The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-11-09 00:00:00

i,

•

• ...

IRELAND.

• Coati, Nov. I.—Pertinent to public advert's!).
meet, a most respectable meeting of the Kunsan
Catholics of this city and county was convened at
the Bush .Tavern, route purpose of taking into
consideration the propriety of. petitioning pulls,
tuent early in the, neat Session, for a rekieserrom
the penal disabiiitivri under which they flowed.
fee.
Upon the
motion of GVORDE GOOLD, Esq.
Joust GALWAY, Esq. of I.ota, was called to the
Chair.
Counsellor Jessie M'Csertiv then addressed
the Meeting,:—As one of the Committee, ho
stated that it had ranee to his duty to propose car.
tabs Resulistious, upon the propriety of spelt the
Committee to whose care the Catholicr of that
great city and county hail confided their in.erisit,
*had unanimously agreed, it was then onnecessary
to develepe the reasons and motives which led to.
sttch itconehision. It was, perhaps, of the great.
cat importance to the ultimate success of their
cause, that the principles which recommended it
were so fatly untiersoloil, and so wisely appre-
ciated—still it might be proper to pref•ice the Re.
solutions with some general observations. • The
under which they laboured had not one
effect more poignant to the feelings of the Catholic
Hotly than that they held them up to the public
view, as well as to their own consideration, as a
degraded cast. They felt that any man of their
liody, however trasiseendant his merits,, elevated
his rank, or distinguished his virtues, in moving
through his proper sphere in society, could place
his baud upon his heart, and in the Lieguage of
-conscious independence, say. that' ho was in his
native land the equal of his Protestant-fellow-sub-
ject, even with less claims to superiority: In
such a state of things, it was impossible for men
to be divested of those excitements which prompt
the human mind to take the means of extricating
itself from undeserved inferiority. It was impus.
Ohio that those impulses shunLd not operate with
the•Catholies, which were so strongly implanted
by Nature in the human heart. In compliance
with .that impulse, ho felt that it was the duty of
the Catholics of that great city and county to
seek for the recovery of their Constitutional rights
by legitimate meant. At all times the right and
the policy of conceding them were felt and ad-
mitted b 1 theseise and patriotic; but the peculiar
circumstances of the present day rendered the pro.
priety of the discuision much more perspicuous.
It was surety a public duty to knit in an indisso.
table bond the hearts and affections of every de.
scription of men in the kingdom, at a moment
when we may say, with the exception of the.Bri-
fish Islands, the map of Europe was extinct, and
when not a single nation was left upon its exten.
live Continent that would dare to breathe the ac-1
cents of independence—Dear, hear The'
Learned and highly respectehle Gentleman neat
proceeded to state the propriety of the Catholics
coining fir ward with subscriptions, in order to
enable the Committee to adopt the most cll.:thud
Theses for eventual success. Re instanced the ve-
ry small village of Killerney, which, at the seg.
studio(' of a brother berrister (Mr. D. O'Connell),
came forward, and In the conise of a few hoists
raised a sum of tete hundred pouuds, for the pur.
pose of the general .cause. The great county .of
Tipperary had also determined to follow the same
eelightetied course, and to appear before the great
Council of the Nation with their Petition early in
the approaching •Seselon.. Many ream urged
the propriety of adopting inch a course of con.
Mid, and he was proud to feel that the city and
county of Cork were tablet to afford so lendable
an example. Fruits such conduct benefit and ad-
vantage mast e and althOugh they may not
amount to the extent of Catholic wishes and hopes,
still it was Impossible not to eonteinplate the pro-
gress to eventual triumph—for where was the man.
rho heard him, or in the Empire, who did not
fool that when ks Ombres Chinofser, as he might
call them, who now presume to direct the Coen-
ells of the Empire—when thane evanescent appa-
ritions who now venture to stalk abroad from the
Ministerial chirnel.house, were consigned to their
Wittiest silence and obscurity, that in mere liberal
Councils and by enlightened Statesmen, the neces-
sity of Catholic concession would be felt, and the
benefits resulting from its adoption at length res.
ram. [hear, hear!] With such a feeling ant.
mating that Assembly, it remained only fur him
Ilb reed for the consideration of the Meeting the
limitations it was his intention to propose fur
their adoption.
The Learned Gentleman then proposed a vari-
ety of Itesoletions, declaratory of the intention of
the Cethulies of Ireland to petition Parliament
next tieseion, and to co.operpte in their endeavours
to attain the great object of their wishes, with the
Ctitholie Committee of Dahlia.
Mr. &petal .preteeted essinst the system of
proceeding recommended by the Learned Gentle.
man. 11e considered it preposterous for that
Meeting to pledge itself to Resolutions, merely,
because the Coutttittee of their Body coincided to
their propriety. There was hi his mind this fa-
tal objection, that they were silent upon one point
on which they ought to be meat candidly explicit.
liti alluded to the negative power in the appoint.
remit of Bishops, which ought, as he conceived,
to be given to the King. It would be a sincere
proof of our attachment to confer upen our So.
vereign, that power in the appointment of our
prelacy, which, as at present- exercised, would
possibly ist the course of a fliUure day, devolve
upon the uncle of the ieveterate enemy of this
Empire. lie concluded with moving an Amend.
pent to the original Resolution, that the Catholics
of that cityjand county were ready to give up
to the Sovereign the right of exercising his ne-
gative in the appoltitmeut of Catholic Bishops.
Counsellor WCAnTuy, in .a most impres-
sive manlier, cautioned. the Meeting how it as.
Bunted a right, which it was denied by every prin_
cipie of law and religion. There were present
none but Laymen, and it was for them to be-
ware how they adopted any Resolution, tending
to infringe upon the rights of those who were so
properly absent. Besides, by what view would
such improper conduct present itself to that

I

..

