The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-26 00:00:00

s

IMPERIAL PART lAMRNT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—Turr.spAy, JULY 26.

In the Hoi•ss of Lontot yesterday the Revel
assent was given by commission to the Transitb-
ntantiation, &c., Declaration Bill, the Real Estate
Chaege,. Act iineniltnent Bill, and several other
public mid private bills.
The Archbishop of CANTZRBCRY, in reply to the
Bailor !=.i : -nu ICV, saidthe RitualCounaissioners
were. Walk' etatagwil in the preparation of their ty-
pe, and he believed it would be presented in the
coarse of a few days.
The Earl of BIiArTEBBURY thereupon postponed
the sc..- I reading of the elcricul Vestments Bill
until Thursday next.

Marquis of WE.ArliEsYn called attention to
what be termed a serious breach of privilege. He
said :
It referred to a matter, and to some circum-
stauces connected therewith, respecting the conduct
of a person in the reporters' gallery, perpetrated
under circumstances of great aggravativn. He was
sorry to have to proceed to this length, and inure es-
peci illy RA the matter was in some degree personal to
; hut the matter was not a private one—it
was a public matter, if ever there was one. It might
he in the recollection or many of their lordship. that on the
accord reading of the bill for the repeal of declarations
somas: transubstantiation be had given notice in their lord-
ship' suila.tes of a .piegtion arising entirely out of public
d mainly. indeed, on the report of the royal com-
mission on. that sub;eet to the Lonl Chancellor. He ne-
cessatily had to !wake a few observations on the subject.
That waa on the I !th July. On the 'With duly, after the
p.O links of their lordships' house on that matter, he
Lad also :4,111C observations to make, of the nature of a
conipinint that his observations had been mutilated, and in
• tread degree suppressed, in the reports of
the provedii.es of their lordships' douse. On the
20th duly be perceived in one of the public
prints ri report of a meeting of a particularly protestant
character iu tit. James's-hall and then gentleman, with
whim lie had the pleasure of sayim.w he was personally at-
quainte-1, Mr. 1. !ward Harper, and who was one of the
leading people in the Orange Institution, was present, and
a repur tof that meeting was put at full length in one of
the public newspapers. In the speech which Mr. Harper
then made, it was stated that several observations very
gr.trwmed to him (ford Westmeath) had been overheard—
and it wet not difficult to overhear them, because they
were spoken in the reporters' gallery in such a tone, and
in such language. that it was quite impossible any one
within reach of bearing could altogether pass thew over.
Until the 29th July, although he bad been accused
Of inducing Mr. Harper to go into the gallery for
the rapine of acting is his (Lord IVestmeath's)
political bearings on that subject, he had never known
that anything of a nature to be complained of bad taken
plays. Not a scintilla of information had he on the
subject, nor did lie know that his respected friend was in
tha gallery. Mr. Harper went out of town, and he (Lord
Westmeath) went out of town also, but when he found ea
his return, in the Tinos newspaper, a report that this
meeting in St. Janies'ohall but taken place, and that the
binguage imputed to one of the reporters respecting him
(the Marquis of Westmeath) had taken place, be wrote to
kis much respected friend Mr. Harper to give him such in-
formation as would enable him to judge of the nature of the
ease as it stem!. He did write to Mr. Harper, and he would
read to their lordships his answer, circumstantially prov-
ing the facts to which be (the Marquis of West-
swath) had alluded in the few words which he
bad ventured to address to their lordships. Mr.
Harper's letter was as follows :—" My lord—ln reply to
your lordship's application relative to what occurred in
the gallery of the House of Lords on Thursday evening,
the II th instant, as referred to in a speech of mine m
BL James's-hall, and which was reported in the Times of
Friday last, I think it best to furnish your lordship with
an exact, simple,and accurate statement of what occurred,
and which you are at liberty to use in any way your lordship
may think hare the honour to be, ,E. HARPER."
The statement was to this effect:—" On the afternoon of
Thursday. the II th Mat, I was present in the gallery of the
House of Lords during the debate. On going up the
stairs to the gallery two reporters were going into their
room, and one of them said in a loud voice, ' I see
that .I—d old idiot, the Marquis of Westmeath
—flood laughter)—has a long notice on the paper for this
evening, but take care not to give a word of what he
mays.' and inure to the same effect. The following inci-
dent occurred during the debate that evening on the
Transubetantiation Bill. While Lord Westmeath, who
bad presented petitions against the bill, and who had a
notice respecting it on the minutes, was addressing the
house, some reporters left their box and were replaced by
others. One of the former, who I suspect to be the same
individual who had previously used the offensive expres-
sion against Lord Westmeath, said in a loud voice, evi-
dently intended for the occupants of the gallery, ' What
a pity it is that there is no one to send this confounded
old idiot—(laughter)—to a lunatic asylum.' " (Renewed
laughter.)
The Earl of MALMRARTTRY—I rise to order. As my
noble friend has informed us that this is a question of
privilege, I should like to know whether he requires that
any one should be brought to the bar of this house. If he
does not he is quite outfof order. Conversations outside
of the house. in the neighbourhood of the reporters' gal-
lery. arc quite below the dignity of this house to entertain.
(Loud cries of Hear, bear.") I really bope the noble
marquis will not proceed in a strain which only excites
laughter. (Beer, hear.)
The Marquis of WIHTMEATH did not wonder that the
matter excited their lordships' laughter, because it moved
his supreme contempt, but it was not a laughing matter.
If it had been merely groat ribaldry against himself he
should have said nothing, but he thought his noble friend
should not atop a matter of this kind at a moment when
it was possible their lordship. might take a different view
of its importance. It did not affect him ;he cared
se little about such nonsense as any one, but
he thought the matter should be inquired into.
Mr. Harper was ready to come forward, if
their lordships wished to inquire, with papers to peeve
the facts of the case. Whether the individual was or was
not recognised was a matter of indifference to him. If
be laughed, it was the laugh of contempt, but he could not
mutilate the letter. He was obliged to state the whole
ease, but it was over now. He hoped their lordship', not-
withstanding the observations of big noble friend, which
no doubt were well meant, would not allow the gallery of
that house to be made the scene of such spectacles. He
meant nothing against the individual ; he treated his obi
serrations with contempt. Re thought it was • matter
for the consideration of their lordship, whether it was fair
to shut hire out when he wished to state the whole ease.
However, there was no more ribaldry to be referred to.
(Order, order.) Was it to be supposed that such a matter
was to be passed over! (Renewed cries of "Order.")
He was in their lordship.' bands; he did not think
that an individual of their lordships' house, when making
an observation on public documents, and founded on the
" of a royal commission—
VII: Earl of MALMESRURY again rose to order. If
this is a question of privilege the noble marquis should
make a motion. (Hear, hear.) It clus not appear that
be is acting in accordance with the rules of this house.
(Hear, hear.)
The Marquis of WESTMEATH—It is impossible to con-
ceive that I had any object as against the individual, but I
thought it right to let your lordships know what was
=there (in the reporters' gallery). I cannot think
fling a matter— (loud cries of " Order," amid which
the noble marquis resumed his seat.)

