Monday, February 8, 1813

A Petition of the manufacturers of long ells and other inhabitants of Crediton, Devon, was presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners are materially Interested in the E. I. Co.'s export of woollens to China, inasmuch as the staple manufacture of the town of Crediton and its neighbourhood consists of an article for the China market, denominated long ells, which gives employment to the great bulk of the labouring poor, and consumes a large proportion of the growth of wools, and this at a time when the channels of trade continue to be so generally obstructed, that the usual exports of woollens from the western counties are nearly annihilated; and that the E. I. Co. have been long and assiduously endeavouring to establish and increase a permanent system of export in woollens to China, that they have at length succeeded, and established a mode of purchasing, finishing, and exporting their goods so regular and economical, that insures to them a constant supply of the best quality on the lowest terms, and to the manufacturers those steady sales which are so essentially necessary for the employment of multitudes of labourers, whose existence must otherwise be dependent on the scanty pittance of parochial relief; and that the petitioners are alarmed at the attempts now making to deprive the E. I. Co. of the exclusive trade to China, being convinced that no extension of our exports is to be expected from such a measure, but that, on the contrary, the very existence of the China trade would be endangered thereby, the jealous and peculiar character of the Chinese government reqiring all that systematic regularity and caution which the Company and their resident agents are from long habit enabled to practise; and that should it even be proposed to continue with the E. I. Co. the exclusive privilege of trading to and from China, but to permit to the outports a free import trade with India, the peti- tioners conceive that measure would ultimately, but surely lead to the destruction of the regular China trade, by opening such extensive channels to smuggling teas and other articles, as no financial regulations could possibly counteract, the duty of about 95 per cent. on teas, and from 36 to 70 per cent. on manufactured goods, being stimulants to a contraband trade, too powerful to be successfully resisted; and that the petitioners entertain the most serious apprehensions, that this measure, if sanctioned by the legislature, will assuredly tend to the destruction of the E. I. Co.'s China trade, of a most extensive and beneficial branch of the staple manufacture of this kingdom, and to the deterioration of the expensive buildings and machinery erected purposely for its use, thereby occasioning the ruin of many industrious families, and depriving thousands of the labouring poor of their means of subsistence; and that the petitioners are fully aware of the specious reasoning which will be made use of to induce the legislature to concur in the measure of opening the India trade, but they are convinced that no lasting increase of that trade would be obtained thereby, the Company and the private merchants at present engaged therein being already in the habit of furnishing the Asiatic markets with European goods, and the European markets with Asiatic productions, to the full extent of their consumption, a fact which appears to be sufficiently proved by the very small proportion of the tonnage appropriated to the private trade which has been taken up by our merchants; and the petitioners have moreover to remark, that the odium of monopoly, so loudly inveighed against, does not strictly apply to the E. I. Co., because not only every subject of the united kingdom may participate in their trade, and even become eligible to the directorship, by purchasing a portion of its stock, but each individual merchant is, under the regulations already existing, at liberty to embark in the E. India trade, and to use the Company's ships for the export and import of his goods; and that, on an attentive review of this important subject, the petitioners are fully impressed with the belief, that opening the trade to India and China to individual speculation would not only endanger its prosperity but its very existence; and praying the House not to sanction so hazardous an experiment as that of risking a trade, the source of such extensive benefits to the agricultural and manufacturing interests of the kingdom, and of a net annual revenue to the state of nearly four millions sterling; and praying, that the trade to Ohina may, on the renewal of their charter, be continued exclusively to the E. I. Co., and that the imports from India may be confined to the port of London."

