The Church Bill was read a third time in the
Lords on Monday and passed. After the third reading, however, the Peers accepted two very important re-amendments. By the first, introduced by Lord Devon, strongly supported by Lord Carnarvon, and passed by 108 to 82, they agreed that the Bishops of the Disestablished Church should cease to sit in the Lords ; and by the second, they reintroduced equality among the Churches, giving manses and glebes to Catholics and Presbyterians. This retreat from the untenable position chosen a week ago was proposed by Lord Stan- hope, supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, by many Liberal Peers, and by the whole strength of the middle party ; but
a junction between the Orangemen and the Ministerialista made the majority a small one, 121 to 114, far too few to influence the Lower House, which, again, tvkld be sure to remember that the proposal had once been negatived. The only noteworthy speech in the debate was that of Lord Granard, who, speaking for the Catholics of Ireland, rejected the offer, not because he disliked it, but because its acceptance would be a breach of faith with the Nonconformists and Mr. Gladstone.
