HOUSE OF COMMONS., Feb. 4.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 511, 2 July 1851, Page 3

HOUSE OF COMMONS., Feb. 4.

Between two and tlnee hundred members of the House of Commons weie present on Tuesdiy. Seven new membeis took the oaths and their seats ; and new writs for the i'alkiik Distnct of Buighs, Dungarvon, and \\ indsor, were oideied. DCBA'rr on am: addiiess. The Marquis of Kildare, in half-a-dozen sentences, moved the Address to her Majesty. Mr. Peto seconde I the motion in a careful nnd studied speech. He dwelt especially on the excellent fiscal and social effects which hart been deiived fiom the la'e commerciiil refutm*, instancing the increased quantity of our exports, the satisfactoiy condition of the manufacturing labour market, the increase of ship-bmkl-mg at the outports, and die gcneial decieaso of ciime, basing his propositions with respect to these points upon elaboiate statistical evidence. He calls upon the House to adopt the paiagraph lespocting Papal Aggiession as binding no one to a particular futuie course of action, n.s scouting any infringement on the rights of of conscience, and lead a quotation from a speech of Lord J. Russel, in 11W8, maintaining the right and demonstrating the duty ot the State to impose restiictions on any religion that contained political principles hostile to the State. Her Majesty spoke of certain changes in the couits of equity and law, and the registration of d< j eds relating to leal property. " All honouinble meinbois who repiescnted laigc constituencies must be alike familiar with the general and uigent wish which existed for law reform ; and, much as they would desne a tempejate, well-considered extension of the suffrage, he was sure they would feel that Her Majesty's ministers acted wisely in deferring that until another session, and taking up the great question of Reform in our courts of equity and law." (Hear.) The Address having been ruad, Mr. Roebuck iosg to address the house, doing so with more '* pain" than he had ever before experienced. The lion, member plunged at once into the Papal question. Canning- had said that the dissenters, w hen free, would be the Inttoiost opponents of freedom to Catholics, and Mr. Peto was an apt illustration of the remark. He could not help thinking that the noble lord at the head of the Government " hoped to obtain political capital" by his enthusiasm for this '' Agre^sion," begun years ago, and had been sanctioned hy the nohlo loid himself, There had long been a Bishop of Siga, who was, in reality Bishop of Jiath, and it was rather a retrogression on the* part of the Pope, for he had divested himself of power. " Oh, but he would be told tlure were men who were to be called Aichbishops of Westminster, and Bishop Bains would, for example, no longer be called Bishop of Siga, or a bishop a pmtibw> mfidelium, but be cdlled by tin English title. So that all this question of Agression turned upon the fact that Dr. Wiseman w.is to be termed Archbishop of Westminster instead of Melipotamus. (Hear, hear.) Now, what was the real meaning of this word " Agiession ?" He had read much on the subject, and he had glanced his eye over columns and columns of rubbishing talk. (Hear, hear.) But it was one of the glorious privileges of 'hat house that, as a momber of it he could say what he felt, and what he wjs saying now, without being exposed to — (the close of the sentence was lost in the cheers and laughter with which it was received). However humble an individual let him but speak, having an anxiety to do so, with reason, and that House would hear him; nnd so confident was he in the simple statement of the truth made there, that ho v was satisfied his countrymen w ould yet bo ashamed both of the combustion and the persons who had stirred it up. (Hear.) What, then, was the meaning of this word "aggression?" He asked the noble Lord where was the aggression on the Royal preroI gative, meioly because Dr. Wiseman called himself a Caidinal — diessed himself in a large hat — put on a pair of led stoclungs, and, in addition, styled himself Archbishop of Wcstmin&tei 1" Why, one could not state the case without making it ludicrous. Then, as to loyalty to the Sovereign, was lie less loyal than others because he laughed at this matter? (Hear, hear.) Did any one believe that thj Catholics of England, amongst the most peaceful, the most submissive, he would say, too, humble, of all the classes of her Majesty's subjects, were to be accused of making inroads on her Majesty's prerogative, because Dr. Wiseman had been made a Cardinal and an Archbnhop of Westminster ? (Hear.) After quoting Lord John Russell's formeily expressed sentiment<, to the i (Feet than we could not and ought not to. try to fetter the spiritual authority of the Pope, Mr Roebuck demanded to know how and when his Lordship had found out the rottenness of all his old opinions? The Catholics hud been led to understand that what had recently been done might be done by them without offence — instancing the universal olhcial recognition of the territorial titles of the Irish Catholic hierarchy. After comparing the Wosleynn with the Catholic "parcelling out" of England, the hon. gentleman concluded by declaring that the "recent agitation was a disgiaceful