406 eternal hostility to which, he said he upon the records of Parliament, his would swear his children, and the sup-reprobation of the Septennial Bill, the porting of which, he said, would cause repeal of which he, in his petition, of every supporter's children to follow him 1793, stated amongst the great objects of with curses to the grave. a reform of the House of Commons. Oh, God! one loses one's breath in attempting to utter these things! to me. If Now, was it too much to require a few days to deliberate before we gave our assent to put additional powers Let any one point out, then, if he into the hands of such men? I put can, any ground for the giving “ addithis question to the justice of my read-tional powers" in Ireland, which will ers: I ask them, how they would like not apply equally well for giving to have such measures adopted with" additional powers" in England, the regard to themselves? And now I have moment a petition is heard of for the to tell then, that there is just as good repeal of the Septennial Bill; and such ground for "additional powers" in petitions will be carried to the House Here is another set of England, as there is for "additional very soon. powers" in Ireland; and while I make" repealers ;" and therefore we must this assertion good, I beg their attention have another "Additional-power Bill," proposed, too, to those, a very large What are the repealers asking for? portion of whom are positively pledged Why, the repeal of an act of Parlia- to vote for such repeal! This is enough ment, which they allege to be in- for the present upon the subject of Irejurious to Ireland. And what are the land; and, it may reconcile those who people of England asking for, what are "tired of the talk about Ireland," is the city of LONDON asking for? to think a little more of the matter. Why, amongst other things, for Athe wearisomness arose out of the REPEAL OF THE SEPTENNIAL question of " the imports and exports," BILL, which is a hundred and seven- let it be recollected, that that matter teen years old, while the Act of Union was not stirred by those who opposed with Ireland is only thirty years old. the address; let it be recollected, that Upon what ground is there not a simi- it was stirred up by Mr. RICHARDS and larity between the two cases? The Mr. TANCRED, who brought it forward two cases are, in all respects, as nearly to prove that the union had been good parallel as possible. We all know how instead of being bad; and, in effect, to injurious the Septennial Bill has been justify the proposition for giving “adAll these arguments. to the whole kingdom; and shall we ditional powers." not listen to the Irish, while they state about "imports and exports," were anthe injuries which they say the Act of swered by my honourable and unanUnion has inflicted upon Ireland? Se-swerable colleague, Mr. FIELDEN. Let verely as the Act of Union was repro.. the public recollect this. Before I go bated by the present Lord Chancellor further, the address which I moved as of that country, the Septennial Bill was an amendment upon the address of the as severely reprobated by many mem- Ministers, I shall insert : bers of the then Parliament in England, "MOST GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN-We, who called it a daring usurpation of " your Majesty's dutiful and loyal subthe people's rights, who thereupon "jects, the Commons of the United quitted the House, and who never en- Kingdom of Great Britain and Iretered it again. Curious, and interest-" land, in Parliament assembled, exingly curious, also, while the person press to your Majesty our humble who is the chief of the Government in" thanks for your Majesty's most graIreland, reprobated the Act of Union in "cious speech from the throne. the manner that we have just seen, the "We thank your Majesty for the inperson (Lord GREY) who is at the head" formation which your Majesty has of the administration in England, has been graciously pleased to communigiven us in black and white, and placed "cate to us relative to those proceed 66 ings which your Majesty, in virtue of" most important matter will be so oryour constitutional and just preroga"dered and settled by our endeavours, "6 tive, has caused to be adopted with re "that peace and happiness, truth and gard to Portugal, Belgium, and Hol-"justice, religion and piety, may be "land: and, being perfectly assured" established amongst us for all gene"that every act of your Majesty with!" rations. 66 "regard to those countries will proceed "While we humbly present to your "from that anxious solicitude with " Majesty our most grateful thanks for your Majesty has constantly evinced" having been graciously pleased to to promote the interests of your duti-" assure us that your Majesty has di"ful people, and to maintain the ho-"rected the estimates for the service of 66 nour of the kingdom we give your "the ensuing year to be framed with Majesty our assurance, that we shall" the most anxious attention to economy; "receive with the greatest respect, "and while we assure your Majesty 66 66 "and shall bestow our best and most" that nothing shall be wanting on our "sedulous attention upon, those various" part to reward habits of industry and papers relating to the affairs of Hol-" promote good order