278 
I underftood his Majeity to affent. My Lerds, 
I cannot repeat in this Houfe the expreiion 
ufed by my Sovereign. Ihave already ftated 
that I underftood his Majefty to affent to the 
m afure. 1 now find that there was a mifun- 
dcrftanding upon the fubje&. More than this, 
my Lords, in confequence of our conceiving 
that his Majefty had affented to the meafure, 
a bill was prepared, embracing the obj-&s 
which I have already ftated, and which bill 
one of my colleagues (Lord Hewick) pre- 
fented to his Majefty, for his approbation, 
previous to its being brought forward in Par- 
liament. When I mention Lord Howick, it 
is nezdlefs to ftate the ftri€@, high, and pune- 
tilious honour which a€tuates his condué. He 
certainly underftood his Majefty to affent to 
the bill’s being propofed. I was waiting to be 
intreduced te an audience of his Majefty, 
when Lord Howick quitted his Majefty’s pre- 
fence, and fated to me, with the imprefiion 
recent on his mind, that bis Majefty had con- 
fented to the introdu€tion of the prepofed 
meaiure. This was on Wednefday the 4th of 
March. The bill, my Lords, was propofed 
the next day, by Lord Howick, in another 
place; and, fupported by that clear and con- 
vincing eloguence which he always dilplays, 
it was approved of by many of the moft refpeét- 
able characters in Parliament. My Lords, it 
was not till the Wednefday following, one 
week afterwards, that I underftood his Ma- 
jefty to diffent to the propofed meafure; and 
then, undoubtedly, I did underfta-d that there 
had been a mifapprehenfion in fuppofing that 
his Majefty had given his confent to the mea- 
fure to the extent to which it was propofed to 
carry it. Having, however, afcertained that 
his Majefty did difapprove of the meafure,;the 
ftep which ought then to te adopted became a 
fubje& of anxious confideration amongft his 
Majefty’s Minifters—The firft refolution to 
which we came, in our anxiety to conform 
to his Majefty’s feelings, and at the fame time 
to effe& fome part of the object which we 
had in view was, to modify the bill, and to 
rendzr it nothing more than the bill of 1793, 
extended to this country without any enlarge- 
ment of its provilions. My Lords, I carried 
this refolution on the Friday following to his 
Majety, who gracioufy exprefied his approba- 
tion ef it. When, however, his Majefty’s 
Minifters came to confider the fubje& more 
fully, it was found to be utterly impracticable 
fo to modify the bill, and at the fame time to 
fapport it by any thing like argument, The 
bill was already hefore Parliament, and no 
potibility appeared of being enabled to aniwer 
fatisfatorily the queftions which would up- 
doubtedly be put, as to the reafons for thus 
limiting the cbjeét of the bill, a‘ter propofing 
it on a much more enlarged fcale; wor did 
there appear any courte ef argument by which 
the exclufion of Proteftant Diffenters from the 
privileges granted to Cathelics, or the exclu- 
fon of the latter rrom becoming Generals on 
the Staff, 2s originally propofed, could poflibly 
be fuoported. _ His Majefty’s Minifters theres 
State of Public Affairs in March. 
April 1, 
fore finding it impraéticable to fupport the bill 
in its modified fhape, at length came toa refo- 
Jution, which cannot be defended upon a rigid 
principle, namelys to Ict the bill drop altoge- 
ther. Iam aware, my Lords, that this is the 
leaft juftifiable part of the conduét of his Ma- 
jefty’s Minifters upon itrié and rigid principles; 
but Lam fure that your Lordfhips will do juftice 
to the motives which aétuated our condué ; 
and if our condu¢t in that inftance cannot be 
juitified upon rigid principles, at leaft thefe 
motives will be confidered as a juftification. 
On coming, however, to this refolution, his’ 
Majetty’s Minifters thought it their duty, 
aware that there was no hope of preventing 
the Catholics of Ireland from prefenting their 
petition to Parliament, and defirous, although 
they were prevented from exprefling any opi- 
nion of Government favourable to further con= 
cefiions to the Catholics, that they might ex- 
, prefs their opinions as Members of Parliament 
refpeCting the ftate of Ireland, and the policy 
or neceflity of fuch conceiions; convinced, 
alfo, that they ought to referve to themfelves 
the right of advifing his Majefty refpeéting 
fuch meafures as they might deem neceflary, 
with reference to the ftate of Ireland, camé 
likewife to a refolution, humbly to fubmit to 
his Majefty, that in giving up the propofed 
bill, they fhould not be confidered as reftrained 
from giving fuch advice or propofing-fuch 
meafures to his Majefty ‘* for his decifion” 
as in their judgment fhould be called for by 
the tate of Ireland. My Lords, I repeat thofe 
three words, ‘* for his decifion,” becaufe they 
have been omitted in the partial and garbled-. 
ftatement of the minutes of Council which- 
have been publifhed, .an omiffion than which 
nothing can more clearly fhew the defign 
which has been attempted to be carried into 
efieé&t, of bafely calumniating our charaéters 
and mifreprefenting our conduct. My Lords, 
on carrying this refolution to his Majefty, I 
received a written requifition requiring that 
we fhould pledge ourfelves not to propofe at 
any future time any further conceflions to the 
Catholics ot Ireland, or any meafure conneéted 
with that fubje&. To this pledge we could 
not agiee, confiftently with our oaths as privy 
councillors, for what, my Lords, does the oath’ 
of a-privy councillor require? that he fliould 
give fuch advice to his Majefty without fear, 
tavour, or affe&-on, as he in the exercife of 
his judgment fhall deem tu be called for by -° 
the exigencies of public affairs; and how then 
can a privy councillor, withoué violating his 
oath, give a pledge which would prevent him 
from doing his duty, and which would pre- 
clude him, whatever might be the urgency of 
public affairs, from laying before his Majefty 
thefe confiderations which that urgency might - 
demand? A privy councillor a€ting thus, 
would, after taking an oath to do his duty, 
givea pledge not to do -hisduty. Is it to*be 
endured that a privy councillor fhall give a 
pledge, that whatever circum(ftances may arife 
in future, and however imperioufly they may 
demand the execution of a particular meafure, 
ae 24.4 "he 
