enforce attendance of persons at their parish churches on Sundays: by one statute the fine was 1s. for each omission to go to church on Sunday; but by another statute, the fine was raised to 207, if the party omitted to attend his parish church for four successive Sundays. These, he repeated, were in themselves most annoying, not so much from the amount of the fines they inflicted, though in the second case to which he had referred, the fine would be ruinous to many, but from the harassing and abuses to which they might give rise. It was not, he believed, more than a month back from the time he was speaking, when eleven persons were convicted in 1s. penalties for non-attendance at church on Sundays. The fines, it was true, were not much, but there were, besides, the costs where the parties refused to pay. In one case the costs were 14s., and in another 23s., and for non-payment one party was sentenced to be imprisoned sixty-three, and the other sixty-one days. Now, he supposed their Lordships would agree with him in thinking, that any person who was anxious to see the parish churches duly attended on Sundays, could not well hit upon a mode worse calculated to insure that object than those coercing fines. Indeed, it was about the best mode of insuring church non-attendance that could be devised; besides, as he had said, this power was liable to be perverted to most capricious purposes. He cast no blame on any body; but surely our statutes ought not to be left in a state in which to enforce them would be disgraceful. He had heard blame cast for having many of these fines received on account of the Sovereign, or of the State, but there was no option, when once the statute was enforced. He repeated, that he mentioned these circumstances for the purpose of having the attention of Government, and particularly of his noble and learned Friend on the woolsack, directed to the subject. The law ought to be altered on these matters, or perhaps, what would be better, there ought not to be any law at all on many of them. Subject at an end. FOREIGNERS CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS.] The Archbishop of Canterbury moved the third reading of the Foreigners Consecration of Bishop's Bill. The Earl of Rudnor did not exactly understand the grounds upon which this bill had been introduced, and looked upon it as being quite unnecessary and useless. The Archbishop of Canterbury said that the bill had been introduced with a view to the better regulation of the congregations of English persons, who may be settled in foreign countries, and more particularly on the shores of the Mediterranean and in the Turkish empire. The bill, it was to be observed, could be put into operation only upon the concurrence of her Majesty being expressed-and it had been introduced with the perfect support of her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The Earl of Radnor said that his objection was that the bill was not called for by necessity. It was an enlargement of the act of George 3d, and it assumed that it was unlawful for any Archbishop to consecrate a Bishop without the license of the Crown. It did not appear to him, however, that this was the case. With respect to the consecration of Bishops in England, no doubt the license of the Crown was requisite, but that was required in reference, not to the spiritual affairs of the Bishops, but to their temporalities. This bill, however, related solely to the spiritual matters of the new Bishops proposed to be appointed, and he conceived that it was quite unnecessary. The Archbishop of Canterbury said, that several eminent learned persons had been consulted on the subject, and they were all of opinion that such an act as the present was necessary. The law was liable to great doubts and exposed him and others to a charge of acting illegally. To remove these doubts was the object of the Bill. It was brought forward by the advice and recommendation of the law officers of the Crown. The Earl of Radnor thought it was somewhat of an anomaly that Archbishops and Bishops, who claimed the right of ordination by virtue of their spiritual succession from the apostles, and down from our Saviour himself, should still consider themselves not entitled to exercise that power without license from the Crown. He would not oppose the passing of the Bill, but he considered it wholly unneces sary.-Bill read a third time and passed. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.] Lord Cottenham moved the third reading of the Administration of Justice Bill. Bill read a third time. came in, "unless otherwise provided;" but it was not so in the present bill. The Lord Chancellor had no objection to the amendment, but he had always understood, that "barrister" meant a member of either bar. There were, he was aware, instances of exceptions-for instance, the revising barristers in Ireland must be altogether Irish, to the exclusion of the English bar; and there were some other instances where the members of the Irish bar were named, to the exclusion of English; but when this was done, and when the particular bar was named, the fair inference was, that when not so named the word "barrister" should be taken to mean a member of either. Lord Campbell had prepared a clause, in pursuance of the intention he had given on a previous evening, in order to remove doubts as to the eligibility of Irish barristers for the situation of Vice-Chancellor under the Bill then before their Lordships. It appeared to him that