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Breton Association was formed; it was themselves; and one of them, whom that association which, in fact, produced for years he called his friend, he the attempt of Polignac and his col-knows to be shut up in a prison under leagues; and that attempt produced the a sentence which has made even the famous Revolution of July 1830.

HUNT.

most intolerant of the people shudder. For myself, I would have thanked him for thus dragging in neck and heels, and apropos of nothing, a disclaimer of of me; I should have interpreted it as an act of justice due to me; but, as for them, it is perhaps, though that is saying a great deal, the foulest thing that ever escaped a pair of lips even in

that house.

THE hackerings, the stammerings, the bogglings, the blunderings, and the cowerings down of this famous Cock I should not have noticed, though they have given a shrug to the shoulders, Is this the use to which he means to and a lifting of the hands and the eyes, of all those who expected any-thing Preston have put into his hands? Was turn the power which the people of from him; but the following para- it for this that the good and sincere graph, which I find in the Morning and generous people of Preston sent Herald of to-day, given as the report of a speech of his made in the House of Commons last night, has made me determine to bestow a few words upon him, after inserting the paragraph as follows:

him to the parliament house? I have not room for more at present, except sented him, these remarks do not apply this, that, if the reporter have misrepreto his conduct; but, let me be understood, that a recantation with regard to "The honourable member also presented a "petition from a meeting at the Rotunda, myself only, would not diminish, in my "Blackfriars, against the prosecution insti- eye, but rather augment, the baseness "tuted against Mr. O'CONNELL. He was of this unprovoked, this uncalled-for, "convinced that prosecutions of this kind did this ferocious attack, this at-once cow"not tend to check the opinions against ardly and ferocious attack on three men "which they were instituted, and unless the "Government should get a packed jury in neither of whom is in a situation to de“Dublin, Mr. O'CONNELL would be ac-fend himself nor to call him to account, "quitted. He could not help adverting to and one of whom is doomed to suffer"an expression which fell from LORD AL-ings, the thought of which would soften "THORP last night respecting civil war. He "must say, it was a cold-blooded expression, "and ought not to have fallen from any mem"ber of the Government. He disclaimed all "connexion with Messrs. CARLILE, TAYLOR, "JONES, and COBBETT, at the Rotunda "meetings."

With regard to his disclaimer of all connexion with me, every one will congratulate me upon that, after the exhibition which he has made in parlia

the heart of a tiger. If he shall be able to disclaim the whole, I shall, for the honour of human nature, be happy to promulgate the disclaimer; if not, I shall show him up in the next Twopenny Trash.

WM. COBBETT.

HIS PARSONS.

ment. No man knows better than MARQUIS OF BLANDFORD AND himself that I have never had the smallest connexion in the world with either Messrs. Carlile, Taylor, or Jones, I have not left myself room for this the first of whom I never saw but five showing up, and must therefore put it times, the latter but once, and the se-off till next week, when it will probably cond never in my life that I know of. embrace some intelligence which I yet But, the shaft at me is merely venomexpect on the subject. ous; in the other cases it is base beyond description. I can defend myself. But they, he well knows, cannot defend

W. C.

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Monday, Feb. 7, 1831.

capital, and prevented the employment of labour. Nothing was more prejudicial than a tax on the gross produce of laud; aud it was one which any prudent rulers of the church would now try to have commuted. He said commuted, because the time for composition was gone by. Nothing short of commutation measured in a fixed corn rent, not liable to alteration, and which would not give a greater than a fixed share of the produce to the tithe-owner, not increasing with the capital employed. He believed that, a few years ago, when the church proposed composition, it might have done; but now nothing short of commutation would do. The right rev. Prelates would now find it prudent to come to some moderate commutation. His Lordship concluded by presenting a petition from Somersetshire, praying for a commutation of tithes.

