The Express.
London, England, 1862-05-28 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OP LORDFL—TosmAy, MAT 27.
The Lou Chwicamoa took hit wit oa the wear* at
five o'clock.

PETITIONS.
Lord LYTTELTON messes:l two petitions from Pavilion
against the abolition of church-rates.

THE SLAVE TRADE.
Lord BROUGHAM said that with respect to the case of
the man Boyd he had looked into the clause of the act of
1811, and he was totally at a lows to oonoeive upon what
ground there should he any difficulty in punishing that
11111ormone offender. He trusted our ambassador at Madrid
would urge upon the 4anish government the adoption of a
suggestion of Mamba Serrano, Captain General of Cuba,
that those implicated in the slave trade should be dealt with
=RUSSELL said that on Friday next he would
make a statement to the house on the subject
now referred to by his noble friend. He must say, lest
there should be any misapprehension, that he had never
baud Marshal Barnum accused of conniving in any way at
the slave trade.
Lord BROUGHAM—Undoubtedly, he has been
=LIn every way his conduct has been most pure
abia in hi government.

ACTS OF UNIFORMITY AMENDMENT BILL.
Lord OVERSTONE planted • petition from the inha-
bitants of Northemptes en favour of this bill.
Lord EBIJRY also presented newel petitions from dif-
ferent parte of the country in its favour. The noble lord
then proceeded to move the second reeding of the bill. He
said the question he was about to ewe en their lordships'
house was °meet considerable importance, not to their lordships
only, but to the educated' classes generally. , It was right he
should state that be considered this was much more • lay
question than • clerical one. Whatever might be the fault
of the acts of uniformity, the ecclesiastical authorities were
not to blame, becalms it was the act and deed of parliament
alone, and upon parliament meted the reeponeibility. It
would be in their lordships' recollection that on a former
occasion he had moved for • royal commission to consider
the changes which were deemed by many pawns to be
necessary in our Liturgy and in the Acts of Uniformity.
That motion failed of success, not because no change was
required, but became the motion was considered too large,
and that it raised questions of doctrine and controversy
which it was not safe to do. Under these CiICDOWILDOOOB he
took counsel an to bow be should proceed, and the result
was that on the first night of the mama !tension he
laid upon the table two bills—one to give greater
facilities to the minister in the celebration of
divine service than was allowed by the rubric ; and the
other bill was to relax the extreme severity of the terms of
subscription imposed by the act of 1662. In now asking
their lordships to give • awed reading to his bill, be was
fully aware of all the difficulty and delicacy which surrounded
the subject ; but he trastedle should be able to prove ad
there was not the slightest danger to the liberties of the mim
blished church in the removal of the evils oomplaised ef.
He found amongei all classes an almost universal coorisessm
tion of the terms of the subscription, and a right rev.
late, in his charge to his clergy not long since, eharsetulsed
them as creel in their intention, and disastrous in their
effect. What were the reasons that were offered in favour
of the continuance of the present subscription 1 There
were, an be understood, three classes of objections to the
alteration he popes& First, that the church was in such
• state of wes and danger that be, as • good church-
man, ought not to broach the subject in parliament at all ;
the second, that admitting the terms of subscription to be
open to objection, the present practice had been in use for
200 years, and there would be some danger in putting an
end to it ; and the third was, that the terms of
subscription were the only security for the church. The
bill which he submitted would sot in any way interfere with
a greet number of subscriptions that now existed, and there
would still, if it passed, be ample security for the orthodoxy
of the ministry. And there was a precedent for his pro-
posal in the case of • church in clue communion with the
established church, namely, the episcopal church of North
America. When the American colonists separated from
this country, after long and anxious deliberation they came
to the conclusion that it would be well to abolish all the
compliTeted testa and subscriptions, and to supply their
place with a perfectly simple and plain declaration,
which provided all the security that was required, and
put an end to all the heart-burning, and discontent to
which the existing forms of the established church gave rise.
In the United Mato Episcopal Church subscription was
made in these terms Ido believe the Holy ii4rtituren
of the Old and New Testament to be the word of osad
to contain all things nursery to salvation. and I so-
lemnly engage to conform to the doctrines and worship of
the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States."
The noble lord omicluded by moving the second reeding al
the bill, which he believed would conduce to Christi's
harmony in the church, and remove impediments that stood
in the way of the spread of the gospel by forming a wall
orseparation between members of the same faith, and which
might still be used as • means of persecution.
Viscount DUNGANNON moved that the bill be read a
second time that day six months, end be did so on two
grounds ; fint, that it would lead to latitudinarianism, and
secondly that it would encourage ionovations of • still
graver character than that it proposed to admit.
The Bishop of LONDON felt that in this matter he dif-
fered from many with whom upon all matters connected
with the church he would wish to sympathise. He gave
credit to the noble lord for the temper with which he had
brought forward the subject, and the amendment his pre-
sent measure presented upon his previous vague attempts.
The noble lord's proposal touched two important points.
It was an important point to interfere with an act of par-
liament which had existed for 200 years, and it was • very
grave matter, moreover when they regarded that act as
the charter upon which church and state were united
in this country. It was, therefore, with regret that he
differed from those with whom he had bees
accustomed to act in these matters, and that
he ventured earnestly to entreat the noble lord
not to divide the house on the present occasion.
The noble lord said there had been no petitions presented
against the bill, but the reason of that was this—only a
week had elapsed since the bill was printed. The bill was
• very important one, because there WWI much in it that
