The Sun.
London, England, 1837-06-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, JuNE 9.

The LORD CHANCELLOR teak his scat on the Woolsack
at Five o'Clock.

The Earl of HARE WOOD presented a petition from
Thirsk in favour of the Great North Railway.
_ _

Mr. POTTER and other Members of the House of Com-
mons brought up the Welland Enclosure Bill and several
other private Bills.
Lord DEVON presented a petition in favour of the
Lord's Day Bill.
Several private Bills on the table were advanced a stage.

The Duke of RICHMOND moved for a return of the
amount received by the extra halfpenny charged in postage
in Scotlan 1 ; also for a Return of the amount of tolls
paid by mail-co aches there since the imposition of those
charges.

JUDGES OPINIONS BILL.

Lord DEVON moved the second reading- of this Bill.

The Duke of RICHMOND asked whether it was not
the law now that Quarter Sessions could ask the opinion
of the Judges.

Lord DEVON said that application must first be made
to the Secretary of State.

After a short conversation the Bill was postponed ti‘
Tuesday.

IRISH MUNICIPAL BILL.

Viscount MELBOURNE moved the Order of the
Day for going into Committee on this Bill. _ _

Lord -LYN DHU Rs'T said he had not been in the House
when this Bill was last under consideration ; but he
would take that opportunity of saying that he agreed in
the course pursued by their Lordships in respect to it.
It appeared to him also that consistently with them-
selves, and, acting as they ought, they could not pursue any
other course except a further prolongation of the considera-
tion of the Bill. On the former occasion the Noble Duke
moved to postpone the committal of the Bill, in order to afford
an opportunity for two other Bills which were before the
other House to come before their Lordships.—( Hear.)
It was certainly supposed that, when they came
before them, means would be found, from the mate-
rials of which they were formed, of such a character as
would deprive this measure of some portion of what
was objectionable in it. Accordingly, the committal of it
was postponed to tae present day. That had been done
on the assumption of the fact that the two Bills in ques-
tion would be now in their Lordships' House. It appeared,
however, that in this the Noble Duke was mistaken ; for
the second reading of one of them was appointed for this
day. The Noble Marquis opposite had told their Lordships,
he (Lord L.) understood, that this was purely accidental, and
alive from the necessity resulting from the state of business
in the other House. He (Lord L.) was quite willing to as-
sume this to be the fact, he was bound to believe it to be so
—and if so, and if that circumstance could have been anti-
cipated by the Noble Duke, it would follow as a matter of
course, that instead of fixing the 9th of June for the com-
mittal of the Bill, he would have moved that it should be
taken on a more distant day.—(Hear, hear, hear.) How
then could it be consistent with their former pro-
ceedings, if he pursued any other course than to
move that the Committee be further postponed, in order
to carry out those views which they had formerly expressed ?
It seemed, then, that they had but one course to pursue—
that was, a further prolongation of the time for the com-
mittal of the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) It was opposed by
many Noble Lords on the opposite side of the
House, and was said to be equivalent to the re-
jection of the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) It was clear
that his Majesty's Ministers did not consider it so, because
they had pledge.] themselves that they would deprive the
country of their service and assistance in such a case ; the
postponement of the Bill had not led to such a calamity—
(A. laugh)—therefore he premised that the postponement
was not taken as a rejection by the Ministry. He was
not disposed to refer to the arguments which had been
used during the last Session, but he might be permitted
to say that he still retained the opinions which he had
then given utterance to. He considered that the best
and safest course for the tranquillity of Ireland was to
pursue the same measures which had been adopted
by the House last year. He was contented to give up his
own opinion and his own feelings, because he was most anxi-
ously desirous that this question should be settled ; because he
was convinced that in matters of legislation it was safest not
only to do that which was best, but also to give up some part
of their own feelings, in order that the legislation should
be satisfactory to the country. If he were satisfied that the
Bill were so moulded and framed as that it might pass into
a law, consistently with the tranquillity of Ireland—con-
sistent with the safety of the Protestant Establishment
and Protestant interests—then he would be most
desirous that it should pass into a law, but he agreed
with what had fallen from the Noble Duke (Wellington)
on a former occasion that unless it could be so formed—
unless it could be so moulded as to give safety to the Protes-
tant establishments of the country, no consideration on earth
should induce them to pass it. He was firmly of opi-
nion, that upon the tranquillity of Ireland founded
upon Protestant principles, depended the perma-
nancy of the union of the empire. It was not
