The Sun.
London, England, 1831-10-15 00:00:00

IRISH EMBANKMENT BILL.

The Duke of LEINSTER moved the third reading 01
the Irish Embankment Bill.

Lord RODEN, the Duke of WELLINGTON, and Lori
LORTON, opposed the Bill, chiefly on account of the extra-
ordinary powers which it gave to interfere with private
property.

Lord RODEN moved, as an amendment, that it be
read a third time this day six months.
'Die Marquis of LA NSDOWNE and the Marquis of WEST-
MEATH supported the Bill.

The House divided on the question that the Bill be
now read a third time—
Contents
Not Contents
Majority .- -IS

The Bill was then read a third time and passed.
The Irish Distillation Bill was brought up from the
Commons, and read a first titne.—Ordered to be read a
second time to-morrow.—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, OCTOBER 14.

Tie SPEAKER took his seat at a Quarter to Four

o'clock.

[Her Serene Highness the Duchess of Saxe Weimar and
suite sat in one of the side galleries for a considerable time
after the Speaker took his seat.]
Colonel SIBTIIORPE brought up the report of the
Steam Navigation Committee, which was read and ordered
to be printed ; and on his motion the evidence taken
before the Committee was ordered to be laid before the
House.

Mr. WILKS presented a petition from the Honorary
Members of the Provident Friendly Society at Corsham,in the
county of Wilts, against the Friendly Society Act, and
gave notice that next session he should move for leave to
bring in a Bill to amend that Act ; also a petition from
Stafford against the imposition of the tax upon pilgrims
to Juggernaut.
After a desultory conversation upon the subject between
Mr. Campbell, Mr. Wilk', Sir C. Forbes, Mr. C. Fer-
guson, Mr. Astell, and Captain Gordon, the petition was
ordered to he printed.
THE CANADAS.

Mr. LABOUCHERE, pursuant to notice, rose to pre-
sent two petitions from the Members of the House
of Assembly in Lower Canada ; the first prayed
for the repeal of the Act passed in 1825, called
the Canada Tenure Act, and the second contained a
series of complaints regarding the government of the co-
lonies. The Hon. Member having enumerated them,
called the earnest attention of his Majesty's Government
to the complaints of the petitioners, and hoped that the
time was not far distant when every British colony would
be allowed the same degree of freedom as regarded its own
internal management as was possessed by the mother
country.—(
Hear.)
Lord HOWICK agreed that many of the complaints
had been well founded, and said that his Majesty's
Government were of opinion that the inhabitants of
Lower Canada ought to be intrusted with the do.
mesti, and local concerns of that colony. The Noble
Lord enumerated the complaints stated in the petition,
some of which he stated were not correct, or not attribut-
able to his Majesty's Government ; others had been re-
medied, and as regarded the remainder instructions had
been sent out to the Governor, so that the colony would
be placed in the situation of legislating without the ne-
cessity of applying at all times to the Government at
home...—(Hear, hear.)
After a few words from Mr. ROBINSON, Captain
GonnoN, and Sir J. MACKINTOSH, the petition was read
and ordered to be printed.
On the motion of Mr. S. RICE, the Distillation (Ire-
land) Bill was read a third time and passed.
Mr. R. GORDON brought up the report of the Com-
mittee on Buckingham Palace, which was ordered to be
printed.
Mr. HUME rose to present a petition relative to the
Clergy Reserved Lando, and the King's College in Upper
Canada, agreed to a puldic meeting at York, and signed
by upwards of 10,000 freeholders of Upper Canada.
PLACES AND PENSIONS.

Mr. WILK- S postponed his motion for an address to
his Majesty for a return of all places and pensions held by
Peers or members of their•

CANADA.

Mr. HUME presented a petition, signed by ten thou-
sand freeholders of Upper Canada, praying that the House
would take the state of that colony into their most serious
consideration—would direct their attention to promote
education and religion there—to leave all religious sects to
be provided for by their various followers—and to abolish
all political distinctions on religion's account. The lion.
Member expressed his satisfaction at the admission made
by the Colonial Secretary, that that House was not the
place to legislate for the colonies, but that the parties
themselves ought to be entrusted with their own legislation,
as they must best understand their own interests. It only
required time to carry that fair and liberal opinion into
full effect among the colonies. The colony of Canada was
particularly deserving of the best treatment from Eng-
land; for in the hour of difficulty and danger the inhabi-
tants had most nobly come forward to defend their country
from the attacks of the United States, and had defended it
successfully, when the troops sent out from this country
would not have been alone sufficient to cope with the
enemy. He could assure the Hon. Member for Dundalk,
that the sentiments entertained by that lion. Member
were not those entertained by the inhabitants of Canada,
who, in this petition, had distinctly expressed their hope
that all religious sects might be placed on a footing of
equality. The Honourable Member expressed his hope
that all Ministers of religion should be removed from
places of political power in the colony. It had been
said that the greater number of the Ministers of reli-
gion was composed of members of the Church of Eng-
land. It was proved that that was not the fact; for,
in 1818, out of 236 Ministers of religion, there were
only 31 members of the Church of England, and the
petitioners also prayed that each sect might complaint of the petitioners was, that these 31 engrossed
all the. places of profit and power in the colony. The
throughout both Upper and Lower Canada, of solemnizing''
marriages according to their own peculiar sites. They
might
...e
also prayed that the Charter of King's College b
modified, so as to put an end to all sectarian tests, rib"
have the right,

fafl the effect of excluding all but members of the Church
of Engl Ind from the College Council. At present, men
were compelled to sign the Thirty-nine Articles before
they could ehter the Ctnincil ; and it was the necessity of
doing that Which the petitioners wished to be abolished.
The petitioners also prayed that the land hitherto exelo-
,ively applied to the purposes of the Church Establishment
might be placed at the disposal of Government for the pur-
pose of being applied to the education of all classes of 6-
colonists! He fully concurred with all the prayers of the
petitioners.

Mr; WILKS strongly supported the prayer of the pe-
titioners. ,

Sir G. 3IURRAY could assure the House, that during the
time he held the seals of the Colonial Office, there had been
no desire on.the part of the late Government to adopt the
policy of making one sect dominant over the rest. On the
contrary, there was a desire gradually to change the old
Constitution of the col.nies in that respect. He, how-
..ver, differed from the Hon. Member in one respect, for he
thought that all the stets ought not to be left to provide
for th:ir own preachers, but that the Government ought to
make some provision for each of the important sects in the
country. He agreed with the lion. Member that there
ought to be some alteration made in the college charter,
so as to destroy the differences now existing on religious
Accounts. With respect to the Clergy reserves, it was his
opinion that they should be the property of the State for
the purposes mentioned by the Hon. Member, and that

the -Act of 1791, which disposed of them differeutly,
sbQuld be repealed. He said this, because he was fully
consiinceietlmt an opposite course 'of conduct only pmduce.i
a feeling of jealousy towards the Church, to which it was
as injurious as to the colony itself.
Mr. ROBINSON supported the petition, and advised
that the Clergy reserves should be relinquished as the
greatest bar to the improvement of the colonies.
After a few words from Mr. FANE, Mr. GORDON, and
Mr. HU3IE, the petition was laid upon the table and
ordered to be printed.