thought it would not perfectly conciliate, if those offices were witheld.

Mr. Alexander faid, if the right hon. mover of the bill would agree to his amendment, it would be a very courfe fraud on the proteftants of the country, who acquiefced in the bill, only becaufe they had been taught to believe that the catholics fhould be excluded from the executive power of the country—and nothing could tend more strongly to veft them with that power, than this amend

ment.

Mr. Curran fpoke for the amendment. He denied that the fheriff was the reprefentative of the crown, and thought that catholics were as well qualified to difcharge the office properly, as any men whatever.

Mr. Grattan was alfo for the amendment, which, however, after fome further converfation, was negatived without a divifion..

Lord Hillsborough then moved his amendment on the exclufion of the fub-fheriffs, which he fupported on the ground of his having the power of the fheriffs committed to him, if it were right therefore to exclude the one-the other therefore fhould be excluded.

The Speaker was for the amendment-ds were alfo Col. Blaquiere and Mr. Annefley.-It was oppofed by Mr. Duquery and Mr. Curran on the principles that the law did not recognize the fubfheriff, and that the high fheriff was refponfible for all the acts of his deputy.

The amendment was negatived without a divifion.

Mr. Annesley now rofe to move his promifed amendment, to eftablifh a legal provifion for the roman catholic clergy. The fubftance of his motion was "That every popifh priest have power

to

1

to recover by civil bill in any court of proper jurifdiction, fuch fees as are now voluntarily paid on baptifms, marriages, &c. &c.

Mr. Sec. Cooke thought this claufe could not be received until the committee were empowered by the houfe to receive it.

Mr. Curran fupported the idea of Mr. Annefley -he thought it was a reproach to the nation that a fet of men, miniftering in holy things, had been fo long left unnoticed by the legislature, without any attention been paid either to their qualifications or fupport-He promifed his beft affiftance to further the measure.

Major Hobart observed, that another gentleman had for fome time this measure in contemplation, and was preparing fome propofition on the subject -hoped therefore the hon. gent. would not perfevere in his amendment.

Mr. Annelley on this, withdrew his motion,

Mr. Oborne moved the claufes which the committee had been empowered to receive, to entitle catholics to all thofe immunities in corporate towns which proteftant denizens are entitled to by the act of the 14th and 15th of Charles II.

Thefe claufes were oppofed by feveral gentlemen on the ground that the act to which they referred was at prefent doubtful in its conftruction, and the claufes, if adopted, would be in fact a legislative division on that subject.

They were negatived after a very long converfation, without a division.

WEDNESDAY, March 6.

The report of the committee on the catholic bill was prefented by Mr. Day.

Sir H. Langrifhe wifhed that the clause which had been introduced in the committee by way of

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provifo,

provifo, preventing roman catholics from voting in veftries on questions relative to the demise or difpofal of any parish property, fhould be withdrawn; it was a provision which gave no fecurity to proteftant afcendancy, and prevented catholics from interfering in the difpofal of property which in many inftances belonged to the parish at large and was bequeathed to lighten the parochial burdens of all the inhabitants.

Mr. G. Ponfonby agreed in the idea.

Dr. Duigenan defended the provifo and fhewed the neceffity of it by relating an act of veftry which had been made fome time ago in Catherine's parish-That parish had an eftate of 250l. per annum.-At a veftry in which 58 Catholics were prefent, and only 15 proteftants, 60l. per annum had been voted by the catholics out of this fum to perfons called roman catholic curates and that too in oppofition to the fenfe of the proteftants who affifted at the veftry-The provifo, he obferved did not go to deprive the catholics of their right to vote at veftries, if any fuch they had, but only to prevent the bill from being conftrued to give them this power.

He fhewed, that if the catholics were permitted to difpofe of parish property in this manner to themselves, they would in fact be permitted to tax the proteftant inhabitants; for, in proportion as the fund appointed for defraying the parifh expences, was appropriated to other purposes, the parifh-cefs must be encreased.

The amendment was at length adopted, as were alfo all the other amendments. The bill being gone through.

Mr. Rowley declared himself a decided enemy to that clause of it which gave to the catholics the elective franchife. No man was more willing than he, that they should be indulged and protected,

and

1

and he thought they were fo; but the proteftant afcendancy ought to be preferved: the grant of the elective franchise tended to fubvert that afcendancy. If the claufe conferring that were ftruck out, he would fupport the reft of the bill; if not, he would oppofe the whole bill on account of that. He concluded by moving, that this claufe be expunged; he was feconded by Mr. Ogle: on the queftion being put, the motion was negatived without a divifion.

The bill was then ordered to be engroffed.

THURSDAY, March 7.

The bill was read a third time, paffed, and ordered to the Lords.

Mr. Secretary Hobart from the commons, prefented at the bar, the bill for the relief of his majefty's roman catholic fubjects, which he informed the house had paffed the commons, and requested their lordship's concurrence.

The bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond on Wednesday next.

WEDNESDAY, March 13..

The bill was read a fecond time, and on the queftion for its committal being put,

The bishop of Killala rofe to exprefs his ready and moft cheerful affent to a bill for the relief of

his

his long oppreffed, and loyal catholic brethren, and their return to that portion of the conftitution, to which the bill before the house went to admit them.

From the difficulty of introduction below the bar, our reporter found it impoffible to gain admittance till the reverend prelate had nearly concluded his oration, but from what he could colLect, his lordship had gone into an history of the origin and progrefs of the penal ftatutes, and deprecated the whole fyftem, as founded in the prejudices of a bigotted and perfecuting age, and continued for near a century, with equal impolicy and injuftice, to a loyal body of fubjects, whofe conduct for that period was a full refutation of every argument that could be offered in fupport of that code, under which they had fo long groaned with patient fubmiffion.

He had heard it argued, that their numbers was a reafon for excluding them from the conftitution; but for his own part he held an opinion directly the reverfe. In times like the prefent, when we were threatened by foreign enemies, and agitated by domeftic diffentions, he would wifh to unite thofe numbers in fupport of that conflitution to which they had ever been loyal, rather than turn them againft it by perpetuating reftrictive fyftems and oppreffive exclufions, which no exifting ncceffity could warrant, nor no policy approve. With refpect to the fears that had been expreffed of the pope and the pretender, he regarded them as idle and unfounded; the power of the one was humbled, and the very name of the other extinet; and as to any danger to the proteftant eftablishment, from following the dictates of juftice, and of lenity, to the catholics, he confidered all apprehenfions equally groundlefs.

He