The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LOiLtiS, August 21.
CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELIA; BILL
Lord REDESDALE expressed a hope that their Lord-
ships would not consent to proceed with a Bill of such
importance during this session. It had only just come
up from the Commons, and he hoped it would not be
proceeded with.
Lord BROUGHAM was most anxious that a search-
ing inquiry should be instituted into corrupt practices at
elections; at the same time, he thought the Bill ought
not to be hurried through.
Earl GREY would consent to the postponement of the
Bill if he were not of opinion that such postponement
would lead to its total loss. _ _

The LORD CHANCELLOR proposed to take the
second reading on Thursday.
The Marquis of SALISBURY was opposed to pro-
ceeding with such a Bill at this lute period of the ses-
sion—a session, be it remembered, which had lastep
since November.

Lord REDESDALE moved that the 24th standing
ordc:r against hurrying Bills through the flouw be
tend. This was the only lidi, the postponement of
which had been asked by the ()ppositiou, and he trusted
the Government would give way.
The stundint4 order having been read,
Lord REDESDALE satd that he should c(rtainly
move the postponement of the further consideration of
he meastne.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the standing
order referred to was passed in 1668, and referred to a
long Bill. This was the year 1848, and the Bill was a
short one; therefore the standing order did not apply.
Lord REDESDALE reiteraud his application to the
Government to postpone the Bill.
Lord BROUGHAM said the Commons alone had no
right to disfranchise any borough by suspending its writ;
it could only be disfranchised by King, Lords, and Com-
mons conjointly.
The Duke of WELLINGTON thought their Lord-
ships would do right to be in the possession of the Bill.
Its object was to form a new jurisdiction for the decision
of these cases, and their Lordships would have to pro-
nounce on the measure without previous inquiry at their
bar. He thought it was a subject of so much import-
ance that it ought not to be passed without due consi-
deration.—(Hear, hear.)
Earl GREY said the practice of suspending writs was
no novelty ; the Noble and Learned Lord (Lord
Brougham) concurred in suspending the writ for East
Retford for two years.
Lord BROUGHAM did not object to the House of
Commons exercising the power of suspending a writ in
such a case as East Retford ; but he complained of such
a practice becoming general.
__

The second reading of the Bill was then postponed
until Thursday.
THE SLAVE TRADE.
_

On the notice of motion by Lord DENMAN on this
subject,
The Bishop of :OXFORD said, as he could not be
present to-morrow night, he begged to state that if the
blockade of the coast of Africa wcts w ithdrawn, it would
be a frightfully retrograde step, and he hoped, therefore,
that the address of the Noble and Learned Lord would
be adopted.
TURNPIKE ACTS CONTINUANCE BILL.
On the motion that the House should go into Commit-
tee on this Bill,

