"the gentlemen of the four districts, and of Lan"cashire and Cheshire, to recommend the electing "of one gentleman from each*; and that ten so "chosen shall form a committee:

"And that there be a general annual meeting "as heretofore, on the first Thursday in May."

The meeting then proceeded to ballot: and, on the ballot, the numbers were in favour of lord Petre, lord Stourton, Mr. Throckmorton, afterwards sir John Throckmorton, sir Henry Charles Englefield, and Mr. Fermor.

Mr. Charles Butler was appointed secretary to the committee.

At a meeting, on the 14th of January 1788, of the members thus chosen, the secretary reported, that, in consequence of the resolution entered into. at the last general meeting, he had written to the gentlemen of each district, to recommend the electing of one gentleman from each, to be of the committee, and that it appears, by their letters, that the majority was in favour of,

Lord Clifford,-for the western district;

Sir John Lawson,-for the northern district; Sir William Jerningham,—for the midland district;

Thomas Hornyold, esq.-for the London district;

And John Towneley, esq.-for the Lancashire and Cheshire districts.

* i. e. One from each district; and one from both the counties mentioned in the resolution.

By a resolution of a general meeting of the English catholics on the 15th of May 1788, the three following gentlemen were added to the committee:

Dr. James Talbot, the vicar-apostolic of the London district;-Dr. Charles Berington, the coadjutor of the vicar-apostolic of the midland district;-and the rev. Mr. Joseph Wilks, a monk of the order of St. Benedict.

LXXXII. 3.

The Memorial presented by the English Catholics to
Mr. Pitt.

AT a general meeting of the English catholics on the 10th of February 1788, the following Memorial was unanimously approved, and, by their direction, presented to Mr. Pitt.

"To the right honourable William Pitt, first "lord of the treasury, and chancellor of his ma"jesty's court of exchequer;

"The memorial of his majesty's English sub

'jects, professing the catholic religion, "Showeth,

"That, by the laws now in force against persons

professing the catholic religion, your memorial"ists are deprived of many of the rights of English ii subjects, and the common rights of mankind:

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They are prohibited, under the most severe "penalties, from exercising any act of religion, ac"cording to their own mode of worship:

They are subject to heavy punishments for

*keeping schools, for educating their children in "their own religious principles at home; and they "are also subject to heavy punishments for sending their children for education abroad:

"They are made incapable of serving in his "majesty's armies and navies :

They are restrained from practising the law, “as barristers, advocates, solicitors, attorneys, or proctors:

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They are obliged, on every occasion, to expose "the most secret transactions of their families, by "reason of the expensive and perplexing obliga"tion of enrolling their deeds:

They are subject, by annual acts of the legis"lature, to the ignominious fine of the double "land-tax :

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They are deprived of that constitutional right "of English freeholders, voting for county mem"bers: They are not allowed to vote at the elec"tion of any other member:-They are therefore "absolutely unrepresented in parliament:

They are excluded from all places civil and “military :

They are disqualified from being chosen to a "seat in the house of commons:

"Their peers are deprived of their hereditary "seat in parliament; and their clergy, for exer"cising their functions, are exposed to the heaviest penalties and punishments, and, in some cases, "to death:

"That the laws, which subject them to these dis

abilities, penalties, and punishments, were passed against them in times of intolerance, for crimes "of which they were not guilty, and for principles "which they do not profess:

"That, if any motives of policy ever existed, which, in any point of view, or by the opinions "of any set of men, could justify the general ne"cessity or expediency of these laws, they have

long since entirely ceased :-To continue them, "must therefore be unjust, as it withholds from $6 so many subjects, the first rights and comforts of society; unwise, as it produces disunion among "the people; and impolitic, as it deprives the state "of the labours and services of so many of its loyal "subjects:

"That, by the gracious and salutary act passed "in the twentieth year of his present majesty, that "one particular law, which most prevented their "safely and quietly enjoying their landed pro

perty, was formally repealed, and an oath pre"scribed to them, by which, in the most solemn, "most explicit, and most unequivocal terms, they "disclaim the belief that there exists in any "foreign prince, prelate, state, or potentate, either

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directly or indirectly, any civil jurisdiction, power, "superiority, or pre-eminence whatsoever, within "this realm,'-and, by which, in terms equally solemn, equally explicit, and equally unequi"vocal, they avow their absolute and unreserved allegiance and fidelity to his majesty's person and government, the succession of the crown in his family, and the British constitution :

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"That the English catholics have universally "taken this oath :

"That their general conduct has been blameless "and inoffensive:

"That they hold no principle, which can be con"strued to extend to the subversion, disturbance, or disquiet of the civil or ecclesiastical government "of this country:

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"That they live in the completest harmony with "their fellow-subjects:-only separated from them by a difference of opinion in matters of religion, " and only prevented from falling into the general "mass of the community, by the distinctions pro"duced and kept alive by the laws still remaining "in force against them:

"That the British government and the nation at large have long been sensible of this; and there"fore, (with an humanity, for which the English "catholics are truly grateful) have not permitted "the laws against them to be executed in their ut"most extent :

Hence, for a considerable time, none of the "laws, which affect their lives, have been carried ❝ into execution, and there have not been many "instances, where those laws, which affect their "fortunes or their liberties, have been enforced. "Prosecutions against them have received no aid "from the legislature, no countenance from the "courts of justice, no encouragement from the "magistracy, and no favour from the people. In"formers against them have been universally de