Petition of the Roman Catholics of Ireland, prefented at St. James's, on Wednesday, January 2, 1793, by Mers. Edward Byrne, John Keogh, James Edward Devereux, Christopher Beilew, and Sir Thomas French, Bart. (With an elegant Quarto Print reprefenting the Delegates prefenting the Petition.) To the King's Moft Excellent Majefty. The humble petition of the underfigned Catholics, on behalf of themfelves and the reft of the Catholic fubjects of the kingdom of Ireland. Moft gracious Sovereign, WE, your majefty's moft dutiful and loyal fubjects of your kingdom of Ireland, profeffing the Catholic religion, prefume to approach your majefty, who is the common father of all your people, and humbly to fubmit to your confideration the manifold incapacities and oppreffive difqualifications under which we labour. For, may it please your majefty, after a century of uninterrupted loyalty, in which time five foreign wars, and two domeftic rebellions have occurred, after having taken every oath of allegiance and fidelity to your majefty, and given, and being ftill ready to give, every pledge which can be devifed, for their peaceable demeanour and unconditional fubmiffion to the laws, the Catholics of Ireland ftand obnoxious to a long catalogue of ftatutes, inflicting on dutiful and meritorious fubjects pains and penalties of an extent and feverity which fcarce any Hib. Mag. Jan. 1793. degree of delinquency can warrant, and prolonged to a period when no neceflity can be alledged to justify the continuance. In the first place, we beg leave with all humility to reprefent to your majefty, that notwithstanding the loweft depart ments in your majefty's fleets and armies, are largely fupplied by our num bers, and your revenue in this country to a great degree fupported by our contri butions, we are difabled from ferving your majefty in any office of trust and emolument whatfuever, civil or military, a profcription which difregards capacity or merit, admits of neither qualification nor degree, and refts as an univerfal ftigma of diftruft upon the whole body of your Catholic fubjects. We are interdicted from all municipal ftations, and the franchise of all guilds and corporations; and our exclufion from the benefits annexed to thofe fituations, is not an evil terminating in itfelf; for by giving an advantage over us to thofe in whom they are exclufively vefted, they eftablith throughout the kingdom a fpccies of qualified monopoly, uniformly operating in our disfavour, contrary to the fpirit, and highly detrimental to the freedom of trade. We may not found nor endow any A university. 1 univerfity, college, or school, for the education of our children, and we are interdicted from obtaining degrees in the Univerfity of Dublin, by the feveral charters and ftatutes now in force therein, ever happen, there fhould not be found a fufficiency of Proteftants to complete the pannel, contrary to that humane and equitable principle of the law, which fays that no man fhall be convicted of We are totally prohibited from keep any capital offence, unlefs by the coning or ufing weapons for the defence of curring verdicts of two juries of his our houfes, families, or perfons, whereby neighbours and equals, whereby, and to we are expofed to the violence of bur- this we humbly prefume more particuglary, robbery, and affaffination; and "laily to implore your royal attention, to enforce this prohibition, contravening we are deprived of the great Palladium that great original law of nature, which of the Conftitution, Trial by our Peers, enjoins us to felf-defence, a variety of independent of the manifelt injuftice of ftatutes exift, not lefs grievous and op- our property being taxed in affeffments preflive in their provifions than unjuft in by a body, from which we are formally their object; by one of which, enacted excluded. fo lately as within thefe 16 years, every We avoid a further enumeration of of your Majefty's Catholic fubjects, of inferior grievances, but may it please whatever rank or degree, peer or pea- your Majefty, there remains one incafant, is compellable by any magiftrate to pacity, which your loyal fubjects, the come forward and convict himfelf of Catholics of Ireland, feel with moft what may be thought a fingular offence poignant anguifh of mind, as being the in a country profeffing to be free-keep- badge of unmerited difgrace and ignoing arms for his defence; or, if he fhall miny, and the caufe and bitter aggrarefufe fo to do, may incur not only fine vation of all other calamities; we are and imprisonment, but the vile and igno- deprived of the elective franchife, to minious punishment of the pillory and the manifeft perverfion of the fpirit of whipping-penalties appropriated to the conftitution, in as much as your the most infamous malefactors, and more faithful fubjects are thereby taxed where terrible to a liberal mind than death it- they are not reprefented, actually or felf. No Catholic whatfoever, as virtually, and bound by laws, in the we apprehend, has his perfonal property framing of which they have no power fecure. The law allows and encourages the difobedient and unnatural child to conform and deprive him of it: the unhappy father does not, even by the furrender of his all, purchafe his repofe; he may be attacked by new bills, if his future induftry be fuccefsful, and again be plundered by due procefs of law. We are excluded, or may be excluded from all Petit Juries, in civil ac tions, where one of the parties is a Proteftant; and we are further excluded from all Petit juries in trials by information or indictment founded on