The Sun.
London, England, 1828-02-29 00:00:00

tion toe under consideration wat between a repeal of the
Acts and a suspension. As to further securities, or fur-
ther. provision of any sort, the resolution of repeal would
not prevent their introduction.—(Hear, hear.)—With re-
spect to suspension, if he (Lord J. Russell) could think
that by affording time he might induce those who differed
from him to adopt his proposition, he would agree to it ;
but he thought no time would bring them to a conviction.
__(Hear, hear.)—They were looking to the question of
security and satisfaction to the Church of England; but
the Committee ought to look at the interests of both par-
ties. The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel) said he did
not know whether the suspension would give satisfaction
to the Church, he (Lord J. Russell) knew it would not
give satisfaction to the Dissenters. Between a suspension
and a repeal he . could not hesitate, and on the latter he
must insist.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. ESTCOURT hoped there would he an adjourn-
ment. He should support the suspension of the Acts in
preference to their repeal.
Sir G. WARRENDER, and another Hon. Member,
made a few observations which were inaudible, from the
impatience manifested by the Committee.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL said the Right Hon. Secre-
taay (Mr. Peel) asked for time, merely to consider the
mode in which the measure, to which the House was in a
manner pledged, could be best carried into effect. He (Sir
E. Knatchhull) concurred in that view, and he was sorry
that the Noble Lord had not evinced a similar feeling. In
the question between delay and a total repeal, he (Sir
Edward Knatchbull) was for delay, in order to allow time
for consideration.
Lord MILTON begged to refer the Committee to the
words of the notice of motion given by the Noble Lord.
They were " Repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts."—
(Hear, hear.) What then became of the objections of the
Hon. Members under the gallery? Away, then, with
these idle false pretences, which those who made them
knew were pretences (loud cries of hear, from both sides
of the House) ; and their only object was to regain the
vantage ground they had lost (loud cheers), and by delay
defeat the Dissenters, and not the Dissenters only, but the
best interests of the Church.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. PEEL rose amidst sore tumult, and with consider-
able vehemence said—Sir, I moved for a short delay, for
the purpose of giving this subject fuller consideration ; that
proposition has been met in a spirit—(here the Right Hon.
Gentleman's voice raised to its utmost pitch, was drowned
in a universal shout from both sides of the House; he re-
peated)—in a spirit so totally different from that which I
declare on my honour I made it in ; the Noble Lord has
thrown out imputations so utterly foreign to me ; why was
not the proposal I made met in the same spirit of concilia-
tion, which every one must agree the motion of last Tues-
day was met with? When I say that delay would be bene-
ficial to the question, I do not ask for delay with any other
object : I do not propose suspension or delay for any sinis-
ter purpose. I,should have been happy to have under-
taken a co-operation with the Noble Lord in his views, but
now let him take his own course—(Hear, hear) ;—let
him move Lis resolution ;—I shall propose no delay ;—I
shall give no vote upon the subject;-=but shall reserve to
myself full liberty, at any future period, to meet the sub-
ject in a way I think proper.
Sir T. LETHBRIDGE rose amidst a laugh. He
thought if any thing was wanting to destroy unanimity, the
heat and feeling which had been displayed tended to this.
He had come down to-night to vote with the Noble Lord,
whom he had opposed on the former occasion.—(A laugh.)
As Ile had perceived an opinion in the House contrary to
hie own, he had made up his mind to give a vote like that
of the majority, which had surprised all the country. Lie
had hoped to see the motion of to-night carried with tem-
per; but now he anticipated, since, instead of a concilia-
tory tone, the Noble Lord had thrown out his signs and
ensigns---(a laugh, which hindered our hearing the con-
clusion of the sentence). The Noble Lord had better have
adopted another tone.
Mr. BULLER spoke for sonic time, but in so low a
tone that his voice could not be heard in the gallery.
Mr. W. HORTON (who sat under the gallery) had un-
derstood that the Noble Lord (Milton), gave credit to
those persons who, like him (Mr. Horton) voted for delay,
for a.deliberate intention to defeat the measure by false pre-
,tenees.,--(Lood cries of " Hear.") This was the phrase
19f the Noble Lord. He could only tell the Noble Lord,

that character was as dear to him as to the Noble Lord.
Upon the
_Noble Lord, and upon those who adopted his
opinions, must be the consequences of the course they bad
chosen to pursue.
Lord MILTON begged to state,
,in explanation, that
when he had heard that some Members conceived that the
repeal of the Acts was not the object of the Noble Lord's
_motion—(No no)—he had desired the clerk to give him
the book, in order that he might chew the exact nature of
-the motion. He certainly had beard Gentlemen say that

