THE NATIONAL RrGTSTER. " The pretext for these extravagant demands is, that some of these pria .iples were adopted by voluntary compact In the Treaty of Utrecht ; as it' a Treaty once existing between two particular countries, founded on special and reciprocal considerations, binding only on the contract in,y parties, and which, in the last treaty of peace between the the powers ' had not been revived, were to be r egar d e d a s d ec laratory of the puMrc law of natians. It is needless for his ROYAL HIGHNESS to demonstrate the injustice of snelt pretensions. He might otherwise :ppeal to the practice of France berm lf, in this, a 91.1 in former wars ; and to her own establishtd codes of maritime law: it is sufficient that these new demands of the enemy form a wide departure from those conditions on which the alleis, d repeal of the French Decrees was accepted by America ; and upon which alone, ei,tie.,usly assuming that repeal to be complete, America has claimed 1 , v o i : :oion of the British Orders in Council. 11!'i P.UT HIGII N s, upon a review of all tkest. circumstanees,feels th:tt s,lOll as this formal declaration, by the Government of of its unabated adheres car to the principles and provisions of the Berlin and Nliiati Decrees, shall be made known in America, the Go ecrinettt of the United Slates-, actuated not less by a sense of justice to Gnat Britain, than by what is due to its own dignity, will be disposed to recall those measures of hostile exclusion, which, under a misconctp el. the real views and conduct of the French Government, America 11.1. , exclusively applied tothe commerce and ships of war of Great Britain. , J accelerate a result so advantageous to the true interests of both couutries,and so c mlurive to the re-establishment of perfect friendship i -veto 'hem; and to give a decisiveproof of his ROYAL HIGHNESS S >position to perform the engagements of his NI Ala TY > > Government, b 1 rt yoking the Orders in Council, whenever the French Decrees be actually and unconditionally repealed ; his Royal Highness the Pair:cr. ht:GI:N I has been this day pleased, in the name and the behalf of his Melts rv, and be a!:(1 with the advice of his MAJESTY'S Privy Coun cil, to order and declare : That it at any time hereafter the Berlin and Milan Decrees shall, he wale authentic act of the French Government, publicly promulgated, expressly aitd unconditionally repealed; then and from thenceforth, the Order in Council of the 7th day of January, 1807, and the Order in CJUllil of the Ctith chy of April, 1809, shall, without any further or der be, and the sam e hereby are declared from thenceforth to be wholly aniabsolutely revoked : and further, that the full benefit of this Order shall be extended to any ship or vessel captured subsequent to such au thentic act of repeal of the French Decrees, although, antecedent to such repeal, such ship or vessel shall have commenced, and shall be in the prosecution of a voyage, which, under the said Orders in Council, or thie of them, would have VA bkctr(l her to capture and condemnation ; and the claimant of any ship or cargo which shall be captured atany time iubiequent to such authentic act of repeal by the French Government, shall, without any further order or declaration on the part of his iIA- Jr.sle's k4overnment on this subject, be at liberty to -give In ev id ence in the Hi g h C ourt o f Admiralty, or any Court of Vice-Admiralty, before which such ship or vessel, or its cargo, shall be brwight for ad judication, that such rep6al by the French Government had been by rich authentic act prormilared prior to such capture; and upon proof there of, t: e voyage shall deemed and taken to have been as lawful, as if the . caid Oiders in Council had never been made; saving nevertheltss to the captor.:, ste•li protection and indemnity as they tway be equit ably entitled to, in the judgrtient of the said Court, by reason of their i%norance or uncertainty as to the r peal of the French Decrees, or of the recognition of such repeal by his MAJ EST 's Government at the tine of such capture. His Royal f lightless however deems it proper to declare, that, should the repeal .4 the French Decrees. thus anticipated and provided for, af terwards prove to have been illusory on the part of the enemy; and sh told the restrictions thereof be still practicallr enforced, or revived by tile cneity, Great Britain will be obliged, however relu • antly, after rea•onahle melee to neutral Powers, to have recourse to such measures of retalliation as may then appear to be just and necessary. Westminster, April 21, 1812. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. MONDAY, APRIL 20. The Royal Assent "was given by Comtni, , sion to Lord Wellington's Pension, the 1/.-btor's Relief, the Local Militia, the Penityntlary Rinse, the I ham-% Navigation, the Reversion, the Pilot's Regulation, and the Wanderer's rills; also to the Bill for in.:reaiing tilt! rates of sulsistence on quartering Soldiers • the Bill for paving, clean,ing, and o : ll 'wtgle iitkprovi ig the town of Soldiers; the Bill for r pal rit,..! th. r9.1 - li from Maileithad Bridge to Reading, and to a number of others, Fsbl c an,l private ; in ail 49. Petitions were presente.i from Bristol, and Bilstrm in Staffordshire, at - limit the renevval of the Fast India Company's Ch ,:ter. -..4I.I I)JNOUCHIMURE presented Petitions from the general body of ut Ireland against the Penal Laws, and 4l o fc urn the counties of Clare, MonaghaL Kilkenny, an 4 Cork. which were or- VA to lie 0,11 the Table. 