The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-13 00:00:00

euntruting it with the civilising and elevating operation of
protester:hon. During the disturbance* and difficulties
which occurred in continental Europe in 1848, the Pope,
the great head of the Romisli church, the successor of St.
Peter, u he claimed to be, had to make his escape in the
disguise of a footman, and was only brought hack by the
interference of 40,000 French bayonets. This showed what
was the state of 1. cling in Rome itself towards this great
head of the church, who presumed to govern nut
only in Rome but in this country. Compare the
state of 'tonic in 1848, and at this moment, with
the feeling of loyalty which prevailed in this country
during that period of excitement, when every
citizen thought it an honour to take up a constable's staff,
to assist in maintaining the peace against a few misguided
men, who, it war thought, might attempt to disturb it. It
was because he wished to preserve that happy state of boy-
silty and ss eur:ty that he was determined to use every effort
to resist no act on the part of a foreign prelate which. if
suocewiful, would, be was convinced, in the end undermine
it. He cordially- seconded the motion. (Cheers.)
Mr. GILPIN one to move the previous question. If he
thought the establishment of Roman catholic bishops at all
calculated to int. rfi re with our civil rights, or could he re-
girded as an insult to the sovereign, he would impose it.
lle could not understand how the assumption of the title of
Archbishop of Westminster should he an insult to the sove-
reign, while the assumption of archbishop iu Ireland by
John of Tuam was not so regarded. ("Prevent both.")
If the civil power were infringed by the Roman eatholics,
the civil power was strung enough to punish such
infringement. Hut to enact laws to prevent the free
exercise of religious worship and religious govern-
ment on the part of any portion of our fellow-
subjectiLm. of rah to ettWrovolA

affßl4l7rur.it was hr.d—hern obliged to make.
it , n strike out from it all theist clauses by which
alone it could he made to operate. And now it was in that
state that it neither satiefieel the liberel Lord a etzwilhain nor
the not very liberal Sir It. Inglis. lie denied that there
had been anything like a full expression of popular feeling
on this eubject. (" Oh, uh.") Was he not justified
in so saying ? (" No, no.") Could they deny that
at Manchester lately a public meeting had called
upon Messrs. Gibson and Bright to resign their mats
ht caeise they hail voted against Lord John Mucci'''. bill.
(" Serve them right.") Serve them right ? Wes that the
religious tol..ratien of metnlsets of that court ? Were they
prepared to punish men for voting according to their
vou-
scieaees? (" Hear," " Oh," and a laugh.) In Birming-
ham, Sheffield. and Bradford the public feeling, as far as
it hailbeenexpreased, was decidedly sulverse to interfere nee..
He poked upon the whole question as a struggle between
two rival hierarchies., and it was because he thought that
escort should he above lending its influence to either that he
opposed the present motion. (Hear.) They could not rightly
enact civil laws to meet ecclesiastical authority. He was no
advocate of popery, leer he hail seen its deadening iufluenees
in thine countries where it had the ascenelaney, lint the
way to meet it was not by penal enactments, but ley sending
our missionaries to extend a knowledge of the truth, and to
spread bread east education among the people.
Mr. Deputy PEACOCK seconded the amendment, be-
lieving that in this country re.ligioue liberty would take can
of it. le without any interference on the part of parliament.
Mr. ELLIOTT, though a friend to religious liberty, had
beard wahine to prevent him supporting this second demon-
stration of the citizens of London against the insult which
had been offered to this country (hear). To say that there
should be' no interference. with the civil or religious liberty
of any man/1.01 extending the principle to dangemuo lats.
The moment the liherty claimed ley one
man interfered with the rights and liberty of others, then
it wire the duty of the state tointerfere. There was no in-
fringement of the great principle" of civil and religious
liberty in the course fur which he contended ; on the con-
trary, it war the only means by which that great principle
could he maintained. It was well known that the Papacy
was a gnat conspiracy against flevelean of conscience,
met the great enemy int:dust the civil and intellectual ad-
ValltVlLlellt of mankind. 'Why, the world was not mund
artonling to that church. (.1 laugh.) She hail declared
it in the dark ages, unit the Church of Rome was
infallible and could not err. (" Hear, hear." and the'r'e.)
'flan another Of her prineipleo was, that no faith was to be
kept with those who differed with her, wed to stop at no
means to extend ti.st power and influence. Bishop
Burnett had shown greed grounds for believing that a prince
hail been poisoned at the instigation of that church because•
he was its 'Min enemy, and refused to espouse a popish
prince.. Was there no danger in giving as amount of
freedom to he WWII in the means of acquiring ascendance
to a church such as this. And to talk of toleration, why
could that church speak of toleration which re-
fused to permit the ouliject of this country to worship
arteinlino to the right, of the protestant faith in Rome, ex-
cept under such restrietions as made the concession an in-
sult. (Hear, hear.) Then• could be no safety in a virtuous,
moral, moil Christian country, while it encouraged a church
which maintained un army of big stalwart priests, living in
a state of celibacy. Ile. 'poke not of individuals, but he
mid curb nn army of men must lead filthy and obscene
and the church to which they beleniced could not but
be injurious, net merely to the civil liberties, but to the
morals eef the people. (Cleves.)
