56] ANN UAL REGISTER, I8I7. 



moment you throw open the door 

 to equal and general concession, 

 and say that the only difference 

 between the cluirches of the dis- 

 senters and the churches of the 

 establishment is the ecclesiastical 

 establishment of the latter, that 

 moment you will cease to possess 

 the means of maintaining what is 

 essential to the security of your 

 establishment. Parliament will 

 immediately cease to be a Protes- 

 tant pailiament. 



To this strain 

 Earl Grey made 

 reply. The noble 

 has stated one da 

 a nature somewhat unsul)stantial, 

 altliough he earnestly calls vour 

 Lordships attention to it. It is, 

 that if the Catholics shall be ad- 

 mitted into full participation of 

 the privileges of the British con- 

 stitution, the Parliament of this 

 country can no longer be called 

 exclusively a Protestant Parlia- 

 ment. Really, my Lords, this is 



of reasoning, 

 the following 

 Earl opposite 

 but it is of 



eei 



the first time that I have heard 

 the name of a thing prized beyond 

 the substance. The noble Earl 

 argues in this manner. He thinks 

 that though the Parliament would 

 be substantially the same, great 

 danger is to be apprehended if 

 two or three Catholic representa- 

 tives should be admitted into the 

 other House, and two or three 

 Catholic peers lestored to their 

 hereditary seats in this House. 

 Surely never did the wit of man 

 devise a danger more futile and 

 imaginary than this ! 



The House being at length di- 

 vided upon Lord Donoughmore's 

 motion, the numbeis stood as 

 follows : 



Contents, present . . 54 

 Pro.vies . . . 36 



90 



Non-contents, present 82 

 Pro.\ies ... 60 



142 



Majority against the 



motion 52 



CHAP 



