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СНАР. ХСІ.

PRINCIPAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE BRITISH AND

IRISH CATHOLICS BETWEEN THE YEARS 1813 AND 1821.

1813-1821.

WE shall now present to our readers an account of the principal circumstances in the history of the British and Irish catholics, from the debate in 1813, till the present time.-These are, I. The resolution of the English catholics in 1813, to persist in their endeavours to obtain a repeal of the remaining penal laws:-II. The expulsion of Dr. Milner from the private board, or the select committee of the general board of the British catholics :-III. And the further petitions of the British and Irish catholics to parliament, and the proceedings upon them.

XCI. 1.

The Resolution of the Board of British Catholics
in 1813.

ON the 29th of May 1813, which was almost immediately after the bill for the relief of the catholics was lost, the board of the British catholics passed two unanimous resolutions by the first, they returned thanks to the members of the house of commons, who had supported the bill: by the second, they expressed their determination not

"to relax their efforts to procure relief from the penalties and disabilities, under which they suf"fered." The earl of Shrewsbury was in the chair: the resolutions were moved by Lord Stourton, and seconded by lord Arundel of Wardour.

XCI. 2.

The Expulsion of Dr. Milner from the private Board, or the Select Committee of the General Board of the English Catholics.

WHILE the bill had been pending in the house of commons, Dr. Milner caused a memorial against it to be circulated among the members: and, in a postscript to it, stated explicitly, that "such measures never could have been countenanced by

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any members of the legislature, had they not "been suggested by certain false brethren of the "catholic body." It proceeded to state, that

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many catholics in England, and many more in "Ireland, objected to the clause in the oath of 1781, respecting the protestant succession, as it

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might be thought to bind them to take up arms

against their sovereign, if he should profess their "religion:" on this ground, he submitted a change in the terms, by which they should declare, "their "entire submission to the limitation of the protes"tant succession as established by law." Upon the last head, the writer must observe, that he has never yet met with a single catholic, ecclesiastic or lay, who objected to the oath. It has been taken

all the English prelates, including Dr. Milner, by all their coadjutors, by all the Scottish prelates and by their coadjutors. In other respects, the memorial was highly injurious to the bill; and the right reverend prelate assumed to himself the merit of having contributed largely to its defeat.

The board took this conduct of Dr. Milner into their consideration at this meeting, and resolved, that a paper, intituled, "A brief Memorial on the "Catholic Bill," and "signed John Milner, D. D.,

having been distributed to members of the house "of commons, during the discussion of the bill "brought forward for the removal of the civil and "military disqualifications, under which his majes "ty's roman-catholic subjects then laboured, and "containing assertions derogatory to the honour " and the loyalty of the roman-catholic laity, and "inferring consequences from the bill, if carried "into execution, not warranted by its proposed "enactments, and highly injurious to the political "integrity and wisdom of the framers and sup"porters of the bill, and directly opposite to their "declared intentions, as stated in the preamble to "the bill,--the board declared, that the above" mentioned paper, signed John Milner, D. D. and "intituled, A brief Memorial on the Catholic "Bill,' called for, and had, their most marked "disapprobation. It having been moreover pub"licly stated, that the catholic board were and "had been influenced in their political conduct "by the right reverend Dr. Milner, this board "declared, that the members of it felt themselves

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"called upon to republish the following resolution, passed by them on the 29th of May 1810; "viz. That we do not consider ourselves as "implicated in, or any ways responsible for, "the political opinions, conduct or writings, of "the right reverend Dr. Milner, vicar-apostolic "of the midland district.'"

وو

Doctor Milner being then called upon by the board to state, whom he meant to designate, by the expression of "false brethren," in his paper, intituled, "A brief Memorial on the Catholic Bill,' declared to the board, that "he had referred to "Mr. Butler." Upon this, the following resolutions were immediately passed:-1st. "That "Charles Butler, esq. was entitled to the thanks "and gratitude of the general board of British "catholics, for his great exertions in support of the "catholic cause, and that the charge just made "by the right reverend Dr. Milner, against Mr. "Butler, was a gross calumny."

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2dly. That, under the present circumstances, "it was highly expedient that the right reverend "Dr. Milner should cease to be a member of the private board or select committee, appointed by "the general board of British catholics, on Thursday, May 11th, 1813."

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XCI. 3.

Further Petitions of the British and Irish Catholics, and Proceedings upon them.

upon.

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1814.

On the 17th of February, a general meeting of the English catholics was held at the house of the earl of Shrewsbury in Stanhope-street, and a form of a petition to both houses of parliament resolved It referred to their former petitions, and prayed the house to take into "consideration the many pains and disabilities, under which they "laboured, and to adopt measures for their relief." It was also resolved, that a deputation should wait on earl Grey and the right honourable William Elliot, and request that they would present the petition of the catholics to the respective houses of parliament, and express to them "the wish of "the board, that they should have the advantage "of a separate and distinct discussion."

At a subsequent meeting, it was resolved, that "their parliamentary friends should be requested "to obtain, if possible, the repeal of all remaining "restrictions on the religious observances of the "catholics, particularly with respect to their marriages."

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On the 28th of the following June, the British catholic petition was presented to the house of lords; and, on the 1st of the following July, a similar petition was presented to the house of commons by Mr. Elliot.

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