Star.
London, England, 1820-07-14 00:00:00

cblce them to take the law under which they 'were,
a:lowed into their serious consideration.
Lord REDESDALE supported the objectionsof
his Noble Friend on the Woolsack.. Much pod he
thought, would be attained, and a great deal of ;hat
was complained of in the present case, by the doing
away the present mode of license for marriages, for
which no reason seemed to obtain, but the partiality
of individuals of rank to that mode. The practice
of marriage by banns was greatly preferable.
Lord CALTHORPE spoke in favour of the Bill.
He thought the present, under the circemstances, an
appropriate time for some amendment to be made in
that part of the law.
_ _

The Earl of LIMERICK argued in favour of their
7,ordships entertaining the Bill, which ht thought it
would be better to read the second time; and, if
deemed preferable, its detailed consideration in a
I:,,mmittee might be put off to another session.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH thought, that between
the moral evils which really existed, and those said
to be apvreltended from the Amending Bill, there
was no fair comparison. At the least, the Rouse
should attempt its amelioration in a Committee, and
sot appear to discountenance the principle of such
a Bill.--The Question was then called for, when
there appeared—

Contents
Not co:flea -

Majority for the second reading • --6
The House immediately adjourned till to-morrow.

HOUSE OF COMMON!

The Srmarsta took the Chair at a quatter to four o'clock.
Mr. LOCK II ART presented a Petition from the Merchants
and Ship-owners engasvd in the Baltic Trade, and in the. Timber
Trade of North America, azainst any alteration in the existing
Duties.— Laid on the table.

The f,xchequer.Bills in Aid Bill, the late King's Servant?
Bill, and the London Militia Bill, were read a third time
and passed.

Dir. MA 13 ER LY moved for an Account of the total amount
of Revenue, from the Sth April, 1820, to the Sth of July, 1890,
diitinguishing the Revenue of England from that of Ireland;
also an Account of the DefiCiency on the Consolidated Fund,
during that period, and how that deficiency was made good.—
Ordered.

The Extra Po tage Bill was read i thltd date and passed.
after a short coorermation between Mr. LOCKMAZT, Mr. Um.
....vcroN, Sir J. GICAMAJI, Mr. BERNAL" and Sir faux Corrur. .1
'3lr. BO WELL said, be had to call the attention of the
house to a subject which particularly affected a class of in ions persons in Scotland, who were liable to be prosecuted
for carrying persons in carts or carriages with two wheels. The
lion. Member then moved.--'4 That there be laid before the
Douse an account of all prosecutions in such cases. for twelve
months before the sth July last."—The motion was agreed to.
On the motion of Dr. LCUIINGTOY, the Education Endow-
ments Bill was read second time, and ordered to be commit-
ted to-n.orrow.

The Drinaghadee Harbour Bill *as read the third time
then passed- _

It ;VJS ordered that the Committee on the Guadeloupe Claims
have leave to Report their opinions thereon to the House.
Air. GO LBURN brought up the Sea Offences Bill Report.
Sir ISAAC COFFIN saki, the object of this Rill was, to carry
the pruswions of Lord Ellenborouglis Act into the _merchants
service, a measure that ought to have taken place seventeen
years ago. The Bill was urgently called for frora the capricious
t: ranny exercised over seamen in the merchants' service.
4r J. YORKE vindicated the conduct of merchants towards
stamen under them.

Sit ISAAC COFFIN, in proof of the fact, instanced thecae
of a seaman who had been left on a desolate island by a Captain
of a merchant vesseL

Sir W. currrrs contended, that no case of wanton severity
could be made out against the Captains of merchant vessels.
The severil Amendments were agreed to.
On the motion of Dr. LUSWINGTON, the House resolved itself
1!7:0 a Committee on the Education Bill ; and the Report having I
ben brought up, it was ordered to be taken into further cosoi-
cleration this day six months.
On the motion of Mr. FLANKLAND Law's, the House resolved
itself into a Committee on the Turnpike Regulation Bill, and
the Ripon was ordered to be received this day three months.
A person from the London Bridge Company presented Rte•
fern, of all Monies belonging to the Bridge House Estate.—Or-
dared to lie on the table.

Oa the ni ,tion of Sir Wnu►at Coins, the Returns were or-
dered to b; printed.
Mr. ',USW NGTON moved the Order of the Day for the
third reading of the Post Horse Duty Bill.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY proposed several clauses, by
way of rider, regulating the mode of proceeding in bringing ac-
tions under the Bill.—The clauses being agreed to, they were
added to the Bill, which was read a third time and passed.

PROTESTANT DISSENTERS.
Mr. W. SMITH said, he held in his hand the Pe-
tition of a very respectable body of men, bet on
whom, as he himself belonged to their number, he
should pronounce no eulogium, lest it should appear
to come from a suspected source. It was the Peti-
tion of the Protestant Dissenters—members of various
Congregations in the Metropolis and its vicinity—
praying the House to consider the situation in which
they had so many years been placed, by the disquali-
fying Statutes, commonly called the Test and Corpo-
ration Acts. It was signed by about one hundred
persons, of different Congregations, and expressed
the sense of all. Had he chosen to rely more oa the
number if signatures than on the reason of their
prayer, 100,000 names might as easily have been ob-
tained as 100. The truth was, that the lawsin ques-
tion were framed to meet the danger of a Popish suc-
cessor, and for the defence .of religious liberty. It
was thought expedient to establish certain tests, and
to this expedient the Dissenters of that day, as he
thought, unwisely submitted. The consequence of
that submission was, that they had met with the fate
which often attended the liberal-minded and Incas'.
tioos, and were unable to recover what they had v&.
luntarily surrendered. It was not for him to give a
character to the Petitioners ; and if it were, he could
not do it in more eloquent terms than had been em-
plosed by his Honourable Friend (Mr. Brougham),'
in describing them. At present, he did not intend to
do more than to move, that the-Petitiai be receivecl.
Whilst it asserted their own just rights, it was draws
up in language perfectly respectful to the House, and
to the Constitutional Government of the Country.
Although he founded.upon it 1141 Motion at present,
it might be his lot, .ere long, to bring forward some
proposition on the subject. .The.-Petitioncrs,- COO'
scions that they had. bean. oolformly;loyal, and at-
tached to the Constitution, bad ace imut.of. anyessmi-
nation before the tribunal of the pudic. .They con-'
sidered themselves indeed to.be barshlysroated by an,
exclusion from advantagesenjoyed liy the rpst Of their
fellow-subjects. They complained, At. tAhnt.,,theY
excluded from office, .but fronctisteligibittlY:ol•ol-'
fice. The pluses:ion of,officeissost.be.confined to t
few; but eligibility was the right-Of sill, and the de-
privation of it was a punishment often iaiapd on
otTences of a gross and scandalous.nature. It was
but that very morning that fie met with.an Act :of
Parliament which subjected Revenue Oitcers in Ire-
land, convicted of fraud, to this very disqualification,
under which the whole. body of Protestant Dissenters
Is4otired. Ile now moved,-" That the Petition be
brought up."