TITHES.-Lord KING said, seeing several right rev. Prelates in their places, he would take the opportunity of presenting several petitions against Tithes, which he should not have thought it fair to present in their absence. The first petition he should present was from a place in Somersetshire, and it was very numerously signed-being signed, indeed, by several thousand persons. They said that their petition was directed against the pernicious tithe system. They stated that they were in great distress; that the farmers could get no profit, and the labourers no employment, on account of the tithe. They stated that tithes, in their origin, were intended to answer very different purposes from The Bishop of LINCOLN made a few obserthat to whith they were applied at present; vations in reply to his Lordship, which were that originally the tithes were divided into nearly inaudible below the Bar. We underthree portions-one went to the clergyman, stood the right Rev, Prelate to say, that notanother to repair the church, and the third to withstanding the confidence with which the maintain the poor. But these petitioners noble Baron made his assertions, he would stated, that they had now to maintain all find it difficult to prove them. He must the poor, and keep the church in repair, maintain that tithes were not established by and that the whole of the tithe went to the the state for a State service. In many cases minister. The tithes they described as a bar- they were granted by individuals who had rier against improvement, and he must say the power, in order to provide for the due that there was great truth in the sentiments performance of religious service in every pa that of the petition. He knew it was said that rish in the kingdom. The individuals who tithes were property; and so they were, but granted tithes did not intend them to be the very different from individual property. It property of the State. The question was, was said that tithes were the property of the what was property? The law gave power to church, and it was asked if it were not as men to appropriate and use certain things. It sacred as other property? But the property gave a power to the tithe-owner, a property in of the church stood upon a different footing the tithes, as it gave to the land-owner a profrom individual property. The church esta-perty in his land. Tithes, therefore, stood blishment was the creature of the state; it was paid for, and in such a manner as the state pleased. In that respect, then, it was perfectly different from individual property. A rev. Prelate had stated, on a former evening, that church property was more ancient than other property: it might be more ancient than some other property, but it was at all times the creature of the state, and public property; it was conferred by the state, and it was held as public property, intended for the benefit of the state. It was different from private property, which was necessary for the good of society. Without private property, we should have nothing but the spontaneous produce of the earth; but, without tithe, we should have a great deal more of saleable produce of art and skill than at present. Tithes, then, and private property, operate in different ways. The institution of private property increased the produce the institution of tithes lessened it. They were a tax on production; they hindered capital from being applied to the land; and, but for them, more capital would be applied, and more produce obtained. It was now necessary to pay tithe on the gross produce of the land, of capital, and labour, which prevented the employment of

upou the same footing as other property. He remembered that at the period of the French revolution, the people who argued against tithes also contended that the landlords were nothing more than the stewards for the people, and that rent was the salary which was paid to them for distributing the produce of the land. He did not know why the Church property should be subject to attacks more than other property, unless it could be shown that it weighed heavier than other property on the springs of national industry. Was that the case? He believed not. Was land free from tithes better cultivated than land subject to tithes. (Hear, hear.) Was that the case? He denied that it was. The right Rev. Prelate then quoted a communication from a clergyman, to show that the tithes were only in his parish 1-6th of the rent. The clergyman stated that he had had several communications with land-surveyors and other persons, who assured him that, generally, the clergymen took from 20 to 30 per cent, less than their due claim for tithes. The agriculturists, the clergyman stated, were not injured by tithes; for, generally, tithe-free land was not better, or so well, cultivated as land subject to tithes. In those parishes, too,

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he stated, which were exempted from tithes, the poor-rates were higher than in parishes which had tithes, though he did not state that the high rates were connected with the exemption of tithes." For himself, he doubted therefore that the tithe system was so noxious as the noble Baron described it. He wished it, however, to be understood, that he was not opposed to a commutation of tithes on a fair principle. It was necessary, he believed, that the church should make some sacrifice, and every commutation must involve a sacrifice; but on that account he should not object to a commutation. On the whole, he denied that tithes were public property, or were the cause of distress.

