declared that he was ready to meet the argument most favourable to the petitioners" that the admissibility to civil employment should be regu

been lately appointed to the see of Landaff, demands a priority of attention. Whether the speech, to which the name of this divine is attached by the editors of The Morn-lated by civil capacity and civil

worth." But how is he made to meet the argument? Not by an historical relation of facts, to prove the

ing Chronicle and The Courier, ever proceeded from the mouth of the right reverend prelate, I am not prepared to say the latter paper, how-delinquency, the incapacity, or the ever, positively asserts, that "the unwillingness of catholics to serve new bishop of Landaff, Dr. Marsh, a protestant sovereign; no, that distinguished himself by a very able would not do; but the doctor is speech, in which he put the most con- stated to have entered into a compa. vincing arguments in the clearest rative view of the effects which the light." For the credit and character influence of religion has on the civil of the learned divine, I am willing allegiance of the member of the estato believe, that the convincing argu- blished church, the protestant disments which the two papers above senter, and the catholic. It is truly named have ascribed to him, are ra- curious to see the shifts and subterther the inventions of the hireling fuges to which the opponents of our editors than the grave assertions of claims are driven to uphold their unDr. Marsh. As these prints, how- just system of exclusion, and the ever, have thought proper to attack harlequin movements they make to the civil allegiance of catholics to defend a weak cause. The question, the state, under the sanction of so it was previously said, ought to be great an authority, justice demands decided by its only true criterionthat these groundless charges of civil civil capacity and civil conduct; incapacity and divided fealty should but now, forsooth to become acberefuted. The learned prelate is quainted with all that constituted stated to have asked, if the doctrine civil capacity and worth, it is necesor discipline of the catholic church is sary to enter into the religious quanot dangerous to the state, why ex- lifications of the party. Civil ex clude the professors from office, why clusion can be justified alone by refuse to them the enjoyment of that civil delinquency, and to establish which the professors of any other re- this delinquency, a point of religious 4igion enjoy? "Such an exclusion," faith is tortured to a supposed defalDr. M. is said to have further ob- cation of fealty to the state. served, "can be justified alone by let us see the convincing arguments civil delinquency; but, if no civil put into the mouth of the bishop. I delinquency can be laid to their quote from the The Morning Chronicharge,-if, notwithstanding their cle, whose words agree in substance errors, they are still willing and able with the report of The Courier.to serve the state-let civil employ-"Beforehand, it might be well to ment be determined by the only true eriterion, civil capacity and civil conduct." This is the ground on which we rest our case, and by this criterion we wish our claims to be fairly and impartially decided. Having thus stated the question in a very satisfactory point of view, the right reverend divine is reported to have

But

make themselves acquainted with all that constituted civil capacity and civil worth. There might be some ingredients which entered into them, not of a civil but a religious nature; and the religion of one man, therefore, might make him better qualified for office, and consequently better entitled to office, than another.

not only against it, but to the very subversion of the constitution itself. -The late example of France had been held up to us for imitation, where all classes of subjects, pro testants as well as catholics, were equally eligible to all councils and all offices, civil and military. But there was a great difference between the admissibility of protestants to the councils of a government where the established religion was that of the church of Rome, and the admissibility of Roman catholics to the councils of a government where the protestant religion was established,

Let them apply these ingredients to the case of the church of England, the protestant dissenters, and the members of the church of Rome. The protestant establishment acknowledged the king as superior in civil and ecclesiastical matters. The dissenters acknowledged the king only as supreme in civil matters; but the obedience of the dissenter, though not like that of the churchman, was subject to no draw back from ecclesiastical authority. But the case was very different, when, as the case of the Roman catholics, the church not only did not allow the supremacy of the king, but was sub-In France, the protestants, though ject to, or rather was dependent on, not professing the established relia foreign dominion, which had not gion, acknowledged no foreign althe same interests with the sovereign legiance they acknowledge no other of this country. They were told superior than the lawful government, that the civil and ecclesiastical no other authority than that of the authorities were quite distinct-that lawful king, into whose councils the authority of the pope was not they were called. It was not so acknowledged in matters of state. with the catholic under a protestant But when subjects were so blended establishment-he was subject to a together as they were in the present foreign sovereign, who wielded the case, it became important to inquire powerful sceptre of religion, and into what was religious, and what whose views must often be adverse was civil authority. It was impor- to the views of the domestic prince. tant to examine into this part of the But it was said, if both acknowledged question without taking religion the same king as their lawful soveinto account. Supposing the tem- reign, why then were not both alike poral and spiritual power were at admitted into the councils of the variance, and that the Roman catho- nation; and why might not all the lic subject entertained a doubt whe- privileges of the constitution, and ther he should obey the temporal or admissibility to councils, be granted spiritual power-where, he would with the same safety to the one as ask, would such member of the to the other? But it was impossible church of Rome apply for a solution there could be the same civil capaof his doubts? He would apply to city, allowing an attachment to enthat very power which was at issue ter in the one case, by which the with the temporal. It was said affections were divided and distractindeed that the allegiance to the ed. It followed, therefore, that they pope did not interfere with the al- could not be considered alike adlegiance to the king. But he would missible to the councils of the conanswer that the power which COM- stitution, not alike admissible to of MANDED the conscience COM-fices of trust and power; and, thereMANDED the allegiance of men; and he might be easily diverted by foreign intrigue from the temporal government; and his efforts turned