was good, and at the same time much that touched matters
which were venerable. He hardly thought it was fair that
the country should not have mere opportunity of fully con-
sidering what would be the result of passing this measure
before their lordships pledged themselves on a matter so
grave. With repel to the effect of removing this de-
claration on the ameters, be believed that if it were re-
moved, and with it the Liturgy, they would be just as far
from the church of England as at present. because they had
taken every pains to announce to the country that these
were not the important points of difference, hut that what
they desired was the separation of church and state. He
was, however, hopeful enough to suppose that ere long •
large body of dissenters would return to the
church, and he thought if they removed the
obstacles which remained without the sacrifice of principle
they would gradually conciliate many who were at present
at a distance from the church. (Hear, hear.) It might,
perhaps, be maid that he (the Bishop of foodon) had spoken
on both sides ; and that was really the position in which he
stood. He had, however, ventured to express his opinions
on the bill, and lie trusted the noble lord would be kind
enough to wait some time longer, and give the country •
better opportunity of expressing its opinions. (Hear, hear.)
The Bishop of ST. DAVID'S also thought that it was de-
sirable more time should be given to the country for consi-
dering this measure, although his own mind was not in that
state of suspense in which, as he inferred, his
right reverend brother's bad been. Up to a cer-
tain point he agreed with the noble lord who had
introduced the bill, but at the turning point he felt com-
pelled to part company with him. The noble lord required
him to assert that of the two declarations cited in this bill,
one was sufficient—that it was sufficient for • person on
the point of being admitted to a benefice to promise to
conform to the Prayer-book, and that it was not necessary
for him to express his assent and consent to all which it
contaiued. But he could not admit that on such an occasion
as • clergyman being admitted to the charge of a
pariah, he should not be required to make some profes-
sion of his adhesion to the Book of Common Prayer.
However strongly he might di approve of the precise terms
of the declaration, or desire that those terms should be
modified, he could not on that ground assent to the measure
prop oeel by the noble lord, and which he thought would
prove a calamity to the entire church if it were adopted in
the form in which it was introduced. Lie trusted that the
noble lord would consent to withdraw the bill. He entirely
sympathised with the object the noble lord bad in view in
introducing it, hut he believed it went far beyond that ob-
ject. (Hear, hear.)
Lord LYTTELTON said that, while he felt bound to
oppose the bill, he did not wish to be understood as be-
lieving that the terms of the declaration referred to could
not be modified with advantage to the church. A decla-
ration would be found in the Prayer-book prefixed to the
Thirty-nine Articles, which resumed that all those who
accepted these Articles of Religion accepted them in their
usual and literal sense. That seemed to him to be a &bray,
as it took far granted that the obvious! sense was also the MAYNOOTH COLLEGE.
literal sense. The clergy would not be bound by I Mr. WHALLEY moved for a return of the names, ages,
such a doctrine with respect to anything else. and number of student's attending the college of Maymoth
They would not eves be asked to accept the on the 31st day of August, 1844 (being the end of the
Scriptures according to their literal sense. The gramnea- academical year) • the names and number who have entered
tics! and reasonable and usual sense of a document was not each year from that time till the 31st day of August, 1861.,
also its literal sense. with the age of each student at entering ; the names and
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY said he regretted that the number who have left college during that period who have
subject before their lordships had been propounded, not completed their course of education, with the date and
know*, as he did, the great difficulty by which it WWI ear- , Mae of leaving, and the classeswhich they have respectively
roun&d. It was impowable to mix much with the clerical, attended.
or, what was called, the religious world, without wing that The SPEAKER was about to put it as an unopposed
there were feelings at work which might sooner or later issue motion, when
in something most serious to the church of England. It was : Mr. MONSELL said he begged leave to object to that
true that at no former period did that church stead so well motion.
in the country. At no period of her history was she seri Mr. WHALLEY said he wished to make an explanation.
active, or, he believed, so ate, but nevertheless The SPEAKER intimated to the hon. gentleman that it
there were dangers springing up around her of great feree, was not open to him to make any explanation then.
and pressed our by persons of great seal and ability. One I Mr. WHALLEY saidhshaddesiredtomakeen explanation
of the peatest of these dangers was that which was in order to make the question which he was about to ask in-
popularly keens as " Liturgical Revision." (Hear, hear.) telligible. The question was whether the Chief Secretary
He thought it very desirable that farther time should be for behind was prepared to give effect to the recommatele-
given for the consideration of this subject, and trusted Mon in that part of the report of the commissioners, ap-
that for the sate of the welfare of the church, some arrange- pointed, in the year 1853, to inquire into the management
ment would be made for the relief of those who possessed and government of the College of Maynooth, that " •
a tender conscience. He had no doubt that in a short time calendar be annually published by the college, stating the
names of the several students who have leltthe college after
the clergy, the laity, and many members of the episcopal
agree on some measure that would attain that the completion of the course, and their respective destine-
both might those; its alumini at the time alive, and the places in which

This bill was reads second ancs upon the understanding
that the discussion should be taken on the motion for going
into committee..
LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPLEMENTAL BILL.
This bill was read a sewed time.
CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE BILL

Their lordships adjourned at 10 minutes attar 8 &cloak.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TUESDAY, MAY 27.
The SPIAKIIi took the chair et 4 o'clock.