A Petition of the inhabitants of Tigerton, Devon, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the renewal of the charter to the E. I. Co. for an exclusive trade to China, and the means of preserving it unmolested, is of vital importance to the interests of the town of Tiverton, which, during some years past, has had very little of other employ for its numerous labourers but the manufacturing an article called long ells for the E. I. Co.; and that, previous to the war, there was a considerable commerce from that town to different parts of Europe, which consumed the wool grown within many miles of it, and gave full employ to the labourers, but since that time there has been no demand for the usual sorts of woollen goods, and, but for the orders given by the Company for long ells, the labourers, with their families, must have been reduced to depend on parochial relief, and the establishments in the town have remained idle; and that the E. I. Co. have been long and assiduously endeavouring to establish and increase a permanent system of export in woollens to China; that they have made great sacrifices, and incurred heavy losses, for the attainment of these objects; that they have at length succeeded, and established a system for purchasing, finishing, and exporting their goods, so regular and economical, that it insures to them a constant supply of the best quality on the lowest terms, and to the manufacturers those steady sales which are so essentially necessary for the employment of their labourers; and that the petitioners are alarmed at the attempts now making to deprive the E. I. Co. of the exclusive trade to China, being convinced that no extension of our exports is to be expected from such a measure, but that, on the contrary, the very existence of the China trade would be endangered thereby, the jealous and peculiar character of the Chinese government requiring all that systematic regularity and caution which the Company and their resident agents are from long habit enabled to practise; and that, should the trade to China be thrown open, even should this much-to-befeared event not take place, as it is a well-ascertained fact that the company without a competition cannot get a price for the long ells at Canton that will leave a profit, the petitioners cannot expect, when there are rivals in the market, the Chinese will give as much as they do at present, or, even if they did, that individuals would export goods for public benefit only; the result must therefore be, in either case, the destruction of the almost only remaining woollen trade in the western counties; and that, should it even be proposed to continue with the E. I. Co. the exclusive privilege of trading to and from China, but to permit to the outports a free import trade from India, the petitioners conceive that measure would ultimately, but surely, lead to the destruction of the regular China trade, by opening such extensive channels to smuggling teas, and other articles, as no financial regulations could possibly counteract, the duty of about 95 per cent. on teas, and from 36 to 70 per cent. on manufactured goods, being stimulants to a contraband trade too powerful to be successfully resisted; and that the petitioners entertain the most serious apprehensions that this measure, if sanctioned by the legislature, will assuredly tend to the destruction of the E. I. Company's China trade, of a most extensive and beneficial branch of the staple manufacture of this kingdom, and to the deterioration of the expensive buildings and machinery erected purposely for its use, thereby occasioning the ruin of very many industrious families, and depriving thousands of labouring poor of their means of subsistence; and that the petitioners are fully aware of the specious reasoning which has been and will be made use of to induce the legislature to concur in the measure of opening the India trade, but they are convinced that no lasting increase of that trade would be obtained thereby, the Company and the private merchants at present engaged therein being already in the habit of furnishing the Asiatic markets with European goods, and the European market with Asiatic productions, to the full extent of their consumption, a fast which appears sufficiently proved by the very small proportion of the tonnage appropriated to the private trade, which has been taken up by our private merchants; and that, on the most atten- tive review of this important subject, the petitioners are fully impressed with the belief that opening the trade to India and China to individual speculation, would not only endanger its prosperity but its existence; and praying the House not to sanction so hazardous an experiment as that of risking a trade the source of such extensive benefits to the agricultural and manufacturing interests of this kingdom, and of a net annual revenue to the state of nearly four millions sterling, and that the trade to China may, on the renewal of their charter, be continued exclusively to the E. I. Company, and that the imports from India may be confined to the port of London."

A Petition of several merchants, shipowners, and manufacturers of Greenock, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners laid before the last parliament a Memorial praying for a participation in the trade to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope and westward of Cape Horn on the approaching termination of the Charter of the E. I. C.; and that, in consequence of the dissolution of that parliament, the petitioners now humbly address themselves to the House, praying for a full and free participation in all the trade of the East within the limits of the Company's Charter, subject only to such restrictions, on the part of his Majesty's government, as may be necessary for the political safety of India, and for the due collection of his Majesty's revenue; and that whatever tends to increase the foreign trade of a country, the great nursery for seamen, goes to benefit the nation at large; and that the opening a direct communication between India and the out-ports of this kingdom must produce a great increase of trade, and consequently add to the number of persons required to carry it on; and that, since the petitioners had the honour first to bring this important question into public notice, the subject has been laid fully before the country; and that the impolicy and injustice of a renewal of the monopoly have been established by so many irresistible arguments, that the petitioners do not consider it necessary to trespass farther on the patience of the House, though much might still be said on the subject; and that the petitioners will therefore conclude by expressing their confident hope that the House will not suffer the voice of the nation to be stifled by the hollow preten- sions of interested individuals, but that they will grant the prayer of this Petition by allowing a participation in those rights and privileges to which all British subjects have an equal and undoubted claim."