fore, the claims now advanced to such admissibility, were such as ought not to be listened to. He did not mean to say that the catholics

classes of christians in the empire?
If civil conduct and civil capacity
be the only true criterion for civil
employment, why not decide the
case upon this ground? If no charge
of perfidy, treachery, peculation, or
corruption in civil affairs can be
laid to the charge of the catholics,
when invested with the privilege of
office; if they are known to be both
able and willing to serve the state;
why introduce the ingredients of re-
ligion as a necessary qualification
for office ?—“ The religion of one
says the speaker,
"might

nake him better qualified for office, and better entitled to office than ano ther."-If this be the case, it is a matter of surprize that amomg so many creeds which the reformation has pro

were not USEFUL subjects, it was only by comparison that he was speaking-they were not such useful subjects as the members of the established religion -they were not such useful subjects as they would be themselves if they would but break the fetters which bound them to a foreign prince. He acknowledged the honour and integrity of the Roman catholic subjects, but still he would maintain that their allegiance to a foreign prince distracted them, even when they were inclined to be obedient to their law-man” ful king" !!!!! What a jargon of sophistical propositions and conclusions have the newspaper editors here circulated under the authority of the newly-made bishop of Landaff, and which the writer in the Courier in-duced, one should not be found to forms his enlightened readers were arguments the most convincing and luminous of their kind. That they are somewhat of a novel nature, and calculated to produce much injury to the cause of the catholics must be readily admitted; yet it requires but little ingenuity to remove the sophisms put forth to blind the creduJous, and upset the flimsy fabric on which the speaker builds his opposition to the claims of five millions of his catholic fellow-subjects to an equal participation of civil rights under a protestant government, the same as is enjoyed by two millions of French protestants under a catholic establishment. - If civil exclusion cau be justified alone by civil delinquency, and this is expressly admitted by the learned speaker, why did he not adduce some historical facts to substantiate a failure of duty on the great body of the catholics, in their civil allegiance to the protestant Sovereigns of these realms, to justify the system of proscription he supported, instead of confining himself to a false comparison of the religious influence supposed to regulate the consciences of the respective

have superior claim over the others in consequence of its tenets rendering the believers honest ministers, skilful negociators, accurate financiers, eloquent senators, sapient legisla tors, and skilful generals.-Was ever such a proposition before advanced? Does not the history of all ages prove that civil capacity is not confined exclusively to the religious man?-It is equally enjoyed by the christian and the infidel, by the jew and the turk, by the catholic and the protestant. That religion in fiuences the morals and regulates the passions of mankind; that the precepts and doctrines of one religion may have a greater effect in producing better members of society thau another, I am ready to admit; and that the catholic religion is not deficient in this point, we have the testimony of the speaker, as he al lows that catholics are men of honour and integrity, as well as useful subjects. But if catholics are useful subjects, and of unimpeachable conduct; if there is no civil delinquency, no civil incapacity; if they are able and willing to serve the state-why not accept their ser