amongst the la"land and Belgium, which your Ma-"bouring classes of the community, jesty has been graciously pleased to" our bounden duty to our constituents, "intimate that your Majesty has given" as well as to your Majesty, compels "directions to be laid before us. us to express to your Majesty our "We assure your Majesty, that, with" deep regret that your Majesty "regard to the charters of the Bank of" should not have been advised graEngland and the East India Company, ciously to suggest to us to con r 66 66 66 66 and we shall enter with care and diligence sider of the means of lightening the 66 on a revision of those establishments; numerous and heavy burdens which "and that the best of our endeavours" are a discouragement to that industry, "will be employed to arrive at such a "and which so cruelly oppress those "decision as shall be best calculated to meritorious and suffering classes; 66 secure real and solid public credit, as we assure your Majesty that we will, "well as to promote the general pros-" with all diligence and zeal, proceed perity and power of y our Majesty's "to an investigation of the causes which "kingdom. "have produced those burdens and "Well knowing, and most acutely" their consequent sufferings, and to 66 feeling, the sorrowful effects of the pre- "the adoption of measures which shall, "sent mode of maintaining the clergy "in our judgment, be calculated to pro"of the established church, both in "duce effectual and permanent relief. England and Ireland, we are pecu- "Most sincerely do we participate liarly grateful to your Majesty for" with your Majesty in that pain which 66 having suggested to us the making of" your Majesty's paternal solicitude for very great and extensive alterations" the welfare of your people has in"with regard to the temporalities of" duced your Majesty graciously to ex"that church; and it is with particular 66 press with regard to the disturbances "earnestness that we beg your Majesty "in Ireland; and we assure your Ma"to be assured, that we shall enter " jesty that we shall be ready, at all upon the task with all the patience, "times, to adopt any constitutional mea"all the diligence, and all the absence sures that may be necessary for con"of passion and of prejudice, which "trolling and punishing the disturbers "the interesting and momentous sub-" of the public peace, and for preserv "ject so imperiously demands; and that" ing and strengthening those ties which we confidently hope, that the result" connect the two countries in indisso"of our consultations will tend to the "luble bonds of loyalty to your Majesty, "good of the church, the safety, ho-" deeming, as we do, a separation of the nour, and welfare of your Majesty "two countries to be fraught with de "and your kingdom; and that this "struction to the peace, security, and 66 86 66 "welfare of your Majesty's dominions; my address? Here is not a word about and, convinced as we are that nothing England and Scotland; not a word “but unjust and cruel treatment of our about the sufferings of the people here, 'fellow-subjects in Ireland can ever in- whom the speech urges us to push on 66 duce any portion of them to desire to work harder than they now work: "such separation, we most solemnly not a word about the enormous burdens assure your Majesty that we will which the working people bear: nonever give our sanction to their being thing but about Ireland, and even here "treated with injustice and cruelty, and an admission that "additional powers" "that we will, with the smallest pos- may be found necessary. Next came "sible delay, proceed to the considera- Mr. THOMAS ATTWOOD with his amend"tion of means of redressing those ma"nifold grievances under which they "have so long been suffering, and which are, we are firmly convinced, the real cause of the present unhappy dis"turbances." ment, and with his reasons for voting against my address, which were not such as I could very clearly understand. His amendment was as follows: 66 66 "That that House pledged itself to adopt such measures for the improveThe division upon this address was ment of the agricultural and manuthree hundred and twenty-three to to" facturing population of the country, twenty-three. Of this twenty-three were as could alone promote good order JOHN FIELDEN and WILLIAM COBBETT," and happiness throughout the indusGEORGE KINLOсп, member for DUNDEE," trious classes of the community. And the rest were Irish gentlemen whose" that as soon as the House shall have names I have not been able to collect, adopted such measures as may appear but of whom Mr. O'CONNELL was one. "to be necessary to redress the wrongs Mr. FAITHFUL was unavoidably absent. "and relieve the distresses of Ireland, Now Mr. HUME voted against this" should such measures prove ineffectual amendment; and his reason was, that it" in putting down disturbance, and in was unnecessary, because it amounted restoring tranquillity, we shall be to the same thing in substance as the" ready to adopt such measures of saluamendment which had been moved by tary precaution as may be deemed Mr. TENNYSON. Let us see, then, 66 what advisable." was the amendment of Mr. TENNYSON. Here it is: "That if, under the circumstances << which may be disclosed to us, we "should be induced to trust