The Sun.
London, England, 1831-12-17 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS, Dic. 16.

e several parishes which had
his The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved for copies of all
correspondence on the subject of the recent resistance to
takenth advantage
ewhthe
of m h
paymentit of
ntai
tithes
sees ofr
Titheec el
received by Majesty's
theGovern-
ment,sev Composition
of the number of vestries, and the names of the parishes,
according to the diocesan returns, which, from November,
1829, to November, 1831, requested the application of the
Act, and a variety of other documents connected with the
subject of Irish tithes.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH suggested, that in those
several returns the lay tithes should be distinguished from
the ecclesiastical.

PORTUGAL.
The Earl of ABERDEEN wished, before the adi urn-
ment, to call the attention of the Noble Earl opposite to a
marked violation which had recently taken place of the
59th of Geo. 111., commonly called the Foreign Enlist-
ment Act. Among the various statements which he had

seen upon the subject, there was one in the Lt'verpool
Journal, from which it appeared that a considerable body
of men had embarked on board a War-office steam-packet
called the Lord Blayney, for the purpose of proceeding
tie Belisle, for the purpose of assisting the expedition
of Don Pedro against Don Miguel. There was also
to be found amongst the Police Intelligence of the
London Papers, a statement entitled " Thames Police-
office." This was an application made to Mr. Bro-
derip, the Magistrate, on the part of forty sailors
who had been disappointed in their expectation of
being sent out in the service of Don Pedro. Two hun-
dred sailors had been sent out by the agent of D in Pedro
on the preceding day, and those forty men had been left
behind. The Magistrate observed, it was a case of great
hardship, and regretted that he could not compel the agent
to pay them as fur work and labour done, as, in fact, they
had not performed any labour, having only waited in the
river for an opportunity of being carried out. They might,
it was true, bring their action against the agent for a breach
of contract, or they might claim some remuneration for
loss of time. Those, the Noble Earl said, were the remarks
of the worthy Magistrate, and now he had himself to ob-
serve, that since the speech from the throne, the business
of enlistment had proceeded more briskly than before. Now
he would ask, was the Foreign Enlistment Act in force,
or was it not ? Could it be in force when proceedings
such as that were going forward in the country ? The
Magistrate lamented that he could afford those poor men
no relief, but he seemed never for a moment to have re-
membered that they were acting in direct violation of the
liw—it never seemed to have suggested itself to his mind,
that they were engaging in an unlawful transaction. See-
ing what that Magistrate said, and knowing what it was
to be presumed he must know, it did, he confessel, ap-
pear strange that he never asked himself whether or not
he possessed authority to stay the execu'ion of the laws.
When the Foreign Enlistment Act was under consideration
in that House, there were some Noble Lords, now in the
Councils of the Crown, who opposed, and others who sup-
ported, that measure; but he was sure, that whatever
might be their opinions respecting the justice and expedi-
ency of such an Act, they could not imagine, that so long as
it was law, its operation ought to be suspended. If the Act
were objectionable it ought to be repealed ; but so long as
it remained the law of the land, the Ministers of the
Crown should not assume to themselves a dispensing
power. Whatever might be the character of Don Pedro's
proceedings, there was nothing that could justify a viola-
tion of the laws in that open manner. Don Pedro was
but a private individual, and as such was bound to respect
the laws of this country. He was not, however, much
surprised at these proceedings, for it was but too evident
that there was something extremely mysterious and ora-
cular in the speech from the throne when touching upon
this subject ; and, therefore, be felt but little surprise that
persons disposed to favour the views of Don Pedro should
find therein some encouragement for the steps they had
taken. When their Lordships looked again at the words
of the speech, they would see that this remark was not
altogether without foundation. The words which his
Majesty had been advised to utter were as follow :—" The
state of a country, so long united with this by the ties of the
moat intimate alliance, must necessarily be to me an object of
the deepest interest; and the return to Europe of the elder
branch of the illustrious House of Braganza, and the dan-
gers of a disputed succession, will require my most vigilant
attention to events by which not only the safety of Por-
tugal, but the general interests of Europe, may be
effected." Now, really, he did think that the occasion
did not demand such special and remarkable notice of the
return of Don Pedro ; the more particularly, as that re-
turn took place before the beginning of the last session of
Parliament. He nerd scarcely observe, that this gave rise
to some suspicion. What could be the reason for thus men-
tioning the return of Don Pedro ? The arrival of the elder
branch of the illustrious House of Braganza was nothing
more than the arrival of the elder branch of the illustrious
House of Bourbon. Don Pedro was dethroned, or
had abdicated ; he came to this country a fugitive—he
could not be considered any thing more than a private
individual: and really there was no reason for supposing
that he originally came to this country with any view of
making war upon his brother; but adventurers and spe-
culators in revolutions—for in these were adventurers
and speculators, as in every thing else—got round him,
and offered him the means of carrying on the war. With-
out such suggestions he would probably not have thought
of engaging in hostilities ; for the last act of Don Pedro's
Government was of a conciliating character, being nothing
less than a treaty of marriage between his daughter and
Don Miguel. It did appear to his mind extremely diffi-
