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year I am charged 4 , 1 . What is the reason of that difference ? " " Oh , sir , " it will be replied , " the reason of that difference is that you remained attached to the Church , your neighbours have gone and freed themselves irom Church-rates , and therefore you must pay twice as much as you did last year , because you belong to the Established Church . " Lord John Kussell then pointed out that the " conscientious" opposition to Church-rates struck at the root of the Church Establishment . " What I wish the House to keep in view is this—that this is not a tax that is considered odious and oppressive in itself , so that " you take it away all persons professing to be dissenters will be satisfied , but that it is in their view part of a system which is in itself odious and objectionable ; and , therefore , by taking away this part of it , you will immediately produce not a uniform rate of peacetranquillityand contentment ,
, , but you immediately open the ground for some tresh attack upon some other part of the establishment which is considered opposed to rights and principles which ought to remain sacred . Well , it may be a wise policy or it may not be a wise policy to abandon these Church-rates ; but I do not think the general who has to defend a fortress is apt to say , ' I will abandon the outwork , and then the citadel will bo safe . ' That is not the wisest plan to follow . If we lay down the abstract principle that it is wrong to call upon a man to contribute for the spread of principles from which he disagrees , then none but Churchmen ought to bo called upon to pay tithe 3—none but Churchmen ought to be called upon in any way for the support of the Established Church ; and if that principle be conceded , it strikes at the root of the . Established Church throughout the whole of the United Kingdom . "
Mr . Bright wound up the debate . He taunted Lord John Russell with inconsistency on this question , derided the " obsolete" opinions of the University members ( " if this country had been governed upon the opinions prevalent in the Universities , it would have remained Roman C atholic in religion and Austrian in politics till this day" ) , pointed out that in Ireland good management of Church property had supplied the abolished Church cess , and instance d the gross names of the Church bishops , to show the surplusage of wealth that might replace the Church-rates here . Divisions were taken . Mr . Phillimore ' s motion was rejected by 207 to 185 , ( majority against , 22 ;) and Sir William Clay ' s by 220 to 172 , ( majority
against , 48 . ) EELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN INDIA . In a conversation in the House of Lords , on Thursday , the interference of our laws with the religious customs of the Hindoos , was discussed . Lord Monteagle presented a petition from 8400 Hindoos of Bengal , Berar , and Orissa . Lord EMiENBOROTJGH and Lord Git an vims also spoke . The possession of ancestral property among the Hindoos is conditional with the performance of certain religious duties , allotted according to the rank and caste of the proprietor . If the proprietor lose caste , through
immorality , through any other breach of religious observanees , or through a change of religion , by Hindoo law he forfeits the estate : one ground of the forfeiture being his incapacity to perform the religious trusts and duties attached to the inheritance . But , the British , seeing that , by this law , converts to Christianity suffered worldly " loss , enacted , in 1832 , that a Hindoo changing his religion should not lose his property . So few , however , are the converts to Christianity among the Hindoos , that the liiw remained unknown , and quite dormant , up to 1845 . At that time it was revised , : hk 1 provided that while the convert from the
Hindoo faith should retain possession of the estate , yet any claim on it of parties representing religious trusts , should 'be secured to them . This law was not carried into effect , through the want oi' co-operation by the East India Company . In 1850 another alteration took place : it secured to the convert all his possessions held as a Hindoo , anil abolished all claims rising from religions trusts ; thus enabling the convert , to gain , at the expense and injury of those faithful to the creed of their forefathers . This gain can be attained in many ways : the -acts which would cost the Hindoo loss of property can be committed by the convert without hindrance , lie 111 : 1 y neglect the expensive- observances of his old fuith , he can gel , rid of one or two of bis wives , as be
pleases , may commit gross immoralities , and oflences against decency , but , as 11 Christian , he is salt ! from the penalties which Hindoo law would attach to such offences . His Hindoo wife inny abhor him , because- he had changed his religion , but he could force her to give him his conjugal' rights ; arid , in keeping any number of wives , Mu ; accommodating Hrit ' iHli law sustains him , recognising his rights as : i husband over all . Lord ( iuANVii . i . K jtiHtilied our interference in this matter , by comparing it with our suppression of Suttee and infanticide ; but Lord Kixkniiokouoh pointed out that this was 11 direct interference with the Hindoo hiWH of inheritance , religion , and marriage -laws we luul , again and again , pledged ourselves to respect .
