The Press. — London, England, 1853-08-20 00:00:00

Mr. Waswan thought that it contained matter so objectionable as to involve the house in disgrace if they passed it without a protest. Lord J. Rum's. refused to decide the matter on abstract principles, and reminded the house of the historical circumstances which ought to be taken into coulderation "No ass would deny that when ire took possession of Malts the peat majority of the inhabitants were Roman wand that it was part of our profession and pub ise to the people of that island that we would their religion. (Hear, hear.) This was avowed l e n s trWatious proclamations which were made at the tinie, It should be recollected likewise that at that period the question was not, se bomb as it Was now, hawed!' Heinen esthetics and the rations denominations of Protestants, but between the Christian religion and all those who for molt it ; for at the time the French had possession of Malta the peat object wan to prevent the overthrow of the Chliallsta i lle ad altogether. Vieth bring tile ease, we were 111 to respect tile worship, the prac %kith hid the 611114 the ReaueiViitholics. In order to do Ala it wee ossessety . initilled to the undertaking we had 114Tesi that same pumshnient should be awarded to those she viol" insetted and reviled that religion. (Hear, &sea) That was no more than we claimed here, as a ..wines dneseven from persons who did not belong . to a pardenier feith—that they should not instil! or revile those who were adveestes of that faith; dud nem carrying on 'their paella Wermitijr. The rake .Waii the RAP under law whisk it was now proposed to supersede by Ow 'present criminal code. A law of the 14th of March, 1830, ' any writing, reviling, ridiculing, or otherwise r i nsittleig itag eny doetrine of the Roman Catholic Church, or the governeeint or discipline et the Roman Catholic Chtwebi (lira Iraq ti l lt s ' a religi observances of - slams or deeertption: . mesedleg to our original deelsration, and an to the law at present existing in Malta, the exercise . 1 1 1 4 CffilKto religion was protected and main any open insult to that religion was punish - A ... V istme penishinrut varling from ens to twelve months' L ., A popular eouncil, elected by the people of Mal* had a bi, as the noble lord believed, to specify if t ossed they their own Church, and none other. Nor did believe that any Roman Catholics held doctrines which the oaths appointed for members of Parliament required them to abjure. Some minor objections urged against the details and expressions Of Or mid *ere, he admitted, worth consuleratiom WoMs were used in a sense liable to misinterpreta tion ; severe punishments were enacted where lighter penalties would be more suitable; and the pro vision against insulting the Roman Catholic religion by gestures was objectionable, since it pointed out a wide and vague class of offences, even the omission to remove a hat having been interpreted into a penal crime with lamentable penults. He promised accordingly that the subject should receive deliberate attention from the Government, and espe • chilly from the law officers of the Crown, whose pro ceedings and determinations would be laid before Parliament next session. It would be their object to give to the people of Malta the fullest security for the exercise of their religion, consistent with the principles of religious liberty and toleration as hold in this country. Mr. SPOONICIR accepted this assurance as perfectly satisfactory, anti Mr. HADFIKLD observed that the discussion had done much good. Mr. Kinnaird then withdrew his motion by consent. _____ . INDIA. The India Government Bill came on on Monday mace more, and for the last time, before the Com mons. the amendments effected in the measures by the Upeer House being brought down for considera tion. The most important of these amendments was that by which the forty-fourth clause in the bill as it originally passed the Commons, and which referred to the salt duty, was struck out. Sir J. Firzontst.n called upon the house to reject this amendment and seistore the clause. He con tended that the salt duty in India ought to be at once abolished. as at led to injurious consequences, such as no European could conceive except from personal experience on the spot. The motion to replace the clause was supported by Mr. li weosos, who also spoke from personal ex perience when denouncing the baneful effects of the salt monopoly now enjoyed by the East India Com pea r. Sir C. WOOD objected to the clause on the techni cal ground that by passing it the house would be attempting to legislate upon the details of Indian government. He referred to past reductions of duty on the article, and promised more when the Indian revenue, just now an so ticklish a condition, should be able to afford it. Sir DE LACY EVANS and Mr. HADFIELD concurred in approving the clause and condemning the mono- P O 4': The motion was, however, withdrawn, and the Lords' amendments agreed to as they stood, without a division. Sir J. PARING TON, who was absent at the time, re ferred to the subject on Tuesday, and elicited from Sir C. Wood an announcement of the conclusion of THE PRESS. hostilities in Burmah, and a hope that that event would enable the Governor-General of India to turn his attention to the reduction of the expenditure, and thus prepare the way for the reduction of the duty on salt. Another Indian topic was on the same evening brought forward by Mr. Lue.s.s, who complained that, while two Protestant bishoprics had been established in Hindostan, under the