The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-25 00:00:00

fi1.21, SUN, LONDON,

SCOTCH ENTAILS.
Mr. B. COCHRANE wished to know whether it
was the intention of the Government to bring in any
measure for the amendment of the law relating to
entailed estates in Scotland ?
Sir G. GREY said that a Bill was in an advanced
state, and would,no doubt be brought forward by the
' Lord Advocate at an early period of the session.
POOR-LAW SETTLEMENT.
Sir J. PAKINGTON wished to know whether the
Government intended to bring in any measure for
the improvement of the present law of settlement of
the poor.
Sir G. GREY was. not prepared at present to say
that he would do so. He did not, however, wish it to
be understood that no Bill would be brought forward
upon the subject.
BRIBERY AT ELECTIONS.

Sir J. PAKINGTON wished to know, from the
Noble Lord at the head of the Government, whether
it was his intention to bring in any Bill on the sub-
ject of the bribery and corruption reported to have
taken place at the recent elections.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that the Government did
not intend to introduce any measure on the subject.
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHARITIES.

Mr. ANSTEY moved for leave to bring in a Bill
to amend the law relating to Roman Catholic chart..
ties. The mischief which the Bill sought to remedy was
recited in the preamble, and was shortly this :—Down
to a recent period, under the general provisions of a
law, the profession of the Roman Catholic religion
was rendered unlawful, and it was also made an
illegal act to make any endowment for the
advancement of the Roman Catholic religion.
The enactments by which relief was given to the
Roman Catholics certainly took away thet stigma
from their religion ; but there was considerable doubt
ts to the retrospective effect of these Acts, and it
was very much in doubt, in consequence of the deci-
sion of the present Lord Chancellor of England,
whether Roma❑ Catholic charities, established at the
period when the law of Superstitious Uses was in
force, were at the present day legal To meet
that mischief he proposed by his Act to give a retro-
spective effect to the Relief Acts, and thereby enable
Roman Catholics in this country to obtain relief in the
courts of England. This Bill, if carried, would give
to Catholic charities the same effect as was
proposed by the Lord Chancellor to be given
to Protestant charities by the Bill he intended
to bring in. The Roman Catholics did not
desire to screen their charities from laves•
tigation, and they were willing to have their
charities investigated by the courts of this country.
lie proposed by his Bill to give the Lord Chancellor
the same jurisdiction in Catholic trusts that he now
had in Protestant. The other Bill, of which
he had given notice, was a Bill for the repeal of the
statutes ;S hick inflicted penalties on the practice of the
R,-,man Catholic religion in this country.
Many of those - penalties were out of use,
but still, until the Acts were repealed, they
might he enforced. The Honourable and Learned
Member concluded by moving for leave to bring in a
Bill for the better admini,tration of trusts in favour
of her Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects.
Mr. O'GORM AIN MAHON seconded the motion.
Sir GEORGE GREY would not offer any
objsction to the introduction of the Bill; but
I e apprehended the Ilen. and Learned Member
would find more difficulty than he anticipated
in the progress of the Bill. He would not pledge
himself to do more than give a fair consideration to
the measure. 11 ith respect to the second Bill, he had
no ottjeetion to its introduction.
Sir R. INGLIS objected as much as ever to the
a.oasure proposed by the Honourable and Learned
lhmber. Ile believed that her Majesty's
Al!inisters would do well to instruct the
la At advisers of the Crown to watch the
Bill as first introduced in order to see whether it did
not hazird in a great measure the Act for the eupre-
tr acv of the Crown. He was very touch mistaken
if' the me sure did not involve questions of far
greater importance than appeared at first sight.
The Church of Rome was on the aggressive not only in
England, but in every place throughout Europe; and
hen this Bill came on again, he hoped Government
would be prepared to state upon what authority the
Church of Rome had been permitted to create indepen-
dent dioceses in provinces within her Majesty's domi-
, nions. He should be glad, too, if Government would at
the same time furnish him with any instance where the
Church of Rome had been permitted to exec•
cise that authority in any country in Europe
without the sanction of the Sovereign. lie
contended that the Church of Rome hitherto
had never attempted to create any new bishopric
without the consent of the sovereign power
within whose dominions the bishopric was to
be established, and he should expect, when this Bill
came on for discussion again, that Government would
be prepared to state whether the consent of her Majesty
or her predecessor had ever been given to the creation
of new Catholic bishoprics within her Majesty's
dominions.—(Hear, hear.) lie did not feel it neces-
sary to trouble the House further, because a Mem-
ber, on his first coming into the House, and
asking for leave to bring in a Bill which
did not involve the violation of a principle,
expected to be permitted to introduce it /13 a matter
of course, and he should not have occupied the time
of the House so long had the Hon. Gentleman con-
fined his observations to the provisions of his Bill.
Mr. HUME really thought the House ought to be
on its guard against the remarks of the Hon. Baronet
who had just sat down, for if he was not very greatly
mistaken, the question whether the jurisdiction of the
Pope should be extended to this country, had no
connexion with the 8111 now under discussion.—
(Hear, hear.) If he understood the Bill properly,
it was to place the property of Roman Catholics
upon the same footing as that of Protestants, and he
faneied the Hon. Gentleman who had introduced it
had spoken the opinion of the House upon the
subject.—(Hear, hear.) It was admitted in
the last Parliament that the time had ar-
rived when their Roman Catholic brethren ought
to be placed on the same footing as themselves ; and,
so far from this Bill meeting with opposition, he trusted
it would have the support of individuals of great
weight in that House, who stated their opinions in
favour of such a measure during the last Parliament.
Lord ARUNDEL and SURREY said he should
support the Bill.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
Mr. ANSTEY then moved for leave to bring in a
Bill for the further repeal of penal enactments against
Roman Catholics on account of their religion.
Leave was also given to bring in the Bill.
CAPTAIN MORRIS ANee THE CATHOLIC

