Star.
London, England, 1830-05-18 00:00:00

for ore mark of • Christian legislature they had not.—they had not
a boroughmongering system--they had not one lord with ten re.
tablets, who, after sitting with the eok fiewobs, went over just at the
crit ideal moment to the cote droile,carrying his ten retainers with him.
That was not the case inFrance ; and yet he imagined, notwith-
standing its disadvantage in this respect, it might be said to
have a Christian Legislature. But both there and in the Nether.
lands Jews were appointed Judges, Magistrates, and Legislators,
and performed their duties in the most efficient and most ho.
nourable manner • and at the moment at which he was speaking,
one of the Secretaries of the Sorbonne was a converted Jew.
Conversion was prevented in this country by our system of
laws. Affect to scorn a man for his opinions, or to deprive
him of civil power on their account, and he became wedded to
them more firmly thaw ever. Such had been the ease with the
Catholics, and such would be the case with the Jews, and with all
other people in similar circumstances (hear, hear.) They had
' been told that the same reasons did not hold for admitting the Jews
as for admitting the Catholics. It was true, for there were more
reasons against the admission of the Catholics than against that of
the Jews. It was because the Catholics were so numerous that
they ought not to have been admitted, for if their belief was
dangerous to the State, their numbers only rendered it doubly
dangerous. That was not the case with the Jews, whose num.
hers were insufficient to create the least degree of alarm. Then
it was said that the Catholics were a proselytising race; that
made them more dangerous still, though, perhaps, they could
gain but few proselytes, for they could offer but few pecuniary ad.
vantages; and, as an hon. member had said the other night, if the
road to heaven was not paved with gold, nobody would have taken
the trouble to discover it—(Laughter.) He should support the bill
on the universal principle of toleration, if that was not an improper
word to be used on such an occasion, perhaps lie ought to have said
right. That right was not to be infringed, either by an inquisition
which inflicted torture, as in Spain, or by laws which, as in England,
imposed privation. Alan had a right to inflict neither the one nor
the other. Christianity had spread itself—not by the force of tem.
Foul power—not by the efforts of chriatians--nor by the labour
of Christian legislatures—but by virtue of its own truth, and its
1 mild and benevolent influence on the human heart. It had expanded
itself, not only without the assistance of temporal power, but against
the most formidable opposition; and where was the Christian that
would tell hint that the arm of Got) is short, and needed the aid of
1 any of his creatures ? lie recognised them not—they belonged not
to his communion, since their doctrines would deprive him of the
consolation of his existence—the hope of eternity. Christianity bade
him do as he would be done by, and he only fulfilled that duty when
he gave this bill his most hearty support.—(Continued cheers.)
Mr. TRANT was not surprised at the speech just heard from the
hon. gent. (if he would allow him to call him so,) but nothing could
more strongly convince him of the unfitness of adopting this bill
than the fist that a Petition had been presented in its favour from
Mr. Robert Owen. Let the hun. member (Mr. R. Grant) gloss the',
matter over as he pleased, his measure did neither more nor less than
destroy the principle which our ancestors for centuries had establish.
ed, that the Legislature of England was essentially Christian.—
After controverting the position that Judaism was nothing but an'
elder Christianity, the honourable member cited the authority of
31r. Justice Blackstone to show that Christianity was part of
the law of the. land, and contended that the vast majority of the
people out of doors were decidedly adverse to the admission of Jews;
they never could be brought to contemplate the possibility or ad-
mitting Jews into die legislature, that they might pass laws fur the
regulation of a Christian community. He then adverted to the
absence of petitions against the bill, and observed that such had
been the case in 1753, because the people relied upon the
House of Commons that it would nut adopt a measure so
inconsistent and preposterous. However fallen the legis-
lature might now be in the opinion of the people, by pass-
ing the Roman Catholic Relief kill, it had not yet sunk
quite so low as to render the belief possible that it could approve
the measure upon the table. Who were they that clainkd admis.l
sion into a Christian legislature ? Were they not the descendants
of those who had crucified the Savroun, and whose blood was
to be upon them and their children (laughter) ? They were the
bitter enemies of Christianity—they had once trampled the
cross under foot, and they might live to do it again (groans).
Aye, honourable members might groan, but when they re.
turned to their constituents they would discover that the sen.
timents he had uttered were not confined merely to such ig.
norant and stupid people as himself. Then as to the details of the
plan. What Jew could sit and transact business in the House on
Friday night, for their Sabbath began in the evening of that day ?
It might happen also, that a Jew, under the new system, would be
advanced to the bench of justice ; and how could he try such a man
as Catlile for blasphemy and irreligion ? In fact, the Jews, while
they remained Jews, ought to be, and must be, contented to remain
lin a state of endured protection ; exempt from persecution, which'
was one thing, and incapable of admission to political privi.
legea, which was another. He should, therefore, support the
amedment.