they-conceived the only question.on Tuesday last was to
take into consideration, not to repeal, the Acts. Ilis ob-
jet was to show that their repeal was the end in view,
and that those who stated the contrary were not correct.
Mr. FITZGERALD observed that the notice of motion
of the Noble Lord (Russell), was to -.repeal the Acts, but
the motion itself had been for a Committee to consider the
Acts. Many Members declared that they voted with the
Noble Lord, not understanding that they were agreeing to
the repeal of these Acts, but merely to consider them. He
(Mr. Fitzgerald) regretted the tone manifested by the Noble
Lord (Milton), and his introduction into the discussion of
unauthorised and unjust aspersions upon those who had
presumed to differ from him.—(Hear, hear.)—This was
the last thing that the Noble Lord (Russell) would desire,
or those who wished for success to his measure.
Mr. CALCRAFT hoped that the Committee would
return to that tone in which it had hitherto treated this
subject.—(Hear, hear.)
Lord J. RUSSELL regretted much the tone which the
discussion had assumed. He did not express this as his in-
dividual opinion solely ; at the same time lie did not think
that the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel) had any other
object in proposing delay than the benefit of all parties.—
(Hear.) He (Lord J. Russell) imputed motives to no one.
Lord MILTON was sorry for what had occurred ; he
had no intention to excite anger, and for his own part he
was entirely devoid of anger towards any one. The Hon.
Gentleman opposite (Mr. Fitzgerald) must he aware that
the Noble Lord (Russell) could not make a motion for a
repeal in the House without going into a Committee.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL said a few words, but the cry
of" question" became loud.
At this moment, Mr. PEEL rose and proceeded out of
the house. His example was followed by the Attorney-
General and other individuals connected with the Adminis-
tration ; and immediately after, almost all the Members on
the Ministerial side of the House also moved towards the
door. This proceeding elicited from the opposition a
shout of laughter.
The CHAIRMAN then put the question on the resolution,
which was carried in the affirmative, a few " noes" only
being heard, in consequence of the secession.
Mr. LITTLETON expressed his fears that this question,
after what had passed, would no longer be discussed without
an inflision of party spirit. He regretted the speech which
had been delivered by the Noble Lord.
Colonel DAVIES was of opinion that those persons
who allowed paltry, petty, and personal feeling--(hear,
hear,)—to interfere with the broad path of their duty,
were unworthy of a seat in that or any other House.
Sir G. WARRENDER hoped that whatever irritation
might have been excited by the Noble Lord opposite (Lord
Milton), it would not, for the sake of the country, lead to
any unfortunate result to this important question. As an
independent Member of Parliament, he must declare, that
if any circumstance would induce him not only to with-
draw his confidence from, but to give his opposition to, an
Administration,. it would be the circumstance he had just
witnessed—namely, the secession of Ministers from the
House.—(Hear, hear.) He had heard in former times of
the secession of opposition; but this was the first occasion
during an experience of twenty-two years in Parliament,
that he had seen all the Ministers retire from the House
before a decision had been come to on a great question
which had been agitating all men's minds. He begged
Pardon of the House ; he saw one Minister ;eft, he had
thought they were all gone. He was not accustomed to
express himself warmly ; but he could not help declaring
thus strongly his regret at the course which had been thus
taken.

Mr. V. FITZGERALD thought that his Gallant
Friend who had just addressed the House could not have
heard the speech of his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Peel).
If he had, he would have heard his Right Hon. Friend
express his intention neither to oppose the motion or to
support it; and he (Mr. V. Fitzgerald) now learned for
the first time that it was a singular course for a Minister
or any other person to leave the House to avoid voting;
The discussion was at an end—(No, hear, hear.)—He put
it to the Noble Lord opposite (Lord John Russell),whether
he viewed the retirement of his Right Hon. Friend in the
same light as that in which it was viewed by his Gallant
Friend. In leaving the House as lie had done, he had done
nothing inconsistent with his duty as a Minister, or with
his respect for the House or the Noble Lord. (Mr. Peel
at this moment re-entered the House, and took his seat on
the Ministerial bench). He (Mr. Fitzgerald) appealed to
the House whether the speech of his Gallant Friend was
likely to assist the object which he professed himself anxi-
ous to promote.
Lord F. L. GOWER concurred with the Gallant
Officer in regretting that any thing like irritation had
cituips the debate, but the attack vaatle by the Qat-