213 Earl Geer presented Peti'ions from the Catholics of nsland, and from a number of Christians of all denominations residing in York shire, Durham, Newcastle, Hull, Berwick, and Manchester, all praying the removal of aisabilities on account or i;:ligious opinions; these likewise were ordered to lie on the Table :—as were Petitions to the same effect from the Exeter, Halifax, the City of London, Taun ton, and Bristol, presented by the Marquis of LANDSDOWNE ; and from the Catholics of the counties of Down and Carlow, by the Earl of BESBOROUGH. • Lord GREI , IiILIC said, that he had to present to the House a Peti tion of a very dilf.rent description to those which had jtist been read. It was a Pctitioa from the University of Oxford, praying that the claims of the Catholics sbould not he granted. In the rela.ion in which he had the henour to stand with respect to that learned be..y, this Petition had been handed to hint, and he had not he srtated to present it. I-Ic respected that d.iference_ of opinion :vinch he regretted; and he was obliged, not in disrt.spect to hat learned body, but injustice to hiuiseif, to dcearrohat he was completely hostile to the prayer or this Petit ho. Ile must also add that this I'et:ti ,n was not tamed unanimously s formerly, the Vice Lhancellor and several of the heads of Houses being against it. It tins the' (lore merely the Petition of tue majority of the Corporation. —Ordered to lie on the Table. TUESDAY, APRIL 21. Petitions were presente ! from a nun btr of public bodies, and places, prayin e ; that the Last India Curopany'4 Charter might nut be re newed. 1 he Duke of GLoucesT cm presented a Petition from the University of Cambridge against the Catholic CLims. 1-1 t: felt it is duty to prk:sent this Petition, in consequence of the situa-i , u which he had the hi E .4l ho nour to fill in that University. But fly mu't in justice to hinmitif de dare, that his own sertiments were in behalf of the Claims of the Ca tholics • and those s,ntiments he mud s:ill hold, however much he re. -pectethe opi nions of the petitioners. Severid Pcritions were presented, praying the repeal of the Orders in Council, as well as others for repealing the Laws against the Ca tholics. CATHOLIC CLAIMS. The Order of the Day being read f(r taking into consideration t!st Catholic Claims, the Earl of DuNOUGHiSteRe opened the debate with a speech of great length, in which he revieweel the . question in all its bear togs, and contended, that the Catholics were emitted to the prayer of their Petition on every principle of honour, policy, and iustice. It was the wish of the whole Irish nation that the Caholics should be emend). pated, and the hour could not be far di.tant when their utmost wishes mutt be consummated. Ile Noble Lord concluded by neetieg, " That a Committee be appointed to t .ke into consieeratiee the propriety and expediency of repealing the restrictive lays still in torte against his Ma jesty') Roman Catholic subjects." Ihe Duke ot Sussex rose. His Royal Highness l' gao by obsr•rving, that whether-1- the subject foend himself aggrieved, 1 , wax a elutary and acknowledged principle of the constitution. that he was enti•leo to submit the statement of his grievances to that vertex' where he should naterally l'o k for redress. That was one of tee noblest and most gle ci..us privileges of the. constitution, and one that he hoped, would tie , ver be al)andoned or denitel. Remonstrance and representatiens of that nature, respectfully drawn up, it was the duty ot Lit. Legislatere to attend to, and it was likewise their duty to afford a reme.' y, wheri such could with wisdom and propriety he yielded. With the•e nepreie sions in his mind, he thought that it would well hecoa.e tecr Lord ships to take the Petitions into their most serious eu.eideiet ton. All impassioned feelings should be disntissed feint their rt inds, and they ought to come to the eltscussioet with tempers as celin, chastened. and philosophic as that of Plato or of Soctetee !livery should be utterly excluded; expediency ne further dwelt on than was ceutpatible fairness and justice, and thus, under the guiee.mee of troth, wisdom, end lib• ettity, he should not tear hut ;he ve e 1 of the St ee, how o . ever tossed and agitated at present, mi,bt be be ugh • sot n I .to a sk.; tne anchorage. He had heard much unmeaning t.. k t new etra, and abundance of conjectures, ea .tte., , ions end inuendoes •e- of tn.; from the idle gossip of tea-talites. Front such a c s ..nd terti:e source of intelligence. ft was no 'vender Lira frightft 1 tees, and tip. prehension,' of teurders and enormities, and extravaga cies of all kinds should proceed, and that Protestants should be made to cry ()et egeinst the merderous Papists. But the resent sera, the c. Lenten efttent of the nineteenth century, he hoped would be marked, lettl...d, ;eel di's. ' tingnished by tol; ration and true eva tgelical chari(y. Inste id ot Up . holding stabr and exp!odiel prejudices at tee present dare, it would r. come the Parliament of this enlightened country, to c •e.-ince i urope are! the worhi that we are yet exeeinge. ee na•ion, Oise.... . Al l the dark, dismal and peeiferous clouds of prejedi •e tied persectit!. n, could perceive, ack eewledge, anti woe» ip the b.•;:efieent God of ell Chrieia••s, who cameinto the world to ee•e. not to •o: .(t or ecoroy hese rt•h:p?.7 , . Whatever were the difficulties of the times, what ever the I csettr t by ha,: : d e , by week ones, las trusted there .tees le) want of the actor Fat lice in t.•e country ; but that if such an mergence , should occur, ate., would be many p rip anyiancCulers tets reele to m ere in the guiph. He r toile w cte. which intru.hictO. and placed on the throne of that kins,:om the Wilily A PRIL 2'6. rest tlrc, :aia, aud rity, aril :1 ;, 1/1 7 ' oIC by btS at .• a •