The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-13 00:00:00

Entputat Vartiament,

H OUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAY.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE, in presenting a petition
from certain leaseholders of Church property i❑ Notting-
hamshire, complained of the conduct of certain ecclesi-
astical commissioners in refusing the renewal of life leases,
and intimated his intention to move for a searching in-
quiry into the subject in the next session of parliament.
The Bishop of LONDON said the commissioners were I
appointed to make the possessions of the Church available
in the greatest possible degree for the relief of the spiri-
tual destitution of the kingdom, and they would, there-
fore, be guilty of a dereliction of duty if they did not
make the most they fairly could of the property intrusted
to their management. The principle on which the com-
missioners went, was to give the leaseholders the full
value of the surviving lives ; and such being the case,
although the commissioners courted inquiry, he did not
see why parliament should interfere when they would not
think of doing so in the case of private individuals.
The Earls of RADNOR and BESBOROUGII defended the
commissioners, and the conversation ended.
The debate on the third reading of the Railways Bill
was then resumed, and terminated in the adoption of the
Bishop of London's amendment respecting Sunday tra-
velling, and the adoption of a clause proposed by Lord
Warncliffe, to the effect that when railway companies run
any trains on Sundays, one train at least should contain
third-class carriages.
The Earl of M INTO then rose, and after calling atten-
tion to the state of our relations with foreign powers, and
questions pending in America, and especially with France,
which threatened a rupture with those countries, pro-
ceeded to condemn our present naval establishment as
wholly inadequate to the wants of the country. When
the present government came into office, though at a
time of profound peace, there were 16 or 17 ships of the
line in the Mediterranean, whereas now nine ships of the
line comprised the whole of our home and foreign naval
establishment, and we were consequently at the mercy of
any enemy who might choose to sweep the channel or the
coasts of our colonies. One of the results was the recent
affair of Tahiti, which he believed would never have oc-
curred but for the neglect of which, in this respect, the
present government had treated British interests. The
noble earl concluded his speech by moving for returns of
the number of ships on commission at the present time,
and the number stationed at Tahiti from Ist September,
1812, to the period of the latest advices from that country.
The Earl of HADDINGTON said such speeches as that
which bad just been made were most inconvenient to the
public service, and highly censurable when there was no
parliamentary case to justify them. The means of defence
possessed by this country were overwhelming, and al-
though the number of ships of the line actually in com-
mission were small at present, they were much more ef-
ficiently manned than the larger force maintained by their
predecessors. Moreover, additional vessels were being
actively built in all our dock-yards, and our steam marine
was being considerably strengthened. He maintained
there was ample power in the Pacific to watch over British
interests, and that a still larger force could not have pre-
vented the recent outrage; but on this subject he would
say no more at present. He could not grant the returns
moved for.

The Duke of WELLINGTON said that when he censured
the late government it was for carrying on war with a
peace establishment. He believed the number of men
voted this year was equal to that of any previous period
of peace, and that, at the present time, and in every part
of the world, British interests were adequately protected.
With respect to the recent eccentricities in the Pacific, he
would say no more than those who committed them were
responsible for them, and that their responsibility was now
the subject of negotiation.
Their lordships then proceeded to the discussion of the
Poor Law Amendment Bill.
Earl FORTESCVE considered the alterations proposed
by the present bill wise improvements, with the exception,
pert aps, of granting permanent relief to widows out of
the union.
The Earl of HARDWICKE considered the amendments
generally were ameliorations, but defended the existing
law as essentially humane, and declared that he had never
known among the poor in the agricultural districts any
other feeling respecting it than the belief that it had bet-
tered their condition.

After a few words from several peers, the house went
into committee pro forma, and resumed.
The other bills on the table were forwarded a stage, and
their lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAY.
The Leeds Vicarage Bill was read a third time and
passed.
Mr. HARDY and Sir ROBERT PEEL said that Dr. Hook
was entitled to the thanks of the country, and of Leeds in
particular, for consenting to the bill.
Sir R. PEEL moved the second reading of the bill sent
down from the House of Lords to repeal the obsolete penal
acts against the Roman Catholics. No security provided
by the act of 1829 was touched by this measure, the effect
of which was to place all Roman Catholics, taking the
Roman Catholic oath, on the same footing with Protest-
ants in respect of franchises and civil rights, and to repeal
some acts which had become a dead letter. One of these
made it a crime to maintain the supremacy of the Pope,
another made it punishable to neglect attendance at
divine service on the sth of November; and another pro-
hibited a Roman Catholic from having a horse worth
more than £5. Really-, in repealing such laws the legis-
lature was not so mttconferring a favour on the Ca-
tholics as relieving its Wa statute-book from a disgrace.
So far from being bulwarks to the church, these laws
were outwarks which might be used by reason and ridi-
cule against her. The establishment in these days must
be maintained, not by defences of that kind, but by sound
argument and the affectionate attachment of the people.

The bill was read a second time.
Mr. HAWES asked whether it was intended also to
repeal the obsolete laws affecting Protestant Dissenters.
Sir H. PEEL, without pledging himself on a subject not
then before the house, was ready to declare that if there
were any law imposing heavy penalties on dissenters for
absenting themselves from divine service on account of
conscientious objections, he would support the repeal of
that law.

On the order of the day for the third reading of the
Irish charitable Donations Bill,
Mr. D. BROWNE expressed a hope that it would be
postponed. The Roman Catholic hierarchy of Ireland
were opposed to it, and Mr. Wyse's approval of it was
no reason why it should pass, for that gentleman did not
possess the confidence of the Roman Catholic clergy.
lie believed it, indeed, to have been proposed in a spirit
of conciliation ; but still that was not, with him, a suffi-
cient inducement to support it. He moved that it should
be read a third time this day six months.
The amendment found no seconder. _

Mr. M. J. O'CONNELL said, that after the best con-
siderations, he had felt it his duty.to abstain from joining
the opposition to this bill. He liked its spirit, which he
thought of more importance than its words. It had no
cumpulsory operation ; and it effected a great good by
raising the worldly condition of the Homan Catholic
clergy without diminishing their influence over their
flocks.

The bill was read a third time, and passed.
The house having gone into committee on the Insolvent
Debtors Bill.

Mr. M. PHILIPS objected to the clause abolishing im-
prisonment for debts below £2O. It would prevent a
poor man from obtaining credit.
Sir J. GRAHAM said, that the bill had been so framed
as to give to the creditor every facility of proceeding
against the goods of the debtor. But as the abolition of
imprisonment was the very essence of the measure, he
thought it would be best to postpone this clause now,
and take the discussion of it upon the third reading.
The committee then proceeded with the remaining
clauses.
Lord SANDON brought up the report of the Secret
Committee on the postoffice.
The house adjourned, after some other business, to
five o'clock in the afternoon, when Mr. Gladstone ob-
tained leave to introduce several bills, for the purpose of
their being printed and circulated during the recess. Most
IA them were consolidation bills r the last was for amend-
ing the laws relating to the relief and support of merchant
seamen, their widows, and children.
At 7 o'clock the house adjourned.