The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-12 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

Mr. THORNELt presenteilapetitioaa from Wolverhamp
ton against the window-tax.

Sir—R. INGLIS presented a petition from a town in Nor-,
folk against Papal eggression ; also sefveral petitions from
Wednesbury and other placei in Staffordshire.
A great number of petitions to the :same effect were pre
-
s ented from several parts of the countr.y,
Mr. WYLI) presented several petitions from St. Mary's,
Islington, and other places in the metropolis, against the
window-tax.

Mr. HUME presented several petitions from places in
Scotland against the Bible monopoly.
Sir J. TROLLOPE presented petiitions from places in
Lincolnshire praying that farmers mi?,,ht be exempted from
the payment of the incorne•tax.

hAYTEß'presented a petition fi.om Somerset praying
for the abolition of copyhold tenure.
Mr. REYNOLDS presentee petition a from Downpatrick
and other lions of Ireland praying for the remission of the
duty on paper.
Mr. WYNDHAM GOOLD presentisi petitions from the
board of guardians of the Newcastle Union, county of
Limerick, against the rate in aid.
Sir' WILLIAM CO DRINGTO g prt a anted a petition from
Stow-on-the-Wold against Papal aggression.
Lord BURGHLEY presented a petition from the parish of.
Great Gourby, in,the county of Lincoan, against Papal ag-
gression.

SUPPLY.
The. Howe then went through Conn nittee of Supply.
PAPAL AGGRESSION-11DJOURNED
DEBATE. -

The order of the day for resuming 'the adjourned debate
having been read,

Mr. P. HOWARD observed that if a, retrograde step were
i taken in this country, such as was proposed by the measure
of the Government with regard to the r ecent'measures of the
Pope, he knew not where it could b a stopped. Although
the Right Honourable Gentleman the Itlember for Northum-
berland had stated there was an unanbe ions feeling through-
' out the country against those measures, no meeting
on the subject had been called ici the great county
of Lancaster, but that great mart of manufacturing
industry had looked on with philosophic; calmness and repose,
and waited with patience until the tins e when truth should
prevail.—(Hear, hear.) In many othe rof the large towns in
the kingdom there had been an exhibition of feeling directly
against memoralising the Queen. In Id eeds the town council
considered that any interference by th €. Government would
be a violation of that religious freedom which prevailed in
this country, and in several other plat:, es the same feeling
was exhibited. As there had been no violation of the law,
how could it be said there was any aggression 2 The law
officers of the Crown had not been enabled to find out any
statute which made these proceedings of the Roman Catho-
lics illegal, and were they to retrogra d e in their policy in
order to pass pains and penalties on c e rtain religious forms
worship of a large body of her Majesty's subjects It had
been said that the Synod of Thurles hail interfered with reli•
gious liberty byanaking eertaia sugpastions relative to the
education of the people ' • but the thusii would recollect that
when the Right Hon.: Getleman, the 'late Home Secretary
(Sir dames Graham), introduced a gin lent] measure of edu-
cation), it was opposed by. the Wesleyare body, who, together
with other religious bodies, was 1113 inly instrumental in
throwing out the measure. He alluded to that circumstance
to prove that other 'religious sects had expressed as decided
opinions on the question of national (*lunation as the Synod
of Thurles. It was the opinion of Lord Castlereagh that
the itietitution of bishops was a beneficial substitution for the
immediate superintendence of the Site of Rome. In his
letter the Supreme Pope had addressed himself to the
Catholics alone of this country, and in his relation
as_ their spiritual father. It, wzas hia anxiety for
the spiritual welfare of the Catholics that he lad
written this letter, and not from any desire for territorial ag-
'gression. This country had obtain's(' Canada by a treaty
stipulating to maintain the Catholic religion, and it was as
much the established religion there as the Protestant reli-
gion was here. England was not the only country where
bishops of a foreign nation were established—Constantinople
had a patharch for the Greek, Latin, and Syriac rite. The ad-
dress of the Cardinal-Archbishop 'was directed only to the
Catholic archbishops, and it was an axiom that a document
only applied to those to whom it VI:RS addressed ; and, if he
migb t without impiety quote it, the highest of all Authorities
had laid down a rule by Which the application of it might
be interpreted—" Whose image and superscription is this ?"
With regard to the measure, and that particular part of it
which interfered with charitable bequests, with the rela-
tions between .man and his 'pastor, he' could only
say. that the law officers of the Crown would find
notnote only their intellectual ingenuity, but their physi-
cal endurance, tried to maintain this, enactment.—(Hear.)
He would ask them as Englishmen to say whether they
would be content to pay for rights without receiving the in-
dulgence to which they were entitled?--(Hear, hear.)
Humble as he was, he had, to the beet of his ability replied
to, andle thought ausvrered, the speech of the First Minis-
ter of the Crown. He, had not violated- the sanctity of re-
ligion, he had in no "respect, so. Pare as he was aware,
in any way interfered with or offended the, feelings of any
sect or party—(spar, hear)—but he would have violated his
Own conscience if he had not, while injuring no other creed,
to the best of hi ability defended hie own.--(Lond cheers.)
Colonel' TIPOMPSON rose, but was anticipated by
Mr. NA-PIER; who said that it Was a singular circumstance
that this was " the third time that they had been called upon
to consider whether they should legislate respecting the as-
sumptions of the • Roman Catholic, bodies of this
countrv:—(Hear, hear.) He• thought that' good an.
swer gad been given by the address of the Prime Minister o
the Crown.