HISTORY OF EUROPE. [139 



duced amongst us. It fell within 

 his own observation to know, that 

 in each of the two monastic societies 

 established at Winchester, several 

 l^ersons had been suffered actually 

 to profess themselves, and to take 

 both veils, since their residence 

 there ; and, as he was credibly in- 

 formed, a great variety of similar 

 instances might be produced, from 

 different parts of the country, where 

 those monastic institutionshadbeen 

 permitted to establish themselves. 

 These practices, sir H. Mildmay 

 thought, should be checked in the 

 bud, otherwise we might live to 

 lament that the national humanity 

 had been abused ; and that parlia- 

 ment, by votuig money for their 

 subsistence, had, in some degree, 

 been made a party to the revival of 

 what seemed to them the most un- 

 natural part of the Romish faith, 

 when it might be too late to extir- 

 pate the evils, which the influence 

 of such a system might have intro- 

 duced into the country. Having 

 admitted upwards of five thousand 

 priests into this country, of a per- 

 suasion inimical to the religion esta- 

 blished by law, and continuing to 

 subsist there at the public exijense, 

 it was a duty strongly incumbent 

 upon them to be particularly care- 

 ful to give no offence to the regu- 

 lar church, and that the interests of 

 the protestant communion should 

 not suffer by the excess of their hu- 

 manity and indulgence. Another 

 subject, to which he would call the 

 attention of the house, was the re- 

 cent foundation of a great variety 

 (jf catholic schools, many of which 

 were engrafted on, and under the 

 immediate superintendence and in- 

 fluence of tlieir monastic establish- 

 ments. This fact had given consi- 

 derable alarm and uueasiness to those 



reverend persons, whose high situa- 

 tions in the regular church had 

 placed the interests of the protestant 

 communion particular only in their 

 hands. The resolution he meant to 

 propose Vi^as similar to a regulation 

 which he understood to have taken 

 place in the year 1763, when the 

 catholic province of Canada was 

 ceded to this country, namely, to 

 place within the protection of the 

 law those convents which actually 

 exist, but not to suffer, on any pre- 

 tence whatever, the admission of 

 any new members into such socie- 

 ties. — Sir H. Mildmay said, that, in 

 submitting this subject to the atten- 

 tion of parliament, he had complied 

 with the general voice of the public, 

 laity as well as clergy. When he 

 added, to the other considerations 

 he had mentioned, the temptation, 

 he might say the bribe, which was 

 held out to the public, by educating 

 children in those catholic seminaries, 

 free from any expense to their pa- 

 rents, he thought he wasnot calling 

 on the house for any unreasonable 

 interference, when he suggested the 

 expediency of revising and recon- 

 sidering the present laws, and of 

 adding such strength to the arm of 

 the executive power, as might be 

 necessary to meet the emergence of 

 the present moment. The resolu- 

 tions which he moved, for guard- 

 ing against the evils to be ap- 

 prehended from a popish zeal for 

 making converts, were these : 



" That it is the opinion of this 

 committee, that the temporary re- 

 sidence in this kingdom, of certain 

 monastic societies, should be per- 

 mitted, subject to thcprovisionsof an 

 act passed in the thirty-third yearof 

 his present majesty, intituled, " An 

 Act for cstablisliing Regulations re- 

 specting Aliens arriving in this 



