The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-11 00:00:00

CALEDONIAN NORTHERN DIRECT.

The object of this Bill was to mate a railway from the Forth and
Clyde Junction Railway, to be called as abcve.
Parliamentary agents, Messrs. Grahame and Weems, London.
The formal proofs having been heard, the Committee found that
the standing orders had been complied with.
This was the last case on the list for to-day, and the Committee
adjourned ,hortly after four o'clock to twelve o'clock to-morrow.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS DAY.)

HOUjE. OF COMMONS.
• CATHOLIC RELIEF BILL.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Mr. FINCH was not opposed to the whole of the principles
of this Bill, because he thought that some of its provisions
might with very great safety be adopted ; as for instance that
which went to iepeal•the law 'by which schoolmasters were
regulated, and which he thought might be very judiciously
abolished. But there were other points to which he en-
tertaineh strong and insuperable (ejections. He was
aware that there were parties • belonging to the religi-
. ous community of the Roman Catholic Church who held
in all its force - the doctrine of the political supremacy of
the Pope.—(Cries of " Where, where ?") The authority
to which he would refer was the late. Charles Butler, the
barrister, who it was well known was himself a Catholic,
and who hal stated that this doctrine was held in the Vati-
can and 'its precincts.—(A laugh.) He might add. that the
sanse principle ras supported by the celebrated Bellarmine.
And further,: he might cite the oath as administered under
the provisions of the 31st Geo. 111.
Mr. O'CONNELL—That is not the oath now administered
to Members of the House.
Mr. FINCH had just had the book put into his hands, and
be was therefore not responsible for the error, but he still
must contend that there *ere many individuals who held the
doctrine of Papal supremacy. There might be no imme-
diate danger, but he could see in future years, and that at no
distant period, ample cause for apprehension:if this Bill were
carried. There might be cases of conscience in which the
impositiOn of an oath would be felt as a hard-
ship, but he believed they were very few, and
there was on the other hand, an evil to be guarded
against. Many young persons were lecl, at an age when they
were incapable of jutlging of their future course, to take re-
ligions vows from which, at some after pet iod, they would be
very glad to be released, anti he conceived that a very advan-
tageous change might be made in the regulation of religious
communities. Each of these establishments might be visited
by a Commissioner, appointed by Government, who might
see each of these young persons separately, and take measures
to
oect their liberation whenever it was desired. (A laugh.)
With regard to the observation of the Noble Lord respecting
the Jesuits, he did not conceive that any securitycould be
taken against them:Tilt least any that wasworthy of the name.
This was in 1829. ITar.) He understood that ex-
pression. It was that the Right Hon. Baronet had left be-
hind him all his formersAtrn.iolt!, and that Hansard should
be laid aside. Still he
Peaces.intell) would say this was a
constitutional principle.sur manugh a Catholic country,
had seen it uecesssry to
of its religions orders,
as inconsistent with the Government of the country, and
other nations had clone the same., '
shoemreefoeroe,utntool
. thing inconsistent in this:country exerreeiSTna:, t
and other
over such orders. At present Sisters of At
religious bodies were springing up, distributientistracts, and
using every exertion to make proselytes, and
interfered with ; yet it might come that in a
Gfiievye-earesnsoitt
would be necessary for a Protestant •
to interfere with the proceedings of turonnulasetr:l
orders. If the Roman Catholics, however, con'-
Metered the subject well, .he was sure they would not
venture on processions, in which the host, they so much vene-
rated, might be 'liable to insult. There was one other point
.to which he would refer. The clause which gave the power
for Roman Catholic prelates to assume the legal title of
bishop and archbishop could not but be offensive to the
tlignitalies, of the Protestant Church.. Nothing could be
more offeitive than for a Roman Catholic .bishop to take
the title of Archbishop of Canterbury. He thought that
the Catholic clergy would, if this Bill passed, assume
the titles of the Protestant clergy. lie deprecated the spirit
which was at present so prevalent among all sections of the
Protestant clergy to look favourably on Roman Catholics,
and to make unjust concession to them. Having these
opinions, he would oppose the second reading of the Bill.
Sir J AXES GRAHAM wished to detain the House for a
short time while he stated his reasons for giving his support
to the second reading of the Bill. He supported it, because
he was favourable to its spirit and because he conceived that
that was the spirit of toleration.—(Bear, hear.) If there be
such penalties in the statute-book, he for one was satisfied
that they should be inquired into, with a view to ascertain
if, without danger to the community, they could not be re-
moved.—(Her, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman the Member
far the UniVersity of OxfOrd had endeavoured to show that
the Act of 1829 was one which should be swept from the
statute-book. He (Sir James Graham), so far from con
curving in that opinion, thought it one of the brightest pages
in the statute-bcok, and was a consummation which he,
Irons the-part he took in it, should always back upon
with delight. Ile did not see why they should have any ob-
jecti at to this Bill, or why they ghouls think that it swept
away auy of those safeguards which it would
be desirable to
have, for it did not go so far as the Bill in the other House.
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