Imatges de pàgina
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ministration could have affembled it pro re nata, if it had not been fit ting. And the meafures, neceffary for the public tranquillity and wellbeing, might have been adopted, in due time, without the convention of parliament: yet it was not till February, 1800, that any thing was attempted for the relief of the prefent, or the prevention of a greater preffure.

As it became the bufinefs of parliament, early in the prefent feffion, to confider of means for preferving the people from famine, fo an incident happened that reminded government of the vigilance neceflary against the introduction of peftilence. In the end of 1799, three fhips arrived in the ports of this country, from Mogadore, on the coaft of Africa, with what are, called foul bills of health, which left that place when the plague raged there with the greatest violence. The goods of thofe fhips being found, on inquiry, to be particularly fufceptible of infection, as well as put on board under the moft fufpicious circumftances, his majefty thought proper, by the advice of his privy council, to order the fhips and cargoes to be deftroyed, in conformity to what had been the ufage in former inftances of the fame nature. This incident, with the measures by which it had been followed, was communicated, by a meflage, to the houfe of commons, on the eleventh of February; and his majefty recommended it to the house to confider whether any, and what allowance fhould be made to the parties, for the loffes they might have fuftained in confequence of the deftruction of the fhips and cargoes. Mr. Pitt moved that the matter fhould be referred to the confideration of a select committee:

obferving that a minute and critical inquiry fhould be made into the, motives which induced thofe fhips to fail under fo fufpicious a charac ter: and that, after examining the invoices, fuch reparation fhould be made to the owners, if nothing appeared to criminate their conduct or intentions, as the juftice of the houfe fhould think proper and adequate. The utmost care should, at the fame time, be employed to inquire into the motives which prompted fuch hazardous fpeculations.

Sir W. Pulteney faid, he was credibly informed that no plague raged at Mogadore when the goods were fhipped, nor was there any reafon to believe that any danger could poffibly arife from them. But he would not, on that account, resist the propofed inquiry: on the contrary, he approved of it, as it would lead to a difcovery whether there were fufficient reafons for deftroying the fhips and goods, and that with fuch precipitation.

Mr. Pitt affured the worthy baronet, that his information was erroneous, both with regard to the hafte with which he fuppofed the hips to have been deftroyed, and to the reafons for believing that there was no well-grounded apprehenfion of a plague having exifted at the place alluded to. The matter in queftion had been the fubject of a long and repeated inquiry, and the most eminent of the faculty had given it as their opinion that the precaution fhould be ufed that had been reforted to: that the danger of a contagion being fpread from the opening and expofing of those goods to the air appeared to be imminent in the extreme; for it was well known that two perfons, who had been employed

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employed in putting the cargo on board, died before the fucceeding day. He was happy, however, to affure the houfe that no danger of any kind was now to be apprehended from the circumftance. The thanks of the houfe were then voted to this message, and a felect committee was ordered to report the fame, with their opinions thereon, to the house. In confequence of a report from that committee, the houfe of communs, in a committee of fupply, on the twenty-third of May, granted, for the fatisfaction of parties who had fuffered lofs, by the deftruction of the three hips from Mogadore, the fum of 41,400. The fubfequent appear ance of the plague, at Cadiz, and other parts of Spain, renders it almoft certain, that the precaution of hips and cargoes, from Mogadore, performing quarantine, was not unDeceffary. There are few inftances in which the vigilance, prudence, and juftice of government have been more apparent than in the whole of its conduct in that bufinels.

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There was another danger which threated the British nation, not fo great, certainly, as famine or peftilence, but which, in the opinion of not a few of the legiflators, called foudly for timely prevention. This was the increase of popery, likely to enfue from the continuance, or admillion of new members into mopaftic focieties in England. On the motion of fir H. Mildmay, the houfe of commons, on the twentyfecond of May, refolved itself into a committee of the whole houfe, to confider of an act made in the thirty-first year of the reign of his pre

