The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-15 00:00:00

ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIEF BILL.

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The order of the .107 for the committee on this bill having
been read,
Mr. WATSON moved that Mr. Speaker de new leave the
chair.
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Sir R. H. INOLIS rose, and said that when he remem•
bored that within the last month this bell had been nearly
lost—in fact, only saved by a majority of three ; and when
he considered that last cession a similarmeasure had been re-
jected by a majority of 120 to 80, he thought the most fas-
tidious member of this house would not charge him with
giving unnecemary trouble, when he asked the house to
rescind its recent decision, and by retracing its steps, to
adopt the sounder policy upon which a majority of the house
had last year acted. (Hear, hear.) Considering the vast
importance of the principles involved in the mtasure,
he felt that he had still Imo reason to apologise for
again intimating kis intention of taking the sense'
of the house upon the bill on the present occa-
sion. (Hear, hear.) He could not disguise from him.
self that this was one of a series of measures having a very
direct tendency—though he acquitted the lon. and learned
member for Kiosale (Mr. Watson), who had charge of the
bill, of any such design—to un-protestantise the constitution
of England, and to degrade its church. (Hear, hear.) It
was not a question merely &Ream; the church, as by law
established, but which struck deep at the protestant= of
the country. (Hes., hear.) He was aware that the hon.
and learned member Kinss'e had given notice of his in-
tention to add to his bill the several clauses which appeared
on the notice piper of to-doy, and that he regarded those
new clauses as being calculated to mitigate the opposition
with which the measure has already been treated. These
clauses, however, touched no.hing but that latter portion
of the bill which virtually went only to repeal certain clowns
of the Emancinition Act of 1829, a^d they left unamended
and unaltered the mi re impotent ard larger portions of the
measure, as ori3inal !y introduced, and wh kb refer to the secu-
rities taken by the leg:slature in favour of the church and the
protestantiani of the satin. (Hear, hear.) Even if these
clauses were to be adopted by acclamation oaths part of the
house, they would not so improve the character of the bill as
to iustify him (Sir R. H. 11204) in relaying his opposition
to it. (Hear, heir.) He r-joioed tome the Fn. and teamed
Attorney-General in Ilia place, as he (Sir R. H. Inglis) wished
to point out some legal objections to the bi'l as it wmed stand
even if the new clauses were adopted. He he'd and main-
tained that England was a protestont state and empire, and
he was prepared to show that the provisions of th's bill went
to shake and destroy 14 eharscter in that respect. He ad-
mitted that by the act of 1829 many persons, not protes-
tant, had been permit.ed to take abare in the legislation for
the empire, and that many more of other communions were
allowed by the exercise of oilleal patronage to change in a
great degree the external character of the church of thiseoun-
ky but what he (Sir It. H. Inglis) wished to ask the
' law officers of the crown to consider, was, whether he was
Nt
instilled in maintaining that at the present moment Bog-
ies' was, thank Ood, a protestant state ? Clod forbid that
Imp of those who called themselves protestant' ahould ever
he mikained of that blessing, honour, and distinction. (Hear.
ham) The point ho raised was this. By the bill on the
We the hon. and km led member for Kinsale proposed to
meal the whole of the nroviaions of the statutes 23th and
Nth Charles the S.-co. the last of which enacted that
every person on admission to seats in either house of par-
liament should make a certain declaration. By the Eman-
cipation Act of 1829, Roman Catholic members were relieved
(tom the obligation to make the declaration prescribed by
the statute of the 30th Charles the Second; not so, however,
the sovereign. By the Bill of Rights, which even the hardi-
hood of modern legislators had not yet ventured to touch or
amai, the sovereign, on the first meeting of parliament
after his or her *condos did recite, sitting on the
throne in the upper house, and in the presence of
the assembled peers and commons of the realm, the decla-
ration provided by the statute 30, Chutes 11., and many of
those who now listened to him, heard their present most
Milinsovereign audibly recite and make that declaration.
i dadmestios was a national testimony against the church
of Beg* gad he asked the how. and learned Attorney-
Oseimal hew hr the famous Bill of Rights could operate or
be emblereet in full force, when by this measure now under
omMillmation the statute in which that declaration is in-
timidator repeals i. The Bill of Rights would thereby
homes wholly nugatesi bemuse ft did aot include the de •
dommlida whirl the Bnwiea was required to make as en
amid asoiltima el hie ar her thespaacy of the throne of
(lls hum:) Ihe haw of the declaratio,
were went, odes. The 11111 of Rights provider'.
