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Intelligence * —Parliamentary ,: Petition of Mr . Blunt . 70 J
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against her , whilst , notwithstanding the state of oppression of seven millions of Catb 0 li England : passes in fiee eyes crf the multitude fbr the classical country of toleration , aud the generous protector of civil and religious liberty .
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PARLIAMENTARY . Petition of Mr * Blunt , complaining of Calumnies against Roman Catholics , in a Pamphlet circqlated by the " Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge "
HOUSE OF COMMONS . May 28 , 1824 . Lord Althorp presented a petition from Mr . Blunt , a Rom ^ tn-Catholic gentleman , complaining of the conduct of a clergyman , in circulating among his ( Mx . Bhint ' s ) tenants , a , pamphlet containing
false and scandalous imputations on Roman Catholics . This pamphlet was printed some years ago for the Protestant Chartered Schools in Ireland , but had fceen subsequently withdrawn , and was now again brought into circulation by the Society calling itself the Society for promoting ( Ghristi ^ n Knowledge . It contained all those * false arid scandalous
imp » tatio « s on the Roman Ca-tfeoko religion , which hacfr been solemn !^ disclaimed ^ by ttie six Catholic Universi ^ Si ~ Mr . Blunt had taken the oath of allegiance , and solemnly disclaimed all the tenets which were imputed to him in this pamphlet . In presenting this petition he ( jLord A . )
could not but observe , that he thought the House would do right in expressing its disapprobation of this attempt to impute base and . disloyal principles to the Catholics , whose loyalty and exemplary conduct had been recognized by the legislature . Neither Mr . Blunt nor any other Catholic had a right to complain of
a Protestant minister , who endeavoured to convince others of the truth of the doctrines of the Church of England ; but he hud a right to complain of a clergyman of the Church of England who disseminated a scandalous pamphlet iij his
neighbourhood , for the purpose of making him odious in the eyes of his fellowsubjects . The conduct of the Society for tfie propagation of Christian Knowledge was still ^ jiiore culpable ; for tjlfey ought
to have known tftat this pamphlet had been withdraw ^ by the Chartered Sc ^ ols io Ireland ^ s containing inj u rious imputations oi ^ ifee Catholics ^ which had been solemnly disclaimed .
Mr . Secretary PJS | iL said , that as he was not aware tfyat lie had ev $ r seen this pamphlet , and as lie knew nothing of the clergyman alluded to , he could siiy little on this subject . If this clergyman , or any other individual or society had circu-
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lated a pamphlet , the object of which was to sow religious animosities , he could only say , that snch an aet metJfljflf ' fcis decided disapprobation . Hfe did recollect that the Protestant Chartered Schools in
Ireland , formerly used a catechism which was liable to objection , and which had been subsequently withdrawn . He shotald be sorry to findthntiinypublic institution had again circulated a publication , which had been withdrawn in consequence of
its objectionable ob&x&e&& ?( hy the Protestant Society in Ireland . From the fife * quent experience , however , which he had had in matters of this kind , he thought it would be ? right for the House to sus * pend its judgment , until the fact were
ascertained . He repeated , that if any clergyman of the Ghureh [ of ; England had taken the course of which tbe petitioner complained , it was impossible for him ( B | r . P *} to give his approbation , to such fe proceeding .
Mr . Phillips bore testimony to the highly respectable and amiable character of the petitioner . He thought the . eon * duct of the Society ,. calling itself aSociety for promoting Christian Knowledge ,. co > ttld not be too strongly reproliated . It ap * .
peared that they had printed and circu * lated a scandalous pamphlet , imputing to the great body ? of the Roman Catholics tenets and principles which they had dis * claimed upon oath , for the express purpose of exciting hatred and persecution against a large portion of their fellow *
countrymen , Mr . Curwjen , as a member of the Society , expressed htis unwillingness to believe the accuracy of the statement which had been just made . He trusted the charge would turn out , upon inquiry ^ to be unfounded .
Sir John Newport said , he would take upon himself to say that the pamphlet in question w ^ s printed by the Society ' s printer , circiilated by their booksellers , and appeared upon the face of it to be circulated by their authority aud sanction . He could conceive nothing more disgraceful , than that a public In ^
8 titution , the professed object of which was to promote Christian Knowledge , of which they ought to consider Christian charity a main ingredient , should give fresh circulation to a publication , con- * tainiixg slanderous imputations on the Roman Catholics , which hswl been disclaimed upon oath—a publication which had been withdrawn from the Chartered
SchooJs of Ireland by the Protestants themaelyea . Sir F . Burdett said a few words in so low a tone , as to be inaudible in the gallery . The petition was ordered to lie on the table .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1824, page 701, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2530/page/61/
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