The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, June 16.
(Conti/Led from oar Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
PETITIONS.

Mr. L. HEYWORTH presented three petitions for
inquiry into the causes,_ practices, and consequences of
intemperance.
SUPPOSED WRECK OF THE PRESIDENT.
Ia reply to Mr. H. BERKELEY,
Mr. STAFFORD said it was perfectly true that the
"wok of a large, steamer had been driven on shore in
tlia county of Banff, and that considerable excite-
ment prevailed on the subject, in consequence of its
heisrgoupposed to be the wreck of the President. The
,Adisiiitilty had directed an able and intelligent officer to
institute an inquiry into the matter; and ,he had
etAretully examined the " scantlings" of all the
timbers, and communicated the particulars to
ail ship-builders who had constructed large
steamers. The inquiry was, however, of a very pro-
traded nature. Some of those builders had communi-
vested answers, but others had not done so. It had not
y et been.found that the timbers were those of the Pres.i•
don't. but the investigation was still being prosecuted.
Wben the statements on the subject were complete he
thought it Would be satisfactory to make them public.
ROYAL PROCLAMATION AGAINST ROMAN
CATHOLIC PROCESSIONS.

KEOGH said Honourable Members Must have
seen a Royal proclamation which is addressed to certain
clauses in the Catholic Relief Act, and which was intro-
duced into that Act frets) some other very old Act.
They are directed against Roman Catholic ecclesiastics
• wearing the dresses of their order in public. Those
;dames of that Act, all must be aware, have remained
doraaant since the passing of the Relief Bill. The Go-
vernment of the Duke of Wellington did not enforce
then; neither did the' Governments of Earl Grey, nor
of Lord Melbourne; nor of Sir Robert Peel. This is the
' first occasion on which any intention has been expressed
of puUing- that part of the Relief Act in force,
egat
"nst the Roman Catholic ecclesiastics. A looming
of the present Ad • '
journal, which is conducted with very great abilitrchinazi!d_
micehatnhetheZri
is geetrally devoted to the acts
a enacottbayn
tratioe, and supposed to be its organ—wlh
jag Herald—says, " This i
Govern-
ment. in the immediate prospect election, dares to
life, never once was
and a large class of relligelownhisotlse• We need not say,
that bit. Robert Peel, in h
manhood.
to take
And what earnest
guilty of such piece defc, is,
Protestants ought to care that those who
mean honestly to carry out the laws do not suffer
for their manliness and sincerity in so doing."
Having reference to the immediate dissolution of Par-
liament, and to the observations made in the Govern-
ment organ, ' wish to ask the Government whether it is
their intention to publish that proclamation in the
Dublin Gazette, with the view of giving it
.the same effect in Ireland as in England?
Teta Hon- Member (Mr. Hume) says a proclamation has
Jae absolute legal effect. lam sure of that, though there
are some cases in which it is not soL-for instance, in ra-
gard to the proclamations under the Crime and Outrage
Aet—bat then it may be said ale proclamation is pub-
lished in order to prevent the public at large being taken
by Jarprise by a dormant Act being put into operation.
I have also to ask whether' it is the intention of the
Government, with that manliness and sincerity for whieh
they have got credit in the newspaper I have mentioned,
to direct tree Attorney-General for Ireland to prosecute
Roman Catholic ecclesiastics in that country for doing
that which they have been permitted to do without ob-
servation or punishment since the year 1829 by every
Government, or whether it is merely a set-off to. the
dropping of the Maynooth debate?
• • Mr. WALPOLE.—Before I answer the two tines-
lions which the Honourable Member has pat 10
me, I think it right to state, on tho part of. the
Government, that I em not responsible, nor is the
Government responsible for any particular observe-
' Asans contained -in any particular newspapers.—(Hear.)
• -Ttpink it also right to state that the Hon. Gen;leman
has not correctly, because not fully, stated the law with
'reference- to this subject. - The statute of George the
4th applies to two purposes—Roman Catholic
ecclesiastics- wearing the habits of their order,
and exercising the rights and ceremonies of that
rOligion in other places than those of private worship,-
not in public places. Now, having explained this matter
to the House, I will now state the reasons which the
Government think justify these in enforcing the
provisions of the Act in question. First of ail, the
Hon. Member says—Are you going to publish a similar
proclamation in the Dublin Gazette? My masker
-to that is, that two months ago the Govern-
ment heard of processions in which a Roman
Carbolic bishop " took a part, and the moment
we heard of these processions, which, I believe, are en-
tirely new—(Hear. hear)—we sent an intimation
—I may say a friendly intimation—to the bishop,
pointing out to him the provisions of thestatute of George
IV., and expressing a hope that he had taken a part
in the processions in his ecclesiastical dress inadvertently,
•and without any intention of violating the law; that
under these circumstances we should take no farther
notiee of those proceedings,' but we hoped the laws
:would not be violated in future, because we should
fest it our duty to enforce them.--(Cheers.) Since that
timd we have not heard of a repetition of. the .offence
against the laws in Ireland, and not having hoard of
such repetition, we do not wish to give a more special
warning than is contained in this proclamation, which
applies to all her Itsjesty's subjects, unless"occasion
arise to issue a similar proclamation after a private
warning has been eignifisd to the Roman CRtholic,
