The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-04 00:00:00

fore prevailed had been guarded against by that Act. If
the carpenters, bricklayers, masons, and all the Protestants
of the parish were to league together according to the worst
apprehension of his Right Hon. Friend, to assess the parish
for the building or repairing of a church, or for purchasing
an organ, it was in the power of any one, Catholic or Pro-
testant, to appeal, not to an ecclesiastical, but to a lay tri-
bunal. If such conspiracies of bricklayers and carpenters
existed in the last century, the resolutions had nothing to
do with that. It was allowed on all hands that the Pro-
testant churches must be kept up, and that it was no rea-
son for allowing them to fall into decay that there were few
Protestants among the parishioners. The effect of the pre-
sent resolutions would be to prevent the Catholics from
paying those rates which were due under the existing law.
If the Right Hon. Gentleman would bring his motion in
the form of a Bill, with certain modifications which he
would propose, he was prepared to give it his most earnest
attention.

Mr. SPRING RICE had very anxious hopes that if the
resolutions of his Right Hon. Friend were rejected, others
of a more specific nature, to which the Right Hon. Gentle-
men opposite had pledged their specific support, would im-
mediately be introduced.

Mr. PEEL hoped that this question would be discussed
upon its own intrinsic merits, and without reference to the
diversity of opinion which prevailed between them upon
what was called the Catholic Question.—(Hear, hear.)---
He then defended his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Goulburn)
from the sarcasm which had been thrown upon him for
his bill of last year, that had, in point of fact, materially
benefitted that part of the Catholic population to which it
applied. The attack upon the vestry Bill was, therefore,
uncalled for ; and the assistance which his Right Hon.
Friend bad given in the tithe composition Bill ought not
to be forgotten in the sister kingdom. With reference to
the present question, the course of proceeding by resolu-
tions was extremely objectionable, for it precluded that dis-
cussion either of principle or details, which was practica-
ble in the introduction or proceeding of a specific Bill—
(Hear. )—He could not concur in the broad proposition
sketched by the Right Hon. Baronet, namely, that the
Roman Catholic peasant ought not to be burdened with
any share of the expence for repairs of Protestant churches.
If that principle were good for Ireland, why not equally
so for England ? Then see the length to which it was ca-
pable of being carried. If one class of Dissenters were to
be so far relieved, what reason could be assigned for not re-
leasing all other classes who were not within the pale of
the Established Church? Such a proposition would require
very serious consideration ; for the inevitable consequence
would be, that all who were indifferent to the reformed
system of worship would declare themselves Dissenters, for
the purpose of escaping this tax.—(Hear, hear. )—Un-
doubtedly, he was prepared to admit, that if one class of
Dissenters more than another deserved to be looked upon in
a more favourable light than others, it was the Roman Ca- i
tholic occupiers of land in Ireland, for they had to provide
their own churches, as well as to assist in making the same
provision for the other church by law. But while he enter-
tained these feelings towards the Roman Catholic occupier
of land, he felt them not for his landlord, and more particu-
larly for his Protestant landlord, and still more so, where
he happened to be an absentee. Of all men, for him he had
no consideration.—(Cheers. )—He would not, indeed, com-
pel him to reside in Ireland, but he would not exempt him,
if lie could, by a bounty on his absence, and for the pur-
pose of casting the price of that bounty upon others.—
(Cheers.)—With reference to:the Right Hon. Baronet's se-
cond proposition, for the insertion of a future clause into
leases, to save the Roman Catholic tenant, and throw the
weight upon his landlord, he was rather favourable to the
consideration of such a regulation, if he could see his way
through the prevention of any abuse of its provisions.—
(Hear, hear.)—He did feel for the poor tenant who had
taken his lease without any expectation that a church would
be built near his land, and who had afterwards to meet the
expence of such a building. With these impressions, and
with the utmost desire to go hand in hand with the Right
Hon. Baronet in giving a full and calm consideration to
such parts of his plan as he had alluded to, if brought for-
ward in the form of a specific bill, he hoped he would with-
draw his present resolutions, otherwise he should meet them
by the previous question, which would not prejudge the future
consideration of the condition of the Irish.tenantry, or decide
against hearing their complaints. Asto the extension of:the plan
to Ireland, which had been acted upon in this country in
the mode of building new churches, by making certain pub-
lic advances for that purpose, he was not prepared to say
how far that could be realised. At- all events, he was 114
averse to the consideration of this branch of the subject if
introduced in a different form.

Mr. HENRY GRATTAN complained in strong terms
of the heavy tax!thm:inflicted_apon lreland by the present

Above 1,620,0001. had been thus taken from the people
since the year 1820.
Sir J. NEWPORT, in reply, should withdraw the re-
solution, and simply move for leave to bring in a Bill for
amending the laws relative to the rebuilding and repairing
of churches in Ireland, and for relieving occupying tenants
from church rates on certain occasions.

After a few words from Mr. G. DAwsox,
Sir J. NEWPORT merely withdrew the resolution on
condition that leave should be given him to bring in this
Bill. If this motion were opposed, he should refer it to
the sense of the House.

Mr. PEEL hoped the Non. Baronet would not, from
any observations of his, suppose that auy one was pledged
to support the Bill. He Loped the Hon. Baronet would,
at all events, defer the second reading of the Bill till after
the holidays.
After a few words from Mr. BnowwLow and Sir J.
NZWPOLT, leave was given to bring in the Bill.
Mr. H. DRUMMOND obtained leave to bring in a Bill
for regulating the prosecutions of fraudulent bankruptcies
in Scotland.

Mr. S. RICE (on behalf of Sir J. Newport) postponed
the motion relative to the Irish Estimates until Thursday.

PRISONS.