The Sun.
London, England, 1833-03-29 00:00:00

regulations of 11312, it was required that the reports of
the births, &c., should be made to the Privy Council, but
those reports bad never been made. Another provision
was, that the churchwardens and overseers were to make

a duplicate return of all their registers to their diocesan,
who was to take care of them, and provide a place
of safe custody for therm But that provision of the
Act was never executed. There were only three dio-
ceses in the whole kingdom in which any place had been
appropriated for the safe custody of these duplicate returns.
In no one diocese had an alphabetical list been made out,
so as to afford a knowledge of what existed, and an easy
access to it. In London, Chester, Bristol, in those dio-
ceses in which were congregated the great masses of our
town and manufacturing population, one-half of the
parishes never made any return at all. The returns
which were made according to the statement laid on the
table, were very often irregular and incomplete, and, con-
sequently, of very little value. He asked whether that
state of confusion was proper for a great country like
this? By this Act the churchwardens were to send their
returns postage free, but as they did not always comply
with the regulations when the postage was to be made,
they were not received at the diocese, and sent back to
the post-office. There they accumulated, and the accu-
mulation actually became s great, that at length the post
office burnt them to get rid of them. Thus the duplicates
en which all men bad to rely for the security of their pro-
perty, were destroyed as an incumbranee. He bad fur-
ther to observe, that the voluntary registration of indivi-
duals was not evidence. Baptisms too were no proof of
age. It was necessary, therefore, to have a registration of
birth, and that was what was wanted. The present
system was replete with imperfections, alai permitted a
great many subjects of dispute without any means of re-
medying them. In Wales, for example, two-thirds of the
people were Dissenters. In England and Wales, as he kr ew
on good authority, there were 8,250 dissenting chapels.
At least one-third of the people of England and Wales

• •
were dissenters from the E4ablished Church. How were

these people to obtain the advantages of registration?
There was no provision for registering their births and
baptisms. Their own registration too was no evidence in
the courts of law. That. was a subject of interest to
members of the Church of England, as well as to the
Dissenters themselves, for there was no man who might

not find his property and his children's property, depend
on the registration of a Dissenter. On contrasting our
institutions in this respect with those of the continent,
they were found to helrtme imperfect, and he felt as an
Englishman, as much ashamed, as he f-h inconvenience as

a Dissenter, by a system that was made a reproach to us
in every part of Europe. He would not particularly refer
to France in which there was a general system of civil
registration. In every commune every birth, marriage,
and death, was registered by the Mayor., In Holland, the
birth of every child was registered within three days after
it occurred. In Austria, the Catholic clergy were obliged
to receive the documents of other clergymen and to enter
them with their own, so as to form one general system of
local registration. No system in any part of Europe
was so imperfect as that on which the descent of all pro
perry depended in this country. Considering the im-
portance of the subject, he thought it would be better to
refer this matter to a Select Committee, rather than that
he should move for leave to bring in a Bill. He wished
to have either a general system of civil registration, such
as that established in the Protectorate, or that the clergy
of the Church of England, if they would m iintain the
present system, should be bound to make it a complete
system of registration of births, marriages, and deaths ;
and they should be bound to receive and register the births,
marriages, and deaths of the Dissenters, es well as of
the members of their own congregations.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL heartily concurred in
the object proposed by his Learned Friend. He would
not enter into any details, but would reserve to himself the
right of discussing them hereafter.
The SOLICITOR GENERAL, as a member of that
commission on real property, the report of which the
lion. Gentleman had quoted, was well aware of the de-
fective state of our registration. It was more easy to
trace a pedigree 500 years ago than five years. The
Him. and Learned Gentleman then related several in-
stances when entries had been forged for the purpose of
proving pedigrees. The entries were made in Bibles, to
which the artificial appearance of venerable age was suc-
cessfully imparted. Indeed there was a regular manufac-
tory of Bibles for that purpose. He begged to express
his cordial wishes for the success of the motion.
Mr. K. TYNTE having the honour to represent a
county in which mere a very large body of Dissenter',
felt rejoiced in an opportunity of congratulating the Dis-
senters and the people of England upon the liberal man-
ner in which his Hon. Friend's motion bad been met by
his Majesty's Ministers.—The motion was then agreed to.
ROMAN CATHOLIC MARRIAGES.

