The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-05 00:00:00

THE BIBLE IN SPAIN

In the Madrid Chambers, on the 23rd ult., M. Batles,
one of the deputies, demanded why the government, upon
the request of the ecclesiastical vicar, had prohibited the
circulation of a bible recently printed at Madrid, the text
of which was conformed to the approved text 1 M.
Batles prefaced his query by a profession of Catholic
faith :—" I was born catholic," he said, "and I hope to
die in that belief; but if protestantism consists in pro-
testing energetically against the numerous vices, the un-
paralleled excess, the culpable egotism, the scandalous
frauds, the notorious bad faith, the audacious resistance to
the laws, the deadly influence of the court of Rome upon
Christianity, the abuse of power, the unjust and illegal in-
trusion of t hat court in the rights and privileges of nations
and monarchs—if protestantism consists in denouncing
the shame!ess and criminal disobedience to the constituted
authorities, preached without ceasing, and to-day with
more scandal than ever, by a great number of ecelesias-
tics—l declare boldly that I am a protestant, and I am
certain that my opinion is shared by all good catholics
who desire the triumph of the cross, and the propagation
of the doctrines of Christ throughout the nations of the
earth."

The Minister of the Interior having admitted the fact
denounced by M. Batles, and having attempted to justify
it by an unrepealed law of 1820, expressed himself
In these terms :—" There was no need for M.
Batles in making his interpolation to deliver such
a speech. There was no necessity to accumulate grave
charges against all the ministers of the church
and against the Roman Pontiff, visible head of the
Church of Jes s Christ, and temporal sovereign. (Violent
murmurs of dissent-) These murmurs will not prevent
me from ;expressing my opinions. These interruptions
come not from the Spanish nation, eminently catholic.
A minister of Isabella 11., catholic Queen of Spain.
cannot allow any one to insult, without a protest, the
chief of the religion which the Spanish people professes.
How can he do otherwise, when without provocation,
without authority, and so inopportunely, a deputy
allows himself to outrage, in the midst of par-
liament, the chief of the catholic
tu church. What !
representatives of thseoonc ousgrnt
Do you wish
as it already
vote h tve
you forgotten so . declaring
rSeptaensits ho f nsaati)o.inng?,
ttohegirveeligyioouurs
constitution does not ratify this
has been said, that your
had voted the toleration of other
enemiesunitunite
or
the th e
p
unit} ? Even if you
religious worship, it would be none the less improper.
to censure the chief of a religion which has civilised
Europe."
These remarks of the minister gave little satisfaction,
especially as they were supposed to indicate anpproach-
a
ing resumption of the former intimate relations between
Spain and the court of Dome.

THE MURDER OF Miss HIN1)1.--The trial of the men
charged with the murder of Miss Hinds, in Cavan, has been
postponed to nest assizes, on the ground that copies of the
informations, which it appears are very voluminous, were
not furnished in time, and some not furnished at all, to the
prisoners' attorney.