we have an ultimate and if poffible an object of more interior defire. We look for an union of affections; a gradual, and, therefore, a total obliteration of all the animofities, (on our part they are long extinct), and all the prejudices which have kept us disjoined. We come to you a great accefhon to the Proteftant intereft, with hearts and minds fuitable to fuch an end. We do not come as jealous and fufpicious rivals, to gavel the constitution, but, with fraternal minds, to participate in the great incorporeal inheritance of freedom, to be held according to the laws and customs of the realm, and by our immediate fealty and allegiance to the King. And fo may you receive us.

And we shall ever pray.

Objections having been made to this petition, upon Mr. O'Hara's prefenting it, as being informal, he withdrew it; and the general committee finding that fo bold and explicit a statement of their cafe had given offence to fome of their more violent opponents, prepared another petition, merely praying that the Houfe would take into confideration, whether the removal of fome of the grievances of the petitioners might not be compatible with Protestant fecurity. This petition was prefented by Mr. Egan on the 18th of February; and, on the 20th, was afterwards rejected, on a divifion of 200 to 23.

On

On the fame day was alfo rejected a petition from the Proteftant inhabitants of Belfaft, which went much farther than the petition of the Catholics, as it required that they should be placed on the fame footing with their Proteftant fellow-fubjects.

About this time the general committee invited over the son of Mr. Burke to act for them as their confidential agent*. They were induced to take this step in order to pay a compliment to Mr. Burke, in return for the extraordinary services he had done for them, and to secure, at this juncture, the renewal of his exertions in promoting their caufe. It was on the 3d January of this year, that Mr. Burke published his letter to Sir Hercules Langrishe, in which he gave him that learned and liberal opinion upon the fubject of the elective franchise, which probably obtained the royal affent to the measure which afterwards was adopted for conceding it. This letter was admirably well adapted to meet every fpecies of objec

tion,

* It appears from the statement, published by the com. mittee, of the accounts, that they paid Mr. R. Burke for his attendance L.2321, 10s. 5d.

tion, moral, local, and constitutional. It was calculated to remove the prejudices of the Church of England, and every fect of Proteftant diffenters; and, above all, it was quite conclufive, as a demonstration of the compatibility of Catholic emancipation with the coronation oath.

At a meeting of the general committee, on the 4th February, the following refolutions were agreed to, and afterwards published, with an address to the Protestants, written by Mr. R. Burke,

Son and corrected by his father. To this addrefs were of Edmond

added the answers of the foreign Catholic univer. fities to questions that had been put to them in 1789, at the defire of Mr. Pitt, concerning the existence and extent of the Popish difpenfing

power.

Refolved, That this committee has been informed, that reports have been circulated, that the application of the Catholics for relief, extends to unlimited and total emancipation; and that attempts have been made, wickedly and falfely, to inftil into the minds of the Proteftants of this kingdom an opinion, that our applications were preferred in a tone of

menace.

Refolved, That feveral Proteftant gentlemen have expreffed great fatisfaction on being individually informed of the real

extent and respectful manner of the applications for relief, have affured us, that nothing could have excited jealousy, or apparent oppofition to us, from our Proteftant countrymen, but the above-mentioned misapprehenfions.

Refolved, That we therefore deem it neceffary to declare, that the whole of our late applications, whether to his Majes ty's Ministers, to men in power, or to private members of the legislature, as well as our intended petition, neither did, nor does contain any thing, or extend further, either in fubftance or in principle, than the four following objects,

1ft. Admiffion to the profeffion and practice of the law.

2d. Capacity to ferve as county magistracies.

3d. A right to be fummoned, and to serve on grand and petty juries.

4th. The right of voting in counties only for Proteftant members of Parliament; in fuch a manner, however, as that a Roman Catholic freeholder should not vote, unless he either rented, and cultivated a farm of twenty pounds per annum, in addition to his forty fhillings freehold; or else possessed a freehold to the amount of twenty pounds a-year.

Refolved, That, in our opinion, these applications, not extending to any other objects than the above, are moderate, and abfolutely neceflary for our general alleviation, and more particularly for the protection of the Catholic farmers and the peafantry of Ireland; and that they do not, in any degree, endanger either church or ftate, or endanger the fecurity of the Proteftant interest.

-4

Refolved, That we never had an idea or thought fo extravagant, as that of menacing or intimidating our Protestant brethren, much lefs the legislature; and that we disclaim the violent and turbulent intentions imputed to us in fome of the public prints, and circulated in private converfation.

Refolved, That we refer to the known difpofition of the Roman Catholics of this kingdom, to our dutiful behaviour, during a long feries of years, and particularly to the whole tenor of our late proceedings for the full refutation of every charge of fedition and disloyalty.

Refolved, That for the more ample and detailed expofure of all the evil reports and calumnies circulated against us, an addrefs to our Proteftant fellow-fubjects, and to the public in general, be printed by the order, and in the name of the general committee.

The queries and anfwers concerning the Popish difpenfing power, are as follow:

1ft. Has the Pope or Cardinals, or any body of men, or any individual of the Church of Rome, any civil authority, power, jurifdiction, or pre-eminence whatfoever, within the realm of England?

2d. Can the Pope or Cardinals, or any body of men, or any individual of the Church of Rome, abfolve or difpenfe with his Majefty's fubjects from their oath of allegiance, upon any pretext whatsoever?

3d. Is there any principle in the tenets of the Catholic faith, by which Catolics are juftified in not keeping faith