The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-30 00:00:00

,ELL expressed his opinion that at pre-
nr tonricin, elacAPq tviahpri fnr the

" People's Charter," or for that
which came very near to it.
The motion was then, by leave, withdrawn, some other
business of minor importance was transacted, after which

rest plan of reform

the house adjourne

HOUSE OF LORDS.-'

THURSDAY

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the second read-
ing of the Jewish Disabilities Bill. lie admitted, at the
outset, that this measure, though it affected the interests
of some of her Majesty's most loyal subjects, was not of a
nature to excite the s me interest as other measures for
removing civil disabilities. It was but a small voice
which endeavoured to make itself heard ; but the ques-
tion was, whether that voice uttered a claim for justice.
The noble marquis then took a view of our legislation
upon the subj‘xt from the reign of Queen Elizabeth, ob-
serving that the bill made no change in the constitutional
law of this country, which recognized no such disabilities,
and those who objected to the measure were bound to
make good their grounds of opposition. His lordship
showed that the policy of the test the effect of which
excluded the Jews from parliament was directed not
against the Jews, but against the Roman Catholics. The
justice of removing the practical disabilities of the Jews
had seen advocated by statesmen of great authority, and
this bill came to their lordships recommended by the
House of Commons, whose opinion had been expressed
by three successive majorities. He denied that this was
a religious question ' - no precept of religion, no part of
the revealed will of God, precluded their lordships from
entertaining this measure of relief in favour of a people
who, although not Christians, were a people between
whom and Christians there existed direct, important,
and unquestionable relations; and whose character for
benevolence, charity, and humanity, gave them the
strongest title to such relief. His lordship showed the
inconsistency of permitting a Jew to act singly, as a
magiStrate, and excluding him from a popular assembly,
where he would be but a unit, and that the policy of
England in respect to the Jews was at variance with the
practice of other nations.
_ _ _

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH moved that the second
reading of the bill be deferred for six months, contending
that the small amount of good which the measure would
confer was utterly disproportioned to the enormous mag-
nitude of the sacrifice. The principle which this measure
would proclaim, namely, that whatever be the religion of
a man he would be entitled to be a member of parliament,
was destructive of one of the most important principles
of the constitution. Christianity was parcel of the com-
mon law of the land, and he foresaw political dangers in
this measure, arising from the national and social charac-
ter of the Jews, who were citizens of the world, and could
never identify themselves with our institutions. We were
in a great crisis of the fate of this country; warnings of
various kinds had been given by the direct interposition
of Providence, and the political evils which had visited
other countries were not likely to be averted from this
nation by a legislation for private purposes which would
desecrate and unchristianize the British parliament.
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE briefly expressed the high
respect he entertained for the Jews, whom he had known
in Hanover, as well as in England ; but as long as this
remained a Christian government, he could not consent
to the admission of Jews into parliament.
After a speech from Lord CANNING in favour of it, _

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY opposed the bill,
founding his objection upon the inherent and peculiar cha-
racter of the Jews in relation to Christianity, and upon
the 'suspicion with which this measure was viewed by a
large portion of the most valuable members of the com-
munity.

The Earl of WINCISELSEA followed on the same side.
after whom the Duke of ARGYLE, in a maiden speech of
considerable ability, supported the bill, whilst he admitted
the remarks of the Earl of Ellenborough, that this was a
religious question, and dissented altogether from the doc-
trine that Christianity had nothing to do with legislation
in this country.

The Bishop of ST. DAVIDS supported the bill, after
whom

The Bishop of OXFORD said it was painful to the feel-
ings to seem to stand in the way of granting a right to any
class of people in this country ; and if what was asked was
a right he should be prepared to give it in spite of ulterior
consequences. But be contended that this was no right
withheld from Jews. What was called the right of sitting
in parliament was no right at all ; it was a trust given to
a representative to be exercised in favour of the repre-
sented. The right rev. prelate quoted extracts from writ-
ings of modern German Rabbis, to show that the Jews
had no identity of political feeling with the people with
whom they were domiciled, but were a nation within a
nation. This was no theoretical doctrine; it had been
prectically adopted by the Jews in Russia, who assisted
the shattered army of Napoleon, and, in the war between
France and England, an English Jew was found ready to
contract a loan with the French Government. He con-
tended that the Jews of England had come to sojourn
amongst us upon an express understanding that they
should not be admitted to political privileges here, and he
ascribed this bill to a private motive, to the position in
which the Prime Minister had found himself at the last
election. That it would unchristianize the legislature of
this country, in the very truest sense of the word he fully
believed. It would admit into parliament not merely dis-
believers, but enemies and haters of Christianity. ' The
principle upon which this country made laws to govern
half the globe was, that the law of England, as all our

