The Press. — London, England, 1856-07-26 00:00:00

to Parliament the terms upon which they would resign their dioceses. Mr. GLADSTONE contended that with reference to a temporary arrangement no new law was needed ; he bad heard no good reason why the statute of Henry VIII. should not be taken advantage of by the ap pointment of suffragan bishops, whereby all incon venience and all this scandal would be avoided. As to the nature of the arrangement, Parliament was called upon to sanction a conditional contract for the resignation of a spiritual office, if certain pensions were given ; and be believed that this was a simoni .&cal contract by the law of the Church. He would not, be said, support a measure which sanctioned an arrangement of this kind conditional upon the re ceipt of money, and which dealt with the resignation .of bishops without any restraint. Sir G. GREY thoughttbe argument of Mr. Walpole, on the question of simony, unanswerable ; but in this case there had been, in fact, no binding contract at •all. %s to the obsolete statute of Henry VIII., its provisions were inapplicable to the present exigency. at expressly provided that no part of the episcopal ovvenues should be paid to the suffragan bishops, who vaare empowered to hold two benefices. Mr. HENLEY thought there would be less incon venience in leaving the question as it was than in legislating upon a faulty principle. As to the ques Lion of simony, he believed that no one would say that if a, rector or vicar had made an arrangement in similar terms to that now under consideration it would not be held by a court of law to be simony. He asked whether, in case the house refused to grant retiring pensions, the bishops would he bound to carry oat their offer of resigning. This would show whether there was a bargain or not. Lord PALMERSTON said the intention of the Go vernment was to stand by the proposition contained in the bill as to the retiring pensions. What the bishops would do supposing the house should diminish the amount of the pensions it would rest with them to determine; the Government had no power to •compel them to retire. The house then divided, when the second reading was carried by a majority of 151 to 72. CRIMEAN REPORT. Mr. VultzEns, in reply to Mr. Kinnaird, said the report would no doubt be ready in the course of a day or two. HOUSE OF LORDS-THURSDAY. THE. MUTINY OF THE TIPPERARY MILITIA. Lord FANMURE, in reply to the Marquis of Clanricarde, said the one case of murder and the several cases of serious assault could be deli vered over to the civil tribunal. Those offenders who had been guilty of purely military offences would be dealt with by military authority. The energy, .zeal, and promptitude with which General Chat terton bad discharged his painful and responsible .duty were beyond ail praise. The Earl of ELLEraiononox observed, with respect .to the Irish militia, that, while the desertions, or, more properly speaking, the absences from muster had been twenty. three and a half per cent. in the English militia and twenty per cent, in the Scotch militia, they had been less than five per cent, in the Irish militia. In the same manner, while the en listments in the regular army were seven and a quarter per cent, from the English militia and fourteen and a half from the Scotch, they had been twenty. one per cent. from the Irish militia ; so that the Irish militia was incomparably the most valuable militia force of the three. HOUSE OF COMMONS-THURSDAY. 2i E W MEMBER. Captain STURT took the oaths and his seat for the borough of Dorchester. BISHOPS OF LONDON AND DURHAM RETIREMENT BILL. At the morning sitting, on the order for going into committee upon this bill, Mr. HADFIELD moved to defer the committee for three months. Mr. NEWDEGATE seconded the amendment, which, after a prolonged discussion, was withdrawn, and the house went into committee on the On clause 3, granting the retiring allowances, Mr. DUNCOMBE moved an amendment for the omission of certain words which would have bad the •effect of expunging the clause altogether. On a division the clause was carried by 103 to 30. Another division was afterwards taCen upon an amendment moved by Mr. ROEBUCK, reducing the Bishop of London's annuity from 6,0001. to 3,5001., which was rejected by 104 to 19. The clause was still under discussion, when, at four o'clock, the chairman was ordered to report pro gress, with leave to sit again in the evening. In the evening, Mr. ROEBUCK moved to reduce the Bishop of Durham's salary from 4,5001. to 3,000/. per annum. Upon a division the apiondfient was rejected by 52 to lg. THE PRESS. The remaining clauses were agreed to. Upon the question that the bill be reported, with out amendments, to the house, Mr. GLADSTONE said that to any amendment which proposed to strike out the words " duly and