The Press. — London, England, 1857-06-06 00:00:00

5'50 already got rid of a vast quantity of business by establishing principles that would work themselves. He then proceeded to vindicate the Board of Trade as to various charges which had been brought for ward by the member for Liverpool. Mr. HORSFALL briefly replied, and a division was called, but none took place, the motion being nega tived by consent. TILE WORKING CLASSES. Mr. SLANEY moved for the appointment of a stand ing commtttee, or unpaid commission, to consider and report from time to time on practical sugges tions to give facilities for improvement in the social condition of the working classes. The hon. member referred to the changes which had recently taken place in the circumstances of those classes, as laying a foundation for the motion. These changes he attributed to three causes—first, the subdivision of trades and of labour ; secondly, the application of steam power to all our great manufactures ; and thirdly, the railway system. Upon the opposition of Sir G. GREY the motion was withdrawn. The house having resolved itself into a committee on the Beer Acts, Mr. ATHERTON moved that the chairman be in• structed to move for leave to bring in a bill to explain and amend the act to regulate the granting of licences to keepers of inns, alehouses, and victualling-houses in England. The object was, he said, to make it plain that, in boroughs In England having separate Commissions of the Peace and not separate Courts of Quarter Sessions, the borough justices were to havo the licensing authority.—Leave was given. Mr. HARDCASTLE Obtained leave to bring in a bill relating to burials in consecrated and unconsecrated ground. _ _ - Mr. MALINS moved for leave to bring in a bill 'to enable married women to dispose of reversionary interests in personal estate, explaining the existing law upon the subject and the nature of the bill, which was the same which had passed that house in the last Parliament, and replying to anticipated objections.—The motion was agreed to. Mr. CosmouAm moved for a select committee to inquire into the statements set forth in a petition from Mr. F. It. Hertolacci, praying for an inquiry into the proceedings of certain functionaries of the Duchy of Lancaster. The motion was seconded by Lord CAVENDISH, who, as the relative of Earl Granville, desired the fullest investigation.—Agreed to. The Princess Royal's Annuity Bill was read a third time and passoil. The Report of the Committee of Supply was brought up and agreed to. Certain bills were advanced a stage, and the house adjourned at twenty-five minutes to one o'clock. A LETTER FROM DEBRECZIN of the 28th ult. gives some particulars of interest concerning the recent Hungarian petition to the Emperor. Many journals, observes the writer, have spoken of the Hungarian petition, but scarcely one has given the facts azactly:— The document confines itself to praying for two things— first, the recognition and free use of the Hungarian lan. guage in the general administration of the country ; and, secondly, the revision of the land tax. From beginning to end the document was a long and warm protestation of love, devotedness, and fidelity to the house of Austria in general, and to the person of Emperor Francis Joseph in particular. The primate archbishop, who was charged to present the petition, solicited an audience, and went to the palace at Buda. When he was admitted to the presence of the Emperor, his Majesty at once came to the question by saying, " You have a petition to present to me, have you not ?" " Yes, sire." " Signed by you and a number of magnates and priests ?" " Yes, your Majesty." "Where is the petition at this moment ?" "In my pocket, sire." " Well, then, let it remain them." After pausing a moment, the Emperor added, " I love Hungary, and am anxious for her happiness and prosperity, and will do everything for her within the limits of reason and justice. As for the persons who signed the petition, do not wish to know them." The majority of the hundred and some odd signers, on hearing of this interview, withdrew their adhesion, and the archbishop has since returned to his residence at (Iran. I guarautee to you the complete exactitude of these details. THE • rRIAL OF THE CONSPIRATORS called the FralICF- Juges was concluded in Paris last week before the Court of Correctional Police. It was proved that they met by night to enrol members outside tha walla of Paris ; that they wore masks, and were otherwise disguised. Their object was the establisl ment of a democratic and social republic, and their passwords were " Courage," " Vengeance," " Alibaud," " Pianori," " Milano." Of th e f orty -fi ve arrested six were acquitted. ltavet, Desmculins, Aucaigne, Francois, and Joseph, proved to have been the chiefs of the secret society, were sentenced to periods of imprisonment varying from four years to eighteen months, and to pay fines varying from 500 f. to 2001, The remainder were sentenced to imprisonment for periods varying from two years to six months, and to fines varying from 300 f. to 100 f, THE PRESS. ARCHDEACON SINCLAIR ON POPERY. ARCHDEACON SINCLAIR 011 Thursday last held a visita tion of his clergy at St. Paul's Church, Covent garden. The venerable and learned archdeacon chose for the subject of his charge the recuperative power of Popery. Selecting the sixteenth century as his starting-point, Archdeacon Sinclair sketched the triumphs and