The Sun.
London, England, 1833-02-09 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FEBRUARY 8.

The LORD CUANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at Ave o'clock.
LUNACY COMMISSION BILL.
Lord WYNFORD said as he had some objections to the
principle of the Bill introduced by the Noble and Learned
Lord on the Woolsack, be hoped that that Noble and
Learned Lord would not press the second reading of it
to-night, in the absence of a Noble and Learned Friend
of his.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, that the discus-
sion upon the Bill might be taken upon another stage ;
this bill had already passed through that House three times,
and was introduced with the sanction of that Noble and
Learned Earl ; in fact, the measure was the Noble and
Learned Earl's, and not his (the Lord Chancellor's). It
had been uniformly stopped in the other House, in con-
sequence of being sent down there late in the Session, and
from the multiplicity of business which was coming before
that House, as appeared by the notice., already given, un-
less the Bill was sent down almost immediately, it was
again likely to share the same fate.
After a short discussion between the two Noble and
Learned Lords, the Bill was read a second time, and or-
dered to be committed on Tuesday next.
Lord TEYNHAM moved that a message be sent to the
Cbmmons, requesting a copy of the evidence given before
the Committee on the Cotton Factories Bill.—Ordered.

Toe NOBLE Loan then said he had a question to ask of
the Noble and Learned Lord on the Woolsack, who
had moved the appointment of a Commission to inquire
into the poor laws. He wished to know whether
those Commissioners had made any report, and whether it
would soon be laid before their Lordships?
The LORD CHANCELLOR said the Poor Law Corn-
miss:on was issued as a measure of the Government ;
he at first was opposed to the issuing of that
Commission, so that the House would see bow far
the Noble Lord was right in calling it his com-
mission, and, in fact, the House was never moved
upon the subject.—(Hear.) These Commissioners had
collected a gre►t mass of most useful information, which
would soon be rendered into the shape of a report, and
he had no doubt his Majesty would be advised to lay it on
the table of the House on an early day.
The House then adjourned till Monday at ten o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEBRUARY 8.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at four o'clock, and called

upon the Members that waited to be sworn to come to the
table. A number then presented themselves, and amongst
them was Mr. Pease, the Member for South Durham, who

is a ',Member of the Society of Friends.
The SPEAKER then rose and said—l am informed
by the Clerk, that there is a Member at the table who

objects to take the usual oaths. I beg to know whether
it is so or not.

Mr. PEASE-1 beg to be allowed to make an affi
oration to the same effect.

Mr. SPEAKER—I am merely discharging toy duty
when I refu..e to allow such affirmatio❑ to he made with-
out the sanction of the House. Not only are the privi-
leges of the House concerned, and a question of law in-
volved, but even the personal interests of the Hon. Gen-
tleman are deeply at stake, unless the House should itself
put a different construction upo❑ the words of the Act
than is at present the received one. The case will be
taken up by the House, and I have no doubt it will con-
strue the law most liberally ; in the mean time I am sure
the Hon. Gentleman will excuse me for requesting him to
retire until the House decides upon the question.
Mr. PEASE then bowed and retired. The other Mem-
bers were the❑ sworn.

Lord ALTHORP said he wished to address the House,
in consequence of a❑ Hon. Member having declined to

take the Oatit, on the ground that he was a member o

the society called Quakers, and he claimed the privilege by
a certain Act of Parliament of rmiking a solemn affirma-
tion instead of taking the oath. He (Lord Althorp) there-
fore felt that it was necessary to call the immediate atten-
tion of the House to the subject. It appeared to him that
the best mode of inquiry was by the appointment of a
Select Committee, not for the purpose of giving any
opinion, because it was necessary that no opinion
should be given but by the House itself, but for the
purpose of reporting to the House all precedents on their
Joutnals, and whether any, and what Acts, or parts of
Acts of P,irliament, there were authorizing the
p,ople calltd Quakers to make an affirmation instead of
taking oaths. Precedents could be easily referred to; and
as to the law it might be said that that was in the cogni-
zance of every Member of the House ; it could not, how-
ever, be expected that every gentleman hid had time
to look through all the statutes upon this subject, one of
which was so entitled that very few would look in it for
such an object, as it was called, " An Act to prevent the
undue exaction of Tolls or Fees on the River Thames, and

to prevent the spreading of Disease among Horned Cattle. "

