The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-08 00:00:00

THE MORTAIZA ABDUCTIO2V.

-a-- -
Yesterday afternoon a deputation waited on Lord
John Russell at the Foreign-office for the purpose
of laying
before him, as Secretary of State fa
Foreign Affairs, a protest against the abduction ot
the boy Mortara, and to ask " that her Maiest3..s
Government, in casa they should take any. part 1„-
the settlement of the Italian question, will cause
the subject of the Papal treatment of the Jews to
be brought before the consideration of the Govern-
ments of Europe." The deputation consisted of Sir
Eardley, vice-chairman ; Mr. S. GurucYl
M.P.; Major-General Alexander; the -mayor 0;
Rochester; Mr. Benjamin Scott, honorary secretary;
Mr. J. Lord, Mr. Leach, Mr. Fewster, Yong,
Mr. Alexander, Mr. Fowler, Dr. Dillon, Rev; j".
Garrett, Rev. 11. :3chmettan, and Rev. S. Bri°V.
Several noblemen and gentlemen who agreed witil
ti_
the views of the deputation, sent their cards, `Vito
a request to be represented by the secretary.
Mr. SCOTT, the City Chamberlain, having iatra-
duced the deputation to Lord John Russell, said he
was requested by the Lord Mayor to express his
regret that he was prevented by illness from being
present on the occasion. Sir James Duke also ha°
been precluded from attending by unavoidable en-
gagements.
Sir CULLING EARDLEY said—My Lord, in thcab-
sence of the Lord Mayor of London, the Chairmaii
of the :Mortara Committee, I have the honour as
the
Vice-Chairman to put into your hands a off
Mortara protest. I need not, perhaps, trouble You
lordship by reading it. It has been in all the news'
papers, and is signed by 79 Mayors and Provosts.,
27 Dukes and other peers, 22 Bishops and Area
bishops, 36 members of Parliament, and a vast n,,,,101;
ber of clergy and laity of all denominations.
committee by whom the protest has been conducted
hope that your lordship will be kind enough,'
bring the document under the notice of her 'Mat;
jesty's Government. They also beg to express
hope, that in the event of her 'Majesty taking a
part in the settlement of the Italian question at,,,
congress or otherwise, her Majesty will cause t":
Papal treatment of the Jews in the Mortara eas,.
and in others also to be brought before the conisli
deration of the Governmentsof Europe. y lora,
need not, especially with such a friend of freedohrao
as your lordship, dwell upon the infamy of t:
transaction. Europe rings with it. If any
were wanting to prove that the Papal Governmeal.
is what your lordship and Lord Palmerstonhalhaat
then, is to be done? The Mortara Committee ways said that it is, it is the Mortara case. 1"k.
that the Papal treatment of the Jews may be brouga:.
by England before the Governments of Eurnrine
With what view ? If your lordship will all°w
I will state my opinion—with a view to such a 530 f
tlement of Italy as will involve the liberation of
Mortara. If that child is once liberated the cri
will never be repeated. Now, my lord, the Court ,e
Rome has told all men that Mortara being a na
mittce
te
of Bologna, and Bologna belonging to the Pore' ea
child, being the Pope's subject, shall not be restejne,
to its parents. On the other hand, if 8010,
by
which is already free from the Pope de face
the decision of Europe becomes free de jure:, of
child Mortara will be liberated by the la;,,a
nations ; it will become the subject
of a foreign
State. Now, my lord, the conscience of Europe
of mankind demands that this child shall be l'fie
rated ; and as by the showing of Rome itself
to
cannot be effected in one way, and as it certa
con be effected in another way, I ask that thart, %ter
way may be adopted. I ask the Foreign 31.,,inihat
, of England to hold a brief for the JON'S, I a". the
England may demand of the congress of nations
freedom of Bologna with a view to the freedointbue
Mortara. I ask that England, having given t°o
---
Jews of England perfect political emancipatioi
, having given to the Roman Catholics of End 1-11 d
fai.e
perfect political emancipation—having never „100,
to raise her voice on behalf of religious free'peo.
quite as much of Jews and of Catholics as 0" a of
testants, all the world over, may now &mall ope
the Roman Catholic and other States of Eur, as
such a settlement of the question of Central Itai)L,
will make this child free. I ask that freedom 3ret
be given to the downtrodden and oppressed mouldlsrael, in the only country in Europe whlell r,ota-
dare to perpetrate the iniquity of which we then
plain to-day. (The right hon. gentleman
handed tha protest to his lordship.) A Or
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said—l believe I ha:-tioo.
rectly understood the views of the del3ll'3.yerf
With regard to the case itself it is, as you have,' eat
properly observed, unnecessary to use argureir
with any person in my situation as British Idea.
' ter for Foreign Affairs. We should of course coy
cider it a gross violation of parental rights f°l. the
person to take a child from its parents, and for ye.
