House Of Commons
Tuesday, February 9, 1813
Petitions Against The Claims Of The Roman Catholics—From Warrington—The Clergy Of St David—And The Precentor And Canons Of St Davids
A Petition of several inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Warrington, was presented; setting forth,
"That the petitioners have for some time past considered the claims so repeatedly urged by the Roman Catholic subjects of this empire with feelings not merely of surprise, but of considerable alarm, and that the same appear to the petitioners to be fraught with the greatest danger to our invaluable constitution in church and state; and that the petitioners view the concessions hitherto made to the Roman Catholics as giving them every religious and political liberty consistent with the security of the realm, and that consequently any further innovation in the established laws of the country ought to be strenuously opposed by every effort in our power; and that, regarding the question in this light, the petitioners pray the House stedfastly to uphold the principles on which they consider the safety of the empire to depend by wholly rejecting all further consideration of the subject, past events having satisfied them, that hitherto concession has only created fresh demands"
A Petition of the clergy of the archdeaconry of St. David's was also presented; setting forth,
"That the petitioners having heard with great anxiety of the renewed exertions which their Roman Catholic fellow subjects are making for the abolition of all those tests which our forefathers judged to be necessary for the security of the Protestant establishment in church and slate; and being impressed with a deep conviction of the inestimable value of the Protestant religion as professed by the Church of England, and that it is not less valuable to us than it was to our ancestors, who established it, and being fully persuaded that the corruptions of Popery, which our pious and venerable Reformers laboured to eradicate, and resisted unto death, have not changed their character, but are still equally inimical to national liberty and to the Protestant faith, do humbly pray that the House will in their wisdom not remove any restrictions which are essential to the security of the Protestant establishment, nor grant any concessions which can in any way endanger the blessings of the Reformation."
A Petition of the precentor and canons of the most ancient church of St. David, was presented; setting forth,
"That the petitioners being individually bound by the Oaths of Allegiance to our sovereign and the maintenance of his absolute Supremacy, in all causes ecclesiastical as well as civil, in these his dominions, esteem it to be their duly, in obedience to those oaths, earnestly, yet humbly, to request of the House, that while they grant all reasonable immunities to the Romanists, they keep inviolate that sacred constitution of our government which has raised this kingdom to a preponderance in the scale of nations; and that they do not allow any persons whomsoever to be exempted from such restrictions as are necessary for the security of the established Church."
Ordered to lie upon the table.
Petition From The Merchants Of Lynn Against The Renewal Of The East India Company's Charter
A Petition of the merchants, ship-owners, and traders of King's Lynn, was 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 they 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 extensive and flourishing commerce which the citizens of America have carried on for several years with India, and particularly with the Chinese empire, without any sort of restraint, is a proof that these expectations of the advantages to be obtained from the exertions of private individuals are not un founded; and that the petitioners beg leave respectfully to represent, that any partial modification of the trade would, in their opinion, fall extremely short of those advantages which would accrue from the total abolition of the existing monopoly, and they do therefore humbly and earnestly deprecate any continuation of the Company's exclusive privilege in the commerce with China; and that they are fully convinced that it cannot, in any degree, be necessary to the secure collection of the duties on tea, nor can they for a moment entertain an opinion (injurious as it is to the national character), that Britons are less competent than Americans or others to conduct themselves with propriety in their intercourse with the Chinese; and that the petitioners, relying on the justice and wisdom of the legislature, confidently expect that the out-ports will not be excluded from participating in an open trade, and they are well assured, that the town of Lynn, from its connection with so many distant parts of the kingdom by water carriage, possesses peculiar facilities for conducting it with economy and success; and praying the House to adopt such measures as they may think fit for granting to all his Majesty's subjects, after the expiration of the E. I. Company's Charter, a free trade to India and the other countries from which they are at present excluded."
Ordered to lie upon the table.