The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-09 00:00:00

THE GERMAN CONFERENCE.

Mr. HORSMAN gave notice that he would put a ques-
tion to the First Lord of tho Treasury to the effect that
whether the result of the Conference having entered into
any engagement which might be binding on this country,
the terms of such engagement should not be submitted to
Parliament for sanction before its aloption.
ST. MARY'S SYDENHAM, BURIAL GROUND.
Mr. NE WDEGAEE, on the motion for going into com-
mittee of supply, moved for a select committee to inquire
into the allegations contained in the petition of Mr. Alfred
&lee (presented 19th February), relative to the Saint
Mary's, Sydenham, burial ground, and further into the
existence, increase, and nature of the Conventual and
Monastic communities, societies, or institutions in England,
Wales, and Scotland. The hon. member entered into a
rather prosy detail of the circumstances connected with this

subject.
Sir G. GREY said it appeared to him that the petition of
Mr. Smee upon which the motion of the hon. member was
founded did not of itself afford a sufficient reason for the
appointment of a committee, and he must express the same
opinion with respect to the correspondence between Mr.
Smee and the Home Office. At the same time he could
sympathise with the feelings of Mr. nmee, when ho saw
one with whom he had been brought up on terms of great
intimacy, and which was subsequently cemented by the ties
of marriage, induced to change the religion in which he had
been born, and adopt a creed from which he (Mr. Smee)
consciously dissented. It was, indeed, a matter of sincere
regret to him that the youth of this country should be so
imperfectly acquainted with the doctrines of their own
Church, that immediately on their passing into the world
they should be exposed to the influence of those gentlemen,
who no doubt were persons of learning, of great powers of
persuasion, and of very attractive manners. Still the hon,
member would hardly recommend the House of Commons
to entertain the idea that any other measures could be taken
for the counteracting of those influences, except as far as
they were able by grounding our young men in the doc-
trines of the Church of England. Having said so much, he

might now observe that Mr, Smeo seemed to have taken a
most erroneous view of the powers vested in the Secretary
of State. The Acts for the regulation of the burial of the
dead within the metropolis aro founded solely upon the
principle of affording protection to:the public health.
The discretion lodged in the Government with respect to
the closing or opening of burial grounds was never in•
tended to be arbitrarily exercised ; nor was their ap-
proval to be granted or withheld according to the religious
Opinions of the applicants. Mr. Smee, however, thought
etherwi-se ; and he was also under the impression that in
the present case some undue secret influence was brought to
bear upon the Home Office. He hoped the publication of the
correspondence would remove that impression, while he
must express his regret that Mr. Smee had thought
proper to introduce the name of the late Duke of Norfolk
into the proceedings. Dr. Faber, being at the time the prin-
cipal Collegeof the Roman Catholic at Brampton, made
application to the Home office to establish a burial -ground
for the use of the college. On receipt of the application the
matter was referred in the usual manner to the inspector,
and,
as he took some time before reporting upon the appli-
cation, the late Duke of Norfolk wrote to the Home-office
calling attention to it. That letter, together with Dr.
Faber's original communication, having been forwarded to
the inspector, he reported that, as far as sanitary considera-
tions were concerned, there was not the slightest likelihood
of danger resulting frora,the establishment of an exclusive
burial-ground for this religious community. That being the
case, upon sanitary grounds, and sanitary grounds alone,
the Home-office granted the application. Last year, upon
Mr, Smee's making a complaint as to certain irregularities
in the management of the burial-ground, the inspector again
reported ; but the report was to the effect that during the
seven years fir which the burial ground had existed only
three interments had taken place there, and consequently
that no possible injury could have befallen the inhabitants
through its existence. So far, thenfore, there was no reason
for the appointment of a committee. with respect to the in.