Lord HALIFAX gave notice that on the motion
for going into committee on the Representation of
the People Bill he should move a resolution declar-
ing that the present redistribution scheme is
inadequate and ought to be extended.
The Banns of Matrimony Bill was read a second
time.

The Earl of Krwaw.et moved the second reading
of the Testa Abolition (Oxford and Cambridge)
Bill, and explained that its objects are to enable
persons to share in all the privileges of the
universities without any restriction as to their
religious opinions. He submitted that as Oxford
and Cambridge were national institutions there
should be no regulation which would deprive any
of her Majesty's subjects of the full enjoyment of
the advantages which those institutions offered.

The Duke or limopossvai moved the rejection
of the bill. The question of the government of
the universities underwent careful consideration in
1804 and 1856, when it was fixed upon its present
basis, and he saw no reason whythe settlement then
arrived at should be disturbed. Nonconformists
were simply excluded from the senate and go-
verning body of the universities, and it was but
right to exclude from that body persons who were
notonly not members of the church of England,
but in many cases diametrically opposed to it.
The Duke of DIVONSIIIKE cordially approved of
the measure, and said about two-sevenths of the
resident members of the University of Cambridge
were in favour of the principle of the bill.
. .

.
The
Bishop of PETERBOROUGH supported the
amendment on the ground that the bill would not
advance religion in connexion with the universi-
ties, hut might impede its progress.
The Duke of Sostesser regretted that the go-
vernment had adopted a different course from that
which they pursued in the House of Commons,
where the second and third readings of the bill
were agreed to without opposition. The dissenters
principally belonged to the class which was about
to be admitted to the suffrage, and he asked if it
was politic on the part of the conservatives to
unite them as enemies by a persistent resistance to
their just demands.
The Earl of CARNARVON deprecated the con-
stant introduction of small bills of this nature, after