THE MINISTERIAL PLANS.
Trr7. measure proposed by Mr. PEEL cannot be judged of in its (Hai!, until the bill that is to carry it into effect is printed: but, its principle is extremely sim:,1e. It offers to the Catholic admission to CV erv office of the state that is purely civil in its nature ; it slink him out from every office that is purely ecclesiastical,—whether directly, as charges in the Universities, or indirectly., as charges in the endowed schools of the kingdom. From the Chancellorship, to which attaches the Church patronage of the Crown in England, and from the Lord Lientenantship of Ireland, by which the Crown patronage in Ireland is exercised, the Catholic is also to be excluded ; and generally, where any direct control over the Church
vested in an office to which Catholics are eligible, that control, while the office is held by Catholics, will be exercised by a Pro.•:,1eat commission appointed for that purpose. In a word, the
eJecipation is as complete as the wishes of the Catholics ke' the demands of justice require ; the protection to the Clerech is as absolute as the fears of the Protestants can demand. The • oath against transubstantiation is to be abolished altogether : and to Catholics the oath of supremacy is to be modified, the words "spiritual or temporal" being converted into " temporal or civil." We said lost week, we could -v•arr.e a bill in twenty lines which would settle the Catholic question; •• • I. laying aside what is mere matter of detail or explanation, the H■ation Bill of his Majesty's Ministers contains no particular
did not then distinctly allude to. We are the more en
•• elate ourselves on this, that we did not proceed on e of what 'Ministers intended, much less on any idle .,..,peciing their plans ; our observations were the self, results of calm reflection and unbiassed judgment, on a .e.te: of great cornplicatiOn as well as great interest. other hill pro:osed 1W Mr. PEE L, for raising the frail,' Ireland from forty shillings to ten pounds, many objections e stated. Some of them we formerly considered, and we eesume the discussion this week.
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