A Petition of the provost, baillies, and councillors of the royal borough of Dumfries, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners submitted to the consideration of the last parliament a humble Memorial and Petition, stating in general, that the Charters granted by parliament at different periods to the E. I, C. were highly oppressive and injurious to the other subjects of his Majesty, in as far as while they conferred on that Company extensive powers and privileges, they limited the capital and commercial speculations of those other subjects, who were restricted from interfering with that Company under severe pains and penalties, which appeared to the petitioners an impolitic if not an invidious distinction; and that the flags of other nations in amity with Great Britain have been permitted to exercise an extensive freedom of commerce without any such limitations or restrictions; and that, from these and many other considerations, the petitioners conceived that a renewal of the Charter would be only a continuance of the degradation to the commercial spirit of the nation; and they prayed, that parliament in its wisdom and justice, would adopt such measures as should give to all his Majesty's subjects at least a participation of the trade and commerce to the East Indies and to China; and that the petitioners, understanding that a renewal of the Charter is again become the subject of discussion in the House, now presume humbly but constitutionally again to offer their sentiments against such renewal for many reasons, and particularly because the powers and privileges heretofore vested in the E. I Co. appear to them to be in direct opposition to every principle of justice and policy; and that these privileges have been allowed to foreign states while his Majesty's subjects in general have been excluded from the enjoyment of any part of them, and as it now appears, in the case of the United States of America, these privileges have contributed to relax the resources of this country, and strengthen those of the enemy; and that they are calculated to repress the energies and to interfere with the title of all British merchants to judge what is best for their own interest; and that, at a time when it is of the utmost importance to secure the peace of the community, by affording full work and fair wages to the operative classes, when, from the want of sufficient vent, the skill and industry of the manufacturers are inadequately occupied, and consequently a part of the population remains unemployed, when the prosecution of an expensive war renders it necessary to adopt every means for augmenting the revenue, and when the honour, prosperity, and independence of this nation depends so much on the maintenance of its naval superiority by encouraging a nursery for seamen, which the trade to India and China is in an eminent degree calculated to promote, it becomes not only highly expedient but indispensibly requisite to open every legitimate channel of commerce for the preservation not only of internal security, but for the prosecution of our mercantile, maritime, and financial interests; and praying, that no exclusive grant may be given to the trade with the countries to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, or any part thereof, that this commerce may not be confined to any particular port of the kingdom, but that the House will, in its wisdom, adopt such measures as will restore and secure to his Majesty's subjects those just rights and equal privileges to which they possess an unquestionable right, and which are so obviously calculated to promote the peace, welfare, and interest of the country at large."