reverses of Protestantism as illustra tive of the first great historical reaction in favour of Popery. By the French Revolution of '93, Popery was at length believed to have received a mortal blow : Many of you (said the archdeacon) will still remember, during the dissensions on Roman Catholic emancipation, how confidently we were assured that now .in the nine• teenth century, reason and truth had gained a final victory over error and superstition,—that Popery had fallen never to rise again, that, moreover, under the influence of time, the great innovator, it had completely changed its character, —that, without absolutely renouncing its pretensions to infallibility, it had adopted mild and moderate views, and had abjured its former intolerance,—that undermined by infidelity on the Continent, and modified by daily contact with Scripture truth in our own island, it had now become comparatively harmless, and might be meet, trusted with political power But a great reaction soon set in for a second time. The causes were various : The prevalence of Rationalism and Deism among the Protestants of Germany and Switzerland gave rise to the suspicion that there was no sure resting•place between Popery and infidelity. The order of the Jesuits on its revival in the nineteenth century, acquired, as at its in stitution in the sixteenth, the management of education to a large extent in Popish countries. Nor must it be omitted that a political movement in favour of Rome was promoted by the general terror arising from a succession of revolutionary conspiracies, and from the hateful principles of anarchy, bloodshed, and universal spoliation everywhere avowed and practised by the Red Republicans. The reviving confidence of the Romanists, and the progress of extreme opinions among them, are evinced by evidences not to be mistaken. The encyclical epistles of Pius IX.—the recent Austrian Concordat—the aggressions in Palestine against the Greek Church, in reference to the holy places—the aggressions in England, Holland, and Prussia—the startling pretensions of the Papacy with respect to marriage, Church property, and education—the per secutions in Tuscany, and the rescript of the Inqui sition in the Papal States, undeniably demonstrate that even now there is no extremity of arrogance or of inquisitorial severity of which Rome is not capable. The yen. archdeacon, after a careful and elaborate argument establishing a resemblance of creed be tween the Jew and the Roman Catholic, concluded his eloquent charge by pointing out to his clergy the various points of character and conduct in which the Romish clergy deserved imitation : They were examples of unity. Although they had many serious differences amongst themselves, they would on no account break off communion with one another. A large proportion of the questions most vehemently agitated amongst Protestants—such as those respecting grace, election, and predestination—were also agitated among them; but those divisions caused no dissent, no schism— they presented a bold, compact, unyielding front to all opponents. Another characteristic of Romanist& was their zeal. They roved their Church, and would make any sacri fice to promote its interests. Would to God that the same energy could be infused into the laity of our own corn• in union. As regarded the m selves, :he clergy of that a rch de a conry, he rejoiced to think, not only that they were zealous, but that their zeal was increasing. The great evil was, that it was not a zeal " according to knowledge." It was too narrow, too exclusive, too sectional, too much alloyed with partisanship. Many of them were more anxious to promote interests of some party in the Church than of the Church itself. Who could tell how grievously the cause of national education and of Church extension, on which, under God, depended the very existence of the Church as a national establishment, bad suffered from their unhappy narrow-mindedness. In conclusion, he entreated the clergy to be resolute and decided, and not to give place by subjection to rationalism or to infidelity. The clergy then separated. The archdeacon will bold avisitation for the remainder of his archdeaconry at the same church this day. A LETTER FROM ROME, in the Courrier Franco- Italien, mentions the death of the Baron Gazioli, who by his talents in business in a few years amassed a colossal fortune. He arrived at Rome as a journeyman baker, with seventeen baiocchi (sous) in his pocket, and at his death left one of the largest fortunes in Rome. In memory of the seventeen baiocchi of capital with which he commenced, he has always held that number in veneration. He had seventeen farms, seventeen houses, and seventeen different kinds f investment of money. THE SOLEMN INAUGURATION OF THE LOUVRE, com pletely terminated, will take place, it is said, on the 15th August, the fete-day of the Emperor. Their Majesties, the great dignitaries of the empire, the Ministers, &c., will be present at this great solemnity, to which will be invited the artists who by, their works have assisted in this great completion. SATIIRDAt, OXFORD DIOCESAN SPIRITUAL AID SOCIETY. AN inaugural meeting, convened by the Bishop bf Oxford, was held on Tuesday at the Sheldonian Theatre, for the purpose of institating a society for affording the aid of curates to the most necessitous parochial clergy of the diocese, whose limited means or the extent of their charge require such assistance. The