The Express.
London, England, 1868-04-04 00:00:00

IMPERLiL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY, APRIL 3.

Tin Howls of LORDS met yesterday at the un-
usually curly hour of half-past 10 o'clock, when the
Mutiny Bill and the Marine Mutiny Bill were re-
spectively read a third time and passed.
At a subsequent period of the evening these bills
'and the Consolidated Fund (6,000,0000 Bill re-
vel ved the royal assent.
At the evening sitting, Lord STRAYREDEN called
attention to the further correspondence with re-
spect to the disturbances in Crete, and complained
at the French government had abandoned its
former policy, and, by playing into the hands of
Russia, had neutralised all the advantages gained
•by the Crimean war.
The Earl of MAntessuay said the policy of her
'Majesty's government had been unchanged through-
'out. They desired to put an end to the state of
:things in Crete consistently with tho just rights of
'the Porte.
I. The Duke of ARGYLL said the policy of the go-
tvernment had isolated this country from all other
!powers as regarded the Porte. They had addressed
inotes,.not only of advice but of thresh, to the
Port in which her Majesty's government had re-
' fused to join. He was fully sensible of the wise
and prudent conduct of Lord Stanley, but he
I thought the case of the Cretans had been re-
tgarded with indifference by her Majesty's govern-
' went.
1. The Earl of DENBIGH expressed similar opinions.
The Earl of KIMBERLEY strongly praised the
policy of Lord Stanley.
Earl llussut. said he was glad the government
• had neither aided nor taken part in the inter-
ference of the other powers, which was intended as
a blow to the integrity of Turkey.
The London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance
Bill was read a third time and passed.
Earl GRANVILLE spoke in warm terms of the I
munificence of Mr. Whitworth in offering to endow
scholarships for the promotion of mechanical
!education, and said he trusted that this magni-
ficent sot would realise all the wishes of its patriotic
donor. .

The Duke of MARLBOROUON expressed similar
sentiments. Mr. Whitworth had suggested the
right method for the manufacturing interests of the
,country to adopt with a view of difigaing technical
(education. It was not desirable for the govern-
ment to interfere uuduly, but they were
_quite
:resslv to do all in their power to aid Mr. Whit-
!worth, who he believed would retain control of the
fund during his life time.
The house adjourned at half-past seven.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY, Arm 3.
IN the Homin of COMMONS, Mr. DISRAELI said
• ho last night acceded to a suggestion of Mr. Glad-
stone's that the motion for the adjournment over
the holidays should be made after the division ;
but representations had been made to him from
'various quartets that it was better that the motion
should be made at once. Assuming for a moment.
which, however, was very unreasonable—that there
was a majority for going lino committee on the
resolutions, he should be content that the house
should go into committee pro formd, the discussion
'to be taken after the holidays. The financial state-
ment was Sled for the Thursday after the house
reassembled, and it was undesirable to interfere
with that arrangement. He should, therefore,
iproposo that the resolutions should be taken on
the following Monday, the 27th, and he should
offer to them an unequivocal oiiposition. He
moved that the house at its rising adjourn until
the 20th instant.

Mr. Gut:moss said he should not insist on the
understanding come to last night. As Monday and
Tuesday might prove insufficient for the discussion,
nothing would be gained by commencing it.
The motion was than agreed to.
The adjourned debate on the Irish church esta-
blishment was resumed by
Mr. COLISIDO 6, who said ho desired to discuss
this matter from an English churchman's point of
view, and to show that there was nothing moon-
'latent in one who had lived and hoped to die in
the communion of the church of England striving
with all his heart to disestablish and disendow the
church of Ireland. He maintained that parliament
had as clear and as full a right to deal with the
'lrish church as with any other institution. This
case must bo tried by the ordinary rules, and if
the Irish church wore to be defended at all, it must
be defended by the ordinary arguments. Could it
be so defended 1 Whether it could or not,
the course of this debate afforded little
'means of answering the question. They had heard
nothing like a defence of the Irish church estab-
slishment as it existed in ISO. After the battle
of the I:oyne the Irish church was supported by
penal laws which were a disgrace to this nation,
and to which history afforded no precedent. Those
laws had away, but they wore not forgot-
ten, and icills?iistitution which was the cause of
;them still remained ; and so long as we kept it up
lit would interfere with our prosperity at home and
'abroad.
Mr. Esalsrofin lion denied that the Irish had
:any substantial grievance in the Irish church,
though he admitted that the Roman catholic clergy
iin Ireland had a grievance, in so far that their
Iposition was a great deal more precarious than it
ought to be. He insisted that this was an attack
,upon the English as well as the Irish establiah-
ment.

• Mr. STANSF&LD said the Irish policy of the go-
vernment was catholic endowment as the price of
protestant ascendancy. The protestant church esta-
blishment was an indefensible institution; it did
not fulfil any of the objects of a state church.
The Earl of MAYO said the government had
never swerved from the conviction that it was their
duty to maintain the protestant church establish-
ment in Ireland. He did not deny the competency
of parliament to deal with the question, but he
contended that it was so important a question that
the opinion of the country ought to be taken upon
it before legislation. No property was more
strongly guaranteed by parliament than that of
the Irish church, and it ought not to be interfered
with. The voluntary system did not exist in Ire-
land. Ho went further, and submitted that
voluntaryism was unsuitable for that country. The
effect of these resolutions would be to increase
absenteeism. What the country wanted was peace;
but these resolutions would bring no peace.

. -
Colonel Gasvn.Ls said the bane of Ireland had
been protestant ascendancy, and nothing would
make her tranquil but religious equality.

Sir C. LANYON next addressed the house against,
and Sir T. LLOYD in favour of the resolutions.

VISCOIUIt HAMILTON maintained that the pro-
testant church in Ireland had been a blessing to the
community at large, and he said he would join the
gentry and people in the north of Ireland in resist-
vilg this revolutionary proposal to the utmost.

Mr. CANDWILL pointed out that the views of the
!Foreign Secretary, the Homo Secretary, and the
tSecretary for Ireland were inconsistent ; and he
railed for an explanation of what was the real po-
licy of the government. The Irish church remained
the church of the few for whom it was established ;
{and the many who were without itspale at the com-
mencement were without it still. We had been
asked whether wo would stand it, or whether our
colonies would stand it. We had found it neces-
sary to allow Canada to take her own course with
regard to her church endowments, and should we
proclaim to Ireland that she wastobo worse treated
than a colony
Mr. Dissazu said the government might have
met this question which has been brought forward
suddenly, by moving the previous question, and it
might have been prudent three years ago to have
adopted-that course ; but he did not think it was
so under the present circumstances. Then they
might hare met it by a direct negative, but this
would have been to imply that no modification or
improvement in the church of Ireland was desir-
able, and that was not their opinion. The third
course was to move an amendment, and that course
,thlt hat adopted An amendment had been moved
,_Dy Force Secretary which had been subject
Inimn criticmun, as amendments always were.
He reme
asst mbered Sir Robert Peel laying down the
Here reattempt to express your policy in en