The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-01 00:00:00

out reviling or insulting.—( Hear.) As to the prosecution.
the person prosecuted had publicly affirmed the Catholic
religion to be the most detestable religion upon the face
of the earth—and whet he (Lord Gleuelg) considered the
character of the Maltese population, he really did congra-
tulate himself that the ordinance enabled a punishment to
be inflicted on a man who could so disregard the first
principles of humanity—so forget the principles of the re-
ligion of which he professed himself the advocate—as to
stigmatise, in such terms, the religion under which he was
tolerated. Then with respect to the censure of private
individuals. The law of England, in precept, if not in
practice, was very severe upon defamation. And if it was
remembered that the Editor of one Maltese paper (we un-
derstood the Harlequin) had actually threatened to publish a
minute examination of every family in the island—
( Laughter)—he ( Lord Glenelg) certainly did not regret
that this ordinance afforded the means of punishing such
unwarrantable interference with private character.—
( Hear.) This, then, was his responsibility with regard to
this ordinance, which be had approved of generally, as a
proper substitute for the censorship of the Press. Had
time allowed, he was persuaded that there would have
been multitudes of petitions in favour of the continuance
of,the ordinance, It was in consequence of petitions from
Malta that the Commission had been appointed which framed
the oreinance. And already a petition had been presented
by the Malteise agent in this country, through whose in-
strumentality the cemmission had been appointed, earnestly
praying_ that the ordinance might not be altered. The
Noble Lord concluded a speech, which at times was very
inaudible, fro:n his droppii.g his vice at the close of
sentences, by entreating their Lirdships not ro repeal
this ordinance, believing, as he did, that the result would
be most prejudicial to the Island of Malta,—framed as the
ordinance had been, as the first atternet towards effecting
any thing like the freedom of the press in that island.
Lord BROUG H A M explained.

The Bishop of EXETER felt it necessary to make a
few remarks in consequence of the expressions which had
fallen from the Noble Lord, and the Noble and Learned
Lord relative to the Roman Catholic religion, being ties
established religion of Adele.. He greatly mistook if in
any part of the detnintons of the Sovereign of England the
Reman Catholic religion could be' the established reli-
gion. It was contrary to the Act of Supremacy—it was
contrary to the coronation oath.; for her Majesty bad
sworn that she would maintain the Protestant religion as
established by law in England, Ireland, and all the ter-
ritories thereof. Was not Malta one of those terri-
tories ? If not, he was ready to admit that
his observations did not apply. He was ready to admit
that the inkabitents of that Island had strong claims upon
the utmost liberality iu protecting the religion which they
professed ; but when they became subjects of the British
Crown, they made no bargain that
,the fundamental laws
of this Kingdom should be violated., He looked forward
with great gratification to.an improved era of religious
improvement in, that Island, particularly from the visit of
the Illustrious Queen, whose benefits were experienced in
every place she visited.
The Marquis of NORMA NBY said, be would take up
the question from the time at which he came into office, and
did not doubt that the Noble Lord would be pre-
pared at the proper time to vindicate the whole
course of his policy with respect to that island.
With reference to the individuals to whom
allusion had been made, the Chief Justice and the Attor-
ney. General, he wished to speak of them with every re-
spect. He concurred in the decision which his Noble
Friend had given as to their continuance in office not being
advantageous to the community in which they resided, and
that they were overpaid servants with very inadequate du-
ties to perform. The simple question now was, what in-
terference their Lordships would make .under the actual
circumstances of the case. He thought the Noble and
Learned Lord would not be inclined to press his mo-
tion, because he had seen the difficulty and delicacy
of such interference as he now wished their Lord-
ships to sanction, by having on four different occa-
sions varied the terms of his motion. It was rather curious
to consider the shape in which this interference first took
place. About ten days since the Noble and Learned Lord
came down to the House with art Italian newspaper, con-
taining a copy of the ordinance, and inquired whether it
had been disallowed or not. He (the Marquis of Nor-
manby)stated that the ordinanee had not been disallowed,
nor had 'it been confirmed.' The day after the Noble Lord
came down with another Italian paper, from which he read
an extract from a trial which had taken place, and com-
mented upon the concluding words of the libel of which the
person had been convicted ; but be was sure the Noble and
Learned Lord would not have done this if be had read the
whole of the libel. If thare were any of our possessions in
wllich it w•. 3 mere ricoreua that religious discussion of an
lute:lntent, eature aheuld be prevented, it was Malta;
and it was also peculiarly improper that the publication of
arch a libel should have taken plice at such a moment,
because an attempt had been made to connect it with an
act of great benevolence, and no ' person would regret
such a p.-rverstou of- motives more than Queen Ade-
laide, in connection with liar having laid the foun-
&awn- of it Protestant Church in Malta. With re-
opt,et to tile lileala on private character, he would
fairly sly there were words which, at this moment,
were under the consideration of the Government. There
wasa citseri,i- of horror felt arming many respecteble
fami-
lies for fear they .hould be suhj,:et to attacks from which.
in this country, the peers wa., not entirely exempt. If
there was any one pert of the ordinance in accordance
with the feelinea of the pe iple of Malta more then 4;10•
ther, it was ll+, exemption of private character from sy4-
tematie wits such as those made by Mr. Richaidsen
in the Harlequin who had thr,a,eited tilmo4t every pet son
ea ,Malta. Tae G )vertiment had felt d ffi,ulty cur.
•ai,, 1r its of the o,cit:..ince, and in consequence of their
attention having been dit eet eti to it, tilt.), had instructed
the G :vernor, by whose authority thew prosecution; were
to he ir-,,tlru,d, that this authorio, was to be not ni,,ely
nominal. b it tiat he wits to ex -resat a control, over the
public pros- titer ea to the pros- Cittiorli that. were to be in-
lieder there ei:curns aete a he felt that more solid
°lT:cones than these urged by the Noble and Learned Lord
must be brought fere aril to induce their Lordships to resort
to the extraordinery- measure of an address to the Ciro% n.
He w;iuld also draw their Lordships' attention to the wer,
of the law previous to the isauiag of this ordinance, and
remind them that the eff,:ct of disallowing it would be the
re.establishment of a censorship of the most disastrous
kind, and the re-estabiishment of the (,lovernment press on
the footing of a complete monopoly; and another evil
would be that during all that time the Island would; as it
heretofore had been, be inundated with libels published in
foreign permit' consequence of the non-existence of any
taw of