act of 1s:1:1, the remon • strances offered since by Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Shell, and other members, respecting the lack of provision for the religious instruction of Roman Catholics in India, had prndnced no results. Ile inquired whether Government or the Company intended to do anything to provide for this deficiency? Sir C. Woof) quite agreed that duo provision ought tip Le wade for the religious instruction of the Roman Catholic servants or the East India Coot- Soy "The government, however, did not profess to do more than provide for the spiritual instruction of those in its own employment. (hear.) It had never held itself bound to find religious instructors fur the native community of India, but it was always considered unjust to !wild perstins from England to so distant a eountry without proViding fbr their religious instruttion. *as Pieptiea to Aalilit that the pro Visions at present made for the spliitual assistak,e Rowan Catholic troops was far from beilig adequate to its object ; and he would also add that the Uoveniment of India was fully aware of that fact, and were about to take measures to remedy the evil." UNIVERSITIES (SCOTLAND) BILL. The committal of this hill in the House of Lords, iin Monday, was prefaced by a long address from the Earl Of AUERDEEN, designed to explain the practical bearings of the measure and deprecate opposition. Opponents had alleged that the bill would interfere with the rights and privileges of the Church of Scot land ; but this allegation he utterly denied,. itx effect would be Amity to itbOthili curtain twists, Whose significaece had a piStiett iiVstS• Ito the change of circumstances, or become so changed as to be bur densome and injurious to all .parties. In the ab stract he confessed that he put but slight value upon all tests of this description, experience having taught him that they were almost invarial* either value less or mischievous. As to the particular test' which the present bill was intended to abolish, he shirked reASOlls for believing it to possess both of those attributes : " This test, osi 'AM it was proposed to legislate for the future as thy lay professors of the Universities of Scotland, any abstract principle, but it caused a great practical evil, felt very much at the present time, and which ',maid bat greatly increased hereafter un less some remedy was applied to it. For whenever the test was re* altugether disregarded it was attended with great hardship, and the truth was that it was only effectual is ewes in which the flamers of the test themselves would hove been anxious that it should not have been applied. The Universities of Scotland were not ecclesiastical insti tutions, and the Church was entirely incompetent to im post any test on the professors ; and not only m, but stu dents were admitted of all sects and persuasions without any question as to their religious opinions. The profete sofa had no authority over the students outside of their lecture-rooms ; they were independent of the university authorities ; and these institutions were open to the whole world, and were entirely different to- Oxford and Cam bridge. The Church of Scotland was certainly always i jn connection with the universities; and the theological chairs, where the necessity for a test was wore required, would remain untouched by the bill, which only applied to the professors who filled the chairs of literature and science, from whom no such test was required as was re quired from the professors of theology. the test itself was framed in 1707, Just before the discussion of the question of the union of the two kingdoms ; and an act was passed called the Seemity Act, the object of which was directed against the admission of episcopaliun professors into the universities, and the test was framed as against episco paey, and that alone. Some alarm, certainly a groundless one, was felt at a Parliament of which bishops were mem bers legislating on mutters relating to the Presbyterian Church, and the Scotch test was directed against Episco palians in the same manner as the test which existed in this country was directed against all dissenters. It would show that the test was only directed against Episcopalians, when it was seen that by the test a declaration was made of adherence, not only to the Westminster Confession of Faith, but also au adherence to the worship and obedience to the discipline of the Church of Scotland. The mem bers of the Free Church of Scotland who suffered by this test were to take it so far as matters of doctrine and faith were concerned ; hut now they could not conscientiously adhere to the discipline of the Church, and so were ex ' chided. As regarded the test, the theological professor ships would remain as they were ; but, as regarded the lay pmfessorships, there was no reason why the professor of Latin should be compelled not only to agree to the Westminster Confession of Faith, but also to the disci pline of the Church of Scotland. By the proposed relaxa tion great benefit would arise to the ' .ersities by extend ing the admission to those choirs to all persons without the necessity of a sectarian test." Lord REDESPALE urged that a measure involving so great a principle ought not to be pressed at so late a period of the session, and invited the noble earl to withdraw it. _ _ The Earl of HADDINGTON would agree to postpone the bill for another year, if he thought it pro- SATURDAY, bable that he would get anything as good in the next session. He. was by no means satisfied with the bill, but he loOked