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

PETITIONS.

Mr. THORNELY presented a petition from Wolverhamp-
ton against the window-tax.
Sir R. INGLIS presented a petition from a town in Nor-
folk against Papal aggression ; also several petitions from
Wednesbnry and other places in Staffordshire.
A great number of petitions to the same effect were pre-
sented from several parts of the country.
Mr. WYLD 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 petitions from places in
Lincolnshire praying that farmers might be exempted from
the payment of the income-tax.
Mr. HAYTER presented a petition from Somerset praying
for the abolition of copyhold tenure:
Mr. REYNOLDS presented petitions from Downpatrick
and other parts of Ireland praying for the remission of the
duty on paper.
Mr. WYNDHAM GOOLD presented petitions from the
board of guardians of the Newcastle Union, county of
Limerick, against the rate in aid.
Sir WILLIAM CODRINGTON presented 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 Lincoln, against Papal ag-
gression.

Colonel PENNANT presented petitions from the inhabi-
tants of the parishes of Eifionydd and Bodfern, in the county
of Carnarvon, against Papal aggression.
Mr: VARNHA.M presented two petitions from the county
of Leicester against Papal aggression.
Mr. PLUMPTRE presented a petition from the congre-
gations of Dissenters at Portsea, Landport, and Gosport,
against Papal aggression.
Sir ALEXANDER I.IOOD presented petitions against
Papal aggression from several parishes in the county of
Somerset.
Mr. MOODY presented petitions from a Dissenting con-
gregation at Yeovil, from Norton and Pendomer, against the
Papal aggression. and from Pendomer against the admission
of Jews into Parliament:

Sir JOHN TRULL'/PE presented a petition from tenant-
farmers of Holbeach, Lincolnshire, praying to be relieved
ftom Schedule B of the income-tax, by its total abolition;
from Welbourn, Colsterwortb, Carrington, and Frithoville,
zgAinst Papal aggression ; and from solicitors at Holbeach
against the certificate duty.
Mr. SMYTHt presented thirty-two petitions from pa-
rishes in York in favour of the repeal of the window duty,
and one from York against Papal aggression.
Lord CLAUD HAMILTON presented petitions from
Favonagal, Billy Faddy, and from the parishes of Newton
Saville and Donagheady, in the county of Tyrone, praying
thatlreland may be included in any meaure passed to repel
Papal aggression.

SUPPLY.
The House then went through Committee of Supply.
PAPAL AGGRESSION—ADJOURNED

DEBATE.

