The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-12 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES.

Petitions against the abolition of church rates by the
Earl of DUCIE ; and also in favour of their abolition by
Lord LYVEDEN, were presented to the house.

POOR LAWS.
The Earl of DEVON presented a•petition praying for a
revision of the Poor Removal Act.
PROTESTANTS IN TURKEY.
Lord STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFIE presented a
petition respecting the state of the Protestants in some
parts of the dominions of the Sultan, and entered at some
length into the grievances under which they laboured
with respect to spiritual instruction. He eulogised the
conduct of Dr. Cullen, who had, in the midst of pre-
judices on all sides, established a place of worship
for them in that part of the world. Great as was the wish
of the Sultan to maintain that establishment in its integrity,
he did not think it was advisable for this country to leave
the whole of the work to the Sultan, but do all that was
possible to aid him in his praiseworthy endeavours. When
this petition was upon their lordships' table he trusted it
would receive the favourable consideration both of the house
and of her Majesty's Government. The petition was from
the committee of the Evangelical Alliance, and prayed for
the interference of her Majesty's Government to enable the
Protestant churches of the East to exercise their just rights,
as guaranteed to them by the Sultan's proclamation.
(Cheers.)

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY thanked the nobl3
viscount for the great interest he had taken in this question
of religious toleration iu the dominions of the Sultan, and
thought, whether they considered the interest of religion
generally, or the unexampled triumphs, of which they had
proof, that Protestantism had achieved in Turkey, the noble
viscount was entitled to the deep gratitude of every friend
of religious liberty. (Hear, hear.) It was impossible, like-
wise, not to sympathise with the noble viscount in the high
tarme of which ho had spoken of the liberality of the reigning
Sultan, or to over-estimate the value of the labours of those
societies to which the noble viscount had alluded. Notwith-
standing the immense difficulties 'which existed in Turkey,
it was most gratifying to observe the iirogress which the
Protest lit religion hsd made in almost all parts of that,
country. Again referring to the debt of gratitude which,
as he said, the while human race owed to the noble vis-
count fur the deep interest he had taken in the subject, and
for his long continued and successful efforts in the cause
of religious liberty in the East, the most rev. prelate was
understood to express his concurrence in the prayer of the
petition.

After a few words from several noble lords, the subject
dropped.

ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS JURISDICTION
BILL.

Lord CRANWORTH, in moving the scond reading of
this bill, which had come up from the Commons, explained
that the object of the measure was to render persons charged
with the offence of brawling in churches amenable to the
common law, instead of, as at present, to the ecciciiastica.l
law. The noble and learned lord stated that formerly a
person guilty of this offence was punished by exclusion from
the church, and if he repeated it he lost his ears. The
object of the bill was to make the offence a civil one, and it
carried out the recommendation of the commission of 1832.

Lord BROUGHAM supported the bill, and suggested
that it should be extended to Ireland.

After a few words from Lord WnNanleynaLt,
The Bishop of EXETER opposed the bill, and com-
plained that it had been passed through the other hout,e
without the slightest explanation of its provisions, ant
moved " That the present bill be read a second time that
day six months."