52] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



institution to tlie person so elected, 

 all possibility of foreign influ- 

 ence in the appointment would 

 be completely excluded, and the 

 selection of a proper person would 

 be secured by the oath above 

 mentioned. 



Mr. WebbeT in a long speech 

 gave a detailed view of all that 

 had occurred respecting the Ro- 

 man Catholics of Ireland, from 

 which he drew the inference, that 

 the measure now proposed is 

 utterly hopeless as a plan of 

 conciliation. 



Mr. Bathurst,'m speakingagainst 

 the motion, said, that one of the 

 most extraordinary assumptions 

 in the arguments on this occasion 

 was, that things were now brought 

 to such a state, that some change 

 viust be effected in the laws re- 

 specting the Roman Catholics. 

 This he denied in toto ; and main- 

 tained, that unless the House was 

 prepared to overturn the funda- 

 mental principles of the constitu- 

 tion, it was impossible to accede 

 to the concession called for. 



Lord Castlereagh said, that one 

 of the difRcultics which attended 

 this discussion was, that it was 

 scarcely possible to adduqa one 

 new argument or new topic which 

 was not already exhausted on each 

 side of the question. At the same 

 time it was not the less necessary 

 that Parliament should, with all 

 convenient speed, deliver itself 

 from the agitation of this painful 

 subject. It was, however, to be 

 recollected, that there was no pro- 

 bability that this question could 

 be laid asleej), by persisting in a 

 system of permanent exclusion 

 After the noble lord had delivered 

 his opinion with respect to the 

 subjects of concession and se- 



curity, he declared that he found 

 himself, as on former occasions, 

 bound in duty to support his right 

 honourablefriend's motion. He WHS 

 persuaded that the question could 

 not be otherwise got rid of. He a 

 saw no danger in the measure ; f 

 and he did not believe that the 

 quantum of power which it would 

 give the Catholics would enable 

 them to do mischief, even if they A 

 were so disposed. ■ 



Mr. Peel, after some prelimi- 

 nary observations, said, that there 

 are two systems possible to be 

 adopted in Ireland, between which 

 we must make our choice : the 

 one is that on wliioh Ave are act- 

 ing at present, the other that which 

 we are called u})on to substitute 

 in its f)lace. By the first we give 

 every toleration to the faith of 

 the majority, but maintain that 

 of the minority as the religion 

 of the state. We exclude them 

 from offices which are immedi- 

 ately connected with the govern- 

 ment of the country, admitting 

 them generally to all other offices 

 and distinctions. This system it 

 is proposed to replace by another, 

 which shall equally profess to 

 maintain the religion of the mi- 

 nority, as the established religion, 

 but shall open to the Roman Ca- 

 tholics both Houses of Parlia- 

 ment, and every office in Ireland, 

 exclusive of that lord lieutenant. 

 It will be my purpose to prove 

 that the law we are now acting 

 upon is preferable to that which 

 it is proposed to substitute in its 

 room. Do not suppose (said Mr. 

 P.) that I think that they consti- 

 tute in the abstract a perfect sys- 

 tem, or tluit I rejoice in the ex- 

 clusions and disabilities which 

 they induce. I regret that they 



are 



