The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-11 00:00:00

Tibitiot I+

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clot ,h.

IMPERIAL PARLIAAIEIS «•

(THIS DAY•)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAXER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock.
Mr. Fox MAULS took the oaths and his seat 01 i his
re-election for Perth.
PRIVATE BILLS.
The following Bills were read a second time, and
ordered to be committ-d:—
Barnsley Improvement, Police, Slarkets, &c.
Chester and Holyhead Railway
Cheltenham Improvement and health.
Haw Bridge and Roads.
Liverpool Museum and Library.
Liverpool Corporation Wsterworks.
Lockwood and Meltham Road.
Macclesfield and Buxton Road.
Midland Great Western of Ireland Railway.
Nene Valley Drainage and Navigation Improvement.
Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway (No.
Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway (No. 2 ).
Portsea Gas.
Porthdinllaen and Nanthwynant Roads.
Bomsey, Broughton, Stockbridge, and Wallop Roads.
Runcorn Improvement.
ethillingford, Wallingford, and Reading Road, and Shill ing-
ford Bridge.
Southampton Corporation.

South Essex Estuary and Reclamation.
Tyne Improvement.
MANCHESTER AND SALFORD EDUCA.TiaON
BILL.
Mr. BROTHERTON moved the second reading of
this Bill. The object of the Bill was to provide educe--
lion for the poor of Manchester and Salford, and it
would authorise the raising of a local rate, to be ma-
naged and expended under the authority of the town-
council. It was of essential importance that the poor of
these boroughs should be religiously educated, and, he
hoped the House would allow the Bill to go into Com-
mittee, so that its details might be discussed. It was
supported by the majority of the ratepayers in every
parish, not only in numerical point of view, but also in
point of value.—(Hear, hear.) Great good might be
accomplished by carrying out this Bill, and now that the
inhabitants of these two large boroughs were anxious
to unite for carrying out this laudable purpose,
Honourable Members who entertained peculiar
views upon this subject would forego them
in this instance.—(Hear, hear.) He preferred this Bib
to a general measure, because it was intended as a sort
of experiment; and if it succeeded, the House would
have some foundation to build upon next session in its
legislation upon the important topic of the moral educa-
tion of the people.—(Lear. hear.)
Mr. WILLIAM BROWN seconded the motion, and
said he took the same view of the Bill as his Honourable
Friend who had moved its second reading. It was in-
tended as au experiment, and he hoped the House would
allow it to go into Commi,tee, so that the Goo re-mimetic
might be vu, into nos*easion of the best information
upon this itennetteont question.—(Heise, hear.)
Mr. M. GIBSOS said there were many influentia.
people nuts in Manchester and Saiford evrio entettainect
strong otaectious to the Bin, and he would suggest
that it should oe postponed until they should
have had an opportuity of ateting their own case.—
(Hear, hear.) He rejoiced to find that the matter had
been taken up in the menner it bad been, but tee Bill it-
self woala c me before use corporation of M,,ncoester
its official capecity on the 15th instant, and unless it were
postponed they would be prechried by the standiee-
ordars from opposing it, in the event of their agreeing to
do so. He sbould therefore mow, as an amendment
that the second reading be postponed until this day
fortnight.
Mr. W. PAT TEN was of opinion that no good case
had been ra:ide out fur the poitponemeut. The corpo-
ration end discussed tee principle of the Bill.
which he believed teey highly approved of, and
if they wished to resist any of its details he was sure
they weld raceive every attention from the Committee
to whom it w• aid be referred. With regard to the
merits of the Lill, he had no hesitation in stating that it
was an excellent one. The people of Manchester had
long mate up their minds upon the great question of
education, end they did not wish to be tied up until the
general mtatule should be adopted. The Bill woulo
interfere with none of the existing schools, nor would it
violate ley of those prejudices or opinions which pre-
vailed on the subject of religion, though one clause would
make it compulsory that the Scriptures should be
read in the Lew schools to be established under
its authority. The whole of the Dissenting
-body of Manchester sad Salford were favourable to the
Bill, and although the Roman Catholics were averse to
the religious clause, he had reason to believe that they
were otherwise not in any way opposed to it. There
were 60,000 ratepayers in Manchester, and of that num-
ber no less than 40,000 had signed a petition in favour
of the Bill, and he did think it was the duty of the
House to read the Bill a second time.
Mr. BRIGHT thought the Honourable Gentleman
who had just sat clown had failed entirely in meeting
the objection to the Ball. The corporation of Manchester
Lad fixed a day for discussing the Bill, and sure]}
it was not unreasonable to ask the House to
postpone its second reading until after that day. At
yet the corporation had not considered the Bill as it now
stood; the geeeral question, it was true, had been amply
discussed by the corporation, but it was only within tin-
iest few days that they became acquainted with the real
provisions of the Bill, and they had therefore a right to
demand that it should be postponed until they had come
to some resolution upon the subject. He did not wish
