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moment you throw open the door to equal and general concession, and say that the only difference between the churches of the dissenters and the churches of the establishment is the ecclesiastical establishment of the latter, that moment you will cease to poses the means of maintaining what is essential to the security of your establishment. Parliament will immediately cease to be a Protes tant parliament.

To this strain of reasoning, Earl Grey made the following reply. The noble Earl opposite has stated one danger, but it is of a nature somewhat unsubstantial, although he earnestly calls your Lordships attention to it. It is, that if the Catholics shall be admitted into full participation of the privileges of the British constitution, the Parliament of this country can no longer be called exclusively a Protestant Parliament. Really, my Lords, this is

the first time that I have heard the name of a thing prized beyond the substance. The noble Earl argues in this manner. He thinks that though the Parliament would be substantially the same, great danger is to be apprehended if two or three Catholic representatives should be admitted into the ether House, and two or three Catholic peers restored to their hereditary seats in this House. Surely never did the wit of man devise a danger more futile and imaginary than this!

The House being at length divided upon Lord Donoughinore's motion, the numbers stood as follows:

Contents, present. . 54
Proxies
. . 36
Non-contents, present 82
Proxies

90

60

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CHAPTER V.

hongation of the Speaker, and subsequent Proceedings.-Lord Sidmouth] circular Letter discussed in both Houses.

SPEAKER'S RESIGNATION.

May 30th, the following ketter was read from the ker of the House of Coms, addressed to Jeremiah Dyna Esq deputy clerk of the House.

SIR,

Ir is with the sincerest concer and regret that I feel myself

ed to request that you will 1. the House of Commons at

meeting this day, of my inats, from continued illness, to attel: any longer upon their service.

viter holding the high office to wah I have been raised by that

ur in five successive Parliaats, it is impossible that I 4.d resign so honourable and

guished a situation without the deepest gratitude for te crustant kindness with which tes have been pleased to accept and asset my humble endeavours c: Large its various and ar

dur=us duties.

it was my earnest wish and

to have continued longer in service of the House, if such were their pleasure; but the inserration of public business which Las been already occasioned by = state of health, and the appre.

am of the same cause recurrng, which might again expose

House to the like inconvezezre, have made me deem it

mary that I should retire at La Lase, and have left me now

no further duty to perform than to return my heartfelt acknowledgments to the House for all the favours they have bestowed upon me, and to express my fervent wishes for the perpetual maintenance and preservation of its rights, its privileges, and its independence. I am, Sir,

always most truly your's,

CHARLES ABBOT. Lord Castlereagh then proposed that the House should adjourn till Monday next, when it was probable they would receive a communication from the Prince Regent on the subject.-Adjourned.

On June 2, there being an unusually full attendance of members, Lord Castlereagh rose, and said that he was commanded by the Prince Regent to acquaint the House, that being anxious that no further delay should arise in the progress of public business, he was desirous that they should immediately proceed to the election of a new Speaker.

Sir J. Nicholl, aldressing himself to the deputy clerk, then arose, and after paying a wellmerited compliment to the Speal er, he presented the Right Hon. Charles Manners Sutton to the choice of this House.

He was seconded by Mr. E. J. Littleton.

'Mr. Dickinson then rose to recommend Mr. Charles Watkin Williams

Williams Wynn to the same post, in which he was seconded by Sir M. W. Ridley.

The two candidates having paid their proper respects to the House, each party proceeded to election, when Mr. Manners Sut ton was chosen by 312 to 150. On the following day the approbation of the Prince Regent was signified to him by his Majesty's commissioners in the House of Lords.

On the same day, Lord Castle reagh presented the following message from the Prince Regent.

"The Prince Regent, acting in the name and in the behalf of his Majesty, thinks it right to inform the House of Commons, that having taken into his consideration the eminent and distinguished services of the Right Honourable Charles Abbot, during the long and eventful period in which he had filled the situation. of Speaker of that House, has conferred upon him the dignity of a baron of the united kingdom by the title of Baron Colchester, of Colchester, in the county of Essex; and the Prince Regent recommends to the House of Commons to enable him to make such provision for Charles Lord Colchester, and for the heir male of his body who may next succeed to the title, as shall, under all the circumstances, be judged just and reasonable."

GEORGE, P. R. The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that the message of the Prince Regent respecting a provision for Lord Colchester be taken into consideration on Thursday next.

Mr. Wynn expressed his astonishment at the mode of proceeding

adopted by the advisers of the crown on this occasion. No one could concur more willingly in a vote of thanks to Lord Colchester than himself; but why did the crown interfere to prevent the House from going further, and from originating any other reward which was due to his acknowledged merits? His services had been performed in that House; and from it, therefore, ought their recompence to proceed. It was not a matter of indifference that persons sitting in that chair should be accustomed to look to the crown for the reward of their exertions in it. Had the message been preceded by an address, every objection would have been precluded; but the services in question were of that nature which, for peculiar reasons, ought in the first instance to be fully recognized and appreciated by the House.