Right Rev. PRELATE, in stating the object of the meeting, explained that there were in that agri cultural district many parochial clergymen who, from the extent of their respective parishes or the limit of their stipend, were wholly unable to carry out their parochial duties. The consequence was that the population was neglected, and the people, being without the means of religious instruction, fell into immoral courses. It frequently happened that cler gymen required assistance also in advocating special charities, or in acting for them daring sickness or when engaged upon indispensable business elsewhere. In some instances, too, the smallness of the stipend rendered it necessary to combine three or four out • lying parishes together, the consequence of which was that the service of the church was irregularly performed. To supply the necessary aid in all these cases was the object of the promoters of this society, and they proposed to do so, not by appointing curates themselves, or even suggesting who should be ap pointed, because that might be giving a theological colour to the appointment, but by providing the pecuniary means of paying curates selected by the incumbents themselves. Mr. GLADSTONE moved the first resolution : That since the establishment of our parochial system a great increase has taken place in the number of our people, and a great change in their circumstances relatively to their participation in the benefits of its establishment. The right hon. gentleman, in remarking upon the circumstances under which the change took place, observed : There is something remarkable in the circumstances under which that great change began. The population commenced to grow and the demand for religious instruc tion began to increase just at a period when, unfortunately, a spirit of indifference to religion was beginning to rest, like a deadly nightshade, upon England. The last century offers to our view a period in which our liberties were secured and our institutions consolidated ; but it must be admitted that, towards the commencement of that period, the guiding and governing class was lower in point of morality than it had been during any preceding generation, and that the standard of life and practice among the clergy was relaxed and degraded. At such a time it was that human beings began to multiply in the land, and the neglect of their spiritual wants was continued so lung that it was at last reared no adequate remedy could be applied. The last twenty-five or thirty years has been a period of only comparative activity. If we have kept pace with the positive increase of spiritual destitution during the same time, we have done no more; but, at all events, we have every encouragement to proceed in our efforts. Among the governing class of the community we should now look in vain for that indifference to religion which was so pre valent in former times, while with respect to the clew something yet more decided may be said. The late Mr. Granville, a few days before he completed his ninetieth year, declared in my presence that the greatest change he had witnessed during his long life was that which had taken place in the character of the clergy—a change not only in the nature of an improvement, hut amounting to a transformation. Undoubtedly, my Lord Bishop, the con siderations connected with the deficiencies of our parochial system and the increase of our population apply more to other portions of the country than to this diocese. Yet I think there is a great deal of fallacy in our treatment of figures upon these subjects. A clergyman is not able to minister to more than 1,1)00 persons, and it he is sent unaided into a parish or district where there are 10,000 or 20,000 he finds himself launched upon a flood of popula tion wholly beyond his powers to manage, and he becomes not their real but their nominal pastor. He would bo able to do as much, if not more, good ins parish of 1,000 persons. Such is the opinion which was entertained by the late Dr. Chalmers, and it therefore appears to me that you are right in proposing t 3 supply the wants of your own people at home, divided as they are into manageable popu lations, rather than to exhaust your energies upon distant and densely-populated districts. The right hon. gentleman also approved of the pro posal under consideration : Formerly it was the practice to build churches in new districts in the hope that they would create congregations for themselves. It was a great mistake. The erection of churches alone has nut had that tendency; indeed, in many instances the result has been the very reverse, and . now you propose to escape f ro m th a t v i c i o us course o f proceeding, and contemplate the work of spiritual im provement through the medium of additional clergymen. There is another talse method which I regret to say has i not yet been fully exploded. Th e su bje c t of education s one of vast importance, and there is no person in public or private life who does not admit that the means of education should be as rapidly as possible both extended and improved. Yet I must confess that I sometimes hear language used upon that subject which fills me with jealousy and misgivings—language which would give us to understand that a certain mechanical process of multiply ing schools and schoolmasters would cure the whole moral disease of the community. If such expectations are entertained I believe they will be disappointed. The