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    242 tKte %tdi%tX. [Saturday,

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    Across the Atlantic come tidings which r...

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    PARtiAMJENT. The motion for going into c...

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    The Government Bill For The Disfranchise...

    vemxnent promises to introduce . New penalties against the press , and refusal of passports to workmen seeking employment ( doubtless with a view to swell the number of resident electors)—these are beginnings ; but the Moderate party will not stdjj there . Why should they , in the preterit submissive temper of France ? The telegraph continues to report that all is tranquil , spite of discoveries by the Times' correspondent of Socialist conspiracies ( the conspirators some thousands strong ) , of stores of ammunition , hidden in the very gutters ; the conspirators close by , waiting with the utmost complaisance , bullet-mould in hand , for the police to capture them .

    Notwithstanding the ** tranquillity , " however , the Government does not remit its precautions . The Hotel de Ville is to become a detached fortress , the removal of some five hundred of the surrounding houses being ordered . In Piedmont , the Archbishop does penance for his contumacy , " regretting" that his sentence is so light . He had " hopes" for a longer martyrdom as " a happy coincidence ' * with some other martyr . The early ages are returning . At Rome , disappointed of any hope of reform , the pious console themselves by flocking to a miraculous picture

    of the Virgin , whose eyelids most undoubtedly move continually , winking at her worshippers , to the infinite confusion of the " satellites of Mazzini and Protestantism . " Less miraculously , and with constancy exceeding an archbishop ' s , the people of Italy cherish the memories of their recent glorious struggle , commemorating its events even in the teeth of the foreigner : while the Grand Puke of Tuscany escapes to Vienna , funeral services are celebrated in Florence and throughout the Tuscan territory , for the unfortunate battles of La Giovine Italia .

    While the clergy at Rome resort to exploded mummeries , Mahometanism gives signs of advancing toleration ; the Sultan even venturing , in defiance of the strict letter of the law , to send pictures to his faithful Viceroy in Egypt . The Princes are congregating at Warsaw , where the Czar has gone to pronounce the fate of Europe . The new organization of Hungary , the Danish quarrel , the dynastic differences between Prussia and Austria , the complicated question of German unity , possibly the establishment of order in France—these are the

    matters submitted to the Czar . Of course Lord Palmerston can have no objection . And our noninterventionists will be glad any way to see a return to " order" : the price is of little consequence . Arming and fortifying , marching and countermarching , continue in Prussia , Saxony , and Austria . And the differences between those powers assume a show of dynastic earnestness . The Frankfort Diet defers its proceedings till the

    good pleasure of Nicholas can be known , promising , however , to put down the German press . Prussia undertakes her share in the repression . Still there are symptoms that the German hope is not all dead . The Saxon Chamber objects to the King ' s policy , and is dismissed in consequence . The Wurtemberg Assembly refuses to tamper with the " Constitution , "—talks even of the rights of the people . In Bohemia the new Hussite movement increases rapidly .

    242 Tkte %Tdi%Tx. [Saturday,

    242 tKte % tdi % tX . [ Saturday ,

    Across The Atlantic Come Tidings Which R...

    Across the Atlantic come tidings which recall the old Scandinavian reivers , or the later English buccaneers . The sea-kings' restless spirit still lives in their descendants , manifesting itself in a fashion somewhat strange to our shopkeeping decorums , but less out of harmony with the morality of the States . Fifteen thousand adventurers have left the American shores to rendezvous at Cuba , to wrest the " Queen of the Antilles " from the grasp of Spain . The expedition is not without its chances of success . So there may be another

    annexation , though this time achieved by private energies ; the United States Government repudiating any breach of treaties , and sending its fleet to intercept the invaders . Their arrangements , however , have been so well conducted that the " Liberators of Culm" have a fair start ; and , once landed , America will not interfere . There is little else of importance in the Transatlantic news . Some of our West India islands are suffering severely from drought . The Nicaragua tr aty has been confirmed by the Senate at Washington . 'J he slavery compromise is not yet effected .

    The Indian papers hring some details of the late disaster at Oiule . The Afreedees arc disposed to peace . Dost Mohammed is trying to provoke us . The Supremo Government is at last , turning its attention to educational and postal reforms , both long required .

    Partiamjent. The Motion For Going Into C...