jurisconsults declared, rested on the New Testament, and
this bill would overthrow the basis of the law, and impair
the strength of every one of our institutions. A small
band of sturdy Jewish members might decide the fate of
a ministry, and he warned their lordships, if they passed
this bill, that it would lead, sooner or later, to the separ-
ation of church. and state; that it would wound the reli-
gious sympathies of the people of this country ; would in-
jure all and strengthen none.
The Earl of ST. GERMANS, in supporting the bill, re-
plied to some of the arguments of the Bishop of Oxford,
and denied that the Jews were incapable of feeling an in-
terest in the affairs of the country in which they resided.
The Earl of EGLINTOUN supported the amendment, and
Lord LTruvrozi She bill, without mooting any new point.

The Earl of HARROWBY, in opposition to the bill, com-
bated the argument deduced from the admission of Soci-
nians into Parliament. Socinians were admitted, not as
Socinians, but as Dissenters, who took the oath upon the
faith of a Christian. He concurred with the Bishop of
Oxford, that the admission of Jews into Parliament would
lower the religious tone and standard of that great as-
sembly.

The Earl of YARBOROUGH advocated the measure, as
relieving the Jews from a species of persecution.
The Earl of DESART took a different view of the mea-
sure, and supported the amendment, considering that the
bill was a violation of the constitution.

.•
The Earl of ELLESMERE said, if he could believe that
this bill would create an indifference towards religion, still
more if it would unchristiauize the Legislature, no induce-
ment should prevail upon him to support it ; but he could
not believe that such a consequence would result from

Emitting a

ews into

arliamen'

Lord STANLEY began by paying a compliment to the
able arid unanswerable speech of the Bishop of Oxford,
which was sufficient to justify their lordships in throwing
out this bill. He denied. with the right rev. prelate, that
the privilege of sitting in parliament was a right ; it was a
trust, the withholding of which was no punishment and
no persecution. The noble lord attacked with some se-
verity the argument which the Bishop of St. David's had
founded upon the analogy between the Unitarian creed
and Judaism, and he drew a distinction between those
civil functions which a Jew could exercise as well as a

Christian, and the office of making laws binding upon
Christians. The argument in favour of the bill, drawn
from the fact of the election of a Jew by the city of Lon-
don told the other way ; suppose the city had elected a
pauper, a minor, or a woman. He did not apprehend any
immediate danger by admitting four or flve*Jews into the
other house of parliament ; but, on the other hand, what
was the great object to be gained by the admission of that
number of rich Jews, for which their lordships were to
set aside what had been for centuries the principle of the
legislation of this country ? The question was, whether
their lordships would maintain that principle, or would
fly in the face of the deliberate judgment of the country,
repudiate the Christian character, and let an inference be
drawn that this house was indifferent to the profession or
non-profession of Christianity, which would produce a
deep effect upon the public mind, and especially on the
minds of the soundest and most religious portion of the
country, alienating their hearts from the legislature of this
country.

Lord BROUGHAM, in supporting the bill, addressed his
remarks to the speech of the Bishop of Oxford, which

and after a reply prom the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in
which his lordship, with much energy, defended Lord
John Russell, their lordships divided, when the numbers

were :—Contents—
Non-contents
Majority

Present, 96; proxies, 32; total, 128
—Present, 125 ; proxies, 38 ; total, 163
lst the bill, 35.

Their loidships then adjourned

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-THURSDAY

After a variety of questions had been answered by her
Majesty's Government, of which the most important re-
lated to the conduct of Sir H. Bulwer in Spain, and to
the negotiations now pending under the auspices of Great
Britain between Denmark and the German Confedera-

lion, the order of the day was ma(
the Public Health Bill.
On the question that the Speaker do now leave the

he committa

Mr. SPOONER moved the postponement of the commit-
tee for a fortnight, on the ground that Lord Morpeth bad
taken the committee by surprise in striking out six clauses
relative to waterworks, which he had pledged himself to

Air. AfuNTz supported the amendment, as did Mr.
NEWDEGATE, Mr. W. PATTEN. Mr. HENLEY, Sir W.
CLAY, and Mr. P. Woon ; on the other hand, the course
adopted by the Government was defended by Lord MOR-
PETH, Mr. S. CRAWFORD, and Mr. HUDSON, who re-
commended Mr. Spooner to withdraw his amendment.
With this recommendation Mr. SPOONER complied,
having first received an assurance from the Attorney-
General that the bill, after it had gone through commit-
tee, should be reported immediately and then reprinted;
and that it should be reserved for future consideration
after it was reprinted.
The house then resolved itself into committee, and was
engaged for some time in the discussion of the remaining
clauses of the bill.

