Star.
London, England, 1828-04-18 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, APRIL 17.

Sir E. °wax, and others from the Horse of Commons, Weight
up a Private BiLi, which was read a first time.
The Earl of DUDLEY laid on the table Returns from his Ma.
jest's Consuls abroad, respecting the Price of Grain in Foreign
Countries.

The Fire Insurance Stamp Duty's Bill went through a Committee.
The Earl of ELDON presented a Petition from the Scotch
Presbyterian Church in Londou in union with the Church of Scot-
land. The Petitioners prayed their Lordships, that whenever they
should think proper to pan a Bill to repeal the Sacramental Test, it
would never be snob a Bill as the one now presented to the House.
The Earl of ROSSLYN objected to the Petition being received,
as that of the whole congregation, as the name of only one
dual, the Minister, was attached to it.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE remarked, that Petitions had
often been presented from different congregations in Scotland, and
received as the Petitions of the whole congregations, though signed
only by the Moderator or the Clergyman at the bead of the Pres-
bytety ; but until that day be never heard that there existed in this
country a legal institution of the Presbytery, or that the Moderator
of the Presbytery in London, ha communion with the Church cat
Scotland, was a legal designation under w►ich any petition could
be received by their Lordships. The Noble and Learned Lord
(Eldon) would extremely illuminate him and the Right Rev. Bench,
by showing that there existed in this country a legal description of
men who could act through their Moderator.
The Earl of ELDON always understood that the Presbyterian
Church in England formed part of the Church of Scotland, and
he apiirebended that all the petitions presented from Presbyterians
in England had been presented in the name of the Moderators of
the respective congregations. With respect to the present Petition,
he would take care that its contents should be fully understood by
their Lordships before the general question should be decided. As
to illuminating the Right Reverend Bench respecting the Bill
which was now in their Lordships House, be would leave that for
the Noble Earl himself to do.

The Bishop of LICHFIELD presented a Petition from Derby,
against the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts.
• The Bishop of GLOUCESTER presented a Petition from the
city of Gloucester, against the unqualified repeal of the Test and
Corporation Acts.
The Bishop of CHESTER presented a Petition from a Clergy-
man, against the Bill to repeal the Test and Corporation Acts, on
the ground that the effect of that Bill would be to admit the Ro-
man Catholics to power.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE presented a Petition against the
repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, from the Reverend Sir
Harcourt Lees.

Earl GREY presented a Petition in favour of the Repeal of the
Test and Corporation Acts from Chalford, in Gloucestershire;
from Sion Chapel, Harmon ; and from Odibam.
Lord DAC RE presented Petidons to the same effect from Fetter-
lane Chapel; from Huntingdon and its vicinity; from the Society
for the protection of Religious Liberty ; from Bath ; and from
Surrey Chapel, Blackfriars.road.
Petitions to the same effect as the foregoing were presented by
'Earl Firm:Lusts from Ebenezer Chapel, Leeds ; by the Earl of
Camino, from Sutton In Ashton. Nottinghamshire; and by Lord
CALTIIIOIII%, from Woodbridge and Sutton, Suffolk.
The Marquis of LA NSDOWN said, that he had. a
fteat number of Petitions to present to the House in
avour of the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts ;
and be was unwilling to enter into any arguments now,
or in any manner anticipate the important discussion
which was fixed for that evening. To one of the Peti-
tions be wished to call their Lordships' attention.--thet
from the Presbytery of Annan. The Petitioners were
most Jumbos to approach the House, in the character
in which they conceived themselves entitled to, as an
Established Church, in the same manner as the Church
of England was recognised by the &we. They humbly
conceived, that the Church of England did not requite
those Acts as a support which the Church of Scotland
never insisted upon, nor ever sought to possess. They
conceived that species of Test, more particularly the
Sacramental Test, to remove which was the object of the
Bill, produced a stigma en the Church. This stigma,
they were anxious to see removed. They expressed the
greatest degree of satisfaction under the happy Govern.
incur of this country, and they humbly believed that no,
injury to the Established Chinch could possibly follow,
if those obnoxious Acts were repealed. He had another!
Petition, among the many which he had to,present, that
was particularly worthy the attention of the House.—
,It was signed by 4,000 persons in Glasgow, among
I whom were many Episcopalians. These Petitioners were
anxious that the Bill should pass without the substitution
of any declaration. They stated that they were advocates,
not only for persons of their own religions persuasions,
but hoped that the whole community would thereby
receive the advantages of the measure.

The Earl of ELDON considered that the people of
Scotland had been misled by a clause which was found
in the Bill ; and that they, by the Act of Union, were
not required to take the Test 04th.
The Narciois of LANSDO W N believed that the pe-
ritioners were precluded by the law from holding office
in England, unless they complied with the obligation,
The Earl of ELDON spoke in the presence of a per-
son whom he would call a friend of his, to whom he
could appeal. and who would ray that they had no
authority to impose any Test in Scotland.
Earl ROSSLYN said, that if it were not for the In•
demnity Bill, the Presbyterians of Scotland would not I
be able to serve the country in the Army and Navy.
Was it nothing for the Presbyterians of Scotland to
have all military and naval employments closed against
them it
The Earl of ELDON would not now state what he
had to offer in the shape of objections, as he should have
an opportunity by and by of entering into the policy of
the measure.

The Mirquis of LANSDOWN begged to call the
attention of the House to a clause in the Petition, pray-
ing to be relieved, from the operation of the law on
qualifying for office.

The Noble Marquis presented similar Petitions from the fol-
lowing places, in addition to the two from Anoan and Glasgow :
From the Unitarian Congregation of Warrington, the Scotch Bap-
tists of Lothbury, the Magistrates of Paisley; front Dissenting
Congregations at Leighton Bossard, Brickstop, and other places in
Nortbasiptonshire ; Bromsgrove, in Worcestershire;
and other places in the counties Of Montgomery, Carenattben, Den-
bigh, and Carnarvon ; from a place near Pembroke; Sbardwell,
in the county of Bedford; High Wycomb I Stone, in Staffordshire;
Missister, in Ozford ; Glynd, in Kent; St. Leonard's, tlisoroditch;
Barking, in sues; from Uzbridge, Mile-end, Stepney, Bloaham,
Billinghurst, Chatham, Seven Qaks; a parish in Northamptondilre ;
from Burnham ; from the town of Cardiff; from a Congregation In
the vicinity of Brunswick-square, &. Pancras; from Thllield, and
other places in Snows ; Braintree, in Saga ; and a (lapel la Mary-
la-bonne parish; all of which were coedited to be laid on the table.

CORPORATION AND TUT REPRAL BILL.

Lord HOLLAND moved the ()tiler of the Day
for the second reading of the Bill for repealing the
Corporation and Test Acts. His Lordship then moved
that the Acts of the 15th and 25th of Charles H. be read,
which was accordingly done. The Lord Noble addressed ,
their Lordships at some length. He observed that the
Bill now before the House was most anxiously desired
by a numerous part of the population of the country,
as was proved by the immense number of Petitions
presented in "favour of it. The Bill bad passed the