any of the Popery laws, by which law we moft humbly fubmit to your Majefty, that your loyal fubjects, the Catholics of Ireland, are in this their native land, in a worfe fituation than that of Aliens, for they may demand an equitable privilege denied to us, of having half their Jury Aliens like themfelves." We may not ferve on Grand Juries, hich it is fcarcely poffible can to give or withhold their affent; and we most humbly implore your Majefty to believe, that this our prime and heavy grievance is not an evil merely fpeculative, but is attended with great diftrefs to all ranks, and in many inftances, with the total ruin and deftruction of the lower orders of your Majefty's faithful and loyal fubjects the Catholics-of Ireland; for may it please your Majelty, not to mention the infinite variety of advantages in point of protection and otherwife, which the enjoyment of the elective franchife gives to those who poffels it, nor the confequent inconveniencies to which thofe who are deprived thereof are liable, not to mention the difgrace to three-fourths of your loyal fubjects of Ireland, of living the only body of men incapable of franchife, in a nation poffefling a free conftitution, it continually happens and of neceflity from the malignant nature of the law, inuft happen, that multitudes of the the Catholic tenantry in divers counties ratified by Parliament; notwithstandin this kingdom are, at the expiration ing which, and in direct breach of the of their leafes expelled from their tene- public faith of the nation thus folemnly ments and farms to make room for Pro- pledged, for which our ancestors paid a teftant freeholders, who, by their votes, valuable confideration, in a furrender of may contribute to the weight and im- their arms, and a great part of this portance of their landlords.-A circum- kingdom, and notwithstanding the moft ftance which renders the recurrence of a fcrupulous adherence, on our part, to general election, that period which is the the terms of the faid treaty, and our boaft and laudable triumph of our Pro- unremitting loyalty from that day to the teftant brethrena vifitation and heavy, prefent, the faid right of elective francurfe to us, your Majefty's dutiful and chife was finally and univerfally taken loyal fubjects. And may it pleafe your away from the Catholics of Ireland, fo Majefty, this uncertainty of poffeffion lately as the firft year of his Majefty to your Majefty's Catholic fubjects ope- King George the Second. rates as a perpetual restraint and difcouragement on induftry and the fpirit of cultivation, whereby it happens, that this your Majefty's kingdom of Ireland, poffeffing many and great natural advantages of foil and climate, fo as to be exceeded therein by few, if any, countries on the earth, is yet prevented from availing herfelf thereof fo fully as the otherwife might, to the furtherance of your Majefty's honour, and the more effectual fupport of your fervice. And, may it pleafe your Majefty, the evil does not reft here for many of your Majefty's Catholic fubjects, to preferve their families from total deftruction, fubmit to a nominal conformity against their conviction and their confcience; and, preferring perjury to famine, take oaths which they utterly difbelieve-a circumftance which, we doubt not, will fhock your Majefty's well known and exemplary piety, not lefs than the mifery which drives thofe unhappy wretches to fo defperate a meafare, muft diftrefs and wound your Royal clemency and commiferation. And, may it please your Majefty, though we might here reft our cafe, on its own merit, juftice, and expediency, yet we further prefume, humbly to fub mit to your Majefty, that the right of franchife was, with divers other rights, enjoyed by the catholics of this kingdom, from the firft adoption of the English conftitution by our forefathers, was fecured to at leaft a great part of our body by the treaty of Limerick, in 1691, guaranteed by your Majefty's Royal Predeceffors, King William and Queen Mary, and finally confirmed and And when we thus prefume to fubmit this infraction of the treaty of Limerick to your Majefty's Royal notice, it is not that we ourselves confider it to be the ftrong part of our cafe; for though our rights were recognized, they were by no means created by that treaty; and we do with all humility conceive, that if no fuch event as the faid treaty had ever taken place, your Majefty's Catholic fubjects, from their unvarying loyalty and dutiful fubmiffion to the laws, and from the great fupport afforded by them to your Majefty's Government in this country, as well as in their perfonali fervice in your Majefty's fleets and armies, as from the taxes and revenues levied on their property, are fully competent, and juftly entitled to participate and enjoy the bleffings of the conftitution of their country. And now that we have, with all humility fubmitted our grievances to your Majefty, permit us, Moft Gracious Sovereign, again to reprefent our fincere attachment to the Conftitution, as eftablished in the three eftates of King, Lords, and Commons, our uninterrupted loyalty, peaceable demeanor, and fubmiffion to the laws for one hundred years, and our determination to perievere in the fame dutiful conduct, which has, under your Majesty's happy aufpices, procured us thofe relaxations of the penal ftatutes, which the wifdom of the Legiflature has from time to time thought proper to grant. We humbly prefume to hope, that your Majelty, in your paternal goodneis and affection towards a numerous and oppreffed bod of your loyal fubjects, may be graci A 2 |