The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-17 00:00:00

ASSUMPTION OF ROMAN CATHOLIC TITLES

IN NEWFOUNDLAND.

In reply to Mr. B. COCHRANE,
Mr. LABOUCHERE, in the absence of Mr. Hawes,
stated that dispatches had been received from Newfound-
land conveying the information that a Roman Catholic
priest had assumed the title of Bishop of Newfoundland by
favour of the Holy See, and that Earl Grey had replied
to it, that the individual in question had no right to use
such a title.

In answer to a question from Sir R. H. INGLIS,
Mr. LABOUCHERE said there would be no objection
to lay the dispatch on the table.
METROPOLITAN BUILDING'S BILL.

In answer to a question from Alderman SIDNEY,
Lord SEYMOUR said that he should take the dis-
cussion on this Bill at as early a day as possible.

AFFAIRS OF CEYLON.-VOTE OF CENSURE

ON THE GOVERNMENT.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL wished to ask the Hon.
Member for Inverness-shire whether he had made ar-
rangements with other Hon. Members who had notices
on the paper relative to bringing forward the motion of
which he had given notice on the conduct of the
Government in Ceylon.
Mr. BAILLIE said, in the first place, ho had to ex-
press his regret that he was not present on Friday night
when the Noble Lord mentioned the subject. In answer
to the question now put,, he must take the liberty of
cbserving that the course which the Noble Lord had
taken was one of which he had great reason
to complain. The Noble Lord had stated that the
motion was one which he should consider in
the light of a vote of censure on the Government, and
that therefore it was not his intention to bring forward
his great financial measure until the measure was dis-
posed of, thus placing him (Mr. Baillie) in the invidi-
ous position not only of obstructing the business
of the country, but also placing the motion in the
light of one of confidence and no confidence
in the Government, at the time when the Noble
Lord was perfectly aware that there was no other party
in the country ready to take office. The question was
one of long standing, and though the Noble 'lord all of a
sudden affected ♦irtuous indignation, he must have ex-
pected it for some time, and indeed it was only in con-
sequence of the extraordinary course in refusing
to produce the evidence which had delayed the motion
so long. The House must therefore admit that he was
not liable to the charge of obstructing the business of
the country. Ho could perfectly well understand the
difficulties the Noble Lord was placed in, and his anxiety
to escape from those difficulties; and that, per-
haps, anticipating defeat upon this motion,
he did not wish to have the trouble of pre-
paring those measures which it was his duty
to bring before the country. The Noble Lord was,
however, mistaken if he thought that he (Mr. Baillie)
would be made the instrument of his being allowed to
escape from the duties which the public exigency
called upon him to perform. The course, therefore,
which he should take would be to remove
his motion from the notice book, reserving
to himself the leave of bringing it forward again at a
time when it would not render him liable to the charge
of impeding public business.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL had no reason to complain of
the gronds on which the Hon. Member for Inverness-
shire had founded his motion, but he had great reason to
complain of the form in which that motion had been
framed. The House would be at no loss to construe the
object of the Hon. Gentleman, or of those who partook
of his opinions in bringing forward the motion. He did
not object to the motion, but he did object to the mode
by which that motion had been brought before the
House. He did say that, on the present occasion, the
motion cf the Hon. Member was neither more nor less
than to pass a vote of censure on the Government. There
were reasons why this motion should be brought on, and
he could perfectly understand why a vote of censure
should be obtained against the Government, e3pecially
in a case in which the Secretary of State, and one
the governor of one of the principal of her Majesty's
colonies were concerned. What he had chiefly to com-
plain of was, that any member of a great party should
bring a motion before this House under circumstances
from which it was impossible for his opponets to meet
it in a fair and candid manner.—(Hear, hear.) He, was
not prepared to say what course the Government would
pursue, but he complained of the Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
13aillie) deferring his motion at a time when every ma-
terial was in his hands against Lord Torrington, a peer
of the realm, when his Lrrdship was present in this
country.—(Hear, hear.) It was contrary to the prac-
tice of a great party to bring forward such a
motion as this, and then when the party
who brought it forward was perfectly aware
cf the influence which it must of necessity have,
viz., the effect of a vote of censure upon the Government,
to defer it. It seemed simply planned in wanton
mischief, and he believed that the House would readily
respond to his opinion, that a motion, in which the cha-
racter of a Noble Lord was implicated, and which changed
him with gross and unnecessary cruelty, ought not to
be entertained, or if entertained, ought not to be deferred
to any future time for consideration.—(The Noble Lord,
who had been loudly and repeatedly cheered, sat down
amid loud applause.)

Mr. DISRAELI said that he must remind the House
and the Noble Lord that this was no new question. They
should remember that it was a question which had now
been two years before the House, and that a Committee
had expressly declared for the publication of those
paper?, which were alike necessary for the discussion of
this Question and for the satisfaction of the country.—
(Hear, hear.) This was a matter of the greatest
public interest and importance, and yet the Noble
Lord desired them to legislate, in the absence of every
document, through the evidence of which alone could
they come at a right decision.—(Hear, hear.) His Hon.
Friend the Member for :Inverness-shire had applied at
the Secretary's office, and had been told that the papers
for which he applied had been returned to Ceylon,
being necessary to be produced on the court-martial
upon Captain Watson.—(Hear, hear.) All that he
could obtain were copies of the documents, every one of
which ought to have been laid on the table of
the House a fortnight before. Now mark this. A
copy of the evidence taken before the Commis.
sion could not be required by the court-
martial at Ceylon, because the authenticated copy
of the evidence would not be admissible before
the court.—(Hear, hear.) The court martial were
in possession of the original evidence.—(Hear, hear.)
What necessity, then, was there for sending back the
copy?—(Cheers.) The reason, therefore, given by the
Under-Seoretary of State for sending back the copy was
not only extraordinary, but unparalleled, and under all
the circumstances, to say the least of it, most unsatis-
fitetory.—(Hear, hear.) And yet, under all these cir-
cumstaeces, the House having only just received the
evidence taken before a Committee which sat two years—
not yet being in possession of all the documents
'l,k)nvit It d to the consideration of the Committee, and the
telumu,a haviug just discovered a strange and suspicious cir-
tit.s=ce with respect to the evidenc.- taken by the Com-
.ent out to Ceylon, the first Minister gl.t up, and
eunnng a tote of virtuous indignationh appesled to ti.
House against whet he calleddt e unfair. conduct of a
Nor had the Minister been in the
would have heard nothing
doubtoe"s
gpoTitl*.oPnartwYhTch(enh
tbthis complaint—(Cheers.)
for the Minister would have been
been the lest man who could
upon a great judicial qnes-
wieli t-) come to a cotciusion
• f such importance as this in the absence
Win 0
of the necessary
documents ; and aftersuch
inexplicable conduct on the part of the
d4artwerit whose ,oliorLy.pwLisattacked.(Elear, hear.)
He thought hi 6 11""
feeling
could— hs
Friend had taken that course
this
the °He ceaussieon.
which good sense and alike dictated, and he for
one had no objection to appeal to the verdict the
carcely
overlook the remarkable difference that existed between
country as elotßoGliris cGoßndEulertr,oaiad
the arguments of the Honourable Geutlemau the