State to protect that violation. Nor oes the as of
gation which has been made, that the parer,,t by
this child have violated the law of the couil-7ice,
taking a Christian nursemaid into their se r this
make-the case any better. lam sure- that if in
to.
country anyone was to propose that-Roman Ca
tot
lies should be prevented from taking a Pr'te-helie
nurserymaid into their service every Rornau Ca! , _us
would cry out against it as a gross violation of religruid
liberty, and would maintain that such a law o. the
be only an aggravation of the offence of takirlece
child from its parents. So that upon the justl-10 the
the case there need be no argument. But as that
conduct of the British Government, You ask table
should communicate the wishes of this resPetcidoly
deputation_ to my colleagues, which I will cer,o deal
do. (Hear, hear.) Of course, when one has the
with the laws and usages of foreign nations In
matter is always surrounded with difficulties;
ease
the first place, one ought to have a very stro.9_7,doeif
of violation, not merely of our notions of fle.„;1000
whether political or religious, but of the oe„'ations
sentiments of justice which all European juirso of
entertain. In the next place the peculiar 0601
the different nations before whom the (111
of once
It
might come must be considered. The laws hear.,
are not such as we can at all approve. (Bear; few s,
In France there is complete toleration for th re..
and has been for a considerable time; but Nettie to
Bard to other European nations it is inWnsen their
say what view they may take as bearing uP Ican
own legislation with respect to the Jcws.,e Neell
only say, therefore, that the matter must ",,tioa is
considered before the name of the British na_ocure
put forward in making representations to
_,LS 000
redress. At the same time I admit the case is
in which all our feelings of what is due t°17.3
are violated, and that must I think be ver..
07. the
rally felt. (Hear.) It is, no doubt, Part,seeasitf
legislation of Rome, with its view of the n'„h, arid
of belonging to the Roman Catholic Chur.und the
which would of course make that Church
,u resew
Roman authorities entirely hostile to an)thinktation which might be made, and therefor%
resew
it would be of no use whatever to make. r sPubject•
tations to the Papal Government tivell
(Hear, hear.) I have, however, listened a ray
to what has been said, and will take care Maui' this
colleagues shall hear of what has taken place L
interview. that he had
Sir CULLING EARDLEY mentioned
dciipet
received a letter from Lord Stratford de bects
o )
who expressed his concurrence in the ~reateo-
f the deputation, and that Sir Moses„d'egaia
fiore had signified his willingness to proecubile the
to Rome as a member of a deputation, w„
similar
Provost of Edinburgh was willing to go °lii_u„d been
on thitsten
mission to Paris. The protest, he said, m",..t not
signed by the Archbishop of Canterbury,. but
by the Bishop of London, who alleged as his grt and
of refusal, that the Mortara case was Pa Neer°
unjustifiable 01
parcel of the system of Rome, and that if he the
to protest against every act to
Papacy he would have nothing else to do
be continually protesting.
The deputation then expressed their
his lordship and withdrew.
AWFUL DEATH ON A WELSH MOUNTAov. the
inquest has been held at Ithaader, in Central `V.
10. e who
body of a boy named Thomas Hughes, 14 years
_ce,‘, coo'
inet.his death under appalling circumstances.
,kltoell'
ino.s ago in company with his uncle, he started from to
inbewnit'auddr, too farm residence of his grandineror fire
proceed homeward over the hills, a distance of I°_ll„untainl
miles, from the Elan to the Wye side of the Mu sight
They had a cart and a pair of horses going al°ng;vild spot
had nearly overtaken them when they reached
.ve,
called Bront-y-Elan, a bridge over the Elan rls
rounded by craggy rocks. A violent storm i.vae_..r,roo-
- thanks to
and they had no hope but to proceed on their ti,r
ney. Onward they went, uncertain as to t,T:: n,issea
until it became terribly apparent that they had
dcto and "c)
their way. They left the horses and wandere to
along the dimly perceptible tracks, in the vain at.1,e",‘","0
find some path leading to human 'habitations. 11", ,ierc.
bitter night ; the wind was very boisterous, a"..40C11
ingly cold ; the snow and sleet fell fast on the nr. At
and was whirled in blinding eddies through
w the.,3,0,k by
length the poor boy became quite exhausted,
Ilia
the ay-side, declaring that he could go n 0 furtl-:;,,, 1 up,
uncle was in an agony of distress; he lifted.tla:,;% dis-
and with great difficulty carried him for a considi'l'."..' yiehe
w,
tance. Pres( n'ly a glimmering light appealedd in fli©
and he placed the poor boy down, and ran fxwa
and disappeared from sight. The n
hope to gain assistance ; but it was only an
wards to find his young companion, but failed to let,er,
„ptea
then a- solo
steps, and could not tell where he was. He
to descend to the valley bel )w, and scrambled doV!, rtor a
steep rocks, at the imminenCrisk of his life, at!. was
lime he reached Safan. a -coed House. his vol4c was
heard and recognised, the family was arc used, a 11,0 put
lighted, and the bruised r.nd nearly exhausted man Atv, boy,
to bed. A party stalt_d off to search for the ill-fatt (-;t. the
whom they found lying, in the cold g; OY-lifrb half a a,
ran then I:::9l.st2esnedtao
it;
morning, quite dead mini stiff on the hill s:d la)
mile from a small c, ttag near to the Nannertheluroa
After hearing all the raelti,, ncholy details, the jt;rY g.,h t'
a verdict to the effect that the deceased " Died thr°tion
inclemency of the weather, which prAuced exhatio
starvation." and
gales have
vie
THE HERRING FISHEEY.—The late
considerabl interfered with the herring tfishery. too
catches have fallen off but en the whole theY. Ilenernaig
larger than could reasonably be expected. Die. jot.
goodb and firm, varying from about £l3 to Xl5 PO