§ Mr. Foxobserved, that as the day which he had fixed for submitting a motion to the house an the subject of the petition of the Catholic body of Ireland was so near, he deemed it proper to take this opportunity of stating the reasons on which he proposed to defer that Motion from the 10th to Monday the 13th inst. One reason was, that many gentlemen interested in the discussion were now in Ireland, and could not attend on Friday. This was a sufficient reason, but it was not the principal one. Another was, the importance of the business which was to occupy the attention of the house next week. His hon. friend (Mr. Whitbread) had a mo- 596 tion of considerable importance, which, together with the other motions noticed on several interesting subjects, would, perhaps, fatigue gentlemen so much as to render it inconvenient to have his motion brought forward on Friday. He thought this was a fit time to state for the information of gentlemen, the substance, if not the precise words, of the motion which he should submit to the house on the subject. His motion would be, that the house should resolve into a committee of the whole house, to consider of all the matters contained in the petition, and whether it would be expedient that all, or any of the prayers it contained, should be complied with, or whether a middle course should be adopted for granting some, and deferring the decision upon the rest of their claims; or whether or not some collateral means of meeting the wishes of the petitioners might not be eligible.
Dr. Duigenandeclared himself hostile to the prayer of the petition, and should, therefore, oppose the motion of the hon. gent.