150 ANNUAL RE 
said to make it appear justifiable, 
and to render an injury concerning 
it annecessary. 
Ponsonsy, 
Wentworta FirzwiLiiaM. 
And the said ear! Fitzwilliam, 
moreover protesting for himself, 
and on his own part, declares that 
this house refusing such necessary 
investigation, he doth conceive and 
feel himself injured and oppressed, 
as a British subject, as a peer of 
Great Britain, and as a person who 
has exercised an high and very 
responsible trust under his majesty. 
That he is not content merely to 
prove his innocence; that he was, 
and is ready to make it appear to 
. the house, and to his country, that 
in that trust he has a¢ted faithfully, 
zezlously, affectionately, dutifully, 
and diligently towards his sovereign; 
that he has a¢ted. with attention and 
practicability towards his colleagues 
in office; that he has aéted with 
an enlightened regard to the true 
interests of the nation, which, un- 
der , his majesty’s sauthority, he was 
appointed to govern. That he 
stands upon the merit of his mea- 
sures; a the prudence of his ar- 
rangements; that by them confi- 
dence was recovered to govern- 
ment. That he stands, for the 
justice and the policy of ‘removing 
the few feeble, miserable, ineffica- 
cious, but invidious restrictions, 
that remain on the catholics of Ire- 
iand, as wholly useless for any good 
purpose, but powerful in causing 
discontent, both with regard to 
government and to parliament, as 
furnishing handles of oppression to 
the malevolent, and as supplying 
pretexts for disorders to the turbu- 
Jent and seditious. That he should 
have shewn a degree of incapacity 
wholly to unfit him for-his arduous 
GISTER,. 1795. 
trust, if he had ated on anidea 
that the politics of thts time, or 
that the present or probable futare 
interests of states, do at all de. 
pend upon questions, whether of 
do&trine or discipline, either as 
agitated between catholics and 
protestants, or as agitated by pro. 
testants amongst thetr several sub. 
divisions. ‘The charch and’ state 
have enemies very different, and 
infinitely more formidable than 
any which have their origin in any 
religious parties. He has for some 
time been persuaded, but most 
clearly so since he went to Ireland, 
that by good management the dan. 
gerous principles and tempers of 
the times, which have another and 
more recent origin, may be kept 
from taking root, either in the 
church of Ireland, there happily 
established, or in the presbyterian 
church, in communion with that 
of Séétland or in the church of 
the old natives of Ireland, commu- 
nicating with that of Rome; or in 
any other religious se€t whatever ; 
but that through intemperate, vex. 
atious, corrupt, Or oppressive con- 
duct, every one of these descriptions 
may be infeéted with this evil, iff 
greater or lesser degree and extent 
or malignity, according to the de. 
gree of oppression or indiscretion 
with which they are severaily treat. 
ed. He was, and is convinced, 
that the best mode-of resisting this 
reigning danger, either from with. 
in or from without, is not to be 
found in a plan for reviving, by, 
art or influence, prejudices and 
heart-burnings expired, or ready 
to expire, or of sowing the seeds 
of eternal discord and division 
between the people. During nf 
government he had vathite 
complain.of the disposition o ny 
religiéus 