The Deice of WELLINGTON would not ,have
troubled their Lerdships at all up en this question had it
not been for what had.. fallen from the N)ble
B-.ron oeposite. The Noble and Learned Lord
had stated in a most unrivalled speech his objections
to this ordinance. but the Noble Marquis stated on this
what he had stat?d on a former occasion, that the subject
was under the consideration of the Government. Unties
these circumstances, he felt himself relieved from the
necessity of voting this address, and considered that the
proper course for tlm House to adopt would be to request
the Noble and Learned Lord to withdraw his motion. He
was anxious to address their Lordships in consequence of
an observation whieh had b.,en made, by a Noble Baron
opposite. °H-.(the 'Debi of Wellington) bad always sup-
posed if there existed ' any part Of her Majesty's
dominions in which a_ free press was not necessary,
Malta that was part. Our business in Malta sees to main-
tain it as a garrison and a great naval station The popu-
lation of Malta consisted of .about one hundred thousand
persons, for whom he entertained the highest respect and
regarc', being convinced that her Majesty bad not better
or more devoted subjects.—(Cheers.) It was the duty
of her Majeety's Government, as far as they had it in
their power, to superintend the government of the good
people of Malta, and for a people who talked the Maltese
language, and that language alone, and of
.whom not
one in five hundred can read a line. Surely of all the
institutions of this country, the least necessary for such a
people 'ens a free press. He would not dispute with the
Noble Baron or the Noble and Learned Lord as to the
advantages of a free press, but he believed that there were
institutions for education, and other descriptions of institu•
tions, still more necessary for the happiness of the people
of Malta than a free press, and which it would be neces-
sary to give them before-hand, in order to reader this free
press useful and advantageous to them. Tht.re was a c,!r-
lain liberal aet of gentlemen in this country who thought
a free p;•ess in Malta very desirable not for the sake of the
Maltese, but for the sake of the advantage to be produced
on the eeiebbeurieg coasts of France, Spain, aed Italy.
He acquitted tile Noble Lords of being actuated by am
feeling of this sort at the pres-nt moment, sithough he
could nut acquit thou of this charge at all times. But he
believed they had now had enough of private wars— -he
believed it It a, neither to the security nor the advantage of
this country to carry on wars in distant parts of the world,
or in oirtyitearer home ; but he believed such to be the
object of this free oreis—an object with the interests and
oith the hon:.ur of this coutittl—with the interests, be-
cause it was manifest that the item sts of this cuuutiy
essentially depended not only on the maintenance of peace
ceuselves, but in preventing if possible, disttebenee
among other nations ; and:with our honour, because our
ht.) lour depended upen our not exciting insurrection and
rebellion in other countries, at the same moment that their
Governinents were ostensibly at peace with this nation.
If this free press was for the Maltese, in God's name let it
he in. the Maltese language, and he would recommend the
Noble Marrois to amend this ordinance, by determining
that the press that should come under those regulations,
should be in the Maltese language. The Noble Baron
had stated, he considered a free press necessary for Malta,
in order to remedy the evils of a long period of misgovern.
ment. He (the Duke of Wellington) could not see how this
press was to save the people of. Malta from such evils, but he
would remind the Noble Lord that during the greater part of
this period Malta had been under his own Government, at all
events, he thought the Noble Lord had been in office under
the Governments of those whom be now accused of misgo-
verning Malta, at least for 20 out of 25 years, with the ex-
ception of a year and a half, during which be (the Duke
of Wellington) bad had the misfortune to lose the confi-
dence of the Noble Lord, but most certainly not on account
of any misgovernment of Malta.—(Cheers and laughter.)
He (the Duke of Wellington) must give a different ac-
count of that Island. He was astonished at the excellence
of its government, immensity of its resources, and the
readiness with which those resources were afforded to her
Majesty's troops to enable them to carry onthealte
warse
against the enerny_; he said this in justice to the Maltese
and to those Noble and Honourable persons who
had governed them. He had known
_Malta
up to within the last twenty years, and he
believed that on the face of the globe there was not a place
of the same extent and population possessing_ a thousandth
part of the riches and resources of the island. This was
a question which ought to rest in thehands
a freeoftheGopverernss
it, Govern.
ment—if they thought proper to establish
in the Island ho could not help and had no desire to
make any motion to prevent it, but he would beseech theta
to remember that while he maintained Malta as a garrison
and anaval station, we bad great duties to. perform ; it was
. our duty to govern the population of Malta according to
their laws, and to promote their prosperity by every means I
in our power, and he would say that if a free press were ne- I