—The Bishop of Exeterbegged to put a question to the noble Marquess at the head of the Home Department, respecting a state of things which prevailed in many parts of England, and which had excited the greatest alarm. He alluded to the system of the socialists—a system which he hardly knew how to define without going into details, but which, under that name, was 238 known no doubt to the noble Marquess and to their Lordships generally. He begged to ask whether the Government had taken any steps to repress the progress of that system in the country?
The Marquess of Normanbysaid the Government had taken no steps to repress the Socialists; and he could only further say, that if those persons committed any illegal acts, or subjected themselves to prosecution, there would be no disposition on the part of the Government to shrink from the performance of any duty which the interests of society required.
The Bishop of Exeterunderstood the noble Marquess to say, that he considered the laws not yet to have been violated for the purpose of encouraging that system, and the Crown had not, therefore, taken any steps to put it down. He gave notice, that, on Friday next, he should present some petitions, imploring their Lordships to take steps to put down a system which the people thought to be fraught with evils both in a moral and religious point of view.