,

Legislature, to whose wisdom and justice they •
were about to appeal ? W.iuld they not be can.
sidered as men who had bargained for their free.
dem; and had annexed, as a price for their resto-
tttltion chil ri►lhts, a r.►nditinn Which it was not
in their power to fulfill? Upon that question a
diversity of •►pinion existed in. minds the most in.
telligent. With some it was surely a question of
importance, whether they would now surrender
Abuse forms, and that discipline, which regulated
their religious tenets, had to which, under the re-
strictive statutes of Ioo7ears they had invariably
adhered. At all events it was a point with which
that Mcs•tieg had no connection, uniess they pre.
stoned to interfere, in a manner which neither mo-
ral or religious principle sanciiwied.
Mr. BoYLE expressed a desire to hoar the rea-
nns upon which the Learned Gentleman ground.
cii the assertion, ttitst the Catholic Laity could
not interfere with their opinion Upon the ap.
pointment of the Catholic Prelacy.
When the Amendment was abotit to be put,

.Mr. Powert rose and expressed his hope*, that
in his native city, though after an absence of
some years, he might be pardoned for intruding
a very few observations. He did not see thestb.
cessity which existed for Introducing a polemical
discussion, to prove that the Catholic Laity had
no power to infringe upon the rights of their
Hierarchy. There were, without such a refer-
hence, motives sufficient to sway every man who
felt fbr the character and honour of that great
Body, not to yield such a right even to the ve-
nerable discretion.'of the Executive Magistsate.
Amidst the disabilities under which they had la-
bonted—under all the odium to which the Catho-
lic Body were eubjectittl for centurioii of Ors,.
cations it was still a consolation to feel, that they
were blessed with independent Clergymen.—
[Hear! hear!] Surrender this right to the
Crown, tnd what power will a base Ministry
aml themselves of ! In place of a respected po-
pular Prelacy, responsible to public opinion, nod
alive to popular feeling, you will have an intriguing
servile Clergy, the tool of every hireling of office,
and more anxious for his countenance than for
the according sentiment of his Mock. pear !
hear 1 In behalf of the Catholic and of the
Protestant part of the cemminity, he would
protest against the innovation, as equally danger-
tins to the liberties of both. Was
.this the time
to degrade the claim of truth and justice, the de-
mand of loyalty and valour, by an unnecessary
bribe? The great question stood upon its owe
merits, it was sanctioned by the ablest and ho-
nestest Statesmen in Europe ; and therefoie, be
trusted, that in offering their just prayer before
the august deliberative Assembly, they would not
overcharge it either with slavish concession, or
braggart menace. They had to recollect the po-
litical martyrdom which they had already suf-
fered for the religion of their fathers, and as
long as they revered that recollection, they would
pronounce their veto upon the proposed Amend-
ment. •

The Amendment was negatived by a consider.
able decided majority, and the original Resolutions
agreed to, with two dissentient voices.

On Saturday last, a boat with fi vttigt en pia
ashore near the signal.post at Sutton, nriphi'c oast
of Lincolnshire. The story connected w iilf the
eircutestAnce is as follows :.-- Willits,* Fitzgerald, I
carpenter's mate of his Nlaj'esty's Ship the Newel-
.ficent, cast away on the coast of France on the
25th of March 1804, was, with 75 of the "crew,
put into a French prison ; and. on the Gth of
July 1809, this man, with several others, got
away from the prison ; and, on his arrival at Alll.
sterdam, requested protection from the American
Consul, who refused his request. He theii, rather
than be again it/tutored in a prison, entered on
board a French privateer, in the hope of boiug
captured by some lrriti.h cruiser. The privateer
was at anchor at Shelling, when a boat was sent
out to capture a vessel in the offing. In this boat
went Fitzgerald, Peter Doyle, an Irishman, and
Thomas Green, a Prussian, with ten Frenchmen,
and au American black. Fitzgerald pnd his two
friends, watched the proper opportunity, seised
upon the arms, and forced all the Frenchmen to
jump overboard, excepting one, who, with the
American black, compose the number that have
landed on tho coast. Captain Lt.oyn, of the
Royal Navy, at Boston, has seat them to Great
Grimsby, there to wait for their disposal by the
Admiralty.
It is stated in a recent Moniteur, that a coml.
vinous animal has been lately committing great
ravages in the part of the department of Gard on
the side of the censmenefi of Villefort and of St.
Andre:Capeese. It has already devoured several
childeen. Anthentie worts have been made to
the neighbottr!og Magistrates of these accounts.
Those who have seen it, are not, however, yet
agreed upon the species Of this terrible animal.
Some fly it is a huge wolf; others, that it
resembles a bear. They have only seen- it at
a distauce, and their terror prevented them
from making accurate observations. A peasant
who saw it, says, that it is as large as an am,
with brown hair. The Mayor of Saint Andre
Capeese, in a letter of the 14th, states, that ac-
cording to the proofs which he had collected, it
resembled, in shape, a large wolf, with the hair
on the back all bristled, and of a blackish co-
lour, the tail lung and bushy, and the muzzle
extremely long. In certain communes, it has
been ordered, as a measure of precaution, not to
Id children have the care of cattle in isolated
places. Several hunts have taken place, to purge
the country of this animal, and it has even been
gretleat by several psrsons, but hitherto without
success., However, the measures taken encourage
a hope that it will soon cease to exist.
During the time of General Bacialsi.E's con-
finement in Windsor Castle, as a party of soldiers
was marching there, to be set as guards over him,.
a Gentleman bad the curiosity to ask on what
'business they were going ; when one of the oftl-
cers, fond of punning, replied, " We are going
to Windsor to keep *General Fast.".

tiff'ST,At Es m AN.