ommittee on the Roman Catholic claims;
but though his lordship's motion was seconded by the Duke of Sussex his
motion was lost: his speech was too much tainted with private pique to
be heeded by parliament. A similar motion, urged by the eloquence of
Mr. Grattan in the commons, met with a similar fate. At a later period,
however, Mr. Canning carried a motion in opposition to ministers,
pledging the house to consider early next session the state of the laws
affecting the Roman Catholics of Great Britain and Ireland. In the lords
a similar proposal made by the Marquis Wellesley was rejected.

ASSASSINATION OF MR. PERCEVAL.

During this session, as the continuance of outrages in several of the
manufacturing counties continued, a severe law was enacted, which made
the breaking of frames and administration of oaths a capital felony.
These commotions were generally attributed to the operation of our
orders in council, diminishing the demands for articles of British
manufacture; and petitions were presented to both houses for a
revocation of these edicts. In compliance with the general wish, a
formal inquiry was instituted; but while it was depending, its leader
was suddenly cut off by a tragical death. As Mr. Perceval, on the 11th
of May, was entering the lobby of the house of commons he was shot
through the heart, and after uttering a slight exclamation and
staggering a few paces, he expired. The assassin, whose name was
Bellingham, made no attempt to escape, and he was immediately
arrested. Apprehensions were at first entertained that there might be
a conspiracy; but it was soon discovered that no other person had been
concerned with him, and that there was no mixture of political feeling
in his motives. Bellingham had been a merchant; and in a commercial
visit to Russia some time before he had met with serious losses, which
he attributed to violence and injustice. He had repeatedly addressed
Lord G. Leveson Gower, who had been our ambassador at Petersburgh, and
he had presented memorials to the treasury, soliciting a compensation
for losses; but these losses not having been incurred in the course
of any public service, were considered as affording him no title
to compensation. Mr. Perceval had rightly refused to listen to his
applications; but Bellingham was enraged at his refusal, and resolved to
sacrifice his life. He was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey,
and he underwent the extreme sentence of the law wi