The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 5, 1854,

►of the bill. He denied that there was anything unfound-
ed in the preamble, or that the machinery was impracti-
cably or offensively inquisitive, and therefore he objected
to shelving his bill until they obtained the report
of a committee, which, it was now clear, would
never be appointed. Nothing bad occurred to change
his opinion that ladies were coerced in convents for the
spoliation of their families, and the records of our courts
of law, which were occasionally resorted to for a restitu-
tion of the property, fully established the necessity for a
Lill of this nature, which rested upon no new principle,
but was founded upon the rule of law which protected
the child against the parent, or the ward against the
guardian, or the wife against the husband, in cases
IA here the transfer of property was concerned.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL for IRELAND cor-
rected the hon. and learned gentleman in supposing
that the noble lord at the head of the Home Depart-
ment had stigmatised the preamble of the bill as
untrue. What the noble lord said was, that the pre-
amble contained statements that were offensive to the
Roman Catholics, but which were wholly unnecessary
for the purposes of the bill. The effect of this bill, he
agreed with the noble lord, would practically nullify all
deeds of gift or wills executed in convents ; for though
a lady might leave property fairly amongst her brothers
and sisters, they could not take it if the bill passed without
proving to the satisfaction of a court of law that no
coercion had been used in the convent upon the lady.
No where were they to prove that ? It could not be
done, and the bill would therefore operate most un-
justly without accomplishing the real object which it had
in view.

Mr. NAPIER gave it as his opinion that the hon.
and learned gentleman had put a case which could not
arise, because such a disposition of a nun's pro-
perty would be contrary to her vow of poverty
and obedience. But the case fully illustrated the
necessity fur the bill, for many ladies in con-
vents who had the wish to do so were deterred by
the power of their superiors and the influence of their
vows from making such a disposition of their property,
and therefore, before any property should be allowed to
succeed to their convent, the superioress, or other party
interested, should be required to prove that they
had used no undue authority in order to obtain the
property. The only objection that he had to this bill
was simply that it did not go far enough, and entirely
prohibited vows.
Mr. R. PIIILLIMORE also thought the bill did not
go far enough, and declared that the question it involved
would never be settled until the law was revised, which
held the inmate of a convent acting under vows of obe-
dience and poverty to be civilly dead.
/Mr. MALINS took the noble lord the Secretary of
State for the Home Department to task for having
changed his opinion on this subject, and declared his
belief that the noble lord had made the change to con-
ciliate the Roman Catholic members who supported the
Government in times of pressure. The noble lord
said the bill did not go far enough, but if
the bill was so altered as to dispossess professed nuns, the
noble lord would turn round and say it went too far.
There was no having the noble lord anywhere, and he
regretted to find him so changeable and inconsistent.
The debate was adjourned until next Wednesday.
The other orders were then disposed of, and the house
adjourned shortly before six o'clock.

50
40
25
25

SHARE MARKETS.

(THIS DAY.)

BRITISH RAILWAYS.

Closing Prices
this day.

Business done
this day.

21 - 22

4i 41

7i 81
14 —l2 dis

15 - 17
8 - 74

87 - 89
51i - 52
13 -
8 - 10

'4:6 ::: i.

511 i 2 li ad

111 i

all
all
all
all
all
100

12
13i
20
20

Leasing
Company.

London &
N. West.
L. &N. W.
Caledon...

;t.Nrthn.
Caldonian.

Closing Prices
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Do
Westb
a. New.
& Berw.
V. &NMI
Do
Do

S. Eastern
Do

Norfolk..

L.& N. W.
& Midid.
Act:ton &,
Darlingt.

E. Count
D 0...

125 - 135

28 :: 30

100 - 102
50 - 52
25 - 26
13 -13 i
21i - 2.5

2 2Baci

ii = k

54 - 56

Do
L. &N.W
&Ln&Yk
Do

• • • '''' •

Gt North')
D 0...

Lancash&
Yorksh.
kt.MCleau
itockt. &
Darlingt.

GtWestn.

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*i -- i;(1

Business
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ii - 29

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