The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-02 00:00:00

NATIONAL FAST.

Mr. PLUMPTRE said, that in consequence of what had
fallen from the Noble Lord (J. Russell), on the subject of a
national fast, he (Mr. Plumptre) begged to withdraw his mo-
tion on the same subject.
CASE OF SIR THOMAS BRISBANE MAKERSTON

AND WILLIAM MALCOLM FLEMING.
Dr. BOWRING moved that the petition of Sir T, M.
Brisbane Makerston and William Malcolm Fleming be printed
with the votes.— Agreed to.
OUTRAGES IN MAYO.—SEED FOR IRELAND.
Mr. DILLON BROWNE wished to put the the two
questions to the Right Honourable the Secretary for
Ireland of which he had given notice some time be-
fore. The Right Honourable Gentleman had made a
statement in his place in the House that certan illegal
combinations prevailed in the county of Mayo, for the pur.
,see of preventing the cultivation of the soil. He (Mr. D.
Brown) had lately received a communication from that county,
stating that the Right Hon. Gentleman was misinformed in
that particular; and among these communications he might
instance ...ne from Mr. Phillips, a resident magistrate, who
said that every person, on the contrary, were most anxious for
the cultivation of the land. Now, the question he wished
to ask was, on what authority the Right Hon. Gentleman
had made that statement, the parties who had communicaed this
information, and whether any motives were assigned as a ground
for these outrages, particularly as respected the county Mayo,
and as they were affected by the relations between landlord
and tenant. He also wished to know whether it was the in-
tention of the Government to supply seed for Ireland in suffi-
cient quantities to relieve the necessities of the people?
Mr. LABOUCHEHE said that, with respect to the first
question asked by the Hon. Gentleman, he had every reason
to believe that the statement he had made in the House was
essentially true ; he did not mean that it was general, but in
particular portions of the country an organised combination did
exist to discourage the cultivation of the soil. The best
answer, perhrps, he could give would be to read a letter he
had received from a person on whose word he could place
every reliance and having said this, perhaps the Hon.
Member woulA not press for the name of his correspondent.
The Right Hon. Gentleman then read a letter, dated Feb-
ruary, which stated that an organised body were actually
stirriag up the people in Mayo, particularly the small
farmeis and cattier tenants against cultivating the soil,
and representing that they would be better remnnerated
by labouring on the public works, which they alleged would
continue for an indefinite period. This spirit he (the corres-
pondent) was sorry to say was gaining ground in the country.
With respect to the second question, he (Mr. Labouchere)
would answer it in a way similar to the first, by reading to the
Hon. Member, and to the House, a letter he had received on
the subject of seed from a member of the Irish Government.
Mr. RICE seeing the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary
for the Home Department in his place, he wished to ask him
if Government intended to introduce any Bill this session for
the management of the highways.
Sir GEORGE GREY said a Bill was last session drawn
up upon the subject alluded to by the Honourable
Member which had since been revised and amended, and if an
opportunity offered it would be introduced in the course of the
present session.

JUSTICES OF LANCASTER.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said that it was his intention to call
the attention of the House to the petitions which he pre-
sented from Warrington, complaining of the conduct of Messrs.
Lyon and Stubbs, justices of the counts, of Lancaster, in the ex-
ercise of their summary jurisdiction, on the trial of four wo: king
men for leaving their employ, and to submit a motion thereon
he understood, however, that the subject had been under the
consideration of the Government, and he should like to know
from the Right Hon. Baronet, the Secretary of State for the
Home Department, the result of the consideration of the
Government.

• Sir GEORGE GREY said that the attention of the
Government had been directed not to the allegations as they
appeared upon the face of the documents before the House,
but with respect to the irregularity complained of in a petition
recently presented to the House. The result of that conside-
ration was, that the Government had come to the conclusion
that the convictions were illegal, and that the petitioners
were entitled to take advantage of the informality set forth in
their petition.
Mr. T. DUNCOSIBE said that having heard from the
Government that the magistrates had acted in an illegal
manner he was perfectly satisfied, and would therefore with-
draw his motion.

