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

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOITSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at four o'clock.
ROYAL COAIMISSION.
The Royal assent was given by commission to the fol-
owing bills, viz.:—Public liouses (Sectiocotland) ;
ntPering
arish
Vestries (No. 2) ; Highway Rates ; Elns ; E
of Seamen ; Lunacy Regulation ; Incumbered Estates
(Ireland) Act Continuance • Newspaper Stamp Duties ;
Crime and Outrage (Ireland) ; Registrar of Meetings ;
Municipal Corporatio Act Amendment ; Sheriffs
Courts (Scotland) ; Oaths in Chancery ; Naval Coast
Volunteers ; Land Tax Redemption ; Consolidated
Annuities (Ireland) ; Turnpike Acts Continuance
reland) ; Poor Relief Act Continuance ; Electric Tile-
graph Company's ; Worcester and Hereford Railway ;
Westport Port and Harbour ; Bayswater, Paddington,
and Holborn Bridge Railway • West Cornwall Railway ;
Crieff Junction Railway ; Tralee and Killarney Railway;
Imperial Continental Gas (No. 2) ; Breen Collegiate
Church ; Castlemain Estuary Reclamation ; Chard Rail-
way ; East Anglian Railways (No. 2) ; Limerick Im-
provement ; Monmouthshire Railway and Canal ;
Severn and Wye Railway and Canal ; South Wales
Mineral Railway; Staffordshire Potteries Water Works;
Stamford and Essendine Railway ; Cork and Brandon

(No. 2) ; Galway Improvement.
The Lords Commissioners were—the Lord Chancellor,
Earl Granville, and the Duke of Argyll.
Their lordships then adjourned during pleasure, and
resumed again at five o'clock.
The Earl of HARDWICK presented several petitions
from Liverpool praying to be exempted from the opera-
tion of the pilotage bill.
INDIA. BILL.
Earl GRANVILLE said it had erroneously gone
abroad that he was opposed to the introduction of free
trade into India. He was reported to have expressed
such an opinion on the discussion of the India Bill, but
it was a mistake which he was glad to have the oppor-

tunity of correcting.
UNIVERSITY TESTS.
The Marquis of BREADALBANE presented peti-
titions from several places in Scotland against
the continuance of religious tests in the Universi-
ties of Scotland. The noble marquis said he
concurred in the prayers of the petitioners, and said he
hoped soon to see the day when these tests would be
abolished in the English as well as the Scotch Universi-
ties.
The Duke of ARGYLL presented several petitions
from plaue3 in Scotland, in favour of the University
Tests Bill, and praying for the abolition of all religious
tests in the Scotch Universities.
CHARITABLE TRUSTS BILL.
On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR, the
Commons' Amendments to the Charitable Trusts Bill
were considered and agreed to.
SECOND READINGS.
The following bills were read a second time and or-
dered to be committed, viz.:—Land Tax Commissioners'
Names Bill ; Defacing the Coin Bill ' • Linen, &c., Ma-
nufactures (Ireland) Bill • and Militia Ballot Suspnsion
and Militia Law Amendment Bill.
HACKNEY CARRIAGES DUTIES BILL.

On the motion of Lord STANLEY of Alderley, this
bill was ordered to be read a second time this day three
months, as an objectionable amendment had been intro-
_ .

duced into the fourth clause by the Commons.

PILOTAGE BILL.

Their lordships then went iTltocommittee on this bill.
The Earl of HARDWICK opposed the 10th clause,
and called upon the house to exempt Liverpool from the
operation of the bill, on the ground that the navigation
of the Mersey was so difficult, owing to the
changeable character of the sands and sandbanks,

that it would be dangerous to intrust a master
or mate with the pilotage of his own vessel, as
this bill proposed. There would be no objection to give
such authority to the master or mate of a coasting
vessel, but there was decided objections to extending it
to foreign-going vessels.
Lord STANLEY of Alderley opposed the proviso.
Lord COLCHESTER supported the amendment, be-
lieving the safety of life and property rendered it abso-
lutely necessary that Liverpool should not be included
in the bill.
The house divided—
For the amendment 6
Against it l4 —3
The bill then passed through committee.

THAMES EMBANKMENT BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
MERCHANT SHIPPING BILL.
The report of amendments on this bill was received.
DRAINAGE OF LAND (IRELAND) ACT
AMENDMENT BILL.
The report of amendments on this bill was received.
DUTIES ON HORSES LET FOR HIRE BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
DUBLIN CARRIAGES BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
UNIVERSITIES (SCOTLAND) BILL.