ecclesiastic to whom I have alluded. With regard
to the- second question ho asked, whether we are
wieg to enforces law which he says has been dormant,
I must beg leave to stste to the :souse that the law h.s
lent bean dormant. —(sean) The fees which came to
the knowledge of the Governinent were facts of a
very peculiar nature, viz:, that Catholics
were going to renew those processions along
the pubic highways which had been done away with
for 300 years. These aro the very words, which were
taken down in evidence ; that they wore going
to do this' and to march from village to 'it-
lags with banners and erahlemn of their faith, in
honour and in celebration of 'the Virgin Mary.
The procession to which the proclamation more particu-
larly adverts, stewed for four miles along a high road. It
consisted of 150 people, carrying banner's and emblems of
' their faith.—harrying crucifixes, with our Saviour on them,
and carrying images of the Virgin Mary end the Infant
• Jesus, and I have no hesitation in saying it did give so
much anneyance to Other's; of her lldajesty's•shbjects--
(Hear, hear)—that we did and do think it right to pre-
vent a violation of the law in' such a mannsr.—(Loud
cheers.) Farther, I must go on to state that
there was ectually in the instance to which I refer dan•-
ger of a breach of the peace, and lam sure both the
House and the country will think, in the words
of the proclamation, that whilst we are re-
solved to maintain for every member of the
Roman Catholic religion the undisturbed enjoyment of
his legal rights, and the fall and free exercise of his re-
ligious proceedings, we are determined to see, at the same
Male, that the law is observed, and if it be not observed,
then that circumstance will necessarilidraw down pue'
nishroent on those who after this warning shill wilfully
neglect it, and mast obviously, instead of allaying reli-
!was differences, increase them materially, and in the
"salt terzninete in breaches of the peace,—(Cheers.) -
Tts„ COUNTY RATES BILL. .
ee /louse thenwent
After into Committee on this Bill.
eat me dismission on Hone of the clauses, they were
eed to, and the having returned,
The
ordered to ,axaN reported progr6ss, and the Bill was
BisricTiaroVati third time to-morrow.
CEIRISTCHURCH (NEW ZEA-
LAND) BILL.
Kr. ADDERLt
hatr
bmoved rue; secend reading of this
The Bill
_eau obsted both by exaggera-
tion and misrepresent
words the object of tV_lctale He would state in a few
ine,eaLo of his Bishop Selwyn, finding
the PeSlaulation too great for hie
iil;bnocucer s 2, statedy .T thee,
division of his diocese was
unaidtei
. (14=1
° (11)37 too asked for this divi-
sion, and her Majesty area favour
The Solo difficulty in the
of this division.*
was a technictl hiforosalitrn was, that there'
whieh the Bishop had rett„d4 h Itth, eb.deed by
and it was this circuesstanco which ten a is patent-,
that t
He found uered the present
Bill neceseery.este were so wore?s
in one of the clauses of this Bill which might ma
r of the conso, •-molt I
be , 4e
as ng the power
ahf h •
c it ops
to Parliament. Those wores Wha "
strike our. He had been willing to adopt thQin. t e
proposed to hi t`o of the
bishopric which had been b tee Ron
Member for Yougehal, bat this the t t
9rneY'Gyeteral Was'
unwilling to accede to. He trusted that the Lill
we
aid
u
nos meet with- any obstruction. e
Mr. W. WILLIAMS should not offer any oppeation
to the Bill.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL 'stated that this was
not a Government Bill, but as a Minister of. the Om'
he could not consent to entertain changes which had beten
proposed in the preamble of the' Bill. In the year
1841, the bishopric of New Zealand was founded
by letters-patent, and bestowed upon Bishop
Selwyn. It became neceseary from
of population to create a new bishopri the increase
c. Before it
Vas possible for her Majesty to create a new bishopric
it was necessary that no right should exist. Now
Bisifop Selwyn objected to surrender his diocese
according to the terms of hie letters-patent.
The deed of resignation executed by him had been cols-
sidered by the law officers of so uncertain a character
that. they had recommended that the object shotild be
acedhipliehed by means of an Act of Parliament. This
• Bill oely proposed to make this resignation valid in order
to enable her Mejesty to erect a new bishopric in New
Zealand. He did not think that any one considering
these eirciunstances could offer any serious opposition to
• this 13ill.
Ala HEY. WORTH objected to the Bill on the ground
• that it would involve the levying of rates in this country
fur the payment of the salaries of bishops in New Zea-
land. Lla should*move the adjournment of the debate.-
Mr. ANSTEY would second .the najournment of the
debate, The point at issue was the ecclesiastical sup
Criticl ro.; macs of tee Queen in her colonial possessions. fica
this suprcoacy,, and had thercfote
proposed tio• taceation ih the io-o-isable of t' 4 • ata JldL
cauterwry
ever . L k4uc?li p.:wer to introduce into
cc,olasir.attcal abuse which echoed in
this country. lie see
precatt,a any such attempt to eats-
;ece the liornan Cateeees ed ih
jest cbutch,situ - a- tee ar erents tha
~ tueralmre of other denomina-
tions in A(ew ea:amnia to the 1. w l • •
ece estastteal and
courts ecclesiastical,
a had alwas bid defiance
$0 reform, and of which they hail little chance of getting
Kong and Victoria,
rid. The curse of ecclesiastical I - •
law vxisted Hong-
winced to keep it out of
errlion Zealand. If the . 141 e
'er (Mr. Adderle ) had
Tel-, • •' opted the wise • and ""guarded act i Y
for the tr • ii‘r°3uccd bthe
34, lit Hen. Member niversity Oxford
Yea.J,,Lasee hs'a trr 'G' ea if ) he' ittniltrnOt have
' ° a ......?Pingled hie]
sea ' sea '". • ittee,
ass lacse: •-0.-te • . ,
easese sever ayes
h'S.oe7See Set 4

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