The Sun.
London, England, 1826-11-30 00:00:00

Gentleman, under the Gallery, seemed to make no difference be-
tween an Atheist and a Deist. The difference was nevertheless
considerable, Au Atheist might perhaps be incapable affording
to his testimony the sanction of an oath ; but a Deist might as-
suredly do so. And he would add, that in his opinion the State,
and the interests of all Who were connected with the State, would
he in infinitely greater danger from the oaths of those who did;
no believe in the Christian religion, but who did not avow their
disbelief,
.than from the oaths of those who openly avowed their
opinions.
The petition was then brought up.
Mr. HUME moved that tt should be read, for the
purpose of showing how groundless was the statement of the Hon.
and Learned Sergeant, that the petitioner did not believe in a
fUture state.

The Petition was then read as follows :--
" The Petition of Robert Taylor, Clerk, of Carey-street,
Lincoln's Inn, Middle Sex,

SIIKWItTII—Thai your Petitioner was canonically ordained a
Clergyman of the Established Church ; 'that he is a Bachelor of
Arts of St. John's College, Cambridge, and that he is a Member
of the Royal College of Surgeons.
That your Petitioner is a Chaplain of the. Society, called the
Universal Benevolent Society, which is in the habit of meeting
every Tuesday evening.
That your Petitioner has determined, after a most laborious
investigation and philosophical research, that he cannot give cre-
dence to the Christian faith, and that she seceded from motives of
honour and conscience, and not from obstinacy, singularity, or

prejudice.
That your Petitioner is in the habit of performing Divine
Service before the above Society on every Sunday, after the prin-
ciples of Deis►n.
" That your Petitioner has ascertained he cannot give evidence
in a Court touching any matter, suit, or cause depending therein,
in consequence of his nut believing in Revelation, although your
Petitioner has carefully investigated its evidences, but cannot con-
seientiously believe in its trutl'..
" That your petitioner considers, under the Act of Toleration,
he is entitled to entertain whatever religion he pleases, and pub-
licly to propagate it, unless such religion is manifestly opposed to
morality,- and inimical to the welfare of the State.
" That your petitioner believes is the existence of a ',future
state, and instils such belief into the minds of his hearers.

"That a short time ago a shopman of Mr. Carlile was robbed
If a watch, but was unable to prosecute iu consequence ef his ad-
herence to the doctrines of Deism. • •
. .

" That your petitioner considers the law, as it now stands, is
injurious to the fair and equal administration of justice, and is at
vpriance with the interests of the State, inasmuch as it allows
persons guilty of the most atrocious crimes to escape with impu-
nity, and denies your petitioner and others the means of obtaining
justice, which the rest of his Majesty's subjects enjoy.
" That your petitioner will consider himself in conscience
equally bound by swearing on the Works of Nature, as the Chris-
gan by being sworn on the New, or the Jew on the Old-Testa-
ment, or the Mahometan on the Alcamo.
"That your petitioner humbly prays. your Honourable House
will be pleased to decree that persons professing Deistical princi-
ples shall be sworn in all Courts of Justice in the same way as
persons professing Christianity, Judaism, or Mahoinetanism ; and
that the degree of credit due. to such persons shall. be left to the
consideration of the Judge, or Magistrate, or Jury, or any Tribu-
nal before. which cases in which they art concerned may be tried.
"ROBERT
.TAYLOR, A. 8."
Mr. HUME observed, that the Vetitiou itself was
a complete answer to the Honourable and Learned: Sergeant.
With respect to the argument of the Honourable Gentleman under
the Gallery against allowing a Deist to take an oath, he would ask
that Honourable Gentleman what was a Jew, but a Deist. Ac-
Cording to the Honourable Gentleman's principle, a Jew ought
not to be allowed to be sworn. • The argument of the Honoura-
ble Gentleman, therefore, was directed against the existing statutes.
As to, the Hon. Gentleman, it really appeared to him (Mr. Hinne)
to he very strange that au individual who had for such a length of
time, in Ceylon, been administering oaths to men who did not
believe. in the Christian Revelation, should feel any difficulty on
the subject in this country. It only showed that men might live
long without gaining experience, . He moved that the petition
should lie on the table.
After a few words in explanation from. Mr.. Sergeant OwsLow
and Mr. w. SMITII, the motion was agreed to.
Mr. HUME • moved that the petition should be printed.
Mr. ROBINSON objected decidedly to this pro-
position. The object of the petitioner was to do an act of injus-
tice by depriving his Majesty's subjects of the security which they
derived froM preventing, persons front taking an oath who pro-
fessed that they had no religion at all.
• The question was then tailed for ; but as strangers were pre-
osring to unit the Rom.", . •
Mr. HUME withdrew his Motion. " •

CORN LAWS.
Mr. HUME presented a Petition from the Silver
Plate Workers of Birmingham, Complaining of distress, and pray-
Mg for the abolition of- the Corn Laws,---Ordered to lie on the
Table. -
Mr. HUMEpresented a Petition from the Trades
of Arbroath, praying that Foreign Corn might be admitted gene-
rally, at whatever import duty the House • might think proper to
fix.—Ordered to lie on the Table.
REAL PROPERTY.