The Earl of MOUNTCASIIEL complained of certain
clauses being introduced into the Bill foreign to its de-
clared object.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE said the Bill was
merely:a continuation of former Acts.
The Bill then passed through Committee, and the
House adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, August 21.
VANCOUVER'S ISLAND.
In reply to a question from Mr. HUME,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated that it was the inten-
tion of the Government to propose that certain conditions
should accompany the grant to the Hudson's Bay
Company, with the view of promoting colonization.
When all the papers on the subject were prepared, it
was the intention of his Hon. Friend the Under-Secretary
of State for the Coloaies, to lay them before the Privy
Council, when their charter would be taken into consi-
deration.
Mr. GLADSTONE wished to know if any investiga-
tion was to be instituted into the charges that had been
brought against the Hudson's Bay Company of having
used illegal and despotic powers? Be had to express
his strong conviction that, however restrictions on the
company might tend to overcome positive evils and
abuses now existing, yet they would not overcome the
wretched unfitness for carrying out colonization which
the Hudson's Bay Company had exhibited.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that an inquiry into the
conduct of the company was instituted by the Secretary
of State for the Colonies before any discussion in that
House took place on the subject, and that inquiry was
still proceeding, although it was not intended to wait
the result of the inquiry before the grant should take
place. He quite concurred in the opinions of his Noble
Friend (Earl Grey), that they were not likely to have
colonization in Vancouver's Island except through the
instrumentality of the Hudson's Bay Company.
NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
Mr. G. A. HAMILTON then rose to move that an
huwble address be presented to her Majesty,
praying that her Majesty will be graciously pleased
to direct that such a modification of the
system of national education in Ireland may
be made as may remove the conscientious
objections which a very large roportion of the clergy
and laity of the Established Church entertain to that
system as at present carried into operation; or other-
wise, that means may be taken to enable those of the
clergy and laity of the Established Church who entertain
such conscientious objections, to extend the blessings
of Scriptural education in Ireland. He said it was
unnecessary to make any apology for submitting
the above motion to the House, because there
never was a period when education was more
appreciated, and the principles en which such a system
should be conducted more thoroughly:understood, than at
the present moment. He complained that the system of
toleration, carried so successfully in England, was not
applied in the same spirit to the clergy and laity
of the Established Church of Ireland. In proof
of this he might quote the sentiments enunciated by the
Noble Lord (Lord J. Russell), the Right Hon. Baronet
the Member for Tamworth, and Lord Alorpeth, whose
Christian character endowed their opinion with consi-
derable weight. The Hon. Gentleman then said that
addresses had been signed by a large number of the pre-
lates and clergy of the Established Church of Ireland,
praftiag that some modification should be made of the
prebent national system of education in Ireland. These
addresses were presented in the years 1832 and 1845.
The lion. Gentleman then said that, if the property of
the Church of Ireland was equally divided between the
clergy of that country it would give only 2001. a year to
each clergyman, and a congregation to each clergyman
6,000 persons.—[An Hon. Member—What ?]—He
meant of 600 persons. Then, again, clergymen were
refused livings because they conscientiously opposed the
nations'. system of education. Was this right? Was it
not using the patronage of Government to promote a
particular system, to which the clergy and a large body
of the country were opposed? What the Protestants of
Ireland asked was, that either schools should be estab-
lished where scriptural education should be afforded to
all, or that a separate branch of the present system
should be made applicable to scriptural education.
They were bound to attend to the demands of 1,600
clergymen out of a body of 2,000. After some fur-
ther übservations, the Hon. Member concluded by
making the motion with which be commenced his
address.
the Honour-
able Gentleman rW. OrnisalnEfßo
rVtIbLeL
judicious
afterjci
o n, complimenting
manner in which he had
brought this question before the House, said
the real ques-
tion
for the consideration of the House was this, was the
national system of education—the mixed system of educe-
tion—which had existed in Ireland for the last fifteen veers,
the lengthaage o time df
Now,n considering the present state of Ire-
land, this system of education existed in
Ireland, and and the fact that the prejudices which had prevailed
even on the part of the Protestant clergymen themselves
were fast fading away, he thought the House ought to pause
before they assented to the motion brought forward by his
Honourable Friend. The Right Honourable Gentleman
then proceeded to contend, from facts that were beyond
dispute, that a great body of the Protestant clergymen in
Ireland had given up their hostility to the national system
of education. Mr. Woodward, at a later period, having ex-
amined the matter for himself, stated that the board was
entirely free from the charges brought against it of exclud-
ing scriptural education from the schools. The case of Mr.
Woodward was not a solitary one. Many other clergymen
have declared themselves in favour of the national system.
lie asked them whether, under such circumstances, they
should now abandon the mixed systems and establish one
which would involve a necessity to erect separate schools,
not only for the members of the atablished Church, bat
try with
for the Roman Catholics, and so cover the
lie should which had so long prevailed in that country.
schools to perpetuate those differences and ce°scucillusiveness
op-
pose the motion of his Hon. Friend.
Captain JONES said there
where the clergymen of the
Established Church were the patrons.
so except in those cases
was no such thing as united
the rules as to enable the members o the stab -
so modify
Tbhey shfould
, Eeither
lished Church to avail themselves of it, or at once give each
sect a separate grant,
Mr. tiltOtiAN bald he had a right to complain that the
English Parliament should coerce the feelings of the Pro-
testant clergy of Ireland upon this subject, and deny them
ttieprivilege of carrying out their principles in educating
the children. The joint system of education was only cur-
rent in the Church Establishment schools. He hoped they
would attend to the temperate appeal made to them by his lion. Friend in favour of his motion.
Sir IVILLIAM VERNER complained that the Govern-
mentthi ho
be ladl forro m thosepresent
systemc l e r
towasthewniat
were
e favourablepatronag e
romfenedu*c.hao-
tion. lie had himself applied for a friend of his to be ap-
pointed chaplain to the Lord-Lieutenant, and was refused, on
the ground that he was opposed to the national system. The
hest system of education in Ireland was that under the Kil-
dare-place Society.
Mr. S. CRAWFORD said he knew the Protestant clergy
were opposed to the national system, but that was not shared
in by the Protestant laity, as was shown by the fact that
the number of these schools was greater in the north of Ire-
land than in other parts of the country. He knew that the
Scriptures were read in these schools • the only difference was
that the Catholic childrenwere not obliged to attend on these
occasions, as they objected to read the Scriptures without
note and comment. lie should give his cordial support to
the continuance of the existing system.
Mr. B. OSBORNE regretted that Honourable Members
opposite had not come forward manfully and opposed the
vote on the merits of the question. As the motion stood, it
was opposed to the religious scruples of Roman Catholic pa-
rents, and if carried, it would upset the whole system of
mixed education. The Honourable Member for the Univer-
sity of Dublin had called for a modification of the system.
but it appeared that what he proposed was the abolition of
the Ipresent board of education, and the substitution of a
system of separate grants for that now in force. He had not
denied that Protestant children were already supplied with
as muck scriptural education as the greatest stickler for
such education could demand: and, in truth, as in every
national school, several hcsars were set apart for •sorip-