A Petition of several merchants, shipowners, tradesmen, and other inhabitants of Liverpool, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners view, with the most serious attention and the deepest anxiety, the approaching period when the exclusive privileges so long granted to the E. I. Co. will terminate, conceiving, in common with the rest of his Majesty's subjects, that their general interests are most importantly connected with the measures which the legislature may then adopt; and that experience has demonstrated that neither the commercial interests of the nation, nor those of the Company itself, have been promoted by the monopolies which have been hitherto granted, and so frequently renewed; and that the circumstances of great embarrassment in which the affairs of the Company have so often and so recently been placed, and the loans which they have obtained from government, are strong evidences to this effect, well known to the House, and contemplated with apprehension and regret by the nation at large; and that, while the merchants of the United Kingdom were virtually excluded from the eastern trade, they have seen a very large portion of it yielded up to foreign nations, from a deficiency either in the capital or in the energy and enterprize of the Company; and that the most important productions of India and China have been forced upon the country at prices far exceeding those at which they could be supplied from the fair competition of the private merchants, were the trade so laid open as to admit of their embarking in it; and that the forms restrictions difficulties and delays, the unnecessary detentions and heavy expences, to which the limited private export trade (hitherto permitted from London to India) has been subjected, have rendered it nugatory to the merchants and manufacturers of the kingdom at large, vexatious and precarious even to those of London, and unproductive therefore of the national benefits contemplated by the legislature when the measure was adopted; and that again to confine the whole or any part of the trade to the Company or to the port of London, would they humbly conceive, be most injurious to the rights and interests of the kingdom generally, for, as all equally contribute to the support of the state, so all are in justice entitled to participate in every branch of its commerce; and that the national advantages attendant upon a general opening of the trade are great and manifest, inasmuch as it would give a new and requisite field for the industry and ingenuity of our manufacturers, the enterprise of our merchants, the employment of numerous vessels now dismantled in our harbours, and thousands of our people, who, from the state of our foreign relations, are at present suffering the many privations necessarily occasioned by the want of employ; and that it would also strengthen the maritime power of the nation, our best defence and surest barrier against the aggressions of our enemies, by furnishing it with an additional nursery for its seamen, and would augment our resources by an additional revenue; and that the petitioners beg to state that, should the export trade be permitted from the out-ports, while the import trade is confinad to London, they humbly conceive it will not only be an act of injustice in itself, but productive to them of injury rather than of benefit; that the management of their shipping, and the sale of their goods, would by such a regulation be necessarily placed in the hands of agents resident in London, would be taken from under their own superintendence, and incumbered with heavy commissions and charges, from which the London merchant would be exempt; that the out-port shipping, when unloaded, must either be removed to their several ports at a heavy extra expence, or repaired and again fitted out from London, to the manifest injury and loss of the tradesmen and inhabitants generally of the places to which they might respectively belong: that the only means by which the merchants of the out-ports could free themselves from this great and oppressive disadvantage would be by fixing their establishments in London, a measure which would in fact wholly deprive their respective towns of a participation in the benefits of the trade, whilst the manufacturers would find their goods loaded with the heavy additional charges attending the transportation of them to London, and the kingdom at large be taxed with similar charges in bringing the productions of the East from London to the places of consumption and manufacture; and that the E. I. Co., continuing to trade as a body of merchants, would still have a considerable advantage, from their previous knowledge of the trade, and their existing establishments both at home and abroad; and that the port of London would still retain in her trade to the East that same preponderance which, by the wealth, the enterprize, and the influence of her merchants, the magnitude of her consumption, and the advantages of her situation, she is enabled to enjoy in every other branch of our national commerce; and that, from the existing and practicable regulations at the principal out-ports the petitioners feel confident that no difficulty whatever would be experienced either in the collection of the revenue, or the prevention of smuggling; and that all representations to the contrary are only attempts to place an odium upon the out-ports, and create an unjust and unmerited prejudice against them; and that the experience derived from the trade carried on with India and China by the United States enables the petitioners to assert that no danger is to be apprehended from the conduct of the crews of private vessels, as it is generally admitted that the crews of the American ships, though not even subject to any local controul created by their own government, have on all occasions conducted themselves without giving offence or receiving interruption; the crews of private vessels also being in proportion to their tonnage less numerous, their conduct is more easily watched, and their irregularities prevented; but that, as a farther security, the British ships may be placed under the direction of proper officers, who, at the same time superintending the shipment of the cargo at the different ports and places, would be enabled to furnish such manifests as would increase the difficulty of smuggling, and the consequent protection of the revenue; and that the petitioners humbly conceive that less jealousy is to be apprehended from the Chinese government, should the trade be opened to the shipping of the United Kingdom, than when confined to the large and warlike vessels of the Company, the apparent property of a trading body, who are likewise powerful neighbouring sovereigns; but experience also evinces that the government of China is more attentive to the advantages derived from foreign commerce, than to the consideration of the question by whom that commerce is conducted; and that, in the event of the trade being opened, the petitioners repose implicit confidence in the House for forming such laws and regulations to controul the conduct of those merchants, traders, and others, whose concerns will require their residence in the different parts of the Indian empire, as may protect them from all oppression or undue interference in the peaceful pursuit of their commercial objects, and at the same time prevent them from attempting to disturb or oppose the existing lawful authorities, or by any improper means to hazard an encroachment on the known habits and prejudices of the people of India; and that the petitioners therefore, reposing entire confidence in the wisdom and justice of the House, do most humbly pray, that the exclusive privileges of the E. I. Co. to trade with the countries to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope may not be renewed in whole or in part, but that such measures may be adopted as will secure to the merchants ship owners manufacturers and traders of the United Kingdom a free trade with all the countries so situated, subject only to such regu- lations as may be necessary for the political safety of India, and the protection of his Majesty's revenue."

