The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-11 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen held a Court yesterday afternoon at Bucking-
Palace.
Aali Effendi, Ambassador Extraordinary from the Sublime
Porte,had an audience of her Majesty to take leave.
Sarim Effendi had an audience of the Queen to present his
credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipoten-
tiary from the Sublime Porte.
Their Excellencies were respectively introduced by the
Earl of Aberdeen, K.T., her Majesty's Principal Secretary of
Foreign Affaus,and conducted by Sir Robert Chester, M aster
of the Ceremonies.

The Earl of Aberdeen bad an audience of the Queen.
Her Majesty was attended by the Earl of Morton, Lord in
Waiting, and Mr. It. Ormsby Gore, Groom in Waiting.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert rode out on horseback
yesterday, attended by Sir Edward Bowater, Equerry in
Waiting.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert, attended by the Countess
of Dunmore, non. Miss Paget, Earl of Morton, Colonel the
Hon. Charles Grey, and Major •General Sir Edward Bowater,
honoured the performance of the French Plays with their
presence yesterday- evening.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, the Princess
Royal, and the Princess Alice, were taken an airing in the
royal gardens of Buckingham Palace yesterday.
The Duchess of Gloucester visited their Royal Highnesses
the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Hereditary Grand
Duchess of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, on Sunday, at Cambridge
House. _

The Duke of Cambridge visited her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Gloucester yesterday.
The Grand Duchess (Stephanie) of Baden.—Her
Royal Highness attended by the Baroness de Strumfeder,
and Baron Roth de Schreckenitein went yesterday morning
to Westminster Abbey to inspect that sacred edifice. His
Excellency the Chevalier Bunsen, Prussian Minister, accom-
panied the Grand Duchess during her visit to the Abbey.
A deputation of ropemakers, on the subject of the duty on
cable yarn, consisting of Mr. James J. Frost, Mr. George
Gould, Mr. Charles,Rennell, and Mr. James Falfrond, had an
interview with the Earl of Dalhousie yesterday, at the office
9f the Board of Trade.
Sir J. Graham and other Cabinet Ministers had interviews
with Sir Robert Peel yesterday.
The Judicial Committee of her Majesty's Most Honourable
Privy Council sat yesterday in the Council Chamber. The
Lords present were,the Master of the Rolls, Lord Brougham,
the Vice-Chancellor Knight Bruce. the Chancellor of the
Duchy of Cornwall, and the Judge of the Admiralty Court. •
A petition for an extension of the term of Parkins's patent
was heard. Their Lordships granted an extension of the
eriod of the patent for the term of five years.

DREADFUL DEATH BY FIRE or A FEMALE, 103
YEARS OF Aort.—On Saturday morning, between twelve and
one o'clock, • a female named barah Cox, who had arrived at
the age of 103 years, expired in St. George's Hospital under
the following distressing eircumstr 'lces :—The deceased ie-
sided at Chapel place, lirompton, and was in possession of a
small indepenfferice - Her daughter, who is upwards of 60
years of age, and who lived Wittrher, had left home for the
purpose of obtaining her quarterly amount of income, when
the old woman, in reaching something from the mantelpiece;
fell over the guard in front of the fire and set herself in a
blaze, in winch state she was found by her landlady; but
before the flames could be extinguished her clothes were con-
sumed, and her person frightfully scorched. She was con-
veyed to St. George's Hospital, where death terminated her
sufferings.
COLLISION OFF DEPTFORD DOCKYARD.—Late on
Saturday night, as the Royal Adelaide steamship was proceeding on
her passage to Edinburgh, and when abreast of the dockyard, she ran
down the schooner Afin Guthrie, of Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire, taut
from Sligo, with a Mil cargo of pork, beef, and bacon, together with
a quantity of oats, for the London market. It was so dark at the
time (about eleven o'clock) that the schooner was not sceu until the
collision became inevitable. She was struck on the beam with such
force that she was cut to the water's edge in an instant. The cap-
tain and crew of the Royal Adelaide rendered every assistance to the
senooner, and while in a sinking state townd l.cr into shallow water
next the Isle of Dogs, where the master and crew were safely put on
shore. By the collision the Ann lost her foremast, her rigging was
cut to pieces, and ber bulwarks stove in. Late last night she was
still under water, nothing but her nutinmas and rigging being vi-
, slide. Every attempt to weigh her during the day was made, but
without success. A Trisiderable portion of her cargo has been da-
maged and rendered unsaleable.

Lr.rd Duncan had an interview with Sir Robert Peel on
Saturday.