The bill, with its amendments, was then reported to
the house. The report was received forthwith, the bill
was recommitted, the amended clauses were inserted, and
the report of the amended bill was also received forth-
with. The bill was then ordered to be printed and re-

considered on Thursday.
On the motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, the Joint
Stock Companies Bill was read a third time. A clause
proposed by the SOLICITOR-GENERAL was added to it by
way of rider. Another clause, proposed by Mr. HEAD.
LAM, giving a power to shareholders to stop creditors, by

the intervention of the Court of Chancery, from proceed-
ing against them, individually, for the recovery of their
just debts, was opposed by Mr. M. GIBSON, Mr. G. J.
TURNER, and the SOLICITOR-GENERAL, on the ground
- It

nat it was not founded either on justice or on equity.
was supported by Mr. AGLIONBY ; but, on a division, was
negatived by a majority of 94 over 9 voices. The bill was
then passed.

. -
On the motion of the LORD-ADVOCATE, the Law of
Entail (Scotland) Bill was committed. Considerable dis-
cussion took place in committee on the bill, after which
the house resumed, and the report was ordered to be re-

ceived on Fiiday

The other orders wcre then disposed of, and the house
adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS-FRIDAY

The preliminary subjects referred to were, the suggested
abolition of grand juries within the limits of the jurisdic-
tion of the stipendiary magistrates of the metropolis ; the
taking of Lord R. Grosvenor into, and his discharge out
of the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms, the noble lord,
from an accidental circumstance, not having appeared at
the table at the usual hour to be sworn on the Dublin
election committee ; Mr. Ewart's motion relative to the
substitution of direct for indirect taxation ; and a conver-
sation relative to the Windsor Castle and Town Improve-
ment Bill.

On the question of going into committee of supply, Mr.
HOME asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what
manner he proposed to provide for the £3,000,000 defi-
ciency of last year—a question which the right hon. bart.
declined to answer at present.
The house then went into committee, when, on the
question of further grants on account for the naval service,
a discussion ensued relative to Mr. Cobden's previous
statements as to the inactivity of British men-of-war on
foreign stations, the hon. member deducing from copies of
the logs of the ships referred to, the accuracy of the infer-
ences he had drawn. _ _

After observations in explanation from Admiral Dundas,
and Captain Berkeley, and a personal attack from Mr. B.
Cochrane on the hon. member for the West Riding, the
growing storm was allayed by the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER, who urged that, inasmuch as the latter hon.
member's original statement was fully borne out by the
evidence adduced, it would be a waste of time to pursue
the subject further.
Various items of the miscellaneous estimates were pro-
ceeded with, the only one giving rise to a discussion, being
the reformatory establishment for juvenile offenders, at
Parkhurst. The Irish Franchise Bill was read a second
time, after which the Borough Elections (N 0.2) Bill passed
through committee, Colonel Sibthorp's opposition, and
that of other hon. members, proving unavailing, as, on a
division, the original motion was carried by a majority of
88, the numbers being 166 to 78. The Tobago Relief and
Immigration into British Guiana and Trinidad Bill was
read a second time ; after which Lord Palmerston laid the
further correspondence relative to the recent transactions
in Spain upon the table. and the house adjourned.

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

THE OVERLAND MAIL

Advices, in anticipation of the Overland Mail, have
reached London, bringing dates from Calcutta to the 6th
of April, Madras the Bth, Bombay the 15th, and China,
March 29. This arrival communicates no political news
of interest—suffice it to say, that the most profound tran-
quility reigns throughout India. The rajah of Sattarah,
brother of the deceased rajah, died on the sth of April,
leaving no heir; consequently his dominions fall into the
hands of the British government. The rental is said to
exceed £150,000 a year.

