhaps be wonder- conduct of the Irish Government, and to shew that
ful if the Catholics of that country had tilted differ. lisespirit which animated that conduct was its no re.
' etetie ; het, our. the etnabweYs they Asailleiliffeefled, se spot how* to the right of petitionle4 or .to say
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