Star.
London, England, 1828-04-25 00:00:00

•VIC,T AWD CORPORATION ACTS.

On bringing up the Report of the Test and Corporation Acts
Repeal 13111.
The Eirl of ELDON said,-that he had now another
amendment to propose different from any of those
which he had taken the of suggesting to their
Lordships when they were in the Committee upon this
Bill. He had stated h;s iiitenti is to be, to move these
amendments a second time in bringing up the Report,
for the purpose of having them iuseried upon the jour-
nals. This intention he would postpone until the third
reading. It appeared to be the desire of the House that
this Bill should pass; and although be did not concur
in the wish of the majority of the H use, he thought it
his duty to do all that l e could to improve the
lie had bestowed great reflection upo r this Bill, and he
found in the second clause of the preamble matter of
grave consideration. He would now therefore propose
an amendment upon this clause, not discouraged by
'the fate which had attended his former attempts, for
as he had discovered new reasons for dissenting from
the measure since it was last under discussion, it was
but lair and reasonable for him to suppose it possible
that some others of their Lordships might, in the same
period, have seen reason for an abatt ment of their at•
tachment to it. The second clause in the recital ap-
peared to him to be substantially a clause, not for the
relief of the Dissenters so much as for the relief of the
Roman Catholics. This clause was, as it appeared to
him, most artfully drawn up. It was borrowed from
the Act of Union with Scotland, but it omitted some
most important expressions contained in that Act. He
would read the expressions of the Act of Union—
Whereas the true Protestant Religion, as professed by
the Church of England, and the true Protestant Reli-
gion, as professed by the Church of Scotland, are esta-
blished in those countries respecti►ely, and inviolable
parts of their constitution." Now the preamble of this
Bill stated, that the Established Church of England and
the Established Church of Scotland were inviolable;
but left out the declaration that the Protestant Religion
was established and inviolable. He laid great stress
upon this. because it. might Well be that the doctrine,
discipline, and worship of the Established Church of
England .and Scotland might be established, and yet.
the Protestant Religion bot established. The words as
they now stood did nut recognise the rrotsstant

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Ttse Bishop of CHESTER observed, that the.Citfiots
Tics were now obliged by law, prertous to their adaiis.
sion to Corporations, to take the oaths of supreniary
and abjuration, and this niust operate as an effectual
esclu.ion of them. The Protestant Dissenters, on the
other hand, were prepared to offer Anti a security as
might safely be accepteJ. Hr did not see, therefore,
wby t! e measure should be encumbered with any new
clause.

The Earl of ELDON must take the liberty of saying,
that if the Protestant religion was henceforth to beton.
sidered as a fundamental part of the Con,iitution of this
country, it was not fit or safe to leave out all recogni.
tion of it in the present Bill. The House had deter-
mined that the oa•hs of Aliegimice and Supremacy
were not a striELient security against the ad:iris:ion of
Papists, without adding to them the t!eclaration agaiiist
Transubstantiation. And in lieland the• Catholics had
been and unwilling to take the 0.1 hof A:lee tante to
his Maje ty; his hens and sukcessors, iin:ess the lipids
being Protestant," were omitted. T. ronghout the
whole of the discussion in that House they had nevi;
had one word of I xplana• ion whether, after this EN
was passed, they must not still have annual Indeinuity
Acts. With respect toCorporatit r.s, the Mayor ledght
he a Justice of the Peact, and the Aldermen might" be
Justices of the Peace, or they n.ight not. If trey item,
tilts, as Justices of the Peace, but not as Mayor or Al-
dermen, they were required io subscribe the declaration
against Transubstantiation. There was nothing in the
801 l to call upon the Mayor or Aldes men of Corporations,
as such, to take the declaration required of Justices of
the Peace, and he ventured to sat there was nothing to
prevent Catholics from being Mayors or Aldermen.
The Bishop of CHESTER expressed his high respect
for the Noble and Learned Lord, to whom the Church
of England had been so long and so largely indebted
for the care and attention he had bestrmeJ uron it's in-
terests and welfare, and he professed that it was always
with the greatest pain that lie felt it to be his duty, as
upon the present occasion, to diisent from his opinions.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE exleressed himself warmly
in favour of the amendment, and hoped the House would
not so far depart from its general character and feelings
as to reject this Protestant Declaration.
After a desultory conversation across the table, between several
Peers,
The Bishop of LLANDAFF siagftsted to the Noble
and Learned Lord the expedieacy of withdrawing his
amendment.

The Duke of WELLINGTON observed, that the
amendments roposed by the Noble and Learned E..rl
might be supposed to affect the position of Catholic
Officers in the army and navy. The motion, so far as
it extended to exclude Catholics from Corporations,
would also exclude them from the army and navy, for
which they' vete :It present eligible. Them were in
Ireland some Corporations to which Catholics were
adinitted. 41o•-•
The LORD-CIFANCELLOIt thought hetaderstood
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