The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-20 00:00:00

'ERIAL PARLIAM.E:

HOUSE OF LORDS—Last Evening,
The Lord Chancellor took his seat at the usual hour,
AUGMENTATION OF BENEFICES BILL.

Lord BROUGHAM said he was pleased to see that their
lordships had given a first reading to this bill, of which he
highly approved. The noble and learned lord had not de-
prived the Great Seal of any living which was of the least
importance. It was those small livings which were
an incumbrance, and when he came into power in
1830, the first thing he did was to address a
circular to all the right rev, prelates, giving up all livings
that did not exceed £l5O per annum. During the four years
that he held the Great Seal, he had been in constant com-
munication with the right rev, prelates, and from cone u-
sions he then came to, he only regretted one thing, and
that was that he did not prohibit the sale of the next pre-
sentation. The noble lord could not resume his seat with-
out again expressing his approbation of the bill.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Duke of Norfolk's Estate—Meux's Estate—New-
port Pagnell Railway—Furness Railway and Barrow
Herbaria- Commissioners—Furness and Midland—Great
Western and West Midland Railway Amalgamation—
Great Western, West Midland, and South Wales Railway
Companies Amalgamation—and Great Western Railway
(Branch at Great Bridge) Bills were read a second time.
THIRD READINGS.
The Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway—
Newry and Greenore Railway and Pier and Wet Dock—
Dundalk and Darlingford and Greenore Railway—London
Traffic Regulation—Sowerby Bridge Local Board—Mersey
Docks and Harbour Board—North-Eastern and Stockton
and Darlington Railway Company Amalgamation bills
were read a third time and passed.
ACT OF UNIFORMITY AMENDMENT BILL.
Lord EBURY rose to move the second reading of this
bill. He said he need not say the subject was one of
great importance, but as the subject was a very
dry and ab,trnse one, he did not think it would
largely interest the house, and therefore he hoped their
lordships would extend to him their patience and indul-
gence. When he brought forward the subject last year he
did not press their lordships to a division, on account of
acceding to the request of the right rev. prelate who pre.
sided over the diocese of London, which was to give further
time for a full consideration of the subject before giving a
decided opinion on the bill. He was fully convinced that the
time had now arrived when the consideration and settle-
ment could be no longer postponed. He might say, on the
present occasion, he brought forward the bill with the con-
currence of a large number of the clergy of the Church of
England, because not a single petition had been presented
against the second reading. When he brought forward a
proposition for a revision of the Prayer-book, a memorial,
with upwards of 10,000 signatures, had been presented
against his proposition, and as there had been an absence of
such an expression on the pi esent occasion he felt he might
consider it a most favourable omen. He had formerly
gone so fully into the acts of uniformity, subscription, and
declaration, that there was no need of doing so on that oc-
casion.
Many hut dreds of young men who might do
good service in the Church were kept from entering
it by the restrictions imposed upon them, and
personally he knew a number of talented young men
who would have been members of the ministry if the
bill he had now the honour of submitting to them had
passed. Having given an outline of the measure, the noble
lord resumed his seat by moving the second reading of the
bill.

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY opposed the
motion. After expressing his gratification at the very
moderate tone in which the node lord had introduced the
bill, he said he hoped that no word of his would tend to
disturb that moderation. He, however, thought the bill was
unnecessary; because, after all, it would be found, on refe-
rence to the enacting portion of the Uniformity Act, that
the declaration only referred to the "use" of the Book of
Common Prayer. He could not believe that the relief pro-
posed would be any real ease to the pious and well informed
mind, and with regard to the deficiency of candidates for
the Church, he thought that could hardly be said to be
attributable to the Uniformity Act, because that act had
been in operation 200 years, but the deficiency had not been

felt for more than 10 or 12. The true reason, he believed
was the great alteration in the relative value in a worldly
sense of Church preferments. He should therefore feel it

his duty to move the bill be read that day six months.
The Bishop of LONDON thought the declaration alto-
gether unnecessary, and being unnecessary, the sooner it
was expunged the better. He was sorry to differ from a
number of his right rev. brethren, and he was persuaded
they were all actuated by but one sincere desire for the
promotion of divine truth. He thought, if declarations
were to be retained at all, they should be in most explicit
language. (Hear, hear.) To show what value was at-
tached to it, he might mention that he held a number of
offices besides being a bishop, and he had never been called
upon to make that declaration in his life.
The Bishop of ST. DAVID'S would like to see nothing
retained in the Prayer-book that a Churchman could not
conscientiously subscribe to. He tb ought the declaration
clause so unnecessary that he should offer no objection to
its being expunged from the act.
Lord LYTTELTON opposed the bill.

The Bishop of OXFORD supported the amendment be-
cause he conscientiously believed it would give no relief to
anyone's religious scruples, while to the unconscientious
mind it would operate to release them apparently from the
obligation of avowing that what they meant was what they
said. He considered, however, that all subscriptions were
misfortunes—and if he were one of those employed to com-
mence a new code for the Church, he should probably not
include that one; but he could not agree to the proposal to
select that par,icular declaration and leave all other parts of
the subject untouched. He was afraid it had emanated from
some of those who wished to appear to conform outwardly
to that which they might inwardly, with safety, deny.
The Bishop of LLANDAFF said there was much truth
in what had fallen from his sight rev, brother; but at the
same time they could not support the amendment without

ssying in effect that they refused all concessions to the con-
scientious scruples which undoubtedly existed in the minds
of very large numbers of the community. It was to be re-
gretted that some middle course had not been pointed out,
by which, while the sacredness of divine truth was pre-
served, these conscientious scruples might be respected and
regarded. (Hear, hear.)
The Bishop of LICHFIELD thought it was a matter
for convocation.

Earl GREY supported the bill, and more Especially
since the most rev. prelate had explained that the decla-
ration of conformity did not mean quite all that it seemed to
mean. He thought nothing was more demoralising than
for young men to be told by the heads of the Church that
they were justified in making declarations which, while
they seemed to mean one thing, in_reality meant quite
another.

Lord EBURY having briefly replied, their lordships
divided—

For the second reading 5O
Against 9O
Majority against
REDEMPTION OF RENTS (IRELAND).
This bill was committed pro forma.
MARRIAGES, &c. (IRELAND), BILL.
Thi3 bill was read a third time.

STOCK CERTIFICATES TO BEARER BILL.
This bill was read a third time.
CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE BILL.

This bill was read a second time.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Last Evering.
The SPEAXER took the chair at the usual hour.
THIRD READINGS.
The Brecon Junction Railway Bill was read a third