and presented a petition against the bill. The bill being read through, the lord chancellor rose, and said the bill before their lordships was such a system of oppression as ought not to be tolerated a moment. He was extremely sorry to see a desire prevail in this country to establish a kind of vassalage among the lower orders of working people, that would disgrace any country in Europe. Nothing could be farther from his mind, than to say any thing, that would in the remotest degree promote combination: he was convinced, that combination had done a great deal of mischief, as well to the combinators themselves as to the trade of the town, which it had injured in a very great degree; but the laws already against combination were many and severe; every man, convicted of combination by due course of law, was liable to imprisonment and public whipping: the present bill went to make every man, who should have the misfortune to offend the caprice of his employer, an outcast from society; for he had it in his power to refuse granting a certificate, and without that certificate no other person could employ him; he might indeed resort to a magistrate, but if the magistrate, on hearing the employer and the journeyman, should think proper to agree with the employer, the other had no appeal. That clause of the bill, which enacts, that if an apprentice shall run away from his master, a justice of the peace, on the simple affidavit of the master, shall commit the boy, send him to bridewell, and sentence him to be publicly whipped, his lordship warmly reprobated.

The bill he said, should have been entitled a bill for the encouragement of highway robbery and emigration, instead of a bill to prevent combination; for the immediate effect of making men outcasts of society, and depriving them of the means of procuring support by labour, must be, that they will become depredators on the subject. A bill of this tendency he hoped their lordships would not hesitate instantly to reject: he therefore moved that the chairman should leave the chair. It was carried without a division. On the termination of the session, the lord lieutenant expressed his Majesty's approbation of the wisdom that guided their proceedings, especially in the liberal indulgences to the Roman Catholics. In the speaker's address on presenting the money bills, the necessity of a protestant parliament and protestant ascendancy, is stated; thus making religion instrumental to political faction, a tool for strife and sedition, which led in some years to Irish descendency.

The catholic body were eminently distinguished by activity and energy, at this period. To remove the prejudices of their Protestant brethren, engendered by scandalous and calumnious misrepresentations of catholic doctrine and principles, the Catholic committee, on the 17th of March, published the following declaration; accompanied by the answers of the foreign universities to the questions proposed by Mr. Pitt.

Whereas certain opinions and principles, inimical to good order and government, have been attributed to the Catholics, the existence of which we utterly deny; and whereas it is at

this time peculiarly necessary to remove such imputations, and to give the most full and ample satisfaction to our Protestant brethren, that we hold no principle whatsoever incompatible with our duty as men or as subjects, or repugnant to liberty, whether political, civil or religious.

Now we, the Catholics of Ireland, for the removal of all such imputations, and in deference to the opinion of many respectable bodies of men, and individuals among our Protestant brethren, do hereby, in the face of our country, of all Europe, and before God, make this our deliberate and solemn declaration:

1st. We abjure, disavow, and condemn the opinion, that princes, excommunicated by the pope and council, or by any ecclesiastical authority whatsoever, may therefore be deposed or murdered by their subjects, or any other persons. We hold such doctrine in detestation, as wicked and impious; and we declare, that we do not believe, that either the pope, with or without a general council, or any prelate or priest, or any ecclesiastical power whatsoever, can absolve the subjects of this kingdom, or any of them, from their allegiance to his majesty King George the Third, who is, by authority of par. liament, the lawful king of this realm.

2d. We abjure, condemn, and detest, as unchristian and impious, the principle, that it is lawful to murder, destroy, or any ways injure any person whatsoever, for or under the pretence of being heretics; and we declare solemnly before God, that we believe that no act, in itself unjust, immoral, or wicked, can ever be justified or excused by, or under pretence or colour, that it was done either for the good of the church, or in obedience to any ecclesiastical power whatsoever.