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fent majefty, intituled "An A& to relieve, upon Conditions, and under Reftrictions, the Perfons therein defcribed, from certain penalties and Difabilities, to which Papifts, or Perfons profeffing the popith Religion, were by Law fubject." H. Mildmay, aller expreffing, in the ftrongest terms, his extreme fatisfaction in the bounty and indulgence that had been fhewn by this country to the French emigrants, doing juftice to the moft regular and peaceable demeanor of that unfortunate clafs of men, and what he termed, not unhappily, their most unaffuming and moft unobtrusive gratitude; and, alfo, after difclaiming the contracted and odious fpirit of religious intolerance, obferved, that, as he conceived, it could never be the intention of government to encourage the re-establishment of monaftic inftitutions in this proteftant country. However it might be to our honour to have fuffered thofe individuals, who had previoully bound themselves to a monaftic life, to difcharge, in this country, thofe vows, from which, in their mind, no human power could release them, fuch indulgence ought to expire with the life of the prefent incumbents. We ought not, in his opinion, to fuffer the vacancies, which might happen to rife in fuch communities, to be filled up by fubjects of this country, actually fince their refidence here, but fhould, on all grounds, carefully guard against the admiffion of any new members into thofe focieties, whofe firft obliga- · tion, on entering into them, was fubverfive of thole laws and liberties, which the wildom and policy of our ancestors long fince intros

* The Aurora, the Mentor, and the Lark.

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duced amongst us. It fell within his own obfervation to know, that in each of the two monaftic focieties eftablished at Winchefter, feveral perfons had been fuffered actually to profefs themfelves, and to take both veils, fince their refidence there; and, as he was credibly in formed, a great variety of fimilar inftances might be produced, from different parts of the country, where thofe monaftic inftitutions had been permitted to establish themselves. Thefe practices, fir H. Mildmay thought, fhould be checked in the bud, otherwife we might live to lament that the national humanity had been abused; and that parliament, by voting money for their fubfiftence, had, in fome degree, been made a party to the revival of what feemed to them the most unnatural part of the Romish faith, when it might be too late to extirpate the evils, which the influence of fuch a fyftem might have introduced into the country. Having admitted upwards of five thoufand priefts into this country, of a perfuation inimical to the religion eftablifhed by law, and continuing to fubfift there at the public expenfe, it was a duty ftrongly incumbent upon them to be particularly careful to give no offence to the regular church, and that the interefts of the proteftant communion fhould not fuffer by the excefs of their humanity and indulgence. Another fubject, to which he would call the attention of the houfe, was the recent foundation of a great variety of catholic fchools, many of which were engrafted on, and under the immediate fuperintendence and influence of, their monaftic eftablishments. This fact had given confiderable alarm and uneafinefs to thofe

reverend perfons, whofe high fituations in the regular church had placed the interefts of the proteftant communion particular only in their hands. The refolution he meant to propofe was fimilar to a regulation which he underfood to have taken place in the year 1763, when the catholic province of Canada was ceded to this country, namely, to place within the protection of the law thofe convents which aâually exift, but not to fuffer, on any pretence whatever, the admiffion of any new members into fuch focieties. Sir H. Mildmay laid, that, in fubmitting this fubject to the attention of parliament, he had complied, with the general voice of the public, laity as well as clergy. When he added, to the other confiderations he had mentioned, the temptation, he might fav the bribe, which was held out to the public, by educating children, in those catholic feniinaries, free from any expenfe to their parents, he thought he was not calling on the houfe for any unreasonable interference, when he fuggefted the expediency of revifing and reconfidering the prefent laws, and of adding fuch ftrength to the arm of the executive power, as might be neceffary to meet the emergence of the prefent moment. The refolutions which he moved, for guarding againft the evils to be apprehended from a popish zeal for making convents, were these:

"That it is the opinion of this committee, that the temporary refidence in this kingdom, of certain monaftic focieties, fould be permitted, fubject to the provisions of an act paffed in the thirty-third year of his prefent majefty, intituled," An Act for eftablishing Regulations refpecting Aliens arriving in this King

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dom, or refident therein, in certain he could give them his cordial apCafes;" and that the admiffion of probation. any new members into fuch focieties fhould be prohibited, and that the names and numbers of the perfons belonging thereto, fhould be annually returned to the court of quarter-fellions in which they refide.

"That all perfons, undertaking the public education of youth in the Romih faith, fhould alfo return annually to the court a lift, containing the names and number of their pupils, together with the names and places of abode of their refpective parents; and that a power be given to magiftrates, appointed by the quarter-feffions, to infpect fuch in ftitutions at pleasure."

Thefe refolutions were fupported by Mr. Newbolt, Mr. Johnes, Mr. Pitt, and Mr. Bragge; and oppofed by Mr. Hobhoufe and Dr. Lawrence, Mr. Newbolt bore witnefs to the alarm that bad taken place among the clergy and others, at the intemperate zeal of fome priests, and at the influence of the nuns in thofe monaftic inflitutions over the minds of their pupils. It was neceflary, in his mind, if the houfe did not wish to fee the country again overrun with catholics and catholic orders, either to abolish those monaftic inftitutions altogether, or to prohibit English catholics from entering into

them.