A Petition of the trustees of the Liverpool Docks, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the port of Liverpool has, in the course of little more than a century, from its peculiar local advantages, and by the enterprising spirit of its inhabitants, raised itself from the situation of an humble fishing town to the distinguished rank and importance of the second port in the kingdom; and that the petitioners, whose province it is to provide and maintain the requisite accommodation for the shipping resorting to that port, have, at various times, under the authority of the legislature, and as the increase of the trade demanded, erected extensive docks and other conveniences for the shipping interests of the town, and that, urged by the merchants at large three years ago, when their trade was in great prosperity, the petitioners lately obtained from parliament powers for the further improvement of the port, and that in consideration, not only of the existing want of accommodation in the docks for general purposes, but anticipating also the period when the rights of the merchants and traders of Liverpool, in common with all other his Majesty's subjects, to a free trade with the East Indies would be recognized, the petitioners have commenced various works upon an extensive scale calculated to meet the vast accession of trade which, as they humbly conceive, would be the result of such a system; and that the petitioners therefore, anxious for the prosperity of the important trusts committed to them, and confiding in the justice of the House, most humbly intreat that they will adopt such measures as to their wisdom shall seem best for obtaining to the port of Liverpool, as well as to the rest of the United Kingdom, a participation of the trade with our eastern possessions hitherto solely enjoyed by the East India Company."

A Petition of the mayor, bailiffs, and burgesses, of Liverpool, in council assembled, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners conceive that the subjects of these realms possess an inherent right to a free intercourse of trade with all other nations and countries in amity with this, subject only to such regulations as may be necessary for preserving a good understanding with those countries, and for securing to our own the revenues derivable from such intercourse; and that the monopoly of the E. I. Company, however expedient or necessary at the period of their first charter, is, as the petitioners humbly conceive, in the present state of commerce and of the world, no longer so, and it is moreover inconsistent with those principles which are universally admitted to be essential to the prosperity of commerce; and that every other nation of Europe being, by the signal success of his Majesty's arms, deprived of all territory and influence in the East Indies, as well as of all means of annoyance to the navigation of those seas, an ample field is now open for the exertion of British skill and enterprize, and for the investment of that capital which is rendered in a great measure useless in those channels of trade where it has heretofore been employed; and that the petitioners, as the guardians of the interests of the town of Liverpool, while they lament the distressing suspension of its commerce at this juncture, cannot but indulge a sanguine hope that the sera is arrived which presents to the merchants and traders of Liverpool in common with those of every part of the British empire, new and brighter prospects in the participation of a traffic from which they have hitherto been excluded; and that the petitioners disclaim any wish to interfere with the rights of the E. I. Company, which they apprehend may be maintained inviolate without the continuation of a system that infringes the privileges of others; and that the petitioners therefore reposing entire confidence in the wisdom and justice of the House, humbly intreat that they will be pleased to adopt such measures as may secure to the merchants of the port of Liverpool the advantages of a free trade beyond the Cape of Good Hope; and that the petitioners may be heard, by their counsel or agents, upon this subject at the bar of the House."

A Petition of the provost, magistrates, and town council of the royal burgh of Montrose, in council assembled, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners are informed that the East India Company have applied to parliament for a renewal of their charter, and they beg leave respectfully to convey to the House their sentiments on a subject of such importance to the empire; and that the experience of past times has proved beyond all dispute the baneful effects of monopolies, and the petitioners think they are sufficiently warranted in asserting that while the monopoly hitherto enjoyed by the E. I. Company has precluded the private merchant from participating in the trade, it has been far from operating to the advantage of the Company; and that the petitioners do not mean to suggest any thing to the House with regard to the government of the Company's possessions in India, but they would humbly propose, that the exclusive privileges of the Company should not be renewed, and that the trade to the extensive countries between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan should be laid open to the commercial enterprize of all the subjects of the empire; and that it appears extremely unreasonable if not unjust, that the subjects of other governments in amity with Britain should be admitted to commercial intercourse with the British possessions in India, while the subjects of Britain are excluded; and that the petitioners are humbly of opinion, that the admission of a free trade with the countries comprehended under the exclusive grant of the E. I. Company will afford an extensive field for the employment of mercantile talents and capital, and be productive of the greatest benefit to the manufacturing interest of the country; and they are likewise of opinion that Leith, the port of the capital of Scotland, should be included in the number of places to which importation should be allowed; and praying the House to adopt such measures as may render it lawful for any of his Majesty's subjects, from and after the expiry of the India Company's present charter, to carry on from such places as shall be judged necessary, a free and unlimited trade with the British possessions in India and with the countries situated to the East of the Cape of Good Hope and to the West of Cape Horn."

