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PARLIAMENT.
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HISTOBY OP THB WEEK. The adverse vote of...
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The Foreign Journals Are Filled With The...
having their allowance of talk . They have completed the fundamental laws for Germany , and defined the bounds of civil and religious liberty , — the latter embracing full liberty of faith and conscience , no religious disabilities , no State church , nor need for new sects of recognition by the State If any gain may accrue from Erfurt , it will consist in this quasi-proclamation of free principles , which will not be forgotten by the people .
To add to the complication of affaiis in Prussia , symptoms of recusancy are shown by the clergy , who refuse to swear unreservedly to the constitution . How Prussia should see her way out of the general entanglement , might be a grave question , if confusion were not the very policy of the Cabinet . To bewilder , to mislead , to prevent action , to hinder everything but retrogression , is everywhere , whether at Frankfort , or Erfurt , in Posen , Germany , or Denmark , the very aim to which Prussian diplomacy is bent . So the Danish question remains unsettled . Greece , too , is no nearer to an arrangement . Nay , it is said , further off than ever . The
Bosnian insurrection continues , —a fight of the upper classes against reforms proposed by the Porte . The unconquered Circassians are remustering their forces for the Holy War against Russia . The Powers are threatening , if the Swiss Government will not find Mazzini , to come in and look for him themselves . Disquietude , dread , and anarchy : such are the prevalent symptoms of the state of Europe . If in the midst of this disorder , trade seems partially revived , it is , perhaps , because even disorder has become regular , a thing of course ; and so men go about less nervously , even as those who are accustomed to live in the neighbourhood of a volcano . Some day comes the eruption .
98 &!>£ &$*%Tt+ [Saturday ,
98 &!> £ & $ * % tt + [ Saturday ,
Parliament.
PARLIAMENT .
Histoby Op Thb Week. The Adverse Vote Of...
HISTOBY OP THB WEEK . The adverse vote of the House of Commons on the Stamp Duties Bill has caused the Chancellor of the Exchequer to modify his measure , in the hope of getting it passed in such a form as will prevent the revenue from suffering . On Monday evening , Sir Charlbs Wood stated that if the actual rule of the House were carried out , reducing the duties on all deeds not exceeding 50 / ., to Is . instead of 2 s . Gd . as he had proposed , the loss to the revenue would be so great that he should be obliged to abandon the bill altogether . With a view therefore , to make up for this loss , he proposed a new scale of duties , which would be the same as the one adopted by the House last week—Is . on all deeds under 501 . ; and then , instead of proceeding at the same rate of 2 s . per cent , on all Hums above 501 ., to rise by Is . 6 d . on every 251 . up to deeds of 200 / . value , on which the duty would consequently be 10 * ., and to carry it uniformly up from that amount to 100 , 000 / . at one fourth per cent , or 5 s . per 100 / . He also proposed to adopt a limit , confining the maximum duty to that which was payable on borrowing 100 , 000 / ., namely , 250 / . The following table will show the difference between Sir Charles Wood's scheme and the one adopted by the House : — Amount The new Scale The Scale of proposed adopted Bond . by 8 ir C . Wood . by the House . £ £ s . d . £ s . 00 0 10 0 I 7 : » 0 2 6 0 2 KM ) 0 4 0 0 2 125 0 5 0 0 3 1 D 0 0 7 0 0 . ' } 175 0 8 « 0 4 200 0 10 0 0 4 500 1 . > 0 0 10 1 , 000 2 10 0 I 0 * r > , ooo la 10 o 5 o W 10000 25 0 0 10 0 r ao . ooo oo o o 20 o R 0 . 000 125 0 0 SO 0 100 , 000 250 0 0 100 0 And the samo And so on , in amount for all higher proportion to values . tho values . The House having gone into committee on the Australian Colonies Government Hill , some discus sion took place respecting one or two clauses . On the subject of waste lands , Lord John Russell explained that tho present bill would leave matters precisely as they are at present . Mr . Roehuck insisted upon tho propriety of defining more distinctly tho amount of land belonging to the colonies . They ought to draw a line between Victoria and New South Wales , or they would have these colonies quar roll ing . Ho would give thorn full control over the lands within tho defined area ; but all lands out-Bide these , until they got their General Assembly , should bo considered as tho appanage of the Crown . -fcrvmArt ^ tfci ' J ^* T ^ 4 ? tno u £ t ) ti very great mistakes t ^^«^ hwTab * nEnKmitte ( l in giving Canada tho control of y ' ~ Z ^ j k ^ . 1 llMerQri } WTVthnd » . Our policy has been just the re-/ . ^/ T ^ -v ^ jtVftr ^ hHt ^ 'hicli tho Unito V / . n - ^ . 7 Iwk : ia wtytt >/ iW . !; cs our colonies so burdensome to t I •/ . it Si ? , } f & SP > i i ' ] ' \ v ^ i ^ i ^ l \ M ( I V ll'I
us . Sir James Graham thought Mr . Roebuck ' s suggestion a very excellent one . It would be the certain means of preventing much confusion and angry discussion . After some remarks from various members , the subject was left over for further
discus-. The provision for the establishment of four State Churches in the Australian colonies naturally provoked some discussion . At present certain sums are appropriated to the maintenance of the Church of England , the Roman Catholic , the Presbyterian , and the Wesleyan Churches . These sums the bill proposes to leave undisturbed ; but , if the colonies should wish to alter the present disposition of those sums , they cannot do so without her Majesty's consent . Mr . Charles Lushingtokt strongly opposed the clause relating to religious worship . This was the very question on which the colonists would ieel most strongly inclined to resent interference . He moved the omission of the clause . Mr . Labouchere