upon it as a progressive measure ) which afforded some security for the establishment of a more perfect religious test hereafter. He be lieved, if that result was not provided for by legisla tion, it was the intention of the clergy of tne Estab lished Church of Scotland to establish a college of their own, which . slionld be presided over only by members of that 'Church, and where the students might be educated in its doctrines and discipline. Tire ILAike of ARGYLL presented a petition from the Genend Assembly against the bill) and then ceeded to argue for it: onfesvect, indeed, that he hardly liked the idea of abolishing the test, but adduced reasons Tor Nllivitig, that it WWI almost im possit4e to 'avoid it, at ell events in the present tem per of the Roils° of Commons. The test, at present, hh iitiliined was practically in abeyance in the Stioteit Universities, and if revived would have the itnine diato effect of vacating some or the Must important chairs now oecttpiei by Most Able men, but who, un tortlltrately; Sere EiiiSeoptilians: As a last reason for trasiiig the bill the noble duke stated that at a "private parliament" of the Scotch members the whole number, with one solitary exception, had ex pressed their approval of the measure. The bill then passed through emninittee. ANTEItItti itY ttEC t Mr. CRAUFURD, on Monday, moved an addregs to the Crown, praying for the production of certain papers referred to in the minutes of evidence taken by the commissioners appointed to inquire into the existence of corrupt practices in the city of Canter bury, but not printed with their report. He argued that this was a case in which the house ought to interpose and rerittire the pfoduttion oY th*se papers, which contained rioilitig Mali* td litiVate Main, or any privileged 'corninttnicatiotith Mr. Lows eltdd motion. Parliament, he obserVett, ed the commissioners with very exti*Ordihttry powers, the exercise of which was lett to their discretion, and, as they had not thought it fit to bring these papers before the public eye, it would not be wise in that house to take this dis cretion out of their hands, and compel the publi cation of papers which could be of no public service. Mr. W. WILLIAMS supported the motion, which was opposed by Mr. I. BUTT. Lord J. RUSSELL said the house would not be justified in supposing that the commissioners bad withheld 'information which it • was proper for the house to know; it would not be wise, therefore, to require the production of these papers, and, if other wise, the right course was, not to address the Crown, which could exert constitutionally no control over the commissioners, but to send for and examine the parties themselves. He regretted that the commis sioners had not kept more closely to the general rules of evidence. Mr. CRAUSURD ultimately withdrew his motion. CONSOLIDATION OF THE CODE. The LORD CHANCELLOII on Thursday laid on the table of the Peers the report of the commission for consolidating the law, and made a statement as to the progress of the commissioners in their laborious inquiry. MANNING THE NAVY. The new act to make better provision concerning the entry and service of seamen, and otherwise to amend the laws concerning her Majesty's navy, was issued on Thursday : The act has humediate operation, and its object is to extend the service of men and boys, and otherwise to amend the law concerning the manning and discipline of the navy. Former provisions, amended-, are extended to men entering torten years, or for ally other term of continuous or geuend service. Boys under eighteen entering are liable to serve till twenty-one, and when eighteen or upwards to serve for ten years stud to on. Extra pay is to be matted to men detained sifter the expiration of the period of service, in eases of emergency. Persons enter. ing the navy are to be entitled to such bounty as may be Axed by royal proclamation. The act is not to affect the right of the Ad miralty to enter seamen for any period, and to discharge them Men entering for continuous and general service, and boys, ar• to be entitled to pay while in sick quarters, under certain regu lations. Spirituous liquors are not to be brought on board bet Mgjesty's ships without the commander's consent. Men absent fur forty.eight hours without leave are to forfeit their pay during absence. Power is given to try and punish summarily persona guilty of desertion. Imprisomnent, wider sentence of naval' courts, may be either with or without hard labour. It is pro vided that persons making fraudulent representations, on enter. big the navy, may be punished us rogues and vagabonds. Rail way companies are, by this act, required to convey navel forces upon the same terms as the military and police forces. NEW WRITS. New writs were, on Monday, ordered by the House of Com• mons to issue for the boroughs of Stamford and Dungarcam whose late members, Messrs. Ilerries and Macguire, had ac cepted the office of stewards of the Chiltern Hundreds: also fur the borough of Clitherue, in the room of Asrinall, *hose election lied been declared told. ELECTION PETITIONS. A rrlurn has been moved for on behalf of Mr. Locke King, containing an alphabetical list of all election petitions presented during the present session, showing the names of the places, mimeo of members petitioned against, dc., kc. ELECTION C OMMIITEE. The Peterborough election committee presented their report to the House on Monday. They find:— " That Oeorge Hiuntuond Whalley, Esq., having been declared by a committee of the livube of Cosmos le lime Aeon of I _