The judgment of the Supreme Court of Calcutta has
affirmed the validity of the Union Bank post-bills, thereby
fixing the shareholders of that disastrous concern with a
million sterlihg of liabilities, of which they hoped to have
been exempted.
The firm of Carr, Tagore, and Co., of which the cele-
brated Dwrrkenouth Tagore was the founder, has failed—
to them no one imputed dishonourable conduct. No
further failures had taken place at Bombay or Madras,
and markets at both places were improving, and credit
and confidence reving. The Boogtie chief, Islam Khan,
who had been assigned lands near Larkhanah, in Seinde,
on his surrender after the murderous victory of Lieut.
Merewether, has fled with his family to the hills, where
he will, it is said, be joined by the remnants of his retinue,
intent on focay, and eager for revenge. Lord Dalhousie
continued at Calcutta, quietly pursuing the wise and
peaceful course of policy he seems to have chalked out for
himself.

Commercial matters both at Bombay and Calcutta were
in much the same state as at the departure of the previous
mail.

The papers from China acquaint us with the arrival at
Hong Kong, on the 29th March, of the new governor,
Samuel George Benhom, Esq., where he was received
with all due honours. His excellency took the oaths and
his seat as governor on the following day. Trade dull,
and much distrust in commercial dealings.

FRANCE.
Whilst the French Commission is ruminating over
the fabrication of a constitution, protected in its de-
liberations by a fine army of 50,000 soldiers, the bour-
geoisie of Paris are filled with an alarming sense of in-
security. It seems that neither Communists nor the

sections are extinct notwithstanding the failure of the
outbreak headed by Barbes, Raspail, and Sobrier. It is
apprehended that the Terrorists may make another at-
tempt at any moment, and although the clubs are being
suppressed one by one, and there is present the powerful
army which we have just mentioned, both the Govern-
ment and the peaceably-disposed are ill at ease.
The finance committees would, it was understood, re-
port strongly against the government propositioa for the
redemption of railways. A protest of the Orleans Princes
against the project of banishment has excited much in-
terest. Lists of candidates for the twelve vacant seats for
Paris are published in the government papers. The con-
test will be a warm one. The Reforme Evpports avowed
emmunista.

The general principles on which the Constitution shall
be based have been agreed to by the committee. There
is to be but one chamber, with triennial elections by uni-
versal suffrage, as at present. The Republic will have a
president, to be elected every three years. The magis-
tracy, including judges of all courts, are to be submitted
to election every three years. All these elections for pre-
sident, and representatives, and magistrates are to take
place, on the same day, every third year. It is suppo.ed
that the stipend allotted to the clergy will be continued.
The instability of public men and public measures
among our Gallic neighbours, seems to have imparted a
ray of hope to Prince Joinville, who has put forth some
feelers in La Presse newspaper, in order, apparently, to
complicate the prevailing confusion, and to precipitate a
crisis, which may terminate in calling the ex-royal sailor,
and the denouncer of Englisi. naval supremacy, to the
throne which his father filled for eighteen years.

The decree banishing Louis Philippe and his family for
ever from France and her colonies, was passed in the Na-
tional Assembly on Friday, by a majority of 632 against 63.
The Mayor of Havre has given notice that, in conse-
quence of the straitened condition of the city coffers and
the prolonged continuance of the financial crisis, all pub-
lic warehouse dues must be discharged previous to the
removal of any description of merchandise.
_ .

A COINCIDENCE.—The Univers calls the attention of
its readers to the following extraordinary coincidence, and
asks can it be purely fortuitous :—" The attack on the
National Assembly was made on the 15th of May ; the
revolution in Vienna was accomplished on the 15th of
May ; and the insurrection at Naules took place on the
15th of May." The Univers might have added that a
movement at Berlin was meditated on the 15th of May.

THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND THE FRENCH RAIL-
ROADS.—The project for the dispossession of the railway
companies, and the forced purchase of the lines by the
Government, is at length brought forward by the Govern-
ment. It is presented to the Chamber, and appears in
the Moniteur of Sunday morning. The following are the
conditions recommended :-1. To take their prices at the
last settlement of 15th February. 2. Their prices on 4th
April. 3. The average of their prices for the six months
preceding the revolution of February. It is proposed that
the last should be adopted by the assembly. The indem-
nity to be given in stock, at the price of the Bourse for
the corresponding period to that selected for estimating
the value of the shares.

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.