character of an individual upon the last day of a session? There was no man who knew the lord president who did not admire and respect him, both in public and private. having quarrelled, a suit at law was instituted, but the judges were unanimously of opinion, that the proceedings should be dismissed with costs. On that occasion, the lord president Hope behaved in a grossly improper manner. The House would recollect that a few years ago an alteration took place in the set or constitution of the burgh of Montrose. Upon that occasion a noble friend of his brought forward a motion on the subject, when ministers defended the alteration, and the motion was lost. Let the House, however, observe the alteration which took place in so short a time. The lord president Hope, in delivering the opinion of the court, advised the magistrates that they should be cautious how they granted criminal warrants under the new charter, as their situation might not protect them from the consequences of a civil action. what must be the situation of the country if magistrates were to be deterred from doing their duty. Lord Binning said, he must protest against all that the hon. member had said respecting the court of session as being totally groundless; and he must add, that the hon. member had made but an ill use of his discretion in bringing this subject forward as he had done. He denied that the judges superseded the law by acts of sederunt; and with respect to desuetude, he understood it applied only to certain Scottish laws, and not to any British act of parliament. He had no doubt this petition would turn out to be one of that class of which they had already seen but too many. Lord A. Hamilton complained of the hardship of allowing the judges to declare which laws should be held in force, and which in desuetude. Mr. Hume said, that so wedded was the noble lord to the abuses which existed in Scotland that he believed,if theywere shown to be as black as ink, it would be impossible to induce the noble lord to remove them. He repeated, that the charges against the lord president Hope were true, and admitted of no justification. He had on one occasion ordered a person from the bar, declaring that acts of sederunt should supersede the law of the land. Lord Binning could not allow the imputations thrown out against his relation to pass unanswered. The hon. member might think that abuses existed in Scotland, and wish to reform them; but was it fair to make such an attack upon the Ordered to lie on the table. ous. STATE OF EDUCATION IN IRELAND.] Mr. Spring Rice, in rising to move for the 14th Report of the Commissioners on the State of Education in Ireland, said, that even in an economical point of view, the subject to which the Report referred was of some consequence, for since the Union no less than 1,200,000l. had been voted by parliament, for purposes connected with the education of the poor in the sister country. This vast sum had been expended upon three foundations, which were not only useless for the purposes for which they were intended, but mischiev The first of these foundations was the Protestant Charter Schools Foundations, for which 622,000l. had been voted since the Union; the next was the Foundling Hospital, on which nearly half a million had been spent; the third the establishment for the Discouragement of Vice. All these institutions connected the education of the people with an attempt at proselytism-at the educating of the children of Catholics in the Protestant religion. The result of this was, that not only did these attempts fail, but all other attempts at the education of the people were viewed with suspicion. In opposition also to the system which excluded Catholics from these schools, others were established, managed on a principle of exclusion towards the Catholics. The Report was drawn up by some of the ablest men Ireland had produced, and whose names would ever be connected with its politics and its literature. This year, the House had voted 100,000l. to the three establishments he had mentioned. He did not find fault with the liberality of the House towards Ireland, but he hoped hereafter that this liberality would be shown in acting on the wise suggestions of their own commissioners. Mr. Brougham said, he entirely concurred with his hon. friend, as to the soundness of the principles laid down by the commissioners. Nothing could be more sound in the present state of Ireland, than that any system of education attempted to be made general there, should avoid all suspicion of an intention of prosclytism. The state of the Established He trary to equity, to liberality, and to the interests of the establishment itself. On the other hand, let the dissenters look to the plan as it now was, and they would consider that even if there was no modification in the bill, a very great sacrifice would be made by the church to the peculiar principles of the dissenters. thought, however, he could see how to modify the bill in parts not very material in themselves, but which the dissenters attached great importance to. He had the warmest attachment to the dissenters as the true friends of education; and it was in this character that he besought them to reflect what principle this bill gave up-that which was indisputed between them and the church, in the bible society and in the Bell and Lancaster schools. The question as to these schools was, whether they should be conducted on such principles that the dissenters and churchmen could equally take the benefit of them? The churchmen said that the catechism, the liturgy, and a compulsory creed should be taught in these schools. The dissenters said that it was much better that no liturgy, catechism, or com Church and the Catholics, in Ireland, was somewhat different from that of the Dissenters and the Church in this country; for whereas the Roman Catholics founded schools from which they excluded members of the Church, the Dissenters in England founded schools which were open to churchmen as well as to those who dissented from the Church. This led him to the statement of the reasons which had induced him to put off his Education bill for the present session. His absence from town in the early part of the session, which had caused a delay, which he then regretted, in bringing forward the bill, gave time for a controversy which, had very widely diffused the principles of the bill. He had attended to the arguments of the various adversaries of the bill, and he should have had great pleasure if he could have found any line that would have reconciled all their contending objections. The Dissenters thought that the plan was too much connected with the Church, and that too much of the exclusive doctrine of the church would be propagated under it. Among a number of the churchmen an opposite fear prevailed. Between those diametrically opposite opinions it was ex-pulsory creed should be taught, but that tremely difficult to steer an even course. all sects of christians should be on an But this difference of opinion itself show- equality in these schools. Now this the ed the necessity of meeting liberality on bill sanctioned. One circumstance he one side by concessions on the other. hoped both parties would attend to,—that The controversy, (with a very few ex- it was only by concessions that this great ceptions), was carried on by persons sin- national object could be attained, and cerely anxious to promote the educa- that if each was determined to give up tion of all classes of the people. To nothing because it was a concession to men in this frame of mind, only a little their adversaries, the conclusion to which farther discussion was necessary in order they must come was, that no national that some matters might be explained. provision could be made for the education It was for the purpose of affording this of the poor.