The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-02 00:00:00

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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 1.
Lord MONTAGU presented petitions from parishes in
Nottingham, in favour of the established church.
OBSERN ANCE OF THE SABBATH.
The Bishop of LINCOLN presented petitions for the
better observance of the Lord's Day, from parishes in
Leicester and Lincoln.

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY, in presenting se-
veral petitions from Lambeth and other places, in favour of
the observance of the Sabbath, stated that it might be
considered useless after what had taken place in another
house to present the petitions, but he did not despair that
the subject would again in the course of the present session
come before parliament. The abuse of the Sabbath was
well known to all, and petitions from all parts of the
country would continue to be presented to the legislature
until something was done to remedy the evil. He trusted
this session would not pass without some legislative enact-
ment being made upon the subject.
Lord WYNFORD concurred with the observations of
the most rev. prelate, having himself been disgusted by the
manner in which trading was carried on upon Sundays.
The Bishop of DURHAM presented petitions from
King's Lynn, and other places, for the better observance
of the Sabbath. . .

The Bishop of EXETER presented similar petitions
from Dartmouth, Devonport, and other places.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Mr. H. HUGHES and others brought up the Smuggling
Acts Amendment Bill, and several other bills.
The Marquis of SALISBURY, seeing the Secretary of
State for the Home Department in his place, wishedto call
his attention to a great hardship. The clerks of the peace of
the different counties, whenever any papers connected with
their office were ordered by their lordships, were obliged
at great trouble and expense to themselves to furnish
those returns, receiving an order from the Secretary of
State to do so, although there was no fund out of which
to pay them for that trouble, and there being no power
vested in the ,magistrates to order payment out of the
county rates. He trusted the noble viscount would take
the subject into serious consideration, and adopt some
plan to remedy the hardship.
Lord MELBOURNE considered the subject one well
deserving of consideration. When he made the state-
ments he did the other night he thought that the expenses
fell upon the county-rates, and perhaps the better course
would be to legalise the payment out of those rates. He
would take the subject into consideration.
After some observations from the Duke of WELLING-
TON, the Duke of RICHMOND, and Lord WHARNCLIFFE,

the subject dropped.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH wished to ask one or two
questions respecting the mandamus against the East In-
dia Company ; first, the grounds upon which the pro-
ceedings upon the mandamus were given up ; secondly,
whether the information upon which they had been given
up was received previous or subsequent to the Attorney-
General being instructed to apply for it.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said it was impossible for
the questions to be answered at present. The proceedings
were not yet finished, and it would not be consistent with the
public duty of the President of the Board of Control, or his
friends, then to enter upon his defence. It was easy to see
that a general principle might be agreed upon, though, as the
details were not ready, it was impossible for them to be laid
before the public. He could assure the house, that as soon
as it was possible, consistently with the public service, the
papers connected with the case would be laid on the table in the
form most convenient to them. He could state from his
own knowledge that a fortnight to three weeks would be
the utmost that would be required ; at the end of that time
the information would certainly be furnished. If the noble
baron persisted in bringing forward his motion on Monday,
it would necessarily lead to some observations, to say the
least of it, being made upon the conduct of a high officer,
and that when his friends could not possibly be prepared
to meet them. Now whether that would be treating him
well or not, that he would leave to the noble baron him-
self. It was impossible that the defence, under present
circumstances, could be more than general assertions, and
could not be carried into details when it would be most
complete.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said the answer of the noble
and learned lord was not at all, to his mind, At distinct as
the question. (Hear, hear.) There had been no answer
to the plain question of whether the information, which
led to the abandoning of the proceedings, was received
before or after the Attorney-General had applied for the
mandamus. He still thought it his duty to move for
the papers connected with that proceeding on Monday, but
he would withdraw his motion relative to the case of Mr.
Prendergast. He moved that the Lords be summoned for
Monday.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said he would not then
be drawn into the proceedings on the case. He had stated
on his own responsibility that the hon. President of the
Board of Control could not on Monday be ready to
enter on his defence, nor could his friends defend him con-
sistently with what they owed to the public, and yet the
noble baron was determined to force it on in spite of all ;
he would leave that to himself.

Lord ELLENBOROUGH said his conduct was be-
fore the house, and by them he would be judged. (Cheers. )
The question he had put had not been answered, and ne-
ver would. _ _ .

