The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-28 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--(LAST NIGHT.)

The SPEAR- Ell took the chair at ten minutes before Four
o'clock.

Sir GEORGE HILL brought in a Bill for the regula-
tionof the Police of Londonderry.—Read a first time.
Mr. BYNG brought in a Bill for building a bridge
across the River Thames, at Staines, and for making
proper approaching streets.
Sir J. NICHOLL presented a petition from the Mayor
and Burgesses of Marlborough against the Catholic Claims.
The Marquis of CHANDOS presented similar petitions
from the protestant Dissenters of Bethel Chapel, Hertford ;
from West Wickham, pucks; from Bockhorn, Lancashire ;
from Bradbury, Towcester, and other places in Lanca-
shire, against concession to the Catholics. Similar peti-
tions were presented from Annaduff, and another place in
the county Leitrim.
Major-Gen. KING presented a petition from two parishes
in the county of Sligo, praying that no political power
might be granted to the Roman Catholics.
Mr. DOHERTY presented four petitions from places in
Ireland, in favour of Catholic Emancipation.

Mr. PRITTIE presented petitions from the Roman
C ttholics of Roscommon, and other places, in favour of
Emancipation.
Mr. BELL presented two petitions from places in
Cumberland, against the Catholic Claims.
Lord HILL presented a petition from Louth, in favour
of Catholic Emancipation.
Mr. FITZGIBBON presented a petition from a parish
in the count• of Limerick, in favour of concessions to the
Catholics.

Mr. DUGDALE presented nine petitions from places in
the county of Warwick against any further concessions to
the Roman Catholics ; be entirely agreed with the prayer of
tile petitioners, and trusted that the constitution of the
country would not be changed.
Mr. LYTTLETON presented a petition from Harling-
ston, in the county of Suffolk, against the Catholic Claims.
Mr. MUNDAY presented three petitions from places in
the county of Derby against the Catholic Claims. The
Hon. Member said ever since he had had a seat in that
House be had veted in unison with the prayer of the peti-
tioners, and nothing that had taken place bad in the least
changed his opinion ; he should when the measure was
brought forward vote as he always had done.
Colonel LYGON presented a petition against the Catho-
lic Claims from some place the name of which we could
not catch.

Mr. BRANSBY COOPER presented a petition from
the inhabitants of Gloucester against any further conces-
sions to the Roman Catholics, and en Tuesday next he
should have to present another, as he understood, very
numerously and respectably signed. The lion. Member
said he was afraid to contemplate the consequences that
would ensue if Catholics were admitted into Parliament.
On the motion that tho petition be printed,

Mr. HUME said he thought no Member had expressed
himself so strongly against the proposed measure as the
Hon. Member for Gloucester; he had a right certainly so
to do, but he (Mr. Ilume) was informed that the Hon.
Member's speech had been printed and very industriously
circulated in Gloucester and its vicinity, and was posted
up in all the public rooms. He (Mr. II.) said when pa-
titions of this nature were presented to the House, it
ought to be stated whether any measures had been
resorted to, to inflame the public mind. Let the peti-
tions that were presented be spontaneous, and they would
be respected by the House. He was informed that the
petition which tile Honourable Member would present on
Tuesday would have the signatures of people never before
heard of in that part of the neighbourhood—(hear)—it
had been agreed to several days since, and separate sheets
of paper were sent in all directions to obtain signatures,
which were to be attached to the Gloucester petition._
He should oppose the petition being received on Tuesday
next, except as the petition of the undersigned.

Mr. BRANSBY COOPER was not aware of any in-
flammatory harangues to which the Hon. Member had ;,1-
luded, and with respect to the printing of his spcuh,it rits
published by an individual without his
Hon. Member then presented a simil4r
on from Swat.-
fam, in the county of Gloucester., %"wiedpn. The

Mr. PRITTIE presented
'petitions from the following
anti Bo"Tha, parishes of Clonoulty and Rossmore,
places :—Town and ly!"cish of Tipperary, parishes of Con-
taily
Par6l)°,S of Kilmor and Ballinelogh, parish of Lockers,
parishes of Killodorman, Knigh, and Monnan—all in fa-
vour of Catholic Emancipation.
Sir WILLIAM GUISE presented a petition from Clif-
ton, in the county of Gloucester, praying that no further
concession might be granted to the Roman Catholics. The
Hon. Baronet expressed his entire concurrence in the
prayer of the petition.
Mr. OTWAY CAVE stated, with reference to the man-
ner in which the petition bad been got up, that he under-
stood it had been signed by a great proportion of the charity
children, of the place, many of them under seven years of
age, Several of these children subscribed different names ;
one boy, he was told, had written no fewer than eight. It
was also signed by parish paupers. Kt had received his
information on this subject from a most respectable gentle-
man, well known to, the Hon. Baronet, who was ready
to prove the fa,et, if necessary.
Vl,-,,,,petition was then brought up, read, and ordered to
be printed.
Mr. C. PALMIER presented a petition from Kingston-
upon-Thames, praying that no further concessions be
granted to the Roman Catholics, In his own opinion, the
question to be considered was, whether or not Parliament
should alter th.. Constitution against the sense of a decided
majority of the people.
On the motion for bringing up the petition,