vices, and grant them their desires? | the barous apply to Rome for a so"Hold," says the speaker, "I have, lution of their doubts, did they even its true, agreed to meet the question doubt at all, or did they obey the on this ground; but then their re- commands of the then pope, who ligion is of such a composition that issued his thunders against them? it is impossible not to mix up a few When a bull of excommunication ingredients of a spiritual nature in was issued against Elizabeth, did it deciding on it; they are subject to, detach the catholics from their alle and are dependent on, a foreign do- giance to her, notwithstanding she minion, which has not the same in robbed them of their estates and terests with the sovereign of this persecuted their persons? On the country, whose supremacy in eccle- contrary, were not their loyalty and siastical matters they will not allow; devotion conspicuous at a period consequently they are not so trust when the country was threatened to worthy as the dissenters, who, al- be invaded by the arms of a powerthough they will not allow the king ful catholic prince? But to come to be supreme in spirituals, yet nearer to our own times. What was do not admit a foreign influence to the conduct of the catholics on the divert their allegiance.”—And he appearance of the rescript of Mons. then supposes a case, in support of Quarantotti, obtained through the his argument, that should the tem-influence of some protestant statesporal and spiritual power be at va- men and their catholic dependriance, and the catholics entertained ents, to intimidate and influence a doubt upon the subject, they the catholics at large to submit would naturally apply to Rome for to the veto securities meditated by a solution of their doubts; and thus lord Castlereagh and Mr. Canning? they might be easily commanded to Did they yield obedience to the deturn their efforts against and sub- cree of this insulting mandate? Did vert the constitution itself.-It were they submit to the commands therein to be wished the speaker had shewn given to be grateful for the beniga himself a more able logician, and favours intended them? Rather, instead of confining himself to ab- did they not denounce the officistruse reasoning and groundles as ous interference of the Roman disertions, had advanced but a solitary vines as a violation of their civil fact in support of his charge of our rights, and a stretch of the pontifical entertaining a divided allegiance. authority? With what degree of But in what part of the history of candour, then, can the speaker assert, this or any other country will he that the catholic may be easily dibe able to produce a single instance verted by foreign influence from the where the power of the pope has temporal government, and his efforts such a preponderative sway, as to turned to subvert the constitution, command the consciences of catholic when the records of history in every subjects and endanger the stability reign shew the contrary to be the of thrones?When the pusillani- fact? The acknowledgment of the mous tyrant John, called in the aid supremacy of the pope is no alloy of the spiritual power to overawe to the supremacy of the temporal cardinal Langton and the barons, power of the state; nor can the head in their bold efforts to obtain a re- of the catholic church command its dress of their grievances, and the members to transgress the just laws. restoration of their privileges from of the government under which they the despot, the spiritual and tempo- live. ral power were at variance; but did

Neither does the submission of a catholic to the see of Rome in

spiritual matters distract his allegi- to was the civil wars between Charles ance to his lawful king; on the con- and the parliamentarians. While trary, it binds his fealty in stronger the catholics had a seat in parliachains, because he considers obedi- ment, they were constantly found to ence to his temporal sovereign as an be on the side of the constitution in ordinance of God, and as such he church and state. Driven by the cannot transgress against it, without force of popular tumuit and preju incurring the displeasure of his Ma- dice from serving their sovereign in ker. Influenced by these motives, the senate, when necessity compelled treason and rebellion, corruption and that unfortunate monarch to have peculation, were less known in ca recourse to arms in defence of his tholic times than in these enlighten- rights against the encroachments of ed days. In corroboration of this his rebellious protestant subjects, the assertion, I appeal to the petitions catholic nobility and gentry flocked lately presented to the commons house to the standard of their sovereign, of parliament on the subject of re- with the voluntary offer of their serform, the generality of which refer vices, both personal and pecuniary, to the period of catholic parliaments with a zeal and devotion not sur when the constitution existed in its passed by the most loyal member of greatest purity. But, if the allegi. the establishment. Their heroic ance of the dissenter is less alloyed exertions and sacrifices were howthan that of the catholic, how came ever fruitless, and they had the painthe constitution to be subverted, and ful trial of beholding their truly subverted only by dissenters, in the virtuous protestant sovereign brought troubles of our first Charles, which to the block by the superior alleled to a republican form of govern- giance of his protestant dissenting ment? If the allegiance of a pro- subjects, and themselves the victims testant to a catholic sovereign is less of persecution, in return for their because he admits no foreign influ- distracted fealty. But still they purence, than that of a catholic to a sued the same course, and the mis protestant ruler, who is supposed to fortune of the son of their ill-fated be under such foreign influence, is it monarch soon gave them another not a singular circumstance that all memorable opportunity of shewing the sovereigns who have been depos- that they possessed civil worth, even ed since the reformation on the mo- amongst the lower class of their protive of religion should be catholics, scribed body. After the fatal battle of and their subjects protestants? Suffi- Worcester, the lawful protestant mocient has been said to show the in-narch of these realms owed the preser consistent and fallacious mode of vation of his life to the loyalty of his reasoning adopted by the speaker, catholic subjects, when the allegiance and that the arguments advanced by of his protestant ones had induced him, so far from being convincing them to proscribe him as a traitor, and stated in the clearest light, and offer a large reward for his head. are weak, futile, and screened with Notwithstanding this, however, althe veil of sophistry; but I cannot though the king was for some time conclude without stating a few more entirely in the hands of three poor facts, in proof of the steady allegi- brothers, catholic labourers, such ance of catholics to a protestant sowas their civic fidelity, such their vereign, and that they have been ideas of allegiance, that neither the able and willing to serve the state, allurements of reward, nor the when its situation was the most peril-threats of punishment, could induce ous and alarming. The time I allude them to swerve from the paths of