The Express.
London, England, 1865-06-27 00:00:00

~

;IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT•

HOUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAY, Juza £6.
The bowie mit st 5 Ado*.

PETITIONS.
The Earl of BHAITEBBUItY prthenbed s petition wiped
by 2,000 members of the lady Olosing Amoelation ie favour
of
is
tqlse British Noes= and the National Gallery
three Is • week.
The • aim of WISTNEATH prolate& petitions
opiate/se Roman Who& Osth Bill.
Lord CHBIJOIFORD presented a petition from the
belay of advocates of Scotland, stating that while they
recogaird the important improvements that would be
eft sated in the law by the Trustees Administration (Scot-
land) Bill, they othdthwed that some of the amendments
whkitsd best introduced into the measure were of toe
radials tharactsr—pirlitalsrly those in clauses 1,2, and &
Wowsl other noble lards presented petitions, but the
purport of them did not reach the gallery.

ATTU AL.
The Marquis of WESTMEATH laid ou the table • bal to
mead the law relating to the performance of divine service
in the Church of England. The noble lord observed that the
most rev. Primate bad stated the other night that he had
himself contemplated a measure ou We same subject, but
that he had been met by a refusal on the part of tbe right
boa. golden= the Secretary of State for the Home De-
partment to give hire any assistance, became one church
measure was enough at • time. That was to say, the right
bon. gestleman was too hay to do the dalpy be had ewers to
perform, and he bad preeseted the Archbishop of °enter-
kary from bringing in • bi7l the nemesity for which was
t. The aoMe lord said he would explain the rm.
:ror:enof his measure cu the wood readies.

