§ The Marquess of Breadalbanepresented several petitions from places in Scotland, praying for the abolition of all religious tests in the Scottish Universities. One of the petitions was from the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, which embodied several resolutions in which the exclusion of all religious tests was not advocated, but in which the petitioners expressed themselves strongly against the exclusive system now sought to be revived by the members of the Established Church in that country. He begged, in presenting these petitions, to express his sincere regret, that the measure which had been brought forward in the other House of Parliament for remedying this grievance, had been lost by the opposition of Her Majesty's Government; though they had originally expressed themselves favourable to it. The Scotch Colleges would now afford education to but a comparatively small portion of the population; whereas, if the Bill to which he had alluded had passed, they would be able to afford the most important benefits to the people generally. In his opinion, the speech of the noble Lord opposite (Lord Stanley), in introducing the Irish Colleges Bill, was the very best introduction that could have been made to a measure for Scotland.
Lord Stanleydenied that the Government had acted inconsistently with regard to Ireland and Scotland. They required no new test in the latter country; and they expressed their determination to maintain the existing test in the case of the University of Dublin, He must, however, decline 872 entering into the discussion of a measure which had been rejected in the other House of Parliament, and which had not come under their Lordships' consideration.
Lord Campbellrepudiated the idea of reviving a law that had been allowed to lie dormant for more than a century; and under which his esteemed friend Sir David Brewster—a man whose reputation was European—was in danger of being turned out of his office.