GENERAL HISTORY, 
eause of Catholic Emancipation 
had been injured by the dissen- 
sions which took place among the 
persons of that persuasion in 
Ireland, and by the violence dis- 
played at their public meetings, 
against any attempts to reconcile 
them with government. They 
agreed, however, upon a new 
petition to parliament; and on 
May 11, a paper to that effect was 
presented to the House of Com- 
mons by Sir Henry Parnell, which 
he stated fto contain the unequi- 
vocal opinion of the mass of the 
Roman Catholics of Ireland. It 
was read, and concluded with 
imploring the House, “ to grant 
to them the address of the oppres- 
sive grievances of which they so 
justly complain; and to restore to 
them the full and unrestricted 
enjoyment of the rank of free 
subjects of the empire.” 
On the 18th, the same hon. 
Member rose to submit to the 
House certain resolutions with 
respect to the claims of the Ro- 
man Catholics of Ireland. These 
resolutious were read, and after 
some discussion relative to form, 
the first of them was moved; 
upon the suggestion, however, 
of Mr. Banks, the motion was 
withdrawn. 
On the 30th, Sir H. Parnell 
presented a petition signed by 
6,000 Roman Catholics in York, 
Birmingham, Norwich, and other 
places, praying for an unrestricted 
_ emancipation from. all civil and 
military disqualifications oppress- 
ing them. He then moved for 
the reading of several entries in 
the journals of the House of the 
proceedings relative to the Ro- 
man Catholics; which being done, 
he began a speech on the subject. 
[29 
He assumed as a principle, that 
parliament had admitted the ex- 
pediency of a legislative measure, 
for the removal of the disqua- 
lifications under which the Ro- 
man Catholics labour; and that the 
question now was, how such a 
plan was to be carried into oper- 
ation? The only obstacle, he 
said, now existing in the way of 
Catholic emancipation, was the 
claim to give the crown a control 
over the future appointment of 
bishops, which had been set up 
on one side, and objected to on 
the other. He proceeded to shew 
that the pope’s influence over the 
Irish Catholic church was at pre-= 
‘sent not such as to excite appre- 
hension; and he concluded his 
speech by moving, “ That this 
House will resolve itself into a 
Committee of the whole House, 
to take into its consideration the 
laws affecting his majesty’s Ro- 
man Catholic subjects.” 
Of the copious debate which 
followed, and which in great part 
was a repetition of former argu- 
ments on the subject, we shall 
not attempt any summary. It - 
may however be interesting to 
quote some of the sentiments ex- 
pressed on this occasion by that 
long-tried friend of liberty, both 
civil and religious, Mr. Grattan. 
After affirming that he should 
certainly vote for going into a 
committee, but would not pledge 
himself to the support of the re- 
solutions exhibited by his hon. 
friend, he said, ‘*‘ When the pe- 
titioners desire emancipation with- 
out any conditions, they desire 
two things incompatible; because 
the annexation of no conditions 
must render the grant in this 
House impossible. I have told 