his Majesty with additional powers, we shall "feel it our duty to accompany that acquiescence by a close and diligent investigation into the causes of discontent in Ireland, with a view to the application of prompt and effectual 66 remedies; and that although it is our duty to receive the petitions of the people of Ireland with regard to the There is no doubt but that a few Legislative Union between the two weeks will bring out all the parties and countries, and to leave ourselves free place them fairly before the people. In to consider that subject, yet we are the mean while this fight has produced ready to support his Majesty in main-immense benefit: the just and quicktaining that Union against all lawless sighted people will soon know how to attempts to defeat it, or to invade the appreciate the motives, as well as the peace, security, and welfare of his conduct, of the several actors. QuesMajesty's dominions." tions will soon come on that will put Is this the 66 the House to the test; and then every 66 66 66 66 ་་ man will be found in his proper place; | MINORITY ON MR. O'CONNELL'S Motion, his proper place will be known, and he will have assigned to him the station which he will have to hold in the estimation of the country. At present the House cannot be fairly judged of. A great many of the members are taken by surprise the want of room in the House, the monstrous inconvenience, even of sitting and of moving about: these have a great deal to do with the matter. These strangers will, by degrees, become better acquainted with the whole of the affair; and then they will give their opinion deliberately. When we begin to vote money; then we shall see who is for making the parliamentary reform effectual, and who is not. A proposition to take off a tax will be the real test; for, according to appearances; judging from the speech from the throne, and judging from the words of the Ministers, it really does appear to me that no tax of any description is intended to be taken off. With regard to the business now before the House, there is no occasion for any particular exertion. It will be next week before there will be any proposition for the granting of money; and as to the Irish church affair, it would be premature to discuss that until the bill be printed and in the hands of the members. In the meanwhile, however, I congratulate my readers that a chop has been given to the stem of this tree. It is a mere chop; but it is a beginning : it establishes the great principle for which I have always contended; namely, that the House of Commons and the other two branches of the legislature, have a right to do what they please with what is called church property, supposing the members of the House of Commons to be chosen by the free voice of the people. I insert here a list of the two first minorities; because I am very sure, that this whole struggle will become a memorable one. I should have observed, that Mr. ATTWOOD did not press his motion to a division, for which I was very sorry. on the 8. of February. For it 42, ENGLAND 6 MEMBERS. SCOTLAND 2 MEMBERS. IRELAND-32 MEMBERS. O'Brien. Cornelius, Clare County Roche, J. H., Longford County Tellers. O'Connell, D., Dublin City Minority on Mr, Tennyson's Motion,| 8. of February. Three hundred and ninety-five aguinst it; and sixty-two for it. ENGLAND. Attwood, Thomas, Birmingham Faithful, Geo., Brighthelmstone Kennedy, James, Tiverton Lloyd, J. H., Stockport O'Dwyer, A. C., Drogheda Sheil, R. L., Tipperary County Tennyson, C., Lambeth Before the next Register I will endeavour to ascertain the names of those Molesworth, Sir William, Bart., East who voted in the minority of twenty Cornwall Palmer, General, Bath Potter, Richard, Wigan Phillips, Mark, Manchester Roebuck, I. A., Bath Warburton, Henry, Bridport SCOTLAND. Kinloch, George, Dundee Wallace, Robert, Greenock IRELAND. Baldwin, Dr., Cork City Barron, Pierce, Waterford City three, and, as all bodies of constituents will have a clear ground for concluding that every member not found in the minority, voted in the majority, and is entitled to all the praise due to such voting, it will be quite sufficient for all useful purposes to publish lists of the minority. PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT. ADJOURNED DEBATE. Wednesday, 6. Feb. Mr. D. W. HARVEY said he must make a few observations on this important subject. He thought that something effective was expected from this new Parliament, and he hoped that there were men in it who were capable of distinguishing in a proper manner between well-turned periods and common sense. What was the question now before the House? Ministers had not stated to Parliament what were the plans they contemplated, when they suffered the constructions that had been put upon that part of his Majesty's speech which related to Ireland, and seemed to recognise by their silence, that it was in the contemplation of his Majesty's Government to declare Ireland out of the range of the constitution, and to ask the Parliament to declare war against that country, and to make that declaration on the confidence placed in them alone, and from no other proof of the necessity of adopting such a severe step. He believed they would find that that degree of confidence was not placed in |