The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-31 00:00:00

DEBATE.

Mr. G. HARDY then resumed the adjourned debate.
He said the resolutions brought forward fur the dis-
endowment of the Irish Church had beau placed before
the house by the right hon. gentleman in a manner that
showed how great wus the issusof the conflict. The debate,
as far as it had proceeded, had been carried on with
much bitterness, and it was plain from that circumstance
the object of the resolutions was not confined to the
disendowment of the Irish. Church, but to an attack
upon her Majesty's Ministers. (Hear, hear.) The
opposition was not confined to or carried simply by hon.
gentlemen opposite, but the Ministry had been attacked
on the flank by a noble lord who himself some
short time ago accepted a seat on the same
bench as himself. He felt it one of the highest honours
he could attain to sit in the Cabinet of the right
honourable gentleman, who now was the first Minister
of the Crown, and in order to do so ho could
safely say he had sacrificed no principle. (Hear, hear.)
The present moment, when public business was much ia
arrear, in his oriuion, was not the proper time
for the bringing forward of such an abstract reso-
lution as that submitted by the right hon.
gentleman--(hear, hear) —because the present Parliament
could not pledge that which was yet to assemble. The
question had been suddenly started—(hear, hear)—it
had taken the people by surprise, and he felt
that her Majesty's Government could not be
condemned for asking time before a matter of such great
importance was decided. (Hear, hoar.) Although
the matter had not yet become fully known to
the country already the rustle of petitions had
been heard, and he felt certain that when it became
more generally known not only would the number of those
petitioners increase, but that increase would include briny
members of the Nonconformist body. (Hear, hear.) The
Government had been condemned fornot meeting the motion
with a direct negative—(hoar, hear) —but he might say for
himself that he was not all indisposed to take such a
course; on the contrary, he was perfectly ready and pre-
pared to do so. The right hon. gentleman then went on
to comment in strong terms on a letter which the right
hon. gentleman (Mr. Gladstone) wrote to one of his con-
stituents in 1865. The writer, in answer to an inquiry
as to his views upon the Irish Church, went on to say
"the question was so remote that it was quite out of
reason to suppose it would arise for a very long time."
(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") The letter ho had alluded
to he had received from the office of one of the daily
newspapers, and if the right hon. gentleman would
deny that he had ever written to the effect
stated he would at once withdraw the letter. (Mr. Glad-
stone here asked for the letter, which Mr. Hardy at once
handed to him.) If it was true that the right hon. gentle-
man had written the letter, he could only say that
the opinion which he entertained on the subject of
the Irish Church had not been very generally known.
(Hear, hear.) At all events it was but fair to say
that his new born zeal had only existed since 186.5.
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) It might be said he was
now descending to personal motives, but he would ask,
were no personalities cast at her Majesty's Government
last night ? Why the most envenomed shafts were aimed
at tLetn with most unmistakable intention. (Hear, hear.)
lie was of opinion that the resolutions proposed a most
uncalled for attack, and it was one that would bring
about a state of things few had had the courage
to contemplate—it would inflict a great wrong
on all those by whom, this country was bound .by
religion, by blood, by treaty, and by compact. (Hear,
hear.) A great authority in the house in former years
had declared that the disendowment of the Esta-
blished Church in Ireland would make private property
unsafe, and had not events shown how property held by
lay corporations was not by any means secure.
But how did they propose to deal with the
rights of the laity in the matter—(bear, hear).—
it was a lay question. They might pay off
the clergy, but how would they deal with those who had
a vested interest in these funds—(hear, hear) how
were they going to compensate those for the interest ;yo
wishol to deprive them;?
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

COURSE OF EXCHANGE—This Evening.

Amsterdam Short ... 11 18 ... 11 18}
Ditto
Rotterdam... — ... 11 19i ... 12 i
Antwerp — ... 25 35 ... 25 40
tSrnssels
Hamburgh
Paris Short ... 25 15 ... 25 25
Ditto 3 Ms. ... 2) 32f ... 25 37i
~.. .... ~..
..,_

Marseilles

25 A ... 25_37i

1201 1201
11 ./5 ... 11 t 5
11_75 ... 11 85

Frankfort-ou-the-Main
Vienna
Triesto

Petersburg - ... 32 ... 82k _
Berlin .. ... 6 2q ... 6 27},
Madrid — ... 48k ... 481
Cadiz
Leghorn
Milan...
Genoa — ... 28 '2O • ... 28 80
Naples
... 28 20 ... 28 80
Palermo — ... 28 20 ... 28 80
Messina......
Lisbon
Oporto

THE BURGOMASTER OF BRUSSELS.----A. AnspacU:
Burgomaster of Brussels, having brought an action for de-
famation against MM. Delez and Orts, publishers of the
journal the Espiegle, the defendants have been condemned
to the payment of 10,000 fr. damages.