The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-08-14 00:00:00

Imperial Parliament.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAY.
The business of this day consisted principally of presenting
betitions in favour of and against the muncipil corporations
ill, some of which were discussed at some length. On the
presentation of the Manchester petition by Lord MELBOURNE,
who said that in the course of ten hours it had been signed by
23,000 persons,
The Duke of NaWC4STLE read a letter on the subjectof that

petition; which he had received that morning from Manchester
The writer said—" The inhabitants of this town are getting up
a petition in favour of the municipal corporations bill, in conse-
quence of the proceedings in the House of Lords. Let me
explain how it is filled up. Tables are placed at the end of
different streets, and all persons who can scribble their names
put them down.. Boys from schools and factories are called on
to sign. You see what tricks are carrying on by the whig-
radicals. Great part of the persons signing are only £lohouse-
holders, and are by no means respectable. Such is the effect
of the proceedings of our blessed House of Commons. The
property and respectability of our borough are decidedly con-
servative, although the very contrary is asserted. With respect
to the petition, if persons cannot write, the keeper of the table
writes for them." The writer or the letter was not a very great
scholar (a laugh,) but he dealt in facts. The noble duke then
alluded to the report of the commissioners, and declared that
they ought to be punished for daring to .make a report which
was grossly false in many points; and he declared that if no
other noble lord took ue the subject he certainly would.
Lord BROUGHAM detended the conduct of the commissioners.
When the proper time arrived he would undertake to show that
there was not one thing of the slightest importance laid to their
charge.
Lord MELBOURNE on presenting some other petitions in
favour of the bill, said he could. not avoid saying a single
word withrespect to what had fallen from the noble duke oppo-
site (Newcastle) on a previous day. The noble duke had been
pleased to say that any zeal or anxiety which prevailed on this
subject in the country had been fomented and excited by His
Majesty's Governnient. He (Viscount Melbourne) begged to
say that such ayes not the case, and that he most entirely denied
it. (Hear.) He thought, on the contrary, that these petitions
emanated from the spontaneous feeling of the country arising
from what (and he spoke it most respectfully) the people con-
' ceived to be a sudden interruption to the progress of this mea-
sure, with which the course the house had telten was supposed
to interfere. (Hear, hear.)
The Duke of NEWCASTLE had never intended to chargs his
Majesty's government with fomenting those dissensions, or the
'agitation in the country. He put it, however, to the noble vis-
count whether such assertions as had issued from a newspaper,
which, on the authority of the noble and learned lord opposite,
might be called a ministerial paper (he meant the Morning
Chronicle) had not that tendency. The article tei which- he re-
ferred contained the following sentiments:—" We will not so
far libel the character of our countrymen as for a moment to
suppose that when victory is about to crown their efforts, they
will weakly turn their backs on the foe and submit to be tram-
pled on by infuriated oligarchs, Throughout city, town, and
village, we expect. to see the people once more at their posts,
prepared to crown the work which added so much to the na-
tional glory in 1832. Repose from incessant and most haras-
sing agitation they never can expect till they humble the oli-
garchy in the dust; for submission would only make these
tyrants more insolent in their exactions.- With a hostile court
and a hostile peerage, they must have no truce till they have
deprived both of the power of doing mischief." He (the Duke
of Newcastle) called upon the noble viscount to state whether
he intended to direct. the Attorney-General to prosecute the
publishers of this most villainous article, affecting, as it did, the
dignity and safety of the crown. He quoted this article from
the Standard of the sth of August, but this article was all of a
piece with those emanating from the publication (the Morning
Chronicle.) He contended that it was the duty of the govern-
ment to prosecute such diabolical observations as these—obser-
vations calculated to deprive the crown of all favour in the
minds of the,, people. (Hear.)
