The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-08 00:00:00

ECCLESIASTICAL BILL.

Mr. DISRAELI wished to ask the Noble Lord at the
head of the Government whether he intended to bring
on the Ecclesisstiesl Bill to-night?
Lord JOHN RUSSELL replied in the affirmative.
THE IRISH MAGISTRACY.

In answer to Sir PERCY NUGENT,
Sir W. SOMERVILLE said that Mr. John Fleming,
late of Longford, Ireland, had been appointed to a local
magistracy in Donegal upon the death of the late Mr.
Tyas, with a salsry of about 400 L
EXHIBITION OF 1851.

Colonel SIBTHORP gave notice that on going into
committee of supply he should call the attention of the
Government to the letters from the Commissioners of
the Woods and Forests to the Lords of the Treasury,
which had been laid upon the table on the 4th of July.
The Gallant Colonel then proceeded to ask the Noble
Lord a question relating to the payment of any sums of
money by the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851,
with reference to any contracts entered into for that
Exhibition.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that when first the Ex-
hibition had been projected it had been intended to have
carried it cut through private contract, but the sense of
the country was so decidedly against that mode, that it
bad been abandoned, and the only sums which bad been
paid were in consequence of those preliminary steps.
Colonel SIBTLIORP inquired to what amount, and on
what security ?
Mr. LAEOUCFIERE said that the amount was not
yet ascertained; the security was that of the Commis-
sioners.

WATERFORD, WEXFORD, WICKLOW, AND
DUBLIN, AND THE SOUTH WALES RAIL-

WAYS.

Sir H. VERNEY postponed his motion for a Commit-
tee of Inquiry into the petitions and printed papers (297)
affecting the dignity of the House until Monday next.

ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION BILL.

The House then went into Committee on this Bill.
Mr. BERNAL in the chair.

The consideration of the preamble was postponed.
On clause 1 being proposed,
Mr. HORSMAN proposed an amendment to the effect
that the Commission should consist simply of three paid
C.,mmissioners, who should discharge ad the duties in
connexion with the Commission. That proposition he
thought was sound in principle and would be found good
in practice. The evils in connexion with the
existing Commission which they had to remedy
were that it was too numerous, inefficient,
and irresponsible. Now, to secure an efficient and re-
sporsible body, he thought the best p!an they could
adopt was to have three Commissioners, whose close and
constant attendance would insure the due performance
of all the business of the Commission. Three classes of
public men would, by such an arrangement, be relieved
from attendance at the board, via, the judges, the
Cabinet Ministers, and the bishops and ministers.
The Lerd Chancellor, the two Chief Justices, the
Lord Chief Baron, the Master of the Rolls,
and the Judges of the Admiralty and the Prerogative
Courts were at present members of the Board. Now,
what in the world had all those to do with the
Ecclesiastical Commission? (Hear.) They had
important functions to discharge, and they could
not give their attendance at the meetings of the
commission without injury resulting to the public ser-
vice. Therefore public convenience and common sense were
alike in favour of the judges being excused from attend-
ance. Five Cabinet Ministers were members of the board,
and he was sure they would be as glad to be excused
as the judges. Again, the bishops were paid largely for
the performance of other duties, and if they attended to
the business of the Commission, those duties must be
neglected, and he could not understand on what
principle they claimed to have a seat at the
Board. Both reason and religion were in favour
of the change which he proposed in the
Commission, and if the prelates were opposed
to him, what construction could they put!on their
conduct, except that the duties of their office
contrasted very unfavourably with other public duties?
No right or privilege of theirs was in any way
involved by their not being on the Commission.
Those estates consisted of every kind of property known
to the Church. Let the House take the cases of the
Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London.
The management of the estates of Canterbury and Lon-
don were but a tithe of their labours. They bad to take
the management of the capitular estates of York,
Carlisle, Durham, Exeter, and other dioceses, and in-
stead of being confined to estates in which they had
an especial interest, they bad to become general
manager of estates of which they had no knowledge
whatever, and of which they could have no know •
ledge except by giving such a close attention to
those secular affairs as must place the epis-
copacy in abeyance.—(Hear.) He Mr. Horsmau,)
was nut now seeking to do an act which imposed any
new doctrine; but he was only resisting a modern and,
to his mind, an extremely objectionable innovation.
—(Hear, hear.) If the House took this proceeding
as a question of policy, what did their experience
say? Was Parliament Do well satisfied with the
Wad v natk;
put working of this Commission that it was ready
esstil(l)f futhrteheprressaeceriefieceosf
tihne oprdreeirarteossrsecuHree
be-
lieved
nor
ethink t hteh
eCommissionpresence
of had t
hbee e n
pre anyt
ething ballet
there were few sincere members of the Church who
didb
n entiot
itehhebeeenan:tcetture of the business itself in the
Church. He wanted to ask, therefore, what there
ito of
n etchees s
ea rtyt e
hdt haunt c
et h eo
fHtohues e
pre s hloaut
el s
d
enntiirneifyiatuse%e?lar,Thehedbtuhseityieslse
hpwasasyste iwa
theh
Commisin t the e-
ioomomwi commission o
giSf late the
(I
entirely through orders in Council ; and there was no
necessity for the Prelates being members of that
board any more than there was of their being at
the head of the Hume Department.—(Hear, bear.)
The old law of the Church only recognized the Bishop
as a spiritual pastor, and the further they attempted to
remove from that old law, the greater labyrinths
they got into The feelings of the people of
England he believed generally wero in
favour of more clergymen, and less bishops. And why
was that? Why, because the bishops assumed more
than they were entitled to under the old law,
but the parochial clergy did not.—(Hear.)
He opposed it because its object was to perpetuate
the hulloing Qf their ecclosiagfical rum with AU Cli•