(Laughter.) The object of the Committee would be to pre-
sent, in a concentrated form, the whole of the precedents and
the law as applicable to the case, and then it would be in
the power of the House to decide what course they should
take. He (Lord Althorp) would not go into the question,
nor would he wish to raise any debate, until the Com-
mittee had presented their report. The Noble Lord then
moved—" That a Select Committee be appointed to search
the Journals of the House, and to report to the House such
precedents and Acts, or parts of Acts of Parliament, as
related to the right of the people called Quakers, to take
their seats in Parliament, and to the privilege conferred
on them of making a solemn affirmation in Courts of
Justice and other places, where, by law, oaths were au •
thorized and required to be taken."

Mr. WARBIi lITON was of opinion that the mction
was not comprehensive enough, for it was highly important
to li4ow what construction was put upon the subject in
Courts of Law, and he requested that the motion should
include reports of all cases that had been decided relating
to it.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL acquiesced in that sug-
gestion, for one case of a somewhat similar nature had
peen decided by Lord Coke, and another by Lord Mansfield.
Mr. BARING thought it best to ascertain what the
law was on the present occasion, but it would also be con-
venient to know to what part of the oath the Hon. Gen-
tleman himself objected, for at present the House did not
know whether the Quakers objected to all et any part of
the oath.

pr. LUSHINGTON understood that when the Hon.
Kies;it, offered himself at the table, he objected to take any
oath—(Hear)—but he distinctly stated that be was
desirous of making an affirmation of the whole. He did
pgs at all object to the words in it, but only to the form
pf swearing.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. KING regretted that any delay should take
place in admitting the Hon. Member. He trusted the
day was not far distant, when an individual returned by
upwards of 2,000 electors, would be permitted to
ift;er that House without any difficulty.—(Hear, hear.)
In lia opinion the taking of oaths was inefficient and in-
iurious.,—(Cheers.) It was not his intention now to
pcupy the time of the House on the subject, but he
Ste:Jed as little delay as possible would take place, before
the electors of South Durham knew whether the person
w;:om they bad elected to record their opinions in that
House would be excluded.

The motion was put by the SPEAKER and agreed to.
A Seleet Committee was then appointed, consisting of
Lord Altherp, the Attorney and Solleitcr-General, Mr.
Abercrombie, Sir Jamea Scarlett, Sir Robert Peel, Mr.
Wynne, Mr. Bonham Calvert, Mr. Warburton, and seve
ral other gentlemen.

Lord MORPETII presented a petition from Denbigh,
praying for the abolition of negro slavery.
Lord ASHLEY had no objection whatever to the
course which the Noble Lord had intimated with respect
to his intentions in bringing forward the Bill on the sub-
ject in question. He felt it his duty, however, to state,
that he bad determined on reviving Mr. Sadler's Bill, not
to throw any imputation either upon classes or indi-
viduals of the master manufacturers, but only to call
upon the Legis'ature, on the evidence before the House, to
protect these individuals—the children—who laboured in
the factories, and who could not protect themselves.
Mr. STRICKLAND had been instructed to support
the petition presented by the Noble Lord for the abo-
lition of Negro Slavery, and considered the number of
the signatures appended, and the respectability of the
petitioners, as decisive evidence of the strong feel-
ing that existed in the country in favour of
the immediate emancipation of that much-injured class of
our fellow-subjects. As to the Bill about to be intro-
duced by the Noble Lord, the Member for Yorkshire,
he felt himself called upon to say, having been a Member
of the Committee appointed to investigate the subject
last session, that he hoped, however difficult the subject
was for the Legislature, the matter would be speedily and
satisfactorily settled by the forthcoming measure.
Mr. DOUGLAS insisted that by whomsoever the
Bill should be received, Mr. Sadler was enti-
tled to the gratitude and thanks of the country and of
that House, for having brought forward a measure
upon that subject, for the relief and protection of the
infants employed in British factories. If any of the
Honourable Members had not yet made up their minds
upon the subject, he hoped they would read the evidence
taken before the Committee of last Session, and he
pledged himself he would be prepared to support some