claim to a tithe of the land and labour of the kingdom, and proving to
the satisfaction of the Christian community that, though she receive
the patrimony of the poor, she is not bound to exercise towards them a
single act of mercy." Such language as this, said Sir J. Copley, is not
confined to the individual who used it; the same sentiments are avowed
by some of the leading men of the Catholic body, and proclaimed aloud
in the Catholic Association. He asked, therefore, when such are
the sentiments of a Roman Catholic bishop when speaking of that
establishment for which Catholics, elected probably by his influence,
would be called to legislate, whether the house would consent that such
men, returned by such influence, should have the power of legislating
for a church thus described by one of their own communion, without
insisting upon securities by which all danger might be averted? The
debate was closed by Mr. Canning, who had been pointedly alluded to
throughout the whole of Sir J. Copley's speech, and, after disposing of
its argument, he ironically vindicated himself for not having concerted
measures of security with the Pope of Rome. Government had not the same
facilities, he said, with the court of Rome as was possessed by several
foreign courts, as those of Prussia, Saxony, and the Netherlands. He
had seen in some popular tracts, that to correspond with the pope
was high-treason; and, therefore, when his holiness addressed a
complimentary note to our present gracious sovereign, he, as secretary
of state, took the opinion of the great law-officers on the subject of
a reply; and they declared that if he did answer the pope's letter, he
would incur the penalties of a premunire. Now the law-officers who gave
this opinion were R. Gifford and Sir John Copley himself. I, being an
ignorant person, next looked into Burn's Justice, and there I found that
the penalties attached to a premunire, were attainder, forfeiture of
goods, incapacity to bring an action, and liability to be slain by
any one with impunity. As this was a matter touching life and fortune,
therefore he could not be expected, after having acquired such
knowledge, to go to the Pope of Rome; and yet to the pope they must go
if they would have any security. Mr. Canning declared that it was the
intention of Mr. Pitt to cany this question, to the truth of which
assertion he was ready to depose before any tribunal. He avowed his
opinion that the cause had lost gro