-And this brought him to opportunity that he had postponed the the last objection which he had to men.. farther consideration of the bill. In tion; viz. that no such provision at all postponing it he would only remind both was necessary. This was the least foundparties how great the concession was that ed of all the objections to the bill; for each expected from the other. Those though there might be some doubt as to who thought the bill opened the door the mode in which the provision should too widely to the dissenter, expected the be made, the want of such a provision dissenter to support by means of the tax a had been clearly established. The parosystem of education from the benefit of chial returns were said by those who which his children were excluded. If the raised this objection to be so incorrect regulations of the schools were such that that they could not be relied upon. His it was made, if not impossible, seriously answer to this was very short;-he would unpleasant for the dissenter, the hardship put off the discussion of the bill for one seawould be the same. The object of the son, and if they then found them incorrect, churchman was to maintain the necessary he must resort to other materials to prove connection between the school system of the necessity of a provision for education.: the country and the established church; The proofs of the necessity of a provision but beyond what was necessary, not one for education did not rest on parts of the step could be taken which was not con- return which were doubtful, nor on the disputable number of schools or scholars, but on the personal observations of the clergymen. In 220 out of the 800 parishes of Wales, the observations of the clergymen uniformly were, that these parishes were wholly destitute of the means of education, and that the people were extremely desirous to possess them. But as a delay was to take place, he would point out a way in which the correctness of the returns could be ascertained. Besides the general digest there were several parts of the digest, containing each a county, which remained for distribution. If any person would send to him for the returns of the counties in which he resided, he would take care that a copy should be supplied. He trusted this notice would have the effect of inducing people to investigate these returns, that the accuracy or inaccuracy of them might be ascertained. He entreated the conflicting parties to meet in the spirit of concession with mutual amity and good will. He would give his mite of concession, and if there was any part of the measure which could be shown to be inefficient or dangerous; or even if the whole should be shown to be of that description, he was not so far wedded to it, in preference to religious toleration and the cause of education, that he would not willingly abandon it. He had turned his attention to every thing that had been said and written on the subject, but he saw no reason to depart from the principle of the bill. ; Mr. Bright contended, that the Education bill was an attack upon religious liberty, and he hoped it would be manfully resisted by those who were interested. The dissenters were to be taxed for the support of schools, the teachers of which were to be chosen by the established clergy, and who would teach in a manner which would be agreeable to that clergy. The accuracy of the returns in the digest had been disputed, and with reason; for the Sunday schools were almost entirely overlooked. He should oppose the measure, as its tendency and effect would obviously be, to throw the whole education of the country into the hands of the established church, to the exclusion and injury of the dissenting in terests. Mr. Brougham said, his hon. friend had no right to assume that there existed on the part of the advocates of the measure the least disposition to do any thing in the slightest degree offensive to any one class or description of religious sects. The report was agreed to by gentlemen who were as strenuous supporters of religious liberty, and as warm friends of the dissenting interests, many of them being themselves dissenters, as persons in or out of that House could possibly be. The motion was agreed to. CORONATION OF THE QUEEN.] On the motion, that the House do adjourn, Mr. Hume said, he conceived it to be most important that the country should understand, before the prorogation of parliament, how her majesty was to be placed at the ensuing coronation, and that every precaution should be taken that was calculated to prevent the peace of the capital from being disturbed upon that occasion. If any of his majesty's ministers had been in the House, he should have felt it his duty to have gone at greater length into this subject than he then felt inclined to do: but being one of those individuals whom a noble marquis on a former night had accused of having by their exertions risked the peace of the country, he could not allow himself to be placed in such a situation again as would compel him to have recourse to similar proceedings, without protesting most loudly against it. From the nature of the court to which her majesty's claims had been submitted, he could not draw any favourable augury as to their decision; though he was convinced that her lawyers had made out as clear a right for her coronation as existed at present for the king's. Taking for granted, then, that the decision of that court would be against the existence of the claim, the point which he wished to ascertain was this-whether ministers intended to persevere in their system of insulting, persecuting, and oppressing the Queen upon all occasions, or whether they intended to assign her a place among the other members of the royal family at the ensuing coronation. That her majesty would attend in person at that ceremonial, he entertained not the slightest doubt. From what he knew of