Her Majesty will hold a Chapter of the most an-
cient and most noble Order of the Thistle to-morrow after-
noon, at St. James's Palace, when his Grace the Duke of
Montrose will be elected and invested with the insignia of
the Order, in the room of the late Earl Cathcart, deceased.—
Evening Paper.
Private, letters have been received from India,
which, we regret to say, contain the melancholy intelligence
that the Bishop of Calcutta, the Rev. Dr. Wilson, was
suffering from severe indisposition : his medical ad-
visers had recommended a sea voyage as the best means
of restoring his health. His Lordship intended re-
turning to England immediately ; but as he was at a dis-
tance of 800 miles up the country from Calcutta, it was al-
prehended that this great distance would be almost too much
for him to accomplish without very great fatigue. It is now
thirteen years since his Lordship quitted his native country.
THE ALLEGED MURDER AT SALT-HlLL.—There is
a rumour in town to-day that Mrs. Ashlee, the principal
witness in this case, is dead. We have not time to verify the
matter by making proper inquiry.
PIRATES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.—ObTEND,
MARCH s.—The Comete de Boninge, which arrived here
from Messina, 2d inst., was fired into by pirates, in three
lateen-rigged craft, in the Gutt, about fifteen miles off
Cape Santa Maria.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, March 10.
JEWISH DISABILITIES BILL.

Lord MOIV TEAGLE presented a petition in
favour of the Bill.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said, in moving the
second reading of the Bill referred to by the petition
just presented by his Noble Friend—as he did not
anticipate any effective opposition, to the measure—he
should confine himself to stating very shortly the
motives and intention of the Bill. The object was to
get rid of the disabilities, some anomalies, some
inconsistencies, and, he might be permitted to say,
some absurdities, which pressed upon persons pro-
fessing' the Jewish persuasion. In order that he
might be fully understood upon the subject, he should
begin by shortly calling their Lordships' attention to
the position in which persons entertaining the Jewish
religion stood with respect to offices held under the
Crown. There was no objection to these persons
being placed in the commission of the peace for a
county, and many of them at present held the im-
portant and responsible office of county magistrates.
There were recent instances of these appointments to
offices of this description. Sir Moses Montefiore,
who was at present a justice of peace for the Cinque
Ports, and also was a n;agistrate for Kent, had,
within a short period, had his name recommended by
the Lord-Lieutenant to be placed in the commission
of the peace for the county of Middlesex. Bat this
was not a solitary instance. Mr. Salomon, several
years ago, was placed in the commission of the peace
for the county of Sussex, and had since been placed
in the commission of the peace for the county of
Kent. Mr. Lizardi and Mr. Cowen, two other gen-
tlemen of the Jeviish persuasion, were also magis-
trates for the county of Sussex, and he had
never heard any complaint made of those
appointments, nor had he ever heard that any
of these gentlemen had rnisconducted themselves
in the discharge of their magisterial duties.
On the contrary, he believed that they had
conducted themselves with the greatest propriety.
Nor was it merely to the commission of the peace
they were confined, they held also the office of' Deputy-
Lieutenant in different counties. Mr. Salomoas was
a Deputy-Lieutenant ; so was also one of the Messrs.
Rothschilds—nay, more, they were so by Parlia-
mentary sanction and authority. They were eligible
to the office of High Sheriff. They were not only
eligible, but they were bound, when appointed, to
discharge the duties ; and if they refused to accept
the office, according to the charter of the city of Lon-
don, they .were subject to a heavy pecuniary
penalty. That was the position of persons belonging
to the Jewish persuasion with respect to many high
and pre-eminent offices in this country. They all
knew that the office of sheriff was a stepping-stone
and passport to the office of alderman of the city of
London. A person who conducted himself with pro-
priety in the office of sheriff, and discharged the
duties to the satisfaction of the citizens of London, so
as to earn their regard and esteem, thus would have
great influence and effect when the offite of alderman
became vacant, and that person appeared and offered
himself as a candidate. When a responsible and
burdensome office was imposed upon any man, which
led to others as the rewards of that labour and re-
sponsibility, and their Lordships compel him to fulfil
the preliminary office, and to discharge the burden-
:;ome duties, while they excluded him from the higher
and lucrative office, which is as its usual reward—
(Hear, hear)—nothing could be more unjust than
such a proceeding—nothing more impolitic .nd un-

'vise than to withhold rewards for the discharge of
duties in a laborious and responsible office. That
was not only unjust and impolitic, but the manner
in which it was effected was vexatious. A gentle-
man in the office of sheriff gained the esteem and ap-
probation of his fellow-citiz.:.ns, and was unaninicusly
elected Alderman. He went to the Mayor and Alder-
men to be admitted. He offered to take the oaths,
