The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-12-22 00:00:00

BLASPHEMOUS LIBELS BILL.

LAM CASTLEREAGH moved the Order or the
Day for the second leading of the Blasphemous
Libels Bill.

Lord EIIIIINGTON Wray and energetically en-
tered his ',uncut ugaitivt the whole ayviein of mea-
sures. and cuncluded by moving au amendment',
that the word now, in the mntinn, should be left
out, and the 15th of February inverted,

The question was put, and a division about to
take. place, when—
Colonel Ditivtgs rose to express his astonishment
that no arguments should be offered iu defeuce of
the Bill by either the Ministers or the Attorney or
Solicitor-General, in answer to the cutiviiiciug rea-
sons of his Hon. Friends against it.
Mr. MONEY :god he should most cordintly give
Isis vote for the second reading of the Bill, con-
sidering it calculated to protect the liberty against
the licentioininess of the press. He could not
help expressing his hope that this was nut the
last of the measures so imperiously required
for stemming. the tide of irreligion and blas-
phemy. It had b.en remarked by a dispassion-
ate observer of passing occurrences, that one of
the must frightful features of the present times was,
that elementary schools had been formed, where
children might with the rudiments of learning be
taught lessons of sedition and blasphemy.—('fries
of " Nome, name," from the Opposition benches.)
—He animadverted in very severe language on the
existence, the conduct, and consequences of Sun-
day newspapers. A Petition had been presented to
the House by himself, signed by seventy most re-
spectable news-venders, against the sale of Sunday
papers, describing them in various instances as dis-
loyal, seditious, and profane.
Air. W. SMITH said, that those who knew him best
would suspect him as little as the Hon. Gentleman
of a desire to promote blasphemy and disloyalty—
(Hear, hear),—and if one word of evidence had
appeared on u sufficient ground in relation to those
schools of sedition and irreligion, of which the
Hon. Member had so warmly complained, lie should
be found us forward as any man to agree to almost
any measures fur their repression. But unfortu-
nately their existence rested on the most vain
allegations ; sot one of the primers of Was-
plietny had ever been produced.—(Hear, henr.)—
He had long been of opinion that when men grew
to be adult, the religion which was kept in them by
law oily was very weak.—(Hear.)—lf lie could
think that there was missy man wicked enough to
instil blasphemy into youthful minds, lie i ould
hardly imagine any punishment too severe for him,
but he was a total infidel on this subject, and
therefore lie could never consent to give up
valuable parts of our constitution to suppress
that, the existence of which rested on mere
rumours, or hearsay-evitteict. In the course of
the trials of Carlile, frequent allusion had been
made to his humble uame; he should merely say,
that so far as his defence was grounded on the Bill
which lie hail the happiness to introduce into the
House, it was most weak. He coutd appeal to a
Noble Lord opposite, as to the fact of having had
various private interviews at the period of propos;ng
the measure with the respectable and venerable per-
sonage at the head of the Church of England, and
certainly their common opinion had always been,
that after the passing of that Act the punishment
of blasphemy, by the common law, would stand on
precisely the same grounds as before. But he ap-
prehended religion would be in no danger if every
statute which protected it was taken away; on the
contrary, lie believed that if they had always existed
as they did now, that Christianity, which now
flourished in this country, would never have been
known. The part of the Bill before the House to
which he most objected was that which introduced
the new punishment of banishment.
Mr. MONEY and Mr. W. Surrit mutually ex-
plained.
The gallery was then nearly cleared fur a divi-
sion. when
Mr. J. P. GRANT Tore. He said his object in
addiessing the [louse was not 11l mccli to deliver
his sentiments on the Bill, us to express hi. suns
prise at 'the very extraordinary conduct of his Ma-
jesty's Minister', who, in endeavouring to pass
into a law a measure which innovates as violently
as sky ever proposed on the ancient constitutiou of
the country, hail not deigned to mention a single
reason to convince the House of its necessity, or
II of the expediency of altering that clause which had
, come down from the other House.

Mr. TiEutt EY put it to the Noble Lord (Castle-
reagh) whether he ►hould not allow the House a
pau►ing time nod after the recess—whether be did
out consider such an interval :Absolutely necestsury
to enable the Hon-a to look into a measure of this
very navel and important nature with due investiga•
lion ? He could assure the Noble Lord that lie
said so in the sincerity of his heart, and without any
wish to embarrass the measures of his Majesty's

_
Miuisters—(flear, hear.)—A Bill of a very itnpor.
taut description was brought down there from the
other House--no reasons were stated on its intro-
duction why the House should agree to it. Again.
the Bill was altered—it was not the issue Bill that
was sent down Irons the Lords. But to justify
or skew the expediency of that. all they had
heard from the Noble Lord oar, dor‘ he thought
the punishment of tratispoitaliZu should be lobar