her spirit and resolution, he was convinced that she would be present at it, if not as a part of it, at least to prevent the rights of future queens-consort from being compromised and degraded in her person. It was upon that account that he now gave notice, that he should to-morrow submit to the House a motion on the subject. Mr. Butterworth lamented the introduction of such a subject at a time when no minister was in the House to notice it. He trusted that her majesty would not be so ill-advised as to pursue the plan which the hon. gentleman had chalked out for her. She had already had ill-advisers enough about her; and he trusted, for the sake of the little credit and popularity which she still had left her, she would not interfere in the manner alluded to. thought that nothing could so effectually quiet it as the participation by the Queen in the august ceremony which was about to take place. It was not without deep regret, though certainly without surprise, that he had heard of the decision of the privy council respecting her majesty's claim to be crowned. That claim, he thought, had been clearly established by her majesty's counsel; but it appeared that the privy council were of a different opinion, and they had so decided. He Mr. Alderman Wood should not have did not mean to impugn this decision, but risen, if it had not been for the extraor- his own opinion was, that her majesty had dinary expression which had escaped from as good a right to be crowned as the king, the hon. gentlemen, as to the little credit The House, from respect to the royal faand popularity which her majesty retained. mily, were called upon to prevent, if posHe was surprised the hon. member had sible, her majesty from being insulted and dared to make such an assertion, when he degraded. She was now placed in a situamust have known that ninety-nine out of tion in which no queen-consort of this every hundred of his own constituents were country had ever been placed before. strongly biassed in favour of her majesty. She was the cousin, as well as the wife, of So far from her majesty's popularity being the sovereign; and she was, independently upon the wane, it had even increased of her character as Queen, a member of since the conclusion of the infamous in- the house of Brunswick. So anxious was vestigation into her conduct. Her ma- he for the preservation of the public peace, jesty, he was sure, would not be dictated that he would willingly wave all question to by any person, as to the course which of her majesty's right to be crowned, and she ought to pursue. He had, however, no receive it as a matter of grace and favour hesitation in saying, that it was the decided of the king. If his majesty should be adintention of the Queen to attend the coro-vised to grant this, he was satisfied that it nation, notwithstanding any thing that had would be received with joy and gratitude occurred, or that might occur, before a throughout the country. The hon. memparticular tribunal. ber concluded by moving, "That an Mr. Butterworth conceived that no-humble Address be presented to his Mathing could be more ill-advised than her majesty's intention of disturbing the coronation. Mr. Hume said, that if the hon. gentleman intended his observations to apply to him, he could only inform him that he never had the honour, and most probably never should of being one of her majesty's advisers. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Wednesday, July 11. CORONATION OF THE QUEEN.] Shortly after the Speaker had taken the chair, Mr. Hume rose to submit the motion of which he had given notice yesterday. He began by saying, that we were now within eight days of the coronation, and as yet it was not known in what situation her majesty was to be placed, with regard to that ceremony. Surely ministers would not renew the agitation of the public mind by the exclusion of her majesty; for he jesty, praying that he will be graciously pleased to issue his royal proclamation for the coronation of her Majesty; thereby consulting the true dignity of the Crown, the tranquillity of the metropolis, and the general expectations of the people." The hon. member had but just commenced the reading of his resolution, when the Deputy Usher of the black rod was heard knocking at the door, and as he was concluding it, he was called to order by the Speaker, who reminded him of the presence of that officer. Mr. Hume immediately took his seat, and the deputy usher informed the House, that his majesty's commissioners for giving the royal assent to several bills, and slso for the prorogation of this parliament, attended in the House of Peers, whither the attendance of the Speaker was required. The Speaker, accompanied by most of the members present, immediately repaired to the House of Peers. "Although the public expenditure has already undergone considerable reduction within the present year, his Majesty trusts he shall be enabled by the continuance of peace, and of internal tranquillity, to make such further reductions as may satisfy the just expectations expressed by Parliament. "His Majesty has commanded us to assure you of the gratification which he has derived from the provision which you have made for his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence. "My Lords, and Gentlemen; "It is with the greatest satisfaction that his Majesty has observed the quiet and good order which continue to prevail in those parts of the country which were not long since in a state of agitation. "His Majesty deeply laments the distress to which the agricultural interests, in many parts of the kingdom, are still sub "He has observed, with particular pleasure, the facility with which the restora-ject. tion of a Metallic Currency has been effected, by the authority given to the Bank of England to commence its payments in cash at an earlier period than had been determined by the last Parlia ment. "It will be his Majesty's most anxious desire, by a strict attention to public economy, to do all that depends upon him for the relief of the country from its present difficulties; but you cannot fail to be sensible that the success of all efforts for this purpose will mainly depend upon the continuance of domestic tranquillity; and his Majesty confidently relies on your utmost exertions, in your several counties, in enforcing obedience to "Gentlemen of the House of Com- the laws, and in promoting harmony and concord amongst all descriptions of his Majesty's subjects." "His Majesty has commanded us to acquaint you, that he continues to receive from foreign powers the strongest assurances of their friendly disposition towards this country. mons; "We are commanded by his Majesty to return you his thanks for the provision which you have made for the public service. After which a Commission was read, for proroguing the Parliament until the 20th of September. |