The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-16 00:00:00

Commence at half-past Seven.

STLEY'S ROY AL AMP ET ITFI EATRE
AND OPERA. HOUSE.
Lessee And Manager, Mr. W. Cooke.
Under the patronage of her Majesty and His Royal Highness
Prince Albert.
TIIIS EVENING (Tuesday, Juno 16), will be produce",
for the 2d time at this theatre, Wallace's admired epara o!
MARITANA, with Equestrian Illustratinns.
On SATURDAY, June 20 (first Bellini's celebrated
oper.t of LA. SONNAMBULA.
Miss Rebecca Isaacs, Mr. Augustus Brilla.m
Miss M. Somers, Mr. Brookhouse Bowler,
and Mr. Francis Kirby, and
Miss Ellen Thirlwall, Mr, Borrani.
Conductor and Composer—Hen. Meyer Lutz.
With a powerful Band and Chorus.
Malinger and Director of the Opera Company—Mr. Augustus
Brehm

To conclnde with Mr. W. Cooke's incomoarable SCENES in
tho ARENA.
dimmer:co at seven o'clock. Dress Boxes, 4s. ; Upper
Bases, 3s. • Private Boxes, from 2!5., no charge for booking;
Pzt, 2s. ; Gallery, Is. ; Upper Gallery, Gil.
Notice- --During the Opera Season Half-price will take place
at
_9 o'clock.

Boa office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager,
Ure W. West. Eqnestrian Director, Mr. W. Cooke, jnn.

171 ANTERBII RY HALL, Westminster-road.-
14.:.1 OPEN EVERY EVENING.—The follow.
Ing company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance cr
selections from all the popular Operas, Madrigals, Choruses.
Glees, Duets, &cc., viz.: Miss E. Pearce, Mrs. J. Caulfield,
'llBB Brunel], Miss Summers, and Madame Marietta ; Mr. J
Paulfwlal, Herr F. Jonghmans, R. .Grover, T. Tarrant, S.
'7°3", J. Barker, W. Melling, P. Con j. Senor Antonio M
de Sofia, and E. L. Hime ; Masters Bennett and Corri ;
Iktgs"• Bmo. . Collins, and E. Mackney. Pianoforte,
_rr: Ribka harmonium, J. Caulfield, jun.; Erector,
J "Corn/nonce at Seven o'clock •precisely.
BllPPera, dtc.. until twelve o'clock,

-
HIGH WATER. AN LONDON BRIDGE.
T its DAY—Morn. 0 min. aft. 8 —Even., 31 min. aft. 8
TO '0.0"4/w--11°ra• 8 mill. aft. 9—Even. 36 min. aft 9

WRATHER^-31:1211 OrnoE, JUNE 16.
THE
TEgilmouarint. IN TEM BE
64—highest sines noon Tastuday.
- lowest
51— this morning and during the
night.
65 —this day at noon.
BABOKETZE, 29.99,
light, with heavy clouds, threaten
Wm; S.E. to E. ;
ing rain.

e

c§:1111

LONDON, TUESDAY, JUNE IG, 18157

The Oaths Bill has passed through Committee ;
every division taken being in favour of Minister-
by. a large and decisive majority. It will, there-
fore, ga to the Upper House under the mos
favourable auspice-4, and we earnestly hope thy:
6VOII during the present suasion one of the few
remaining marks of bigotry and intolerance may
be completely erased frcm the national statute.
book. The hereditary legislators will natuiall y

hesitate before they reject a measure, which has
been carried by a clear majority of 140, and on
which the most distinguished men of their own
party have opposed the narrow and almost sec-

tarian views of their followers. The names of

Lord LYNDHTJRST, of Mr. DISRAELI, and, we re-
j )ice to add, of Sir JOHN PAKINGTON, should
Exercise no ordinary influence with her MAJESTY'S
Opposition ; and the memories of Sir ROBERT
PEEL, Lord ELLESMERE, and Lord GEORGE
BENTINCK, should add to the weight fairly at-
tached to the living Statesmen.

The first division was on the question very 'in-
wisely raised by the Roman Catholic Members.
They should be the last to desire the retention
of any species of intolerance, considering how
long and how improperly they were denied the
enjoyment of their political rights, and yet the
course which they pursued might have endangered
the success of the bill, and prevented the smooth-
ing away of one of the chief difficulties that im-
pedes the attainment of the object which they
may naturally desire to promote. We do not
say that there was not great justice in the views
which Mr. DELSY so temperately, yet so powerfully
put forward, and if the single question of the Roman
Catholic oaths were at issue, he would have merited,
and received far greater support than he actually oh-
taine3. It was, however, the injudicious amalga-
mation of two distinct propositions that was to

