The Sun.
London, England, 1837-03-11 00:00:00

CHURCH-RATES,

Mr. BELL presented petitions from Cumberland in favour
of Church-rates.

Lord PO LLINGTON presented two petitions from places
in the county of York against the abolition of Church-rates.
Mr. T. D UNCOM B F. brought in the Bill which he obtained
leave to introduce last night, for abolishing the necessity for the
payment of rates required under the Reform . Bill before a
party was qualified to vote. The Bill was read a first time,
and ordered to be read a second time on the 10th of April.
Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND moved that the petition
of Lord Howden, presented on the, ith of March, against cer-
tain clauses in the York and North Midland Railway Bill,
should be referred to the Committee.—Agreed to.
SOUTHAMPTON RAILWAY.
Mr. Alderman WOOD presented a petition against the
Southampton Railway.

DUTY ON TOBACCO.
Mr. HUTT presented a petition from 300 of his consti-
tuents, praying for the repeal of the duty on Tobacco.
CHURCH-RATES.

Col. ANSON presented petitions from parishes in Stafford
against Church-rates.

—Mr. R. STEUART presented petitions to the same effect.
Mr. L AMBTON presented similar petitions from parishes
in Durham.

Sir F. POLLOCK presented petitions from several places
against the abolition of Church-rates.
Mr. FOSTER presented a petition from Walsall against
the Ministerial plan for the abolition of Church-rates.

HoNITON WATER-WORKS.
Mr. VIVIAN brought up the noniton Water-works Bill,
which was ordered to be read a first time.

FOREIGN WOOL.
Sir G. STRICKL A ND presented a petition from a parish
in Yorkshire, praying for a repeal of the duty on foreign wool
and olive oil.

CORPORATE REFORM (IRELAND).
Mr. G. S. BARING presented several petitions from the
county of Cork, praying for Municipal Reform for Ireland,
fur the vote by Ballot, and for the total abolition of Tithes.

CHURCH-A.
Mr. ALSTON presented a petßitionTES from a parish in Hert-
fordshire, praying for the total abolition of Church-rates.
Mr. C. BARCLAY presented petitions against the aboli-
tion of Church-rates, from places in Surrey and Essex.
Mr. BAINES gave notice that on Monday he should move
for a return of the annual revesue of every Archbishopric,
Bishopric, Archdeaconry, Deanery, and Prebendary,
in England and Wales, according to the Report of the
Commission appointed by his Majesty for the three years ending
the 31st December, 1831, with the average sum paid each
year as first fruits, on the induction of each incumbent, as pro-
vided by the 2d of Queen Anne.
Mr. PEASE presented two petitions, praying for an al-
teration in the Clarence Railway.
Mr. WI LBRA II AM presented two petitions from Cheshire,
praying for a repeal of the duty upon raw Cotton.
Mr. BERNAL presented a petition from Rochester, pray-
ing for the abolition of Church-rates.
LONDON AND BRIGHTON RAILWAY.
Sir G. SINCL AIR presented a petition against this
Railway.

SOAP DUTIES.
Mr. BAILEY presented a petition from Worcester, pray-
ing for a repeal of the duty on Soap.
BOROUGH OF HYTHE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL would take that oppor-
tunity of correcting a misrepresentation that had gone abroad
with respect to what he had said on the occasion of a petition
being presented by the Hon. Member for Hythe (Mr. Marjo-
ribanks). He (the Attorney-Geueral) had been supposed
to express an opinion that the
Mayor of Hythe had
greatly misconducted himself. He had expressed no such

opinion. He had stated that he was entirely ignorant of the
facts, and he merely said if the Mayor had misconducted him-
self, he was open to the tribunals of the country. He had
reason to believe that the Mayor had conducted himself under
the best advice which the English bar could afford, and he be-
lieved that the charge brought against that gentleman was
wholly unfounded.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON trusted the House would pardon
hint if he occupied its time for a few moments relative to the
case of a gentleman of the county of Limerick, named Potter,
who considered his character to have been impugned by the
statements made by a Noble Lord ( Clements) a few nights ago.
The House would recollect that the Noble Lord had stated
that Mr. Potter was a Tithe Proctor ; that afterwards he became
an anti-tithe agitator; and ultimately became an attorney.
He ( Mr. Sergeant Jackson) had received a communication
from Mr. Potter, in which he stated that the whole of the
imputations against him were totally unfounded, and every
charge untrue. He stated that he never was a tithe-proctor
—that he never became an anti-tithe agitator—or held the
office of an attorney. He had been an agent to one of the
Beresford family for upwards of fourteen years. He was
afterwards agent to the ecclesiastical body of the county of
Limerick, which situation he now held, and had done so for
a long time. He denied the whole of the imputations that
were made against him.
Lord MORPETH was not aware of the particulars of the
transaction to which the Learned Sergeant had referred. He
believed his Noble Friend (the Member for county Leitrim),
who made the statement was then attending the assizes of that
county.—( Hear, hear.)
COUNTY OF LIMERICK.

