n a division, Mr. O'Connell's amendment
was lost by a majority of four hundred and twenty-eight against forty;
and Mr. Tennyson's, by three hundred and ninety-three against sixty. On
the bringing up of the report, Mr. Cobbett moved that the whole of the
address should be rejected, and that another which he had concocted
should be adopted. This crude amendment was negatived by an overwhelming
majority: only twenty-three in a full house voted for it.

CASE OF MR. PEASE.

During the general election, the southern division of the county of
Durham had returned Mr. Pease, a gentleman who belonged to the Society
of Friends. On the 9th of February, when he appeared to be sworn in,
as a Friend he refused to take an oath, but offered to give his
solemn affirmation. He was desired by the speaker to withdraw, as no
affirmation could be made without the sanction of the house. A committee
was appointed, on the motion of Lord Althorp, to report what precedents
were to be found on the journals, and what was the state of the law in
regard to Friends being allowed to substitute affirmation for oath. The
report of this committee was taken into consideration on the 14th, and
its chairman, Mr. Wynn, moved that Mr. Pease was, on making his solemn
affirmation, entitled to take his seat, without taking those oaths which
were demanded from the other members of the house. Mr. Wynn stated, at
great length, the reasons which induced him to make this motion, and the
solicitor-general agreed in his views. It was quite clear, the latter
said, that at the time of passing the 7th and 8th William III., Friends
could not sit in parliament, having been excluded, along with all other
dissenters, by the 30th Charles II.; but under the act of William they
would have been admissible, if its provisions, as they ought to have
been, had been construed liberally. At all events, the act of George
II. removed every doubt: it was evident that the legislature, in passing
that act, intended to put Friends on the same footing in England with
all other dissenters, except Catholics; such being the case, the
act ought to be construed in accordance with the intention of the
legislature in passing it. The motion to allow Mr. Pease to make his
solemn affirmation in place of the usual oath was agreed to unanimously.

IRISH COERCION BILL.

On the 15th of February, Earl Grey introduced into the house of lords
a bill for the suppression of disturbances in Ireland.