CLERGY.
Mr. MAHER moved for copies of correspondence
between the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the
Roman Catholic Clergy of the diocese of Cashel, rela-
tive to reports made by Captain Morris, a Government
Inspector under the Board of Works in Ireland, re
fleeting upon the character of certain of the Catholic
Clergy of that diocese. in the parish where he re-
sided, the Catholic clergy, besides performing their
ordinary duties and attending and visiting the sick,
had also attended the relief committees,
and rendered effective service, for which they
received the thanks of the Government Inspector.
The Roman Catholic clergy of that part of the
county memorialised the Lord Lieutenant to institute
an inquiry into certain charges made against them by
Captain Morris; but from some unaccountable cir-
cumstance their application was refused. All he
the Hon. Member) required was a thorough investi-
gation ; and he_ conceived that the production of the
correspondence in question would, by vindicating
these clergymen, set them right with the Government
and the people of the country.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said the House would ex-
cuse him replying to the question, as at the time in
question be had the honour to hold the office of
Secretary for Ireland. Captain Morris was one of
the officers appointed by the Government to super-
intend the distribution of provisions in Tipperary.
Ile (Mr. Labouchere) had no hesitation fin admit-
ting that in this and some other instances expressions
found their way into the reports of the officers en-
gaged to discharge similar duties, which, though
those who made them considered themselves justified
in what they did, it would have been well if they
had not been made public.—(Hear, hear.) Captain
Morris stated in his report that some of the
clergy of Tipperary had not done their duty, as they
kad not in many instances, assisted to check the
abuses which prevailed in that part of Ireland. But
the charge was not a general one, and therefore
he could not see that any good would arise
from an inquiry into the particulars of this
case, because such a step would involve
the necessity of publishing the names of perhaps a
number of individuals. He had written to Captain
Morris on the subject, and he had explicitly stated in
reply that he did not wish to convey a
general charge; he said as a body they had
performed their sacred office well. But in large
bodies like that of the Roman Catholic clergymen
therfo
duties.
re asii
othfelr
ereland, there were found some who neglected
Ithi
laiso
nso. tehnids eta
would it hebe
amdwould
.
able to go into the niinutt • •
ae of every case
of this kind which he would ask was brought before the House ;
Ireland ?—(Henrwhetherhe any advantage would result to
mittees appointed to Those. who had sat on Corn-
similar subjects woulod,
make inquiries last session on
w hen he stated that such Nivas sure, agree with him
no public advantage.— merestirtions resulted in
no objection to produce copiers.o)f le had, however,
Ile must: he allowed to say that the
correspondence
received the most valuable assistance(foovernment had
Catholic le: gy as a body, and he incerrelmtthe Romai,
no individual cases, however much they ini4rtreted that
d, would induce the House to forget what theyre%reet(-
to the conduct of the Roman Catholic clergy under eir.l
cumstances of the most trying and difficult nature, ,

After "a few remarks from Mr. J. O'CONNELL and
Major Maenamara, the motion was agreed to.

SUPPLY OF LABOUR, IN THE MAURITIUS.
Mr. HUME said, that as he understood the Noble
Lord at the head of the Colonial Department was
about to make some alterations in the affairs of the
Mauritius, he should postpone his motion upon the
subject until to- morrow.
SLAVE TRADE

Mr. HUME moved for a return of the number of
her Majesty's ships of war employed on the coast of
Africa for the suppression of the slave trade, in the
month of June, 1847, stating the number of men and
guns on board of each, and the aggregate; also for an
estimate of the expense of her Majesty's ships of
war employed for the suppression of the slave trade,
and of all their appointments, so as to exhibit the
aggregate charge to the country for their support in
the year 1846 7; also a return of the number of ships
of war belonging to France, and the number belong-
ing to the United States of America, employed on
the coast of Africa for the suppression of the
slave-trade, agreeable to treaties with Great Bri-
tain, stating the number of ships of each
class, and the number of men and of guns
belonging to each, and the aggregate ; and also for
a copy of all the reports or dispatches received from
the of commanding her Majesty's ships of war
employed for the suppression of the slave trade on
the coast of Africa, since January, 1847, on the state
of slavery and the slave trade.—Agreed to.
EXCISE LAWS.

Mr. HUME wished to know from the Chancellor
of the Exchequer whether it was the intention
of the Government to make any alteration
in the Excise-laws during the present session.
Where he tame from (Scotland) they were extremely
anxious that some alteration rhould be made.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said that before the conclusion of tf,e last ses-
sion he had desired the Chairman of the
Excise Board to direct attention to the subject
alluded to by the Hon. Member. He had em•
ployed several experienced persons, and he (the
Chancellor of the Exchequer) was in hopes, though
he could make no promise on the subject,
that he should be enabled, in the course of the pre-
sent session, to introduce a measure for the purpose
of removing all those restrictions that were objec-
tionable.
The House then adjourned.