MR. HENNESSEYsaid, he would beg leave to ask the late First Lord of the Admiralty what steps the late Board of Admiralty had taken with reference to the complaints which had been submitted to the Board respecting the treatment of Roman Catholic Sailors in the Royal Navy?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, he had no objection to answer the question, and he hoped what he was about to state would not bring him under the animadversion of the he n. Member for Beaumaris (Mr. O. 551 Stanley.) The facts were briefly these:—A few weeks ago a memorial was sent to the Earl of Derby complaining on the part of the Roman Catholic body that Roman Catholic sailors were subjected to certain disadvantages in respect to their religious instruction. The Earl of Derby sent the memorial to him, requesting his opinion on it, whereupon he wrote a letter to the Earl of Derby stating the views he entertained with respect to the different matters of complaint contained in the memorial, which were drawn up under a series of headings, to the number, he believed, of about eleven. The substance of his letter was this:—he was entirely of opinion that every fair and reasonable claim on the part of the Roman Catholic sailors with respect to the exercise of their religion ought to be conceded; and more especially that that should be removed which formed one of the main points of their complaint—namely, that Roman Catholic sailors were not allowed the same advantage with respect to their worship as were conceded to Roman Catholic soldiers; and he stated distinctly in his letter to the Earl of Derby that, so far as the different nature of the two services permitted, Roman Catholic soldiers and Roman Catholic sailors should be placed on precisely the same footing. He also proceeded to state that he thought that some of the requests contained in the memorial, which related to matters in respect to which there was a great difference between the two services, it would be impossible to concede, or could only be conceded under particular circumstances. Having sent this answer to the Earl of Derby, he caused a copy of the memorial and his letter to be circulated among his colleagues at the Admiralty Board, who considered them. As a change of Government was impending, it was impossible for him to take any further steps in the matter; but it was his intention, if he had continued in office, to direct instructions to be issued to concede such portions of the memorial as, he thought, in fairness and justice ought to be conceded. That was the position in which the question now stood, and he had left the papers he had referred to for the consideration of his successor at the Admiralty to deal with in such manner as he should think fit.
§ MR. NEWDEGATEsaid, he viewed this question as an additional evidence of combined action on the part of certain Roman Catholic authorities to obtain concessions on various subjects. The notice 552 paper itself would inform the House that such was the case. The he n. Member for Dungarvan (Mr. Maguire) was about to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intended to break in upon the Roman Catholic Oath, and the obvious consequence of such a step would be that they would see a considerable alteration in the settlement of 1829. The he n. Member for Dungarvan had also a notice for an early day that he was about to demand the establishment of a Roman Catholic University in Ireland. [Mr. BOWYER: A charter for an existing University.] He did not suppose the he n. Member would demand a new establishment of that kind if there were one already in existence. He knew that the House was inclined to devote it3 attention to foreign affairs, but this was a question at once both foreign and domestic. Since a meeting that was held on the 8th ult. there had been an obvious movement on the part of all those who obeyed the direction of Cardinal Wiseman. It was proposed, not only to move for an increase of Roman Catholic priests in the naval service, which, it appeared, had been under the consideration of the late Government, but they were going even farther than that, and to demand that Roman Catholic priests appointed by Cardinal Wiseman should have official access to all prisoners in gaols and the inmates of poor-houses. But what was the case at present? Every Roman Catholic prisoner could demand the attendance of a Roman Catholic chaplain in any gaol or workhouse, as the law now stood. The object of what was now sought for was to give an official right to Roman Catholic priests appointed by Roman Catholic authorities to enter gaols and poor-houses and inquire for themselves who chose to receive their ministrations. [" No, no!"] Well, then, the object had been abandoned, for it had been entertained. [An he n. MEMBER: There never was any such object.] He was perfectly prepared for these denials, but he wished to call the attention of the House to the fact that Cardinal Wiseman, a foreign authority, lately boasted of the increase of the establishments under his command—by monasteries in London, &c, by increase of those missions which, as vicar apostolic, he had established for the Jesuit order. He drew the serious attention of the Government to these things, for it was the aim of Cardinal Wiseman, and those who acted with him, that no Prime Minister, however powerful or however jaunty, should 553 be able to resist the demands made upon him. He wished to see the freedom of his Roman Catholic fellow-subjects preserved as well as those of Protestants; but let the House take care, for it would be assailed with Motions the result of which was intended to be the establishment of a power which in Austria had been proved incompatible with all freedom, which in Naples was a fruitful source of oppression, and which, he feared, was likely to cripple the action of France in seeking the liberation of Italy—a power to which, he trusted, England, while regarding the freedom of the Roman Catholic subjects of the Crown, would never submit.
§ MR. MAGUIREsaid, he must request the indulgence of the House while be explained away the bugbear which possessed the lively imagination of the he n. Member for Warwickshire. No such demand as the he n. Member described had been made at the meeting referred to, or at any other. One simple demand was made and no other; and it was made by some of the highest nobles in England, as well as by Members of that House, and was now under the consideration of the Government. That demand was to the effect that the Catholic clergy should have free access to prisoners registered in the books of the establishment as Roman Catholics and to paupers in workhouses similarly registered, whether adults or infants. He believed, then, that the he n. Member might dismiss his great alarm, for those who had the administration of gaols and workhouses in England wore not emissaries of the Pope of Rome or agents of Cardinal Wiseman, but as true supporters of the Established Church as the he n. Member himself, and consequently there was no danger of the Roman Catholics being allowed to tamper with Protestant paupers or Protestant prisoners. If the Government granted that fair demand which had been made, the Roman Catholic Members would give them every legitimate support, for they asked not for places for themselves, but only for justice to those they represented. He concurred with the opinion expressed by a noble Lord in another place that it was not degrading or dishonourable to make or to grant such demands. With regard to the grant of a charter to a Catholic university, he had received a letter from a Protestant Member of that House, who said, "Nothing is fairer than your demand. What do you ask for? Nothing but that a Catholic college shall have the 554 power of granting degrees to its own alumni." When the proper time arrived he believed he should be able to satisfy he n. Gentlemen that the demands made by the Catholics were only such as every Member of that House might fairly concede to them.