The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-02-22 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMON S.-WEDNESDAY

On the

motion for the House to resolve itself into a
committee on the Roman Catholic Relief Bill, Mr. LAN
moved that it be committed that day six months
S" -

R. INGLIs contended that tile concealed object of
this bill was the destruction of such securities as Parlia-
ment had provided by the act of 1829 for the remaining
Protestantism of the empire. Every Roman Catholic 1
country in Europe had in succession expelled the Jesuits
from its territories on account of the hostility of their
principles to those of civil government ; and yet it was
now proposed to legalise the existence of that confrater-
nity in Great Britain and Ireland. Referring to Mr.
Drummond's question " against what did the church of
England require to be protected ?" he replied, that it re-
quired to be protected against this bill, and against its own
members preaching against its peculiar doctrines

A.nstey, Sir Grey, Mr. W. E. Gladstone. Mr.
Sheil, and the Earl of Arundel supported the original mo-
tion ; and Mr. Newdegate, Col. Conolly, the Marquis of
Granby, and Mr. Henley opposed it. The house divided,
when there were for the motion 186, and against it 154.

Majority for goin

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TIRTRSDAY

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the second read-
ing of a Bill to enable her Majesty to establish diplomatic
relations with the Court of Rome. He said that he had
himself been long of opinion that it was desirable to es-
tablish direct diplomatic relations with the Roman State,
and he had at length the satisfaction, with the full con-
currence of his colleagues, and with the approbation of
a great portion of the inhabitants of this country, to pro-
pose a measure to effect that object for their lordships'
consideration. Did he suppose that the spirit of the Bill
of Rights, of the act for settling the succession of the
crown, or of any of those acts which were the safeguard
of the Constitution would be touched by this bill, he
would be the last person in the world to propose it ; but

he did not think that, on a fair construction, these acts,
the object of which was to prevent spiritual and ecclesi-
astical reconciliation with the Church of Rome, were de-
signed to prohibit diplomatic intercourse. Up to the
passing of those acts there had been no impediment in the
way of sending missions to the Court of Rome. Lord
Castlemaine's missions, in the reign of Jams 11., had
been censured, not because he had been sent an Ambassa-
dor to Rome, but, in the words of the resolution of the
House of Commons, "because he had endeavoured to
reconcile this kingdom to the See of Rome." But from
the passing of these Acts--for upwards of one hundred
and "'ft,' 'ties f 'ntP-

fifty years—such were the necessiL ior intercourse ‘,. .tion in the ban, at the periods corresponding wit.
with Rome that there had scarcely been a reign in which, each transition, in order to show the severity of the pres-
by indirect chaonels' negotiations had not been set on sure upon the mercantile community and the inevitable
foot and carried on by a circuitous and imperfect means. consequence to the revenue, which had also materially
To prove that Sir R. Walpole had done so, and that he suffered, owing to the decrease of our manufacturing pros-
had been much favoured by the Pope, the noble marquis perity, and to the consequent decrease in the consumption
cited a curious anecdote relative to the purchase of the of excisable commodities. Owing to the commercial vicis-
pictures of Guido. That the Cardinal York had been situdes in April, and again in October, the greatest houses,
employed in negociating with the Court of Rome he es- 1 if they had not been compelled to give way, had, at all
tablished by the fact of his having received a pension of ! events, suffered the greatest losses ; and this misfortune,
£3,000 for his services. The noble marquis also said in conjunction with the famine in Ireland, had been
that he had found in an old blue-book that the late Duke seriously detrimental to the revenue. In fact, the balance
of Portland had entered into communications with the sheet of this year showed an excess of expenditure over
Pope, and that a prelate was sent from this country for income of more than £2,500,000; of which, however,
that purpose. Lord Grenville had likewise carried on £1,500,000 was for relief in Ireland. The estimates of
such negotiations. But it might be objected that this last year were £52,550,000. For this year he estimated,
Bill would be a recognition of the Pope, when the Pope from the ordinary sources of revenue. only £51,250,000,
did not recognise the authority of the Monarch of En- leaving a deficiency which, with the increased expendi-
gland. What, however, became of the Treaty of Vienna, ture for the navy and the Kaffir war, would amount to
in which the Pope was fully recognised as a temporal £2,411,000. He felt it his duty to lay this state of things
sovereign ? And, as to the Pope not recognising the before the house, in Order that hon. members might have
British sovereign, when George the IV ascended the sufficient time to take the whole matter into considers-
throne, the then Pope wrote him a letter congratulating tion before they came to the consideration of the esti-
him on his accession, and George IV immediately wrote 1 mates. There were various courses open to them to pur-
a reply with his own hand and sent it off. Having been I sue to meet this deficiency : but all he proposed to do on
reminded by some one that by that act he had forfeited that occasion was to state the course which seemed to the
his crown, George IV despatched a messenger to recall ' government the one most advisable to be submitted to the
the letter, but the messenger was too late. But the Pope consideration of the house, when deciding whether that
had frequently recognised British sovereigns whenever course or any other should be acted on. One great ques-
it was convenient for him to do so. If the intercourse tion they must decide upon. Either they must supply the
between the two states were to be carried on at all, it deficiency he had laid before them by taxation, or they
should be carried on in a more formal, proper, and digni- I must come to the resolution of making great reductions in
tied way than at present, and therefore, he hoped their 1 their military establishments. Some extreme opinions
lordships would consent to this bin. He would not ob- I had recently been put forth respecting the defences of the
ject to the introduction of any words that might bet country. On the one hand, it was said that we were de-
esteemed a guard against the sovereign Pontiff's exercis- ! fenceless against foreign incursion, while, on the other hand,
ing any authority in this country. 1 it was maintained that our establishments were on too
The Duke of NEwcAsri.E. opposed the bill as one at 1 high a scale of expenditure. In considering this question
variance with the spirit of those statutes by which the 1 he would at once state that there was nothing in our
rights, the liberties, the religion, and the throne of these foreign relations which would lead us to fear a rupture of
kingdoms were secured. His grace moved, as an amend- the existing peace. No one was more impressed than
anent, that - the bill be read a second time that day six himself with the benefits of preserving peace, and more
months. particularly with France, and nothing could be further
The Bishop of W concurred
INCHEATER concued in the amend- from the thoughts of the Duke of Wellington than hinting
meet. Whenever a case of necessity arose for holding at the possibility of war. Indeed, he knew it gave the
communication with lieme, means had heretofore been illustrious duke great pain to find that publicity was given
found for effecting that object. The inconveniences of a to opinions which he had expressed in confidence. The
direct communication with the see of Rome were many noble duke was in the habit of communicating his views
and great. The wording of the bill itself showed how to the government as to the state of our national defences,
easy it was to slide into the language of popery, for but as nothing could be more pure than his patriotism, he
r.erein the pope was styled the " Sovereign Pontiff," a was not gratified to find publicity given to his views, the
style that the noble marquis also used in his speech. object of which was to maintain the independence of this
This bill should, of necessity, go one step further, be- country as a guarantee for the safety of others. He stated
can-e, if passed, the tith and 13th chapter of the act of thus much, partly because he differed from the noble
W idiom lii., declaring the said acts to be the foindation duke on some points, and partly because he felt it to be