But Htill ho boliovod tlio operation of tho net . wuh not Tory pre judicial . Ho recollected riHking an nrchdotu'im , or clergyman , ho was not , mm * which , in India , whether , lnntutid of mimloyinjr Hindoo candle unuHbrti in tho Christian cuurchca in India , they could not employ iu the
performance of such duties Hindoos converted to Christianity . The answer which he received was that they had not got enough of them . While in Calcutta , he had the honour of being waited upon by an American missionary ; and upon asking him if they ever made any converts , he was-informed that they never did , except when they had some office to bestow upon them . This , too , in Calcutta , where it would have been thought that conversions would have been most numerous . Lord Ellenborough suggested , that the best plan would be to provide that when the Hindoo changed his religion , a portion of Iris ancestral property should be made over to some member of his family , who would perform the conditions belonging to such property .
THE SLAVE TRADE IN CUBA . In presenting a petition from a West Indian planter who had suffered la rge losse s through the abolition of the slave trade in the islands , Lord Brougham referred " with horror" to the late news that a vessel had landed a cargo of human beings on the island of Cuba . Some time ago when the Cuban expedition took place , ( that act which every one agreed in stigmatizing as piracy of the worst description ) the United States Government had done its duty . That Government exposed itself to the pressing inconvenience of
endeavouring to curb a mob of the worst description , and resisted , and successfully resisted , the Cuban piracy , acting according to its good faith , acting according to its sense of there being a manifest breach of the law . But there was a worse piracy—there was a grosser breach of the law of nations—there was a crime against that law , and a piracy against that law , worse than the Cuban expedition—he meant the piracy whereby the vessel to which he had alluded was loaded and carried across the Atlantic , through the horrors of the middle passao-e , with that immense cargo of miserable beings . at
Lord Clarendon echoed Lord Brougham ' s grief such atrocities . That particular case , although it stood singular he hoped in horror and atrocity , was not the only case that had occurred during the present ^ year ; the slave trade in Cuba was still largely carried on despite the active efforts of the British Consul . The law in Cuba did not permit the release of the slave after he had passed into the interior of the country . In the late case there were 1300 slaves conveyed in a ship of 400 tons burthen . It would be almost vain to imagine the horrible sufferings of those unfortunate beings . The British Government have remonstrated with the Spanish Government on the subject , and have received the most solemn assurances that in future the treaties should be better observed , and the Captain-General had given his " word of honour" to the same effect . At present our cruisers on the coast of Cuba check the trade ; four slavers were lately seized , two of them were condemned , and a fifth had very recently been taken . YOUNG CHIMNEY SWEEPEES . The existing law for the regulation of chimney sweepers provides that no person under twenty-one shall be apprenticed to a chimney sweeper . The master sweepers frustrate the purpose of this act by " hiring " persons under twenty-one as assistants . A new act introduced by Lord Siiaftesbuky to meet this evasion provides that no person under twenty-one , whether ho be apprenticed or not , shall be allowed to give assistance in the trade . Lord Hkaumowt opposed the bill ; but for the high character of Lord Shaftesbury ho would call it " the pitiful cant of pseudo-philanthropy ;"
it was erroneous and dangerous in principle . Lord Wioklow and Lord Clancarty also objected to the bill as an undue interference with trade ; besides several chimneys would not admit machines , and therefore required to be cleaned by boys . Lord St . Leonards also feared the bill would embarrass trade . Lord Panmituk , the Duke of Auovi . Tj , and Lord Suaftesmjhy warmly supported the bill on the ground of the good such bills had already done ; but Lord Montkaolk having pointed out that as a matter of form it wuh customary to refer to a select committee any bill regulnting a trade , the reference was ordered with the con-Hent of all parties .
