The Express.
London, England, 1857-05-16 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 16.

Tax sort of preliminary debate which took place
last night on Lord PALMERSTON'S motion for leave
to bring in a Parliamentary Oaths Amendment Bill,
though brief in its duration and limited as to the
number of those who took part in it, was not with-
out features of interest. The speech of the P al-
men was eminently characteristic. There was, in-
deed, nothing comprehensive in its conception or
lofty in its tone. There were no historical allusions
or ethical criticisms of the kind we have been se-
moaned to on the introduction of etch subjects by a
leader of the House or a head of Administration.
There were no fine analogies, no impressive pleadings
against the futility and folly of legislative fanati-
cism; and there was no attempt at the development
of a scheme at once simple and complete, popularly
obvious in Hamstrung, and politically free from minor
objections. But Lord PALMERSTON'S speech was
vigorous, full of common sense, and level to the capa-
cities and prejudices of his hotter'. He said a little
about the profanity, and a good deal about the &bear-
dity, of swearing hard against the Pretender, and the
obsolete dogmas of the Jesuits concerning the killing
of Kings. It was certainly a shame, to say nothing
etas bring a sin, to make oath perpetually against
defunct dynasties and doctrines ; and warming
se he proceeded with his denunciation of the
practice, his Lordship declared with more
than ordinary emphasis that no gentleman could go
through the form of being sworn at the table with-
out being conscious of the peculiar emotion which
Lord P•Lairearox described as being indicated by
" en inward blush? Of what that singular symptom
mats we do not pretend to say, and the Pants
Mowry= did not explain. But most people will
readily understand what he meant to say ; and
the only wonder is how in the nineteenth
watery mix hundred and fifty educated gen-
tlemen can be induced, not only to tolerate, but
to take part in the blasphemous mummery which
they are called upon to enact as the indispensable
preliminary to the assertion of legislative rights.
Bythe Bill which Lord PALMERSTON has obtained
leave to bring in, the three oaths of allegiance,
supremacy, and abjuration are to be condensed into
con The process of condensation is ler rapid
than we could wish, and the amount of
triathlons matter eliminated is less than could
be dented. We are still to have something too mush
sheet that tiresome old woman the Electron SOPER
of Hanover ; and considerably more than is moss-
leery for any good purpose about the ecclesiastical
prerogatives of our Sovereign Lady the Qtmere,
Why our Members of Parliament should not be
celled upon to make affidavits that they will pre-
Nerve trial by jury, the writ of talent corpus, sad
the hereditary peerage, as well as certain odds and
ads Of the prerogatives of the Crown, we never could
understand. The only proposal we ever beard upon
the 'dint, which seemed to us to be really defensi-
ble is policy and in tenon, was that made by Lord
101111 REASELL, in 1851, whereby one short and
simple oath of allegiance, to be taken, without dis-
tinction, by all the members of the House, would
have been substituted for the piebald and patchwork
swearing now in use, which to a considerable,
though somewhat diminished, extent sums
still likely to be pesserved. For reasons which
the Pumitra did not explain, the Roman Catho-
lics are to be left in the damaging and detri-
mental position in which the oath of 1829, end
the Tailing constructions conscientiously pat
noon its teems, have placed them. Fee the rest,
Protestants of all denominations and Jews ate to
take the lame oath in future, the distinctive weeds
• hitherto insisted upon—" on the true faith of a
Cluistian "—being omitted. We cannot say much
for the workmanship of the new oath, bat that it is
nu improvement, and a great step in the right direc-
tion, it is impossible to deny.
air FRIDIMIC 'PIIZSIGER, true to his vocation
as glantian of the orthodoxy of the House of Com-
mons, rotated of course spinet the change pro-