the Bill was not worth defending. The House divided;-the ayes were 251, and the noes were 247,-majority 4. The Bill is lost for this session; and we wish that" the land may have peace forty years." The conduct of the Pope's Nuncio in Spain, has opened the eyes of many to the reluctance with which the adherents of Rome give up any abridge ment of their power, even though that power should arise out of so execrable a system of spiritual tyranny as the Inquisition itself. Yes, the possession or the enlargement of POWER is a supreme object with the Papists; and this is not more evident from the opposition made to the late decree of the Spanish Cortes (the voice of the Spanish nation), than from the effort just made to force open the doors of the Parliament-House here at home. Toleration, as we have again and again repeated, the Papists have; POWER, is their object. The bishop of Norwich was correct to a certain degree, in calling the Roman Catholic, a political question. Po LITICAL POWER was what they most coveted, or coveted in the outset; ecclesiastical influence, they expected, would follow of course. Who can be so besotted as not to see this? Their warmest friends, or their deluded tools, have virtually confessed this;-for the House of Commons having determined, as a preliminary measure, that Papists shall not sit on its benches, these violent partizans immediately give up the Bill as not worth a struggle. "Aut Cæsar aut nullus. I will lead my Romish legions into the House of Commons, thence into the House of Lords, and thence or I will give up every thing, and sulkily retire, with dark hints of dangerous consequences-more alarming than open threats." The legislature need not be alarmed. The heart, the best affections, the firm affiance and confidence of the country will be, under Providence, their defence. Now that the charm is dissipated, now that a majority of the House of Commons have broken the bonds of delusion asunder, and cast away the Popish cords from them, the people of England will reverence their representatives who shew that they revere the opinion of their constituents, expressed in numerous petitions. We may expect that this majority will increase, on any fresh attempts to violate the spirit of our Protestant constitution; may it continue unimpaired till time shall be no more. Esto perpetua! THE PROTESTANT ADVOCATE For JULY 1813. "The Popish Religion hath a restless spirit, and will strive by these gradations ;"if it once get but a connivance, it will press for Toleration; if that should be ob. "tained, they must have an Equality; from thence they will aspire to Superiority, and "will never rest till they get a subversion of the true Religion."-Remonstrance of the House of Commons to K. James 1, 1621. * OBSERVATIONS ON THE LATE ATTEMPT AT In the hope of offering to the public, and, with deference be it spoken, to the Legislature, the consideration of several important facts and arguments connected with the Roman Catholic question, we sent the last number of the PROTESTANT ADVOCATE early to press, in order that it might be published previously to the final determination of the House of Commons on the fate of Mr. Grattan's bill. The vote of the 24th of May settled the contest sooner than we expected, and we had only time, and room, for a very short paper on the deserved fate of that crude attempt at law-making, the joint produce of Mr. Grattan's wisdom and Mr. Canning's wit. We shall now make some remarks upon what was intended, and what has been achieved by the devisers and supporters of the bill.-— Mr. Canning's motion in the late House of Commons holds out "the conci. liating all classes of his Majesty's subjects." We have freely expressed our opinion of Mr. Canning. We have protested against his title to the name of a Statesman. We know that our opinion of that gentleman, not lightly adopted, and plainly avowed, startled even some of our friends. However, we see no reason to alter it. The measure entered upon by the present Hous of Commons bas been productive of no conciliation. The Right Hon. Gentleman was mistaken. The Protestants were alarmed. The country petitioned against any change in our Protestant Constitution. Popish ascendancy was universally dreaded; and people began to deduce terrible Consequences from the slight impression which their petitions seemed to VOL. I. [Prot. Adv. July, 1913.] 3 U make on the two Houses of Parliament. If sensations of this sort were felt in England, they were much more oppressive in Ireland. We have received intelligence from a gentleman of the first respectability and infor mation in that country, that many persons were preparing to emigrate, in case the Bill should pass into a law! For ourselves, we honestly confess that we were sanguine enough to hope that the present Parliament would have come to a determination on the question a little earlier than the 24.h of May; convinced as we were from history, from recent experience, and from an intimate knowledge of the genius of the Roman Catholic religion, that any further concessions made to its professors must place the Protestant part of the community in circumstances of imminent hazard. Seeing, not withstanding, to our great sorrow, the number of partizans which the Roman Catholics had in the House of Commons, we began to prepare for the worst ;-like the defenders of a fortress who see the outworks on the point of being carried; we began to provide for all exigencies, and to throw up intrenchments within. On this principle it was, that we gave prompt admittance to the paper, p. 488, in which mention is made of the construction which the Regent may put on the King's coronation-oath; and the danger of tampering with it, and the constitutional impossibility of repealing it. God be praised, we need not yet appeal to the Regent, nor to the House of Lords, to save us from destruction. The House of Com mons continues to shield us from harm. But we cannot help regretting that rash men (we call them not Statesmen !) should have caused the people to look upon their representatives with any other eyes than those of con fidence and affection. Most certainly the Protestants have not been conciliated! Their minds have been agitated in an unusual degree. They have been induced to examine afresh the points in controversy between the Romanists and themselves. The line of demarcation betwixt Papists and Protestants has been set out anew. Popish trickery, and Protestant cullibility had caused that line, drawn by the hands of our ancestors, moistened in many places with their blood, and strewed in others with their ashes, to be defaced