The Bishop of BATH and WELLS, as the petitions came from Somersetshire, had made some inquiry into the circumstances of the petitioners, and he had found that there was nothing peculiar in their situation which could justify them in coming forward to petition against tithes. He did not wish to make any observations then on the question of tibes or the presentation of petitions, but whenever the noble Lord brought it forward he should be prepared to give him an answer. For himself, he would say, that he was anxious for a fair commutation of tithes. In the first living he had he had commuted the tithes, and the plan had given the greatest satisfaction. It had been productive of advantage to him and of benefit to the parish.

the services of the clergy. Had they had that effect? He was surprised at that argument; for were not, he would ask, all pluralities and non-residents the disgrace of the church? There were, he believed, about 10,500 benefices in England, and in these there were only about 6,000 residents. If the grant were intended to secure the services of the clergy, it had failed in its effect. Hardly one half of the parishes under the church of England had resident incumbents; they might reside in other benefices, but nearly half the parishes of England were destitute of resident incumbents. This was one of the great and crying sins of the church of England, from which the church of Scotland was entirely free. He' would use this circumstance as the argument ad verecundiam. With all the tithes and emoluments belonging to the English church it could not procure residents, but the Scotch church obtained residents without tithes. We had bishops and non-residents; in Scotland they had residents and no bishops. Our hierarchy, our costly hierarchy, could not effect that which was done in Scotland without a hierarchy. This was the argument ad verecundiam. The hierarchy had no power to prevent pluralities, or, if it had the power, it did not exercise it. As to tithes being property, he must repeat, they were very different from private proverty. Private property was beneficial, and it was necessary that there should be private property. Was it necessary Lord KING wished to express his satisfac- that there should be a tax on the gross protion at hearing that the rev. prelates had now duce? Tithes were a pernicious sort of procome to a commutation of tithes, which was perty. Under the present circumstances of something very different from the composi-the union, it would be well in our statesmen tion of tithes proposed by the right rev. pre- to make a change respecting the life interest late. A commutation was very different from of those who now claimed them, but making a composition, such as was proposed by the an alteration that would get rid of tithes. bill of the right rev. Prelate, which went to They were pernicious; all other property was give a power to the tithe-owner to lease his beneficial. He thought it was not very wise tithes for twenty-one years. Commutation in the right rev. Prelate to refer to the French must be by a fixed rent-a certain amount of revolution. Their lordships might depend on cara not subject to vary-a payment totally it that in tithes there must be an alteration different from tithe. He was glad to under--that they would not be much longer suffered stand that now commutation and not com- to exist; and that by placing them on the position was agreed to, and commutation was same footing as property in land, the landact the plan of the right rev. Prelate. The owners might expect that their property too right rev. Prelate who spoke last said that must be altered." there was nothing peculiar in the situation of the people of Somersetshire.-That was true. The evils were every-where the same, and were not confined to Somersetshire. There was nothing peculiar in the hardships they suffered. They were common, unfortunately, to all the land. The right rev. Prelate who spoke first, said, he (Lord King) would have great difficulty in making out that tithes were public property; he proved, however, what was the origin of tithes. The greater part of the livings of the country were in the hands of the church or the crown, and these were undoubtedly public property. The advowsons belonging to individuals were of a different mature, but the advowsons belonging to the church or the crown were public property. It was said that tithes were given to secure

Tuesday, Feb. 8th.

HOUSE OF LORDS. TITHES.-Lord. KING said, that having some other petitions to present on the subject of tithes, he must renew that to some persons inconvenient discussion, but to others most convenient. Yesterday he had brought the Somersetshire militia into the field; to-day he came down with the militia from Glouces tershire. He was happy to say that all per sons appeared now to agree that some alteration was necessary, and it only remained to find out what alteration. One of the right rev. Prelates had yesterday asked him if he had any plan for making the change. He had; he had three plans, all very good ones,

He

MY LORD,-My duty to myself and my country at the present crisis impels me to intrude on your Lordship's most serious consideration concerning the manner in which you have disposed of some of the Dignities and Benefices belonging to the See of Wells since you succeeded the late worthy and highly respected Bishop, Dr. Beadon; and also on your future Church government.