but the answer was, " there is, in addition to these, a
declaration prescribed by the 9th Geo. IV., which
you will have to take first." 'That declaration was, that
the person elected would not use the influence, power
or authority of his office to injure the Protestant re •
ligion or the Protestant Church of this country. All
this the person elected was willing to declare, but he
was told that he must subscribe the declaration in the
true faith of a Christian. That he could not consci-
entiously subscribe. If it were necessary to exclude
the Jews, let it be done by direct legislation. Here
was an individual, a county magistrate, a deputy -
lieutenant, capable of being elected and bound to
serve the office of the Sheriff of London, educated
in the City, brought up in commercial
pursuits, and intimately acquainted with the
trade and local interests of London. Would their
Lordships pass a Bill to exclude such a man from
the office of Alderman, and if not, they ought not to
do so by the circuitous means now adopted. Per-
haps their Lordships were not acquainted with the
nice distinctions upon this subject. These distinc-
tions were the subject of inquiry in the Court of
Queen's Bench, where a Noble Lord near him de-
cided that it was the duty of the Court of Alder-
men to admit him upon his taking the oaths, leaving
it to himself to sign the declaration when he thought
fit : but if he neglected to do so, he was protected by
the Act of Indemnity. That decision was reversed
by a writ of error, in the Court of Exchequer, which
ruled that the declaration should be taken at the time
of presenting himself, and that the Mayor, and Court
of Aldermen had the right to prescribe the order in
which the oaths and the declarations should be taken.
The result was, that the Court of Aldermen, who
had no-voice in the election, might, by prescribing
the declaration in the first instance, exclude the person
elected, and place an officer favoured by them, but
not elected by the citizens, thus giving the aldermen
control over the elections in which they had no con-
cern. That was not the case in other towns in Eng-
land. In Birmingham the oaths were taken first, and
if the declaration were not signed afterwards, the
neglect was protected by the Act of Indemnity.
Thus it was in Birmingham, Portsmouth, Southamp
ton, and other places. His object was to get rid of
these' anomalies, and to place the matter on a clear
and distinct footing. The mode which he proposed
was well known to their Lordships. It was when
the declaration was about to be'taken by a person of
a Jewish persuasion, that the words "in the true
faith of a Christian" should be omitted. They had
done this in the case of Quakers, Moravians, Inde-
pendents, and others, who had scruples of conscience
against that form. He might he told that the object
of the words was to exclude Jews, but he had a case
in favour of tYs view, in times less liberal than the
present, when people saw dangers that were not now
apprehended, and were disposed to be more chime-
rical. In the 10tE year of George 1., the same words
were omitted in favour of the Jews from the declara-
tion prescribed by the Abjuration Act. In the Act,
the 14th of George 11., the same exception in favour
of the Jews was made. He thought it right to rest
his case on these limit( d grounds, lest the particular
hardship might be lest sight of, if he went into a
wider discussion of principles. He would not go
into details of what was dome in other countries—in
France, in Belgium, in the United States of America,
and, above all, in Holland—(Hear, hear)—where,
without any distinction, for a great number of years,
Jews had been admitted into the highest offices with-
out any inconvenience, and to the satisfaction of all
enlightened minds. In the Austrian Status a great
improvement was proceeding ; but Prussia was taking
the lead of liberality to the Jews. Jews were ad-
mitted to the schools and universities, and several of
them attained the highest distinctions in the learned
professions. (The Noble Lord then read a document
to the effect that the Jews in the Prussian universities
and the learned professions in Prussia, distinguished
for learning and genius, were considerably more than
in the proportion of their numbers to the other race.)
There was nothing that he more regretted than the
degradation Of this class ; and their Lordships had
always expressed a sympathy for the disabilities to
which they were exposed. And under these circum-
stances he did hope that their Lordships would pass
the Bill which he now submitted to their attention.—
(Hear, hear.) He thought it unnecessary to enter
on any lengthened review of the Acts which related
to the hardships and disabilities to which members of
the Jewish persuasion were exposed ; and he thought
that the time was come when all the obsolete Acts
by which these disabilties were imposed should be swept
from the statute book. He need only refer to one of
those similar Acts which had been imposed in former
times—he meant that of Edward I.—by which members
of the Jewish persuasion were not only confined to par-
ticular towns, but to • particular districts of those tow ns,
called " Jewries," and by which they were obliged to
affix certain badges to their outer garments, which ex-
pressed their religious opinions and callings. This, he
thought, was a sufficient review to justify the House in
sweeting those acts from the statute book.