The LORD CHANCELLOR—Then the noble baron
is evidently well aware of that which he wishes the
house to believe he is unacquainted with. (Cheers.) It
will, therefore, be superfluous for me to give him any of
that information which he does not require. (Laughter.) I
Lord ELLENBOROUGH denied that he knew any 1
thing of the matter. Why he said that the question would never 1
be answered was, that he had twice put it and received none.
Lord SUFFIELD presented a petition most numerously
and respectably signed, from Bury, in Lancashire, com-
plaining of the evils occasioned by the existence of
the beer-shops. Also one from the Baptist congregation
in Little Wild-street, Lincoln's Inn-fields, praying that
dissenters might be relieved from disabilities.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY withdrew the no- ,
tice he had given relative to Sir John Campbell, in conse-
quence of information he had received.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE presented petitions from
parishes in the county of Somerset, the county of Not-
tingham, and the county of York, against any alteration in
the corn laws ' • also one from certain members of the uni-
versities of Oxford and Cambridge, resident at Aldborough,
in the county of York, against granting degrees of those
universities to Dissenters.
The Earl of WINCHILSEA, in presenting a petition
from certain undergraduates of the universities resident in
the Eastern division of Kent, to the number of upwards
of 100, said he rose in pursuance of the notice he had
given of his intention to present it. It was agreed to
without a single dissentient voice, and if it had
been delayed for a few days longer, there was not a
member of those universities in that county but would
have signed it. Its prayer was, that their lordships would
refuse to interfere with the present regulations of the uni-
versities, in granting degrees to dissenters. He regretted
that, when the noble lord opposite (Earl Grey) pre-
sented a petition from Cambridge, in favour of the dis-
senters, he was unavoidably absent ; but he tendered 'his
humble though sincere thanks to an illustrious duke,
for the noble stand he had made in favour of the esta-
blished church, upon the occasion when he presented a pe-
tition against the claims of the dissenters. Since he had
a seat in that house he had witnessed the passing of two of
the greatest acts that ever took place since the revolution,
and those were the repeal of the Test and Corporation
Acts and the granting of Catholic emancipation, and he
had thought that those would satisfy the parties whom they
were intended to benefit ; but he had ever since reason to
believe that those concessions, so far from satisfying
the parties, had only given occasion for further demands.
In calling their lordships' attention to the claims which
had been set forth by a certain body of Dissenters, he would
humbly pray their indulgence while he submitted two
points which, he conceived, required deep and serious
attention :—First, could these claims be admitted without
the removal of ;all those statutes which had been esta-
blished for the government of both the universities of
Oxford and Cambridge • and, secondly, could these
claims be admitted without the removal of all sound

religious education in those long cherished and national
institutions ? He did not wish to occupy their lordships' time,
knowing how anxious they were to proceed to the business of
the evening, but he would point out one statute which existed
in both those universities which provided that every student,
on his admission, should be placed under the charge of some
honest vicar, who would not only watch over his intellec-
tual acquirements, but over his moral and religious con-
duct. The noble earl concluded by presenting the peti-
tion, which was read by the clerk, and ordered to lie on
the table.
HIS MAJESTY'S ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS
ON THE REPEAL QUESTION.
The LORD CHANCELLOR begged to acquaint their
Lordships that the joint Address of both Houses of Parlia-
ment had been that day presented to his Majesty, and that
his Majesty had been graciously pleased to make the fol-
lowing answer
" It is with the greatest satisfaction that I receive this
solemn and united expression of the determination of both
my Houses of Parliament, to maintain unimpaired the le-
gislative union of Great Britain and Ireland, which I en-
tirely agree with you in considering as essential to the peace,
integrity, and safety of the British Empire.
" You may rely, therefore, on my discharging with fide-
ity and firmness the sacred duty which I owe to my sub-
jects, in exerting the powers with which the constitution
has invested me for their protection, against attempts which,
if successful, must inevitably produce a separation of my
dominions,
" In thus expressing my concurrence in the determina-
tion which you have so justly taken, I look back with satis-
faction to the salutary laws which, since the union have
been passed for the advancement of the interests of Ireland,
and I shall at all times be anxious to afford my best assistance
in removing all just causes of complaint, and in sanctioning
all well-considered measures of improvement."
Earl GREY moved that both the address and the an-
swer be in the usual way printed.—Agreed to.
LIVERPOOL FREEMEN'S DISFRANCHISE-
MENT 'BILL.

The Earl of RADNOR then rose to move the second