LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE. 
'594 
rain and Ireland, and tp confolidate the ftrength, power 1 , 
arid refources, of'the Britifh empire, it will beadvifable to 
concur in fuch meafures as may belt tend to unite the 
two kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland into one king¬ 
dom, in fuch manner, and on fuch. terms and conditions, 
as may be eftablifhed by the afts of the refpective parlia¬ 
ments of Great Britain and Ireland’—&c. See. You have 
here the fubftance of what his majefty recommended; the 
fabjefts on which the Englilh and Irifh parliaments deli¬ 
berated ; the purpofes which they had in view, and for 
the attainment of which they agreed on certain ftipulated 
articles. Did his majefty recommend, was it a fubject of 
deliberation, was it among the purpofes to be attained, that 
catholics fhould be admitted tolegiflate for proteftants ? 
“But let us proceed to the article which requires com¬ 
pliance with certain conditions from thofe who would 
be legiflators. In the fourth article then it is enabled, 
* That every one of the lords of parlianient-of the united 
kingdom, and every member of the houfe of commons of 
the united kingdom, in the fir'd and all fucceeding parlia¬ 
ments,. {hall, until the parliament'of the united kingdom 
fliall othefwife provide, take the oaths, and make and f’ub- 
feribe the declaration, and take and fubferibe the oath, now 
by law enjoined to be taken, made, and litbfcribed, by the 
lords and commons of the parliament of Great Britain.’ 
“ If there be any thing remarkable in this enactment, it 
is the referve, Until the parliament of the united kingdom flail 
other-wife provide. But what can fairly be deduced from 
that claufe, faving though it be? No ingenuity can 
thence extraft any thing like a promife, that there certainly 
fhould be a change of parliamentary qualifications. The 
utmolt, which can be elicited from thofe words, is an in¬ 
timation of pojfibility , that there might be fome change. 
That pofTibility however is contingent in its nature, be- 
caufe it is left dependent on the will of parliament. It is 
alio indefinite as to time; for no period,'at which even an 
attempt fhould be made for carrying the poflibility into 
effeft, is in the moft'diftant manner fpecified. In truth, 
if the whole tranfeript from the fourth article be taken 
together and duly examined, it will be evident that in its 
general tenor it meant to maintain and confirm the requi¬ 
sites, preferibed by the laws already exifting, as qualifica¬ 
tions for admifiion into parliament. 
. “ To the a< 5 l itfelf let us again appeal ; and tranferibe 
from it an article, which deferves more clofe and ferious at¬ 
tention, than what has commonly been given to it by the 
parliamentary advocates of catholicifm. It is this; ‘That 
it be the fifth article of union, that the churches of Eng¬ 
land and Ireland, as now by law eftablifhed, be united 
into one proteftant epifcopal church, to be called, The 
United Church of England and Ireland ; and that the doftrine, 
rvorfliip, difcipline,'and government, of the faid united 
church, fhall be, and (ball remain, in full force for ever, as 
the fame are now by law eftablilhed for the church of 
England ; ar.d that the continuance and prefervation of 
the faid united church, as the eftablilhed church of Eng¬ 
land and Ireland, fliall be deemed and taken to be an ef- 
iential and fundamental part of the union.’ Mark the 
exprefiions ; flail remain in full force for ever ; and the conti¬ 
nuance and prefervation of the Jaid united church flail be deemed 
and taken to be an ejfential and fundamental part of the union. 
