The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-04-17 00:00:00

%ad the Roman Uatholtee Übe slue 7—lord they cone.
.
mattes tneee offences. or, rather, did their coins& any
~,froce, hoe that of worshipping tiod accordiag td the,
dictates of their cvniseience T--o(Hear.)—The principle
of exclesion, therefore, on hecount of religion solely.'
was a new system. they had ant meek, lit front their
aacettors. If their Lordships were to go back to the
time of Eliubeth, they would find that Roman Catho-
lics not only were not excluded from political power.
hat that they filled oflt:es of the highett trust under
`that Pri mess. Thin was then a ittrong Rbtnan Catholic
party in the country, and a Roman Catholic rival to
the throne; yet Elisabeth did not take her confidence
front them. She was afterwards excommunicated by
the Pope; yet this circumstance did net alter her
behaviour towards the Catholics. When a rebellion
broke out, she seat Lord Howard, a Roman Catho-
lic,. to the North to quell it.—(tlear, hear,hear )
—When the Spanish Armada threatened this coun-
try with an invasion, and when it was known that
?hilip undertook the expedition from religious motives,
Anal that the Pope apt.rored of it—whom did Elizabeth.
:house to command the fleet? Lord Howard, of Effing-
ham, a R ttttt an Catholic—(flrar.)—She also placed a
Known Catholic as Governor of Dover Castle, and at
lengths conferred upon Lord Howard the situation of
Lord high Admiral, an office that is at this day
thought too high fur a subject to hold.—(Hear.)—
Whilst the Roman Catholic Peers were excluded the
(loose here, they still etrisiosed in the Howe of Peen,
of Leland. The reign of Charles 11. was the hest
opportunity the Roman Catholics could have, and
vet they made no use of it. Such an opportunity
:could never occur to them. Besides the Church of
England was not now more indifferent to its interests,
nor were its defenders weaker than they had been in
that reign. Eves in those times the Duke of York
had dith.ulty in getting himself excused Crum taking
the Test Act. By the terms of the truly of Kilkenny,
tin oath was to be imposed on Irish Catholics but that
of allegiance. This measure had the effect of pacify-
ing Ireland. Tu this day the Church of Scotland
did not take the oath of Supremacy. But then it
was said the sect': Hies given by Roman Catholics con-
sisted of oath:', and Roman Catholics, it was said,
were not to be believed upon their oaths.
The Bithep of LONDON (as we understood him),
stated that his observation was, that the oaths of Ca-
tlsolics would he taken, with a reservation in favour
of the duty which thee owed to their own Church.
The Marquis of liti:KlNtillASl contended that the
Rev. Prelate s construction of the oath led to the concha-
lion which he had drawn. It, however. the Legislature
thought Roman Catholics unworthy of credit on their
oath, they ought not to have obliged him to take the
oath of 1797, where all the tenets of his relig' were
set out. For his own part, he had no ohjectiou to bare
Ail oath amongst the secoirities ; lint he appealed to the
good sense and feelings of the Hoese in favour of this
measure, and lie asked any Noble Lord to put his hand
to his heart, and say that it ',Quid not pass sootter or
Inter.—(clear, hear.)—If their Lordvltlps then were I on-
vtiwed that sooner or later this measure •houlil be adopted,
what he would ask their Lorildtir, was lb.• use or what
could be their object in postponing' It to a feature and re-
mote period. Were they to overlook any means for se-
citen, the trantrili•y of the country? Were they to
risk the tranquility a hich the country at present enjoyed
by the rejection of this Bill ? Who was there moors
their Lordships who could
_pronounce with any certainty
on the state of Europe ? won't! then, In bur's name,
intreat them to give their Roman Catholic fellow sub-
jects an interest iu the preservation of the Constitution,
and to employ and strengthening it,
and not doom them to perpetual exclusion.
The Bishop of CRIES l'Elt next addressed the
Howe. but i,n a tone so low as to be for some time
inao, able in the Gallery. 11 e ituderst oil his Lod-
sh p to say, that h • opposed this motion from a eon
vietion th it the Roman t atliulies were already in full
an i complete possession of religious tolerati..n. las
objection was nut to the inal:vi.suals, but to the rel.-
give'. It was an established •loctr:iie atie,ngst
that there was no salvation out of the trier (or Ca-
tholic) Church. This was thei: belief. or if not wh,
was it held as a liratuns r.ff awn ov r our beads ? The
Catholics looked to the Pope at the head of their
Church, but according to the doctrines of the Church
of England the King was the sup. elite head of the
Church.— (Hear). By the law • stablislied in !Ott
it was enacted. that the King and tiovernusent of the
country should he essentia!iv Protestant. by the
same law it was enacted, that the Peers and
sitting in Parliament should be Protestant, and %lambi
swear to support a Protestant aseendorcy in Church
and State. Not" lie conceived that those oaths were
tutally irreconcilable with the doctrines of the Church
of Rome. According to the law s to which he hail
alluded, the Pope sir Mahe!) of Rome could h.ite no
jarisdiction isithin these realms: but the rroposcil
Hill would allow of an interteretice contrary to the
spirit of that law, and a greater anomaly could not he
introdured into our legislation.--(11e.al). fleiiilis
they hail nu reason to believe that the Roman CAM.
hes of lreland would rest satisfied with the proposed
concessions. When their Lordships recollected the
concessions made to theCatliolies in 1;93, they c
not lelp perceiving that their increase of appetite lad
eronn by what it fed on. '('lie Right Reverend Pre-
late, a ter gime Aservit:ons upon the introduction of
J. suits i han.slied from Russia) into this conicry, con-
.eluded by expressing a hope t: at the pace and b oppi-
',less of this Protestant country should no' he again
distnrhed by the agitation of a question %chug' opened
athicir to such dissention and i ritat ion.
Tile Bishop MJUW It I' supported the Bill in a
t‘peecli of same lenzth ; hut in Ctili4Vlplelll'e ,•t the icelthe
:one. we 'egret we aonld catch hut a Sere tete of his
.d4eivations. We understood him to s that lie *el-
i;out now appeared ammo,: their Lordships. exclui
elect that ihaestion was Mon t:ht thrum hr
alwaysonxioas to support, because he it a
:,easnse of justice towards the Roman Catholics. anti
' mt'lswrc of polity and expediency with regard t.•
•`l' Aire at largo, It the Peels:mato I burets 00014
i").• im maintained without isollietiuo• thieot rvstrictioas
•na On our fellow-sn:jects, it w ..s an argu-
ment that the establishment was not sound. Ile slid
-not brio re that. 'Time reptiied DO ands nap-
?'" • lie believed the Church to he • stahlistied tilt
the purest principles, and he if:rennet Isis life fur
-he mointenauce of lier doer tines. It was lit Iler
710'11:r el the Clergy, more tlean .Hy others, :19 give
..11.:!Ity to the Protestant Church, and that oat not
P"rig jealousies and tlic;stssott•, bat by their
4"4"4- ;OA forbearance, and disposition to coned--
*:l'.* 7he Right Rev. Prelate combined his aro ai..uts.
were entiitly inaudible to us.

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