The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-16 00:00:00

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

Mr. SOTHERON moved for leave to bring in a bill
to regulate Friendly Societies, and said his object was
to introduce it at once and to get it printed, in order
that it might have a wide and extended circulation dur-
ing the recess, and thus enable hon. members to be en-
tirely master of its details by next year.
The motion was then agreed to.
CRIMINAL CODE OF MALTA.

Mr. KINNAIRD called the attention of the house to
the Malta cri mina! code. He complained that it gave
very great offence to the Protestants in the island, and
said it contained several articles relating to offences
against religion, all of which were more worthy an in-
tolerant and despotic nation, than a country like
England, which boasted of its civil and religious
liberty, and were unprecedented even in the law
of Malta itself. They all appeared to proceed
from a guarantee which was said to have been given
for the protection of the religion of the Maltese, and he
was anxious to know what was the nature of such gua-
rantee, for he was not aware of its existence. The lion.
member mentioned that under the code a person might
be imprisoned for one or three months for not kneeling
or taking off his hat to a Roman Catholic procession, or
for reviling or insulting that religion, and for six years
solitary confinement for stealing the eucharist from a
priest's house or from a Roman Catholic church, and
said such punishments were entirely opposed to the
whole spirit of the English law. He could not believe
that the noble lord, the leader of the house, who was the
advocate of civil and religious liberty at home and
abroad, would give the sanction of his name to a code
which, under the pretence of giving protection
to religion, enacted a series of abominable and
persecuting laws. The hon. memberconcluded by moving
that the amended code was opposed to the constitutional
rights and privileges of her Majesty's subjects, and was
an innovation of the Maltese law, and that an humble
address be presented to her Majesty asking her to with-
hold her sanction to it until it had received the mature
consideration of Parliament.
Mr. T. CHAMBERS supported the motion, being of
opinion that if the code passed it would put an end to
all free free discussion respecting religion in Malta.
Mr. F. PEEL reminded the hon. member that Malta
was a Catholic country, and was placed under an elec-
tive Legislature, to which Catholic members were re-
turned, and the code to which the hon. member referred
had been passed by that Legislature after a great deal of
consideration.
ROYAL COMMISSION.
Here Mr. PULMAN, the Yeoman Usher of the Black
Rod, summoned the house to attend the House of Peers
to hear the royal assent given by commission to several
bills. On his return,
Mr. F. PEEL continued. He said it would sur-
prise the house to learn that the code of 1847, to which
ttlhiireigbeehnrotani hon. member alluded, never existed as a law in
Malta. It merely drafted by the Malta Commis-
sioners, and was sent home for confirmation ; but it
never came into operation. For many years the con-
olidation of the criminal law of Malta was felt to be an
in want,their
e ri tchcaorna scitsetre, da
no
df
the
varietyepr es
en
to
codef enactments
ha had
been
dating from many centuries back—and oppressive and
milder spirit
order to bring them more in harmony with
sion was I.noainntyedastotwe
tain'ed it
had
not
of the English criminal law,
The distinguishing been confirmed without great delibera-
inntqyuiryeearina
tion ; for as
toagothae csoumbjmecist:
gullthing characteristic of the code, if