The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-13 00:00:00

character of these reverend gentlemen. The Noble Lord
read a letter from Dr. Herbert, denying the truth of the
statement in the petition.
Lord STANLEY did not quarrel with the latitude
taken by the Noble Marquis in reading the letter from
the Dean of Manchester. He was sorry that the obser-
vation he made a few evenings ago, should have given
harm to that gentleman, but he must say, after what he
now heard, that the case was merely in the same posi-
tion as he had left it. He did not refer to the points to
which that letter alluded, but what he did say, that the
charges complained of where non-residence ; that by the
terms of the charter, this was enforced, and that the obli-
gations imposed had not been observed. What was now
stated by the Noble Marquis made his case stronger, for if
the fines for non-residence were enforced when the salaries
of the warden, canons, and chapters were 701., 351.,
and 17/. 10s. respectively, how much more should they
be when the salaries were raised to 1,500/., ],OOOL, and
800 Z ? He still was of opinion, that however freed
from legal responsibility, the Dean and Wardens were
morally bound to fulfil obligations imposed by the
charter and the original founders. All he would say
was this, that they would be perfectly warranted in
sending two of the canons to watch the proceedings in
Parliament, and that if a Committee were to be ap-
pointed to ascertain what were the obligations and re-
strictions of the charter, he, for one, should be ready to
accede to such a Committee.

Lord BROUGHAM thought that the Dean and Chap-
ter were perfectly competent to look after their own
interests, and ho should recommend the Dean and
Chapter to resign. (Laughter.) Why, they had
sworn to resign. They had sworn that, in the event of
the obligations not being complied with, that they
would resign. It was no reply to say, that they swore
that they could either resign or pay the fine. The fine
was imposed to enforce the duty, and the payment of
the fine no more exonerated them from the obligation to
resign than a person would be who had used a profane
oath, and had then gone before the magistrate, and had
thrown two shillings instead of one, would be exoner-
ated from the fault, than if he had not paid the fine at all.
As a lawyer, he should say, that they could not be ex-
onerated from the offence by the payment of the fine,
and he knew what view the Court of Queen's Bench
would take of it. He, therefore, conceived that the Dean
and Chapter had no other course than to resign. He
did not say that this was an immoral thing, but it was
a wrong thing and ought to be remedied.
Lord CAMPBELL said that this was no party ques-
tion—(Hear, hear)—but simply a question of law, and
whether the terms of the donor's will had been carried
out or not. The court of equity had decided that it a
man entered into a contract and failed to perform any
portion of his contract, the payment of the penalty
' would in no way exonerate him from the specific per-
formance of the contract, and the Lord Chancellor
would direct the specific performance of that contract.
SUGAR DUTIES DISTILLERY BILL.

The Elrl of CLARENDON moved the second read
ing of this Bill, and that it be referred to a Selec
Committee.

Lord STANLEY did not apprehend that there would
be any opposition to the Bill, but he believed, from the
calculation that had been made, that it would prove use-
less. He would not then enter upon a discussion of the
subject, but was in favour of its being referred to a
Committee.
The Bill w 133 then read a second time.
The House then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 12.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
SECOND READINGS.

The following Bills were read a scond time:—Ashton
Gas; Birkenhead Improvement (Gas Works) and pur-
chase of Birkenhead and Clangliton Gas Works; Ips-
wich Dock; Ipswich Gas; LondJu and Sou'h Westrrn
Railway (Widening, &.e.); Manchester and Southport
Railway and Branches; Midland Railway (Masbrough
and Normanton Stations Enlargement); Protestant I)is-
sexiters and General Life and Fire Insurance Company ;
and S >uthampton and Dorchester Railway (Blandford
Branch) Bills.

The Marquis of CIIANDOS presented petitions
again at the Bristol and Exeter and other railways.
Mr. WILLIAMS presented a petition against tl.e
Newport and Hereford Railway