Mr. JON Ea ale. in favour of the original motion.
Ile contended that nine-tenth. of the people were indignace
at the recent act of Popish aggression. It would he a trea-
chery to that feeling of Milieu:thou, if the Government bill
were allowed to maw in its present mutilated shape. He
objected to the first clause, which, by requiring the Attor-
ney-General to lhu the prosecutor for infringing the act, by
bringing yoi tam actions, would Le inoperative, and he con-
demned strongly the witbelniwal of the oucceseling clauses,
which he looked upon as the very essence of the bill.
(Cheers.)
Mr. BOWER euggesteel an amendment in the wording
of the petition by introducing the words, " and to secure
the rights of private families front the: unfair interference
of the Homan catholic priesthood as too often Cnettiiiell at
the bed of the dying." (Hear, hear.) That was one object
of the bill, as originally brought in, and unless it effected
that object it would be wholly imulequatc.
Mr. BARKLEY had nu confidence in Lord John Ruwel
since he had abandoned his original resolution, that he
would pan measures to put down popish aggression; and
it was because he heal nu confidence in Lord John Russell
that he should support the motion for the previous ques-
tion. (Loud laughter). Fur himself he would always, as a
protestant dissenter, oppose Itomieh aggression.
Mr. Deputy I'EW'fItESS could nut reconcile the con-
clusions of the bet speaker with the reasons he had given
in support of it. (Hear, hear.) Ile supported the resolu-
tion denying altoexther that protecting ourselves against an
interference with the exercise of our civil rights and pri-
vilageo was opposed to the principles of religious toleration.
He was one of those who thought Lord Julia Russell's bill
as originally intreduced did not go faxenough. Ile thought
it should have provided for the inspection of all religious
houses and nunneries in this country, and afforded secu-
rity against peewee; being confined in them against
their will. Ile thought the proper course to
meet the gator...ion, in the first instance, would have been
for the. government to instruct the Attorney-General to in-
stitute a prosecution But the present bill was worse
than nothing. All it did was to prevent the assumption of
oviceiastical titles, which they eared nut a farthing about.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. GODSON was favourable to the original motion,
and denounced the house of Commons for net hav-
top done anything to carry out the expressed
wishes of the inasees of the people. Ile should have
bora inclined, had it been possible, to do so in accord-
ance with tile florins of the court to move an amendment
that a humble address be presented to her Majesty, praying
her to dissolve her present parliament. (Cheers, laughter,
and cries of " Oh) - in order that the electors—he meant
the maseese—(A voice, "They have not the power")—might
return such men as would support the rights sad privileges
and uphold such laws us should maintain the religion of
Ithese reeling against the aggressive acts of the Pope of
Hume. (Ilear, hear.) This would he better than going to
the present House of Commons, which could do nothing.
(Hear, hear.)
Alderman COPELAND contended that the whole ques-
tion resolved itself into this, "Should the Reformation
stand (Loud cheers.) For one he would do all in his
power in parliament and out of it to get rid of that which he
leaked upon as an insult to the country and the sovereign,
the issuing in this country of this bull of the Pope of Rome.
(Hear.) He hoped the Lord Mayor would call the Livery
together, that they might tell the sovereign that they
would have none of the namby-pamby measures now before
parliament. hut that they would have the bill, the whole
111, and nothing but the hill, for effectually putting down
papal aggression.
After a few words, in reply, from Mr. A...MERTON,
The RECORDER put the previous question, which VMS
lest by an immense majority.
Mr. BOWER then mused the addition to the po-
i Winn he had previously suggested, which, after some
discussion, in the course of which more than one
member exprewed a deoire that the petition should,
if altered at ell, extend its prayer to the in-
spection and supervision by the state of all religious houses,
and Alderman Sydney suggested that they should petition
for the establishment of some such law to prevent priests,
attorney., and medical men from obtaining death-bed lega-
eico, was put and loot, and the petition, as originally sub.
mitted, carried.
Mr. ANDEItTON then moved that a similar petition be
presented to the House of Lords, which was also carried,
and the court proceeded with other business.
THE YARMOUTII RIOTER.'.—On Thursday lust,
the five sailors who were committed by the magistrates for
being concerned in the riot at Yarmouth were tried before
the Recorder, at the quarter sessions in that town. The
prisoners were identified by the police as having been
actively engaged in the riotous proceedings, but several
witnesses for the defence, nearly all of whom were sailors,
spoke stoutly to the peaceable demeanour of the accused ou
teheipm.ocesisi.dohnis, adniodLhtefrlgarytiLqiiunitdteingid thoef.mth.c
j'lwThe,ltecotad rder
dis-
charged the prisoners.