230 
prefented thenrfelves-inits favour, it ftruck us, 
in the prefent ftate of the empire, as particular- 
ly material to be attended to, promifing, as it 
did, to augment the means of recruiting our 
public force by the introdu€tion of men into 
the fervice, which by the ill underftood policy 
of the prefent fyftem had been altogether ex- 
cluded. It was agreed, as I before ooferved, 
that the catholics fhould, at leaft, have the 
fame privilege with regard to the holding of 
commiflions in this country as was granted 
to them by the law of Ireland. After much 
difcuilion it was the unanimous opinion of his 
Majefty’s minitters, that this conceffion fhould 
bé*promptly made, as it appeared calculated 
to contribute to the tranquillity of Ireland; 
by holding out an.encouragement to the gen- 
tlemen of that country to enter into the army 
and navy in the hope of advancement; by 
taking off for the increafe of the public force 
from what feemed a fuperabundant popula- 
tion; by drawing as_it were even from the 
very fources of difcontent the means of our 
ftrength. Such was our view of the fubject. 
We looked to the conceffion. which I have 
not alluded to as an att likely to injure or 
even to alarm the interefts of the eftablithed 
church, but as one materially tending to for- 
tify that intereft, becaufe materially tending 
to the general intereft of the empire. For is 
not the ftrength of the country the means of 
fecurity to the eftablifhed church? Can the 
one be fafe if the other be in danger ? If Ire- 
Jand were alienated from its connection with 
this country, where would be the fecurity of 
the empire ? If fuch an alienation were to 
take place, what, in God’s name, would be- 
come of the eftablifhed church? upon what 
ground then can this meafure be propofed, 
which has fich an obvious tendency to add 
to our firength, by fecuring the attachment 
of a great proportion of our people? The late 
minifters were as I have faid, clearly engaged 
in confidering tne affairs of Ireland, and had 
arrived at a certain refult whea they received 
difpatches trom his excellency the lord lieu- 
tant, ftating, that the Catholics had mani- 
fefted a refolution to prefs their claims upon 
the attention of parliament. With the opi- 
mions that J hold, and the folicitude that I 
felt upon the fuhjed&t, I have no hefitation in 
faying, that I did by every means in my 
power, as far as private advice could extend, 
endeavour to diflaude the Catholics from fuch 
a proceeding. The knowledge however of 
their intention was an additional inducement 
with my colleagues to prefs forward the mea- 
fure of conceffion I have already defcribed. 
Wre had a hope that if promptly acceded to it 
might have the effect of inducing tine Catho- 
lics to abandon the purfuit of-an objet which, 
from certain circumftances, they could not be 
unaware there was little reafon to hope for ; 
while, at the fame time we felt that, both 
from principle and policy, the conceffion ought 
tobe made. We had little apprehenfion of 
encountering any objoction in our endeavours 
State of Public Affairs in March. 
fApril4, 
to procure for the Catholics the fame privi- 
lege which was granted to them in Ireland by 
the a&t of 1793. For to this conceffion we 
recolled that the fecretary of ftate for Ireland, 
and the lord chancellor of that country alfoy 
ftood fpecifically pledged at the time the law 
was enacted. This pledge, indeed, was on 
record ina difpatch from Lord Buckigghamy, 
then Mr. Hobart; in which the promife of 
this conceffion to the Irifh Catholics was dif- 
tinéily made. Confideringthe meafure, there- 
fore, not more as an aét of policy than as a 
neceflary eyidence of confiftency, honour, and 
good faith, we determined to bring it forward. 
We did hope, indeed, that fuch reafons as I 
have ftated would have operated fo powerfully 
as to obviate any oppofition whatever. Cn 
thofe grounds, therefore, it was propofed to 
lay before his Majefty a detailed difpatch, 
which we thought it expedient to tranfmit te 
the lord lieutenan’, ftating the nature of the 
meafure we had in contemplation te propofe 
to parliament, in order that it fhould be com- 
municated to the Catholics. This difpatch 
was fent to his Majefty by a cabinet minifter, 
and his Majefty returned it with an expreflion 
of repugnance to the meafure. But, upon 
receiving this intelligence, minifters drew up 
a refpe€tful reprefentation, containing all the 
reafons which operated in their minds to re- 
commend the conceffion propofed, and this 
reprefentation was forwarded to his majefty, 
who after fome deliberation was gracioufly 
pleafed to communicate his confent to the 
meafure. Under this authority the original 
difpatch was fent to the Duke of Bedford, 
and upon receipt of it in Dublin, a meeting 
touk place between the lord chancellor, Mr. 
Eliot, his grace’s fecretary, and fome diftin- 
guifhed members of the Catholic body 5 to 
whom Mr, Eliot, in addition, ftated, that this 
bill was not propofed to them as an induce- 
ment to any compromife of their claims for 
total emancipation, but offered to them as an 
a€t of juflice. When the fubftance of the 
difpatch was ftated to thefe gentlemen, one of 
them, Mr. O’Connor, afked Mr. Eliot, 
whether it was meant by the provofed mea- 
fure that all offices, including thofe on the 
ftaft, thould be acceffible to Catholics? To 
this Mr Eliot replied, that the difpatch men= 
tioned all offices whatever; but yet having 
forne doubt, he could not give a decided an- 
fwet upon the point referred to in the queftion, 
This queftion having been communicated to 
minifters, by Mr. Eliot, a fecond difpatch 
was drawn up, removing Mr, Eliot's doubt, 
and authorifing him to give a decided an- 
fwer to. Mr. O’Connor’s queftion. This fe- 
cond difpatch was -laid before his Majefty, 
and his Majefty was pleafed to return it 
without any objection or comment whate 
ever. It was therefore immediately forward- 
ed to Ireland.. However, upon the point 
fome differences of opinion did arife. Doubts 
were entertained, it is but fair te fay, by 
fome members of the cabinet, as to the ex< 
tent 