A Petition of the merchants, ship-owners, &c. of Scarborough, was also presented; setting forth,

"That as it is expected that the approaching expiration of the E. I. Company's charter will occupy the early attention of the House, the petitioners beg leave respectfully to state their hopes and wishes on that important subject; and that the petitioners are fully persuaded, that if the trade to the British dominions in India, and to the immense and populous countries included in the charter, were laid open to the skill, industry, and capital of private merchants, it would be conducted with a degree of energy and economy of which a large public body is incapable, new channels of commerce would be discovered, the consumption of our manufactures would be extended, and our shipping increased, to the advantage of the parties concerned, and the permanent augmentation of the wealth, power, and resources of the British empire; and that the petitioners do therefore humbly request, that the House would be pleased to adopt such measures as they may in their wisdom think fit for granting to all his Majesty's subjects, after the expiration of the E. I. Company's charter, a free trade to China."

Ordered to lie upon the table.

A Petition of several of the clergy, gentry, and inhabitants of Huddersfield, was presented; setting forth,

"That while the petitioners fully confide in the wisdom of parliament, they consider the question relating to the Popish Claims to be one which demands the most anxious attention of every friend to the Protestant religion and to Protestant Britain; and that, notwithstanding the present disturbed slate of their part of the country (a state verging upon open rebellion) might suggest the propriety of forbearing to agitate, in that neighbourhood, any question of great public interest, they conceive that no fear of merely local inconvenience or personal risk ought to prevent the expression of their sentiments on this most important subject; and that, since the despotic principles of Popery are repugnant to the spirit of British freedom, firmly secured and wisely circumscribed by the laws, and since all who differ in religious opinion and practice from the Papists (who themselves, in points essential, are at variance with the Holy Scriptures), are by them declared hereties, and it is an established tenet with them, "That no faith is to be kept with heretics!" it is even held to be a praiseworthy act to put a heretic to death, since absolution from the worst of crimes, crimes most injurious to society, may by them be obtained with ease; since these and other equally dangerous principles have already, in former days, been acted upon to a terrific extent, written in large characters of blood and flame; and as it appears, from their recent declarations, they are still maintained and upheld, because, as it is positively asserted, the Roman Catholic religion always remains the same; and therefore the only assignable reason why they are not now acted upon is the want of power; and that the petitioners look upon the demands now made by the Papists (of admission to places of high trust and power in the state, not only without any pledges of security to the present established order of things in these realms, but followed by a positive refusal of any such pledges,) as destructive if acceded to, of the invaluable privileges which they enjoy—privileges, the sanctioned birthright of Protestant Britons—and that, since the Supremacy of the Pope, and his power to absolve subjects from their allegiance to their lawful sovereign, are still maintained by the Papists, the petitioners cannot formally accede to these demands, which, if granted, would enable them to act upon those principles, without virtually renouncing their allegiance to their lawful sovereign, without forgetting all the virtues which have adorned, with so much splendor, the venerable head of their beloved monarch, that truly firm, conscientious, and undaunted defender of the Protestant faith, who has laboured for the happiness of his people unremittingly during a long reign of more than half a century, and to whose unbending integrity they are indebted, under Almighty God, for the happy exemption which they enjoy from those horrors under which the rest of Europe so deeply groans, that, sensible of the inestimable privileges, both civil and religious, with which we are favoured beyond every other nation upon earth, to secure, if possible, their continuance, is a duty which the petitioners feel that they owe to themselves, who experience their value, to their ancestors, who purchased them with their blood, and to their posterity, who may naturally claim them at their hands; and praying that the House will be pleased to watch with a most jealous eye over every altera- tion of the existing laws, and to shield the civil and religious establishments of these realms from the effects of those plausible professions of liberality and charity which are too often urged to conceal designs to which the state cannot but receive irrepaable damage."