Mr. Sergeant JACKSON wished to know whether the
Noble Lord had received any information respecting the
state of things in the county of Limerick. A clergyman
in that country had been attacked by a band of fifteen
ruffians, who had set fire to his house, shot a valuable
horse, fired shots after the clergyman himself, and had kept
possession of the high road from Limerick. This was the in-
formation he (Mr. Jackson) had received of the state of things
while the assizes were going on in that county.
Lord MORPETII—I have not received any accounts of
the affair to which the Hon. and Learned Gentleman refers.
Mr. POWER pre'sented petitions in favour of corporate
reform for Ireland, from the inhabitants of West Shiel, Ma-
her, Bargie, Duncormack, Killay, Kilcoon, and Ballyconnick,
county of Wexford. Also, petitions from the same places for
,he total abolition f Tithes. Also, from Gorey, and St. Mary's,
New Ross, with similar prayers.
SOAP DUTIES.

Col. SEALE presented a petition, praying for the Aboli-
tion of the Duties on Soap.
CHURCH ENDOWMENTS (SCOTLAND.)
Sir W. RAE wished to know from the Noble Lord the
Secretary of the Home Department whether the Report of
the Commissioners, some time since published respecting the
Church Endowments in Scotland, was taken into con-
sideration by Government, and whether they were
disposed to introduce any legislative enactment on the subject?
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said the Report referred to by
the Hon. Baronet was, he believed, laid before the Govern-
ment on the 21 s t of February, and it was stated that other Re.
ports were to follow. Undoubtedly the subject was under the
consideration of Government, but he could not pledge himself
to bringing forward any legislative measure respecting it dur-
ing the present session'.
CHURCH-RATES.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY wished to inquire from the Noble
Secretary for the Home Department whether there would be
any objection on the part of Government to divide the resolu-
tion respecting Church-rates into two distinct parts. There
were by that resolution two distinct objects contemplated : the
first related to the abolition of all Church-rates in future, and the
second to the mode of providing for the maintenance of the
fabric of the Church. As regarded the one, he was quite
disposed to support it, but upon the other he had considerable
doubts.
Lord J. RUSSELL would at once answer the question of
the Hon. Gentleman, by saving that he should object to di-
viding the resolution. The Honourable Gentleman should
see that the object of the Government was not alone to
abolish Church rates, but to provide for the deficiency thus
created. The Hon. Gentleman, and some few Members,
might be content with carrying the resolution abolishing
Church-rates, and yet would not be prepared to agree in the
mode of supplying means for maintaining in future the fabric
of the Church. Now that was not the object of Government,
and he should, therefore, object to dividing the resolutions.
POOR LAWS (IRELAND).
Mr. VESEY begged to ask the Noble Lord (Russell)
when the discussion upon the Irish Poor Laws would come
on, as a great number of the Irish Members had been detained
from their attendance at the assizes on that account.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said it was his intention
.to have
taken the discussion upon the second reading before Easter,
but he was very doubtful if that could be now done; nod if it
would suit the convenience of the Irish Members, he should
defer it till after Easter.
CHURCH ENDOWMENT (SCOTLAND).
Sir W. RAE said the explanation of the Noble Lord was
so unsatisfactory with respect to the intentions of Government
upon the subject of the Church Endowment (Scotland) Com-
mission, that he should soon after Easter bring the whole sub-
ject before the House.—( Hear, hear.)
PROMOTION IN THE MARINES.

Lord GEORGE LENNOX, in rising to bring forward
the subject of Promotions in the Marine service, of which he
had given notice, would not trespass long upon the attention of
the House. Honourable Members were aware that in

