Star.
London, England, 1828-04-29 00:00:00

the Noble and Learned Eail, who had entered into
arguments in favour
eropmed, and the f
udifethethre
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halicitathadenadletedwityo
-ble Friend to
propose. It was n.
thet theolste
add any thing toprivilegesoinobwis Nettjnymed by the
such an object
Jafers,aaaindpriafpietr were he hdeaacanaualtd
Intentaipaport him, for it
hehajdnotd suffered a
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4th
eaasftid,r arpear e But
that
the awc
manna) injury by this Bill, that hireafter Parliament
would set it right. The words, it upon the faith of a
Christian," had, in fact, excluded the Jews from the
H us, of Commons for the last eighty years.
The Earl of GUILFORD considered the present
Hulas affecting the fundamental Laws o• the State, and
to be in the nature of a 'revolutionary m asute. The
Nobie Baton had endeavoured to prove, when he intros
•fuceJ this Bill, that the Test and Corporation Acts were
not originally intended to exclude the Disseaters. He
did not subscribe to this orinien. They were intended
to exclude all who so fir differed from the Church as to
be unwilling to take the Communion according to het
form. When they %vete passed, it was the era of good
laws. The Noble Baron had instructed them as to the
principles of the Revolution; but he would rather tat
the principles of the Revolution from those who ha,t
beirne an active part in producing it ; and tl,ey had told
us that the principles of the Revolution were Toleration
-and the Test Act: These went together. Without one
they could not have the other. This was the language
held at the period of the Revolution.
The question was then put, that the words " Upon the faith of
a Christian,"-stand part of the Bill; which was amid to without
a division.
The Earl of ELDON' then moved, that the words.
" I am a Protestant," be included in the Declaration.
The Earl of HARROWBY objected to•the insertion.
of the words, on the ground that it' would prejudice the
Catholic cause. It would be presumption in him to
give an opinion upon a question of law, in which the t trio
highest authorities in that House were disagreed. But
whichever of them was right, this addition to the Decla-
ration would be unnecessaty. The 'Noble and Learned
Lord admitted, that such Members of a Corporation as
were Justices of the Peace, which included all those
in the higher offices, the declatation against Transub-
stantiation applied. The Noble and Learned Lord on
the Viollsack was of opinion that it applied to all the
Members of a Corporation. • So that the difference be-
tween them was extremely narrow, and not likely to
affect the success of the measure very materially. • The
Noble Earl then reprobated the attacks that had been
made upon the Right Reverend Bench, and declared,
that in his opinion they had done themselves the highest
honour in the course they had pursued. That Be:ich
had, by its conduct with respect to this Bill, acquired
a title to treat such calumnies with contempt. .
The Bishop of CHESTER stated, that he was per.
firmly setisfied with the Bill in the shape in Which it
was brought by to them from another place. He ad-1
mined, however, that the ameedments already' intro,
duced were improvements. But he wished, as a reset
measure Of conciliation, that the Bill had patted with,
little alteration or' discussion ; and this ihddied hint
to vote against the present amendment, tibial he
thought unnecessary for the protection of the Church.
'The Oath of Suptemacy. which Catholics could not.
take, exeluded theo from all offices in Corporations,.
even from that of a Common CoOnCilman, He Would.
slot wish the House to insect in this Bill an Anti-CathJa
lie declaration. When the great question of Catholic
Claims was brought forward, he should be prepared to
'give it his best attention. He had Iseady opposed con-
Cession. and he would again and again oppose it, unlesil
accompanied by such securities as had not yet been
offered. The 'Right Reverend Prelate Vindicated the
bench on which he sat from the charge of neglecting
or compromising the welfare of the Chinch. and ap-
pealed to the authority of that Learned Judge (the late
Lord Kenyon), in support of the opinion, that granting
'ease to the Dissenters would not necessarily endanger,
the Church or invade the Constitution.
Lord =KENYON, in rising to rescue the charac-
ter of his venerable father from misinterpretation
in reference to the quotation which had just been
made, from an authority that he must hold in the
highest respect, observed, that the opinion was:given
in obedience to the commands of the Sovereign,,l
an 4., related to Catholic 'Emancipation and to 'the,
Cinporation Oath. It did not relate to the present sub-
ject. Upon the general question before the House he
would take this opportunity of sayings that the support
of the.Chesch was their duty in that House...both in its
Civil privileges and influence, and in its religious cha.
Meter. He would appeal to the Right Rev. Bench, and
ask them. what they would do if two eminent Lawyers'
had given adverse opinions on a point of temporal inte-
rest, one opinion admitting a risk, and the other ad-1
witting none? Which opinion could they adopt as their
guide? Let them do for the Church, then, what they I
Amid in similar. circumstances do for themselves.
After a feW wards from the Bishop of Cuanza and the Bishop
of LLAIIDA rr,
The Earl of ELDON declared his intention of taking
the sense of the House upon his amendment. ,
The Duke of WELLINGTON begged, before the
House divided, to say a few words, and they should be
but a few. The Noble and Learned Earl had said that
the oath Of supremacy was not held by Patliamtut to be
snfficientfor the exclusion of Catholics. He did not know
that there was any-thingin sny•Act of Parliament which
intimatedthis opinion. The Act of King William, which
was relied on, did not, as it seemed to him,adinit of this
construction. The argument of his Noble and Learned
Friend on the Woolsack, which he addressed to that
House in It speech of which every Noble Lord must re-
member the effect—in a speech which he would not
attempt to characterise, and still less to repeat—this
argument upon the subject had not yet been answered.
It bad been shown by his Noble and Learned :Friend
that the oath of abjuration must be administered to all
persons entering into Corporations, and his argument
to this effect had never been refuted. But inde-
pendently of this, the oath of supremacy was
shown to be -sufficient to exclude Catholics from office; •
because in fact it did now exclude them from voting
at elections foe Members of Parliament in England
It was said, however, Why not admit this addi-
lion to the declaration, since it could do no harm? His
reason was this, that it was unnecessary. With respect
lathe Catholic Question, no man could be more warm
than
,move determined in his opposition to that question
lban he was. The•result of 'rainy years of considers-
film, was produce in his mind an unalterable deter-
ineties so oppose any concession to the Catholics to
lbe stomata( his power ; but he was equally determined'
to oppose aer thing which could be supposed to affect
thbos injortoeslya—tHear, heat.).—The House then di-
vided, when there appeared,
ma me asneessean *MUM 12.
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