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"POLITICAL AFFAIRS IN FEBRUARY. 
i GREAT BRITAIN. 
HE Parliament of the United King- 
dom was opened on Thursday, Fe- 
bruary 3, by Commission—his Majesty not 
being in sufficient health to attend in per- 
son. The following is the Speech, deli- 
vered by the Lord Chancellor :— 
** My Lords, and Gentlemen, 
«© We are commanded by his Majesty to express to 
you the gratification which his Majesty derives from 
the continuance and progressive increase of that pub- 
lic prosperity upon which his Majesty congratu ated 
be at the opening of the last Session of Parliament. 
here never was a period in the history of this coun- 
try, when all the great interests of the nation were 
at the same time in so thriving a condition, or when 
a feeling of content and satisfaction was more widely 
diffused through all classes of the British people.—It 
is no small addition to the gratification of his Majesty, 
that Ireland is participating in the general prosperity. 
The outrages, for the a pa of which extra- 
ordinary powers were confided to his Majesty, have 
so. far ceased, as to warrant the suspension of the 
exercise of those powers in most of the districts here- 
tofore disturbed.—Industry and commercial enter- 
rize are extending themselves in that part of the 
nited Kingdom. It is, therefore, the more to be 
regretted, that associations should exist in Ireland, 
which have adopted proceedings irreconcilable with 
the spirit of the constitution, and calculated, by 
exciting alarm, and by exasperating animosities, to 
endanger the peace of Society, and to retard the 
course of National Improvement.—His Majesty relies 
upon your wisdom to consider, without delay, the 
means of applying a remedy to this evil.—His Majesty 
further recommends the renewal of the inquiries 
instituted last session into the state of Ireland.—His 
Majesty has seen, with regret, the interruption of 
tranquillity in India, by the ee aggression 
and extravagant pretensions of the Burmese Govern- 
ment, which rendered hostile operations against that 
state unavoidable.—it is, however, satisfactory to 
find, that none of the other Native Powers have 
manifested any unfriendly disposition, and that the 
bravery and conduct displayed by the forces already 
employed against the enemy, afford the most favour- 
able prospect of a successful termination of the - 
contest. 
“* Gentlemen of the House of Commons, 
« His aay has directed us to inform you, that 
the estimates of the year will be forthwith laid before 
you.—The state of India, and circumstances con- 
nected with other parts of his basi fa foreign pos- 
sessions, will render some augmentation in his mili- 
tary establishments indispensable.—His Majesty has, 
however, the sincere gratification of believing, that, 
notwithstanding the increase of expense arising out 
of this augmentation, such is the flourishing condi- 
tion and a ee improvement of the revenue, 
that it will still be in your power, without affecting 
public credit, to give additional facilities to the 
national industry, and to make a further reduction 
in the burdens of his people. 
** My Lords, and Gentlemen, 
_‘* His Majesty commands us to inform you, that 
his be on | continues to receive from his Allies, and 
generally from all Princes and States, assurances of 
their unabated desire to maintain and cultivate the 
relations of peace with his Majesty and with each 
other; and that it is his Majesty's constant endeavour 
to preserve the general tranquillity.—The negocia- 
tions which have been so long carried on, through 
his Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople, between 
the Emperor of Russia and the Ottoman Porte, have 
been brought to an amicable issue.—His Majesty has 
directed to be laid before you, copies of arrangements 
which have been entered into with the kingdoms of 
Denmark and Hanover, for improving the commer- 
cial intercourse between those States and the United 
Kingdom.—A treaty, having for its object the more 
effectual suppression of the Slave Trade, has been 
concluded between his Majesty and the King of 
Sweden, a copy of which treaty (as soon as the ratifi- 
cations thereof shall have exchanged) his 
Majesty has directed to be laid before you.—Some 
d Ities have arisen with respect to the ratification 
of the treaty, for the same object which was nego- 
ciated last year, between his Majesty and the United 
States of America.—These difficulties, however, his 
Majesty trusts, will not finally impede the conclusion 
of so beneficial an arrangement.—In conformity with 
the declarations which have been repeatedly made by 
his Majesty, his Majesty has taken measures for con-~ 
firming by treaties the commercial relations already 
subsisting between this kingdom and those countries 
of America which appear to have established their 
separation from Spain.—So soon as these treaties 
shall be completed, his Majesty will direct copies to 
be laid before you.—His Majesty commands us not to 
conclude without congratulating you upon the con- 
tinued improvement in the state of the agricultural 
interest, the solid foundation of our national prospe- 
rity; nor without informing you, that evident advan- 
tage has been derived from the relief which you have 
recently given to commerce by the removal of incon- 
venient restrictions.—His Majesty recommends to 
you to persevere (as circumstances ma allow) in the 
removal of similar restrictions; and his Majes' 
directs us to assure you, that you may rely upon his 
Majesty’s cordial co-operation in fostering and ex- 
tending that commerce, which, whilst it is, under 
the blessing of Providence, a main source of strength 
and power to this country, contributes,.in no less a 
degree, to the happiness and civilization of mankind.” 
As might well be expected from the 
tenour of this speech, the principal object 
which has since challenged, and almost en- 
grossed the attention of both houses, espe- 
cially the Commons, has been (to take it in 
its largest view) the Catholic Question: 
that is to say, the consideration (or non- 
oqmadeatinn of the rights, or the wrongs, 
of at least four-fifths of his Majesty’s sub- 
jects in that country, and the interests, 
views, and prejudices of the menopolising 
factions and corporations who constitute a 
small proportion of the remaining fifth. The 
Catholic Association is now the political 
bugbear of those who wish to evade, by all 
possible means, the necessity of doing, 
what a large proportion of them have never - 
theless made specious professions of a con- 
viction, ought to be done, and of their 
desires to do :—that is to say, relieying mil- 
lions of their fellow-citizens from stigma- 
tizing disabilities for worshipping their God 
according to the dictates of their own con- 
sciences. Whoever has looked upon the 
course of state politics with a discerning 
eye, cannot fail to have observed the prac- 
tical paradox which constitutes the very 
principle of government finesse, in all ques- 
tions connected with the reform of abuses, 
redress of grievances, &c.—namely, Never 
to do any thing for the people, which they 
are not, as it were, compelled to do, by some 
measure or other which has a tendency. to 
place the injured in a formidable attitude ; 
and, at the same time, to make such mea- 
sures, whenever they oecur, not only pre- 
tences for refusing to do that to which other- 
wise they might be disposed ! but for making 
fresh inroads on the constitutional rights of 
the people, and depriving them of some 
essential privilege. 
Exactly in this point of view, we cannot 
help regarding the Bill introduced by Mr. 
Goulburn on Thursday the 10th, for the 
suppression of the Roman Catholic Asso- 
ciation: or, as he entitles it, “ A Bill to 
amend 
