32] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



that the committee consist of twen- 

 ty members, whom he named. 

 The hon. member then made an 

 elaborate speech, in which he en- 

 tered into many particulars relative 

 to the opinions of different Roman 

 Catholic clergymen, as to oaths and 

 tests required by government, and 

 other circumstances tending to 

 show the necessity of farther in- 

 vestigation, before the proposed 

 concessions were made. He con- 

 cluded with the motion above re- 

 cited, which was seconded by Mr. 

 Ryder. 



Mr. Grattan then rose to object 

 to the motion of his hon. friend, 

 whose former good services to the 

 cause he liberally acknowledged, 

 on the ground of the long and in- 

 definite protraction of the mea- 

 sures for the relief of the Roman 

 Catholics, which, after a discus- 

 sion that had already subsisted 

 twenty years, it would occasion. 

 He gave several reasons against 

 the proposed investigation ; and 

 then took a summary view of his 

 own bill, and replied to various 

 objections to its provisions which 

 had appeared in the newspapers 

 as coming from the Roman Ca- 

 tholics, but which, he contended, 

 had not proceeded from any public 

 body, but were only thrown out 

 by individuals. He concluded 

 with moving, by way of amend- 

 ment, the order of the day. 



Mr. Ryder asked what would 

 satisfy the Protestants should this 

 bill pass into a law ? and he en- 

 tered into somr argumentation to 

 prove the necessity of such a fur- 

 ther inquiry as that proposed by 

 the hon. baronet, whose motion 

 he should support. 



Mr. Canning, after expressing 

 his surprise at the versatility of the 



last speaker, in secondinga motion 

 brought forward by a favourer of 

 a cause wliich he had always op- 

 posed, made a speech full of wit 

 and eloquence, in which he ex- 

 posed to ridicule the idea of going 

 into such a voluminous inquir}' as 

 the hon. baronet had suggested, 

 and stated the necessity of pro- 

 ceeding without delay to an ad- 

 justment of the matter in question. 

 He then went to the consideration 

 of certain points relative to the 

 bill, on which he had prepared 

 amendments, and communicated 

 them to Mr. Grattan. The first 

 was, the ascertaining the loyalty of 

 the Catholichierarchy; the second, 

 the prevention of foreign influ- 

 ence; the third, the finding some 

 security that the concessions to 

 the Catholics should be met by a 

 corresponding spiritof conciliation 

 on their parts. He touched upon 

 the principle of his amendments, 

 though the time was not yet come 

 for their discussion. 



Mr. Bathurst and the Earl of 

 Desart having spoken in favour of 

 the hon. baronet's motion, and 

 lord Castlereagh against it, the 

 House divided, For the amend- 

 ment (the order of the day) 235; 

 for the motion, 189: Majority 

 against the motion, 48. 



On May 13th, Mr. Grattan 

 moved the second reading of his 

 bill. An attack upon it was open- 

 ed by Dr.Duigenan, who conclud- 

 ed his speech bj' moving, that the 

 bill be read a second time on that 

 day three months. Of the debate 

 that ensued, it is unnecessary to 

 give any particulars. Dr. Duige- 

 nan's motion was rejected on a di- 

 vision, 245 against 203, and the 

 bill was read a second time, and 

 committed for the following day. 



