5. Grampound Bribery Indictments Grampound Election-Mr. Alexander Lambe ......... FINANCE ACCOUNTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND May 5. PETITION of Mr. Barber Beaumont, complaining of the Li- Page May 6. 7. REPORT from the Commons Committee of Secrecy on the Ex- 152 199 .....App. i VIII. LISTS. May 4. LIST of the Minority in the House of Commons, on Mr. 107 5. of the Minority in the House of Commons, on Mr. Shaw's 148 of the Majority in the House of Commons, on Lord Archibald Hamilton's Motion for referring the Petitions of the Minority in the House of Commons, on Sir F. of the Majority and Minority on the Earl of Donough- of the Majority and Minority in the House of Commons, of the Minority in the House of Commons, on Mr. Gren- 360 448 of the Minority in the House of Commons, on Mr. M. A. of the Minority in the House of Commons, on the Motion. 7. LIST of the Minority in the House of Commons, on the Reso- lutions relating to the Public Income and Expenditure of the Minority in the House of Commons, on the Reso- lutions relating to the Public Income and Expenditure 997 of the Minority in the House of Commons, on the Reso- of the Minority in the House of Commons, on the Excise of the Minority in the House of Commons, on the Foreign of the Public General Acts, in the First Session of the THE Parliamentary Debates During the First Session of the Sixth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, appointed to meet at Westminster, the Fourteenth Day of January 1819, in the Fifty-ninth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King GEORGE the Third. [Sess. 1819. HOUSE OF COMMONS. for him to say; but he could positively Monday, May 3, 1819. state, that no public notice was given to the county, until the 20th of last month, PETITIONS RESPECTING THE CLAIMS when an advertisement appeared in the OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS.] Mr. Bas- Exeter papers, calling the meeting on the tard presented a petition from the county 23rd. He did not mean to say what the of Devon against the claims of the Roman sense of the county of Devon was on the Catholics. He said, he concurred fully Catholic question, but of this he was con. with the petitioners in the opinion, that fident, that the sudden manner in which any farther concessions to the Roman Ca- this meeting had been called, was not caltholics would be dangerous to the Pro-culated fairly to ascertain it. He imputed testant ascendancy. The hon. member presented a similar petition from Exeter. Mr. Newman said, he had heard it reported that it was his intention to give a vote upon the question at variance with his former opinions. Ever since he had taken a seat in that House he had always joined the Protestant side, and should do so upon the present occasion, unless he heard arguments much stronger than those in general use, to show the propriety of granting the Catholics that for which they petitioned. He, at the same time, wished it to be understood, that if he thought the Catholics were not protected in their property and religion in the fullest manner, he should be the first to propose securities for their protection. Lord Ebrington rose not to detract from the weight of respectability which attached to the character of the individuals who signed the petition from the county of Devon. There were, however, some circumstances connected with that petition with which he felt it his duty to make the -House acquainted. How long the county meeting where the petition originated had been in contemplation, it was impossible (VOL, XL,) no blame to the high sheriff, knowing him, from his character, incapable of acting in any way but as a sense of duty prescribed. He did not insinuate any disrespect against those who signed the requisition, for their names were unknown to him, as he be lieved they were to the county at large, since he had never seen them published in any of the newspapers, according to the usual practice on such occasions. Of the 900 petitioners, many he knew to be most respectable, and he was fully disposed to believe that all were so; but he must also be allowed to say, that the very great majority of the nobility, gentry, and freeholders, had neither sanctioned the meeting with their presence, nor the petition with their signatures; and, whatever might be their opinions respecting Catholic emancipation, he did not believe that they concurred with those who at the meeting appeared as the framers and proposers of the petition. His own sentiments on the important question were already declared. Did he entertain the opinion that concessions to our Catholic fellow-subjects could endanger our Protestant establishment, he would be the (B) |