Star.
London, England, 1820-07-12 00:00:00

EDUCATION BILL.

Mr. BROUGHAM brought up the Education
Bill, which was read a first time. On moving that
it be read a second time, Mr. 13rougham said that
he wished to have the blanks filled up before the'
discussion was taken on the principle of the Bill.—
He wished now to rectify some mistakes which had
got abroad, as to the objects of his Bill, among two
highly respectable bodies, the Roman Catholics and
the Protestant Dissenters. In consequence of the
connection in the Bill between the Schools and the
Ecclesiastical Establishment, some members of these
bodies had so far taken alarm, that he had been ap-
plied to by their Agents, and even Counsel of the Ca-
tholics, to know whether he intended to force Roman
Catholics to send their children to Protestant schools;
,and by Dissenters, to know whether he intended «to
root out the last remains of religious liberty ?" For
the mistake of the Roman Catholics there was no
foundation. As to religious liberty he begged to
say, that he had always 'hewn his opinions on that
subject by his votes on the Catholic and Test ques-
tions, that he was an enemy to all tests not abso-
lutely necessary for the safety of the establishment •
and, especially, *as the last man to advocate the
maintenance of the tests as they now were. He had
in the Bill, as it was now framed, omitted the sacra-
mental test for schoolmasters, which even some
members of the establishment objected to. The Hon.
Member declared, that nothing could be farther from
his intention than to infringe the rights or offend the
feelings of that respectable, and by him, infinitely
respected body, the Dissenters of England, who
were long known to be among the most ardent
friends of civil and religious liberty, while their
Moral habits, and loyal disposition towards-the Con-
,stitution of the country, entitled any with they en-
tertained to 'the most attentive consideration. He
hoped that those estimable persons would feel satis-
fied with the alteration which he had made in the
Bill before the House.
Mr. WM. SMITH concurred with his Honourable
Friend who had just sat down, in the surprise which
he had expressed upon the apprehension which some
Catholics professed to entertain, that it was. mallet
through this Bill to erect .schools to which Catholic
parents should be obliged to send their children to,
learn Protestantism. But be must say, that a great
alarm prevailed among the Dissenters in conse-!
quence of the construction of his Honourable Friend's ,
Bill. He did not -mean that they thought this Bill,
was calculated, as his Honourable Friend had ex-
pressed it, to extinguish the last spark oT religions
liberty that remained in this country. No ; their
apprehensions did not go to such an extent. But-as
he was about, in a few days, to present a Petition
r from agreat body of Dissenters, praying for the total
repeal of the Test Act, he must naturally object to
the proposition of the Honourable Gentleman's Bill
to extend the -test still farther. The fact was, that
the Dissenters were much alarmed by that part of
this measure which proposed that the Sacrament
should be administered to every schoolmaster ap-
pointed under the Act. According to his conviction,
which was sustained by the opinion of every friend
to religious liberty with whom he had conversed or
communicated upon the :abject, this Bill should not
be allowed to pass in its present shape, or without
undergoing a very material modification. Without
such inodihcation, indeed, neither he himself, nor the
great body of the. Dissenters of England, could ever
be reconciled to its adoption.—The Bill was read a
first, and ordered to be read a second time-to-morrow.

-NEW BARRACKS IN TIM REGENT'S PARK.
Mr. CALCRAFT said, that he felt it his duty to
call the attention of the House to a matter which
very much affected its functions. It appeared, from
what the Chancellor of the Exchequer said last night,
that he did not know the Barracks in the Regent's
Park, to which his proposition referred, were ac-
tually building; but he (Mr. Calcraft) was enabled to
state that the building of these commenced some two
or three weeks ago ac least, as the stable walls were
already nearly completed. Now as that House was
constitutionally understood to hold the purse-suing
of the public money, it was necessary to inquire by
whose authority the expenditure of that money had
been entered into without its sanction? This, indeed,
was a point much more material to be considered
than even the sum of L 70,000 which it was said the
erection of these Barracks would cost the country
for it appeared that some person had undertaken to;
upend the public money, not only without the
sanction of Parliament, but even without the sanc..l
tion of the Board of Treasury=-(Hcar, hear, hear).—
It would be recollected that the Finance Committee
had remarked upon the expenditure of no less than
eight millions of=the public money at different times,
without due reference to the authority of Parliament,
and that such a practice was deprecated as quite un-
constitutional, K hope being expressed that care Would