Star.
London, England, 1827-06-09 00:00:00

IMPERIAI• PARLIAMENT. 1
liouss OF LORDS, Yvwt s.
air ROT Pallslll.4, Arbefinl Sorstiaon, Alderman Woins,
slid others, brought up rrom the Cotnoions the Penryn Disfran-
chisement Bill, and several Private gills, which were read a first

time. DIVORCES.
Lord TEYNHAM moved that the Order of the Day for the
second reading of the Thorndike Divoice Bill be discharged, the
parties basing agreed that it should be withdrawn.
The Earl of ELDON said, that in Divorce cases, unless evi-
dence be produced of the manner in which verdicts were pro-
cured, he knew of no proceedings in which the House was so
much misled and imposed upon.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE hoped that the Noble Earl
would propose an exterrion of the Order of the House on those
occasions, so as to make it embrace the evidence and verdict of the
Courts of Law, besides the sentence of the Ecclesiastical Court-
The Earl of ELDON certainly thought that the best way
would be for the House not to proceed in such cases without
receiving the evidence of the Court of Law and the Report of the
Judge.—The Order was then discharged.
raTITIONS.
The Earl of FALMOUTH presented a Petition from the Land-
owners of a Hundred in the county of Cornwall, against the Bill
for regulating the Uniformity of Weights and Measures.
Earl STA N HOPE preispted a Petition from the Landoirners of
the county of Kent, asehietaly alteration in the Corn Laws.
Earl BROWN IA) ,laimented a Petition front Horricastle, in
the county pf Liaiskagalast the Importation of Foreign Wool.

ZOLA= 00APOILATIOX ACTS.
The Marquis of LANSDOWN presented Petitions from dm
Protestant Dissenters of the county of Wilts, praying far the repeal
of the Corporation and Test Acts; and one from Macclesfield to
the sense effect.
Earl SPENCER presented a Petition, signed by above 100 hose
respectable Protestant Dissenters and Catholics of the Two'ait
Northampton, against the Tat and Corporation Acts. His LAW
ship did not wish to provoke discussion now, but could not refrain I
from expressing his opinion, that nothing but a necessity unanewon:l
ably made out, could justify the impositiOn of religious renrictionss
and that all restrictions not absolutely required were dangerous tie
the State and Church. which ought to be indivisibly united.
Viscount CLIFDEN said, that he was glad to hear that die
Protestant Dissenters and Catholins were at last likely to mks:
Let them but ovcr join, and the word Toleration would soon In
erased from the Statute-book. It was most unjustifiable that soy
man should sufer on account of his religion, and It was a dlsgrini
to the Statute-boot, to the House, and to the conntry, that swill
a system should exist.—The Petition was then laid on the table.
Lord HOLLAND had to present three Petition%
praying for the repeal of the Test and Corporation
Acts. It was not his intention during the course of the
present Session to institute any proceedings on those
Petitions, but he wished to call their Lordship,' mewl
don to their merits. The first was from the Ministers
or the Three United Denominations in and about the
Metropolis; the successors cf those who had been ex-
pelled from the Church by the Act of Min-conformity;
and had been afterwards consulted as to the framitig.
of the Toleration Act; many clauses of which; however,
had since been wisely altered, in amsequence of a me
morable speech of Lord Mansfield, through which they
had not only been recognized, but established by law.
They complained that the Test and Corporation Acts
cast a stigma upon them, undeserved by any act
of theirs; and surely that house, of which honour
was the essence, would it* say that an unjust stigma
was not an injury. Thej were, besides, debarred of
many advantages secured to the subjects by the laws
of the country, as long as their conduct had not
violated those laws. Toe Petitioners, however, had
no wish to press their case upon the House during the
present Session ; and if he were asked why he did not do
so with the strong opinions which he entertained upon the
subject, he would answer because he did not think that
pressing them at that time would be attended with suc-
cess, and especially because the Petitioners did not call
upon him to do it. If they did not remain silent, it was
because their silence had beets adduced as a proof that
they were insensible to insult. He held their case to be
wholly unconnected with another great question (the
Catholic Claims); but they would consider it in Asper-
doh upon them if they Were thought to be inimical to
the claims of any other set of men. They had repeatedly
petitioned to have all kinds of disabilities swept away
horn the Statute Book, and had neier expressed any
wish for their continuance toward; any individuals,
which they would call persecution. They called for no
concession to themselves which they did not wish should
be imparted to all men.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH heard, with great sad.-
faction, the last assurance given by the Noble Lord.—
He wished that the same feeling should be universal
among Protestant Dissenters. For neither the Catholics
nor the Dissenters would succeed in obtaining for them-
selves civil liberty without cordial union between them.
The Earl of ELDON said, that if it was intended
that all argument en the subject should be postponed to
some fume period, it was not quite cotrect that obser-
vations should be addressed on one side to the House,
when that side would not enter into the full discussion
of the subject.
The Bishop of CHESTER thought the subject of
too great importance to be discussed incidentally. The
Noble Baron had, through mistake, greatly misrepre-
sented the nature of the Test and Corporation Acts.—
The persons who voted for the passing of these Acts
certainly did not mean to stigmatise or insult any body
of religionists ; nor did he believe that any body of re-
ligionists could state that they were suffering in conse-
quence of their religious opinions. The Legislature had
considered that one form of faith was the purest, and
had made it the foundation of the Established Church.
It had then become necessary to prevent the demolition
of that Church by denying places of power to those who,
from the very sincerity of their own faith, must be dia
posed to destroy it. Whether the Dissenters were now
so disposed, or whether the Test and Corporation Acts
went beyond the necessary security, and others might
be provided of a less objectionable nature, were points
which he should not now discuss. The Dissenters were
excluded from places of power, not because they enter-
tained a different faith, but because the Legislature
thought the 'rest Act necessary for the preservation of
the Established Church.
The Petitions were then read and laid on the table, as well as one
from the Congregation of Dissenters at Manchester, and one from
Wareham, in the County of Dorset.
The Earl of GOSFORD presented a Petition from Cashel, to
favour of the Catholic Clainis.—Laid on the table.
ROYAL bi USAGE.

Eta Majesty's Message having been read by the Clerk,
Viscount DUDLEY and W A RD rose. Heshould hardly
have thought it necessary to trouble their Lardships in
moving an humble Address, in answer to the Message
which they bad just heard, had he not considered it
more respectful to them to offer a few remarks on the
subject. In doing so, however, be did not think him-,
self under the necessity of discussing the grounds on
which the British forces had originally been sent to Por-
tugal. Those grounds had been explained at the time
to the House by the Noble Earl at the head of the Co-
lonial Department, whose absence is the more regretted,
as that Noble Earl would no doubt have given'him his
aid in resisting any opposition which might be made to
the Address which be should have to propose. The
measure had passed with the unanimous concurrence
of the House, without even one dissentient voice. All