The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-24 00:00:00

TIIE LORD-LIEUTENANT OF IItELAND.

Mr. VANE asked whether the right hon. gentleman
(Mr. Gladstone) noun give the house any information on
the rnmourcd resignation by Earl Spencer of the office of
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.

Mr. GLADSTONE said be had no communication to
make either to the housa or the Lon. member ou the sub-
ject. The rumour was wholly without foundation.

THE SNIDER RIFLE.
Mr. CARDWELL sail it was proposed to issue the
Snider rifle to 24 militia regiments proceeding either to
Aldershot or Shorncliffe.
AGRICUL ruRAL STATISTICS.

Mr. BRIGHT said it was proposed to collect the agri-
cultural statistics on the 25th of June.
THE IRISH

The adjourned debate on the disestablishment of the
Irish Church Bill was resumed by
' Mr. WALPOLE, who said the present measure
was ono of the most arduous subjects of legislation
ever submitted to the House of Commons, as they
were for the first timo in the history of civilisation
to do away with the religion of a country as a national
religion—(oh, oh, and no, no)—and so to cause what
might be termed a legislative revolution m the
religion of a portion of the country. (Hear,
hear, from the Opposition.) lie obj• cted to the bill
in the strongest manner, because it dissolved every cor-
poration and so entirely put an end to all parochial orga
nisation —(hear, hear)—because it took away the property
of the Church and invested it with commissioners—(hear,
hear)— because it deprived the Crown of appointing bishops
and the true government of the church, and because it
severed the Royal supremacy from the Church of the
country, through which supremacy the worship and doc-
trine of the Church had been preserved. (" Hear,
hear," from the Opposition.) The bill he looked upon
as an attempt to introduce the voluntary principle—a
principle which bad failed as far as educatioa was con-
cerned, and which would wholly and entirely fail in the
dissemination of religion. (Hear, hear, from the Opposi-
tion.) The bill proposed altogether to divert the endow-
ments the church poz,sesseil to purposes quite different
from those for which they wero made, and ou that ground
alone the bill ought not to rective tha sanction of Parlia-..
ment.

Sir H. BULWER descanted on the long course of inis-
governtiant in Ireland, and urged that the question at
issue was how they were to govern that country, and iu
dealing with this the house should remember enat they
were statesmen and not theologians.
The debate was continued by Mr. Mowbray, Mr. Agar
Ellie, Mr. Dalrymple, Mr. Miller, Mr. Verner, The O'Do-
nogltue, Lord G. Hamilton, and Mr. G 11. Moore.
• NH-. G. HARDY pronounced the measure not one of
justice, ,but of vengeance. He believeti the Church of
Ireland was doing au excellent work, and tint recognition
of religion by the Sate was a distinct acknowledgment
of the gen.ral superintendence of the Almighty in all
humau affairs. The real ques.fou was—Were the inn.
j pity of the population to give way to the minority,
who were very gliev, d that the Sovereign of the
realm was a Protestant ? But the real fact was, that
the Church did not injure the Roman Catholics in any
way. In a very elaborate speech he proclaimed that the
Church of England in Ireland had held forth the light of
the Reformation in all parts of the werl 1, and condemned
the confiscation of what belonged to Cie Irish Church
alone. He reviewed the various items of the bill, com-
menting on the unjust way in which Mr. Gladstone pro-
posed to deal with the properly of the Church, and quoted
from the speeches of the right hon. gentleman to show his
previous opinion that if the Irish Church was destroyed
the Repeal of the Union must be the next step. As to
the arrangements of the Government, it was nothing but
a miserable evasion of the real point.
Mr. GLADSTONE rose to reply at one o'clock, and
was warmly cheered. He deprecated the conduct of the
man who would quote a line and a half of a speech de-
livered three-and-thirty years ago to prove that he (Mr.
Gladstone) had talked of a probable course of conduct
tending to a Repeal of the Union between England and
Ireland. He censured the highly-coloured reptesenta-
nous which had been made as to the state of Ireland
generally, which could only have been done for party
purposes. There was nothing to be seen in Ireland
but the aggregation of long misgovernment, wrong, and
oppression. The right honourable gentleman replied iu
detail to the various arguments advanced in the debate,
and in conclusion said that, as rapidly as the clock was at
the time of his speaking advancing to the early dawn, su
surely and apparently silently were the last hours of the
Irish Church Establishment approachiug.
At twenty miuutes past two this morning the House
divide-t, and the numbers were— •

For the scond reading
Against it

. 368
250

Majority
The announcement of the numbers was received with
loud and repeated cheers. The division occupied twenty-
five minutes.
ADJOURNMENT FOR THE EASTER HOLIDAYS.
Mr. GLADSTONE—I move that the House at its rising
do adjourn to Thursday week. (Hear, hear.)
Agreed to.
The other orders were then disposed of, and the House
adjourned at three o'clock to Thursday, April 1.