The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-12 00:00:00

THE COAL DUTIES.

Bir J. V. SHEl:LEYiavenotice that cn Monday next
be should move fu a select committee to inquire into the
operation of the laws under which taxes or due' were levied
on coals in the City of Lmidon and its neighbourhood, and
also to inquire into the mode of their collection and expen-
diture. (Cheers.)
Mr. BLACKETT gave notice of his intention to move on
the same night for a variety of returns relating to the same
subjects.
THE WAR IN BURMAR.

Bir H. WILLOUGHBY gave notice that, on the motion
teat the house do go into a committee of supply on this dsy
week, he should none for documents to explain the policy
and object of the Burmese war.

COUNTY AND UNIVERSITY ELECTIONS.
MU 0. BUTT gave notice that on Wednesday *eat he
should ask leave to bring in a bill to limit the time between
the proclamation and the election for counties, and between
the receipt of the writ and the election in boroughs; and
also to limit the time of polling in Universities. (Hear.)

. .
THE LAW COURTS AT WESTMINSTER.
Lord R. GROSVENOR gave notice that on Thursday
nest he should present a petition from the Law Society of
Great Britain, praying for the removal of the courts of law
and equity from Westminster to Lincoln's lon.

THE JEWISH DISABILITIES.
Lord J. RUSSELL gave notice that he shonld postpone
his motion from the 22nd to the 24th instant.

REGISTRATION RETURNS.
Mr. BRIGHT armed for a list of the returns made to
the Registrar General of births, deaths, and marriages, pur-
suant to an act passed in the last session of parliament to
amend the law relating to the certifying and registering
pima of religious worship of protestant dissenters, pre-
ceded by espies of the forms and instructions issued by the
Registrar General for the preparation, revision, and com-
pletion of the same ; and showing, in connexion with each
return, the total number of certified plume comprised
therein, the period over which it extends, by whom the re-
turn wee made, and the mode in which it was afterwards
tested and verified. Analysis and summary of the said re-
turns, showing decennially the number of plasm certified
in each coact, of England and Wales by sellsbene
nomination, and specifying the 1 Mums from
which each county analysis we. semplbed, distinguishing
permanent plasm of worship Ms lbw of a tompcgary
character, and also distinguishing MEW pions Rom those
which are still existing : and statement of the told isornime
of places of meeting for religious mosiddp amtlind to the
Registrar General under the ahommid set sp to the Ist day
of Jan , 1&53, distinguishing the total number of places
socertiMdin each of the six protean menthe by each re-
ligious denomination.
Agreed to.
THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.
Mr. J. WILSON moved that the home, at iu rising, do
adjourn till Monday next.—Agreed s.

INTOLERANCE IN SPAIN.
Sir R. INOLIS begged to put to his noble friend the
Secretary for Foreign Affairs • question of which he had
given him public end private poem. It had reference to a
cleave which had been issued by the Spanish government
on the 17th of November, by which it was declared that no
foreigner, whether domiciled in Spain, or merely travelling
=h that country, should profess say other than the
e, apostolic, and Roman religios. Now if this de-
cree had related to Spanish subjects. and to Spanish sub-
jects only, he might have admitted that it would not have
been a fair subject for introduction into this house. Whether
the King of Dahomey had an army of men or women ; and
whether he could put 6,000 of them to death at once, was
a matter which, as Christians, they might deplore, and, as
men of humanity, they might well desire should be
abolished ; but they would have no right to to war with
the King of Dahomey, or any other kindred move-
reigs, on account of any such enormity. This
decree applied as much to any subject of these realms
travelling in Spain as to the subjects of that country; and
it was due, not only to our common character as protestant"
or Englishmen, but to the great intercourse of social life
throughout Europe, that such an interdiction should not,
in the year 1852, be applied to any Englishmen, or to any
one professing what he believed to be true. This was not
a mere interdiction ;against holding public meetings or
Teaching in Spain. There were municipal laws in Eng-
land which equally prevented any person from preaching or
holding public meetings without a license. The decree,
which appeared in the Madrid Gazette of the 25th of No-
vember, bore date on the 17th of that month; and it
stated, in the 25th article of the 3rd chapter, that no
stranger, whether domiciliated or travelling in Spain,
should profess in that country any other religion than
that of the catholic apostolic church of Rome. He asked
the noble lord at the head of Foreign Affairs whe-
ther it was consistent with their duty as members of that
house, or with his duty, as having control of the later-
course between his rover, ign and foreign powers, that such
• decree should be permitted to pass unnoticed by the go-
vernment, and unrecalled by the government that issued it ?
When he first heard of it, it seemed so utterly incredible that
he had menti.ned it to the late secretary for foreign affairs,
and that noble lord promised to write to Spain to ascertain
if such • decree bad been really issued. He believed the
noble lord had received some information now. He begged
to ask whether he had or had not received such informa-
tion ; if he had, whether it was his intention to lay it on the
table of the house; and whether or not, in the name of the
Queen of this protestant country, he had taken some mea-
sures to redrew the possible or probable wrongs which such
• decree unaltered might produce to her Majesty's protes-
tant subjects ? lle was not to be told that it was a mere
paper decree. (Hear, hear.) It might be convenient to the
court of Spain not to put it into force against the subjects of
this country ; but so long as it remained unrepealed, the time
might not be distant when it might be as convenient to the
government of Spain to act upon it, and to seise an En-
glish subject, as had been done before, for professing his
conscientious belief in the protestant religion—not because
he was opening a conventicle contrary to the law, or
preaching in the street, but because he assembled his own
family for protestant worship. (Hear.)
- - - - - ---- • - - • • - -

. .
Mr. M. MILNES satd that, before the noble lord an-
swered the question, ho wished to ask another incidental
to this subj,..ct. It had been stated, not long ago, by the
then foreign minister, that after lamb./ negotiations with
the Spanish government, permission had at lest been given
to open a protestant burial-ground near the city of Madrid.
At that time a limitation had been made, which since con-
tinued—that no religious ceremony should be rrformed
over the g I the persons thus interred. This condi-

don was altogether so derogatory to thrition which a
protestant country like England had a • to assert, that
he would ask the noble lord, if It stilt moth:toed, if he
would have any objection to instruct our 're at
Madrid to re-open the question with she
mint, so that this most disgraceful might
to exit.
Lord J. RUSSELL—With respect to the question of my
right hon. friend the member for the University of Ozford,
I have to state that It is certainly true that, by the 25th
article of the decree he has referred to, it Is declared that
no stranger or foreigner shall profess in Spain any other
than the catholic and apostolic Roman religion. The noble
lord who preceded me in the Foreign-sffice asked for en ex-1
planation of this decree ; and I hold in my hand the an-
swer which Lord Bowden gave to his despatch. (The
noble lord then read Lord Howden's despatch, but in so
low a tons of voice that barely its purport could be ga-
thered. We understood it to be that his lordship bid re,
ceived a communication from the Spanish foreign minister,
stating that the contents of the said article did not in the
slightest degree change the practice hitherto observed, nor
would any alteration be introduced thereby with respect to
the point to which the said article referred.) If my right
hon. friend has any wish that the despatches relating to the
said article should be laid before the house, I have no ob-
jection to comply with it. With regard to the question
respecting the burial-ground, there has been some
correspondence on that subject. A spot of ground for
burial there was offered by the Spanish government. Some
conditions were attached to burial there; but no question
has been raised with respect to the performance of religious
ceremonies at the burial of protestants, unless it were to
the erection of a chapel on the ground.
Sir it. INGLIS begged to thank the noble lord for the
offer he had made, and to express his hope that the papers
would be laid on the table of the house as soon as
might be.