held that encouragement to religious communities is a great benefit ; he should , therefore , much regret any resolution which would disturb the harmony at present existing . Mr . Bright thought the best way to obtain harmony would be to take away all causes of discord , and the wisest step for that purpose would be to follow the example of the United States . What necessity can there be for Parliament to provide for the religious teaching of the Australian colonies , when the United States leaves its new colonies , which are continually growing up , to manage that matter for themselves ? The House having divided , the amendment was negatived by 203 to 54 . The Chairman then reported progress .
Mr . James Hey wood brought forward his annual motion , on Tuesday evening , for an address to the Crown , praying that her Majesty would issue a committee of inquiry into the state of the Universities and Colleges of Oxford , Cambridge , and Dublin , with a view to the adaptation of these institutions to the requirement of modern times . The reforms which he was anxious to see effected were , the adoption of a more liberal system of admission to the universities , a less exclusive management of the university libraries , a fairer distribution of rewards of
scientific and literary merit , the liberty of tutors to marry , the removal of obstacles to the registration of electors , the placing of additional checks on the extravagance of students , and a change in the tenure of college property , especially in Ireland . As a specimen of the bigotry which still exists in Trinity College , Dublin , he mentioned that a person was employed , at a salary of £ 50 a year , to perform the odious office of pointing out those who *« avoided . ' As for the matriculation test , he never saw a greater farce in his life than the signature of the Thirty - nine Articles at Oxford . It was the duty of
Parliament to put an end to this . Sir Robert Inglis denied the right of Parliament to interfere with the spiritual affairs of the universities in any respect ; and even with regard to secular matters the case ought to be very clear before Parliament interfered . Much was said about the careless manner in which the Thirty-nine Articles are subscribed ; but he had the authority of one college tutor for saying , that a large majority of those students whom he examined , previously to their subscribing the Articles , were as well prepared to answer him as many of those who were candidates for holy orders . A demand was made for a more liberal system of admission to the universities , which were accused of upholding a monopoly : —
" It was true that the state gave to the universities a monopoly of education , but how did the universities repay this boon ? Considering those universities as the great nurseries of the church , they repaid the boon by preparing , and passing as through a sieve , the young men who were candidates for holy orders ; and he should regret to see any measure adopted , which , by lowering the standard of general education , might throw into the church men less highly qualified for their important office than those who were at present its ministers . There had been no Prime Minister of this country during the last century , with the exception of the noble Lord
opposite ( Lord J . Itussell ) , who had not been a member and an ornament of one of the two universities . Among the statesmen educated at Oxford had been Lord Chatham , Mr . Fox , Lord North , Lord Sidmouth , Lord Qrenville , and Mr . Canning . A right honourable friend of his ( Sir It . Peel ) , who was not then present , had been tho first man who gained a double first-class honour in the University of Oxford . His right honourable friend and colleague ( Mr . Gladstone ) attained a similar honour ; as did also the First Lord of the Admiralty nnd the Chancellor of the Exchequer . One of the peculiar features of the English universities ,
and which distinguished them from the German and Scotch universities , was the requirement of residence , — he might almost say of domestication ; and he considered that any interruption of that system would be seriously injurious . The object of the universities was to afford a liberal and comprehensive education , which might fit men for discharging the various duties of life . The universities had fulfilled that duty with a grateful sense of the favours which had enabled them to perform itfavours which they owed not to Kin ^ . s and Parliaments , but to the piety and liberality of private benefactor ^; and it would bo to him a subject of the greatest icyret if hi . s noble friend ( Lord J . llussell ) gave his sanction to
this motion , which hazarded the continuance of a system that now for many centuries had contributed so largely to the reputation of England , to the advantage of social life , to the improvement of literature , and to the advancement of religion . " Mr . G . S . Fortescue supported the motion . There is a strong spirit of reform in the universities ' but it is shackled by obsolete systems , and it is the duty of the state to corne to its relief . Mr . Fagax pointed out the gross mismanagement of the revenues of Dublin University by the senior , and expressed a hope that , under the sanction of the Crown ,
Parliament would effect a thorough reformation in Trinity College . Colonel Thompson demurred to the doctrine laid down by Sir Robert Inglis , that Parliament has no right to interfere with the spiritual affairs of the universities . By the compact between the Church and the State it is provided that the doctrines of the Church shall be those held by the majority of the people . When the doctrines taught by the Church are found to differ widely from those held by the majority of the nation , then Parliament has a right to step in and say what shall be done with the revenues .