The Bishop of LONDON said that he bad but one
, observation to make at; this Bill. He should not now
oppose it, for he knew that would only bring on a use-
less discussion ; but he would beg their Lordships to
observe that by this silent acquiescence in the second
reading he by no means precluded himself from opposing
it in a future state. He would not pledge himself to
any particular line of conduct with regard to the Bill.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that he was
not. at all surprised at the declaration just made by the
Right Rev. Prelate, but he nevertheless rejoiced at the
introduction of this Bill, and he trusted that the time
was not far distant when all disabilities would be re-
moved from the members of the Jewish persuasion. He
could not help congratulating. the Noble and Learned
Lord on the Woolsack on the perfect consistency of his
conduct on this occasion. He (the Marquis of Lana-
; downe) recollected that five years ago the Noble and
Learned Lord had presented a petition from Mr. Salo-
mons, for the very privilege which this Bill was about to
confer, and he would therefore congratulate the House
' on the progress of liberal opinions, and hoped they
would find encouragement in the wise course they had
now adopted. His firm impression was, that the time
was not far distant when a full consideration of this sub-
ject would be called for, and when that House would be
compelled to do justice to a class of men than whom
none were more respectable • and that without in the
least inconveniencing the public interests of the country.
What could be more injurieus to the public interests,
what more unjust to the individuals themselves, than
that while respectable men of the Jewish persuasion
should be admitted to the magistracy in counties, they
should be excluded in corporations? Wbat more ridi-
culous than that they were fit for the office of Sheriff
and Justice of the Peace, and yet be incompetent to fill
the office of Alderman of the city of London? He cor-
dially supported the Bill brought in by the Noble and
Learned Lord upon the Woolsack.
Lord BROUGHAM said he entirely concurred in
the Opinions that had fallen from the Noble Lord who
had just spoken, and he hoped that the measure brought
in by his Noble and Learned Friend upon the Wool
seek would be passed without one voice being raised
against it. While he thought that no long time would
elapse ere further concessions were made to the Jews,
he yet thought that the limited Bill of his Noble and
Learned Friend was more politic and more expedient than
a more extended treasure would be at that time. It was
certainly a most ridiculous anomaly that members of the
Jewish persuasion should be empowered to act as
ministers of justice in counties, and be denied the same
privileges—he would not call them privileges, he would
say rights—in corporations. It would be most ungrate
ful in him--it would be most unjust to his fellow la-
bourers in the city e f London—if ho did not take the
opportunity of recording the' great, 'the charitable, the
generous, the magnificent aid rendered by thb gentlemen
of the Jewish persuasion to all sects and all classes, their
enlightened industry in promoting wise and useful ob-
jects, without regard to creed or sect, and the readiness
with which they aided, with purse and hand, any scheme
which was calculated to advance the interests of their
fellow-subjects.
Lord CAMPBELL adverted to the Bill brought in in
1810, to remove• the disabilities that pressed upon the
Jews. That Bill was rejected by a large majority in
that Muse. When he had the honour, in 1831, of being
Attorney-General he, in the case of Mr. Salomons, re-
ferred to by the Noble Lord, brought in a Bill to re-
move those disabilities, but only in the single instance of
sheriff; and that Bill was founded upon the analogy that
existed between the duties of sheriffs in counties and
sheriffs in corporations, and that as the former were not
required to make the declaration, so ought not the latter.
He was exceedingly glad that a change had been made,
and he hoped that in the next session of Parliament the
Noble and Learned Lord on the Woolm k would come
down to -the House with a Bill which would enable a
person of the Jewish persuasion not only to sit in the
Court of Aldermen of the City of London, but to a seat
in the Legislature of the country.
The Bishop of LONDON would offer no opposition to
the Bill because he did not wish to promote discussion,
but he begged it to be understood that the Bill was not
to be taken as an instalment of future concessions.
Lord COLCHESTER said the speech of the Noble
and Learned Lord opposite (Lord Campbell) had almost
persuaded him to oppose the measure, but it nevertheless
was not his intention to do so. But in assenting to the
Bill it must be understood that he did not for a moment
think it right and proper that persons of the Jewish per-
suasion should ever hold a seat in Parliament.
Lord REDESDALE said it had been stated that
there was a similarity between this measure and a
Bill introduced in 1841; but this was strictly not the
case. There might be a similarity in the two preambles,
but in any other respect there certainly was none.
After a few words of explanation from Lord CAMP-
BELL, which did not reach the gallery,
The LORD CHANCELLOR said the Bill of 1841
related to municipal corporations, and no doubt this
had induced h;s Noble and Learned Friend to assume
that there was a similarity between the two. The Noble
and Learned Lord bad certainly opposed the measure in
a circuitous mode, and it appeared to him, from what
had fallen from a Noble Lord on the Ministerial side of
the House that this circuitous opposition had nearly
proved successful.—(Laughter.)