The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-16 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS---This Evening.
Lord REDESDALE, as Speaker by Commission, took his
seat on the woolsack at four o'clock.
MUTINY BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
ENCLOSURE BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
MARINE MUTINY BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
CONSOLIDATED FUND (XI,500,000) BILL.
This bill, which was brought up from the House of
Commons, was read a first time.
CONSOLIDATED FUND (L 584,650) MU,
This bill was also read a first time.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—This Day.
The SPEAKER. took the chair at 12 o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.

Mr. SURTEES took the oaths and his seat fcr Hert-
fordshire. The hon. gentleman was introduced by Sir
Edward B. Lytton and Mr. Abel Smith.
THE BRADFORD RESERVOIRS.

Mr. FERRAND gave notice that tomorrow he should
ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether
he would have any objection to communicate to the house
the answer he had received from the Mayor of Bradford, to
his letter, and also, if he could inform the house whether

the other reservoirs at Bradford were not in as equally
dangerous a state as that which had just burst at Sheffield,
and also whether the Store Reservoir at Bradford and that
which had caused the calamity at Sheffield were not con-
structed by the same engineer.
THE ORDERS OF THE DAY.

Mr. F. PEEL moved the postponement of the orders of

the day until after the two Consolidated Fund Bills were
read a third time, in order to allow of their receiving the
Royal assent on Friday next.
The motion was agreed to, and
The Consolidated Fund Bill (£4,500,000) and Consoli-
dated Fund Bill (£584,650) were read a third time, and
passed.
JUDGMENTS, &c., LAW AMENDMENT BILL.

Mr. HADFIELD moved the second reading, the object
of which was to put an end to the vexatious practice of
making researches in every case in the transfer of land.

kir G. GREY said he had no objection to the second
reading of the bill, provided it was referred to a select
committee.

The bill was then read a second time, and referred ac-
cordingly.
TESTS ABOLITION (OXFORD) BILL.

Mr. DODSON moved the second reading of this bill, the
object of which he said was to abolish the religious tests
for the degree of Master of Arts, embracing submission to
the 39 Articles and the whole of the Prayer-book. He
denied that the abolition of these tests would at all injure
the universities or cause religious dissensions in them. If
the bill passed the effect would be that the degree would
be open without any religious test whatever, and which
was now the case both in the Dublin and Scotch universi-

ties. The tests were imposed in times long gone by when
religious opinions were looked upon as a part of a political
creed, and as the times had now become more tolerant he
trusted the house would agree to the second reading of the
measure. It might be said that the bill would place Dis-
senters in universities in a position to become members of
the governing bodies ; but if they went into committee the
objections could be moat fully and freely discussed.
A petition had been presented from Oxford, agreed to
unanimously in Convocation, against the bill, but he could
not assent to the prayer of the petition. because it would be
absurd to say that religious harmony existed In Oxford.
He earnestly asted the house to give the bill a second read-
ing, and thus affirm the principle that education was really
free at Oxford. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. NEATE supported the bill, but he could not say it
was with pleasure that he did so, because the circumstance
of so doing would place him in opposition with many per-
sons whose friendship he estimated most highly. It was
true that Dissenters were not excluded from the University
at Oxford, bnt they could not get further than the degree of
Bachelor of Arts; but that, in his opinion, could not be
called admission at all. (Hear, hear.) No spirited young
man would enter public life with the knowledge that he was
not to aspire higher than a Lord of the Treasury—(bear,
hear, and laughter)—because that was about the position
certain gentlemen were allowed to attain at Oxford. He
did not think the unfavourable results anticipated by gen.
tleman opposite would result from the passing of this bill,
and therefore ho should vote for its second reading.
On the SPEAKER putting the motion,
Sir W. HEATHCOTE moved that the bill be read a
second time that day six months.

Mr. G, DUFF supported the bill. He contended that
subscription to the 39 articles did not secure uniformity, and
he was also of opinion that clerical influence had done harm
to Oxford from the earliest time down to the disgraceful
scene which took place in the Senate House on .the Bth of
March last, Every improvement made in modern times
had been forced upon the University by public opinion ;
and, considering the vast resources and power of the Uni-
versity, he thought there was none doing so little for the
advancement of science and learning as that at Oxford.
Mr. NEWDEGA.TE said the present was an attempt to