a72 
and profound refpect, recapitulating can- 
didly, and without offence, the heavy 
grievances under which the Catholics la- 
bour. , It begins with the fo:lowing de- 
claration :—~‘* That your Petitioners are 
fteadfaftly attached to the Perfon, Fa- 
mily, and Government, of their moit 
gracious Sovereign ; that they aie im- 
prefled with fentiments of affectionate 
gratitude for the benignant laws which 
have been enacted for meliorating their 
condition during his paternal reign ; and 
that they contemplate, with rational and 
decided predilection, the admirable prin- 
ciples of the Britifh Conftitution ;’” which 
is afterwards enforced in thefe ftrong 
words :—‘** Your Petitioners moft expli- 
citly declare, that they do not feek or wifh,. 
in the remoteft degree, to injure cr en- 
croach upon ‘ the rights, privileges, im- 
munities, poffeffions, or revenues, apper- 
taining to the Bifhops and Clergy of the 
Proteliant Religion, as by law eftablithed, 
or to the churches committed to their 
charge, or to any of them. The fole 
object of your Petitioners being an equal 
participation, upon equal terms, with 
their fellow-fubjeéts, of the full benefits 
of the Britith Laws and Conttitution.””— 
And immediately preceding the prayer of 
the Petiiion is this very emphatic pal- 
fage :—** Your Petitioners beg leave meft 
humbly to obferve, that although they 
might well and jufily infift upon the firm 
and* unabated loyalty of his Majefty’s 
Roman Catholic fubje&ts to their moft 
gracious Sovereign, their profound refpeét 
to the Legiflature, and their dutiful fub- 
miffion tothe laws, yet they mot e!peci- 
ally reft their humble claims and expec- 
tations of relief, upon the clear and ma- 
nifeft conducivenefs of the meafure which 
they folicit, to the general and permenent 
tranquillity, flrength, and happinels, of 
the Britifh Empire ; and your Petitioners, 
entertaining no doubt of its final accom- 
plifhment, from its evident juftice and uti- 
lity, do moft folemnly affure this Honour- 
able Houfe, that their earneft folicitude 
for it at this peculiar crifis, arifes princj. 
pally from their anxious defire to extin- 
gaifh all motives to difunion, and all 
means of exciting difcontent. For your 
Petitioners moft humbly ftate it as their 
Gecided opinion, that the enemies of the 
Britifh Empire, who meditate the fubju- 
gation of Ireland, have no hope of fuc. 
cefs, fave inthe difunion of its inhabi- 
tants; and therefore it is that your Peti- 
tioners are deeply anxious at this moment, 
that_a meafure fhould be accomplifhed 
which will annihjlate the principle of re- 
State of Public Aftairs in March, 1805. 
-Ryan. 
[ April 3, 
ligious animofity, and animate all defcrip- 
‘tions of his Majefty’s fubjeéts in an en- 
thufiaftic defence of ‘the bef Conftitution 
that has ever yet beet eliablifhed.”—The 
Deputation of the Irifh Roman Catholics 
were the following :— Lords Fingal, 
Shrewfbury, Kenmare, Southwell, and , 
Trimblefiown ; Sir Edward Bellew, Sir ~ 
Thomas French, and Mefirs. Scully and 
They firft applied to Mr. Pitt to 
prefent their Petition to the Commons, 
who, it is faid, acknowledged the jultice 
of their claim, but did not think thisa 
proper time to prefer it, and therefore de- 
clined prefenting the Petition. 
©ur naval affairs have lately aflumed a 
new degree of intereft, from the recent 
activity and exertions of the enemy’s 
fleets. There-4s no certain intelligence 
of the Rochefort fquadren, ner even of 
the Toulon fleet, which was fuppofed to _ 
have put back after fuffering much ina 
ftorm. Two frigates belonging to the 
latter obtained a partial fuceefs, having 
fallen in with a fleet of our merchantmen 
(thirty-fix in number), in the Medi- 
terranean. ‘The Momiteur ftated them to 
amount to forty fail,; and declared the 
whole to be taken or deftroyed. It does 
not appear, however, that more than five 
or fix at moft were taken, together with 
the Arrow floop of war, commanded by 
Captain Vincent, and the Acheron bomb, 
commanded by Captain Farquhar, which 
convoyed the fleet. A letter has been re- 
ceived at the Admiralty, from the latter 
officer, dated Malaga prifon, the 12th of | 
February, giving an account of the action, . 
than which none more brilliant was ever 
fought. . The Arrow and the Acheron 
(after fignals were made for the mere 
chantmen to efcape) engaged the twe 
French frigates in a moft obftimate man- 
ner notwithftanding, the prodigious dif- 
proportion of, their forces. The French 
frigates were,'L’Hortenfe of 50 guns, 
and 600 men, and L’Incorruptible, of 
of 44 guns. The action commenced at 
4.0’clock in the morning, and the Arrow 
ftruck at half paft 3 o’clock; being fq _ 
complete a wreck, that fhe fank fhortly 
after. The Acheron was burnt by the 
enemy, being alfo a complete wreck, 
Thefioop carried 28 guns, (32 pounders, 
carronades) and 134 men; fhe had 13 
killed and 27 wounded, and 3 of our 
wounded feamen were in her when fhe 
went down. ‘The bomb carried only 3 
guns; i Pied 
- It bejag fuppofed that the Rochefort 
* {quadroy is gone to the Eaft Indies, and | 
perhaps alfo the Toulon fleet, great exer- 
* tong 
xa 
= 
} 
| 