Just • every king et queen who at any time
shall come to or messed to the imperial crown
of this kingdom aea
is the first day of the
modes of Ike first sear kis or har meow
miss, Alm ea the k the presenceof the Lords
mad Cammethore anumbildj, min subscribe, and audibly
repeat the isoloadoli be Its insnanoe 01 the Pro-
testantism of rte tsetse the teems provided by the statute
30 Charles fad." Wow if that sestets were repealed (as it
would be Hoe pretest measure mead into a law) he asked
the law COM of the sewn and the hon. and learned
member In Kish himself, whether such a law would not
shake and eafkagm the semarity which the nation now poe-
wired, that so hag se the house of Brunswick should reign,
the family a/mM matinee Protestants of the Reformed
Protestant China as by law established ? (Hear,
beer.) He (Sir R. H. Inglis) admitted that the
bill lad been mush improved sines its int intro-
dilation, but still it contained meek that was needlsm, sad
therefore much that was dangerous sad mischievous.
He considered this bill as toe of a series of aggressive mea-
sures. If he used expraeleas whisk might be offensive to
the mesaben of the Chunk of 8e.., be regretted the
necessity; but an imperative duty required him to make
them statements. For three centuries the Church of Rome
had been the inexorable, umhaageable enemy of the Pro-
testantism of Europe, and especielly of the Church of Rag-
land. He ch any one to peeve that she Church of
Rome hadeha a whit, in the last three naturist, with
regard to Protectionism If the pretensions of Rome had
been allowed to sleep, they bad now bean publicly dis-
avowed ; and within the kat My years there bed been O-
nion in which those pretensions had shown themselves as
vigorous and active as ever. Could more have been done is
the diem* ossuary tuna wee dose is 1801, whoa a pop.
abeehod the Puri make inn their angina to- the
reigns, senusign, mai tommehresi k to soother i More
was dent be the sixteenth oratroy, km the Meshed
the inhabitants-of this amity ham their ; mad
that pope, Pius the Fifth, had been emasehod by the Church
of Rome, and was still reverenced ehrectiagly.He believed
that the balls end decrees of this pope and of Gregory the
Bensith were still in SAM ; sad it required a mock
engager authority dna the mention of a member of
this home to cannon the wend that the lies of Home had
'hanged into a lamb. Even the present meat liberal Pepe
had not yet withdrawn the outdraws Thiel prensted the
English Protestants from lane( any plass of wesebip in
Rome. The Jesuits, who had ham deammesd se the dis-
turbers of the public pease in Prance, Berinseland, Clenneny,
and Belgium, were to be legalked by this bill, although it
had bees the emus sagest et the leglisnwe of this some-
try, so rectally es 18133, to =:znareeb Implieedea. The
present measeit was sat he Waiting OW
onions ; at "My dm, thearny, Psonee,ad
Harland, the Resnik eh was thumbs doh abdadee
in the way of mixed martispos. Been thought that the real
dame to the church of Inghad was to be apposheaded,
mot from the aura of Bea" bat Mee the at the other
mad of the meat While prehodag the Peolatleatim of the
shwa of he we dellemmiely Navies& that any
seat of pehe Madame ale andel he their is the
eethaeledl wren of the lidebunam to be preferred to the
who bend the um of it. legming this bill as a pet of •
series of mmeares directed signot Preterms. he should
decidedly wen it. With marl Who Jaaaile.he hand that
taw owlialq of Burepa, inve lietplame. week they =l:ka
=dee twin se thlo 111 wadi pat them am in
Wide does emadetiou le died ea the amble hal a the
heal of the pororeanat ad to hint rte
n& wade ef one
of la ammodeme, sad set to Edo NOlMilitso to
popery, abide tended to the Equaled= of the Clowele of
&Wind. He wed that the hew de Mein half
committee to this day siz maths.
The Earl of ARUNDEL and 81:11121T omminded
there was sow a necoolity 4 gooorol reilgiews hesilam.
of penetration In former times ought to be eatheated
snrit of the age is whisk they ocenned ; sad when the
Chinch of Rome was aloneed of don, it was nose-
gay lo Rube edemas* 4 the tireneMamsw in which sh