and rank, bad been, permitted to Catholics. It appears, that all dawn upon his youthful prospects? access to the honors and powers of How many, at this moment, bereft the peerage is closed against every of hope and of emulation, are the Catholic. He remains without withering votaries of inglorious in. even the hope of ever attaining dolence! How many desponding any participation in them. This Catholics now stagnate in obscu- exclusion operates as a bar against rity, or pine in wasting chagrin, every Catholic, who might other who could reflect ample honour wise reasonably expect to count upon their country, if they might, the ennobling of his name amongst hope for honour in return! But, the possible events of his future without chance of reward, with. life, and whose actions might acout an object worthy of exertion, cordingly be influenced by this inthey now languish unnoticed and centive. No such bar stands in useless. the way of the Protestant. There fore, this exclusion, by the partiality of its principle and the general mischief of its spirit, inflicts injury, not merely upon a few Catholic peers, but upon the Catholic community at large. Virtutem quis amplectitur ipsam, Præmia si tollas The exclusion of the Catholics from the honors and benefits of the peerage operates, therefore, like their exclusion from all other rewards, equally to the detriment of the public, and to the depression of the individual. 1 A That the ancient Catholic peers are peculiarly aggrieved by this exclusion, will readily be admitted. Survivors of the stormy persecu For it is really but a puerile tions of centuries, they present at and confined view of this interest this day a disheartening spectacle ing subject, to argue, as some of shattered greatness. Blameless have recently argued, that "there in private life, circumspect in the are not more than about ten Cath- narrow sphere of their public con olic individuals actually aggrieved duct, they are, nevertheless, treated by this exclusion." The number with ignominious distrust. of Catholic peers, say they, does Catholic peer is, indeed, in a not exceed 7 in England, 8 in singularly distressing predicament. Ireland, and 2 in Scotland: not He is subject to all the responsi more than two or three of the bility and charges of ostensible Irish and Scotch would probably rank, yet bereft of its incident be elected as representative peers: patronage and power; nay, dethe united number therefore, would barred, by honour and etiquette, not exceed ten, and these are the from many pursuits, many means only persons entitled to complain. of providing for his children, Now, this argument is fallaci- which are free to a commoner; ous. According to the letter of from all enterprizes of trade, from the constitution, every situation all gainful occupations of a merely of honour, trust and power, ought pecuniary nature. The professions to be accessible to every citizen. of arms, diplomacy and literature In daily practice the Protestants afford the sole legitimate pursuits, enjoy the full benefit of this prin- in which a nobleman is permitted ciple, It is withheld from the to seek for wealth or advanceVOL. VII. 3 R very persons, who impose restraints upon him, and are at the same time ready to express the highest veneration for their ancestors in other respects?" 8 ment. From these pursuits the Catholic peer is deterred by the letter of the laws, or by their ne. cessary operation. Still more galling to a well-constituted mind, must be the state of systematic We shall conclude our view of insult and contempt, to which the the disabilities, which peculiarly Catholic peer is exposed. His affect the Catholic peers, by oh. conspicuous rank points him out serving that as the law now stands to continual notice, and as a mark in Ireland, the Catholic peer is for hostility; whilst his powerless precisely the only man in the and unprotected condition invites community, who is wholly disquali repeated aggression, and prostrates fied, not only from sitting or voting him before the slights and spurns in either House of Legislature, but of official insolence. Poverty, ob- also from voting at the election of scurity, personal privations-these a member for either. might be tolerable, but, alas! to be made *A fixed figure for the hand of scorn ,་ A late Catholic peer (Lord Petre) universally revered for his valuable endowments of head and heart, has feelingly complained of this exclusion, as amounting to little short of a personal imputa. tion. In pathetic language he thus vents his indignation: By the express words of the Act of Union, he is disabled from voting at any election of a representative peer to serve in the Par. liament of the United Kingdom ; and, by the standing order of the House of Commons against the interference of peers, he is for. bidden to interfere or vote at the election of any member of the lower House of Legislature. 