11th of July Mr. Ward brought on his annual motion about the Irish
church. On a division it was rejected by a majority of two hundred and
seventy-four against one hundred and seventy-nine.

A measure of great importance to the Roman Catholic community in Ireland
was introduced by government, and passed during this session; namely, a
bill which had for its object the making of a provision for the better
security and regulation of moneys settled upon charitable and religious
trusts. This bill was first introduced in the house of lords, where it
passed with very little opposition. Sir James Graham moved its second
reading in the commons on the 29th of July. In making this motion,
he explained the law as it then stood relative to the management
and supervision of charitable bequests and donations in Ireland. The
existing system was regulated by a statute passed at the beginning of
the present century, by which a board was constituted for the government
and administration of charitable trusts. This board consisted almost
exclusively of Protestants; whereas nearly three-fourths of the bequests
placed under its jurisdiction were Roman Catholic endowments. By the
bill now proposed, it would be enacted that the master of the rolls, the
chief baron of the exchequer, and the judges of the Prerogative Court,
should be _ex officio_ members of the board; and that in the presence of
them, or any of them, one or the other should preside, according to his
rank--first, the master of the rolls; in his absence, the chief baron
of the exchequer; or, in the absence of the other two, the judge of the
prerogative court. The bill next provided that the crown should appoint
ten commissioners, five of whom should be Protestants, and five Roman
Catholics. By the sixth section it was further provided, with respect
to matters concerning the doctrine, discipline, or constitution of the
church of Rome--that if a question arose as to the _status_ or condition
of any person who had a right, or claimed to have a right, under any
of the deeds of bequest brought under the consideration of the
commissioners, such question should be referred, if the claimant were
a Roman Catholic, to the Roman Catholic commissioners only; and it was
provided that they should grant a certificate of their decision,
which certificate should be received as evidence. One of the principal
objections to the existing law was removed by the tenth clause, which
limited the power of th