THE CLOSE OF THE SESSION.
Lord REDEBDALE said his impression was that if an
understanding were oome to that the prorogation should
not take place before the 13th of next month, their lordship'
would be able to get through all the business before them ;
end le did not despair that they might even bring the
sessioe to a close a few days earlier ; but it would not be
desirable to fix the adjournment before the 13th. (Hear.)
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said that he was of
course unable at that moment to express any opinion on
the noble lord's statement, but it would receive the °mud-
&ration of her Majesty's government
Lord REDESDALE promised that he would make a
farther statement on Monday nest. The noble lord then
moved amendments in the standing orders, which were
agreed to.
ROMAN CATHOLIC OATH BILL.
The Earl of DEVON said, in asking their lordships to
one s second read* to this bill, the adoption of
She measure would place the statute-book mare
is unison with the spirit of the age. It was pos.
able that the papal aggression, as it was called, and
the late encyclical letter of the Pope, would be referred
to in the diecumka ; but with reference to the latter he
asked, whether it was likely that the clontrines laid down
is it would meet with say pima acceptance in this country
—(hem, hear)—and with respect to the former, the spirit
which sea then evoked throughout the country showed that
no heressed be entertained upon that score. (Hear, bear.)
Peopir who talked of these fancied danger forgot
that they were living in the nineteenth and not
in Variants:4Mb mitten. (Hear.) There now existed a
free press, and intelligence was most widely diffused, and
therefore they need not be deterred from yielding to the
claim pow made by their Roman catholic fallow-country-
men.
The Earl of DERBY moved as an amendment that the
bill be read a second time that day three months, Is
taking this course the noble earl observed that he wee
actuated by a strict seas" of duty, believing that it was
neither wise nor expedient at this moment, and under
preterit circomstathes, to adopt a measure the effect of
which would be to sabvert, not a compact, but one of the
leading principles of the Catholic Emancipation Act which
had been accepted as a full, satisfactory, and complete
arrangement of all difficulties. The question at home wee
neither personal nor social, but of high political im-
portance, end should be decided only by that which was
for the good of the empire at large. Always reedy to defiled
the rights of the church of which be wee an attached mem-
ber, his first speech in parliament was delivered in support
of that protestant establishment in Ireland which now ap-
peared to be a mark of attack, lint among his earliest Vaal
was also one in favour of relieving his Roman catholic fel.
low-subjects from all those restrictions and incapacities
which pressed animal,' upon them. He hoped therefore his
opposition to the bill would not be attributed to Massing
bigotry or a hostile feeliog agaiost the Roman catholic church.
The present moment had been injudiciously choose for raising
the question, because the country was on the eve of a
general election, and be questioned whether it was wise,
prudent, statesmanlike, or patriotic so to disturb the ques-
tion. Where, he asked, were the petitions in favour of the
bill, and who were they who complained of oppression and
&wired to be set free! When were the Remodel*
the Howard', the Memnon; the Talbot', the Petrels, the
Clifford', and other who, in times gone by, had made
sacrifices for their religious opinions! Not one of them
was before parliament now, and the reason was that they
were content with the present position of affairs, and had
aosubstantied grievance to templed" of. The oath was a real
security to the established church. The noble earl continued:
It is a recognition by parliament of the inviolability of that
church as a portion of the constitution. It is binding upon
honounble minds, sod other minds we cannot expect to
bind by any oath. (Hear, hear.) It is not ambiguous, if
men will look at it clearly, in the light of those who framed
ft. I believe it has acted as a protection to the established
(berth, and I believe still more, that its removal would be
a serious iojary and a heavy blow to that church, and would
indicate a disposition on the pert of parliament, which, how-
ever it may be professed eves in high quarters, I trust will
sot receive the sanction of your for pa or the other house
of parlianiern. Is the course of the debate in the other
house an hon. gentleman used an expreeeioo which cer-
tainly was more forcible than elegant. He mid—and it
was no doubt a very honest expression—that the object of
the bill was to "nammule the senators." (Laughter.) But
unininae them for what purpose ? I understand as to the
former part of the oath they my, "Do not call upon us to
take this oath ;it is quite uoneceseary ; you need not en-
tertain the slightest suspicion that we bold the doctrines or
smart the principles which you call upon us to repudiate ;
therefore repudiations nonecereary, and it is injurious to
all upon us to repudiate that which we never think of."
But when we come to the latter part of the oath, which is
only a malum probibitum, and not a melons par se, but
which the protestant+ and people of this country
maintain to be an important planet* to be
steadily adhered to and guarded with every safe-
guard that the law can throw around it—when we come to
that what is their argument? Not that they have not the
lest intention of doing that which you prohibit, but be-
cause they &ninth do the vary thing you desire to pro-
hibit. " Ihimusthr us," says the hon. gentleman lately
returned for as Irish constituency by the influence of
Roman catholic priests. "Unmazzle us, not because we
are barmiest but because we west to bite." (Laughter.)
Take the muscle off this poor creature, he is perfectly harm-
less, end moreover the muzzle is half rotten, it is not any
great protection after all I could understand that, but if
you odme and say this is the most vicious animal going,
and there is nothing to prevent him pulling you
to pieces but this muzzle on hie nose, pray take
it off ; my answer is, "Thank you. I would
rather keep the muscle os." (Laughter.) The argument
you use for taking the murals offs in direct contradiction
to the ergrirnent pat forward by my noble friend, that in
point of fact the restraint was perfectly 'Bethel/3101as, and
that it was a vexatious impediment. I deeply regret bay-
leg detained your lordships en long, but I wish distinctly
to place before you the position in which I stand, and in
which I desire the legislature to rand. (Chests.) For
three and forty years I have bees anxiously desirous of ex-
tending the fullest amount of civil and religious liberty to
all Say fellow.ootintrymen. (Cheers.) I have uniformly
supported every claim of the Roman catholic" which I did
not conceive to be injurious or destructive of the church
et which lam an attached member. (Cheers.) I believe
that the removal of thee* restrictions which do not
real, impose any burden or any bard.hip upon the
Roman catholics who have obtained their present
pie lion in virtue of taking these entire, would
open the door to serious atsucks upon the protestant
church in hrelood. (Cheers.) Is this the moment at which
you should take off any restriction which is any safeguard,
however ~light? (Hear, hear.) Can we ray there is no
desire on the part of a large portion of the Roman catholic'
at this insolent to subvert and destroy that church? Can
we say so with the statements we see pat forth is reference
to the approaching election, that members will be returned
for the especial purpose of subverting the church? When
this attack is made upon the protestant church in this the
moment when by penes@ high in authority as ministers of
the crown the church in Ireland should be held up, not as en
object of innuediate assault, but for assault at no
distant date f (Hear, hear.) And with that knowledge
and conviction are you prepared, not now to come to a
vote that that church should be overwhelmed and de-
stroyed, for that would have been the honest course —but
to take, with your eyes open, and with these declarations
made to you. measures relative to the Roman catholic@
which will pare the way for a contemplated attack, end
leave the wall 4 of the fortress absolutely undefended and
open to the fimt assault made against rt ? (Hear, hear.)
If this measure was to have been brought forward at all it
should have been brought forward after full inquiry, and
fall investigation of the arguments by which the restric-
tions were supported at the time of the framing of the
Roman r'atholic Relief Bill, and it should have been
brought forward with the strength end authority of the
govertment, not sheltering themselves, as they have done
on the present ocomios, under the wing of a highly
reepeetable bet still private and perfectly unimport-
ant thilividuaL The mammy should have come
forws)el with the authority of the crown and the
goverhment. and there should have been a clear
ststaillatit its intestions and objects. The government
outditst to have allowed the quedion to have bees throws
In in the loose way it had bees—hastily and iecomilderately
—when the public mind is about to be excited by a general
election. (Cheers.) If I could relieve the Roams catholies
from abSt which they feel to be degrading sod hank is this
oath, soiling would give me greater athisfactise. I
would cordially join with my sable friend in taking off that
which is superfluous, but the goversmeet will not allow use
to do so. (Hear, beer.) They say, No ; you shag sot
strike out this part of the oath unless you content to strike
out Mao ..hat which was intended at the time it was litre.

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