2. As to the House of Commons. -This exclusion is still more important in its extent and operation. Is it not an insult to me, to It comprizes a greater number of be debarred from exercising my situations of trust and power, hereditary right of legislating in amounting at present to 658. the Peers' House of Parliament, These 658 members and their conmerely because I will not take nections are in continual contact oaths, and subscribe declarations, with the people of all descriptions; of which my conscience disap- they transact a great quantity of bproves--and to be cruelly told, in public business, control the pub the same breath, that any oath lic purse, correct public abuses, I may take cannot be depended criminate public delinquents. They upon? Is it not disgraceful to have frequent opportunities of any man of honour to stand as an manifesting personal favour of illobject of suspicion, and the victim will: of benefiting or enriching of, at least, an implied stigma, in their private friends of injuring his native land, for no other rea- or despoiling the obnoxious or deson but because he prays to God fenceless. Moreover, the frequent in his own way, and professes the changes of its numerous members, religion of, not only his forefathers, the variety and fluctuation of its but the forefathers also of those proceedings, render this House 3.6 far more instrumental than the able public interest, be, at the upper House can be, in widely same time, a benefactor, a patron," diffusing the effective influence of a father, a guardian angel to his legislative power. political adherents." On the Let us keep in mind, that it is other hand, how stands the Cathe not so much to the purpose to olic gentleman or trader? For his inquire, what may be the precise own person, no office, no power, number of Catholics actually ex- no emolument: for his children, cluded from the legislature, as to brothers, kindred, or friends, no consider how many are excluded promotion, ecclesiastical or civil, from all chance of participation military or naval. Except from in it; and what must be the gene- his private fortune, he has no <ral effect of such exclusion upon the interests and feelings of the Catholic body. sion. means of advancing a child, of making a single friend, or of shewing any one good quality. He has nothing to offer but harsh refusal, pitiful excuse, or despondent representation. The number of Catholics qualified for seats in the Legislature, (if learning, talent, landed estates, or commercial wealth be admitted Further, we may observe the as a qualification,) probably ex- powerful effect of opinion upon ceeds thirty thousand persons. this subject. The personal imThese men stand personally pro- portance, the conscious indepenscribed by the existing exclusion, dence, the sense of security and whilst their Protestant neighbours protection which belong to the 5. find every facility for ready admis- legislative character, are partici. pated with hundreds of persons Now, the advantages flowing without doors, whom the repre from a seat in the Legislature, it sentative may be desirous to court, is well known, are not confined to or whose interests or sympathies in the individual representative. They may accord with his own. In extend to all his family, friends Ireland, these persons are, almost and connections; or, in other universally of the Protestant pro words, to every Protestant in fession; connected with Ireland. Within his reach are all ber by the ties of family or of friend. honors, offices, emoluments: every ship, of early acquaintance, edu. sort of gratification to avarice or cation, or reciprocal services." vanity the means of spreading Besides, they already enjoy exclus great personal interest by innu- sive power and privileges, and merable petty services to individu. therefore can command the respect, als. He can do an infinite and pre-occupy the exertions of number of acts of kindness and the member. Perhaps, they are generosity, and even of public not without the prospect of seats spirit. He can procure advantages for themselves. Hence, every shin trade, indemnity from public Protestant feels himself, and really ta burdens, preferences in local com- is, more firm and secure in the 21petitions, pardons for offences. He favour of the laws, more powercan obtain a thousand favours, ful in society, more free in his zucand and avert, a thousand evils. He energies, more elevated in life than may, whilst he betrays every valu- his Catholic neighbour of equal 13 mem merit, property, talents, and edu- franchise against frivolous ver. cation. He alone feels and pos, sesses the right and the legal ca. pacity to be a legislator, and this consciousness is actual power. bal objections, that it may perhaps be termed the most salutary. statute for the Irish public, that has been enacted during the last twenty years.] In 1727, the Catholics of Ireland were deprived of the elective The Catholics are liable to pe. franchise, or right of voting at the culiar restraints as to the elective election of members of Parlia- franchise, in cities and towns ment, by act of Parliament. And corporate, Such Catholics as are thus they remained during 66. entitled to their freedom of the years. In 1793, it was enacted, corporation, by birth or service," in substance, "That every Cath. are rarely admitted to it. They olic should be qualified to vote at are scarcely ever made free by such elections, upon his producing grant; and thus they are denied to the returning officer a certificate equal means of acquiring the of his having taken and subscribed elective franchise with those which certain oaths and declarations re- the Protestants enjoy. quired by that Act."