as the Bill at present stood such a clause was necessary. The Bill referred to the English Court of Chancery and the English Court of Exchequer, and when it stated barrister-atlaw, it might very naturally be inferred that it merely applied to English barristers. With every deference to the opinion of his noble and learned Friend on the woolsack, he continued to think that such an amendment as this was necessary. To obviate the objection of his noble and Lord Campbell said, that his attention learned Friend, that the insertion of the had been called to the clause by some declaration might render other acts doubt-eminent Irish barristers, and by some of ful, he had worded the clause so as to apply to the present and to all acts which had passed in which the word "barrister" might occur. The noble Lord moved his amendment, to the effect, "And be it further enacted and declared, that in the construction of this Act, and of every other Act relating to offices and appointments, the expression barrister, or barrister-at-law be taken to mean barristers practising in England or Ireland, unless where it may be otherwise expressly provided." the Irish judges. BISHOPS (IRELAND.)] Lord Wharncliffe brought up a report from a committee of their Lordships, naming the four Irish Bishops whose turn it was to sit in the House for the present Session, which was ordered to be printed. He then moved, that the Lord Bishop of Derry having taken the oaths and his seat by mistake, thinking that it was his turn to sit as one of the four Irish Bishops for the present Session, his name be struck off the roll. Ordered. Lord Brougham thought it a very useful addition to be made to the bill, and if it satisfied a respectable, a learned, and able body of men, it ought to be introduced. He would remind his noble and learned Friend, however, that when the bill was sent down to the other House last year, when his noble and learned Friend was a Member of that House, he had not then thought of introducing such a clause. It appeared to him, that the bill would merely make them eligible, and it was very proper that they should be so; but let it not go for more than it was worthlet it be understood, that there was no in-practices with respect to the burgess-roll, tention of appointing an Irish barrister to such a situation. The Duke of Wellington said, the amendment was most comprehensive, for it went to include all acts in which the word "barrister" occurred; but there were some appointments which were only by Irish, and some only by English barristers, such for instance as the barristers revising the registration. Lord Brougham.-There the proviso DUBLIN CORPORATIONS.] The Earl of Glengall had to present to their Lordships a petition on a subject of considerable importance, to which he was anxious to call the attention of her Majesty's Government. It was from Dublin, and signed by about 1,000 inhabitants, merchants, bankers, and others, being householders and ratepayers in that city. The petitioners complained of several gross on the insertion of the names on which roll was founded the right to vote for members and officers of the corporation. The subject was one which very naturally excited very strong feelings. The petition detailed such scenes of fraud and corruption as never before, he believed, had come before their Lordships, even from Ireland itself. The object of those fraudulent practices was to influence votes in the election of municipal officers. The burgess-roll was filled up, or ought to be, I prayed their Lordships to take these matonly with the names of those who were ters into their consideration, and to do under assessments to the Poor-rates to all in their power by inquiry to correct the amount of 107. a-year. Now, the these gross abuses. If their Lordships petitioners complained, that gross frauds had no power to interpose, why be it so ; were practised to create a fictitious con- but he did hope that inquiry would be stituency; for this purpose many alter- instituted in some quarter before the next ations were made, and names were so month. entered, that it was impossible for the The Duke of Wellington was obliged revising-barrister to know who had the to the noble Earl for having called his right to vote, and who had not; names attention to these matters, but the noble were entered to give facilities for person Earl must see, that the question was one ation. The net annual value was also in which the House of Lords had no altered. Some who had been assessed at power to interfere. If it was a question 71. had that changed to 107. Others again on which the activity of the Poor-. had an addition of 11. 5s. 6d. made to the law Commissioners of Ireland, or of assessment, so as to bring it up to 101. the guardians of the poor, could be The fraudulent practices were, in a word, of use in putting an end to the griev so various and so numerous, that it was ances, then they ought to be realmost impossible to get a correct list. quired to lend their aid in any way they How all those evils were to be remedied could. Or, if his noble Friend, the noble he did not know, but he supposed the Earl, had said the Lord-lieutenant of subject should be investigated in some Ireland in council had power to interfere, way. He believed, that by one clause of then that was the quarter to which apthe Irish Municipal Corporation Act, the plication should be made. If, however, Lord-Lieutenant and Council had the the noble Earl would give him a copy of power to