cult to comprehend upon what principle Government could
justify the conduct which it pursued in this matter; they
surely would not maintain that their not having acknow-
ledged the legitimacy of the origin of the Government of
Den Miguel entitled them to put him out of the pale of
those rights recognised amongst independent nations. He
was, he must say, altogether at a loss to understand upon
what principle it would be said that we were to exact
h
h%ivehhic N e
coaoctr
piuovlurntedhr pre
releaseenil
eecedltyxm paheebntdehsrti
abstained
as.tniincyoe
Tpdu
oani
flyfter
rooytmuHorf
or
uottlbrass
ee.
from Portugal the utmost rigour of our treaties, but at the
same time to deny to that country the measure of justice
aaTnnhdeorbfesaeiwrrvadasenancloeintohgfinwigts own laws_ from the impartial admi-
qtnvui
etusr
tadi to
noo Zoe
of
rft eei,tsestohpwaetdn hiel een gliciyas had
re-
cognising the Government of Don Miguel, or any remark
upon the general course of the foreign policy of the Noble
Earl. All he meant to insist on was, that the Government
ought to do its duty impartially, and therefore be called
upon the Noble Earl to state where the distinction was to
be found between the case of Doss Pedro's expedition and
the others to which the Foreign Enlistment Act might be
supposed to apply.
Earl GREY—The Noble Earl opposite had certainly
communicated his intention of calling attention to the sub-
ject of Portugal, but be had not more particularly inti-
mated what his intention Was, and therefore he (Earl
Grey) had not prepared himself with any peculiar informa-
tion. The Noble Earl had stated, in the observations
which their Lordships had just now heard, that it was not
his intention to enter at large into the relations subsisting
between this country and Portugal, or to the general
course of policy pursued by his Majesty's Government, yet
a considerable portion of his statement went to direct at-
tention to a passage in the King's speech at the opening
of Parliament, and, therefore, by implication, to that
which he wished to avoid—namely, the general course of
policy adopted towards Portugal. It need scarcely be ob-
served, that the tendency of those remarks was to lead their
Lordships into a discussion of the general question—a dis-
cussion to which he (Earl Grey) would not be a party :
but as to the particular matter which had been adverted
to, he should, with perfect readiness, give a short explana-
tion, and show, he trusted, to the full satisfaction of their
Lordships, that the Noble Earl opposite was under a mis-
apprehension. He should in the first place beg to ob-
serve, that whether he approved of the Act in question or
not, he should, so long as it was the law of the land, feel
that the duty of his Majesty's Government was to see that
it was fairly and impartially observed ; but he could by no
means admit the assumption of the Noble Earl, that that
law had been violated. Whether that which had been
stated as having taken place before Mr. Broderip was
true or not, he was without the means of determining; but
as to a War-office steam-packet, called the Lord Blayney,
engaged in the service of Don Pedro,he could assure the Noble
Earl that there was no such thing as a War. office steam-
packet—there was no such vessel existing. Asa proof
that there existed no indisposition on the part of his Ma-
jesty's Government to enforce the provisions of the Foreign
Enlistment Aet, be would state, that some vessels which
had been engaged in the river for the service of Don Pedro
were detained by the Custom-house, and very properly so,
on some representations having been made to the Custern-
house on the subject, and they entertaining some doubts,
referred the matter to the Treasury, and they again to the
law officers of the Crown, who reported that there existed
no right or authority to detain those vessels. On the
'a
urnedfeerrent the
question, and
dispute
one their h
weiary de-
terminationor
hsuabdjeacitsoobf
been
personsm a d
eentloistthinegKoinngf,.orAeidgyn ieeocseartev,a
and
circumstance, it was considered that there existed no
ground for the interference of Government, at the same
time that nothing could be further from the minds of the
'responsible advisers of the Crown than any attempt to
operationsus-
pendthevi,al
o
to
the other. That was all with which he thought it then
necessary to trouble their Lordships ; if a motion were
made,
regularly
he should come prepared with the neces-
sary information. On sufficient notice, he should be per-
fectly prepared to discuss the matter in any form in which
it might be brought forward.
tafke the
n o i
partaw i inn
The Earl of ABERDEEN expressed himself satisfied
with the assurance given from the other side, that the
law would be strictly and impartially
administered.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said a few words, which
were not heard in the gallery.
ADJOURNMENT.

Eirl GREY then moved, that the House do adjourn to
Turoday, the 17th of January next. Agreed to.—Ad-
journed accordingly.

The Earl of PLYMOUTH, it is said, has sig-
nified his intention to support the Reform Bill. His Lord-
ship was one of the bitterest opponents of the late mea-
sure.—Hereford Journal.

■

IM PERU PARLIAMENT

(THIS DAY)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The SPEAKER took his seat at Twelve o'clock, at which
time the gallery was much crowded.
Mr. BULLER. moved for a return of the quantity of raw and
manufactured silk during the present year, and the quantity of
silk ribbons imported since July, 1826.—Ordered.
Sir C. BURRELL presented a petition from certain land
owners and inhabitants of the parish of Ntrthurst, in Sussex,
complaining of the practice of paying the wages of labourers out
of the poor rates, and praying the House to provide some other
remedy.
The petition was read and ordered to be printed.
Mr. LAMB laid before the House the copy of a letter ad-
dressed to Lord Melbourne, by the Council of the Royal Col-
lege of Surgeons, which was ordered to be printed.
Lord DU NCANNON moved the Order of the Day for the
third reading of the Office of Works Regulation Bill, which,
after a few observations from Mr. Herries, was read a third time
and passed.