be deprecated, and the only effect whereof would
be greatly to endanger, if not absolutely prevent,
the measure from obtaining the legislative sanc-
tion during the present session. However invidi-
ous might be the distinction between the
oaths taken by the Roman Catholic and the
Protestant Members however desirable to
adopt one form that might be taken by per-
sons of every creed, it would have been
more graceful to have abstained from taking
advantage of the occasion, and seeking to prevent
others from obtaining much required relief, unless
they themselves received a portion of the benefits
to be bestowed on their more injured fellow-
citizens ! It was, as we have stated, this view
of the case that led to the rejection of the amend-
ment by a majority of 290, and of the subsequent
one, moved by Mr. ROEBUCK in a similar spirit,
by a majority of 175 !
The great struggle, however, took place on the
amendment of Sir F. THESIGER, which was prac-
tically directed against the admission of Jews to
the House. The mode by which that was to be
achieved was, the retention of the words, "on the
true faith of a Christian," a mere form which, it
was universally admitte 1, was not originally aimed
against Jew members, but merely intended to ren-
der the adjuration more binding on the con-
sciences of those by whom it was taken. The
words are not used or taken in any other
oath. They are nonog required t) give a religi-
ous sanction to the obligation. A purely
accidental circumstance is made use of to
deprive a number of good and valuable
citizens—men who have stood by the nation in
the most trying emergencies, of the rights and
privileges to which they would unquestionably be
entitled but for the contingency.

The most important feature, in last night's
debate, was the straightforward and honourable
recantation by Sir JOHN' PAKINGTON of his former
opinions. The Right Honourable Gentleman
felt that the time had arrived when he could no
longer consistently resist the just claims of his
Jewish fellow subjects, and he very clearly and
ably explained the causes of his change of senti-
ment. On one point we differ from him, very
materially. The subject has, in our judgment,
been brought forward in the very best form,
and the Government • acted far more wisely
than in bringing in a separate Jewish Bill,
and establishing a separate Jewish Oath.
The more the swearing is simplified the better
for all parties. Oaths are but " springes
to catch sensitive conseiences? not affording the
:41igh test security, but rendering what should only
' be resorted to on the most urgent occasions far too
familiar, and thus depriving it of a great portion
of the solemnity, and mitigating the awe that
every man must feel when calling the DEITY to
witness for the first time. " Custom-house" oaths
trti passed into a proverb in the olden time. When
teiiored to for the most trivial purposes they
;eaied to have any weight. They became in
tact worse than useless, for they prevented the
►doption of suitalh and far more efficient pre-
autions against the contemplated danger. All
tave heard of the numbers of conflicting coustitn-

ions sworn to by Prince TALLEYItAND during his
career, and there are thousands of others who
might be placed in the same category.
The British law recognises the distinction be-
tween promissory, and other oaths. A man who
swears that he will perform any act at a future
period cannot be indicted for perjury, and in any
degree legally punished for its vielition. Wh y
then ret iin the useless form in any way, save in
natters wherein it cannot (perhaps) be dispensed
with? There are few persons on whose testimony
re iance might be placed who would not prove
equally truthful, on a simple aMrination, to state
" the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth," while those who would violate their so-
lemn asseveration, would scarcely respect the oath
they had taken.

We trust that the bill may now finally pass
both Houses, and that it will speedily be followed
by another measure, sweeping away all useless ab-
jurations, and simplifying as much as possible
those which must still be retained.

The Ono Test of the Session of 1857 is abou

E.) be applied, Meaning—Mr. HENRY BERKELEY'S
motion on the Ballot. Everything else coolly
shelved and quietly cushioned until 1858—The
Ballot at least, thanks to the Hon. Member for
Bristol, will still, according to annual wont, be
ventilated in the popular branch of the Legisla-
ture. The re-distribution of the Electoral Districts
may be sot aside, for the time, as superfluous. The
extension of the Franchise, whether among the
borough or county electors, may be once more for
An interval conveniently ignored. The Church-
Rate Problem may be again shut up hastily in its
Ad cupboard, like Mr. THACKERAY'S grimly
ootion of the Family Skeleton—a thing, to the
Nation at large, not to be talked of, or looked at,
or scarcely even thought about I And so with
All the rest of the barely numerable Hydra-heads
requiring to be lopped off with the sword of Re-
form. All these Liberal Measures, the commu-
nity have been so long dreaming about, are placed
under a taboo. A year is indeed to be " wasted"
—Mr. DISRAELI was right after all in his sar-
lonic prophecy—and it is to be wasted thus
lesignedly. Everything, in short, is to be
liven the go-by—everything affecting in the
remotest degree the complex question of Re-
form everything but THE BALLOT. And
for this solitary exception we have (of course) to
thank Mr. BERKELEY. That we say "of course"
—for he is to it what CHARLES VILLIERS was to
E'ree Trade, and what ROWLAND HILL has been
to the Penny Postage. Long its solitary champion,
oad, let us hope, iu the and, like them, the wit-
ness of its ulterior realisation. Year after year
The Bcoanleloidt,erraetisoolnutely
and perseveriogly,of
Mr. BEaKELEY bas broughtuaner the