The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-14 00:00:00

UNIFORMITY ACT AMENDMENT
Mr. BOUVERIE, in moving the second reading pt this
bill, explained its nature and effect. It proposed to repeal
the seventh section of the Act of Uniformity of Charles
11., requiring from certain dignitaries of the Church, and
fellows and tutors of colleges, declarations of conformity to
the Prayer B )ok. At Oxford and Cambridge there was
some difference. At Cambridge there were no oaths or
declarations of any kind on admission, and there were none
on taking the ordinary degree in arts, but if an undergra-
duate obtained a scholarship which was a mark of distinction
he had to take the oaths. He had to take an oath of obe-
dience to the college statutes, He did not intend to interfere
with that oath where the statutes required it, but ho objected
to the Parliament on a mere taking the oath of conformity
to the Church of England, whether the statutes required
it or not. Secondly, he had to take the oath of allegiance,
supremacy, and abjuration; and, thirdly, under the Act of
Uniformity, he had to make a declaration that he would
conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England. It was
this he asked the house to assist him in repealing. The
universities were not merely seminaries for the education of
priests ; on the contrary, they were essentially lay corpo-
rations, and the fellowships were the prizes for literary and
scientific energy. The system was injurious to the Church,
to the men who were excluded, and to the universities
themselves.
Mr. WALPOLE said the bill was not of the little im-
portance the hon member seemed to admit. He saw no
reason why it should be pressed upon the house when there
was so much opposition to it out of doors. The introduction
of the principle laid down in the bill would lead to religious
confusion to the promoters, and it would draw many from
secular education, the foundation of religion on which the
education stood, and on which the country was determined
it should stand, whatever may be the nature of the educa-
tion determined upon. He denied the proposition of the
hon gentleman that the present system was unjust to the
Dissenters, and injurious to the Universities and the
Church. A University had been established in London, in
which all who did not conform to the Church of England
might receive a university education, and by the establish-
ment of the college the grievances of the Dissenters were
almost entirely removed. He moved as an amendment that
the bill be read a second time that day three months.
Mr MONSELL complained that Mr Bouverie, by his
bill, would inflict a serious injury on Roman Catholics. In
a matter of civil rights it would put Roman Catholics on a
pinnacle where they might be pelted at by all who differed
from them. The right hon. gentleman (Mr Bouverie) had
come down with professions of liberality on his lips
while perpetrating this monstrous injustice. (Hear,
hear.) The right honourable gentleman wished to
affirm that religion ought not to be the founda-
tion of education, and if he succeeded he would, go on to
something else. He (Mr Monsell) advised the house to
resist the introduction of the bill, and to maintain the great
principles on which the universities were founded.
Mr WHALLEY said the object of the Church was to
make its boundaries as wide as possible, and supported the
second reading of this bill,
Mr NE ATE was sorry to differ from those with whom
he usually acted, and opposed the bill, which he thought
unwise, after they had rejected the larger measure of throw-
ing open the universities.
The house divided—
For the second reading lOl
Against it..
ajority —5G

The bill was therefore lost.
COSTS SECURITY BILL.
The order for going into committee on this bill was post-
poned until to-morrow.
SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CLERGY DISABILITIES
REMOVAL BILL.

Sir W, HEATHCOTE moved the second reading of this
bill, and explained the position in which the clergy of the
Scottish Episcopalian Church were placed. He stated
that Tillotson and Burnet, two distinguished prelates
of the Church of England, were clergymen of Scottish
orders, and before the present restrictions were op-
posed, a Scottish prelate was translated to the
Irish bishopric of Raphoe. At present a clergyman
ordained by a Scottish bishop, a bishop of a church in com-
munion with our own, could not be licensed to a curacy or
instituted to a living in England. He might be the best
man for the place, but still a bishop would be bound to
reject him. A bishop might ordain a dissenter, but he
could not ordain a Scottish Episcopalian clergy..
man, because he recognised his orders to be good.
It had been said that the Scottish Episcopalian clergymen
were inferior in education to those of Eagland, but ho
thought that when we were obliged to take theological
students from St. Bee's and St. Arden's, the English
Church ought not to throw stones, for the Scottish clergy
were educated at the old Scottish Universities,
and also had a special training of their own at
Glenalmond. The bill now before the house had been
thoroughly sifted before the House of Lords, and he trusted
it would be sent back with as few amendments as possible.
Mr KINNAIRD rose to move as an amendment,—
"That a select committee be appointed to inquire how far
any privileges which may be conferred upon the clergy of
the Episcopal Church in Scotland would interfere with the
Treaty of Union between England and Scotland, and into
the expediency of removing at the same time from the
ministers of the Established Church of Scotland the dis-
advantages imposed on them by the Act 13th and 14th
Charles II ,c. 4. The main object of the bill, he believed,
was to open the door for amalgamating the two churches,
and it was thought by many it was intended to be the first
step to making the Episcopal Church
't the Estab-
lished Church of Scotland. (Cries of Oh, oh.")
He contended that this measure would be of no benefit to
the Church of England. These Scottish clergy were not
required, for there were at present in the Chuech of Eng-
land thousand of curates who had no prospect of obtaining
ecclesiastical preferment.
Mr A. SMITH and Mr HADFIELD both rose to second the
amendment.
Mr WALTER wished to know, whether in the event of
this bill passing, a Scottish clergyman admitted to a bene-
fice in England would be at liberty to go back to Scotland
to officiate there. If the bill were not carefully guarded
it would be setting up a sort of spiritual Schleswig-Hol-
stein in Scotland.
Mr G. DUFF said that most of the Scottish bishops
were in English orders. The bill would not, he considered,
interfere in any way with the Established Presbyterian
Church of Scotland. This was a peculiarly curt question,
and he trusted that the odium theolopcum would not be
introduced. With regard to this being a first attempt to
make episcopacy the religion of Scotland, all he had to say
was that a more crazy idea never entered the mind of man.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr NEWDEGA.TE thought it injudicious to commit
the powers proposed in the bill to any
individual bishop.
He should vote for the committee recommended by Mr
Kinnaird.
Mr BLACK, as a Scotch member, had great pleasure in
supporting the bill. °
Mr STIRLING rose to express his thanks to the holy
the resent bill
member for Oxford for introducing p, which
he was sure would create a feeling of pleasure in the minds
of Scotch members generally.
Colonel SYKES supported tho bill.
Mr HADFIELD opposed the bill.
Mr LOUVERIE said he should vote for the bill, because
it provided simply for a civil privilege, and had nothing to
do with spiritual privilege.
Mr KINNAI:-ID said he would not give the house the
trouble of dividing.
The bill was then read a second time.
POOR LAW GUARDIANS' ELECTION BILL.
Mr BAINES withdrew this bill.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS' BILL.
This bill was withdrawn.
PETTY OFFENCES LAW AMENDMENT BILL.
Mr. WHA.LLEY moved the second reading of this bill,
the object of which was to enabler a husband or wife to give
evidence when one of them was charged with a petty

offence.
The SOLICITOR GENERAL opposed the bill.
After a short discussion the hill was withdrawn.
COUNTY REGISTRATION VOTERS BILL

The order for the committal of this bill was read and dis•
charged;
ECCLESIASTIC AL COURTS AND REGISTRIES
(IRELAND) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.