3d. We further declare, that we hold it as an unchristian and impious principle, that " no faith is to be kept with heretics." This doctrine we detest and reprobate, not only as contrary to our religion, but as destructive of morality, of society, and even of common honesty; and it is our firm be lief, that an oath made to any person, not of the Catholic religion, is equally binding, as if it were made to any Catholic whatsoever.

4th. We have been charged with holding as an article of our belief, that the pope, with or without the authority of a general council, or that certain ecclesiastical powers can

OF IRELAND.

acquit and absolve us, before God, from our oath of allegiance, or even from the just oaths and contracts entered into between man and man.

Now we do utterly renounce, abjure, and deny, that we hold or maintain any such belief, as being contrary to the peace and happiness of society, inconsistent with morality, and, above all, repugnant to the true spirit of the Catholic Religion.

5. We do further declare, that we do not believe that the Pope of Rome, or any other prince, prelate, state, or potentate, hath, or ought to have, any temporal or civil jurisdic tion, power, superiority, or pre-eminence, directly or indi rectly, within this realm.

6th. After what we have renounced, it is immaterial, in a political light, what may be our opinion or faith in other points respecting the Pope: however, for greater satisfaction we declare, that it is not an article of the Catholic faith, ueither are we thereby required to believe or profess, "that the Pope is infallible," or that we are bound to obey any order, in its own nature immoral, though the Pope, or any other ecclesiastical power, should issue or direct such order; but, on the contrary, we hold, that it would be sinful in us to pay any respect or obedience thereto.

7th. We further declare, that we do not believe that any sin whatsoever committted by us can be forgiven at the mere will of any Pope, or of any priest, or of any person or persons whatsoever; but, that sincere sorrow for past sins, a firm and sincere resolution, as far as may be in our power, to restore our neighbour's property or character, if we have trespassed on, or unjustly injured either; a firm and sincere resolution to avoid future guilt, and to atone to God, are previous and indispensable requisites to establish a well-founded expectation of forgiveness; and that any person who receives absolution without these previous requisites, so far from obtaining thereby any remission of his sins, incurs the additional guilt of violating a sacrament.

8th. We do hereby solemnly disclaim, and for ever renounce all interest in, and title to all forfeited lands resulting from any rights, or supposed rights of our ancestors, or any claim, title, or interest therein; nor do we admit any title, as a foundation of right, which is not established and acknowVOL. IV.

2 T

ledged by the laws of the realm, as they now stand. We de sire further, that whenever the patriotism, liberality and jus tice of our countrymen, shall restore to us a participation in the elective franchise, no Catholic shall be permitted to vote at any election for members to serve in parliament, until he shall previously take an oath to defend, to the utmost of his power, the arrangement of property in this country, as established by the different acts of attainder and settlement.

9th. It has been objected to us, that we wish to subvert the present church establishment, for the purpose of substituting a Catholic establishment in its stead: now we do here. by disclaim, disavow, and solemnly abjure any such intention; and further, if we shall be admitted into any share of the constitution, by our being restored to the right of elec tive franchise, we are ready, in the most solemn manner, to declare, that we will not exercise that privilege to disturb and weaken the establishment of the Protestant religion, or Protestant government in this country.

Signed by order, and on behalf of the general committee of the Catholics of Ireland, Edward Byrne, Chairman, Richard M'Cormick, Secretary.

Queries proposed to foreign Universities.

1. Has the pope, or cardinals, or any body of men, or any individual of the church of Rome, any civil authority, power, jurisdiction, or pre-eminence whatsoever, within the realm of England?

2. Can the pope, or cardinals, or any body of men, or any individual of the church of Rome, absolve or dispense with his majesty's subjects, from their oath of allegiance, upon any pretext whatsoever?

3. Is there any principle in the tenets of the Catholic faith, by which Catholics are justified in not keeping faith with heretics, or other persons differing from them in religious opinions, in any transaction, either of a public or a private nature?

Answers to the above Queries.

From the Sacred Faculty of Divinity at Paris.-The first