34] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



he gpoke of the papal supremacy, 

 and its consequences, as a point of 

 faith wiiich will continue fixed and 

 unalterable among the Roman Ca- 

 tholic population of this kingdom. 

 He concluded with moving, that 

 the words " to sit and vote in ei- 

 ther house of parliament," in the 

 first clause, be left out of this bill. 

 As the personal weight of the 

 Speaker, and his trpin of argu- 

 ment, seem to have exerted the 

 principal influence on that side of 

 the question, it would be superflu- 

 ous to notice the repetition of the 

 same arguments by others : nor in 

 the replies to them from the oppo- 

 site side, was any thing important 

 produced which had not been re- 

 peatedly urged in the long discus- 

 sions of this topic. The clause in 

 debate was by both parties regard- 

 ed as of the most fundamental im- 

 portance in the proposed bill ; and 

 whilst the dangers of admitting it 

 were mustered in their most formi- 

 dable colours by one party, the 

 evils to be expected from leaving 



the Catholics in a dissatisfied state 

 after their long expectations, were 

 as forcibly insisted upon by the 

 other. At length, the question be- 

 ing loudly called for, a division 

 took place, on which the votes 

 were, for the clause, 247 ; against 

 it, 251 : Majority for its rejec- 

 tion, 4. 



The numbers being declared, 

 Mr. Ponsonby said, that as the bill, 

 without this clause, was neither 

 worthy of the acceptance of the 

 Catholics, nor of the further sup- 

 port of the friends of concession,he 

 would move that the chairman do 

 now leave the chair ; which was 

 carried without a division ; and 

 thus the bill was abandoned. 



The only further proceeding in 

 the house relative to the Catholic 

 question in this session, was a no- 

 tice given on May 31st, by Mr. 

 Grattan, that early in the next ses- 

 sion, he should move for leave to 

 bring in a bill for the relief of his 

 majesty's Roman Catholic subjects 

 in Ireland. 



CHAPTER 