revival of the ancient Puritanic bigotry of the countiy. "The noble lord was forgetting bis past history, and w<is thinking only of fleeting populanty. lie was lending the sanction of a great name to cover a great vice." (Hear.) Sir R. Inglis contended that in any other country in Europe the insolence of the Pope would have led to war. The lion, member for Sheffield censured the Government for saying too much ; ho (Sir R. Inglife) censuied them for sajing too little. Mr. John O'Connell (whose friends did not think it necessary to move an amendment) asked if Sir R, Inglis was right, " whether it waa not a proud boast for England to see she was so free that she did not set iest"ctions of any kind on religious freedom? " Loid J. Russell, by first insulting the Catholics and then shrink ng back, bad earned the contempt of every friend of civil and religious liberty. Mr. B. Hope, while indignant at the conduct of the Pope, believed that the Church of England, left to her unfettered action, had nothing to fear from the Bishop of Melipotamus, or from the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. The only pioper way to treat them would bo to ignore their existence. Mr. C. Anstey approved of the Address in all respects; and, speaking as a member of the Church, not of the Court of Rome, he saw in the proposition principally under discussion nothing savouiing of persecution, and blamed the policy of the Vatican in having issued a rescript uncalled for by any interest concerned, obnoxious to most interests concerned, and inconsistent with, and in fact, repealing the requirements of the Canon Law. He maintained that the enactments of the Pope would become quasi British law, because in certain Chancery cases the court would be obliged to recognise an authority which had changed the ancient relations of Catholic bishops and Catholic patrons. This and not the titular part of the question, was the real and nnpoitant subject to which the house ought seriously to address itself ; but in legislating upon the subject ho would make a determined stand against any attempt to extend the provisions of a restrictive bill to Ireland. Mr. Plumptre thought that the feeling of the country had not been referred to in a sufficiently stiong manner in the speech from the Tin one. The country had no wish to get rid of the noble lord, but there were one or two of bis colleagues whom the country would not be ; at all indisposed to dispense with. ! The Earl of Arundel and Suney trusted that if any measures of persecution were carried, his co-religionists knew how to suffer with firmness and dignity. Mr. Fagan regretted that the Roman Catholic members and the advocates of " religious liberty generally" had not given utterance to a stronger expression of dissent. Mr. Grattan would movo to scratch out the words " United Kingdom" in the bill to be brought in, and substitute the words " England and Scotland." Mr. Hume complimented Mr. Roebuck, and, after complaining of omissions in the Royal Speech, expicssed the hope that he might give the Government credit foy the intention to reduce taxation, as well as to introduce a measure of reform. Colonel Sibthorpe denounced the project of the exhibition ; übe did not wish to see that building destroyed by any acts of violence, but would to God that some hail-storm or some visitation of lightning might descend to defeat the ill-advised project." Mr. G. Ji". ]3oi keley drew attention to the condition of the tenant farmers. Mr. Bankes thought that a fixed duty on corn could alone alleviate the distress of the agriculturists, and assured the Premier that " there weie no bands from

which they w ould leceive it tnoie guteUilly than (torn his." Loid J. Russell, nfto! expressing hugiutification that no amendment had been made, to ilio Addiess, proceeded to vindicate the foreign policy of Use Government from some remarks made by Mi. Hume. 'J'lie Government feels convincnd that the people of Germany will yet obtain "that freedom nnd power to_ govern ihpins>elves which they seek." If the Governmpnt had intei feral in the affairs of Ilungaiy, wp should now be at war with the principal poweis of Europe. His loidsbip in answer to Mr, Banker, e.\pross cd his unaltered opinion as to the good efFects of free tradp, and could hold out no hope of a five shillingduty on coin ; no Government, whatever weio their convictions, could do it in tlio present state of public opinion. Passing backwards to Mr. Roebuck's speech, bis loidsbip quoted the remark of the Prince of Condp, '•these gentlemen make ns act as they would themselves act if they were in our places." When he (Loul J. RusspU) wrote the letter so often refeno.l to, it was not to make political capital. " Whether rightly or wrongly, I could not refrain from givincr expression to those sentiments, or giving publicity to those expressions." Somo of the greatest friends of liberty, &ir John Eliot, Pym, Ilamptlen, Loid Somers, John Locke, had great distiust of Papal Assumption and Papal Aggression. Ilia lordship bad been assured by Roman Catholics and Roman Catholic priests that they did not approve of the conduct of the. Pope, and the measures which the Government would bring forwnid, which would embrace the whole of the United Kingdom, would, be