NAVY ESTIMATES.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that it was the intention of her
Majesty's Government to proceed with the remainder of the
navy estimates on Friday night, after the ordnance estimates
had been disposed of.
SITES FOR SCOTTISH CHURCHES.
Mr. BOUVERIE rose for the purpose of moving for a
Select Committee to inquire whether and in what part of
Scotland, and under what circumstances, large num-
bers of her Majesty's subjects had been deprived of the
means of religious worship by the refusal of certain pro-
prietors to grant them sites for the erection of churches.
The subject bad been brought before the attention of the
House in the last session, and a Bill was introduced by the
Honourable Member for Perth, the Secretary at War,
which did not, however. reach to a second reading.
A disposition had been shown to wait and see what the pro-
prietors would do in the matter, and the Bill of last year was
withdrawn ; but he was sorry to say, that with the exception
of one (Sr two, the same want of disposition to afford sites for
places of worship still prevailed as did in 1845 and 1846.
He was not a member of the Free Church, and he
could not be misled by zeal in its favour, but he advocated its
just claims for redress, as he was 1 ersuaded great injustice had
been done. No leas than 470 of the best ministers of the Es-
tablished Church of Scotland had left its pale, followed by 2,000
of the lay officers, and, it was calculated, accompanied by
about one-third of the people of Scotland. They left be-
cause they felt it their duty to do so in the maintenance of
the principle that the Church was inde; endent of the Go-
vernment in religious matters, a principle in which he en-
tirely agreed.—( Hear, hear.) No better proof could
be afforded of the truth of this principle, than the fact
that this House, composed of persons of various religious
denominations, would be called on to discuss the proposition,
of the advisability of adding to the number of the Bishops of
the Church of England. Whether that principle be true
or net, some of the brightest and best ministers, and most