Viscount Miteeouesme said he was not responsible for that or
any other article which might be sent forth to the public through
the medium of the public press, nor was he called upon to pro-
nounce any opinion upon the article which had been quoted by
the noble duke. (Hear, hear.) It was unnecessary that he
should now go into any details as to the principles on which the
governtisent would act; he would merely say that he had heard
of many articles sent forth to the public of which he did not ap-
prove, and that with respect to that quoted by the noble duke it
was not his intention to institute any prosecution.
THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
The Earl of ABERDEEN presented a petition from the town
of Caithness praying for protection to the church of Scotland.
The noble earl took that opportunity of calling the attention of
the house to a commission which had lately been appointed by
his Majesty's government to inquire into'what opportunities fur
public worship, for public instruction, and pastoral superin-
tendence, were afforded to the people of Scotland. The com-
position of its members had already excited a great degree of
alarm and dissatisfaction among the members of the church of
Scotland. He did not complain that the commission was wholly
•. composed of whigs, or (as had been said on another occasion)
of whigs and something more; nor did be complain that the
paid portion of the commission, to whom the active part of the
•business was left, were lawyers of small repute, but what he did
complain of was, that the majority of active paid commissioners
attached to this commission were known to entertain sentiments
hostile to the establishment altogether. One of these gentle-
men was an avowed supporter of what was denominated the
voluntary system ; he had not only spoken in favour of it, hut
he had published a work in support of his opinion. Another of
these gentlemen, acting upon the principles of honour and con-
sistency. had declined being elected a member of the General
Assembly of the church of Scotland, in consequence of having
come to conclusions. hostile to the connexion of church and
state. Now, he would ask, was it right, was it fair, was it decent,
that the interests of the church should be intrusted to individuals
holding such opinions? The deputation of the General Assem-
bly of the church of Scotland, which was recently in London„
bad reason to expect the appointment of a commission of a very
different description; and, therefore, their surprise was great
ndeeti, whets they saw, contrary to the assuranqs that had been
given them, bow the commission was filled up. He knew that
there were some respectable names on that commission, but the
majority of the commissioners were such-as he had described.
The standing committee of the church of Scotland lost no time
in meeting when the tact came to their knowledge. They came
to an unanimous resolution, in which they declared " that the
commission, as at present constituted, was such as to excite the
apprehension of the members of the church." That resolution,
expressive of their feelings, was officially communicated to his
Majesty's government. Now he intreated the noble viscount,
if it were meant that this inquiry should be carried on to really
useful purpoies, if it were intended that it should be beneficial
to the country (and here he would observe that his Majesty's
ministers had cut out work enough for this commission, work,
he would say, far beyond the power of the members of which it
was composed,) he would humbly recommend to the noble
viscount to add to the commission a certain number of men
whose hostility to the church was less problematical than that of
the majority of those who constituted the commission as it at
present stood.
Lord Metosounsee was not aware of the hostility complained
of, or that the appointment of the commissioners had given dis-
satisfaction. He could not help sayiug that on this, as well as
on other occasions, great stress was laid on what men's political
opinions were, instead of looking to what were their moral feel-
ings and their capabilities for performing the duties assigned to
them. The greatest possible mistakes were cmintinually occur-
ring in consequence. He certainly had met very distinguished
members of the church of Scotland on the subject. He hail
had much conversation with them, and he had promised them
on that occasion that the commission should be impartially se-
lected. By impartial he meant a selection of men fitted to fulfil
the purposes generally contemplated by the commission, viz.,
to inquire into the whole state of religious education in Scot-
land. To effect that object he thought it was necessary that
there should be on that commission representatives of all opi-
nions. That was the course which he deemed it advisable to
take. He would contend that the commission was most re-
spectably constituted, and would, he doubted not, perform its
duties efficiently. 'rhe noble earl asserted that the interests of
the church of Scotland were pieced in the hands of those com-
missioners. Such was not the case. The commissioners were
merely called on to inquire into the ptasent state of the church
of Scotland, and to report thereon, , He could not state what
the opinions of the commissioners Were on the points alluded to
by the noble earl, but he 'Jul not believe that they were hostile
to the church of Scotland. In his opinion the commission was
prudently, wisely, and impartially constituted with respect to
the duties to be performed by them.
