NEWS OF THE WEEK.
as imposed for political purposes, and for political par- , poses only, the Peers, as a loyal body, being then wholly exempted from it; and that it was not till the feud between the Roman Catholic and Protestant succession broke out that any religious test was engrafted on the oath, a reli-t gious test which was gradually removed, as inconsistent with true civil and religions liberty. Sir Richard Cross, who moved the rejection of the Bill, fretted himself into a state of consider- able excitement on the various sins of the Government, accusing it of despicable trickery for proposing to abandon the retro- apectire clause. Mr. Torrens, who seconded Sir R. Cross,— the only Liberal, as we hope, who is likely to vote against the Bill,—offered a good deal of sympathy, as is usual with Liberals who take this side, to the proposal to get rid of oaths altogether, both in the House and out of it, but no sympathy at all to the advocates of relief for the particular grievance involved in this
