The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-25 00:00:00

IRISH DISTRESS.

In reply to a question from Sir L. O'BRIEN,
Lord J. RUSSELL observed that in the event of ex-
traordinary measures being required for Ireland, owing
to the visitation which appeared to threaten that coun-
try, her Majesty's Ministers would feel it to be their
duty to advise her Majesty to call Parliament together
again at a later period of the present year.--(Bear.)
TRIENNIAL PARLIAMENTS.
Lord D. STUART gave notice that early next ses-
sion he should move for leave to bring in a Bill to limit
the duration of Parliaments to three years.
DERBY ELECTION.
On the motion of Mr. NE WDEGATE it was ordered
that Mr. Speaker should issue his warrant to the Clerk
of the Crown to make.out a new writ for the electing of
two burgesses to serve in this present Parliament fur the
borough of Derby, in the room of the Right Lion. E.

Strutt and the Hon. E. F. L. Gower, whose election bas
been determined to be void.

MAURITIUS.
Mr. HAWES, in ansys-er to Lord G. Bentina, said
that the expenditure of the Isle of Mauritius in the year
1846 was 27,870/, and in the year 1847, 989,193/.; that
the disbursement made for emigration in 18-16 was
46.4981., and in 1847, 50,2071.; that the rerltiction of
taxation effectud in 1847, to the extent of 60,000/, was
an absolute reduction and not a mere commutation of
taxes; that the balance in the island treasury on the lit
January, 1847, was 139,4911.; that the funds now in the
hands of Mr. Baidie, the colonial agent in London,
amounted to 1,671/ cash, and 49,000/. Exchequer-bills;
that Irepeated instructions had been 'sent out to the
Governor of Mauritius for further reduction of
f-!N penditiirt.; that Mr. .Mixanlay NYE, the only gentle•
matt reoeiving a salary connected with the Government
Bunk of Mauritius, his salary being 1,000/. a year, mad
that the bank was not yet in operation; and, finally, that
the late Auditor-General of Accounts at Mauritius had
been allowed to retire on his full salary, after arduous
service, ever since 1815, his successor being Mr. lier,
who, he believed, was, as the Noble Lord suggested,
brother-in-law to Sir William Gomm. Mr. Ker's salary
was 8001.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
Lord J. RUSSELL gave notice that to• morrow (this
day) his Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Ex'
chequer would at five o'clock make his annual statement
of the income and expenditure of the country. He added
that it would be convenient if, at a subsequent period of
the evening, the House would allow the Government to
take a resolution respecting a loan of 500,000/. to the
West Indies, reserving the statement on the subject until
the second reading of the Bill for the purpose.
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ROME BMX
The order of the day for the House to go into Coin'
mittee on this Bill being read,
Mr. MOORE said that the Hon. Baronet the Meraber
for Essex had grossly libelled the Irish Roman Cat boll('
priesthood, but the Hon. Member for Limerick bed
still more grossly maligned them. That body hwl ever
been the strenuous advocates of order in Ireland, and it
was very unjust to speak of them in other tetras than
those of respect. He hoped the House would riot con'
sent to protract the discussion on the present. Bill, but
would affirm the decision already come to with respect'
to it.
Sir J. TYRELL explained that he had only stated
facts respecting the Roman Catholic priests. -which bed
come to his knowledge, and which he was really to prove
at the bar.
Mr. MOORE rejoined that the language 'used by the
Hon. Baronet was that the " vagabond priests ought 10
be exterminated," and if that was not libellous language
he did not know what words would be so considered.
Mr. URQUHART opposed the Bill, and maintained
that the Noble Lord (J. Russell) had given the House to
understand that the Bill would not be proceeded with
during the present session, and upon that understanding
numbers of Members had left London.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that the Hon. Member for
Warwickshire had already denied having imputed to him
the conduct now brought forward as a charge by the
Hon. Member.
Mr. SPOONER said the words he used were, that
the course taken by the Government led the House to
infer they did not mean to proceed with the Bill We
session.
Mr. URQUHART said that the objections which be
took to the Bill were so strong, as to determine him to
oppose and to retard its progress by every means in hie
power. The Noble Lord opposite had not condescended
to notice the arguments of the Hon. Member for
Youghal against the Bill, but had contented himself
with saying that he had heard the opinions of Lord
Campbell and the Lord Chancellor, and they had Bois'
fled him with respect to the measure. That was not h
constitutional way of meeting the opposition offered ill
that House to a Bill so important in principle as the pre'
sent. For the reasons he had stated he should oppose
the further progress of the Bill.
Mr. P. HOWARD said that the Bill had been brought
forward long before the events in France :had shake°,
Europe to the centre, and therefore any objection
Wee
upon such arguments fell to the ground. The cardinal
Secretary of State at Rowe, on receiving a copy of 06
Bill from Dr. Wiseman, had written to that Right Ref.
Prelate stating the agreeable impression which its
rusal had left on the Pope's mind. It was not right,
therefore, to state that the Bill was not acceptable to the
see of Rome. He regretted the introduction of the se*
cond clause in the Bill, which imposed on a not veil
powerful state a condition not exacted from the most
powerful states of Europe. What would be thought et
a law forbidding the Emperor of Russia to send a ge"
neral officer as ambassador to this country, lest be
should attempt to tamper with the army ?—(Hear, hear.)
He (Mr. Howard) hoped that hostility to the old faith
had so much died away as to prevent any great hoe'
tility being exhibited towards this Bill throughout the
country.
Dr. POWER supported the Bill. He had the honour
to represent a constituency of 800,000 persons, 700,000
of whom were Roman Catholics, and although the Bill
had been five months before the public, he had not re
ceived a single communication expressive of hostility
to it.