A Petition of the mayor, aldermen, and assistants of Leeds, in common hall assembled, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners entertain a high and grateful sense of the blessings they enjoy under the constitution by law established in Church and State, to the maintenance of which they can look with confidence so long only as the offices of the state are administered by persons attached to the constitution from principle, and ready to submit to those tests of their attachment required by the wisdom of our ancestors; and that under these impressions the petitioners cannot view without alarm the reiterated attempts of a part of his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, to procure the removal of all bars to their filling the highest offices in the various departments under government, in common with his Majesty's Protestant subjects; and that the petitioners have witnessed with satisfaction the repeal of the laws restraining the Roman Catholics in the free exercise of their religion, and the extension to them of many important privileges during his Majesty's mild and beneficent reign, but the petitioners know of no change in their tenets, nothing conciliating in the temper with which they advance their pretensions, no concession which they are willing to make for the security of the established religion, which can justify the Roman Catholics in their claims to further political power; and they humbly conceive that the admission of these would be a virtual acknowledgment that there is no necessary connection between Church and State, that the Act of Settlement ought to be repealed, and that the great pillars on which our ancestors raised our glorious constitution are no longer necessary for its support: and that the petitioners therefore humbly entreat the House to allay the fears of his Majesty's Protestant subjects by refusing to comply with the Claims of the Roman Catholics, and by resisting all encroachments upon that constitution under which these realms have so long and happily flourished."

A Petition of the archdeacon and clergy within the archdeaconry of the East Riding of York, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners, always desirous of expressing their entire confidence in the protection which the wisdom of parliament has uniformly extended to the Church established in this United Kingdom, feel themselves called upon, by the repeated claims of the Roman Catholics, to offer their sentiments, with the greatest deference, concerning a subject of such vast importance to the public welfare; and that they perceive with regret, that although the kindest and most indulgent toleration has been granted, demands are now brought forward of a very alarming nature, no less than an equal participation of power, no less than an unqualified admission into all the offices of state; and that the petitioners humbly represent to the House their decided opinion, that the concession of such demands would be subversive of the first principles of that constitution which was matured at the glorious period of the Revolution, when the Protestant faith and worship were happily preserved by those wise laws which are justly considered as the bulwark of our constitution; and they remark with grateful exultation, that the experience of more than a century has endeared to them a system of religion which has withstood the speculations of modern theory, and which they pray may be perpetuated to them and their latest posterity; and that they entertain no other sentiments than those of charity and affection towards Christians of all denominations; but, judging of the future by the past, they beg leave to intimate their apprehensions of danger to the Protestant religion from any further concessions to our Roman Catholic fellow subjects; and they trust and hope, therefore, that no measures will be adopted that will grant the exercise of political authority to those of his Majesty's subjects who pay implicit obedience to any foreign power."

A Petition of the dean and chapter of the cathedral church of Chester, and the parochial and other clergy of the city and neighbourhood of Chester, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners beg leave to represent respectfully, but at the same time earnestly, their firm opinion, that the statutes which exclude persons living in commu- nion with the Church of Rome from situations of trust and power are to be regarded as the fences of our constitution in Church and State; and that, therefore, those statutes cannot be repealed without extreme danger to both, even if it were certain that the evils which the petitioners should apprehend from such repeal would, in the first instance, directly affect only our Church, yet they are persuaded it would appear to the wisdom of the House, that whatever measure affected the Church directly could not fail to affect at least indirectly the well being of the state, but that the evils to the state would not be felt merely in an indirect manner, as they are persuaded that the repeal of the restrictive statutes, instead of producing union in affections, would in the end widen beyond measure existing breaches, and would, by introducing opposition of interests, introduce confusion into our public councils; and that the petitioners therefore humbly intreat the House, by the distinguished blessings which, through the Divine favour, this nation enjoys under our present unrivalled constitution, the preservation of which is, under Providence, entrusted to the care of the House, that they will be immovable in resisting every attempt to procure the repeal of statutes, on the continuance of which in force the petitioners believe the public welfare and even safety to depend."