    PARtiAMJENT . The motion for going into committee on the Metropolitan Interments Bill in the House of Commons , on Monday evening , met with considerable opposition . Mr . Lac * thought the bill was so impracticable , so unjust to many parties , involved so large a waste oi money ( ho less than £ 700 , 000 would be required in seventeen years , and then more would be wanted , while Parliament was too apathetic to make the proper amendments in it ) , that the best course would be to refer it to a select committee . He accordingly

    moved an amendment to that effect . The amendment was seconded by Lord Dudley Stuart , who contended that the great object of the Government measure was to extend the principle of centralization , so much in fashion in these days . The bill was altogether a gross interference with the principle of Free-trade , inasmuch as it proposed to fix the price of funerals . The argument for doing so was , that the charges of undertakers were frequently extortionate , but might this not be said with equal truth , of the charges of tailors and shoemakers ? most of the

    The amendment was supported by metropolitan Members , chiefly on account of the centralizing character of the bill . Sir Geokge Grey , lord John Hu .-sell , and Lord Robert Gkosvenor opposed the amendment . Sir Robert Peel contended that the question of centralization was too important to be left to a select committee . The decision as to whether the corporation of London misused their powers , or whether these powers should be taken into the hands of Government , was a question which ought to be decided by a committee of the whole House . If the bill were to go to a select committee it would be one of the most extraordinary cases of extra-mural interment that had ever occurred .

    Mr . W yld , amidst the loud impatience of the House , expressed his dissatisfaction with the measure and with the principle of centralization . The House becuine perfectly uproarious , and Mr . Wyld was compelled to sit down , having previously moved the adjournment of the debate . Mr . Bright complained of the unseemly disturbance , and declared that several membeis of the Government were leading the uproar . He trusted Lord John Russell would take his subordinates to task and rebuke them severely for their conduct , a suggestion which was received with extreme hilarity . Sir De Lacy Evans provoked repetition of the laughter , b y saying that supporters of Government had justly incurred the rebuke which Mr . Bright had administered to them .

    Lord John Russell did not think that the remedy pioposcd by the Member for Manchester would have any effect in putting down disorder , nor did he believe that more than one or two Members belonging to the Government had taken part in the disturbance . It did not appear to him that the noise had been greater than usual . What the secret cause of such an interruption might be he would not pretend to say ; but it did happen that whenever any division was expected , whatever the question , between seven , half past seven , or eight o ' clock , there certainly was gve .-it impatience manifested by the House . He advised Mr . Wyld to withdraw his motion for adjournment , and finish his speech , confining himself to the question .

    Mr . Wvli > did proceed with less interruption , and finished by withdrawing his amendment . The House having divided on Mr . Lacy ' s amendment the numbers

    were—For the amendment , 57—Against it , 159 Majority 102 . The original motion was then agreed to , and the House went into committee , on the bill , the first clause of which was aarced to . The second clause was warmly opposed by Mr . Duncombe who moved an amendment , the effect of which was to divest the Board of Health of the power proposed to be given by the bill , and to vest that power in the metropolitan parishes . The- discussion of this amendment occupied a considerable time . In the course of the debate , . .

    Lord Ashley bore testimony to the fact of the parishes heing utterly unfit to be trusted with the control of the interments , founding his opinions upon the experience ho had had of their sluggishness , obstinacy , neglect , or downright resistance , when measures of sanitary reform wore to be prosecuted . The Committee having divided on the clause , the numbers were—For the original clause , 81—For the amendment , 51 Majority agaiust Mr . Duncombe , 3 J Some discussion took place on several other points , but the first seventeen clauses were carried without alteration ; uftcr which the committee reported progross .

    The Bishop of Loxdon moved the second reading of the Church Doctrine Bill , on Monday evening , in a long and elaborate speech , in which he endeavoured to show the unfitness of the Judicial Committee of Privy Council to discharge the duties assigned to it . lie objected to the tribunal on the ground that its members were , as a body , incompetent judges on spiritual subjects . It wns hardly to be expected that the judges should also be versed in points of divinity .