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KLttOTION HXPOSUJtES . The Cork Election Coinmitteo bus concluded its labours , by issuing a report , nflirining ( hut Horioun outrftgcH , intimidation <> t voters , and " treating" had prevailed during tlio election : but ( hut the treating could not bo traced to Sergeant Murphy or Mr . Kagun , und that they worn duly elected . ( A ( striking commentary 011 thin decision lias been udded by tho Cork mob . On the return from London of Homo of tho witncHHcx against , U 10 Hitting inoiuborH , thoy were n . HHiiiled by a mob iih ( hoy hmded from tho steamer , Michael Murphy wuh wounded on tho head , and a woman , one of tho wUncHHCH , wu . y struck with a stone behind tho onr . ] A llrihcry Couiniitwioii has been Kitting at Kingntonupon-lliill . Cases of common bribery have boon proved . Tlio Canterbury Klcvtion ( , ' oinmiMoo wero told 11 lew ir \ oro it (! ii » H of bribery on Saturday , and then adjourned for a low days to give timo for tho preparation , and printing of tho ovidenco already takeiii
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LETTERS FROM PARIS . [ Fbom oub own Cokrespondent . ] . Lkttbb LXXIV . Paris , Thursday , May 26 , 1853 . Pubuo attention has this week been engrossed by the news from Constantinople , the nature of which you are doubtless aware of . You may easily imagine the commotion produced in Paris by the new turn affairs have taken in the East . Many persons see in it war , a European war , and consequently a complete re-opening of every question that had seemed so conclusively that the funds
settled . It is needless to say public have had a severe shock—they have fallen three francs . Bonaparte , who was to have gone to St . Cloud to-day , has postponed his departure , in order to have the council of ministers under his hand , and be able to act the more promptly and efficiently as circumstances shall require . Orders have been sent to Toulon to have a steamer constantly in readiness to start at a moment ' s notice with despatches to the admiral commanding the fleet . The ministers have had several sittings , in council on the subject . They are divided in opinion upon it . Persigny is for vigorous measures ; his adversary Fould recommends caution . Whilst the former attitude
advised Bonaparte to assume a decided , and declare himself openly in favour of Turkey , the batter protested that to incur the risk of war would be tantamount to inviting an unsettlement of everything ; and thereupon a fresh altercation took place between these two ministers . Unquestionably they are both right according to their respective points of view—Persigny , when he argues from the point of view of the national honour , of which the Bonaparte party is the custodian—Fould , as the representative of the bourgeois and Stock - exchange interests , when he avers that the least alarm of war would cause a general smash . All our present prosperity is indeed hut a house of cards ; the least breath of air would be enough to tumble it down .
Fould , they say , had recourse to an argument that touched Bonaparte to the quick . Conspiracy , said he , is at work in the palace of the Tuileries , under your very eyes , in the midst of your highest prosperity ; what limit will the defeated parties set to their audacity when you are involved in the troubles oi war , with the additional complication of financial difficulties and a commercial crisis ?
In this Fould alluded to a fresh plot , just discovered in the Tuileries , an Orleanist plot , in which were implicated no less a person than the Commissioner of Police of the Palace , and several ladies in the household of the Empress . Cramat , the Commissioner of Police , has been sent to prison , and-Madame Dupuis , the Empress ' s lady of the robes , has been dismissed . It is said that Madame Wagner , her Majesty ' s reader , is to follow her .
A fresh Legitimist plot has also been discovered . The police have succeeded in clapping their hands upon a " Legion of the Holy Cause , " very prettily organized indeed . Regular commissions as officers in this Legion have been seized in the domiciles of several noble Legitimists . Lastly , to complete the lot , a Republican conspiracy has boon detected at Lyons . Five soldiers have been killed in this affair . The members of a secret society were assembled by night in a country house in the
environs of the city , guarded by sentinels placed , in military style , at all the points of approach . Troops of tho lino were sent to surprise them . The soldiers captured tho advanced sentinel , but tho second fired and gave the alarm . The soldiers then rushed forward , but were saluted by a discharge which killed five of them , and put them to the rout . Unfortunately , the military were divided into several parties , one of which succeeded in entering the house in another direction , and seizing all the inmates .
Honupurte is suitl to bo greatly perplexed by these various conspiracies , which hcoiii , as it were , to have concerted together to let themselves be discovered , all in tho same week . lie would fain do a bifcof work in the puttingdown way , but he does not duro to wend the conspirators before the tribunals , and thereby reveal to France that there are people who conspire against him no extreme is the weakness of tins so-culled strong government All these inovemontH augment irnmenaely tho dread which tho UonapartistH entertain of tin attempt upon the life of their Emperor . They fully appreciate tho force
of tho proverb , Morte la hete , tnort h ; v / inin ( " Dead viper , dead poison" ) , and ho they are indefatigable in their inuiKmivrcB to induce Iho Corps IJgislatif to pass their little bill for tho re-establishment of iho penalty of death . Unfortunately for their project tho majority of that bod y is composed of Legitimists and OrleaniHts , ostensibly reconciled to the present ( lovcrnment , but in reality attached to those whom they rogurd uk their lawful sovereigns ; und that majority hiiH conceived nn apprehension that tho penalty iu question may ho intended tor Honri V . or the Cointa
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S 08 T H E L EADER . [ Saturday ^ _ 1 —— —L L ^^ w^—^ w ^^—^^^^^^^^^^^~ "
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Leader (1850-1860), May 28, 1853, page 508, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1988/page/4/
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