The Sun.
London, England, 1835-08-29 00:00:00

regard to its ecclesiastical polity or discipline ; and that no
wise Statesman would interfere with the Established Church
of any country without any crime being imputed to it. When
the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland asked for a
grant of public money, no doubt his Majesty's Government
had a right to inquire into the purpose for which the grant was
wanted, and the truth of the statement upon which it was
made. The General Assembly said that many were induced
to become seceders from the Church in consequence of there
being no sufficient accommodation in the churches. Now, into
that allegation the Government were entitled to enquire, and
might issue a Commission for that purpose; but he contended
that the Commission had no right to enquire further, and that
this was not only a nugatory Commission but an illegal Com-
mission.—( Hear.) The Noble Lord then proceeded to show
that the members of the Commission were by no means friendly
to the Establishment of the Church of Scotland, which was
shown by one of them having refused to become a member of
the General Assembly, and another having, at a public meet-
ing in Edinburgh, advocated the separation of the Church and
State, which was the very madness of the day in Scotland,
and blazed throughout the country since the passing of the
Reform Bill, which was the origin of all those schisms. He
could not but regret that the General Assembly had ever come
to Parliament to ask a grant.—( Hear.)
The Earl of MINTO said that as to the statement which
was made by the Noble Earl that the number of Dissenters
had increased since the passing of the Reform Bill, he gave
it an unqualified contradiction, for he was persuaded that the
numbers of persons connected with the Church of Scotland
was greater now than it was three years ago.—( Hear, hear.)
Lord FORBE S said a few words which were totally inau-
dible in the gallery.

The Duke of ISUCCLEUCH objected to granting such
extensive powers as were given by this Commission, to per-
sons who were totally unknown to the Church.

The Marquis of lIRE AD ALBANE admired the consti-
tutional zeal of the Noble Duke ; but if the Commission
were, as it had been said by a Noble Earl opposite, completely
nugatory, of course, nothing could result from it. The dis-
satisfaction which had been spoken of was grounded upon the
individuals composing the Commission, and yet after all only
one of these individuals had been pointed out as being op-
posed to the Established Church. With respect to the rest
of them, the only objection was that some of them were very
young men. Perhaps it would have been better if men had
been appointed who were older and more experienced ; at the
same time he had no doubt that though young, they would
give a true and faithful Report of the facts they had to inquire
into ; for they had only to report on facts ; they were not
called upon, he supposed, to give an opinion on the subject
of their inquiry. He thought, therefore, that all that had
been stated against the Commission really amounted to very
little.

The Marquis of BL'TE objected to the Commission, not
on the narrow ground that it was illegal as applied to the
Church of Scotland, but that such a Commission was in-
consistent with the principle of an Established Church alto-
gether, and, therefore, with the Established Church of
Scotland.

The Earl of ABERDEEN expressed his disappointment
at the very little assurance which his Noble Friend (Lord
Melbourne) had given him as to any alteration being made
in the terms of this Commission.