94] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



organization was announced in the 

 public papers, especially in tliose 

 known to be under the control of 

 government ; names of high rank 

 had appeared uncontradicted 

 among ihe members; and it be- 

 came the imperious duty of the 

 House to check the evil in its 

 growth. After some further ob- 

 servations on the dangerous nature 

 of such institutions, the hon. mem- 

 ber moved, " That a committee 

 be appointed to inquire inta the 

 existence of certain illegal societies 

 under the denomination of Orange- 

 men." 



Mr. Bathurst did not doubt that 

 these persons had involved them- 

 selves in a breach of the law, how- 

 ever involuntarily, and hoped that 

 the motion might be useful to 

 them. He did not, however, see 

 any occasion for the interference 

 of parliament, and thought it 

 would be best to pass to the or- 

 ders of the day. 



Mr, Stuart Woiiley strongly con- 

 demned the principle of these so- 

 cieties, and equally disapproved of 

 others of a contrary tendency, who 

 met and dined together, assuming 

 exclusively the title of Friends of 

 Civil and Religious Liberty. He 

 also severely censured the proceed- 

 ings of the Catholic committee, 

 and the resolutions of the Catholic 

 bishops. 



Mr. Whitbread could not see 

 any connection which the present 

 question had with the dinner of 

 the Friends of Civil and Religious 

 Liberty, in which there was no 

 principle of exclusion, but the 

 tickets were open to all who chose 

 to apply for them. He did not 

 think the subject ought to be dis- 

 missed in the manner proposed by 

 the right hon. gentleman (Mr. 



Bathurst). Were none but un- 

 wary persons concerned? Was it 

 not rather wary and insidious to 

 publish two sets of pamphlets, in 

 one of which, designed for the 

 more educated, the conditional oath 

 was omitted, whilst it was inserted 

 in the other which was to be cir- 

 culated among private soldiers, and 

 the lower orders of society. Ought 

 not the House to inquire into this 

 dark conspiracy, calculated to se- 

 ver the Protestants from their Ca- 

 thoUc brethren ? Great names had 

 been mentioned as connected with 

 these Orange clubs. The titles of 

 two of the individuals who held 

 the first stations in the kingdom 

 (the prince of Wales and the duke 

 of York) had been profaned by 

 being coupled with these disgrace- 

 ful meetings. He wished, and had 

 expected, to have heard a dis- 

 claimer of any such patronage and 

 support afforded by them. 



Mr. Canning was glad to ob- 

 serve that, in the discussions which 

 the subject had created, no one 

 had stood forth in defence of the 

 innocence of these institutions. It 

 had been said that in Ireland such 

 societies had been beneficial to the 

 state, and to the safety of part of 

 the community. He did not wish, 

 however, to introduce into this 

 part of the empire those symbols, 

 watch-words, and whisperings, 

 which conveyed the idea that there 

 was need of some unheard-of de- 

 vices to protect the constitution. 

 He felt some indignation at the 

 manner in which the subject had 

 been pressed upon the House. It 

 was like telling them that the go- 

 vernment was untrue to its trust, 

 and that the care of the public 

 safety devolved on the good sense 

 of the nation, which they modeatly 



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