and well nigh obliterated. Like Offa's dike, or Severus's wall, or Hadrian's rampart, it had become rather an ancient landmark than'a line of defence; it was "trodden underfoot of men," and long tracts of it were overgrown with heath, or covered with brushwood, or sunk in morasses; but it has been accurately surveyed, its trench has been deepened, its face newly-worked, where it was sunk it has been elevated, its breaches have been repaired, its parapet rebuilt, its embrasures, choaked with rob "bish, have been opened, it is manned from end to end, and, bristled with pikes, it presents a most formidable aspect to the assailants. This does not look like conciliation; it resembles rather a renewal of hostilities! Thus it is ever with shallow politicians ;-sanguine in whatever they take in hand, and guided by the sensations of the heart, rather than the dictates of the head, the working of fancy overpowers the evidence of facts; blunder succeeds blunder;-and we might be disposed to smile at these apes of Statesmen, were it not that the peace and tranquillity of a nation are placed in jeopardy!-Conciliation! Let us next look at the Papists; how has it fared with them? are they conciliated? do they love the Protestants better than they did? are those whom they call heretics any dearer to them? will they allow them even a chance for Heaven, unless they call the Pope their "Father upon earth." Is the Catholic Church of Rome, less particular than she was? The Papists are just as much dissatisfied as ever. The provisions of Mr. Grattan's bill, though devised at Tinnahinch, are just as odious as the Veto itself, once approved of by Dr. Milner, and afterwards execrated by the Bishop of Castabala. Mr. Canning's supplementary clauses were not more palatable than Mr. Grattan's original draft ;-the Papists sputter at them, as at a potion where Colocynth has been superadded to the species of hiera picra. The composition of the two stare quacks has all the nauseousness of physic, without any of its sanative qualities. It has increased party-heat, instead of allaying religious animosity. The Roman Catholic Prelates, in a pastoral address just published at Dublin, declare that they feel " compelled by a sense of duty to dissent, in some points connected with their emancipation, [scandalous use of a word calculated to rouse the worst passions of the mob !] from the opinions of those virtuous and enlightened Statesmen, who have so long and so ably advo cated the cause of Catholic freedom." How is this? If the Statesmen from whose opinions they dissent be virtuous and enlightened, ill does it become these Prelates to differ with them. We believe Mr. Canning to be virtuous, but we do not think him enlightened; concerning Mr. Grattan we are silent; but we count neither of them Statesmen. These conciliators have not been able to mollify the asperity of the Romish Prelates; who solemnly announce that they deem it a duty to their country and Goa, to declare, in the most public manner, that the clauses have not, and that in their present shape, they never can have their concurrence." Charming symptoms of conciliation!!! With what wonderful sagacity have these enlightened Statesmen studied human nature, and religious prejudice! Mr. Canning may know something of the microcosm, but "little of this great world can he speak," with that accuracy which becomes a Legislator. Not content with the pastoral address which lies before us, the Roman Catholic Prelates of Ireland held a general meeting on the 26th of May—the most reverend Richard O'Reilly, D.D. President; and came to some resolutions 66 conceived in a spirit which breathes nothing of conciliation. They resolve, unanimously, that having seriously examined the copy of the bill then [as) they thought] in its progress through Parliament, they felt themselves bound to declare that the ecclesiastical clauses, or securities, are utterly incom patible with the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church, and with the free exercise of their religion ;" and in the next resolution they speak of their "consternation and dismay at the consequences which the regulations must, if enforced, necessarily produce." The Catholic Board, as it modestly styles itself, met at Dublin, May 29th, Lord Trimlestown in the chair, when the decision of the Prelates was approved by a large majority.-Then, the Roman Catholics quarrel among themselves. The Catholic Board scorns the assistance of Mr. Butler who advocated the Veto; and cries up the consistent Dr. Milner to the skies; but now we find Dr. Milner himself is in disgrace, and his brief memorial is stigmatized as a polemical paper.* Dr. Milner's vehemence is such as to have called down upon him the animadversions of Mr. Canning, the grand pacificator himself; for to him are ascribed the "notes elucidatory of the brief memorial of Dr. Milner;" in which the doctor is "tattered and torn" to pieces. We think that the half sheet of notes now before us, bears internal evidence of its being the work of the Right Hon. Gentleman. The second paragraph runs thus:“jealousy, confusion, and animosity, may be excited by those who wish to establish a separation of interests. The bill is conciliatory." This is of a piece with the language held in the motion with which Mr. Can ning's Speech of June 22d last concluded; but notwithstanding the ipse dixit of this lively gentleman, we appeal to the common sense of the country, whether the bill has not increased the jealousy, confusion, and animosity, previously stirred up by the Popish agitators both in England and Ireland; but particularly in Ireland. As to a separation, we will not say of the relative interests of the Popish Clergy and Laity, but those of Great Britain and Ireland; can any thing else be deemed the object of such men as now take an active part in furthering the objects of what is called the Catbolic Committee? People that have been notoriously concerned in treasonable practices convicted of the same-pardoned!!! We could say a great deal more-but we prefer silence for obvious reasons.-We blush for the imbecility of a former Irish administration, and we are astonished at the audacity and the ingratitude of pardoned traitors!-Under the auspices of Messrs. Grattan and Canning the jealousy of the Papists has been sharp ened, their confusion has been "worse confounded," and their animosity rendered more bitter, and more inveterate. And yet these bunglers are to be taken for Statesmen! We hope that the delusion is now at an end; *Since this was written, Dr. M, has regained a portion of the favour which he forfeited, |