that service there were but three corps—the Artillery,
the Engineers, and Marines ; and in comparison with
the Ordnance, promotion was extremely slow. It should also
be borne in mind that officers of the Marines, having nothing
to look to but their promotion from length of service, could
not under the present system expect to arrive at the command
of a division until they were upwards of 70 years of
age. In his opinion the policy towards that corps seemed
to have been to consider, not what might be granted, but what
might be withheld from them. They had been considered
even unworthy of holding the rank of colonel in their own
service ; but it was sufficient for him to show that by the pre-
sent system of promotion the officers were nearly ineffec-
tive, particularly in the higher ranks. , The senior colonel
commandant was seventy-seven years old—another had
been 55 years in the service, another 59, and the age of the
youngest was 58 years. One Colonel Commandant had re-
peatedly stated, that from his advanced age anti infirmities, it
was impossible for him to perform the duty with satisfaction
to himself, or with advantage to the service.—( Hear, hear.)
The average length of service of the Lieutenant-Colonels
Commandant and Majors was from forty to forty-four years:
One of the majors, who had the duty of turning out the guard,
was actually obliged to go either in a gig or a fly, from his in-
ability to ride or walk. The two senior captains in the Marines
had been forty years in the service—the eight next, thirty-
nine years, and the other thirty-eight—and even the junior
captain had been twenty-nine years in the Marines. The ten
senior lieutenants in the Marines had served twenty-nine
years—the next fifteen lieutenants, twenty-eight years, &c. He
would ask the House whether officers who had served 40
years, and who could not have entered the Marines till they
were 20 or 21 years—he would ask whether a fair pros-
pect of the advantages given to other corps was held
out to them ? In 1825 the Senior Captain of the Artillery had
served 24 years—had he been in the Marines he would have
held the situation of 24th Captain—if the case were reversed
then the 24th Captain of the Marines would have been
a full Colonel. At the present time the Senior Captain of
the Artillery would be sth Captain in the Marines, while
the sth Captain in the Marines, had he the good fortune to
have beep in the Artillery, would have arrived a: the rank of
Major-General. There were many such cases, but he would
trouble the House with only one other.—( Hear, hear.)
During the war, and in one of the most brilliant
actions of it, the contest between the Shannon and the
Chesapeake, the Second Lieutenants in the Navy were most
deservedly pronuted ; but L eu e;ant Law, of the Marines,
who was acknowledged as brave, and who had boarded as soon
as the others, was still a Lieutenant in the Marines. Having
thus called the attention of the House to these few facts, he
would not weary them by entering into further details. He
did not intend to east blame on the present Board of Admi-
ialty—it was against the system he complained, and that sys-
tem required further reform. The Marines, it must be
admitted, had not received that fair share of promotion to
which they were entitled. Were they not equally deserving ?
—( Hear, hear.) He entreated the House to grant a Com-
mittee, and to do justice to the Marines. The Noble Lord
concluded by moving for the appointment of a Select Com-
mittee to inquire into the subject.
Captain BOLDER() seconded the motion. He would
undertake to say, that upon inspection the Marine forces
would be found as efficient, as deserving, and as well qua-
lified, in all respects, as any other part of the service.
The conduct of Government towards Major Owen was, in his
opinion, most disgraceful. He thought the system referred to
by him a bad one, and he was happy it was destroyed ;
but in the mode of destroying it they inflicted some
injury upon the service. If they would not reward officers
for the gallant services they had rendered to the country,
how could other men be induced to act bravely by the hope of
promotion? The Government might say they were not in
office when these things had taken place, and that, conse-
quently, they had not the means of ascertaining the truth of
the statementi ; but what he asked was a Committee to enquire
into the circumstances, that the House might have the opinion
of experienced officers upon them. He thought enough had
been stated to show that the Government did not act pro-
perly in the matter; and he should, therefore, with great
pleasure, second the resolution.
Sir E. CODRINGTON sincerely hoped the Government
would not oppose the present motion—inquiry was at least due
to that body..---( Hear, Hear.) He having witnt.ssed their effi-
ciency in action upon more than one occasion, would say that
they had done their duty nobly.—(Cheers. ) With respect to
the statement made by the lion. Member who had last
spoken, of Colonelcies having been given away, he would state,
that 8,0001. had been added to the estimates for that purpose,
and the commissions had been given to meritorious naval officers.
The great misfortune of the present system of promotion in
the Marine corps was, that no matter how a man might dis-
tinguish himself, he could not be rewarded in the way he me-
rized. It was not quite fair to refer to individual cases, but he
%,ould state that Captain Mallett was an exception. No man
had more distinguished himself at the battle of Trafalgar, and
the Admiral had declared he considered him more than equal to
the bast Lieutenant in his ship. That officer had never received
the smallest reward until lately, when his Majesty had conferred
upon him the Guelphic Order. Ile sincerely hoped that the I
p-esent motion, to which he gave his cordial assent, would be
.--eccdcd to.

Mr. C. WOOD said though he could not agree to the ap-
pointment of the Committee, yet he entirely concurred in the
g: o Lter part of what had fallen. from the 'Hon. Gentleman.
lie was most happy to add his approbation to that of the