thought, bo satisfactory to loyal members of that body. The stiong terms contained in his letter refeiredto apaity within bis own Church. He had. sympathised with the Pope, when "a man of so benevolent intentions had tho affliction of seeing his Minister assassinated and was obliged to leave bis country," and could not bolievo that bis Holiness entertained any ill-will to this countiy ; but Loid Shrewbbuiy had declured that there was a party fit that Court inimical to England, and that party was paramount there, which would go far to explain the step it had taken. Mr, Disraeli, after a passing reference to foreign politics, dwelt at some length upon the depression of the agricultural class, observing tint there must be some cause deep seated in the Constitution, why all classes but one should be in n. flourishing condition; — that class, in fact, contiibuted the capital by which the other classes prospered. lie 'lid not think any minister was authorised, year after year, to insert sympathetic paragraphs in a document so important as thp Queen's Spe3ch, and not be prepared to grapple with the evil. In discussing 1 the motion of which he had given notice, he bhoukl consider the subject of agricultural distress with lefeience to the whole of our system of taxation, and show that whilst the policy of the Government had destroyed an artificial system, it had left the artificial burden. "If I don't succeed in discovering the cause of this mystenous and continued depression of agricultural industry, and if I do not indicate the remedies that ought naturally to result from that investigation, remedies demanded by justice and counselled by policy, then I will never attempt again to support that interest to which I am indebted for the seat I hold." Upon tho question of the Papul aggression, ho criticised the letter of Loid J. Russell, which he thought had not been provoked solely by the appointmentofDr. Wiseman— an act, nofinsulious" but fiank almost to indiscretion — not "insolent", for it was fully expected, and w&sindnily operation in Ireland ; but it was connected uiili the existing state of our relations with the Court of Rome. "The noble lord is about to solve this problem, — whether, as a statesman, he can reconcile the due observance and respect of those civil and religious liberties with the Queen's supremacy, the. rights of the bishops find dorgy, and the spiritual independence of the nation. (Hear, bear, bear.) That is the problem that may not be incapable of solution, but it will tax his power of statesmanship to the utmost." (Hear, hear.) The motion was then agreed to, and the House adjourned.

WrDNrsDAV, FnunuAnY 5, The writ for Dungarvon, issued the previous day, was cancelled, it having boon ascertained that the acceptance by Mr. Sliiel of adeplomatic mission did not necessarily imply a vacation of his seat. The issuo of the supersedeas was, after a shot conversation, determined upon us the least objectionable of a choice of evils. A great number of petitions against Papal aggression, and for the repeal of the window-tax, were presented, Lord Duncan giving notice that on the 3 3th lie should move for such repeal. Mr. Newdegato intends moving for a return of nil tho addresses on the Papal aggression, with the number of signatures and names of Places from, which they have been sent. Tiie VicrROYAi.TY or Ireland. — In answer to a question from Mr. Reynolds, Lord J. Russell announced that he purposed the introduction of a Bill (his session for the abolition of tho Lord-Lieutenancy of Ireland ; Mr. Reynolds on the day in question will move for a call of the House. Tiil Late Ctljik op the House. — Lord J. Russell moved, and Sir 11. 11. lnglis seconded, a resolution expressive of the appreciation of the House of the long services, extending over foily-nine years, of tho late Mr. Ley. — Mr. Hume, while agreeing cordially with the resolution, expressed his strong feeling that the vacancy had been most improperly filled up by the appointment of a gentleman utterly inexperienced in, and utterly ignorant of, tho practices and the customs of the House of Commons. It was the duty of the j r oung members of the House, and those not acquainted with its forms, to apply to tho Clerk for information ; but " what did Sir Denis le Marchant know of those forms?" Accommodation of Members in the House of Lords. — On the occasion of a motion that a standing committee be appointed to control tho anangement of the kitchen and refreshment rooms, Mr. Hume complained bitterly of the want of space in tiie House of Peers. ''If the space in that house allotted to the members of the House of Commons would only accommodate 100 members, would it not be better that lots should he drawn, and that only 100 members should go j would it not be better that they should go as other men went, sobeily and dpcently, and not like a mob? Had not a member of the House assisted and protected him, he should have had his head knocked against tho door-post in the first crush" — (laughter). Businfss oi the House. — A motion mado by Mr. Hume that no money vole may be taken in supply after midnight was rejected by 116 votes to 47. Mr. Brothorton'a motion that the House adjourn punctually every night at 13 o'clock, was also lost by 108 votes to 32.