The Earl of ABERDEEN did not complain of the political opi-
Mons, but of the unfriendly disposition of the commissioners
towards the church of Scotl,:nd. One of them had printed his
-sentiments, and another declined being a member of the gene-
rat assembly, because he was unfriendly to a church establish-
anent. If ministers intended to uphold a church establishment
sn that country or in this, was it proper, was it decent, to ap-
point persons who professed such sentiumeuts to inquire into its
situation ? He was grieved when he was informed of that com-
mission. The names of the active paid members were totally
unknown to him. They were lawyers of very small repute;
because he was certain that he should have known them, if thev
had had any great standing or character at the Scotch bar. If
the noble viscount wished to give satisfaction to Scotland, he
would infuse names into the commission that would give con-
fidence to that country. He left political opinions entirely out
of the question. He merely wished such men to be appointed
as, fioin their calm and deliberate feelings, were likely to give
satisfaction.
The petition was laid on the table.
OD
,the motiou of I.,Qrsl F.titsnan. the larceny kg Clkelikucl).
bill went thrdugh committee.'
On the motion of Lord A uceLAND, the postage bill was read
a third time and passed.
Mr. Carter, front the corporation of Coventry, presented co-
pies of the correspondence with Lord Melbourne on the subject
of the chief constable of that city.
Mr. Wren presented a return of time annual income of certain
charitable societies in the city of Coventry.
Adjourned at a quarter to seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,—MONDAY.
The Speaker took the chair at four o'clock.
On the motion of Lord G. Lv.NNox, the amendments isade
by the lords in the Bognor improvement bill were agreed to.

LIGHTHOUSES.
Mr. A. CHESSMAN asked the member for Middlesex. Mr.
Hume, whether be intended proceeding with the lighthouse bil►.
Mr. RuntyEN, referring to the bill now before the house, said
that all the members fur Ireland were opposed to any alteration
in the management of lighthouses in that country. If the
Scotch lighthouses were transferred to Dublin, they would be
much better taken care of. (A laugh.)
Mr. Hosts: said he ceztainly would go on with the bill.

THE NIARYEEI,ONE VESTRY—MANUFACTURE OF COUNTY VOTES.
The Marquis of CIAANDOS presented a petition from certain
freeholders of Marylebone complaining of the improper inter-
ference of the select vestry in the registration of votes for the
county of NI iddlesex. petitioners complained that 42 names
had been surreptitiously inserted in the list of voters iu that
boretigh for the county of Middlesex; that they stated that
those 42 navies appeared in the printed lists affixed to the
church:l.loor, and, though they bad never been inserted in the
• list wade out by the overseer, that the Marylebone beadle after-
wards paid forty-two shillings to the overseer on the account of
those names; that no claim hat Lever, been made to the over-
veer by any of the parties whose names thus appeared uu the.
list to have them inserted there ; that one of those names was
that of the hon.. member fur Marylebone, (Sir S. Whalley;)
and that the said 42 persons claimed the right to vote from a
certain burial•ground and a yard belungiq to the parish. The
petitioners prayed the house to adopt some measure to prevent
-such a surreptitious mode of proceeding, and such a gross in-
fraction of the provisions of the reform kill. The noble marquis
.observed that such was the statement made by the petitioners.
•lt e trusted that the hun. member for Marylebone would be en-
abled to give such an explanation of this matter as would lead
the hoase to believe that those names had not been improperly
inserted in the list of voters. He was bound, however, to state
that he had it upon the most respectable authority—authority
that he had no reason ha doubt—that those names had been im-
properly insetted in the list by the select vestry after the over-
seer had made out and sent in that list. If that were the case,
sod if such a ~,urse of proceed:ng were to be tolerated, theme