Mr. Plunkettrose to move the postponement of the order of the day; for the commitment of the Catholic Relief Bill. The House would give him leave to state the reason of this proposition. He begged, then, to say, that his hon. friend the member for Westminster (sir F. Burdett) was unable to attend in his place that night, in consequence of severe indisposition; but he was in every expectation of being able 337 to attend on Friday next. The hon. baronet being very anxious to be present at the discussion in the committee, had desired him to move this postponement of the order to that day.
§ Mr. Littletonwished to have his bill relative to the elective franchise of Ireland postponed to the same day as that which had just been mentioned.
Lord Binningrose to correct a mis-statement which had gone abroad of what he had said on the second reading of the Catholic Relief bill. It had been stated, in several Edinburgh newspapers, that he had said, that, in his opinion, the destruction of the Protestant church in Ireland would be no great evil. He certainly had uttered no such sentiments; nor did he entertain them. He trusted the House would excuse him for setting himself right on this point, because nothing was more likely to injure him in the opinion of his countrymen, than a supposition that he felt any lukewarmness with respect to the Protestant church.
Mr. Calcraftsaid, he was present when the noble lord had spoken on the occasion alluded to, and could undertake to say that he had uttered no such sentiments as those which had been attributed to him.