The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-17 00:00:00

EQUITY JUDGES IN IRELAND.

Mr. WHITESIDE asked the Secretary for Ireland
whether it is in contemplation of the Irish Government to
increase the number of Superior Equity Judges to ten, or
whether it is contemplated to confer the jurisdiction of a
Court of Chancery upon the Court for the sale of landed
estates in Ireland ?

Mr. CARD WELL said that there was no such alteration
contemplated.

REMOVAL OF A TOMBSTONE FROM THE
PARISH CHURCH AT RICHMOND.
On the motion that the House at its rising should ad-
journ till Thursday next,
Mr. HENNESSY drew attention to the circumstances
connected with the removal of the tombstone from the grave
of a gentleman named Priestman, in Richmond, in'York-
shire. The hon. member then read a report which
appeared in a local paper, stating that the re-
moval of this tombstone was forcibly effectedjby the order
of the Bishop of Ripon against the wishes of Mr. Priest-
man's family. He wished for some information on this
subject.

RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN SPAIN.
Sir R. PEEL, who had on the paper a motion for an
address which was recently presented to him for submis-
sion to her Majesty on the subject of the Spanish persecu-
tions, said he concurred in the opinion of the last speaker
as to the impropriety of the act of the Bishop of Ripon
in regard to the subject of the removal of the tombstone.
"With respect to his motion, he brought it before the house
very reluctantly, in consequence of the indifference ex-
hibited by the noble lord at the head of the Government on
the subject. He had been requested by some British mer-
chants in Spain to draw the attention of the house to this
matter, and stating an act of intolerance in reference to
themselves. These merchants were in the habit of having
Protestant worship solemnised on Sundays at Xeres and
Port St. Mary alternately, but the English consul at the
former place refused to allow such religious worship to be
performed at the consular residence. The party's name
was Gordon, and he was a Roman Catholic, and he assigned
as a reason for the prohibition that he could not permit the
Protestant worship, as the British flag was hoisted on
his residence, so that, in his official capacity
he was called on to interfere. These merchants offered to
pay for the services of a Protestant clergyman, but the
Council still refused to afford them any accommodation.
His object was to ask the noble lord the First Lord of the
Treasury, in the absence of the noble Foreign Secretary,
whether any steps had been taken on the part of the
Government to the Spanish Executive to treat British
Protestants residents in Spain.
Lord PALMER iTON said with regard to the question
relative to the removal of the tombstone it was a subject that
could be answered best by his right hon, friend the Home
Secretary, who was engaged in duties that prevented
his attendance. With reference to the question of the
honourable baronet (Sir R. Peel) he (Lord Palmerston)
had received a memorial on the subject to which he alluded
which had been laid before her Majesty. Very full in-
structions had been furnished by his noble friend the
Foreign Secretary to her Majesty's Minister at
Madrid, directing him to make the most urgent
representations to the Spanish Government in refer-
ence to their intolerant conduct in regard to Pro-
testants in Spain. The Spaniards were a people pe-
culiarly sensitive of any interference by foreigners
in their national affairs, and therefore any such
interference must be conducted with discretion. He was
glad to say that the Spanish Government seemed disposed
to grant the privileges desired by Protestants, and
to allow them to exercise their religious worship in
private houses, and to have schools where the
children could be educated in the tenets of their
religion. With reegard to the general qnestion, everybody
knew that Spain had in former times been governed on the
most intolerable principles, and there had even been
lamentable executions for the profession of religious
faith. A great improvement bad taken place in
this particular, but the prejudices of former times still
exercised an influence on the national mind. However, he
was sure that eventually the Government, which was wore
liberal than the people, would introduce the neoessarg im-
provement. He could assure the hon. bart. (Sir Peel)_
that the executive of this eountry would do all in their
power relative to the subject. ir
Sir PEEL enquired if and et" WoUld be t49-P
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