The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-05-05 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY.

Sir R. PEEL brought down messages from her Majesty,
recommending to her fctithful Commons to make provisi-
on for Lord Hardinge and Lord Gough, whose public
services her Majesty was desirous of rewarding. The
Right Hon. Baronet gave notice that he would on Mon-
day next move that her Majesty's most gracious message
be taken into consideration.
The case of Mr. W. Smith O'Brien was then brought
under consideration. The lion gentleman refused to serve
en the committee of a private bill unconnected with Ire-
land ; alleging that, as ne claimed for Ireland the power
of legislating for herself, he as an Irish member did not
conceive himself entitled to serve upon bills relating ex-
clusively to England or Scotland, though quite willing to
serve on those relating to Ireland.
Mr. ESTCOURT moved that the bon. gentleman was
guilty of a contempt of the house ; and after a long dis-
cussion the motion was carried by 133 to 13.
Mr. ESTCOURT then moved that Mr. Smith O'Brien
be committed to the custody of the serjeant at arms.—
Another discussion ensued, and the debate was adjourned
until Thursday.
Mr. P. SCROPE obtained leave to bring in a bill for
'promoting the reclamation of waste lands in Ireland.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WEDNESDAY.
On the motion cf Mr. ESTCOURT it was resolved that
All committees have leave to sit during the sittings of the
house.
Sir R. JNGLIS presented a petition from the clergymen
and other inhabitants of Bedford, praying the house to
take measures to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquors
on the Lord's-day.
Mr. Cot.nunouN presented a petition from the persons
professing the Roman Catholic faith in the north of Eng-
land, praying the house to protect them against the domi-
neering spirit of the Vicar Apostolic of the Pope.
On the order of the day for the second reading of the
Factory Bill, Mr. Hume said he hoped scme day might be
named for the discussion of the measure after the Minis-
terial business was disposed of. (The mention of so re-
mote a period excited general laughter.)
Mr. FIELDEN at length was enabled to proceed, and
moved the second reading of the Factories' Bill, limiting
the labour of young persons between the ages of thirteen
and eighteen to ten hours a-day.
Mr. AINSWORTH seconded the motion, although he re-
commended a compromise of eleven hours.
Sir T. GRAHAM said it had been his duty to reconsider
attentively the opinions which be had formerly entertained
and avowed on this ques.ion, and after the most careful
and anxious deliberation, he felt bound to declare that his
opinions remained unchanged on this subject, and that,
therefore, it would be his duty to join the hon. member
for Montrose, and to vote against the second reading of
the HE The Home Secretary objected to the discussion
of this measure by the present parliament so soon after
the House had deliberated on, and rejected the principle
OA ten hours' limitation—for he denied that the house 1

Vt\

had ever decided in favour of ten hours, although it had
negotiated a twelve hours' limitation. He also objected
to a discussion omit at this particular time, because the
restriction on the importation of foreign corn was still
continued, although the protection that cotton, wool, and
silk manufactures had lately enjoyed, was considePably
reduced. After describing the magnitude of the interests
which would be affected by this measure. Sir J. Graham
contended that if carried, this Bill would be a tax on ca-
pital of sixteen per cent, which would ultimately fall on
labour, and end in reducing the wages of the operatives
fully one-sixth. The Home Secretary, on the part of him-
self and his colleagues, declared their determination to be
fixed on this question.
The debate was adjourned to Wednesday week.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—THURSDAY.
On the motion for the second reading of the Religious
Opinions Relief Bill,
The LORD CLIANCELLOR explained the circumstances
under which he brought it before ne house. The matter
had been referred to the criminal law commissioners, who
bad prepared a very lucid report upon the subject, as well
as the form of the measure. In its amended shape it had
been dErided into two parts; one related to the oaths re-
quired to be taken by persons dissenting from the Church
of England, the other related to the disabilities under
which such persons laboured. It had been the intention
of the government when the Catholic Relief Bill was pas-
sed to remove all disabilities arising out of religious opini-
ons, but this object had been from time to time neglected
cr overlooked. The bill proposed to give relief from
more than thirty acts of parliament and parts of acts of
parliament, which imposed disabilities. There might .be
reasonable grounds of objection to the repeal of some of
these acts; but he (the Lord Chancellor) suggested that
such objection should.be reserved until after its second
reading. His lordship quoted several acts of parliament
which still remained on the statute book, to show how
oppressively they had pressed upon persons of the Jewish
and other persuasions, beside that of the Roman Catho-
lic. By one of these laws Jews were prohibited from be-
coming the holders of land ; another act required of them
that they should wear badges. After referring in detail
to the various acts which imposed disabilities on persons
on the ground of their religious opinions, and penalties for
the non-observance of their provisions, he said that there
could hardly arise uny difTerence of opinion es to the pro-
priety of repealing these acts.
Lord BROUGHAM entirely agreed with the Lord Chan-
cellor that the bulk of these enactments ought to be
swept from the statute book, those which inflicted penal-
ties for recusancy more especially. He (Lord Brougham)
expressed a hope that the noble and learned lord on the
woolsack would give the bill his grave consideration be-
fore it went into committee.

The Bishop of LONDON did not propose to offer any
opposition to the bill in that stage of its progress, but he
wished to state some objections which had suggested
themselves to his mind upon the subject. He trusted
that no provision would be introduced into the measure
which would affect the supremacy of the crown. The
rev. prelates around him would naturally entertain some
apprehension on the subject, seeing that the right was
still maintained by the Roman Catholic priesthood to in-
sist on the Pope's supremacy, and his title to absolve the
subjects of other nations from their allegiance. He could
not but believe that the bill would, in its present state, go
much further than its originator intended or desired.
His lordship then oroceeded to explain his objections to
certain clauses of the bill. _ _

Lord BROUGHAM agreed with the right rev. lord. if
the penalties which had been referred to were offensive
they ought to be removed, but care should be taken to
substitute something for them that would be equally effi-
cacious.

The Bishop of EXETER doubted much whether the
suggestion of the cast noble lord could be embodied in the
act. but lamented still more that the house should be
doomed to hear such a century of grievances, after what
he and most noble lords had considered the final settle-
ment of the Catholic question. Where were now those
expressions of gratitude which they had been accustomed
to hear for the liberal relief afforded by the Emancipati-
on Bill? lie could not believe that any attempt would
be made to interfere with the few miserable securities in-
troduced into that bill, and if any such attempt were made,
he, for one, would indignantly exclaim against it. With
respect to the Clause prohibiting Roman Catholic priests
from as,uming the style of bishops, he thought it a most
important enactment ; for it must not be forgotten, though
Lord Camoys seemed to have forgotten the fact, that
there could not be two bishops b,,th filling the same see at
the same time. As for the matter of supremacy, it was
one thing for Romanists to believe in the Pope's authority,
and another to set forth, teach, and extol his spiritual ju-
risdiction ; and if his supremacy in this latter sense were
acknowledged, we must prepare ourselves for nothing
short of a religious war.
The bill was read a second time.