Mr. PATTEN said, that in consequence of the regula-
tions respecting the presentation of petitions, his name
stood so low upon the list that he had not yet been able to
present several petitions which he held, prayirg the Hous,
to leg:dize Roman Catholic marriages, without subsequ.nt
confirmation according to the rites of the Established
Church. He concluded by giving notice of his intention
to bring in a Bill for that purpose.
CLAIMS OF MR. D'ARCY MAHON.

Mr. SHEIL moved for a " Return of the Retirement
Allowances given to D'Arcy Mahon, E.q. and the other
Provisional Commissioners of Stamps in Ireland upon the
consolidation of the Thuds ; of the number of years for
which each of the said Commissioners was employed
in the Revenue ; of the principle on which said re-
tirement allowances were calculated respectively; and
if the places or (Aces to which any of the said Provi-
sional Commissioners have been since presented, with
the amount of the yearly emoluments thereof." This
gentleman had acted for thirty-right years in the adminis-
tration of the Stamps in Ireland, as Comptroller and In-
spector, and subsequently he was raised to the situation of
Commis•ioner, and all the reward which he had obtained
on being superannuated, for so long a period of service,
was a retiring allowance of 2701. per annum.
Mr. SPRING RICE had no objection to give the pa-
pers. He was happy in bearing testimony to Mr. Ma-
hon's merits.
Mr. ROCHE said a few words in favour of Mr. Mahon's

claims.

The motion was then agreed to.
The Marine Mutiny Bill went through the Committee,
and the report was ordered to be brought up tomorrow.
Mr. SPRING RICE brought up the report of the
Committee of Supply, and resolution passed last night on
tie army estimates, which was read and agreed to.
Leavewas then elven to bring in the (Army) Mutiny Bill.
Mr. ALEXANDER BARING moved for an account
of the total number of persons entitled to receive half-
yea:iy dividends at the time of the last half-yearly pay-
ments, particularising each deticription of stock and of
terminable annuities, distinguishing those whose dividends
amount to Si., to 101., to 20/., to 50/., to 300/., to
300/., to 2,000/., and also distinguishing those dividends
which are to he paid to public companies.—Agreed to.
Mr. BARING also moved for an account of the quan-
tity of gold and silver coin and bullion imported and ex-
ported from India and China, and to Europe and America
respectively, distinguishing gold from silver, and coin from
bullion, from the earliest period from which such accounts
can be furnished.
Mr. ATTWOOD gave notice of his intention, on an
early day after the Easter recess, to move for a return of
the names of all persons possessed of 10,0001. and up-
wards in the public Funds on the Ist of March, 1819, or
the nearest day to that date at which such return could
be made out ; and a similar return for the Ist of March,
1815, or the nearest day to that date at which such re-
turn could be made out.
Mr. HODGES prey,-nted petitions from Gravesend and
Bexley against the Beer Bill.
NIINISTERIAL CHANGES.
Mr. S. RICE moved a new writ for the Northern Di-
vision of Lancashire, in the room of Mr. E. G. Stanley,
who had ampted the office of one of his Majesty's Prin-
cipal Secretaries of State ; and also one for the city of
Westminster, in the room of Sir John Cam Hobbouse,
who had accepted the office of Chief Sect etary for Ireland.
Mr. W. WYNN presented five petitions from places in
Montgomeryshire, for the better observance of the Lord's
Day.
Mr. BARRON presented ten petitions from the city of
Waterford, against the Irish Coercive Bill.
Mr. HUGHES presented a petition from Plymouth, for
the abolition of slavery.
Mr. TENNANT presented petitions from Belfast and
Badynina, for the better observance of the Sabbath.
Mr. EVANS presented a petition from Leicester, in
favour of the Irish Coercive Bill, and four petitions from
the sante place, for the better observance of the Sabbath.
Mr. YOUNG presented a petition from 516 unemployed
mariners belonging to the port of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
complaining of want of employment, stating that a great
portion of the shipping bad become useless in consequence
of the depression of the mercantile marine, and praying
that some redress might be granted, not to themselves di-
rectly, but to their employers, so that the latter might be
enabled to give them occupation.
Mr. YOUNG 4180 presented a petition from Shoreham,
Littlehampton, Arundel, and Chichester, complaining of
the heavy stamp duties upon maritime insurances.
Mr. COLLIER presented a petition from Plymouth, for
an amendment of the law of debtor and creditor.
M r, WYNN ELLIS .presented a petition from Leict ster,