The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-05-26
[NumBnR 5.

petition. the trial BY Jury, and the intepen.
dence of the Judges, were fundamental princi-
| Piles OF the Conftitution, and Protefant CO.
vernment and Embellishments were equally 70.
The fame changes that might be wife wi h ref.
Peet 70 other laws, were not to be applied TO
fundamental laws. They might alter the con-
ititution of the army, the eRabliihmcnt of the
navy, the regulations of the revenue, or, as
they were at that time in the courfe of doing,
the administration of Juftice but if any fuch
change were to be carried into ffeet with ref
| peet to the national Establishment, it would
| overthrow the contribution. This doctrine
might be termed hgotry but he would prefer
to any new lights, the bigotry of 1898, which
had effected the revolution, and etahfhed the
liberties Of this country on the mott fold foun-
daton.
Before he fhonld comment upon what had
been ftated by the Noble Baron, he begged to
fay few words upon the fubjed Of the parti-
cular meafure, that had led TO the prefent cir
cumnances. He could not conceive any praeti-
cal good that could refult from it. He had diff
| fered with the Noble Lords oppoiite on the
Catholic claims, and on that fubjett he could
underltand their arguments, but it was other
wife with refpe6t to this meafure. Had they
any reafon TO think that this meafurc would
have fatistied the Catholics, or, that having OBJ
tanned this, they would not equally deirc any
thing elfe /? This meafure was to give them
the fword, but to refufc them every thing be-
fides; and yet he had never converted with
any perfon upon the fubjed, who would not
rather grant to the Catholics what his majefy's
ninifers by this meafure refufed them, and re-
fufe what they grated.
He was adverfe to the meafi,re, becaufe il
would grant what was dangerous to give, and
was not calculated to give fatsfa6tion or TO pro-
duce content. He came next to conlider the
Misunderstanding that had taken place upon
the iuhjeet. In obferving upon this part of the
ftatements of the Noble Baron, and in fupply-
ing lone particulars which had been omitted by
him, he did not feel any inclination to detratt
from the credit due to the Noble Baron's fate
ments, or to give partial colour to the cafe.
If he ihould be guilty of any inaccuracy, the
| Noble Baron would, he trufted, correct him:
and in the obfervations which he propoftd TO
make, he was aduated by defire of promoting
the honour of the Crown, the dignity of the
King, and, with reference TO themfeIves, of djf-
charging moft fcrupuIous duty. The Noble
Baron had accurately flated, that the meafure
bad originated in the difpatch from the Irir,
Government. This dfpatch had been laid be-
fore his Majefty, ard upon an attentive perufal
of the contents of that difpatch, he was of the
opinion of his Noble Friend, that all that was
deiired in the difpatch was the exieniiop of the
proviiions of the Irifh act generally this was
the 'mprellion upon his mind on reading the
diiPatch, and the fame inprei zion feems 70 have
been felt by MIR. Elliott, who, when aled by
THE Catholic Deputies, whether the meafnre
was to remove the limitations of ne Irifh al.
declined an explicit anfwer, till he fbouId refer
the quefion to the Britiih Government. His
Majefy had, in the frff initance, uneouyocalIv
and ltrongiy declared his difapprobaiion of the
meafure.
| In centequence of this difspprobation, a. long
Cabinet Minute had been laid before his Maief-
", detailing in an able manner, the reafons for
the adoption of the mcafure, with view TO in
duce him to retra6 his Objection, and to content
to a mesfure of limited nature-Jt was i'm
poihble, therefore, that either the Noble Viz
count, Or the Noble and learned Lord could
have fuPpofed that the ueafure was to 90 far
Their than to make the provifons of the Irifh Act
general.-A doubt might indeed have been felt.
and he had entertained that feeling, whether
the meafure was only to include Irifll Catholics.
or the Catholics OF the empire. But upon
more attentive peruial of the minute, he was
convinced that it had been propofed to extend
the provifoEs Of the meaiure to the Catholics
OF the empire. He flated this to prove, that bv
every argument which had been ufed to obtain
his Majefy's content to the meafure, il was
clear the bill propofed was only to extend the
provilious of the Irih Bill. His MAfenv was
a6ured, that il was only the fame mea{iire IN
which he had confented in 1898, aud that the
preient meafure was only intended to carry jo-
to effect that Act according to the principle
upon which it had been enacted. That prin
ciple had been to give the Catholics the priv.
lege of holding certain commiffons in the ar
my, at the fame time referving others; and il
the principle OF the act of 1898, were 70 have
been the principle of the propofed meafure, he
commended that the refcrvations formed as much
part of that principle, as the sdmiHion 10 GER
tain commf1ons. This opinion he felt more
trongly, from the manner in which the nea-
fure had been brought forward, 70 different
from that which had been firn propofed. IL
had been at hrft intended to carry the prnci-
pie into effe6t, by the introduction of claufes
for that purpofe; but when il was determined
on to carry the meafure farther than was az 6Ift
propofed, 1t was found that caufe in the mu-
tiny bill could Rot make that law general, which
had been before limited, and therefore fspa-
rate bill had been thought necefTary. The re-
fult ef all he had faed was, that no prohibition
could be clearer than that the fra otis6 wax
only to make the Irlh Act of 1898 the general
law of the Empire. How the mifapprehenIiou
arofe upon the fubieet it was NOT for him To
decide, and certainly he would be the Ian man
in iuch cafe to afIert or fBiped that the mf-
apprehension was wilfu on either fde. lie
had, however, authority TO fate, that on the
Sd of March a communication had been made
to his Mejetty on the fubjed, and on the 9TH
Lord Howick had an sSdience Of his Maisfy.
at the Queens Palace. At this interview.
HE MasafZ haA ia