to see the Bill rejected, bat there was a great difference
of opinion upon the subject in Manchester, and the Bill
ought not to go into Committee until the opi-
nion of the corporation had been put in
a proper shape to come before Parliament.
He would not go into the merits of the Bill, some
Parts of which he opposed, while others he objected to,
but he would simply content himself with asking' the
House to adopt the amendment.
Mr. GLADSTONE considered the subject embraced
by the Bill was far too important to be dealt with alto
discussed in the shape of a private Bill. It ought to
have been made a public measure, and entertaining that
belief he was at a loss to understand how he could con-
sistently support a motion for reading it a second time.
There was no member of the Government in his place
ready to pronounce an opinion upon it, and after
the declaration watch fell from the lips of the
Prime Minister the other night, taat after they
had disposed of Reform, they ought to take up
the subject of national education, the House ought to
pause before they adopted a system upon the dictation
of Manchester, which might afterwards bind Liverpool
or any other large town in the country. This Bill was
equally as anomalous as a private Bill would be for the
enfranchisement of Manch* ster, and he really did think
the House ought ni insist up•n having it discussed as a
Public measure. He was quite reedy to accord the uteriwhich ,
was cistmed for those who concocted this Bill,
no doubt their intentions w,re highly laudable; but the.
was far too east a subject to be dealt with iu the nature
of a Private Bill.
of
man 07 Nevertheless, aldaough he disapproved
is provistoni=, he was willtn4, out of respect
for heypeo be
sent le terc,Prtecof Manchester, that this Bill should
the proper Committee; but be must again repeat the*
be oyr av"prZed of legislating upon the matter would
bmr measure which should be applicable Lc
alt the other
and al eneetot,,,a:nahea of the country besi,:;es Salford
theen there would be somi,
chance of &blur,thing lit'
'iiven,ctlineetion, not RS they did a wve,
or a gas Bill, but
He thought that thisbroad basis of public principle.
Billtnweuld be more convenient!)
discussed as private on the second reading, and
he put it to his Hoe-.
Friend
He mustwhether he had not better
consent to this course.remind the House to
what the discussion of general principles under the form
of a private Bill would most likely lead.i The rent!:
:don for the
se, when it
Would be that the whole coarse
of legislation
Souse, country would be affected by it, for the
e
came to discuss great general principles, would find
themselves bound down by some former decision on the
subject in a private Bill. He wished t 0 have a full di
cuseion on this Bill with the House fully aware of what
they were doing, and what particular Course was
th 811 after thead received
in-
tended to be adopted
He should support ---
a second reading, motion for
postponement.
Mr. CARDWELL•thought the. objections urged b„,
the Right Hon. Gentleman entirety technical ia far
and operations. Here were 40,000 ratepayers of Mau.
cheater coming forward before the House to ask for
authority to sanction a measure for general education
for the borough, and they were met by dilatory pea-
r:mils. Re thought that there °Meld be no opportunity
so favourable as the present for full discussion. The
people of Manchester had been driven to take this course
by the rejection of the general measure of education
which had been brought before that House during the
last few years, and he thought the House could do no
less than take into consideration the measure for which
they asked.
Mr. W. J. FOX denied that there was an entire una-
nimity among the religious sects of Manchester on the
subject of this Bill. This was very far from being the
fact. It might be true that a majority of ratepayers
had signed the petition for this Bill, but there were many
among those who signed the petition simply as
a means of obtaining some plan of education be it what
it might. If he was correctly informed, a majority of
the actual inhabitants of Manchester had signed a peti-
tion in favour of an entirely different nature, and these
comprised those classes whom the measure most chiefly
concerned, those who were to receive the education
which it was proposed to give. With regard
to the present Bill, he would support it, because
1.1
did not fulfil the two conditions which had been laid
by the Noble Lord at the head of the Government
in his speech last session, namely, that any measure to
be
not offend
by the Government must be religious, and
..I.end the religious consciences of any persons. Ile
shoune support
suffer b the motion for postponement, in order
as
the great prpuld discussed as fully andfairly
Mr. HIT efiEine IP-le which it imagined deserved.
education ivoul oai d not think that the great question of
pored for a few days.-
the present being post
was a private Bill, could not think that -this
able Member for Liver
he differed from the Eigeour-
opportune period for ItraPV, that this was the most
mem-
ber of the Government w_alseossion, as no leading
oatistepresent After the declaration
of the iron
er atuo disnuss this night he thought it would
be pre i
private is question under the form of
a r
1,, _qt l'Neont
. IL would be of crest h fi
; h -
„„" .re t,
been sure_
moned thia Pnas awe atta' t.
however,
moned to Windsor,
and were, therefore,
present. The fairest coarse thetlildbela"e to atin to be
urn