The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-18 00:00:00

plained the moat

Sir R. PEEL presumed , that Mr. Pitt bad done so in the
committee on his bill, and not in reply to a casual question.
Dr. BowRiNG moved a resolution to the effect that the
inquiries in foreign countries should be continued as to the
eftcacy of the quarantine system. and to carry out any nego-
tiations which may have for their object such modifications
as are consistent with the public safety and the interests of
commerce. The hon. gentleman dwelt strongly upon the
inconveniences to commerce, as well as to passengers, from
the system of quarantine, and contended that it was unne-
cessary, as the plague was not contagious—that in fact the
clothes of those whb died of the plague were publicly sold
in the markets of the Turkish cities, and no one ever thought
them less valuable because of their having been worn by
persons while labouring under that disease. He also quoteil
several medical authorities to the same effect, and enforced
the necessity of a revision of the system.
Sir It. PEEL said be had no objection to the motion,
which was accordingly agreed to.
Sir A. L. HAY moved for copies of correspondence in
the home-office since the first day of July, 1841, relating to
the appointment of a minister to the vacant charge in the
parish of Elgin. The hon. baronet entered at great length
into the causes of the collision which had taken place be-
tween the supreme civil courts of Scotland and the General
Assembly, which ought, in his opinion, to have been settled
by her Majesty's late government, and which, he hoped,
would be now settled by the right hon. baronet (Sir It. Peel),
for he had never seen the minds of the people of Scotland
so agitated up-on any subject as upon this.
Sir J. GRAHAM said he would speak, from his earliest ex-
perience, of the salutary influence produced upon the morals
and general character of the people of Scotland by the church
of that country ; but in the division which had taken place,
it was very difficult in this country to ascertain what course
should be pursued. Two years ago the Earl of Aberdeen
proposed a measure calculated to satisfy the moderate men of
all parties ; but, as was too often the case, the moderate party
proved to be the weakest, and the noble lord was compelled
to abandon his bill for want of encouragement. It was the
determination of the government-to insist, without violence,
but with firmness, on obedience to the law of the land, and
it was the duty of the government to see that the veto act
should not prevail over that law. He thought it better to
stand by the law, with which he was satisfied, rather than to
attempt legislation, and he should therefore oppose the mo-
tion.
Mr. F. MAULE said he differed from Sir James Graham's
view of what was the law of the land, and contended for the
independent spiritual jurisdiction of the Church of Scotland,
with which even parliament itself had, according to the act
of union no right to interfere. He deeply regretted, there-
fore, to hear the determination to which her Majesty's go-
vernment had come, of refraining from legislation on the
subject. •
Mr. A. B. COCHRANE said he was delighted to bear that
it was the intention of the government that the law„puld
be supported. That was all that was, required, and though
he had intended to suppott the motion, he should, eter.the
assurance of Sir James Graham, rest perfectly satisfied.
Mr. A. CAMPBELL said he little expected that he should
have been called upon to give so 'decided a condemnation of
a government which he had hitherto supported, as he was
then called upon to pronounce against that of the right hon.
baronet, who had, it appeared, made up his mind to crush
the church of Scotland—an attempt, however, in which he
would fail, for he would have all Scotland against him.
Mr. C. BRUCE bore testimony to the conciliating way in
which Sir James Graham had exercised the patronage of the
crown in the disposal of church preferments in Scotland.
After a few words from Mr. Duff and Sir A. E. Hay, the
motion was negatived without a division.
On the motion of Mr. HUTT the house resolved itself into
a committee of the whole house, with a view to the bringing
in a bill to permit flour or flour and biscuit to be substituted
for foreign wheat secured in warehouses.
Sir R. PEEL said he had no objection to the bringing in
of the bill, in order to its being printed and circulated, but
without pledging himself in the slightest degree to the mea-