canonically " he should, when it came to be consi dered, offer every opposition in his power. At the same time, deferring as he did to the sense of the house, which had been unequivocally pronounced, he had no wish whatevar to obstruct the bill. The house then resumed. The Metropolis Local Management Act (No. 2), with the Lords' amendment expunging clause 1, was agreed to. AFFAIRS OF SPAIN. Mr. Muaaouos inquired of the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Government were prepared to adopt any and what means for the prevention of the armed interference of France in the internal affairs of Spain? Lord PALMERSTON : 1 apprehend that there is at present nothing in regard to the affairs of Spain which could lead to any interference on the part of the French Government with those affairs. The Emperor of the French is a man of great justice, and would, T think in any lase, feel that foreign interference with the affairs of the Spanish nation, except under cir cumstances which we cannot foresee, would be unjust. He is also a man of great sagacity, and the lessons of the past teach that those sovereigns of France who have been led to interfere in the affairs of Spain have always, sooner or biter, found that interference more or less disastrous to themselves. There can be no reason for apprehending that there is on the part of the French Government any inten tion to interfere in Spain. THE MISSION TO EELGIITM. Mr. W. WILL lAMS observed that he bad seen it stated in the London Gazette that the Earl of \Vest• morland had been sent by her Majesty on a mission of congratulation to the King of the Belgians. He begged to inquire at whose expense that mission had been undertaken? Lord PALMERSTON : I am afraid that my hon. friend will have to contribute his share. (Laughter.) EXPULSION OF MR. SADLEIR. Mr. ROEBUCK, pursuant to notice, moved "that Mr. James Sadleir, having absconded from public jus tice, be expelled." He did not say that the member for Tipperary was guilty of the charge of fraud, but, knowing that a charge derogatory to his honour had been brought against him, he had fled from justice, thereby confessing his guilt. This was sufficiently established by the bill of indictment found by a grand jury on the 18th of July, by the judgment of the Master of the Rolls in Ireland on the 19th of June, and by the non-attendance of Mr. Sadleir in his place, as required by the order of the house, which proved that he was aware be was charged with fraud, and that he had avoided the charge, for, although sought for, ho could not be found. He cited the case of George Robinson in 1732, and like wise that of Benjamin Walsh, in support of his motion. Mr. NAPIER seconded the motion, and fortified it by further precedents, which had occurred in 1558, 1620, and 1710. Mr. S. WORTLEY was of opinion that the motion was premature. Mr. Roebuck, he observed, had produced documents which should be put in such a shape that every member might have an opportunity of reading them. There was no one precedent iden tical with this case. Mr, Sadleir had left the coun try before a warrant was out against him, and it was possible that he might come back. He moved, by way of amendment, that the papers be printed. Mr. J. D. FITZGERALD detailed the proceedings against Sadleir, and argued that, although the motion for expulsion was a proper one upon the evidence before the house, it was premature, con si.lering that there had been yet no judgment of outlawry. This, he remarked, was a judicial pro ceeding, and it behoved the house to act with great care. There was no precedent exactly in point, at least since the Revolution ; there had been no case of expulsion without conviction or previous inquiry. In Robinson's case there had been a select com mittee, and the expulsion was not for the fraud, but for contempt. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL urged the house not to act. with precipitancy, and by adopting the motion of Mr. Roebuck establish a precedent, without having before it something to which Sadleir had been a party, and in which he had had an opportunity of vindicating himself. A conviction, or outlawry, would be a ground of disqualification. Lord l'arairatsrom recommended Mr. Wortley to withdraw his amendment, so that the house might come at once to a decision upon the original motion. Assuming that there was a full conviction in the mind of every member of the guilt of Mr. Sadleir, the house, he thought, should not proceed to his expulsion without. some formal ground,—either his conviction, or his confession, !or a report of some committee. The amendment was withdrawn and the previous question put by the Speaker. SitIIIIDAt, Mr. ROEBUCK could not help thinking, after the statement of the Attorney-General for Ireland, that politics had been mixed up with this