Lords Sitting of 27 March 1835

MINUTES.
Bills. Read a third time:—Contempt in Equity (Ireland); Property in Infants (Ireland).
Petitions presented. By the Duke of ARGYLE, the Marquess of BUTE, and the Earl of ROSSLYN, from several Places,—for Protection to the Church of Scotland.—By Lord KENYON, from two Places, for the Repeal of the Malt Tax, and an Equalization of the Duty on Foreign Grain.—By the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND, from North Durham, for Relief to the Agricultural Interest.—By the Earl of MULGRAVE, from three Places, against Tithes in Ireland.—By the Earl of FALMOUTH, from Truvo, for the Abolition of useless Oaths.—By Lord BROUGHAM, from a Unitarian Congregation, for Relief to the Dissenters.

THE NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.
The Marquess of Westminsterwished to put a question to the noble Duke, on the subject of the new Houses of Parliament. There was a rumour which had no doubt reached their Lordships' ears, as to what had been done by the Committee of both Houses, on the subject of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament. In his opinion, in a great national undertaking like this, all the architects of the country should be allowed to bring forward their plans. It had, however, been rumoured that the plan of one architect alone had been received, and that that plan was made under the direction of the Government. If that was the case, on what principle was it that their Lordships had appointed a Committee to examine plans? Such a Committee was of no use if only the plan of one architect was to be received.
The Duke of Wellingtonsaid, that it was true a plan had been sent in to the Committees, and had been laid before them; but he did not believe that the Committees had yet decided on the plan, nor did he know whether they were or were not satisfied with it, or whether they intended to call for any other plan. He believed that nothing had been decided, and that it was not yet known, except to the Committees themselves, whether the plan now sent in would be adopted or another called for.
The Marquess of Lansdownesaid, so far from the matter being decided, the
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Committees had told the architect who sent in the plan now referred to, that they received it only subject to consideration, and to their preference to any other plan that might be sent in.

DISSENTERS' MARRIAGES.
Lord Broughampresented a Petition from the Unitarians of Hull, on the subject of the claims of the Dissenters. He knew some of the names attached to this petition, and knew them to be most respectable. The petitioners stated, that they had often sought at their Lordships' hands, the extension of religious liberty in behalf of themselves and others, and they believed that the time was now rapidly arriving, when the Legislature would recognize, in the fullest manner, the rights of all classes of religion to civil equality. The petitioners stated the grievances of which they complained; among which were—an inequality of condition in civil respects—a subjection to the payment of Church-rates—and a bad system of registration, which, however, they admitted, was an evil that equally affected Churchmen and Dissenters. The lawyers all knew the truth of this complaint of the petitioners, and the difficulty consequent upon it in tracing titles; and all men acquainted with the subject, desired the evil to be remedied. The petitioners then complained of the Marriage-law; and urged that, in any change that was made, they should be put upon the same footing as Churchmen; so that, with regard to both, marriage should be a civil, or a civil and a religious contract. He hoped that no impolitic distinction would be allowed to prevail in this case. His opinion was, that every measure was to be rejected on principle—as contrary to justice to the Dissenters—as contrary to the policy of the law—as pernicious in itself—as pernicious with regard to all the relations of life—and as unjust both to the Churchman and the Dissenter—that should make any distinction in the marriage contract, declaring it to be of a nature civil only with respect to one class, and civil and religious with respect to another. He trusted that the wisdom of Parliament would remedy such an error, and make it purely civil, or civil and religious, as respected all denominations whatever. Petition laid on the Table.