and all simple plans. The first, which was | selves. Thus the name of Prettyman was perhaps the most simple and the best, was to synonymous with that of pluralist. The name charge the land with a proportion of the rent of Sparke too was synonymous with that of for the maintenance of the clergy; or he pluralist. In fact, the names of half the would propose that an amount of rent equal Bench were synonymes of pluralist. to the annual revenues of the clergy should would take the liberty of reading a letter on be paid to them, and they should be entitled this subject, which he had cut out of a newsto that sum in all times to come. His second paper-it was addressed to the Lord Bishop of plan was to give them a corn-rent equal to | Bath and Wells, and was signed Francis the tithes, or to fix a quantity of corn equal Gillett. It was dated from Knight's Farm, to their present tithes, and they always to have Musbury, Devon, and was as follows:the same quantity of corn, or the value of it, acccording to market rate. He was willing too to admit that the quantity of corn should be determined by the actual receipt of the clergy during the last seven years. After ascertaining the amount, he would by this means fix the claims of the clergy for ever. Another and his third plan was to take the whole of the tithes and the church property and sell them, and pay the proceeds into the hands of "On the vacancy in the living of West the Government, who should take upon itself to Camel, your Lordship instituted your son: to provide a due maintenance for the clergy; and this no one objected; a deserving young clerthe overplus, if any (and he was sure there gyman is certainly every way qualified would be a great deal), should go to the pub- for a country rectory; but when he belic; or a part of the overplus might be em- came the Archdeacon, I must say that, taking ployed to provide better for the working his age into consideration, and his title of clergy. One thing, however, was needful," Venerable," I blushed; yes, my Lord, I let it be done as it might, and that was even blushed! Is it consistent, my Lord, to to abolish that most impolitic tax, the tax on see so young a man have rule over so many the gross produce of the land. It was necessary elders of the church? But to proceed :-On to do this, to make property beneficial. To Mr. Beadon's resignation of the Chancellorsecure private property, promote the increase ship, this office also went with the Archdeaof the produce-but tithes curtail the produce conry!-Further, I have been told that at an of the land. It was said that there was no election for a Canon of the Cathedral, the difference between church property and other Chapter did elect some other candidate; property. But sometimes the clergy said that thinking, no doubt, as I did, that the thing there was a great difference between the church was already overdone with respect to your son; property and other property. The clergy although I hear since he has obtained this knew very well that maxim of law, nullum situation also! tempus, and on that they acted. Nothing they said could bar the right of the church; their claims went back to the days of Richard II., and no other property was on the same footing. This was a difference then between church property and other property, on which the clergy were ready enough to insist when they had any claims. Then they said the church property was different from other property. Now he said that it was. One of the right rev. Prelates yesterday stated, that the Bishops had brought forward a measure, or a Bill, he did not know which, and he wished the right rev. Prelate had been more explicit; but the rev. Prelate said the hierarchy wished for a measure strictly to enforce residence, and that this measure was defeated by the lay impropriators, or the lay owners of adVowsons. They had defeated the measure because they thought it would diminish the value of their advowsons to enforce residence. He knew not what measure was meant, or what object the Bishops had sought to accomplish; but he was disposed to assert, that the non-residence was caused, in a great measure, by the Bishops themselves. The greatest number of non-residents, he believed, was to be found in the parishes of the Bishops them

"These proceedings passed on, but not, I assure your Lordship, without giving me great uneasiness; yet I never should, most probably, have drawn your attention to them, had I not, lastly, and rather recently, seen by the papers that, at the death of that highly respected gentleman, the late Rev. T. H. Whally, the living of Yeovilton was also swallowed up by the same overwhelming flood; or, in plain words, was joined to the Archdeaconry, Chancellorship, Canonry, and Living beforementioned. At the same time it certainly might not have given your Lordship much trouble to have found within your diocese some truly respectable clergymen, advanced in years, with families, and who are not beneficed, to one of whom this small but comfortable rectory might have been a source of the greatest happiness in their latter days. Besides, my Lord, how can you reconcile to yourself the idea of one clergyman holding two benefices or livings, whilst you are so strenuous an enforcer of full duty within your diocese? and surely the duties of the parish, both with respect to the church and poor, must be beyond all comparison better performed by a rector or vicar, as the case may be, than by a poor curate, however deserving.

