The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-29 00:00:00

OF ROME BILL.

On the motion that this Bill be read a third time,
Mr. NAPIER rose and moved that the Bill be read sr
third time this day three months. The Hon. nnu:,
Learned Gentleman said, as he believed the Bill would
be a heavy blow against the Constitution, he was justi,
fled in opposing it by every constitutional means placed
at his disposal. Be admitted that, before the Retorrnr
tion, intercourse with the Pope as a temporal prince was
allowable, but since that great event no intercourse of
the kind could take place without acting in opposition to
the Constitution. Why, if this Bill were one which it
was well to pass, was he, a Roman Catholic, called
upon to swear at the table of the House that the Pope
had no spiritual jurisdiction in this realm?—(Hear,hear )
He opposed the Bill on other than constitutional grounds
.
a religious ground. The Noble Lord at the head of
the Government was about to visit his (Mr. Napier's)
native land. He begged of him to bear in mind
whilst there that those who had been the greatest op-
ponents of the primitive Roman Catholic faith were the
monarchs of this country in conjunction with the Pope--
(Laughter)—and not to cause greater ill-feeling in the
matter than existed.
Mr. C. ANSTEY seconded the amendment.
Mr. M. MILNES supported the Bill, and believed that
those who opposed it were actuated by undue prejudine;.
He thought when the Noble Lord the Secretary ni;
State for Foreign Affairs was' engaged in a great work
of pacification, it would be most impolitic to cripple
..„.01"
benign labours by refusing to allow him to enter °pelt
into diplomatic relations with the Pontiff Sovereigo
the Roman States.
Mr. C. ANSTEY repeated at some length his obe
jection to the Bill.
Mr. Sergeant TALFOURD stated the grounds 2/1
which he now supported the Bill, and had voted for the
amendments of the Hon. Member for Lambeth (Mr. ,
Pearson). He voted for the amendments to which he
referred, because he believed they would be acceptable
to a large portion of his fellow-subjects. (Seam
hear.) The question which weighed with him w,:t
it should be.—(Hear,
not what the law had been and was, but
hear.) When he found that
Bill had been materially amended by the House of
Lords ; that it was at last passed in an assembly.l_l;
which the venerated prelates of our Church oecuple'
seats; that the wisdom of the Duke of Wellington had
declared such a measure necessary, he saw no reason
why they should not enter into open diplomatic relations
with the only sovereign with whom they had heretofore
had no such avowed relations, though it was well
known that secret intercourse had long bee!'
carried on.—(Hear, hear.) There was no no§
in the term " diplomatic relations," for
Bill, after all, would but extend their social relations
with the see of Rome. Hon. Members had differenf
views, and the Hon. and Learned Member for Yought
believed that if the Bill passed the Papists of this
country would be affected with Protestantism.—P"::
Anstey—" No, no."] He believed that communicatt
with Rome would tend to strengthen our Church, by
showing its great simplicity, instead of undermining t"
—(Hear, hear.) He, therefore, had no hesitation
supporting this Bill.