The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-22 00:00:00

PRICE 7D.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, APRIL 21,
The Marquis of QUEENSBERRY presented a petition
from Duna6ies, praying for the rrpeal of the Test and

Corporation Acts. •
The Earl of ELDON presented a petition from Sudbury
4gainst any further concession to the Catholics.
Lord DE DUNSIANVILLE presented a petition from
the hundred of Redruth, praying that if the Borough
rf Penryn should be disfranchised, the right of sending
Members to Parliament might be transferred to the Peti-
tioners. . .

The Bishop of CHICHESTER presented' a petiticn
from the Archdeacon and Clergy of the diocese of Chi-

Chester, against any further concession to the Roman Ca-

tholics.

The Bishop of IVINCIIETER presented a petition
from Alderbury, Surrey, praying-that the Test and Cor-
poration Acts might be repealed only so far as respected the

Sacramental Test.
A Noble Loan, whose name we did not learn, presented
a similar petition from Wallingford.
Several other petitions to the same effect were also pre-
*ented.
Lord SYDNEY presented a Petition from the city of
Hereford against the Malt Bill; also a petition from
Rington, praying for the repeal of the Corporation and
Test Acts.
Lord LAUDERDALE presented a petition from the
Proprietors of a Private Madhouse, against the County
Lunatic Asylum Bill, praying that they might. be heard
by Counsel. against it.
The Bishop of LICHFIELD presented a petition from
the Clergy of Coventry against further concession to the
Roman Catholics.

Lord MELVILLE presented a petition from the Royal
Burghs of Scotland, praying for a revision of the Cor❑
Laws. _

Lord TEYNHAM presented a petition from the Jour-
neymen Silk-weavers of Macclesfield, praying that Parlia-
ment might adopt some measure for regulating wages.
Lord KING had a petition to present, the first of the
kind which ever was presented to that House. It was
signed by members of the Church of England, Protestant
Dissenters and Roman Catholics, and all united in praying.
for the repeal of every Act which imposed civil disqualifi-
cations on account of religious belief. The petition was
full of the purest Christian feeling, and did the greatest
honour to all who joined in it, although it did not contain so
muchlingenuityas that presented by a Noble Viscount on Fri-
day last. That petition desired that all who took the Sacra-
ment in any church within twelve mouths might be eligible
for office. The present petition had 110 such nice distinc-
tions, and was as remarkable for its primitive Christianity
as the other was famed for the vain learning of the
Greeks. But notwithstanding all its ingenuity it failed
in its object, for it desired that the Sacrament should be
taken in two kinds, meaning thereby evidently to exclude
the Catholics. But still this provision would not
go the length of excluding the Roman Catholic Priests
whom we wish to keep out, whilst in fact it would
only exclude the Roman Catholic laymen. The Noble
Lord, after alluding to the sentiments expressed in the peti-
tion, said that it was signed by the Rector and other Pro-
testants, by the Dissenters and Catholics of Graythorne,
Yorkshire. It was then laid upon the table.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY presented a petition
from Dorchester, against the Catholics.
The Earl of MALMESBURY said that, according to

information received by him, there prevailed at Liverpool
a practice of exporting foreign bonded corn to the Isle of
Man for the purpose of having it ground into flour, and
re-imported into this country without payment of
duty. A notice, he believed, had been forwarded
from the Board of Customs to the officers at Liver•
pool, directing them how to act in case they should
discover any instances in which that practice was
resorted to. He therefore moved for a copy of the no-
tice sent by the Board of Customs to the officers of the Cus-
tom-house at Liverpool, respecting the practice of exporting
Foreign Wheat to the Isle of Man, for the purpose of having
it ground into flour, and of being again imported into this
country in that state.
The Duke of WELLINGTON had no objection that
. _