"I am aware, my Lord, that it is possible if inquiry were made in his parishes, the some-nay, even yourself, for a moment-noble Lord would not find one human being may say it is arrogance in so humble an individual as I am, to trouble your Lordship, in this public way; but as I now state to your Lordship that the greatest dependence of myself and children consists of landed property (however few the acres are), within your Lordship's diocess, and that I have no claim to the emoluments of the church to look up for, my apprehensions at once will be seen to arise from a firm conviction on my mind of the immediate necessity of a thorough reform in the church-that she might be brought ence more to stand on that sacred basis-that only firm foundation on which she stood in the primitive ages."

not disposed to speak highly in his favour. He had been compelled to make this statement, and he hoped it had been satisfactory to their Lordships. (Cheers.) His son was a person of great merit, and he certainly had conferred some favours on him in his diocese; and when the noble Lord stated his preferment, he ought to inquire if the duties were well discharged. He must say that he did not think it possible that the duties could be better discharged than they were discharged by his excellent son, the Archdeacon of Wells. He trusted the noble Lord would be ashamed and sorry for having brought forward such an attack.

The letter had been published in the papers Lord KING felt neither ashamed nor sorry. -he did not vouch for its correctness, but it He had only asked if there were not pluralities had never been contradicted, he believed, among the bishops, who said they wanted to though he should be glad to hear it contra- put them down, and he found out that it was dicted. Here there was another pluralist, not so. The letter he had read stated that the a layman. The rev. Prelates said they wished rev. Prelate's son was a deserving young to prevent pluralities; and as he had given man, and he had made no attack upon him; them a plan to commute tithes, he would also he had only stated that there were pluralities give them a plan to secure residence. In fact in that gentleman's possession, and he found nothing was more simple. It was only neces- that he was correct. He brought the circumsary to make the fact of non-residence a legal stance forward because others he meant the receipt for the tithes and the other sinecures. bishops- said that laymen were the cause of That would do the business effectually, far the existence of pluralities in the church. better than all the bishops. He would say no The bishops were not right, therefore, in laymore on presenting his petition, except to re-ing the blame of pluralities on laymen, and it commend the right rev. Prelate, who proposed to bring in a moderate bill, to the words used, he believed, by Mr. Pitt during a great part of the late war, give up a part to preserve the remainder." The noble Lord concluded by presenting several petitions from parishes in Gloucestershire, praying for the commutation

of tithes.

was quite plain, if they had resisted the bill alluded to, the bishops had profited by it.

The Earl of RADNOR said, that it had been asserted by a right rev. Prelate that a bill or measure enforcing residence, and putting an end to pluralities, had been opposed by lay impropriators, and he had been asked when that bill was proposed but he had made no answer. The Bishop of BATH and WELLS did not He understood the right rev. Prelate to say, know that be had given any cause for such an that the bishops were not the cause of nonattack. The fact certainly was that his son residence; that this was not owing to the had two livings, but they were so close to each hierarchy but the lay impropriators. The other that he could well do the duty of both. right rev. Prelate had stated, that on some They were not a walk from each other. In occasion a bill to enforce residence had been his first living he had been a loser, as he had proposed, and that its powers had been curgiven up all his income for the Church. He tailed by the lay impropriators, who had had certainly taken a second living, but he opposed the bill, as injuring the advowsons had also employed a curate in each. In one of which they were the owners. He had he did the duty himself in the morning, and tasked his recollection to find out what bill in the other in the afternoon, while his curate the right rev. Prelate alluded to. He had performed the duty in the other part of the searched, too, those records which were usualday. The first preferment which his son pos-ly preserved of parliamentary proceedings, to sessed was not given by him, but on accouut find out what act the lay impropriators had of his son's merit, by the reverend Prelate opposed, but he regretted that he was disapbehind him. [We could not see which Mem-pointed. He hoped, therefore, that the right ber of the bench the reverend Prelate pointed to.] The other was bestowed on him by the Earl of Eldon, out of respect for his son's character. His son had accepted, at his request, the duties of Chancellor of his Diocese; and be had certainly given him the best thing in his gift, in his diocese. He had brought The Bishop of LONDON was reluctant to him from college for that purpose, where he take part in this discussion, which was the was earning a deal more than the value of his reason why he had not risen to answer the church preferments. He believed, so ex-question put by the noble Baron. There was emplary was his excellent son's conduct, that little occasion, he believed, to do so, because

rev. Prelate would explain what he meant by his assertion last night, that a bill had been brought in to give a right, or power, to the bishops to enforce residence, and that by lay impropriators this bill had been turned from its purpose.

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