Mr. H. DRUMMOND complained of the conduct of
the Hon. and Learned Member for Limerick in reopen-
ing a debate on a question, that of the principle of the
Bill, which had been already settled. As to the charge
of adding to ecclesiastical power, from some of its oppo-
nents,
it should be remembered that from the days
of tle Constantineclergydoofwn all to
d denominations
presentoatio n day,
s had
beenthe t
o constant
osini habite
coerce the laity by every means in their power' an
Bill had also been objected to as a means of The
Ireland through a foreign power. No difficulty would
arise in that direction; the real difficulty in' governing
Ireland arose from the agitation which so long had pre-
vailed in that country. The Hon. Member here read
several extracts from speeches and letters of Irish eccle-
siastics and laymen, illustrative of his assertion, and cone
governing
eluded by saying that the true way of curing these evils
was by taking every fair and constitutional mode of at-
taching the Roman Catholic portion of our fellow-sub
jects, and more especially their clergy, to the State.
With these views he should support the Bill.
theSirß.Governmentl N G L I S
hadsaid,
of
pretty Lord
theo
freodsi
ere atonuit
ennt
dtht
iron
iri
il
ihotfeinaoavndot
ioerff_
subject.wha t was
Notthe one
petition Protestant
rbeen presented by
The Noble Lord could
500 of the parochial clergy. .
pfeeetiltliinognb
se been
dp
of the Bill, while hostile
hardly hopife
he
dpiads,s
was
hßoillodourermigt
wthoeuplarehesenatocseepstsaiohnio;
atondthe
e,,,eSovereign Pontiff, for whose service it was in-
hear.) Or had the Noble Lord any
when Bill became law Rome would have
a ruler in a condition to avail himself of its provisions?
Looking to the merits of the Bill itself, looking at the
state of Europe, and the period of the session at which
hopetende in-
tended?—(Hear,
h/ot(ile
it was sought to force the Bill through Parliament, he
felt bound to give it every opposition in his power.
Lord H. VANE considered that it was highly expo'
dient that this country, looking at the number of the
Roman Catholics amongst its population, should have
an accredited agent at Rome. For this reason he should
give the Bill his cordial support._.
Mr. NEWDEGATE believed that the object of the
measure was to obtain the influence of the Pope with
the Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland in favour of We
Government, an object which they had the best auille; rity for saying it would not effect. The authority o
the Crown should be maintained in accordance with the
principles of the constitution, and not by the intervention
of any foreign power whether temporal or spiritual. icie
should oppose the measure.
Sir H. W. BARRON supported the Bill, and denied
that it would give any power to the Pope in temporal
matters in Ireland. •
Mr. ROBINSON, as a merchant, denied that Oil
measure was necessary for commercial purposes, as bad
been stated by the Noble Lord. As the law stood the
commerce of the Roman States was as muck open to
British merchants as it would be under this 8111
Though it might be deemed factious to oppose the
principle of the measure after the second reading, 04
fault lay with the Government, who had delayed a
.131
brought into Parliament in February till this late pe'
riod of the session. If Government could show apt
practical inconvenience that would result from pool:
poning the Bill till next session he would forego his
opposition; but in the absence of any such explanation,
and looking at the present state of the affairs in Rom
erhe felt justified in appealing to the House to carry tur
amendment.
Mr. NAPIER urged the propriety of postponing the
measure until another session. It was most unfair, when
other and more important measures, as far as Ireland
was concerned, had been deferred merely because they
might occasion some discussion, to insist upon a ow
sure which he contended was useless for any good vi
pose, and in favour of which the only argument ad-
vanced was, that it was necessary to give railroads to
Italy.—(Hear, bear.) Preferring as he did the inter-
ests of Ireland to those of Italy, he must protest against
whilewas
andalmost
generalwh en measures
concurrence,i n
avo our of
Irish Members being kept in town to discuss such 1
Bilwhichlaathere
this,
being
calculated to confer benefits on their country, had bees
abandoned for want of time.
Lord PALMERSTON said that the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman was defeating the object ho declared he bad
in view by standing in the way of going into Coo"
mittee on this Bill, because if he succeeded in putting
fa
it off till next session, there would be the less dial
of those other measures in which he was interested
being passed.—(Cheers.) Of all the extraordinary
debates he (Lord Palmerston) ever heard in that House'
the present was the most so ; for almost every Me°27,, who opposed the Bill did so upon grounds not only
different from, but absolutely conflicting with. the et
ments of the Hon. Gentleman who preceded him in
or
position to it.—(Hear, hear.) If there could be_ r.
proof more strong than another that nothing could
said against the Bill, it WAS to be found in the cirecve _
stance that Hon. Gentlemen had discussed almost every
imaginable question but the one involved in
musty theology, feudal history, Irish distress, landlord
and tenant, grievances of the Irish clergy—evernnyws_
in fact, but the poor Bill itself, which was really so
plain and simple that no one had ventured to saym °
Member
for it.---(Cheers and laughter.) The Hon.
w
for Youghal said it would destroy the independencei
Owould of
the Pope. Another Honourable Member, that
destroy the prerogative of the Crown. One Honourable
Member contended that it would be destructive of the
dation
,and with
of the Protestant institutions of the . the
opinions he adjured the House in
ea-
Protestant religion, that it would uproot the foun
those
nevi
another Honourable Gentleman al
leged
that while
lis
blow to the Catho
name of Protestant England not to pass such a iti
that it would prove a. fatal .
gun
laws ag
Government they ought to re-enact the penal n
na
_...9
and effect t
Church,
he downtal of that church by ope e'LL
observing thtlt if that were the object of .p.
He wennd
they
those two Hon.-Gentlemen and the parties
the
leave
their bottle after
and not by such an insidious measure as this.
represented in that House to fight