Lord Johjt Russel could not support the motion , combining , as it did , so many questions , and placing them in a form which made the motion a complete bill of indictment against the universities . Still he recognised the deficiencies of the system of education pursued at our universities , and he stated that it was the intention of Ministers to advise the Crown to issue a Royal Commission to inquire into the revenues and education of the two universities . Mr . Goulburit regretted the decision to which Ministers had come . The Royal Commission would be more than useless , —it would be positively
per-. Mr . Heywood deemed the announcement of so much importance , that he withdrew his motion . Mr . Roundel Palmer complained that the announcement of the intention to issue a commission was so sudden that they had not had time to consider it . He conceived that the commission -would be an illegal one . He moved the adjournment of the debate . Lord John Russell supported the adjournment . As to the legality of the Commission , he had no doubt on that head .
The House having divided on the question of adjournment , the numbers were—For it , 273 ; against it , 31 ; majority , 242 . Accordingly , the debate was adjourned . A discussion on the working of free trade occupied the House of Lords during the greater part of Tuesday evening . The Earl of Malmesuuey opened the debate by moving for" A return of the imports of wheat and wheat-flour , also of barley and oats , into the United Kingdom , in each week since the 1 st of January , 1850 , and of the average prices of each week ; and also for the return of the total amount imported within the same period , distinguishing the countries from which imported . "
He implored their lordships to look at the dangerous and deplorable condition of the agricultural interest . The most melancholy result of the free trade measures is the change which it has wrought in the feelings of the farmers . They arc now beginning to find fault with the British constitution , and to grumble at the pressure of taxation . They only got 38 s . for their wheat , instead of 58 * . ; and yet the " taxes they pay are as heavy as ever . " They now begin to say : — " Is it fair to ask us to pay the same amount of fixed salaries and annuities as we did before our property was
depreciated ; is it fair that we should pay the same amount of interest to the public creditors as before ? The Duke of Richmond hoperl the farmers would remain firm in their loyalty ; but it was impossible that they could continue to pay tho taxes . It was unfair to single out the agricultural interest as an object ot plunder , whilst the public creditor and all other classes were left in possession of their property . Nothing short of protection will do , unless the great bulk of the property and the taxation of the country are to be swept away . Unfortunately the right reverend Prelates have fixed incomes ; they cannot
be touched ; but the farmers complain bitterly that they are compelled to pay tithe composition on an average price of 5 Gs . per quarter . The Marquis ot Lansuowne declined entering upon a discussion ot the question which the Duke of Richmond nacj opened up . He thought the present depressed state of agriculture was an exceptional state of things , and did not furnish a fair ground tor calling upon the Legislature to review its free-trade policy . Lord Standby concluded , from what tne Marquis of Lansdowne had said , that prices were lower than the Government desired . If tho present
low prices of produce should prove not to be exceptional , but permanent , as he believed they wouiu , tho Government must admit that the expenmcni hnd failed , and must be expected to retrace their steps . Earl Giiey reminded Lord Stanley ol the answer with which that nobleman luid always met the complaints of the hand-loom weavers , that 1 « r « litimont could not determine the rate of wages , ino same answer would apply to those who came wwj complaints of the low prices of grain . Parliament
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 27, 1850, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_27041850/page/2/
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