The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-10 00:00:00

GROUP A.

Mr. LA SCELLES moved that the reports from the Corn-
mittee on the Railway Bills and projects included in group A,
with reference to the South-Eastern Railway ( Widening and
Extension of the Greenwich Railway) Bill, and on the South-
Eastern Railway ( Tunbridge to Tunbridge Wells) Bill, be
taken into consideration on Friday next.—Agreed to.
BETHNAL-GREEN RECTORY BILL.

The St. Matthews, Bethnal-green, Rectory Bill, was read a
third time and passed.
GRAVESEND AND ROCHESTER RAILWAY.

The report of the Committee on this Bill was brought up
and received.
TRENT VALLEY RAILWAY.

The amendments of the Lords to this Bill were severally read
and agreed to.
TAW VALLEY RAILWAY AND DOCK.

The amendments.-of the Lords to this Bill were likewise
brought up and agreed to.
EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.

The Lo;isVana;;lnerTt;to this 13111 were brought up, read,
and agreed to.
Mr. I3ELLEW presented a petition from the county Louth
in reference to the Irish Colleges Bill.
SALMON FISHERIES BILL. _

Mr. PAKINGTON said that the Committee on the Salmon
Fi-heries Bill had been unable to bring their labours to a con-
clusion this session, and therefore begged that the second read-
ing of the Bill should be postponed to neat session.
UNIVERSITIES (SCOTLAND) BILL.
On the motion that the Universities (Scotland) Bill be read
a second time,

Mr. MACAULAY said, that on the occasion of the first in-
troduction of the measure her Majesty's Ministers had con-
sulted together and had consented that the promoters of the
Bill should have means to brin,g in the Bill. It was
expected that the opposition was over. It was ex
pected that this important and salutary measure would
have been allowed to pass. It had, however, been intimated
that it was the intention of her Majesty's Government to resist
the further progress of the Bill. Were the present an ordinary
case he should not have been so much surprised at that unex-
pected intimation ; at the same time, however, his confidence
in the strength of his case was so great that he could
not think that the opposition of the Government would
avail in defeating the proposed measure. He had
been sent to that House by the inhabitants of a great
city, which was in former times the greatest city of a noble
and independent country, and it still continued to be the intel-
lectual metropolis of a free and intellectual people. The
University had been so constituted that its renown during
several centuries had progressed gradually to the furthest
ends of the world as a great school of moral and
intellectual science. That noble institution was now threatened
with ignominious ruin by the narrow-minded and short-
sighted policy of the Government, which was resolved
on its destruction without even the miserable excuse of fana-
ticism. He pleaded for all the great academical institutions
of Scotland, and, while pleading for those institutions, he felt
satisfied he should be heard with patience by every
man who loved learning, and who valued religious liberty.
He said, firstly, that this Bill was founded upon sound prin-
ciples ; and he said, secondly, that even if the principle of this
Bill was not one which could he defended as generally sound,
still there were special circumstances in the ease of Scotland
which would make it their duty to pass the Bill. In the first
place, then, he said the principle was sound, and whoever might
controvert this proposition, of this he was sure, that it was not
for her Majesty's Ministers to do so, for it was only the other
day that they had come down to that House and proposed
a system of secular education altogether divested of religion or
religious instruction, and tests of every description. Yes,
they brought in and defended that measure against zealous
members of the Church of England, and they defended it, too,
against the prelates of the Church of Rome; and it was only
the day befele yesterday that they refused to accept
one of the most moderate tests he had ever seer.,
Was it seriously meant—was it desirable—that they should
sink below the aborigines of New South Wales? It educa-
tion was an evil, he was sure no man in his senses
it his support. lie supported the Irish College
the principle of which, and thathHeeauld give
il
hl
el3abri e.ll
of
)
fore the House, was one and the sam:,ho brought in the
.
—(Scotland had a right to know from those
Irish Colleges Bill why they called upon
Bill. In Scotland there was no clamour them
against., the Universi-
tiet of England, or against the test. taken by English professor a •
and lion. Gentlemen opposite well knew that whether they sell;
missions of peace to Scotland or not,. Scotland would in every
extremity be found faithful to the common cause of the empire—
( Cheers)—and he was confident on that account, that anything
bestowed on other parts of the empire ought not
to be withheld from that country.—( Hear and cheers. )
In Scotland, as well as in Ireland, the Established
Church was the Church of the minority of the population,
perhaps not in so great a proportion as the people of Ireland,
but the members of the Presbyterian class were not less in
proportion than the Catholics of Ireland. If they trusted the
education of the youths of Ireland to professors who had
not take the test, on what principle did they con-
ceive that the youth of Scotland were less safe?
The Bill had been founded on the same principle as that al-