tension of temporary jurisdiction, they ought never to
hold. If they wished to make their Commission at all
available tt e Commi,sioners must be less numerous,
and more responsible. The Hon. Member concluded
by moving that three Church Commissioners should
constitute the Commission. _ _ _

Lord JOHN RUSSELL opposed the proposition, be-
lieving it to be in direct opposition to the report of the
Committee of that House.
( LEFT SPEAKING.)

THE QUEEN'S HOSPITAL AT BIRMINGHAM•

An exposition of Birmingham manufactures is about
to be held in the new buildings of the Queen's College,
during the long vacation, to raise funds to enable the
committee of council of the hospital to enlarge their
buildings, and to provide a chapel (already endowed by
Dr. Warneeord with 401. per annum) for the sick and
suffering, duly fitted and arranged for Divine service.
An application having la, en made to his Royal High-
ness the Prince Albert to use his generous influence with
her Majesty the Queen to obtai❑ the loan of a portrait
of her Majesty and af his Royal Highness, to be placed
at the head of the Expositien Room, as a t9stimony of
the devoted loyalty and attachment of the institution to
the Crown, of the exalted patronage with which it is
honoured, and the illustrious auspices under which the
Committee of Council are privileged to proceed in their
arduous progress.
The followi❑g gracious reply has been addressed to
Professor Sands Cox, F.R.S., the Dean of the Faculty:—
;" Buckingham Palace, July 4, 1850.
_ .

",Sir,—l have submitted your letter, recceived this
morning, to her Majesty the Queen and his Royal
Highness the Prince Albert, and I am happy to have
the pleasure to inform you that her Majesty and his
Ro)al Highness have been pleased to accete to the re-
quest contained in your letter of the 27th ult., for the
loan of a portrait of her Majesty and ore of his Royal
Highness, to be placed in the Exposition Room. If you
will be good enough to communicate to me the time at
which these portraits will be required, and the best
mode for their conveyance, I will c ,mmunic tte with the
proper officer of the household accordingly.—l have the
honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,

" C. B. PHIPPS.

"William Sands Cox, Esq." __
At a special meeting of the committee of council, held
en Saturday last, at which the High-Bailiff, S. W.
Lucas, Eqq. presided, on the motion of the Rev. Pre-
bendary Gray, seconded by Mr. Alderman Phillips, the
loyal and dutiful expression of grateful thanks were re-
corded by the board to her Majesty the Queen with
acclamation for this especial Mark of royal favour.