The Sun.
London, England, 1836-06-29 00:00:00

day of grace allowed them ; but the longest day comes
to an end at last, and the dark shades of evening are
already fast gloaming over them. The cry of ‘‘ Re-
form the Lords," is now universal throughout the
country. It roars like a hurricane in Ireland, and
Scotland and England take up and multiply the sound.
Will their Lordships be wise in time ? Alas ! it is
too late. The fiat has already gone forth, that their
kingdom shall depart from them.

The Bill for introducing some reforms into the
Scottish Universities was last night committed pro
forma in the House of Lords. This measuto Ivus
occasioned considerable agitation in Scotland ; but it
would appear from Lord -ABERDEEN'S statement that
it has been entirely ily:sunderstood. The only persons,
we believe, who are opposed to it are the Scottish
Clergy, and some of the Professors in the institutions
to be reformed. The Clergy have taken up an idea that
the Bill puts an end to the conformity which has hi-
therto existed between the Universities and the Church
—that suhscription to the confession of faith is to be
dispensed with—and that education is henceforth to be
disconnected from religion. Lord ABERDEEN, who
was one of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the state
of the Universities, on whose Report the Bill is
founded, showed the groundlessness of such apprehen-
sions, and proposed a clause which must satisfy the
minds of the most scrupulous. On the merits of the
Bill we shall take another opportunity of saying a few
words.

The Registration of Births and Marriage Bills passed
the House of Commons last night after several
divi-
sions, in which large majorities decided in favour of the
Ministerial measures. In the discussion which took
place on the Registration of Births, Mr. GOULBURN
re-introduced some of the twaddle which fell from hint
in a former stage of the Bill, about the impiety of se-
vering the rite of baptism from the naming of a child.
" The members of the Church," said this sapient sena-
tor, "though they always call the child from its birth
by the name it /is to bear through life, have so decided
a conviction of the necessity of not separating baptism
from nomination, that if the name shall be regis-
tered before baptism, there is great danger that
the baptism will be omitted altogether." This
is really a summary of the Right Honourable
Gentleman's argument, and it is difficult to say
whether it is more to be admired for the profundity of
its logic, or for the beautiful compliment which it pays
to the piety of that Church of which he is himself a
member, and, as we have been told, a distinguished
ornament.

Only look—remarked the Representative of one of
the institutions consecrated to learning—only look at
the awful responsibility which such a measure involves !
Those who are not baptised cannot be confirmed, and
may be denied Christian burial. Think of that, ye
Baptists I—you who have never experienced the con-
scientious nurture of godfathers and godmothers so-
lemnly vowed at the altar I You who are never bap-
tised till you reach the age of confirmation, and can
form some notion of what baptism means.
During the debate on the Marriage Bill, an attempt
was made by the same Hon. Member to introduce a
snug little test clai:ise, under the name of a declaration,
to the fallowing- effect :—" I do solemnly declare that
I have conscientious scruples against the solemniza-
tion of Marriage according to the rites and ceremonies
of the Church of England." The attempt not only
proved abortive, but happily led to a substantial im-
provement of the Bill ; for when the advocates of this
declaration defended it on the ground that it was in har-
mony with an amendment which Lord JOHN RUSSELL
had already agreed to at their suggestion, the Noble
Lord put an end to their cavilling in a very summary
and sensible way, by moving the omission of the said
amendment. We congratulate the Dissenters and
the country at large on the passing of these Bills-
They will to a certainty be thrown out by the House
of Lords, but the House of Commons and his Ma-
jesty's Ministers have done their duty, and deserve
the gratitude of the community as much as the Lords
deserve its hatred.