Mr. TENNYSON wished to as the Hon. Gentleman
whether he was aware that, as he (Mr. Tennyson) had
been credibly informed, that petition had been signed by
several of those juvenkle statesmen alluded to last night, who
appeared in, the present day in a charaCter which scarcely
kvio.uged to them. He also understood that the ketition
had been signed by several of the fair sex. If th►s were
the case, and more especially if the petition had been
signed by children, wide as he wished the doors of that
[louse to be throws open to the petitions of the people, he
could not consent to a practice which would, indeed, show
that the schoolmaster was abroad with a vengeance: (Hear.)
Air. C. PALLSIER, with reference to what the Hen.
Gentleman had said about the schoolmaster's being abroad,
&c., begged leave to say, that since- the Hon. Gentleman
had mentioned the subject to him; he had looked into the

. ,
petition, and found several names of females; but then
they were female householdett. Aw. he *really could see '
no reason why a female of that description, feeling a stroag
interest in the preservation of the religion of her country,
was not to be considered as entitled to express her opinion.
—(Hear, hear.)--lf, however, every female name wore
withdrawn front the petition, the proportion of signatures
to the signatures of the Hon. Gentleman's petition was
still four to one. It was not possible for him to discover
whether there were any signatures of charity children to
his petition. But if there were. he must in justice ob-
serve, that Kingst-n was indebted for all its charitable in-
stitutions to Queen Elizabeth; and that if the children
who were brought up upon the bounty of that great pro-
tectress of the reformed religion held her memory in ve-
neration, there was some excuse to be made for them.—
(A laugh.)

Lord TULLAMORE said, that it was time that the
tocsin of alarm should be sounded throughout the country,
when the House heard one of his Majesty's Ministers, zs
they had heard him last night, intimate that the lower or-
ders ought not to petition Parliament, and that only men
of genius and talent ought to exercise that privilege. He
had listened with indignation and disgust to the charges
which had been poured out against himself, and against
other Hon. Members who had taken the same part as he
had taken on this question. Their conduct had been-even
termed base, factious, and infamous.—(Hear, hear, hear.)
He trusted, however, that no language of that kind would
deter the people of England from freely expressing their
sentiments on the subject. He was far from recommend.
fug violence in action, but he strongly recommended energy
in the declaration of opinion, The power of the people
consisted, under such circumstances, not in striking, but
iu keeping in awe. As Manlius said to the Roman people,
" Ostendite modo bellum ; pacem habebitis."
Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN would not enter upon
the question whether females, who were 'householders,
ought or ought not to be permitted to sign these petitions ;
but it was impossible to walk the streets, or look into
places in which those petitions were deposited, without
seeing that they were signed by a great many old women
of both sexes.—(A laugh.)—lf public opinion were to be
collected, it should be where men could show themselves,
and where objections could be publicly s:ated, and expla-
nations given.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose, not '
to prolong the conversation, but to answer the statement '
made by a Noble Lord, that he had last night asserted
that no value could be placed upon petitions from the lower
orders. He had never said any thing of the kind. -He
was answering those who were of opinion that the number •
of the signatures to a petition 'greatly enhanced its value.
That he had denied ; but he had never for a moment as-
serted that the people at large were not fully entitled to ex-
press their sentiments to Parliament.

General GASCOYNE said, that a petition had been
brought to him that morning, against further concession to •
the Catholics, by the Churchwardens of a parish which he
believed was in the Ward of the Hon. Alderman who had
lately spoken. The individual who brought it toll him
that it had lain for signatures for a day at the Vestry and
that towards the evening, a number of the pet-sons by
whom it had been signed continuing to linger about the -
Vestry, they had been requested to depart, when they ob-
served that they had been allowed a put of beer each for
signing the counter petition, and requested a similar grati.
fication.---(A laugh.)

Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN said, that if any petition
had been secretly prepared iu his Ward, it was t-iitirelv un-
known to him.