A Petition of the magistrates, clergy, and other inhabitants of different denominations of Protestant Christians in the town and neighbourhood of Bolton-le-Moors, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners are deeply impressed with a sense of the happiness and security they enjoy, by the blessing of Divine Providence, under the British constitution, and, with such an impression, they cannot view, without much concern and apprehension, the concession of those unqualified claims so repeatedly and so urgently made by their Roman Catholic fellow subjects; and that the petitioners are not actuated by a spirit of prejudice or of intolerance, yet, mindful of the principles established at the Reformation and the Revolution, they think that they should ill discharge the duty which they owe to themselves, to their country, and to posterity, did they not express their deliberate and decided opinion, that, to admit Roman Catholics to a full participation of political power, under a constitu- tion purely Protestant, would be absolutely inconsistent not only with its spirit, but with its safety and stability; and that the petitioners are led to the above conclusion principally from a consideration of the peculiar nature of the Roman Catholic religion, more especially those doctrines which relate to Papal supremacy, passive obedience, and exclusive salvation; they have observed, that, in consequence of these doctrinos, the Roman Catholic religion has ever been hostile to civil and religious liberty, tolerating no opinions but its own, and persecuting all who subscribe not to its creed; and, knowing that its principles are still unchanged and unchangeable, the petitioners, as Protestants, have nothing to anticipate, should Roman Catholics ever obtain that ascendency, which, when once admitted to political power, they will never cease to seek, but a revival of the intolerance and persecution of former ages; they feel for themselves, and they tremble for their posterity; and therefore, praying earnestly but respectfully, that the House would be pleased not to concede the claims now made by the Roman Catholics, as they conceive no safeguards can be devised for the security of the constitution equal to those which were established by the wise and vigilant precaution of our ancestors."

A Petition of the dean and chapter and clergy of the diocese of Carlisle, and inhabitants of the city of Carlisle and its vicinity, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners beg leave to approach the House with the expression of their most sincere attachment to the Church of England, as it is now by law established, and, at the same time to express their regard for the civil and religious rights of mankind, and their wish that a complete religious toleration may always be enjoyed by every class of their dissenting brethren; and that strongly, however, as they are impressed with these sentiments, they cannot but view with anxiety and dread the renewed and increasing exertions of the Roman Catholics in England and in Ireland, especially as the objects which, by their own confession, they now aim at, are not toleration, but power, not religious emancipation, but political equality, claims which ought never to be conceded, and which would, in, their necessary consequences, undermine the foundations of every Protestant establishment; and that the petitioners, therefore, rely with confidence on the firmness of the House, trusting that they will not consent to remove those boundaries which the piety and the wisdom of our forefathers have erected, boundaries no less necessary now than ever for the protection and existence of the Church, and with it of the State."

A Petition of the mayor, aldermen, common councilmen, bailiffs, and burgesses, of Cambridge, was also presented; setting forth,

"That the petitioners are deeply impressed with the conviction, that man, being a free and accountable agent, has a right to liberty of conscience in all matters of religious opinion and worship, provided that he intermixes not with his religious tenets principles which are calculated to subvert the laws and endanger the welfare of society; and that, such being the sentiments of the petitioners, they have witnessed with pleasure the amelioration in the condition of our Roman Catholic fellow subjects, which has been imparted to them in the mild spirit of toleration, during the present reign; and the petitioners hail with satisfaction the prospect of that period when still greater immunities may be granted to them, under those safeguards, which, as Protestants, we are bound to require, and which their warmest advocates admit to be of vital importance for the security of our constitution; and that the petitioners have understood it, however, to have been declared by the heads of the Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland, that they cannot assent to any safeguard that may be deemed essential for the protection of our Protestant establishment, for want of that free access to the Pope, which it is impossible for them to have during his present state of duress, and therefore the petitioners most strongly deprecate the agitation of a question which can only tend to irritate and inflame, and the object of which cannot, as the petitioners conceive, under these considerations, be conceded; and that they deeply lament that the Roman Catholics have resolved to urge their request at so inauspicious a crisis, but, as they learn that it will shortly be submitted to the consideration of the House, they feel it a duty that they owe to their country, to themselves, and their posterity, to appear before the House as petitioners against claims which are so injudiciously intended to be preferred under such circumstances, and they rely with confidence that the collective wisdom of the legislature will adopt such measures of internal regulation and provision as may be calculated to increase the comforts of our fellow subjects in Ireland, and enable them to participate to the utmost extent in the blessings which in England we enjoy."

Ordered to lie upon the table.