grant time for the purpose of the petition, he would direct that inquiry entering into inquiries, were such abuses should be made into its allegations, and were proved, in order to have the false the practices to which they referred. entries corrected. He did not suppose Lord Brougham expressed his full contheir Lordships had any power to inter-currence in what had fallen from the fere, but nevertheless, he felt it his duty noble Duke, that the House of Lords to bring the subject under their notice as could not interfere in this matter. At one which had created immense excite the same time there could be no obment in Dublin. When the Irish Muni-jection to the presentation of the peticipal Corporation Act was under discus- tion, which properly enough prayed for sion by their Lordships, he had in common inquiry. with many other noble Lords, strongly objected to the city of Dublin in the bill, because he foresaw the gross practices which would be resorted to by one party to carry the elections of corporate officers their own way. The facts now stated in the petition before the House fully bore out all that he had anticipated. The struggle which he had foreseen had now commenced, and if the churchwardens and others in authority permitted such scenes, they would become partisans, and in a short time it would be seen, that the corporation of Dublin would be in the hands of Repealers and other agitators, that the Mansion-house would become the arena for those scenes which now usually took place at the Corn Exchange, and that in "the King's-room" questions would be discussed whether Ireland was to continue under the sway of a British Sovereign. The petitioners earnestly The Duke of Wellington did not in any degree blame his noble Friend for presenting the petition, or for calling the attention of Government to it-quite the contrary. The petition was no doubt a very proper one. All that he said was, that it was a matter in which he did not think that their Lordships had any power to interfere. Petition to lie on the Table. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Tuesday, September 7, 1841. Dublin, against making the Poor-rates the test of Rating QUALIFICATION OF MEMBERS.] Mr. Greene proposed the following resolutions, which were read by the Clerk at the Table: Mr. C. Buller was of opinion, looking at the thin state of the House, that the question, which was undoubtedly important, could not then be satisfactorily discussed. "1. That every person elected and returned a Member of the House of Commons for any Mr. Hawes thought more time was recounty, riding, or division of a county, or for quired to consider what would be the any city, borough, or Cinque Port of England, effect of the resolution; and he begged Wales, or Ireland, or for the town of Berwick-leave to suggest that the subject be postupon-Tweed, whose qualification is expressly Debate adjourned.-House adjourned. objected to in any election petition, shall poned. "If the qualification of such Member shall arise wholly or in part out of lands, tenements, or hereditaments, then a rental or particular of the lands, tenements, and hereditaments, whereby he makes out such his qualification. "If the qualification of such Member shall arise wholly or in part out of personal estate, then the particulars of such personal estate, and of the income arising therefrom, and upon what security and in whose names such personal estate is vested, and by whom the income thereof is payable: and that any person concerned may have a copy of such paper. "2. That of such lands, tenements, hereditaments, and personal estate, whereof the party hath not been in possession or receipt of the rents or income for three years before the election, he shall also insert in the same paper from what person, and by what conveyance, assignmeut, or act in law he claims and derives the same; and also the consideration, if any, paid for the same, and the names and places of abode of the witnesses to such conveyance, assignment, or act in law and pay ment. "3. That if any Member whose qualification is so objected to shall decline to defend his election or return, and if any other person shall be admitted to defend the same, such other person shall, within eight days after he shall be so admitted to defend the same, leave with the clerk of the House of Commons the like account, in writing, of the qualification of such Member as is required from a sitting Member. 4. That if any sitting Member whose election or return shall be petitioned against, or any party admitted to defend the election or return of such Member, shall think fit to question the qualification of any petitioner, claiming to have had a right to be elected or returned in the place of such Member, such sitting Member shall, within eight days after the petition read, and such other party within eight days after being admitted to defend the election or return, leave notice thereof in writing with the petitioner or his agent; and the petitioner shall in such case, within eight days after such notice, leave with the clerk of the House of Commons the like account, in writing, of his qualification, as is required for a sitting Member," HOUSE OF LORDS, Wednesday, September 8, 1841. MINUTES,] Bills. Received the Royal Assent:-The Earl of Scarborough's Indemnity. Adjourned to the 20th of September. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Wednesday, September 8, 1841. MINUTES.] Members of the General Committee of Elee- For Dorchester, in the room of Sir James Graham, Secre- For the Eastern Division of Kent, in the room of Sir Ed ward Knatchbull, Paymaster-General. For Launceston, in the room of Sir Henry Hardinge, Se cretary at War. For the Southern Division of Nottinghamshire, in the room of Lord Lincoln, Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests. For the County of Monmouth, in the room of Lord Gran ville Somerset, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. For the County of Westmoreland, in the room of Lord Lowther, called to the House of Peers by the title of For Cardiff, in the room of John Iltid Nicholl, Esq., Judge Advocate General. For East Cornwall, in the room of Lord Eliot, Principa For Bury St. Edmund's, in the room of Earl Jermyn, For Newark, in the room of Mr. Gladstone, Vice-President of the Board of Trade, and Master of the Mint, For Huntingdon, in the room of Sir Frederick Pollock, Solicitor-General. For the Shire of Bute, in the room of Sir William Rae, Lord-Advocate of Scotland. Lord of the Treasury. For Wenlock, in the room of Mr. James Milnes Gaskell, a a Lord of the Treasury. For the County of Sligo, in the room of Colonel Alexander Perceval, a Lord of the Treasury. For the Shire of Selkirk, in the room of Mr. Alexander The hon. Member's first Appointment was not com pleted, and he was made Serjeant-at-Arms. For the Shire of Aberdeen, in the room of the hon. William | fourteen days before limited for presenting Gordon, a Lord of the Admiralty. For the County of Tyrone, in the room of the right hon. For Bradford, in the room of Mr. E. C. Lister, deceased. For Sunderland, in the room of Mr. W. Thompson, Stew ard of her Majesty's Chiltern Hundreds. For the City of Lichfield, in the room of Sir G. Anson, Steward of the Manor of Poyning. CORK COUNTY AND MEATH ELECTIONS.] Mr. Speaker informed the House, that he had received the following letter from Daniel O'Connell, esq., returned for the counties of Cork and Meath, making his election for the county of Cork : "Merrion Square, Dublin, 4th Sept. 1841. "SIR-Having been returned to serve in the present Parliament for the county of Meath as well as the county of Cork, beg leave to state to you, for the information of the House of Commons, that it is my intention to elect, and I do elect, to sit for the county of Cork. "Should any other act be necessary, on my part, to carry this intention into effect, so that a new writ may issue at the earliest possible period for the county of Meath, I am ready to do that act so soon as I am apprised of the petitions, provided there be no question upon the return for that place; and if anything shall come in question touching the return or elec tion of any Member, he is to withdraw during the time the matter is in debate: and that all Members returned upon double returns do withdraw, till their returns are determined." Subject at an end. BREACH OF PRIVILEGE-THE TIMES.] Mr. Roebuck rose to call the attention of the House to an article which had appeared in The Times newspaper of that day, which he held in his hand, reflecting on his character, and which he deemed to be a Breach of the Privileges of that House. He cared not for it personally. He agreed in the opinion expressed by Dr. Johnson, that no man could be written down but by himself, but he considered the statement which he held in his hand so gross a breach of privilege, that though he did not mean to call upon the House to exercise its power, yet it was as necessary to the interests of morality as to the advancement of the business of public life, that it should not be passed over unnoticed, and he desired to be understood as being individually responsible in bringing it before the House. He had that confidence in his own character, that he doubted not it would stand the test of any investigation, and it behoved him to face any such attempt upon his character as that which had been made in the newspaper which he held in his hand. He had thought it his duty on last Monday, as the representative of a very large constituency who had returned him almost unsolicited on his part, and, what perhaps might be thought more remarkable in that House, unbought-representing such a constituency, he had thought it right to give a notice respecting the Poor-law, the result of which had been a paragraph in The Times newspaper, an article to which he solicited the attention of the Members of that House, as an attempt to frighten, ay, to bully a Member out of the execution of his duty upon that question. He had thought it right to give notice of a motion to the effect, that the powers exercised by Order [24th August] read, as follow-the Poor-law Commissioners should be nature of it. "I have the honour respectfully to request, that you will be pleased to communicate my election to serve for the county of Cork in the present Parliament, so soon as the rules of the House will permit that communication to be made, in order to allow a new writ to issue for the County of Meath. "I have the honour to be, Sir, "To the Speaker, &c., &c. &c." eth : "Ordered-That all Members who are re turned for two or more places in any part of the United Kingdom, do make their election for which of the places they will serve, within one week from and after the expiration of the transferred to the Secretary of State, and for having done so, he was visited with virulent abuse-described as a person only honourable by being a Member of that House. He had been long before the world in public life, and he would defy |