Mr. MILDMAY, to slim the baseness of the means re-
sorted to by the enemies of the Catholic Claims, said that
a placard had been distributed about the city which he had
the honour to represent, calling upon the people to sup- •
port their Protestant King, and, by rallying round the
Throne, to assist him in withstamding the efforts made to-
induce him to surrender tlva Protestant Constitution ; thus
attributing to the first Personage in the Realm the base-
ness of being ready to turn round and undermine the Mini-
sters in which he affected to confide. What could be more
infamous than such a mode of endeavouring to get up peti-
tions to Parliament ? He did not believe, however, that
notwithstanding these efforts, any petition in conformity •
with such sentiments would come up from Winchester.
Sir C. COLE observed, that to his great comfort there
was no petition preparing against Catholic Emancip•,tion
in the county which he had the honour to represe•.it. The
people there were disposed to wait tranquilly urAil they saw
what the measure was which his Majek% Ministers in-
tended to propose. Some emissaries of 'alitchief had, how-
ever, come across the Severn ; and dae morning after their
arrival at that place, the walls were placarded with the
'most violent denunciations against the Government, and
the most earnest recommendations of the people to come
forward and sign a petition to Parliament, praying that no
further concession might be granted to the Catholics. The
whole of Wales was now tolerably quiet; but if these emis-
saries got among the people, it was impossible to say what
mischief they might stir up. Nothing could be more dis-
' graceful than such conduct.

Mr. STUART WORTLEY would adduce two in-
stances to show that public opinion was favourable to the
emancipation of the Catholics—the one the result of- a re-
cent election in the North of England ; the other the can-
sluct of the City of London—conduct which did it the
highest credit, and opened an example which he trusted
would ho generally followed.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. O'NEILL having stated what he conceived. 'were
the precise expressions of the, Chancellor of the Exchequer
last night, and an Hon. Gentleman, whose name we were
unable to learn, beginning to allude to the discussion which
called forth those expressions.—
The SPEAKER interfered, He was !me Hon. Gentle.
men and the House would pardon him. It was impossible
in the course of any discussion to prevent occasional refer-
ence to former debates ; but when a discussion turned en-
tirely on a reference to former debates, it was evidently
disorderly.

The petition was then brought up, read, and ordered to
he printed.

CATHOLIC RELIEF BILL.
Lord J. RUSSELL would take the present opportu-
nity to ask a question of some importance of the Right
lion. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The
Right Hon. Gentleman was aware that there was an order
of the Holise for a call on Thursday next. The Noble
Lord who moved for that call, had stated that he would
not press it, until the day Ministers should bring forwola
the measure they have in contemplation with respect 'to the
Raman Catholics. Before the House adjourned to-night,
it would be convenient to lnew whether that call was likely
to take effect on Thursday next, or whi'Cher it would be
deferred to a later period. He "shed therefore to ask
whether it was proposed, on Tkursday next, or if not then,
on what day, to explain tr., the House the measure Minis-
:Os. have in QonteLp7;iation with respect to the Roman Ca-
tholics

The t'HANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated in
17!'",,iy, that it was the intention of some one Member of
his Majesty's Government, on behalf of that Government,
to make on Thursday next an explanation to the House of
the nature of the measure which his Majesty's Government
had in contemplation, with respect to the removal of th,a
disabilities affecting the Roman Catholics.
Lord MILTON presented a petition from Sheffield, in
favour of Catholic 'emancipation. He said, that the tneet-
ing at which the petition was resolved on had been regu-
larly convened by the authorities of the place. It was at-
tended by between 6,000 and 8,000 persons, and the peti.
tion was signed by upwards of 7,000. This was a proof,
that when the question was fairly stated to great bodies of
the people, they did not feel that indisposition to it which
was generally supposed.

Mr. MARSHALL said, that the feeling in favour of the
Catholics was not confined to Sheffield. He had had the
honour to preside over a meeting held at Leeds, at which
I(•',,000 persons were present, and on that occasion a peti-
tion, praying for the removal of all civil disabilities im-
posed on account of religious belief, was carried by a, de-
cided majority, notwithstanding the efforts of the Leeds
Brunswick Clubs.

Mr. S. WORTLEY believed that in Sheffield and other
large towns in the north, opinions were nicely balanced
with regard to emancipation, but throughout the country
the numerical majority and popular clamour were certainly-
opposed to it.

Lord MILTON presented another petition of a similar
nature from certain Dissenters in York.
Mr. G. SMITH presented two petitions of the same
description from parishes in Cork.
Mr. TRANT presented thro petitions from Ireland
against emancipation.
Colonel TRENCH presented a petition from the parish
of Chevely, in Cambridgeshire. Theipetitioners, after
expressing their opinion of the dangers that would ensue
from the granting of concessions, declared that they had
full confidence in the wisdom of Parliament.. _
Mr. A. ELLIS presented three petitions from different
parts of Kilkenny, one in favour of the Catholic claims,
and the other two against the vestry act.
Lord J. RUSSELL presented a petition from the mer.
chants, hankeri, tradesmen, and other inhabitants of the
city of Gloucester, and another from certain Unitarians in
Bristol, praying for the emancipation of the Catholics.
Mr. TREVOR presented three petitions, of an opposite
nature froin different places in the county of Carmarthen.
Mr. CROMPTON presented a petition frou► Unitarians
in Derby, in favour of emancipation.
Mr. DENISON Fesented,a petition from Kingston-on-