Lord Castlereagh said, that the right hon. person having been raised to the dignity of the peerage, the purport of the message ought to be understood as inviting the House to make a provision in consequence of the title, and not of his services as Speaker.

Mr. Ponsonby was surprised at the noble lord's explanation, who might find from the very words of the message, that it was founded upon those services.

After several other observations, Mr. Wynn repeated his anxious wish that the motion should be withdrawn, and another substituted that would meet the wishes of every member in that House

The Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted the candour of the hon. member s

member's intimation. He appretended that it might be the most sai-factory course that he should draw the motion be had alresiv made, and give notice of his atent on to move an address to De crown on this subject on I rsday next.

The motion was accordingly

rawn.

Ou June 5th, Lord Castlereagh rose in the House, and after a 2: 4some compliment to the late eer, he moved, "That the taas of this House be expressed The Right Hon. Charles Abbot, aw Baron Colchester, for his nent and distinguished services

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the long and eventful pein which he discharged the of Speaker with a zeal ality alike honourable to f, and advantageous to the e of this House: that he 1 dl that the proofs he has Lly given of attachment to A. and Country; the exemDary brilless with which he has and the dignity and priviof this House; the ability, ty, and unremitting attentoparlamentary business, have marked the whole of Caduct; justly entitle him to approbation, respect, and graof this House.”

motion was agreed to, Lim Speaker was directed to rate the resolution to

L ~: Gi bester.

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mark of the royal favour upon Charles Lord Colchester, late Speaker of this House, for his great and eminent services performed to his country during the long and important period in which he has, with such distinguished ability and integrity, presided in the chair of this House; and to assure his Royal Highness, that whatever expense his Royal Highness shall think proper to be incurred upon that account, this House will make good the same."

Mr. Ponsonby said, that the House was already in one difficulty, and he was afraid that the wording of the address was calculated to produce another. The objection on a former day was that the crown should be the first proposer of the grant; and they were now told that the crown ought to determine the amount.

After some discussion upon this matter, the motion was agreed to nem, con.

The Speaker, on the next day, reported Lord Colchester's answer to the resolution of the House of Commons.

Lord Castlereagh then laid before the House the answer of the Prince Regent to their address, which was to the following purpose:

"The Prince Regent has the justest sense of the long services and great merit of Charles Lord Colchester, late Speaker of the House of Commons: and in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty has already taken the same into his consideration. The Prince Regent is desirous, in compliance with the wishes of his Majesty's faithful Commons, to confer upon the said Lord Col

chester

Mr. Leslie Foster rose, and after stating the character of the two parties into which the Irish Catholics were divided during the last year, he proceeded to show what the conditions are on which they seem now agreed. The nomination of the Bishops has for a long time been as practically domestic as any possible arrangement can make it. When a see is vacant, a recommendation is forwarded to Rome from Ireland, and within memory not more than two or three instances have occurred of any difficulty in confirming this choice. Lately, it is said, the persons thus nominated in Ireland have been the coadjutors of the deceased bishop, who has been selected by the bishop in his life-time. The transmission of the episcopal rank has therefore, in practice, been a mere matter of testamentary bequest. Some persons, it seems, now propose that the elections shall hereafter be made by the deans and chapters; but if they should, will this mode be either less domestic, or more conducive to give satisfaction to a Protestant, than the present? The proposition of domestic nomination is distinctly this-that the Protestants and Catholics having each much to require, and much to give up, the Protestants are to cede all that remains, and the Catholics are to make the single concession of remaining exactly as they are, as the ground of being admitted to a Complete participation of political power.

After some discussion of the principle of the veto, Mr. L. F. proceeded to the consideration of the manner in which the Pope is

treated by the different powers of Europe, which he borrowed from the work of Sir J. C. Hippesley. He concluded, We have thus, Sir, looked around Europe, and seen Calvinists, and Lutherans, and Roman Catholics, and Christians of the Greek communion, agreeing in two propositions: first, that the patronage of the higher stations of the Catholic clergy must be vested in the state; and secondly, that the most vigorous superintendence must be exercised over all their communications with the see of Rome. And therefore, when the right honourable gentleman asks, whether this country will continue to be the only great nation that shall persist in intolerance, I say, that his question rather ought to be, whether this nation will determine to be the only one in Europe which shall consent to place the Roman Catholic religion in a situation so free from all practical control, as to form a complete imperium in imperio within its bosem.

Mr. Yorke said, that the great difficulty he had always found of bringing this question to a satis factory result was the foreign influence; and no consideration could induce him to yield in any material degree to the petitions of the Roman Catholics, but the prospect of security to the Protestant establishment from such an influence. In formerly giving his opinion on this subject, he had always said, that he thought it could only be usefully taken up when the Pope was master of himself. This was now the case; and the question appeared to stand upon more favourable ground with respect to any communications that

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