The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-22 00:00:00

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HOUSE OF COMMONS—(THIS DAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
PETITIONS.
Several petitions were presented against the opening
of public houses on Sundays.
Mr. BAINES presented two petitions from Bradford
and Leeds. wainst the Medical Practitioners Bill.
Lord GODERICH presented a petition from the
medical practitioners of Leeds in favour of the bill.
Sir J. DUBE presented a petition from St. Andrea,Of
Holborn, against the Poor Removal Bill.
Mr. BRADY presented petitions from different parts
of the country, in favour of the Medical Registration
Bill.

Mr. STRUTT presented a petition from the menu'
facturers of Nottingham, against the Payment of Wage
(Hosiery) Bill.

Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from Manchester/
against the Medical Practitioners Bill.

NEW WRIT,
On the motion of an hon. member a new writ WO
ordered for Westmoreland, in the room of Alderman
Thompson, deceased.
DUNGARVON ELECTION.
The members chosen to serve on the Dung:lrv°
election committee were called to the table and sworn'
The committee to meet to-morrow.

PROPERTY TAX.
' The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER brought
in the Property Tax Bill, which was read a first time/
and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.
SIIVIONY LAW AMENDMENT BILL.
Mr. PHILLIMORE moved the second reading °I
this bill, which he said, with some slight additions,
was precisely the same measure that he laid on the
table last session. The present state of the law 0,
simony was highly objectionable, and the amendment
which he proposed to make in it had received the assent
of the assembled judges of the land. The first statute
which related to the subject of simony was passed in the
reign of Elizabeth, and it inflicted a very severe punish'
merit upon parties convicted of the offence of simony
Subsequently various acts were passed down to the reiga
of Anne ; and now, according to the existing law, it Ires
competent for a layman or a clergyman to purchase i
vowsons, or the right of next presentation to a living'
The consequence was that the law as it now stood gave
rise to great abuses ; the living could only be sold
while the present incumbent was living —so long d's
he had a particle of breath in his nostrils, the,
right of presentation could be legally sold and purchase'
and the rbject of .this hill was to prevent even such II
sale as that— a cyrse which, he repeated, had been rr
commended by the assembled judges of the land. The
sale of civil offices in patronage was prohibited alike 1/
law and morals, and the reason for that was obvious'
Patronage, or the right of presenting to an office either
clerical or civil, could only be treated in the former as s
spiritual, and the latter as a moral trust. It certaisli
was not property, and therefore it was idle to tell bins
that a bill like this was an undue or improper interfer
ence with the vested rights of individuals or corporatione.
Traffieking in matters connected with the cure of souls
become quite a common practice in modern times ; living
were daily hawked about and advertised in the publicprias
for sale, while the cure of souls was knocked down to
the highest bidder at auctions, the price in such oases
depending, of course, upon the annual returns of the /0'
cumbancy. For the purpose of preventing such abuses
in future he had introduced this bill, and he hoped the
house would allow it to go to a second reading.
Mr. G. BUTT moved as an amendment that the bill
Ibe read a second time this day six months. The bon'
gentleman who had just addressed them had not quite
correctly stated the law on this subject. An advowson
was a,n alienable estate in fee, but the right to make the
next presentation was only a chattle. Both, however,
were saleable, and liable to be made the subject of settle"
ment or mortgage ; in fact, they were properties which tke,
law of England allowed to be bought and sold, and au
the :restrictions which the law imposed upon the owner°
was ezontained in the qualification which the person Pre'
sent ed to the living was bound to possess. In all times
both the advowson and the right of presentation had
been. treated and dealt with as properties ; and tbo
mea,rure, therefore, was a direct violation of the
righ tai of property. (Hear, hear.) But the bill,
passed, would prove inoperative, because it did not ill'
terft ire with the advowson ; all that it did, in fact, tscl
to p revert the sale of the next presentation ; but al.
not t he house perceive if that were prohibited, recourse
woul dbe had to the sale of the advowson. How, tliss't
wool d the bill get rid of the evil complained, if evil it vial'
It would do nothing of the sort, and inasmuch as It
woul d not only interfere with the rights of property, 110
would have a tendency to prevent lay patronage,
.0
trust.; ed the house would reject the second real
of tb e bill. Two-thirds of the livings of Englaut
are private patronage, and it would be moo
unjust to adopt the Romish -principle of transferring .t
to tb,e bishops or heads of the Church, which would "'"
the ultimate effect of this bill.

NZ] SPOONER seconded the amendment.
[LEFT SITTING.]

LL•OYD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS D4Y4