zealous and sincere members of the Scottish Kirk had thought
it right on the assertion of it to leave the pale of the
establishment. Many expected that this secession would
not last lung, but what has since occurred should
that such an anticipation was groundless. No less a sum than
1,354,0001. had been contributed for the support of the Free
Church, since the disruption had taken place. It had 630
teachers and 440 ministers in connection with it. It had two
normals school, and had contributed to 191 schools sunts
averaging 1001. each. It hat_ been stated that the
schism was not likely to be lasting, but the event proved how
erroneous was that calculation. lie thought, therefore, that
such a body had a right at least to a favourable hearing, It
had been most prompt in inquiring into and relioving the pre-
sent famine, and from a letter written by the Lord Advocate
to the Secretary of State for the Home Department last De-
cember 10th, it would be seen how strenuous had been the
exertions of the Free Church for the relief of the distress.
He maintained that if this body were seeking favour at the
hands of the House, enough had been shown that they were
entitled to it. But they did not ask for any thing of the kind;
all that they asked was that full justice might be done them.
They claimed full and free toleration at their hands,
and the free exercise of their religious belief without
hinderence or interruption. They alleged that they
had been unjustly treated, and in support of that
allegation, he would mention one or two of the instances of
injustice of which the parties complained ; but in doing so, he
did not wish to discuss the motives or intentions of
individuals. One of the cases he wished to refer to
occurred on the property of his Grace the Duke of Buc-
cleuch, but in speaking of that particular instaree, he had no
wish to speak otherwise than in terms of respect of the manner
in which the Noble Duke performed the duties which his rank
and high station in this country imposed upon him ; but still
the Noble Duke was but man, and et course subjected
to all his weakness and infirmities._—( [fear, hear, hear.)
He said there were two congregations of that Church upon
the Duke's property, and both complained of interference with
their worship. One of these was at Canobie, in Dumfrieshi-e,
and the other was at Wanlockhead, in the same county. The
Church at Canobie consisted of 600 people. The Duke had
been repeatesily applied to for a site upon which to build a
church, for his Grace was the sole possessor of the
land in the district. When the disruption first took place, that
congregation met at a cress road, and subsequently in a field
belonging to his Grace ; but the Duke applied to the courts
of law, and obtained an injunction against them. After that,
however, some arrangement was made with his Grace, under
which this congregation were allowed to erect a tent
on a field of his, and thus they continued to
worship in that tent throughout the year, but such a place of
worship amounted, in his opinion, to a prohibition of worship
altogether. The other church was at Wanlock-bead, the
highest ground in Scotland, a place where only green food
could be grown for cattle.—( Hear, hear.) The people were
poor, and miners by occupation - but seven huncred
of these, or seven-eighths of the whole population belonged to
the Free Church. These people there worshipped in a tent in
the open air, but their tent had been destroyed some weeks
ago, and they had been obliged, when the weather
would permit, to worship in the open air. Their minister
had parted from the Sco'ch Church at the time of the
disruption, and had eontinudd amongst them teaching and ex-
horting his people. But even he could scarcely find a resting
place. His family was thirty miles distant from the place of
his ministrations ; and he himself, as if almost denied a lodging
in the town, lived in one room, only nine feet square.
The Hon. Member then proceeded to read a letter written to
him by an eye witness of the mode of conducting worship in
the Free Church of Scotland, the writer stated that the con-
gregation consisting o: upwards of 1,000 persons were
assembled round a canvass tent for the purpose of hearing
Dr. Candlish preach, the tent would not however
contain one. third of the people, and they were com-
pelled to move off to a mead at the foot of the hill
where they listened to the Hon. Gentleman for upwards of an
hour and three quarters in the pouring rain. Such (continued
the Hon. Member) was the state of the tenants upon the e -
tates of the Duke of Buc,ticuch, and such had been their condi-
tion for the period of four years, since the rupture with the Es-
tablished Church. He would contrast the conduct of that Noble
Unke with that of the Earl of Aberdeen. It was well known that
the latter Nobleman used every means in his power, as a mem-
ber of the late Government, to stay the movement of the
Church party ; but so soon as the severance took place, he was
among the first of the landowners of Scotland to grant sites
for building places of worship to those persons upon
his estates who wished to worship God accord-
ing to the forms of the Free Church of Scotland.
The Duke of Bucesleugh had erected a magnificent chapel at
Dalkeith, and he conducted the worship according to the rites
of the Episcopal Church, yet he refused to grant to others
the right of worship which hi claimed for himself. These
two cases had rethrence to the Lowlands; but he now
came to the Highlands, in which similar proceedings
had been going forward. In the islands of Skye and Lewis,
there was a large property owned by Lord Macdonald. On
this property there were 4,000 persons belonging to the Free
Church, yet his Lordship had thought fit to refuse these people
any sites for their chapels ; thus practically prohibiting the
public worship of these people. In the neighbourhood
of Ardnamurchan Sir .James Riddell had a property about
forty miles in length by five antics broad. It was in the north-
west of Argyllshire. There were 1,100 people belonging to
the Free Church, and Sir James Riddell was himself a
Dissenter from the Established Church, vet he refused ex-
tending the right he claimed himself to others. In
Strathspey there was a tract of country 30 miles long and 15
broad, with from 2,000 to 3,000 persons belonging to
the Free Church. The proprietor was the Earl of
Seafield, and he had also refused sites. So that
the people had to worship in the open air.
Another district in the Western Highlands, in Harris, 4,000
persons were obliged to worship in the open air. In the island
of Mull they were obliged to celebrate the ordinances
of the common Christianity in a place where
cattle were housed. Now there were some of
the cases where this body had a right to complain of the in-
conveniency to which they were subjected, and he trusted that
the recital of them would induce the House to sanction the
proposition he made for an inquiry into them.
What were the consequences of this state of
things? There was, first of all, the evil to which
he had adverted, namely, that a large body of the people
were entirely prohibited from worshipping God, and in
addition to this, which was an evil of no ordinary
magnitude, there was great exasperation and acerbity on ac-
count of the obstacles which had occasioned such a deprivation.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)