The order of the day for resuming the adjourned debate
having been read,
Mr. P. HOWARD observed that if a retrograde step were
taken in this country, such as was proposed by the'measure
of the Government with regard to the recent measures of the
Pope, he knew not where it could be stopped. Although
the Right Honourable Gentleman the Member for Northum-
berland had stated there was an unanimous feeling through-
eat the country against those measures, no meeting
ore the subject had been called in 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 time when truth should
prevail.-(Hear, hear.) In many other of the large towns in
the kingdom there had been an exhibition of feeling directly
against memoralising the Queen. In Leeds-the town council
considered that any interference by the Government would
be a violation of that religious freedom which prevailed in
this country, and in several other places the same feeling
was exhibited. As there had been no violation of the law,
how could it be said there was any aggression? The law
officers of the Crown hail not been enabled to find out any
statute which made these proceedings of the Roman Catho-
lics illegal, and were they to retrograde in their policy in
order to pass pains and penalties on certain religious forms
of worship of a large body of her Majesty's subjects? It had
been said that the Synod of Thurles had interfered with reli-
gious liberty by making certain suggestions relative to the
education of the people; but the House would recollect that
when the Right lion. Getlemau, the late Home Secretary
(Sir James Graham), introduced a general measure of edu-
cation, it was opposed by the Wesleyan body, who, together
with other religious bodies' was mainly 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 education as the Synod
Thurles. It was the opinion of Lord Castlereagh that
the institution of bishops was a beneficial substitution for the
immediate superintendence of the See 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 was his anxiety for
the spiritual welfare of the Catholics that he had
written this letter, and not from any desire for territorial ag-
gression. This country had obtained Canada by a treaty
stipulating to maintain the Catholic religion, and it was as
mu ?h the established religion there as the Protestant reli-
gion was here. England was not the only country where
hishos of a foreign nation were established-Constantinople
ha}a patriarch 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 was addressed; and, if he
might 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
ray that the law officers of the Crown would find
not only their intellectual ingenuity, but their physi-
cal endurance, tried to maintain this enactment.-(Hear.)
Ile 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 best of his ability replied
to, and he thought answered, 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 far as be was aware,
in any way interfered with or offended the feeling/ of any
sect or party-(Hear, hear )-but he would have violated his
own conscience if he had not, while injuring no other creed,
to the best of his ability defended his own.-(Loud cheers.)
Colonel THOMPSON rose, but was anticipated by
Mr. NAPIER, who said that it was asingular 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
country.-( dear, Lear.) He thought that a good an-
swer had been given by the address of the Prime Minister of
the Crown to any doubt that might be entertained on the
subject. - (Hear, hear.) They were called upon by the very
terms of the motion to assent that they were bound not to
interfere with the religious liberty of any portion of her
Majesty's subjects.-(Hear, hear.) He had heard this ag-
gressive act of the Pope excused, palliated, and in some cases
indirectly denied, but from no quarter had he heard it de-
tended.-(Hear, hear.) It was, in fact, without any right
for defence, for it was. if considered with reference either to
the common or statute law of the realm, totally opposed to
the British Constitution.-(Ories of "Hear, bear." The
Government were perfectly justified in the introduction of
this measure, for the aggression of the Pope was equally in-
jurious to the feelings and interests of the people and to the
Church in England, to the welfare of the nation at large.-
( Hear, hear.) From all the reading which he had enjoyed,
from all the interests which had expressed their opinions, and
still more from an authority higher than all-from one who
bad left the privacy of his retirement and the enjoyment of
hie leisure to state his opinion in public, for the common
tteat- he had learned that this fact of the interference of a
"'reign sovereign was altogether unjustigable•-(llear,hear.)
The authority to which be had alluded was Sir Edward Sug-
tine than whom a more erudite lawyer or able judge did not
""teL(Hear, heater Now, if that was the case, were the
Government net right in bringing in a measure to repress
that aggression? (The lion. and Learned Gentleman then
cited the words used by Sir E. Sugden in his condemnation
of the act of the Pope, and was loudly cheered at the end of
the quotation which he made from Sir Edward's speech.)
Some lion. Members had said that the law had not been
violated, others that a law could not be made, and others
again, bolder still, had asserted that if a law was made it
would never be obeyed. He (Mr. Napier) said that the
law should be obeyed.-(gear, hear) If the present act of
the Pope was contrary to British law and the British
Constitution, which he believed it was, but yet
the means necessary to repress the aggression were insuf-
'ficient, then was it requisite to pass another law which would
confer the powers ample enough to obviate the evils to
which they were likely to be Subjected.-
(Hear, hear.) The
conferring of such powers was necessary, not only for the
safety of the churches in England and Irelandt,Wboutultn._ necessary
might(Loud
ry
fearlessly assert for the welffarre
theof tale whole a
world._
dicers.) It was necessarytor the State, it was necessary for the people, but above all it
would be a measure most merciful to_ the R_ omen Catholic
laity themselves.-(Hear, hear, and cheers.) He believed
_
that for the sake, of religious liberty they were bound to
abide by the law of •
c•og Near, hear.) However much
be bad been opposed to the passing of that Act, he still felt
that it was requisite for all parties that they should abide
by its provisions. The, Hon. Members for Sheffield and Man-
chester had loudly declaimed against the proposition of the
idinister. What did they mean by religious liberty? If
he
they meant the exercise of the most bigotted intolerance
would be able to understand them, but if their words ware to
be taken in the literal sense of the terms in which they were
uttered, he must confess that he was totally unable to recon-
' rile their assertions with acknowledged facts.-(Hear, hear.)
He firmly believed that no class was more opposed to the ag-
gressive act than the Roman Catholic laity themselves.-
( Hear, hear.) He had the other day met two of his own
constituents, who had stated that from their own
knowledge they could say that the attempt to
coerce their minds and Consciences was to a great
portion of the people of Ireland utterly abhorrent, and that
any laws which were calculated to regulate the power of the
Romish.priesthood. woirld,r,be A blessing, to the country.
-(Hear, hear.) An Hon. Member who spoke the other
night, had stated what he believed to be the sums of money
vested in the bishops as trustees ; and when twitted upon the