On the motion for going into committee on this bill,
The Earl of ABERDEEN was understood to express
his regret at the opposition offered to the bill by some
members of the Established Church of Scotland. If he
thought that it would interfere with the rights and privi-
leges of the Church of Scotland he would be the last per-
son to bring it before their lordships ; but, believing, as
he did, that nothing of the kind would take place, he
confidently recommended it to the favour of the house.
He confessed that he put very little value on all tests of
this description—(hear, hear)—and every day afforded a
testimony either to their being valueless or mischievous.
This test, on which it was proposed to legislate for the
future as regarded the lay professors of the universities
of Scotland, did not establish any abstract principle, but
it caused a great practical evil which was felt very much
at the present time, and which would be greatly in-
creased hereafter unless some such remedy as was now
proposed was applied to it. For whenever the test was
not altogether disregarded it was attended with great
hardship, and the truth was that it was only effectual in
cases in which the framers of the test themselves would
have been anxious that it should not have been applied,
for it was applied to those persons whom the framers of
the test would have been most desirous to admit into
the universities. The universities of Scotland were
not ecclesiastical institutions, and the Church was
entirely incompetent to impose any test on the
professors—and not only so, but students were ad-
mitted of all sects and persuasions without any ques-
tion as to their religious opinions. The professors had
no authority over the students outside of their lec-
ture rooms ; they were independent of the university
authorities, and these institutions were open to the whole
world, and were entirely different to Oxford and Cam-
bridge. The Church of Scotland was certainly always
in connection with the universities, and the theological
chairs, where the necessity for a test was more required,
would remain untouched by the bill, which only applied
to the professors who filled the chairs of literature and
science, from whom no such test was required as was
required from the professors of theology. It was true
that a commission, which sat ten years ago, and of
which he (Lord Aberdeen) was a member, had reported,
that in consequence of the diversity which existed in the
different universities, they were of opinion that the
practice ought to be made uniform, and one test univer-
sally administered to the professors of all the chairs.
But a great change had taken place since that time, and
one-half of the kingdom had now rendered itself con-
scientiously incapable of taking the test. There was
then no Free Church, and it was against the members of
that church that the test now operated, and on them
alone was the hardship complained of inflicted. The
test itself was framed in 1707, just before the discussion
of the question of the union of the two kingdoms, and
an act was passed called the Security Act, the object of
which was directed against the admission of Episcopa-
lian professors into the universities, and the test was
framed a 3 against episcopacy and that alone. Some
alarm, certainly a groundless one, was felt at a parlia-
ment of which bishops were members legislating on mat-
ters relating to the Presbyterian Church, and the Scotch
testa was directed against Episcopalians in the same
auneawa
directednner as the test which existed in this country was
against. all dissenters. The latter
test had been
time to y with, and it would have been a very good
havewhen got
the rid of the Scotch test against Episco-
palians
rid ofyears
English test against dissenters was
only directed.
that by the test It would show that the test was
against Episcopalians, Episcopalians, when it was seen
a declar.ation was made of adherence,
not only to the
also an adherence to the confession of faith but
hureuhworship, and obedience to the
discipline of the Church of Scotland. (Hear.) The
members of the Free Church
by this test were to take it of Scotland who suffered s
doc-
trine and faith were concerned far
as matters of
tiebut now they could
not conscientiously adhere to
Church, and so were exclude&
they were
hoped
do
do so, and
discipline of the
in doing it as it
were ready to take the test ; and
.(aoraiao Episcopalians
able to reconcile it to their consciencol3
some of the most eminent professors
existed, while others had a difficulty
of the most eminent professors in the University Man
Edinburgh were Episcopalians, because that university
had had the good sense never to impose the teat. But
at present any one might insist on the test being taken,
and it would apply not only prospectively but retro!
spectively, and all professors would be required to take
it. The circumstance. which had brought this matter
of the Free Church
to was the election of a member
had ben a change in a law of the
to a professorship of moral philosophy. Since the fram-
ing of the test there
Church, which was opposed to the
d tenets of those who
framed it, and was entirely in accordance with the opi-
nions of the Free
Church,
namely, the law affecting
church patronage. As
regarded the test, the theologi-
calt
professorships would remain
hereain as
walethey
no reason
; but as
regarded the lay professorships,
why the professor of Latin should be compelled not only
to agree to the Westminster Confession of Faith, but
also to the discipline of the Church of Scotland. By the
proposed relaxation great benefit would arise to the uni-
versities by extending the admission to those chairs to
all persons without the necessity of a sectarian test.
After a recapitulation of his previous statements, the
noble earl proceeded again to express his regret that a
portion of the members of the Established Church of
Scotland should be opposed to this bill, but at the same
community anxiously d •
time he was satisfied that the great mass' of the united
was of essential desired a measure of this
interfere with the shouldpass,
Scot-
land that this bill importance to the universities of Scot-
so 1. It
and it did not in the least
Church. On
many duer influence. and authority of the
had been rejected bj, tolvielou:loauttempts a bill of this kind
majorities, but on this occasiose of Commons by small
I,g
Oniflierent parties, it had
which had been come to arnon n'd.bY an understanding
Y one Scotch mem-
ber
passed by a majority of 5 to
voting against it. They had now the advantage of