Can words be more plain, unequivocal, ffrong, direft, ab- 
folute ? How then, fo foon after palling an aft thus ex¬ 
plicit, guarded, circumfpeft, can the Britifh parliament, 
confidently with public faith, encourage and function a 
meafure, the obvious tendency of which is to impair the 
force, to fhorten the continuance, to counteraft the pre¬ 
fervation, of all that is efientially conducive to Vhe tran¬ 
quillity and permanency of the united church ? Th tjufeice 
ar.d right , which you think demand fulfilment of a minii- 
terial promife never proved tc have been given, and even 
if given not binding on the nation, in reality fupport our 
claim to a fcrupulous obtervance of thofe conditions which 
were folerrinly ratified by law. If to the letter and to the 
(f- rit of thole conditions the legiflature adheres not, the 
protefants of Ireland may with reafort aceufe us of having 
prattifed on them the grofieft deception. Can your lord- 
fliip forget that memorable and interefting debate of the 
Irifh parliament, (anno 1795.) which was protrafted for 
nearly twenty hours ? Can you forget that the propofal 
for admitting catholics into the Irifh legiflature was ne¬ 
gatived ? And what induced the proteftants of Ireland to 
blend themfelves fo entirely with the Englilh parliament 
as that the fummoning of an Irifh parliament fhould 
thenceforth be fuperfeded ? It was the hope, that the 
caufe of proteftantifrn would thence receive a great and 
powerful acceffion of parliamentary ftrength, which might 
render ineffectual any future defigns of admitting catho¬ 
lics to legiflate for proteftants. If that hope be fruftrat- 
ed, .through concellions made by the very legiflature with 
whiih they coalefced for a contrary purpole, and on which 
they relied for protection againft catholics ; how faddy will 
Irifh proteftants be difappointed in their juft and reafona- 
ble expectation !” Proteflant Letter , p. 26-36. 
“In order to fatisfy us, that there can arife no mifehief 
from the admifiion of catholics to vote in parliament, you 
tell us, the catholic peers will be very few in number; 
the catholic members, Irifh and Englilh, in the houfe of 
commons, not more than fixty or lixty-two; of whom 
fifty will be returned for Ireland, and twelve for England. 
It has been calculated, that for Ireland alone would be 
elefted fixty-fix catholic members, even according to the 
ftate of property which now exifts in that kingdom. 
We will however take your own number, and compute 
the whole at fixty-two. Doubtlefs, many of them would 
be moderate men. We cannot however fuppofe that all 
would be of that defeription ; becaufe you inform us, 
there are in Ireland ‘molt violent demagogues, whofe ob- 
jeft is mifehief really, and who by their mifehievous in¬ 
fluence produced the laft rebellion.’ (Speech, p. 8, 9,10.) 
Now, if thofe demagogues have fuch afcendancy, and if 
to them ‘the leading and guiding of the popular mafs has 
fallen,’ (Speech, p. 16.) it is more than probable that 
fome of them would eni’ure fuccefs at the election of re- 
prefentatives. If that fhould be the cafe, then among 
the lixty-two we fhould find fome gentlemen, who ac¬ 
cording to your account would not be very moderate; 
perhaps they might be fome of the incorrigibly reflefs, to 
whom your Obiervations allude. We will conceive the 
parliament afiembled. Bufmefs would proceed for fome 
time without much interruption ; it is not good policy 
to begin at once with conduct intemperate and fufpicious. 
But, in due feafon, the turbulent would open and un,- 
ir.alk ; and even in the moderate would be wrought a 
change. It would then be.feen, that new fituatiens fug¬ 
ged new projefts; that the very idea of having obtained 
political ftrength will call forth energies before inactive, 
and give reality to fuch ftrength ; that however men may 
differ on other topics, and on other occafions, yet when 
the raifing of their religion, and with their religion ex¬ 
alting of themfelves into a higher degree of public eftima- 
tion, is the object in view, they will coalefce, and be 
united by the ftrorigeft of all poffible bonds. The laft re¬ 
mark is particularly applicable to catholics ; for, much to 
tire praife and credit of their fidelity, they are true to their 
own religious profeflion, and co-operate in advancing the 
interelL of their church. Your fixty-two catholics will 
form a compaft phalanx, which even of itfelf mult tarry 
weight. Its weight however will receive accefiion of 
force, derived from Englilh and Irifh proteftant members 
who will join the catholics. For, that Englilh and Irifh 
proteftant members will join them may be collefted from 
this circumftance; the catholics already, though not in 
parliament, have great influence on Englilh and Irifh 
members ; chiefly indeed on the Irifh, becaufe Irifh catho¬ 
lics have tlie elective frarichif’e. Far greater then might 
they be expected to have, if they were themfelves conlti- 
tuent members, prelent to fee and hear what was palling 
in parliament, active in application to all around them, 
competent to exercife their own perfonal power, many by 
delivering 
