1807.] 
he fhall not lay before his Majefty the con(- 
deration of it? Can it be poffible that the 
nodle lords on the other fide, who have fuc- 
ceeded us, have given fuch a pledge as the 
condition of their coming into office, and that 
‘whatever may be the future ftate of Ireland, 
we are to be told whenever that fubject comes 
before Parliament, that they cannot lay the 
confideration of it before his Majefty. My 
Lords, fuch a principle ftrikes at the root of 
the confitution, inafmuch as it tends to over- 
throw that excellent maxim, that ¢¢ The King 
can do no wrong.”’ Nothing can he more fatal 
to the interefs of the country, or pregnant 
with more~danger to the conftitution, than 
the adoption and maintenance of fuch a prin- 
ciple. My Lords, we may have erred in our 
Judgment, but we have done that which we 
conceived to be our duty. Let not thofe who 
have fucceeded us imagine that they have 
fucceeded to an eafy talk. We did not fuc- 
ceed to ‘a bed of rofes,” neither have we left 
a bed of rofes. The commerce and the finances 
of the country we have left fomewhat better 
than we found them. @ur foreign relations 
we have leftina better ftate than we found 
them. Let me, however, call the ferious 
and anxiou- attention of Noble Lords on the 
other fide to the ftate of Ireland. If perfe- 
cution for the fake of differences in religious 
Opinions were again to be revived in this 
country, can there be a queftion that it woud 
produce the moft dreadful diffentions, and if, 
my Lords, the fyftem aéted upon in Ireland 
by the Noble Duke who reprefents his Ma- 
jetty in that country, or the Earl of Hard- 
wicke, his predeceffor, is to be reverfed, and 
a fyftem of perfecution, coercion, and reftraint, 
to be fubftituted, no’ human being can forefee 
the incalculable mifchiefs that would refult 
from fuch a fyfiem. When we know that our 
enemy has fixed upon one point of the Britith 
dominions where he thinks invafien practica- 
ble, and that that point is Ireland, furely it 
Fequires more than ordinary care, more than 
Ordinary meafures, to remove the caufes of 
all thofe unhappy diffentions which have given 
rife in that Country to chofe infurretions 
which have produced fuch dreadful effects. 
if they do not confider the ftate of Ireland 
with thele views, the greateft danger may re- 
fult to the inrerefts of the empire. 
Lord Howick, on the fame day, in the 
Commons, rofe aud fpoke to the foliow- 
ing effect : : 
It is well known for.it muft be in the re- 
collection yf the houfe and of the country, 
what principles and gpinions were heid by the 
feveral members of tne late adminiftration 
upon the iubjeét of the Catholics. © Their 
opinions, indeed, were but recently. manireft- 
ed in their fpeeches and their votes. They 
came into adminiftration with this general 
knowledge of their opinions, and furely it 
could not be {uppoied that any of thoie mem- 
bers would be capable of giving up. his opi- 
Aion for the fake of office and ¢gmoiument. 
State of Public Affairs in March. 
queftion at reft. 
279 
In fa&t, no member did indicate any fuch dif 
pofition. No requifition, indeed, of that na- 
ture, was attempted to be made. If any fuch 
ftipulation had been afked, moft certainly I 
fhould have felt myfeli bound by a fenfe of 
honour and of duty, immediately to decline 
it. At the fime time, however, that I came 
into office, retaining of courfe with other of 
my colleagues precifely the fame fentiment 
upon tne Catholic queftion which we protefs- 
ed when out of power, ftill it could not be 
diffembled that a well known difficulty ftood 
in the way of its fuccefs. . As we came into 
power untettered upon this point, and called 
upon, as we felt, by the nature of our fitua- 
tion, to advife any meafure which might ap- 
pear to us expedient to adopt for the general 
fecurity of the country, andthe benefit of the 
government, we muift naturally bear in mind 
thofe points to which we ftood pledged, and 
for the fucceis of which, from a conviction 
of their re€titude, we muft be anxious; but 
ftill our refulution was not to prefs any quef- 
tion which might be hoftile to the perfonal 
feelings of the king; for any attempt of that 
nature would have been, we felt, inconfiftent 
with the duty, the affection, and the refpe&t 
we owed to our fovereign. With thefe prine- 
ciples. my colleagues entered into the admini- 
ftration. Their opinion upon the merits of 
the Catholic claims were well known; but 
aware of the ob{tacles which prevented their 
attainment, they hoped, by a prudent and 
conciliating fyftem of government, to recon- 
cile the Catholics, and to keep the Catholic 
They did however refoive, 
immediately spon their introduction to 
power, to turn their attention. in a very pe- 
culiar degree, tothe affairs of Ireland; and 
events occurred towards the clofe of the bait 
year, which ferved to augment their refolu- 
tion. ‘he ftate of that mot valuable, and; I 
am afraid, moft vulnerable part o: the empire, 
engage our mott f- rious confideration ; and the 
difturbances which notorioufly prevailed in the 
weitern part or that country naturally opera- 
ted to increafe our folicitude. | Lhe confee 
quence of thefe deliberations was a determi- 
nation to adopt immediate means of tranquili- 
zing and conciliating the people of Ireland, 
and, although urged by a Right Honouraple 
Gentleman, Mr. Perceval, much fonder of 
the policy of force than 1 am,, to refort to 
meafures of extraordinary feverity—although 
urged by him, rather eagerly as | remember, 
at a very early period of the difturbances, to 
have recourfe to rigour, we. determined to 
abitain from all feverity not-warranted by 
the {pirit of the conftitution, and, thank God, 
we iucceeded in reftering tranquility by re- 
forting only to the juft operation of the law. 
Among the meafures which appeared to_us as 
expedient to he adupted jor the conciliation of 
Ireland, the admiiion-of Catholiis to hold 
commitions in the army and navy iuggefted 
itielf aS one of the firft This we conceived 
not only saie but proper to propote withuut 
delay. In addition t9 the other reaions witic . 
Nun2 preéicutod 
——— So = 