Mr. 'WHITTLE HARVEY observed, that so
many difficulties were thrown in the way of transferring real pro-
perty by that ingenious body of men called Conveyancers, that in
maity cases the proprietors found it' absolutely impossible to get
rid of it. This was a very serious evil, and one which loudly
called for remedy. Fur himself he was perfectly prepared to de-
vote "'clever industry and application he possessed, to the fur-
therance of an object which, it must be universally admitted, was
in every respect so desirable. On snelt un incidental question as
the present, he would not enter into any discussion upon the
itnbject. His intention was, from time to time, to move tOr such

Returns as would form the foundation of some future measure ;
and, as the first of those returns, he would now move, that there
be laid before the house a RetiWri of the -Number of Fines levied,
and Reeoveries suffered, upon real Estates in England, during the
last seven years, distinguishing the Name of the Offices through
which they passed, from the homing of the Dedimus, the amount
of Fees, and the Appropriation thereof.
Lord MILTON seconded the Motion.
Mr. Serjeant ONSLOW, agreed that there were
great ilitlicultmi on the subject which it was very desirable to remove.
Mr. SH ADWEI4L. assured the Honourable Gen
demo and the Noble Lord, that nothing was more strongly felt
by aye profession, than the necessity of putting an end, if possible,
to the griavl/24wes in question, and which affected landed property
to an extent so enorliutils that few persons were aware of it. He,
for one, should be always fund rraily to use his best endeavours iu
promoting any measure that might be ennsidered likely to
uisli the evil-.-(Hear, he4r.
nit MOion was then agreed to. ,
SETTLEMENTS.

Mr. WHITTLE, HARVEY obsered thSt no
question couldhe of more isopPsta;ce than one which had any re-
lation to the Poor Rates of thiscountsy. the: petitions re-
specting the Corn Laws ought to comprehend this sOjeet in their
prayssu. The Poor Rates of England amounted to nearly seyen
millions of Roney annually. He doubted, however, whether, if
the matter were 404.11, and properly investigated, it would not
appear that nearly half the money' thus raised by Poor Rates was
applied to purposes to which it ought sot !o be applied. The Ho-
nourable Member then moved, " That an 11144/.lk Address be pre-
sented to Ili; Majesty, praying that he would be graciously plpaserl
to order, that there lie laid before the House a Return of the nMn-
bstr of Appeals entered With the Clerks of the Peace, against orders
of rtauova,l in cases ,of settlemeAt in the English Counties, during
the last six yec.ss," &e.-,Ordered.
BOROUGH OV TREO,QIg,
Upon the motion of Mr. 413ERCROMPY, the
Order of the Day was read for the House resuming the Adjourned
Debate 11110t1 the Return for the Borough of Tregony.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY held the present

question to he of such very serious consequen ,t
not allow It to pass vrithout offering a Caw words 0 _
.2
me.
ration of the House. ' The present .occasiou brought to In
iziury the words of a omit-distinguished Member of thot liquse,
thattlle ICieon"siculek-1
(I.nril (renville), who hail deelare.4, that be (vitts.l upon AVeTY
ease of eontested election, brought before the fiQiiPc of
Gnomon,
' {u" cue of the unruitt importance, in which the property APS)
4'401-tight of the people were at stile; and in which it therefore
liiihuvral the dupse to act with the greatest caution. Ile would
ht.g to warn kletatienteci Ant they were nut now entering into the
Plaits of an ohsenre sultjeil; ; but they were about to pass a
i'eutto:o6 llutt would s
Mi ht tand as a great publig In:miens, and
"goloto the future proceedings of the lotoke wpiari pike
most iropottim 44birc.t., Ila Inul paid the motion of the Ho-
noorsble Gentleman (gr, 'her: 'oliiliy) every possible utten-
tbdeeliCrtirntiown7t ese4)ely titrkin4:l(44lj 141gi'ilifflerillt111
:It Liut°ueti4;otrimiiil,yi.iitanuullgee could trace upon inch a
lionourabio Umbers upon the subject, as well as of every
paint,
h opinions he had first formed to IA entirely unchanged.
he must declare
tyri.,, H .able Alember then cited the cases of several contested