    He had indeed the pleasure of being acquainted with some learned judges who were deeply read in theology , but that was not to be expected as a general rule . The leading feature in the proposed measure was that the decision of spiritual cases should be left , not merely to ecclesiastical judges , but to spiritual judges . This principle was admitted from the earliest times . In the Saxon era , the bishop and the aldermen sat together , the opinion of the one prevailing in spiritual as

    that of the other in temporal matters . In reply to the objection that the new legislative body would have the power to frame new doctrines , his answer was that it would have no more power in that respect than the present tribunal had . Nor was it proposed to displace the noble and learned members of the Privy Council from the places which they now occupied . As judg-s of the facts all he proposed doing was to take from them the right of being also judges of the doctrines : —

    " It now rested with their lordships to decide a question of extreme importance , upon which was to rest , at least for some considerable time to come , the final decision of the great point whether any particular doctrine alleged to be in contravention with the teachings of the Church of England was heretical or not . He would leave them to say who were best qualified to give a decision on a point of doctrine—laymen , whose thoughts had never been turned that way , and whose studies from their youth had been in a different direction , or the assembled episcopacy of England , who may be reasonably supposed to have been trained from their earliest years ious and ecclesiastical

    to the investigation of relig questions , more particularly those relating to the doctrines of the church , who were accustomed to deal with such questions as matters of every-day occurrence , brought constai . tly before them in the communications made to them by clergymen , who had looked on the question in every possible aspect , and who must therefore be qualified to form an impartial and cortect judgment upon such points referred to them . ( Hear , hear . ) But he would not rest the case on the point of ability and fitness alone . He rested it still more confidently on the interior indefeasible right of the church to determine and decide on points of Christian doctrine by means of her own ministers and

    pastors , as expressly delegated to her by her Divine Head in the words of apostolic commission . ( Hear . ) On the right of the bishops of the Church of England to determine finally all questions of doctrine that might come before them . \ The right reverend prelate here became much affected , and paused for some moments , amid loud cheers J He now commended this question to their lordships' earnest and serious consideration . He trusted that they would devote somewhat more than their usual zeal and care to the consideration of this subject , and he left it in their hands , with an earnest and devout wish that He who has committed to His clnnch the sacred dpposit of His truth may guide them to aright conclusion . " ( Cheers . )

    The Marquis of Lansdowne thought the present time was peculiarly unfit for legislating upon this question , when the public mind was in such a state of ferment owing to the decision of the Judicial Committee and the agitation arising oat of it . Ho could not give his assent to the further progress of the bill , which struck a blow at her Majesty ' s prerogative , which deprived the Privy Council , and , consequently , her Majesty , from exercising any interference in the Government of the Church . This was a power which had always been exercised , and which had been acknowledged by the Church as one of the most essential prerogatives of the Crown . Both before and since the Reformation , the Crown , had exercised the power of hearing causes in ecclesiastical matters , and pronouncing upon them through

    persons it had thought fit to employ . He agreed with the Bishop of London that , where the question to be decided was simply one of doctrine , the tribunal ought to be composed of spiritual persons , and of spiritual persons only . But wo had to deal with , questions of fact—with articles that were facts , with homilies that were facts , with rules that were facts ; and were not to begin an investigation after tho Church had existed for centuries , for the purpose of discovering whether new doctrines ought to bo adopted and old doctrines discarded . Besides , although he was not in favour of reviving convocations , believing as he did that such a step would be fatal to the peace of the Church , yet if he were to advise such a measure , he would not exclude from it

    all the inferior clergy who had the misfortune not be bishops . The object of the bill , they were told , was to produce peace and concord . " But were they so certain that when they had got rid of this tribunal , composed of a limited number of persons , and substituted for it one consisting of a much larger number , bringing preconceived opinions , he would not call them prejudices , to the task of adjudication—when the scattered winds of doctrine , which unfortunately abounded at this moment in this country , were forcibly elled and driven within the inclosure of the sacred

    comp college—were they so certain that immediately a state oi harmony and concord would ensue ( Laughter ) ? lie very much doubted whether this would be the result with the public out of doors , and even whether in the precincts ot the tribunal itself perfect calmness would ensue . Ana if unfortunately—for the right reverend prelate s bill provided for that—it should become notorious that there was only a majority , and a bare majority , of the bishops who took this view of doctrine , whilst a minority , and a minority including , perhaps , the two archbishops ( Hear ' hear , hear , ) and the persons whom the public considered

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 8, 1850, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_08061850/page/2/