LON 
the guards upon catholics arid again ft the power of the 
pope. 
Mr. Grattan obferved, that the effect of agreeing to 
this motion would be to put off the queftion for an inde¬ 
finite period. They were to wait until this feleft com¬ 
mittee fhould have examined all the laws made fince the 
reformation and before it,—until they had examined all 
our colonial inffitutions, and all the laws of every country 
in Europe! Nor was this all: the committee were ex¬ 
pected to read all the books of controverfy which had 
been written, and to make a report on all thole points. 
The motion, then, was for appointing a committee charged 
with fuch a talk, that they could not be expected to pre- 
fent a report for many years ; and could it be fuppofed that 
any perfon who wilhed for the fuccefs of the catholic caufe 
would be fatisfied with fuch a delay'?—After various per¬ 
tinent remarks, Mr. G. gave an account of the bill already 
brought in upon this important fubjeft. The catholic bill 
confuted of four parts. The firft was to allow the catho¬ 
lics feats in parliament; the fecond, to give them the right 
of voting at elecliGns; the third, to give them corporate 
rights; and the fourth, to allow them to hold civil and 
military offices. The bill amounted to the principle of 
incorporating the eatholics with the reft of the communi¬ 
ty. There were many penalties now exifting in the books, 
but which were never enforced; and it would, of courfe, 
be definable that they fhould no longer exift even in the 
books. The main objeft of the bill, however, was a com¬ 
munication of rights and privileges to the catholics, un¬ 
der Inch reftriftions as fhould be conlidered fufficient fe- 
curities for the proteftant church. Having dated that the 
prefent bill gave emancipation to the catholic, he had next 
to ftate the Tecurities it gave to the proteftant. Thofe fe- 
cufities were to be found principally in the exceptions 
which were contained in the bill, and in the alteration 
of the oath. The offices which the catholics were ex¬ 
cluded from by this bill, were the offices of lord-chan¬ 
cellor, and lord-lieutenant of Ireland. The firft was con- 
fidered, in a great degree, an ecclefiaftical office, from the 
patronage it pofteffied in the church ; and, as to the lord- 
lieutenant, as he is the reprefentative of the king, who miift 
be a proteftant, it was thought right that he alfo fhould 
be a proteftant. The fecond exception related to the right 
of holding advowfons, or prelenting to livings. By the 
next exception, they would be excluded from any places in 
the ecclefiaftical courts, or any courts of appeal and review 
on ecclefiaftical matters. Next followed an exclufion 
from all fituations in ecclefiaftical fchools and colleges. 
There was alfo an exclufion of foreigners and non-refidents 
from the high fituations of the catholic priefthood. Laftly, 
there followed the oath which was recommended inftead 
of that now taken. This oath abjured the regicidal power 
attributed to the pope, as alfo that of depofing kings. It 
abjured all temporal power of the pope in thefe realms, as 
alfo the opinion of the pope’s infallibility. It abjured the 
dofilrine imputed to the catholics, “that no faith was to 
be kept with heretics.” It alfo fwore the catholics to 
fupport the proteftant fucceffion, and the prefent ftate of 
property ; to difcover all plots or treafons that fhould 
come to their knowledge; not to exercife the power they 
might poflefs in the ftate to overthrow or to difturb the 
proteftant church ; and the clergy were alfo to fwear, that, 
in the election of perfons to be recommended to the apof- 
tolic functions, they would never choofe any perfon uhofe 
loyalty and good conduct were not known to them. They 
■were alfo to fwear, that they would have no communica¬ 
tion with the fee of Rome on any matters that were not 
purely ecclefiaftical. Some gentlemen might be furprifed 
at the committee having framed an oath fo long and fo 
particular. They, however, thought that it was neceftary 
that the oath fhould increafe inftead of diminifbing the 
lecurities now exifting. They had therefore added to the 
prefent oath the obligation of difclofing treafon, and of 
not recommending any clergyman whole loyalty was not 
well known. They had alio extended the application of 
Vol. XIII. No. 909, 
D O N, 329 
the oath. The former cath was only required to be taken, 
on the acceptance of fome office: the prefent oath, how¬ 
ever, was propofed to be extended generally to the clergy 
as well as the laity. To the lecurities fo provided, the 
right lion, gentleman (Mr. Canning) had added fome 
claufes which would give all the effect of domeftic nomi¬ 
nation, without giving too great a power of interference 
to the crown. He conceived that the bill, with fuch 
claufes, would amount to emancipation for the catholics, 
and fecurity to the proteftants. 
