The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-10 00:00:00

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STIN OFPICE, Sem, !Clock.

PAPT V VENT

1-13 USE OF L0111),--(This Evening.)

The LORD CHANCELLOR tous his seat on the woohack
at five o'clock.
Lord LEIGH presented a petition from Birmingham
in favour of the 0 Iths 13141.

Lord WINC'HELSEA. presented petitions against
the bill.
Earl The Marquis of Lansdowne,GranviaP, Earl
Foiteßeue, Earl of Albemarle, and Lord Brougham pre•
Booted petitions in favour of the removal of Jewish Disa-
bilities. _ _

OATHS BILL.
Earl GRANVILLE, before moving the second read-
ing of this bill, moved that the oaths of abjuration now
taken by their lordships should be read by the clerk of
the house.
Mr. EDMONDS, the Clerk of the House, then read the
oath of abjuration.
The Earl of GRANVILLE then moved the second
reading of the bill, and said it devolved upon him to
discharge a duly which he felt was one of great difficulty.
He was afraid he should be accused of presump-
tion in re-introducing a subject on which an opi-
nion had been so recently pronounced. The object of the
bill was to amend the oaths now required to be taken—
oaths which all their lordships bad taken, and which had
just been read by the clerk—oaths which he believed to
be incongruous and anomalous. It was proposed by the
pre-ont measure to simplify and amend those oaths.
He believed it was impossible to avoid coming to any
other conclusion than that their lordships at present
took an unnecessary oath, and thereby com-
mitted a most serious offen'e by taking the
nasse of God in vain. The oath which it was proposed
to &bullish was that in, which they swore to protect the
Crown from a family which all knew no longer ex;sted.
(Hear.) That a‘ as a vain oathiand therefore ought not
to be taken. There was no doubt a eollaterr.l advantage
to be obtained by the proposed measure, namely, the
admission of Jews to Parliament, which they had
hitherto been deprived of doing owing to their
conscientious scruples. He did not think it fair
or just that they should apply the accidental addition of
certain words to the oath to the purpose of excluding
the Jews from Parliament. He had no hesitation in
characterising such a proceeding to be a system of per-
aecution which was intolerable, as it was set against
a section of the population 'which was distinguished. for
their loyalty to the Sovereign, for their conscien-
tious adherence to their roligi:us opinions, and
for all the qualifications which constituted good citi-
zens. He cadad upon their lordships to sanction
this measure nu the ground of toleration, on the ground
of right, because he believed it contrary to the Constitu•
Lion to. exolude persons from the exercise of their civil
rights on account of their religious opinions. He was
utterly at a loss to understand why the . admission
of a few Jews to Parliament, sent there by purely Chris-.
tian constituencies, could in the slightest degree uncuris
tianise the Legislature—(hear, hear)—and he there-
fore trusted that their lordship would not
allow themselves to be led away by that specious
cry. So far from the admission of the Jews unchris-
tianising the Legieltture, he was quite of the contrary
opieion ; he thought it would largely strengthen both
its principles and character, by displaying the utmost
toleration towards our Jewish brethren. Tue noble lord
then proceenled to answer the ohj2ctions that had been
raised against the principle involved in the- bill, and
warned their 1 rdships against being moved by a spi it of
independence ef the other house in vc,tiug against this
bill. He then referred to the distiogni bed support
which the measure obtained, and maid he firmly believed
that the people of England were in favour cf the bill.