The Sun.
London, England, 1834-04-18 00:00:00

GENERAL POST-OFFICE.

Mr. CRAVEN BERKELEY brought in a bill for re-
gulating the delivery of newspapers and letters by the Ge-
neral Post-office. The bill was read a first time, and
ordered to be read a second time on the ith of May.
Mr. WIGNEY presented a petition from the dissenters
of Brighton praying to be relieved from disabilities. Also
a petition from the journeymen bakers of the borough of
Brighton, praying to be relieved from working on the
Sabbath Day. Also a petition from the same place against
the use of climbing boys.
Mr. FRYER presented petitions from the members of
three benefit societies in Wolverhampton, the purport of
which we could not learn, owing to the great noise that
prevailed in the house.
Sir R. PEEL presented a petition from the presbytery
of Skye, in the island of Skye, in the county of Inverness,
praying that no alteration might take place in the existing
law of church patronage ; also a petition from the lay inha-
bitants of a parish in the isle of Anglesea, praying the house
to preserve the union of church and state.
Mr. R. GORDON laid on the table a copy of the ab-
stract of the case of a Calcutta bankrupt.—Ordered to be
printed.
Mr. DENISON presented a petition from the dis-
senters of Dorking, Leatherhead, and their neighbourhood,
f9r relief from their disabilities.
Tn DEFENCE OF CRIMINALS.
Mr. EWART, moving for leave to bring in a bill to
allow prisoners in criminal cases the privilege of a full de-
fence by their counsel or attorney, spolce a few words in sup-
port of the necessity of such a measure (which observations
from the continued buz in the house were inaudible) srul
then said that he would defer going into the details until
the second reading.
BRLACH OF PRIVILEGE.

I Mr, STRICKLAND rose to second Mr. Ewart's mo-
tion, when a respectable-looking man, sitting in the gallery
behind the clock, suddenly rose, and, exclaiming in
loud tone, "I present ,a petition in the name of the people,"
threw a document down into the body of the house.
The house was then in great confusion ;.there were loud
cries of " Order," and the Speaker called to the Sergeant ;
but in the meantime a messenger had reached the stranger,
taken him into custody, and conveyed him into an ante-

room, where he gave his card, Sparrow, 14, Angel-
court, Throgmorton-street."
As soon as order was restored, Mr. STRICKLAND
said he had great pleasure in seconding Mr. Ewart's mo-
tion, feeling convinced of the necessity of the bill, but
more especially in cases supported only by circumstantial
evidence.

Mr. HARDY moved for leave to bring in a bill to re-
peal the sth of George 111., which enacts that not more
than twenty persons shall assemble in any private dwell-
ing, for religious worship. Every individual enjoyed the
right by common law to join with a number of friends in
his or her mansion, for the purposes of preaching or
teaching, or imparting the principles of education.
(Hear, hear.) Yet the moment an act of adoration
was attempted, the statute, for the repeal of which
he moved, rendered the act penal. The hon. and
learned gentleman observed on the absurdity of the law,
and concluded by making the motion stated ; which, after
being seconded by Mr. Fergus O'Connor, was put from
the chair and carried. _ . _

Lord AL THORP would not oppose the introduction of
the bill ; it was of importance ; but should reserve what
he had to say for another time.
Mr. WILKS hoped the house would understand what
the object of this bill was, and the class of persons
to whom it was designed to apply. The Dissenters
were perfectly satisfied with the present state of
things on this point as far as regarded themselves,
and it would be for the house to consider whether they
would put an end to this and to every sort of distinction
affecting the religious rights of individuals. Attached
as he was to religious and religious liberty in the amplest
manner, he had no objection to the introduction of the bill.
The bill was not intended to operate in relief of the dis-
senters, but to relieve the members of the established
church, and to allow them, without reference to those re-
gulations, to hold whatever religious meetings their con-
science might dictate.
Mr. HARDY considered the bill calculated to relieve
all classes of persons. There would, no doubt, be a clause
inserted empowering the bishops still to exercise that con-
trol over the religious conduct of their people which they
at present had.
Mr. PLUMPTRE was not surprised to hear it stated on
the part of the dissenters that they were perfectl satisfied
with the present state of things. (Hear. They
might have any room they pleased, an collect
together as many persons in that room as they
pleased in which to pray, preach, and worship their Creator
without fear of molestation or the breach of any law, and
he claimed for the members of the established church the
same privilege. Was it not most monstrous that persons might
meet for any secular purposes anywhere, and to any extent in
point of number, and yet that they might not so meet for a
religious object? He sincerely assented to the introduc-
tion of the measure.