matter : It was very unfortunate that they could not touch any thing connected with Ireland without politics in some way entering into it. He had brought forward the motion for the purpose of vindicating the honour and dignity of the house ; but he found that the majority of the house were against him. They talked of the danger of precedent, but no one had pointed out the danger. Where was it? When a man had been charged with a dishonourable crime, fraud, and conspiracy, and found guilty by the Master of the Rolls—when he bad been indicted at the assizes of the county he represented—when a warrant had been issued against him and he could not be found, ought he not to be expelled? Whv, then, should they affect a squeamishness of this sort? They were now standing before the world dishonoured by an association which he had endeavoured to break off, but which they intended to sanction. He had merely done his best to free the house from a pecoult member. The previous question was then put and carried. Mr. ROEBUCK : I wish to put a question to the noble lord at the head of the Government. If an application is made for the Chiltern Hundreds for Mr. James Sadleir, will the Government pledge themselves not to grant it? Lord PALMERSTON : Undoubtedly. Jordon 6orrzsponbtut. BRUSSELS, July 24. NEVER was a public festival more free from alloy than the one offered to the Sovereign of Belgium by the nation, on Monday last, July 21. The sincerity of the ovation was indisputable ; every rank pro claimed a verdict of approval, site - the experience of twenty-five years ; and this spontaneity of an exu berant loyalty grateful to witness, and rare of oc currence, acquired additional value amidst the pass ing and published tyrannies of Spain and Italy. Without Guards —without any additional precaution beyond those usual on ordinary festivities—King Leopold appeared amongst his devoted subjects. In this in stance the characteristic adjective is not exaggerated... Truth exacts the word, and it is a special pleasui.e to record it.. After twenty-five years of constitution*: gove rnment, the Belgian nation has properly and g ratefull y commemorated, at ono and the same time, k he success of its governmental form, and the worth cli the Sovereign of its election. ** vileges of self•government, Although with the pr, tern, a monarch has not under a representative aye political action which an that immediate control met torily to exercise, het autocrat is enabled peremp er of benefiting the there are no limits to his pot. arrogance of an people. He may curb the • mpede the rash ambitious Minister—he may speculations of an improvident antler—and in and scarcity, eases of public distress, dearth, benevolence he may by the vigilance of enslave avert those evils which, according to fh, nature of ' n artificial existence, are sure to bear r upon the poor. And it is amongst the loth. - , arded heavi ly orders especially that the King of the Belgians is tot be en with earnest affection. The opportunity hie a r e more than once afforded of testing his affeetiOa anxiety for their welfare when suffering under et cumstances of peculiar hardship, and each time be, has acquired an additional claim to their esteem send gratitude. If the duties of a monarch are oneross, the satisfaction is intense when their just perform ance receives the weed of public approbation. And this requital of good deeds was pre-eminently be stowed on the present Monarch of Belgium upon the festival of popular homage on Monday, when, with one consent, the people joined in the words of the Psalmist before the throne of Al mighty Grace, " 0 grant the King a long life, and make him glad with the joy of thy countenance." A few particulars of the life of King Leopold may not be inopportune at the present moment. George Christian Frederick, King of the Belgians, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe Cobourg Gotha, son of Francis Duke of Saxe Cobourg Saalfeld and the Duchess Augusta Caroline Sophia of Reuss Ebers dorff, was born at Cobourg on the 16th of December, 1790. The education of his earlier years was super intended with much care, and at fifteen his acquire ments and judgment were unusual for a person of that age. To great ability in gaining knowledge he joined a discernment that made him able to deduce from his varied information a practical virtue. This is the end and aim of all education, but it is not every mind that is endowed with the elasticity neces sary for an analytical process and the aptitude of combination and comparison of things and events which lead to that practical point when passive reflection resolves itself into an active result. After the peace of Tilsit in 1808, during the absence of his brother, the reigning Duke of Saxe Cobourg, at St. Petersburg, the regency of the duchy was .con- Il