Mr. Johnes thought, that, for the fecurity of our religion, even firon, ger meafures than thofe propofed by the honourable baronet were neceflary.

Mr. Pitt praifed the liberal manner in which the honourable baronet had opened this bufinefs, and admired the liberal principles on which the refolutions which he had moved were framed. He was happy that

Mr. Hobhoufe commended the motives of the honourable mover, but thought the refolutions would be an infringement on the fpirit of toleration, which fo peculiarly diftinguished this country, and would alfo appear not very confiftent with that humanity and generofity with which we had received the exiled clergy of France. The alien-act poffeffed all the power that was neceffary to prevent the abufes which were the fubject of complaint.

But, as to this argument, from the alien-bill, Mr. Pitt obferved, that it was furely better to advertife, by an act of the legiflature, thofe unfortunate people of what would be allowed them to do, and what they were prohibited from doing. It would be hard to fend them again abroad as wanderers from their fecond home, for conduct which they knew not, and never had been informed that it was unlawful or improper.

Mr. Bragge added, that it ought likewife to beobferved, that the provifions of the alien-act were not applicable to the native fubjects ofthis country.

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The refolutions were then feverally put and carried, and, on the next day, reported. A bill, correfpond-ing to thefe, was drawn up, and, on the twenty-third of June, when it was read a fecond time, and propofed to be committed, became the fubject of a long and animated debate, in the courfe of which it was oppofed, with great ingenioufnefs and eloquence, by Mr. Windham and Mr. Sheridan; but fupported with great ability by the mover, fir H. John Mildmay, Mr. T. Jones, Mr. Dudley Ryder, fir William Scott, Mr. Erfkine, and Mr. Percival.

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Mr. Windham admitted, that, if any neceffity exifted for a reftrainmg measure of this kind, that he knew of none more unexceptionable than the one propofed; but, inftead of the Roman catholic religion fpringing up again into im portance, its friends had to fear a change of quite a different kind. What could be more abfurd than to fuppofe, that, in the prefent order of things, in this æra of the world, at the latter end of the eighteenth century, in the tenth year of the French revolution, in the gene. ral renunciation of every popith tenet throughout Europe, when even the fate of that quarter of the world was trembling on the balance, and the period was arrived, which muft either eftablish or overturn for ever the power of France-how abfurd to fuppofe, that, in fuch circumftances, any apprehenfion could be entertained of the propagation and dominion of popery? A few fragglers only had come to us, who had happily furvived the deftruction of the Gallican church. This ge neral abafement and overthrow had more weakened the catholic faith, than any endeavours of the remaining few who adhered to it could effect towards its restoration. Those who had fled to us were but miferable remains as to their means and power, though not as to the virtues they had uniformly difplayed. Mr. Windham defended monaftic inftitutions, in general, against the prejudices, the calumnies, and the narrow and perfecuting fpirit of their enemies. He infifted, that the law fhould not interfere to prevent converts to popery, any more than to any other, fects and perfuafions. If, indeed, converfion to popery were an evil, law, Mr. Wind

ham obferved, was not its proper remedy. The divines of the eftablifhed church, (at whofe inftigation chiefly the prefent refolutions were moved) fhould feed their flocks with fpiritual food, and thus enable them to withstand the firft feed of this, they were too fond of raifing the cry, "The church is in danger!" If profelylifm exifted, it was a dif grace only to that clergyman in whofe parifh it took place. What, if they did their duty, could minifters of the church of England fear? They met their antagonists on more than equal ground. If any one indeed attempted to preach up the rights of man, and infubordination to lawful authority: to filence fuch doctrines would be a work of neceffity; but popery had nothing in it of that dangerous tendency, and might be met fairly in the field of argument.-A little oppofition was no bad thing; it made perfons attentive to their duty, and might be as ufeful in the church as in the fenate.-Another objection to the hill, in Mr. Windham's mind, was, that it raifed prejudices in the minds of the illiberal against a number of unoffending perfons, who had fled to our hores from the tempeft that threatened their deftruction. When that should fubfide, they would be very ready to feek their own country again, and carry all their own cuftoms and fentiments along with them; but why should we fend them back lame and crippled? While they remained here, it was not generous to mark them out as objects of public fcorn and fufpicion.-On the whole, Mr. Windham confidered the bill in queftion as, at least, but ufelefs. "Where no danger exifts," faid he, "no precaution is neceflary; where no difeafe, no re

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