Mr. Ryder laid, that he fhould vote for going into the 
committee, becavfe it would produce delay; and he did 
not feel himfelf at all ready to agree with the bill. If ever 
there was a bill demanding the ferious attention of the 
houfe, and in the deliberation upon which they fhould 
avoid the flighted appearance of hurry, it was the prefent; 
a meafure which had excited the fears of fo many perfons, 
and againft the adoption of which the table was loaded 
with petitions 1 
Mr. B. Bathurft fupported the motion, which lord Caf- 
tlereagh oppofed ; and after a reply from fir J. C. Hip- 
pifley, the houfe divided, and the motion was loft by 235 
againft 187; majority, 4S. 
The fecond reading was moved on the 13th; when Dr. 
Duigenan declared, with vehemence, that the bill would 
reltore the Roman-catholic religion, and eftablifh the fu- 
premacy of the pope. He argued, at great length, that 
conceffion to the catholics would deftroy the proteftant 
afcendancy in Ireland, would give them. 100 votes in par¬ 
liament, which they would employ to overturn the efta- 
blilliments of church and ftate. He declared that what¬ 
ever oaths the catholics took would Dot be confidered 
binding, if the pope or the clergy chofe to abfolve them. 
To admit them to political power, was the height of im¬ 
prudence; it was injurious to the proteftant fucceffion, 
and acknowledging that the Stuart family had been unjujlly de¬ 
prived of the crown. 
Sir F. Flood commented with much feverity on the 
fpeech of the doftor. He complained of the Handers and 
falfehoods uttered againft the catholics, whom he wilhed 
half the Englilh would go to Ireland to fee. The fpeech 
of fir J. C. Hippifiey on a former night, he characterifed 
as the “raoll multifarious, complicated, circuitous, ora¬ 
tion,” he had ever heard. 
Lord Caftlereagh thought other fecurities ffiould be pro¬ 
vided befides the cath, which, he admitted, was compre- 
henfive and fatisfactory. The catholics, by being ad¬ 
mitted into parliament, would legiflate for our church ; 
and they ought to prove their conciliatory fpirit, by grant¬ 
ing the proteftants fome fecurity in the appointment of 
the bifhops. He thought the crown ought to have a voice 
in the rejection of a prieft who might be difloyal. He 
difapproved of the commiffioners under the prefent bill, 
as they were to aft without the influence of the crown, 
fave their nomination. It tended to eftabliffi a new eftate 
in the country highly dangerous, and to transfer from a 
foreign power, to a power within ourfelves, a right of inter¬ 
ference ferioully detrimental to the catholic body, to itfelf, 
and to the conftitution. The noble lord concluded by de¬ 
claring, that he wilhed the houfe to go into a committee 
on the bill. 
Mr. Wilherforce complained that the noble lord had not 
ftated his ideas diftinftly; he would place the framers of 
the bill in a very painful fituation, unlels he would ftate 
in the houfe, or in private, what his views were. 
Mr. Canning declared, that he was willing to meet and 
confer with the noble lord, and adopt his views, fhould 
they appear moll conducive to produce that effeft which 
they both wilhed. 
The houfe then divided, when Dr. Duigenan’s amend¬ 
ment, for deferring the fecond reading for three months 
was negatived, by 245 to 202. The bill was then read a 
fecond time, and committed for the 19th; on which day, 
Mr. Grattan gave in his claufes to the chairman, without 
any obfervations. 
4P 
Mr. 