his intention to go into the details of the measure.
He would merely glance at them in passing ; and first, he
would call on their Lordships to look to the qualification
which was to be settled by the Bill. By looking at that clause
their Lordships would be convinced the vvliole scope of the Bill
was to hand over the corporations of Ireland to the Roman Ca-
tholics. The corporations of Ireland were now exclusive ; they
were now exclusively Protestant, but it was to be borne in mind
that theywere now in the same state, and acting for the same
purposes for which they were established—namely, the
support of the Protestant Establishment of that coun-
try.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") Considering the changes
that had taken place in the manners and customs since those
early days, he was willing yet to go so far as the measure of
last Session ; but by the Bill before the House, it was pro-
posed that the corporations should be exclusively Catholic,
and be placed under the dominion of the agitators of that
country. That was the immediate object and the avowed
one. The further object was one which was kept steadily
in view, viz., the destruction of the Protestant establish-
ments, and he could not help thinking that the Ministry
shared in the feeling which he had stated. Observing the
language which they held with respect to Ireland, he felt
bound to think so, and it was quite natural, because they
looked towards the support of that party in Ireland for
their own continuance in power.—<Cheers.)
.If he had
wished for a striking and convincing illustration of
what he had put forth, it would be the conduct of
the Government with respect to Ireland. Neither the
history of this country, or of any other civilized one, ever
showed an establishment such as Ireland now contained.
The Association was composed of men from all parts of
Ireland,' to a very great extent of the priesthood.—
(Cheers.) It was in direct communication with the
whole of the Catholic priesthood of Ireland.—( Hear,
hear.) In every parish it had its agents under the name of
pacificators.—(Cheers.) It assumed to itself the powers
of levying money, voluntarily it was stated ; but in many
known cases it was forced.—(Cheers.) They took
upon themselves to superintend the registration.—(Conti..
nued cheering.) They also overawe the elections,
and in many instances even the Government itself.—(Loud
cheers.) The principles upon which it was established
were avowedly the overthrow of the Established Church.—
(Cheers.) They declared that they would never dissolve
their body until they had attained their object, or in the
event of its being lost, until they had obtained the
Repeal of ti►e Uhion.—(Continued cheering.) What
step had the Government taken with respect to that Asso-
ciation ? They had never taken any step for the purpose
of dissolving it. So far from making any attempt to abate
the nuisance, they had directly supported it, by appoint-
ing its members to the Magistracy as Assistant-Bar-
risters, even though one of the avowed objects of the
Society was to overawe the decisions of that House.
Nay, more, one of the objects of the Association being the
superintendence of the registry, they had selected from it
persons whose duty it would he to preside over the registry
of freeholders—nay, more (to show the manner in which
they had countenanced that Association), they had se-
lected one of the most influential members of the body,
and who was employed in the original formation of its regu-
lations, for the most private and confidential oiiiee with
which any one could be entrusted under the Government of
Ireland—an office in which: he might be callsd upon to
pass judgment upon the pi ocaedings of that Association.
They had done nothing to discountenance it, but every
thing to encourage and uphold it.—( Hear.) In stating that,
he wished to draw the attention of their Lordships to the
conduct of the Irish Government i❑ reference to another as-
sociation of a widely different ❑ature. He (Lord L.) never
had approved of the manner in which the Orange Societies
were organized—there was a defect in their constitution, but
they were assembled for the purpose of supporting the in-
stitutions as by law established, and above all, for the pro-
tection of the Protestant Establishment and .the Pro-
testant religion in Ireland. The moment his Ma-
jesty had intimated his desire that they should put
an end to their Association, then by a voluntary act they
had dissolved themselves—( Hear, hear, from the Duke of
Cumberland.) But what was the conduct of the Government
with respect to that body? They had laid it down
as a rule that no member of that Society should be
appointed to any official situation, and they had carried
that into effect in the most important points ; and they were
prevented from entering the police, as was embodied in an
Act of Parliament which had passed that House in the last
Session. Was he not warranted then in the statement with
which he set out, that the increase in the Catholic religion
was not viewed with distaste by the Noble Viscount opposite?
He did not say that was not natural—it was a formidable
was for a time exercised in favour and support
!rnment, and therefore he did not mean to say
natural, they should look to an Association of

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