the returns should be made; he assured the Noble Lord

that having heard some days ago of that practice, he
caused inquiries to be made into all the circumstances ;
and if it should be found to prevail at all, it would be
remedied by the Bill which would shortly be presented to
their Lordships.—Ordered.
The Earl of MALNIESBURY moved fur the number
of quarters of foreign wheat exported to the Isle of Man
from Liverpool from January sth, 1827, up to the latest
period. The Noble Earl also moved for an account of the
weekly returns of foreign wool imported from the sth Jan.
up to the latest period. He under'tood that the importation
of foreign wool within this last three months had been
exceedingly great, and as it would be important that their
Lordships should have all possible inforn.ation on the
subject, he was induced to move for the Returns in
question. The Noble Earl then moved for an account of
the several sums received by the Treasurer and the Col-
lectors of Counties, on account of the County Rates from
1824 to 1827, both inclusive.
TEST AND CORPORATION ACTS.
-

Lord HOLLAND moved the order of the day for the
Committee OH the Bill to repeal the Test and Corpora-
tion Acts. _ .

The Earl of ROSEBERY wished, before the House
formed itself into the Committee on the Bill, to say a
few words on the general principle and provisions of the
Test and Corporation Acts, and more particularly as to
their relation with Scotland. Notwithstanding what had
been said on more than one occasion by the Noble and

~„..
Learned Lord who sat near him (LOrd Eldon), and whose
opinion deserved the most respectful attention of their
Lordships, he (Lord Ruselsery) still continued to think,
and was ready to maintain, that the Test and Corporation
Acts affected the interests of the people of Scotland most
materially, and that their interests would be seriously in-
jured but for the annual Act of Indemnity. He ventured
to say so, because he was by birth and property connected
with Scotland, though he had always been a Member of
the Church of England ; and he professed conscientiously
to prefer the discipline, constitution, and Liturgy of that
Church to the Church of Scotland, notwithstanding that
he believed in point of doctrine, there was very little
difference, if any, between the principles of the two
Churches. As to the question how far the Test and Cor-
poration Acts affected the interests of the people of
Scotland, it appeared to him necessary to ask their Lord-
ships, what would he the situation in which the people of
that country would be placed, if the provisions of those
acts were really carried into execution ; and next, to inquire
what were the engagements made between the two coun-
tries at the period of the Union, and then to remind their
Lordships of what was not only expected from, but given
by the Sovereign of these realms, on the very day of his
accession to the throne, and he thought their Lordships
woulck discover that the grossest inconsistency would be
the result of the execution of the Test and corporation
Acts, which would not have been tolerated au keg but for
the Act of Indemnity, which came in to prevent all those
gross errors which would otherwise have arisen. What
were the facts on which be had made that statement? In
the first place, the people of Scotland under the provisions
of those Acts, would positively be debarred from enjoying
any civil offices in the southern division of the island, or
from serving in the army and navy. A distinct promise
had been held out to Scotland, under the articles of union,
that both countries should enjoy the same rights and pri-
vileges, and he would remind their Lordships that his Ma-
jesty, on his accession to the throne, was bound to make a
most solemn declaration that he would maintain, as the
established religion of Scotland, the Presbyterian worship ;
and yet he was incapacitated from granting to the in-
habitants of that country, on aicount of that very re
ligion which he so solemnly promised to maintain, any com-
mission'in his army or navy, or any situation of trust or profit,
great or small. This, of itself, was an anomaly, the like
of which, he believed, did not exist in any other country
in the world ; and if such a restraint as the Test and Cor-
porationnorthern part of this empire, he thought he should receive,
in support of his opinion,
Acts was really intlipinosd aethonnisstihe inhabitants
onoftheßighotnhiteh:
Prelate—who, the other day, in his admirable speech,
made some distinction between restraint and punishment—
that such a restraint would be punishment of a very se-
vere and unjust nature. Putting out of consideration, fot
the present, the question how far the Dissenters residint4
in England were relieved from the Test and Curporatim:
Acts, he held that the inhabitants of Scotland, having a
religion established by 'law and recognized by the Sove-
reign and by Parliament, were entitled in strict right