The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-06-02 00:00:00

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they Catlyies, the iirelence was so glaring as
to defeat its object. [Mar, hear 1] The Learned
Judik‘rom Oxford (Sir W. Scott), was some.
what,More judicious in his mode of propagating
prejtsdice. He charged nothing directly, but ha
insinuated every thing. In professing to state, ai
was his duty, the sentiments of his constituents,
the Learned Judge, discarding the recommendation
of the distinguished 'Member for Dublin (Mr.
Grattan), to cast the veil of oblivion over recent
Asensions, thought proper, with an extraordinary
degree of solemnity, to attribute the Irish Rebel-
lion to Catholicity ; but the Learned J edge tir_
got, that according to the authority. of Mr, Pitt, it ,
Could net be called a'Catholic Rebellion. Id fact,
no one at all acquainted with the case could so de.
scribe it. That a Rebellion in any country was
likely to involve atajority of that religion which
the ordinary poptiTlif;un in general embraced, was
naturally to be expected. 13iit It was undeniable
that the leaders of the Irish Rebellion were Pro.
testants, and that among the whole band there were
no Catholics of any rank or importance. Any of
the Catholic Clergy who were implicated, were
notoriously of no reputation alautig the.r own
body—e ere in fact ,excommunicated from the
Catholic Communion long before the rebellion cote.
menced (hear! hear ! hear !). As to the etre.
chies,which.marked the progress of the rebelli4n,
ureetestionably they were (emeritus. But from
the hest information, he wait enabled to assert,
that the conduct of the King's troops was much
more outrageous to huinatiity and the Corot'.
tution, than Any thing that could he charg.
ed upon the . people. If his 'Learned Friend
(the entice of. this questioe) thought proper to
employ his great talents in delineating all the fea:
• tures of the event alluded to, her was Sure that
such a picture would 'be prinented as must make •
the hair of every man in the Howie stand .un cad,
not from a reuse like that referred to.'„Ky the si.
pietit Member fol. Somersetshire (Mr. Lethbridge)
who lately-need the-phrase, but from,* display of
On, most horrible cruelty and sarnage„ [Clear,
heart] There 'seem he bad no *nib!, many
honest, respectable men in that House ttpd out'of
doors, who thought' that Catholic "Emanepatioa
ought not to be, because in their view it could
not safely be conceded. But the delusion of suck
opponents nas to be removed by discussion ; and
he had no doubt of their one. (lay becoming the
advocates of the Catholics. The incurable mei_
lilies of the Catholic cause werethose alone who
enjoyed persecution—who subsisted upon mono.
poly—who valued the• Church and Constitution
orify as they secured them the exclusive posses.
sion of profit and of police. [ilear, hear I] To
the opinkin of such pelions •ho hoped that
House would not consent to bend ; for it
must be aware that the interest and safety
of the Empire was not to be promoted by
protecting the monopolist and proscribing the Ca.
tholic, but by a union of all our strength and pis.
'pulation, at a crisis particularly when the aid of all
was necessary for our common defence. Wile.
pendently of this consideration, he appealed to
the jestice and wisdom of the house, whether it
liultlJ, upon any tenable ground, consent to Pro. •
scribe the religion of .the Catholic ? Could that
religion- which so many distinguished friends to
freedom, to science, and to humanity were prowl
to avow ; Vtitich • reeked among its disciples a
Conde, •a Bossing, a Feneloo, and so many other
great men of the ancient and modern world, be
deemed a fit subject fur proscription by a free, en.
lightened, and liberal assembly ? With respect to
the Veto, he 'called stilton the House to recollect
the statement of the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) re. ,
Native to the connection between the Catholic
Clergy and Penple of Irilandl• and to consider the
danger of weakening that connection—of shaking
the confidence of the hierarchy in the people, or
vice versa. It was absurd to suppose that the
Catholics would ever consent to rest the appoint.
went of those who were to preside over their spi.
ritualconcerns, in any quarter supposed unfriendly
to thiiir religion ; that they would consign the go.
vernment of their Church to those who were too
apt, as at Reverend Prelate, of the Established
Communion, once said, to regard theirs as a reti.
On* fit only for knaves and fools ! (alluding to an •
exprCssion of Archbishop Agar). Sudh a coal
cession was not to be expected from the Catholics,
and he was surprized at the demand of it. Bat
this Veto was, in fact, a mere stalking horse ; the
plea of desertion from the Catholic cause ; the pal-
liative of persecutors ; the list retreat of presump-
tlun and monopoly.—pear, hear t] U pun what'
ground, he would ask, could this Veto be re.
qnired ? Was the loyalty of the Catholic Hier.
arehy impeached or impeachable ? He would
challenge any man to produce a single instance
of disaffection among the Catholic Bishops—
tiny. Instance in. which they had acted or at.
-tempted to act against the Goverment: On
the contrary their fidelity to the State:Was
do conspicuous, their exertion in support. of
the Government so signal, 'during the trying pe.
-rind of the insurrection, that it was notorious
they were deriuunced among the leaders of the re.
bellion as " Orange Bishops," as strenuous advo.
cates for the views of Government. 'WhY
tictn
demand any additional pledge of loyalty from such
men ? Why ask of them that, which in fact,
could not be granted without the consent of the
Pope ? If this Veto were sus material, Why did not
the Ministers of this country, as statesmen, seek
that object when it was more in their power to
(obtain it ? 1V by did they not avail themselves of
tlt opportunity, when the Pope was protected
'by British troops, to look for this guarantee for
British power, which was never regarded is Su es.
aential ? But the opportunity was gone hy, and
there was no prospect of accomplishing the Ob-
ject. It was known that Louis XIV., with
touch greater _means of securing success, swig•
gled' in vain for Oa saute object ; and how
could we then flatter ourselves that it was at•
fainable to us, particularly under existing eirentres
stances. In fart the Irish Catholics could toot ac..
cede to the proposed grant of a Veto, without
giving 'up their spiritual communion, witltuut ac-
tually al creed. it therefore•
quite a/

Wm'

shansloning Muir creed. it Was, therefore,
ibsurtfto calculate upon siteh concession.