-But, by a In cities and corporate towns,. subsequent statute of 1797, com the elective franchise, as apper. monly termed the Election Act, it taining to freemen, is almost solely was declared, that Catholics, who confined to Protestants, who are qualify previous to the teste of the in the ratio of at least fifty to one writ of election, shall be deemed of the Catholic freemen, owing to have qualified within the mean-to the watchful jealousy with ing of those statutes of 1793 and which the freedom is withheld 1797, in order to entitle them to from Catholics. This monopoly, yote at such elections. Upon therefore, occasions decided these two statutes a question has though unnatural, preponderance arisen, which imposes new diffi of Protestant voters, at elections culties upon the Catholic fran- of members for such places; con chise. trary to the professed principle of granting equal qualification for voting to persons of all religions. . [Since this Statement went to press, a valuable statute has been passed in 1811, 51 Geo. iii. ch. Moreover, in all elections, of 77, which removes the difficulty members, whether for counties, stated in p. 84, and facilitates cities or towns, every Catholic the Catholic qualification for ex. freeholder is liable to rejection, ercising the elective franchise. for some alledged error in his cer This statute, obviating the con- tificate of Catholic qualification, tradictions between the statutes of whether as to the date or wording 1793 and 1797, enables the of the certificate, place or time Catholics to qualify during the of qualification, or other ground of election. In other particulars, it technical objection to the peculiar so clearly and wisely establishes form of his qualification. the general exercise of the elective That expression, the mighty Pan is, I apprehend, not merely a poetic licence, but an allusion to a story in Plutarch's Dialogue on the cessation of oracles, to which a Christian application has been given, but which Lardner examines, (H. T. Works, vii. 246.) I have a copy of Burnet's Account of Lord Rochester, published in 1680. On a blank page at the end of the book have been written the following verses, on and declares to be "all over heathe death of that nobleman, by Mr. Flatman. As on his death-bed, gasping Strephon Strephon, the wonder of the plains, Strephon, the bold, the witty and the gay; said, Remember me, ye shepherds, when I'm Ye trifling glories of this world adieu, Procure the sweetest slumbers in the grave. 'Them, since your fatal hour must surely thenish." To his instances of those who have Christianized, the story, learned translator of Oyid. In may be added George Sandys, the his Travels, 1610, passing by Delos, which he describes" as ut. terly forsaken, when oracles ceased, which," he says, " doubtless was upon the passion of our Saviour," he adds:-" For Plutarch : reports from the mouth of one.. Epitherses, who had been his schoolmaster, that he embarking for Italy and one evening becalmed before the Paxi, (two little islands that lie between Corcyra and Leu cadia,) they suddenly heard a voice from the shore, (most of the passengers being yet awake,) call ing to one Thamus, a pilot, by birth an Egyptian, who till the third call would not answer. Then (quoth the voice) when thou art come to the Palades, proclaim it s aloud that the great Pan is dead. > All in the ship, that heard this, In Jacob's Poetical Register, were amazed. When, drawing a 1723, (ii, 56.) Mr. Flatman is de near to the aforesaid place, Tha scribed as "a Barrister of the Mid- mus, standing on the poop of the dle Temple, equally ingenious in ship, did utter what formerly com the arts of painting and poetry." manded, forthwith, there was heard His Poems were published in 1682. a great lamentation, accompanied He died in 1688, aged 55. Mr. with groans and screeches. This Wakefield, in his Observations on coming to the knowledge of TibePope, has occasionally quoted rius Caesar, he sent for Thamus, Flatman among the versifiers to who avouched the truth thereof. whom the poet had been indebted. Which declared the death of come, Surely your heads lie low as mine, home: If to Elysium you would happy flie, Live not like Strophon, but like Size phon dic. |